'Thank you, it is a great relief to have an opinion, for we were not at all satisfied about Mr. Rivers.'
A few words more, and Meta was skipping about like a sprite finding a basket for the flowers--she had another shake of the hand, another grateful smile, and 'thank you,' from the doctor; and then, as the carriage disappeared, Mrs. Larpent exclaimed, 'What a very nice intelligent boy that was.'
'Particularly gentlemanlike,' said Mr. Rivers. 'Very clever--the head of the school, as his father tells me--and so modest and unassuming-- though I see his father is very proud of him.'
'Oh, I am sure they are so fond of each other,' said Meta: 'didn't you see his attentive ways to his father at luncheon! And, papa, I am sure you must like Dr. May, Mr. Wilmot's doctor, as much as I said you would.'
'He is the most superior man I have met with for a long time,' said Mr. Rivers. 'It is a great acquisition to find a man of such taste and acquirements in this country neighbourhood, when there is not another who can tell a Claude from a Poussin. I declare, when once we began talking, there was no leaving off--I have not met a person of so much conversation since I left town. I thought you would like to see him, Meta.'
'I hope I shall know the Miss Mays some time or other.'
'That is the prettiest little fairy I ever did see!' was Dr. May's remark, as Norman drove from the door.
'How good-natured they are!' said Norman; 'I just said something about Margaret, and she gave me all these flowers. How Margaret will be delighted! I wish the girls could see it all!'
'So you got on well with the ladies, did you?'
'They were very kind to me. It was very pleasant!' said Norman, with a tone of enjoyment that did his father's heart good.
'I was glad you should come in. Such a curiosity shop is a sight, and those pictures were some of them well worth seeing. That was a splendid Titian.'
'That cast of the Pallas of the Parthenon--how beautiful it was--I knew it from the picture in Smith's dictionary. Mr. Rivers said he would show me all his antiques if you would bring me again.'
'I saw he liked your interest in them. He is a good, kind-hearted dilettante sort of old man; he has got all the talk of the literary, cultivated society in London, and must find it dullish work here.'
'You liked him, didn't you?'
'He is very pleasant; I found he knew my old friend, Benson, whom I had not seen since we were at Cambridge together, and we got on that and other matters; London people have an art of conversation not learned here, and I don't know how the time slipped away; but you must have been tolerably tired of waiting.'
'Not to signify,' said Norman. 'I only began to think he must be very ill; I hope there is not much the matter with him.'
'I can't say. I am afraid there is organic disease, but I think it may be kept quiet a good while yet, and he may have a pleasant life for some time to come, arranging his prints, and petting his pretty daughter. He has plenty to fall back upon.'
'Do you go there again?'
'Yes, next week. I am glad of it. I shall like to have another look at that little Madonna of his--it is the sort of picture that does one good to carry away in one's eye. Whay! Stop. There's an old woman in here. It is too late for Fordholm, but these cases won't wait.'
He went into the cottage, and soon returned, saying, 'Fine new blankets, and a great kettle of soup, and such praises of the ladies at the Grange!' And, at the next house, it was the same story. 'Well, 'tis no mockery now to tell the poor creatures they want nourishing food. Slices of meat and bottles of port wine rain down on Abbotstoke.'
A far more talkative journey than usual ensued; the discussion of the paintings and antiques was almost equally delightful to the father and son, and lasted till, about a mile from Stoneborough, they descried three figures in the twilight.
'Ha! How are you, Wilmot? So you braved the rain, Ethel. Jump in,' called the doctor, as Norman drew up.
'I shall crowd you--I shall hurt your arm, papa; thank you.'
'No, you won't--jump in--there's room for three thread-papers in one gig. Why, Wilmot, your brother has a very jewel of a squire! How did you fare?'
'Very well on the whole,' was Mr. Wllmot's answer, while Ethel scrambled in, and tried to make herself small, an art in which she was not very successful; and Norman gave an exclamation of horrified warning, as she was about to step into the flower-basket; then she nearly tumbled out again in dismay, and was relieved to find herself safely wedged in, without having done any harm, while her father called out to Mr. Wilmot, as they started, 'I say! You are coming back to tea with us.'
That cheerful tone, and the kindness to herself, were a refreshment and revival to Ethel, who was still sobered and shocked by her yesterday's adventure, and by the sense of her father's sorrowful displeasure. Expecting further to be scolded for getting in so awkwardly, she did not venture to volunteer anything, and even when he kindly said, 'I hope you were prosperous in your expedition,' she only made answer, in a very grave voice, 'Yes, papa, we have taken a very nice tidy room.'
'What do you pay for it?'
'Fourpence for each time.'
'Well, here's for you,' said Dr. May. 'It is only two guineas to-day; that banker at the Grange beguiled us of our time, but you had better close the bargain for him, Ethel--he will be a revenue for you, for this winter at least.'
'Oh, thank you, papa,' was all Ethel could say; overpowered by his kindness, and more repressed by what she felt so unmerited, than she would have been by coldness, she said few words, and preferred listening to Norman, who began to describe their adventures at the Grange.
All her eagerness revived, however, as she sprang out of the carriage, full of tidings for Margaret; and it was almost a race between her and Norman to get upstairs, and unfold their separate budgets.
Margaret's lamp had just been lighted, when they made their entrance, Norman holding the flowers on high.
'Oh, how beautiful! how delicious! For me? Where did you get them?'
'From Abbotstoke Grange; Miss Rivers sent them to you.'
'How very kind! What a lovely geranium, and oh, that fern! I never saw anything so choice. How came she to think of me?'
'They asked me in because it rained, and she was making the prettiest things, leather leaves and flowers for picture frames. I thought it was work that would just suit you, and learned how to do it. That made them ask about you, and it ended by her sending you this nosegay.'
'How very kind everybody is! Well, Ethel, are you come home too?'
'Papa picked me up. Oh, Margaret, we have found such a nice room, a clean sanded kitchen--'
'You never saw such a conservatory--'
'And it is to be let to us for fourpence a time--'
'The house is full of beautiful things, pictures and statues. Only think of a real Titian, and a cast of the Apollo!'
'Twenty children to begin with, and Richard is going to make some forms.'
'Mr. Rivers is going to show me all his casts.'
'Oh, is he? But only think how lucky we were to find such a nice woman; Mr. Wilmot was so pleased with her.'
Norman found one story at a time was enough, and relinquished the field, contenting himself with silently helping Margaret to arrange the flowers, holding the basket for her, and pleased with her gestures of admiration. Ethel went on with her history. 'The first place we thought of would not do at all; the woman said she would not take half-a-crown a week to have a lot of children stabbling about, as she called it; so we went to another house, and there was a very nice woman indeed, Mrs. Green, with one little boy, whom she wanted to send to school, only it is too far. She says she always goes to church at Fordholm because it is nearer, and she is quite willing to let us have the room. So we settled it, and next Friday we are to begin. Papa has given us two guineas, and that will pay for, let me see, a hundred and twenty-six times, and Mr. Wilmot is going to give us some books, and Ritchie will print some alphabets. We told a great many of the, people, and they are so glad. Old Granny Hall said, 'Well, I never!' and told the girls they must be as good as gold now the gentlefolks was coming to teach them. Mr. Wilmot is coming with us every Friday as long as the holidays last.'
Ethel departed on her father's coming in to ask Margaret if she would like to have a visit from Mr. Wilmot. She
