She stared, and corrected her incivility with "Ah, yes," and a formal smile.
If not accidentally delayed on her journey, she had been needlessly the cause why Lord Ormont hugged his Club during the morning and afternoon.
Weyburn was pushed to think of the matter by remembrance of his foregone resentment at her having withdrawn Aminta from Miss Vincent's three days earlier than the holiday time.

The resentment was over; but a germ of it must have sprang from the dust to prompt the kindling leap his memory took, out of all due connection; like a lightning among the crags.
It struck Aminta smartly.

He called to mind the conversation at table yesterday.

Had she played on Lord Ormont's dislike of the aunt to drive him forth for some purpose of her own?
If so, the little trick had been done with deplorable spontaneity or adeptness of usage.

What was the purpose ?--to converse with an old acquaintance, undisturbed by Lord Ormont and her aunt?
Neatly done, supposing the surmise correct.
But what was there in the purpose?
He sifted rapidly for the gist of the conversation; reviewed the manner of it, the words, the sound they had, the feelings they touched; then owned that the question could not be answered.