A distressing
sight to look upon, was she, as she stood there; she and the festal
attire were so completely at variance. She came forward, before the
servants could recover from their astonishment.
"Where's Richard?" she asked, speaking in a low, subdued tone, as if
fearing to be heard--though there was nobody in the house to hear her,
save Lucy Tempest. And probably it was from her wish to avoid all
attention to her proceeding, that caused her to come down stealthily to
the servants, instead of ringing for them.
"Richard is not come back, ma'am," answered Catherine. "We have just
been saying that he'll most likely stop up there with the Hall servants
until my lady returns."
"Not back!" echoed Sibylla. "Cook, you must go out for me," she
imperiously added, after a moment's pause. "Go to Dean's and order one
of their flys here directly. Wait, and come back with it."
The cook, a simple sort of young woman, save in her own special
department, did not demur, or appear to question in the least the
expediency of the order. Catherine questioned it very much indeed; but
while she hesitated what to do, whether to stop the cook, or to venture
on a remonstrance to Mrs.
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