try again. The best hope for his health, and even for his life, was to keep him at home for a few years, and give him light work.
He had never been the pleasantest element in the household; and if his parents were glad of the avoidance of the risk of a launch into the world, and his mother's love rejoiced in the power of watching over him, there were others who felt his temper a continual trial, while his career was a perplexity.
However, Captain Henderson offered a clerkship at the Marble Works, subject to Mr. White's approval; and this was gratefully accepted. Nor did Agatha come home again at the Long Vacation for more than two days, in which there was no time for consultation with her sisters on matters of uncertain import.
Miss Arthuret and Elizabeth Merrifield had arranged together to take the old roomy farmhouse on Penbeacon for three or four months, and there receive parties of young women in need of rest, fresh air, and, in some cases, of classes, or time for study. It was to be a sort of Holiday House, though not altogether of idleness; and Dolores undertook to be a kind of vice-president, with Agatha to pursue her reading under her superintendence, and to assist in helping others, governesses, students, schoolmistresses from Coalham, in whose behalf indeed the scheme had been first started, and it was extremely delightful to Agatha, among many others.
CHAPTER XIX-TWO WEDDINGS
'How happy by my mother's side
When some dear friend became a bride!
To shine beyond the rest I was
In gay embroidery drest.
Vain of my drapery's rich brocade,
I held my flowing locks to braid.'
ANSTICE
'Epidemics of marriage set in from time to time,' said Jane Mohun. 'Gillian has set the fashion.'
For the Rock Quay neighbourhood was in a state of excitement over a letter from Mrs. White, of Rocca Marina, announcing the approaching marriage of Mr. White's niece, Maura, with Lord Roger Grey, a nephew of dear Emily's husband, and heir to the Dukedom. The White family were coming home for the wedding, and the interest entirely eclipsed that of Gillian Merrifield's. In fact, though that young lady somewhat justified the Oxford stories, she was in a state of much inward agitation between real love for Ernley, and pain in leaving home, so she put on an absolutely imperturbable demeanour. Her reserve and dread of comments made her so undemonstrative and repressive to her Captain that there were those who doubted whether she cared for him at all, or only looked on her wedding as a mediæval maiden might have done, as coming naturally a few years after she had grown up. Ernley Armytage knew better, and so did her parents. The wedding was hurried on by Captain Armytage's appointment to a frigate on the coast of Southern America, where he had to join at once, in lieu of a captain invalided home; and Gillian accepted the arrangements, which would take her to Rio, 'as much a matter of course,' said her aunt, 'as if she had been a wife for ten years.' Her uncle, Mr. Mohun, was anxious that the marriage of his sister Lily's daughter should take place at the family home, Beechcroft. If there had been scruples, chiefly founded on the largeness of the party, and the trouble to Mrs. Mohun, these were forgotten in the convenience of being out of the way of Rockstone gossip, as well as for other reasons.
'I should certainly have escaped,' said General Mohun. 'I have no notion of meeting that unmitigated scamp.'
'Mr. White ought to be warned,' said Jane.
'You'll do so, I suppose; and much good it will be.'
'I do not imagine that it will. It will be too charming to surpass Franciska and Ivinghoe; but if neither you nor Jasper will speak to old Tom, I shall deliver my conscience to Ada.'
'And be advised to mind your own business.'
Nevertheless, Jane Mohun did deliver her conscience, when, on the day after the arrival, there had been loud lamentations over the intended absence of the Merrifield family. 'It would have looked well to make it a double wedding, all in the family,' said Mr. White.
To which Miss Mohun only answered by a silence which Mrs. White was unwilling to break, but Maura exclaimed-
'But I thought Valetta would be sure to be my bridesmaid. Such friends as we were at the High School!'
It did not strike Miss Mohun that the friendship had been very close or very beneficial; but Adeline added, 'We thought she would pair so well with Vera Prescott, and then uncle will give all the dresses- white silk with cerise trimmings. We ordered them in Paris.'
'Uncle Tom is so generous!' said Maura. 'There is no end to his kindness. I'll go and unpack some of the patterns, that Miss Mohun may see them.'
She tripped out of the room, and Jane exclaimed, 'Poor child! Has Emily written to you, Ada?'
'Yes, rather stiffly. Mr. White thinks it aristocratic pride.'
'Ada, you know it is not that.'
'Well, I suppose the Greys are hardly gratified by the connection, though Mr. White will make it worth their while. You see the Duke leaves everything in his power to his daughters, so poor Roger will be very badly off.'
'But-' There was so much expressed in that 'but' that Adeline began to answer one of the sentiments she supposed it to convey. 'He can do it easily-for all the rest are provided for by the Marble Works-except the two eldest brothers. Richard has gone away, and Alexis-oh, you know he has notions of his own that Mr. White does not like.'
'Does Mr. White know all about Lord Roger, or why the Duke should cut him off as far as possible?'
'My dear Jane, it is not charitable to bring things up against young men's follies.'
'It is a pretty considerable folly to have done what compelled him to retire. Reginald was called in at the inquiry, and knows all about it.'
'But that was ages ago, and he has been quite distinguished in the Turkish army.'
'Yes; and I also know that English gentlemen have associated with him as little as possible. I should call it a fatal thing to let Maura marry him. What does Captain Henderson say?'
'Mr. White thinks that it is all jealousy. And really, Jenny, I do not in the least believe that he will make her unhappy. He is old enough to have quite outgrown all his wild ways, and he has quite gentlemanly manners and ways. Besides, Maura likes him, and is quite bent upon it.'
Still there was a dissatisfied look on Jane's face, and Adeline went on answering it, with tears in her eyes. 'My dear Jane, I know what you would say, and what Reginald and all the rest feel, that it is not what we should like! But, my dear, don't let the whole family rise up in arms! It would be of no use, only make it painful for me. Maura is quite bent upon it, and she has arrived at turning her uncle round her finger so much that I am sometimes hardly mistress of the house! Oh, I don't tell any one, not Lily nor any one, but it will really be a relief to me when she is gone, with her Greek coaxing ways. Her uncle is wrapped up in her, and so proud of her being a Duchess that he would condone anything. Indeed, I am always afraid of her putting it into his head to suppose that her disappointment about Ivinghoe was in any way owing to my family pride.'
Jane was sorry for Adeline, and able to perceive how the wifely feelings, which she had taken on herself, by choosing a man of inferior breeding and nature clashed with her hereditary character and principles.
'You are absolutely relieved that the Beechcroft wedding takes all of us out of the way naturally and without offence,' she said so kindly that Ada laid her head on her sisterly shoulder, and allowed herself to shed a few tears.
'Yes, yes,' she said; 'I am glad to have so good a reason to mention. Only I do hope Jasper will not object to Valetta's coming back to be bridesmaid. That would really be a blow and give offence, and it would make difficulties with others-even James Henderson, who swears by Jasper. I have often wished they would have done as I advised, and have had this wedding at Rocca Marina, out of the way of everybody! I sometimes think it will be the death of me. Do come home to help me through it.'
She spoke so like the Ada of old that it went to Jane's heart.
She promised that she would return in time to give the very substantial assistance in which all believed, and the more sentimental support in which nobody believed, though her distaste arose tenfold after seeing the bridegroom, who looked like an old satyr, all the more because Maura was like a Greek nymph. Mrs. Henderson was much grieved, and had tried remonstrance with her sister, but found her quite impervious.
Glad were all the Merrifields to escape to the quiet atmosphere of Beechcroft, where the relations were able to
