rn had held the gate open because it was more convenient to hold
it open than to leave it open. He had not a political view in the world
that was calculated to affect his attitude toward a practical matter;
and his opinion of Lorne was quite uncomplicated: he thought him a very
likely young fellow. Milburn himself, in the Elgin way, preferred to
see no great significance of this sort anywhere. Young people were
young people; it was natural enough that they should like each other's
society. They, the Milburns, were very glad to see Mr Murchison, very
glad indeed. It was frequent matter for veiled humorous reference at
the table that he had been to call again, at which Dora would look very
stiff and dignified, and have to be coaxed back into the conversation.
As to anything serious, there was no hurry; plenty of time to think of
that. Such matters dwelt under the horizon; there was no need to scan
them closely; and Mr Milburn went his way, conscious of nothing more
than a comfortable gratification that Dora, so far as the young men were
concerned, seemed as popular as other girls.

Dora was not in the drawing-room. Young ladies in Elgin had always to
be summoned from somewhere. For all the Filkin instinct for the
conservation of polite tradition, Dora was probably reading the
Toronto society weekly--illustrated, with correspondents all over the
Province--on the back verandah and, but for the irruption of a visitor,
would probably not have entered the formal apartment of the house at
all that evening. Drawing-rooms in Elgin had their prescribed uses--to
receive in, to practise in, and for the last sad entertainment of the
dead, when the furniture was disarranged to accommodate the trestles;
but the common business of life went on outside them, even among
prosperous people, the survival, perhaps, of a habit based upon thrift.
The shutters were opened when Lorne entered, to let in the spring
twilight, and the servant pulled a chair into its proper relation with
the room as she went out.

Mrs Milburn and Miss Filkin both came in before Dora did. Lorne found
their conversation enchanting, though it was mostly about the difficulty
of keeping the lawn tidy; they had had so much rain. Mrs Milburn assured
him kindly that there was not such another lawn as his father's in
Elgin. How Mr Murchison managed to have it looking so nice always she
could not think. Only yesterday she and Mr Milburn had stopped to admire
it as they passed.