_"His_--not 'a'--"
Cora accepted the correction obediently, but her self-confidence was
shaken. She managed to stammer,
"'Give t-to--his c-cousin, L-Lady C-Clare,'"
and then a storm of tears set in, drowning her utterance.
"Well, what do you think o' _that_?" exclaimed Martha, amazed at the
undue sensitiveness of her offspring. "Never mind, Cora! You done it
grand!--as far as you went."
To cover this slight mishap, Claire gave a hurried signal to the pages,
who appeared forthwith in splendid form, if a little overweighted by the
burdens they bore. In some strange way Claire's simple gifts had been
secretly augmented until they piled up upon the trays, twin-mountains of
treasure.
When the first surprise was past, and the wonders examined and exclaimed
over, Martha bent toward Claire, from her seat of honor on the grass.
"Didn't I think to tell you Mr. Blennerhasset come up on the early
train? Sammy, he drove down to the station himself to meet'm. Mr.
Blennerhasset brought up all them grand things--for Mr.
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