up.'
'O, Frank,' said Charlie, coming in, 'here's Price come up about the puppies.-What, Rosamond, has he got hold of you? What a blessing for me! but I pity you.'
Frank and Charlie went off together; and Julius was in the act of begging Cecil to illuminate a notice of the services, to be framed and put into the church porch, when Raymond came in from the other room to make up a whist-table for his mother. Rosamond gladly responded; but there was a slight accent of contempt in Cecil's voice, as she replied, 'I never played a game at cards in my life.'
'They are a great resource to my mother,' said Raymond. 'Anne, you are too tired to play?-No, Julius, the pack is not there; look in the drawer of the chiffonier.'
Julius handed the list he had been jotting down to Cecil, and followed his brother, with his hands full of cards, unconscious of the expression of dismay, almost horror, with which Anne was gazing after him.
'Oh! let us be resolute!' she cried, as soon as the door was shut. 'Do not let us touch the evil thing!'
'Cards?' said Cecil. 'If Mrs. Poynsett cannot be amused without them, I suppose we shall have to learn. I always heard she was such an intellectual woman.'
'But we ought to resist sin, however painful it may be,' said Anne, gathering strength; 'nay, even if a minister sets the example of defection.'
'You think it wicked,' said Cecil. 'Oh no, it is stupid and silly, and an absurd waste of time, but no more.'
'Yes, it is,' said Anne. 'Cards are the bane of thousands.'
'Oh yes, gambling and all that; but to play in the evening to amuse an invalid can have no harm in it.'
'An invalid and aged woman ought to have her mind set upon better things,' said Anne. 'I shall not withdraw my testimony, and I hope you will not.'
'I don't know,' said Cecil. 'You see I am expected to attend to Mrs. Poynsett; and I have seen whist at Dunstone when any dull old person came there. What a troublesome crooked hand Julius writes- just like Greek! What's all this? So many services-four on Sunday, two every day, three on Wednesdays and Fridays! We never had anything like this at Dunstone.'
'It is very superstitious,' said Anne.
'Very superfluous, I should say,' amended Cecil. 'I am sure my father would consent to nothing of the kind. I shall speak to Raymond about it.'
'Yes,' said Anne; 'it does seem terrible that a minister should try to make up for worldly amusements by a quantity of vain ceremonies.'
'I wish you would not call him a minister, it sounds like a dissenter.'
'I think ministers their best name, except pastors.'
'Both are horrid alike,' said Cecil. 'I shall teach all the people to call Julius the Rector. That's better than Mr. Charnock-what Raymond ought to be.'
Anne was struck dumb at this fearful display of worldliness; and Cecil betook herself to the piano, but the moment her husband appeared she showed him the list.
'He has cut out plenty of work,' said Raymond, 'but three of them must want a field for their energies.'
'It is preposterous. I want you to speak to him about it.'
'You are not expected to go to them all,' Raymond made answer.
'Then there's no sense in having them,' responded Cecil. 'Evening services are very bad for the people, bringing them out late. You ought to tell him so.'
'He is Rector, and I am not,' said Raymond.
'Mr. Venn did nothing without papa's consent,' exclaimed
'My dear Cecil, don't let your loyalty make a Harry the Eighth of your father,' said Raymond; 'the clergyman ought to be a free agent.'
'You don't approve?'
'I don't approve or disapprove. It is not a matter I know anything about.'
'But I assure you it has been all thought over at Dunstone.'
'Come, my mother wants to go to bed, and you are keeping her waiting.'
Cecil was silenced for the moment, but not daunted; for was it not the foremost duty of the lady of the manor to keep the clergyman in order, more especially when he was her own husband's younger brother? so she met her brother-in-law with 'Julius, when I undertook that notice, I had no notion you were going to have so many services.'
'Is there more than you have time to paint? Then Bindon can do it, or Jenny Bowater.'
'No! it is not time or trouble; but I do not think such a number of services desirable.'
'Indeed!' said he, looking amused.
'Yes. An over number of services frequented by no one only brings the Church into contempt. I heard papa say so. We only had regular Sunday and Saint's Day services, and I am sure Dunstone was quite as religious a place as there is any need to be.'
'I am glad to hear it,' said Julius, an odd look flickering about his face; 'but as I am afraid Compton is not as religious a place as there is need to be, I must try, by your leave, all means of making it so. Good night.'
He was gone, and Cecil was not sure that he had not presumed to laugh at her.
CHAPTER V. A Sunday of Excitement
Strangers in court do take her for the queen.-Shakespeare
The first Sunday of Julius Charnock's ministry was spent in an unexpected manner. In the darkness of the autumn morning there was a knock at the door, and a low hurried call in Anne's voice at the bedroom door: 'Rosamond! Julius, pray look out! Isn't there a great fire somewhere?'
'Fire! Here?' cried Rosamond, springing up.
'No, not here. A great way off. You could beat it back.'
Rosamond had by this time rushed to the window which looked out the wrong way, found her dressing-gown, and scrambled into it in the dark ere joining Anne in the gallery, from the end window of which the lurid light in the sky, with an occasional flame leaping up, was plainly visible. When Julius joined them he declared it to be at Willansborough, and set off to call up the coachman and despatch the fire-engine, his wife calling after him to send for the soldiers at Backsworth.
Frank and Charlie came rushing down in gratified excitement, declaring that it was tremendous-the church at least-and exulting in the attainment of their life-long ambition, the riding out on the fire-engine. Servants bustled about, exclaiming, tramping, or whisking on the stairs; and Raymond presently appeared to ask whether his mother were ill, and, when reassured on that score, hurrying to ascertain whether she were alarmed, before he started for the scene of action.
'Let me come and stay with her,' said Rosamond, a striking figure, in a scarlet dressing-gown, with a thick plait of black hair hanging down to her waist on either side.
'Thank you, it will be very kind,' said Raymond, running down before her, and meeting Susan waddling out in a fringe of curl-papers, for some mysterious instinct or echo had conveyed to her and her mistress that there was fire somewhere-perhaps at home. Mrs. Poynsett was not a nervous woman, and from the time she saw her eldest son come in, all fright was over, and she could have borne to hear that the house over her head was burning, in the perfect trust that he would save her from all peril; nor had he any difficulty in committing her to Rosamond, when he hurried away to finish dressing and repair to the spot.
Nothing could be seen from her room, but the little ante-room between it and the drawing-room had an excellent view, as the ground fell away from it, and there was an opening among the trees.
'We must get you there!' exclaimed Rosamond, in her excitement, helping her into some garments, and then running out as she heard a step-'Here, Julius, help me;' and without more ado, the mother was transported between them to the broad low couch under the window, and there bestowed in a nest of pillows, shawls, and rugs, that seemed to grow up under Rosamond's touch.
Then following Julius out into the hall as he met his brother, Rosamond clung to him, entreating, 'Please, please don't run into any dangerous places.'
'Never fear, dearest; I am not likely.'
'Don't let him, pray!' she said, turning to Raymond. 'Make him remember how blind he is.'
