With a laugh, Quintin said, "Not bad at all.""Why aren't you busy with your painting?" he then inquired. "I'm just here to make sure you feel well taken care of; I didn't want you thinking I was neglecting you." "Go on, get back to your work, and stop interrupting my chess game." Campbell, however, remained unmoved. When Quintin and Campbell complimented Vesta, the Hawkins and Spencer families grinned broadly. Vesta was well known to everyone in the area. She was a person who evoked both respect and jealousy. After all, Vesta had it all—beauty, intelligence, and now both Campbell and Quintin were interested in her because of her chess abilities.In addition, the Spencer and Hawkins families had risen in the social hierarchy as a result of Thorne's admiration for Vesta. That kind of daughter—who wouldn't want one? Enviously, someone said to the Hawkins and Spencer families, "Katie, Mr. Hawkins, Mrs. Hawkins, you really have a wonderful granddaughter and daughter." "Absolutely," others
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