hall go there first."
"But," said Mrs. Bellairs, "such a voyage at this time of year! Do wait
till spring."
"Except that it will be cold, I do not think the voyage will be worse
now than at any other time," Mrs. Costello answered quietly.
"But, Lucia!" said Bella, "surely you are not going away now?"
"It seems that we are. Mamma has said nothing to me about it to-day,
and I thought she might have given up the idea."
"Until to-day, then, you knew she intended it?"
"Yes." Lucia's cheeks grew rosy as she answered, for she remembered why
the idea of European travel had seemed pleasant to her. One word from
her companion might have set all those fluttering thoughts and hopes at
rest; but Bella guessed nothing of them, and neither saw Lucia's change
of colour, nor, if she had seen it, would have understood its cause.
"Do you think you will be long away?" she asked.
"I have no idea _now_. I think that before, mamma did not mean to come
back at all."
"And you can leave Canada, and all of us so easily?"
"Oh! no, no;" and Lucia blushed more deeply than before. "Oh! Bella, I
am a real Canadian girl. I should long for Canada again often, often, if
I were away,--and for all of you."
"I don't see," Bella said, half sadly, half crossly, "what good it does
people to go away. There is Maurice, who seems to have everything he can
wish for, and yet, according to Mr. Leigh, he is perfectly restless and
miserable, and wants to come back."
"Poor Maurice! if he is coming back I wish he would come before we go;
but I suppose he cannot leave while Mr. Beresford lives."
"I don't see why you should care. You will see him in England; shan't
you?"
"No. Mamma can't go to England. But perhaps he might come over to see us
in France, if we stop there."
"Of course, he will. And if by that time you are both home sick, you can
come out together again, you know."
Lucia shook her head.
"Maurice will be a great man, and have to stay at home and look after
his estates, and by-and-by you will all forget us when he and Mr. Leigh
are living together in Norfolk, and mamma and I are wandering--who knows
where?"
Bella's hand fell softly upon her friend's; but they said no more. The
others, too, had grown silent, and there was little more talk among them
that night.
But after they had separated, and the mother and daughter were alone,
Lucia asked whether their voyage was still really to take place
immediately?
Mrs. Cost
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