He was the elder by several years, but at that moment he looked much the younger, for his transparent complexion flushed suddenly, and he spoke with a shyness extremely unlike the ready indifference of his manner with his male companion, while Dorothea became all the calmer with a wondering desire to put him at ease.
He spoke to her after the play, was received with the usual quietude which seemed to him beautiful as clear depths of water, and obtained leave to visit her the next day; when he was bent on telling her that he adored her, and on asking her to marry him.
" He spoke in the same tone when Mary came.
It seems to me it would be a poor sort of religion to put a spoke in his wheel by refusing to say you don't believe such harm of him as you've got no good reason to believe.
He continued to look at Fred with the same twinkle and with one of his habitual grimaces, alternately screwing and widening his mouth; and when he spoke, it was in a low tone, which might be taken for that of an informer ready to be bought off, rather than for the tone of an offended senior.
Bulstrode, who spoke in a subdued tone, and had rather a sickly air.
Now, though they had hardly spoken to each other all the evening, yet when Celia put by her work, intending to go to bed, a proceeding in which she was always much the earlier, Dorothea, who was seated on a low stool, unable to occupy herself except in meditation, said, with the musical intonation which in moments of deep but quiet feeling made her speech like a fine bit of recitative— "Celia, dear, come and kiss me," holding her arms open as she spoke.
" She spoke with more energy than is expected of so young a lady, but Sir James had appealed to her.
" Dorothea spoke in a full cordial tone, half caressing, half explanatory.
Although they now knew his name, the children never spoke of him by it—at any rate, when they were by themselves.
But the signalman seemed quite broken down, and the children had to pat him and thump him for quite a long time before he found his handkerchief—a red one with mauve and white horseshoes on it—and mopped his face and spoke.
All we can do, you and I and Daddy, is to be brave, and patient, and—" she spoke very softly—"to pray, Bobbie, dear.
" She skipped joyously as she spoke.
" The woman's face brightened as she spoke.
" The three spoke all at once.
Peter saw his red, clean-shaven face as he spoke.
Engineer," she spoke a little louder, but the Engine happened to speak at the same moment, and of course Roberta's soft little voice hadn't a chance.
" He spoke much more gently now, and Peter said:— "I didn't think it was stealing.
" Mother spoke rather less cheerfully than usual.
"I know it, mother, but they have something of a tail," spoke Buddy, "and maybe it will grow longer in time.
