Lady of Drawbridge Court [antikvár]

"Autumn my dear, you must have a companion! It is unthinkable that a young lady of your station should venture forth unescorted, and I presume that you do not wish to be immured in the house forever?'* "But Grandpapa, Aunt Sylvia accompanies me wherever I go! Why should I need a companion?** "You will not have had time to notice yet, of course, Autumn, as you only arrived home yesterday, but your poor aunt's eyesight is failing rapidly. It has al- ways been weak as you know, but now I am afraid that it will not be long before your aunt begins to ex- perience difficulty in seeing at all! I pray that I may be wrong in what I have just said, but you must agree my dear, that for you to have a companion would ease the situation considerably. You know how it would grieve your aunt if she thought her affliction was spoiling your pleasure/' "Pleasure? Oh Grandpapa, what is pleasure com- pared with blindness? Poor Aunt Sylvia! But when I asked after her health yesterday, she did not mention that her sight had deteriorated," I replied. "Are you sure, Grandpapa? She seems to move as lightly as ever: I should have noticed if there had been the slightest hesitation in her step, or uncertainty in her movements!" "Autumn, you must realize that your aunt has lived in this house for nearly twenty years, ever since she wed your Uncle James. During those years she would have learned exactly how many paces would carry