The fact of its being the wish of the appointed guardian of the young
ladies was sufficient to make the Misses Twettenham readily acquiesce to
an invitation being accepted; and before many days had passed little
Miss Rosebury drove over in the pony-carriage, into the front seat of
which Helen Perowne, in the richest dress she possessed, glided with a
grace and dignity that seemed to say she was conferring a favour.
"I wish you could drive, my dear," said little Miss Rosebury, smiling in
Grey Stuart's face, for there was something in the fair young
countenance which attracted her.
"May I ask why?" replied Grey.
"Because it seems so rude to make you take the back seat."
For answer Grey nimbly took her place behind; while, as Helen Perowne
settled herself in a graceful, reclining attitude, Miss Rosebury took
her seat, the round fat pony tossed its head, hands were waved, and away
the little carriage spun along the ten miles' drive between Mayleyfield
and the Rectory.
Helen was languid and quiet, leaning back with her eyes half closed,
while Grey bent forward between them and chatted with Miss Rosebury, the
little lady seeming to be at home with her at once.
Before they had gone a mile, though, the observant charioteer noticed
that Grey started and coloured vividly at the sight of a tall, thin
youth with a downy moustache, who eagerly raised his hat, as if to show
his fair curly hair as they passed.
"Then she has a lover too," said Miss Rosebury to herself; for Helen
Perowne sat unmoved, and did not appear to see the tall youth as they
drove by him, but kept her eyes half closed, the long lashes drooping
almost to her cheeks.
Little Miss Rosebury darted a keen glance at both the girls in turn, to
see Grey Stuart colour more deeply still beneath her scrutiny; while
Helen Perowne raised her eyes on finding Miss Rosebury looking at her,
and smiled, her face wearing an enquiring look the while.
Dr Bolter had gone to town on business, so it had been decided that the
visitors should stay for a couple of nights at the Rectory, where the
Reverend Arthur, trowel in one hand, basket in the other, was busy at
work filling the beds with geraniums when the pony-carriage drew up.
He slowly placed basket and trowel upon the grass as the carriage
stopped, and forgetful of the state of his hands, helped the ladies to
alight, leaving the imprint of his earthy fingers upon Helen's delicate
gloves.
Grey saw what took place, and expected an angry show of impatience on
her companion's part; but on the contrary, Helen held up her hands and
laughed in quite a merry way.
"Oh, Arthur," exclaimed Miss Rosebury, "how thoughtless you are!"
The Reverend Arthur looked in dismay at the mischief he had done, and
taking out his pocket-handkerchief--one that had evidently been used for
wiping earthy fingers before--he deliberately took first one and then
the other of Helen Perowne's hands to try and remove the marks he had
made upon her gloves.
"I am very sorry, Miss Perowne," he said, in his quiet, deliberate way.
"It was very thoughtless of me; I have been planting geraniums."
To the amazement of Grey Stuart, Helen gazed full in the curate's face,
smilingly surrendering her hands to the tender dusting they received.
Miss Rosebury was evidently annoyed, for she turned from surrendering
the reins to the gardener, who was waiting to lead away the pony, and
exclaimed:
"Oh, Arthur, you foolish man, what are you doing? Miss Perowne's hands
are not the leaves of plants."
"No, my dear Mary," said the Reverend Arthur, in the most serious
manner; "and I am afraid I have made the mischief worse."
"It does not matter, Mr Rosebury. It is only a pair of gloves--I have
plenty more," said Helen, hastily stripping them off regardless of
buttons, and tearing them in the effort. They were of the thinnest and
finest French kid, and as she hastily rolled them up she looked
laughingly round for a place to throw them, ending by dropping them into
the large garden basket half full of little geranium pots, while the
Reverend Arthur's eyes rested gravely upon the delicate blue-veined
hands with their taper fingers and rosy nails.
"Come, my dears," exclaimed Miss Rosebury, in her quick, chirpy way,
"I'm sure you would like to come and take off your things after your
hot, dusty drive. This way; and pray do go and wash your hands,
Arthur."
"Certainly, my dear Mary," he replied, slowly. "If I had thought of it
I would have done so before. I am very glad to see you at the Rectory,
Miss Perowne. May I--"
He held out his earth-soiled hand to shake that of his visitor, but
recollecting himself, he let it fall again, as he did the words he was
about to speak.
"I do not mind," said Helen, quickly, as she extended her own hand,
which the curate had no other course than to take, and he did so with a
slight colour mounting to his pale cheeks.
Grey Stuart offered her hand in turn, her darker glove showing no trace
of the contact.
"I don't like her," said little Miss Rosebury to herself, and her lips
tightened a little as she looked sidewise at Helen. "She's a dreadfully
handsome, wicked girl, I'm sure; and she tries to make every man fall in
love with her that she sees. She'll be trying Dr Bolter next."
It was as if the sudden breath of a furnace had touched her cheeks as
this thought crossed her mind, and she quite started as she took Grey
Stuart's arm, saying once more, as in an effort to change the current of
her thoughts:
"Come, my dears; and do pray, Arthur, go and take off that dreadful
coat!"
"Yes, my dear Mary, certainly," he said; and smiling benignly at all in
turn, he was moving towards the door, when Helen exclaimed quickly:
"I am not at all tired. I was going to ask Mr Rosebury to show me
round his garden."
There was a dead silence, only broken by the dull noise of the wheels of
the pony=carriage rasping the gravel drive; there was the chirp of a
sparrow too on the mossy roof-tiles, and then a fowl in the stable-yard
clapped its wings loudly and uttered a triumphant crow, as, with
old-fashioned chivalrous politeness, the Reverend Arthur took off his
soft felt hat and offered his arm.
For it was like a revelation to him--an awakening from a quiet, dreamy,
happy state of existence, into one full of excitement and life, as he
saw that beautiful young creature standing before him with a sweet,
appealing look in her eyes, and one of those soft white hands held
appealingly forth, asking of him a favour.
And what a favour! She asked him to show her his garden--his pride--the
place where he spent all his spare moments. His pale cheeks really did
flush slightly now, and his soft, dull eyes brightened as if the
reflection of Helen's youth and beauty irradiated the thin face, the
white forehead, and sparse grey hairs bared to the soft breeze.
Miss Mary Rosebury felt a bitter pang shoot through her tender little
breast; and once more, as she saw Helen's hand rest upon her brother's
shabby alpaca coat-sleeve, she compressed her lips, and felt that she
hated this girl.
"She's a temptress--a wicked coquette," she thought.
It was a matter of moments only, and then she recollected herself.
Her first idea was to go round the garden with Helen; but she shrank
from the act as being inquisitorial, and turning to Grey, she took her
arm.
"Let them go and see the garden, my dear. You and I will go and get rid
of the dust. There," she continued, as she led her visitor into the
little flower-bedecked drawing-room, "does it not strike nice and cool?
Our rooms look very small after yours."
"Oh! but so bright and cheerful," said Grey, quietly.
"Now I'll show you your bedroom," said Miss Rosebury, whose feeling of
annoyance was gone. "I'm obliged to put you both in the same room, and
you must arrange between you who is to have the little bed. Now,
welcome to the Rectory, my dear, and I hope you will enjoy your visit.
Let me help you."
For Grey had smiled her thanks, and was taking off her bonnet, the wire
of which had somehow become entangled with her soft, fair, wavy hair.
Miss Rosebury's clever, plump little fingers deftly disentangled the
bonnet, and then, not satisfied, began to smooth the slightly
dishevelled hair, as if finding pleasure in playing with the fair, sunny
strands that only seemed to ask for a dexterous turn or twist to
naturally hang in clusters of curls.
Miss Rosebury's other hand must have been jealous, for it too rose to
Grey's head and joined in the gentle caress; while far from looking
tight, and forming a thin red line, the little middle-aged lady's lips
were in smiling curves, and her eyes beamed very pleasantly at her young
visitor, who seemed to be half pleased, half pained at the other's
tender way.
"I am sure I shall be sorry to go away again," said Grey, softly. "It
is very kind of you to fetch us here."
"Not at all, my dear," said Miss Rosebury, starting from her reverie;
"but--but I'm afraid I must be very strict with you," she continued, in
a half-merry, half-reproving tone. "The Misses Twettenham have confided
you to my care, and I said--I said--"
"You said, Miss Rosebury?" exclaimed Grey, in wondering tones, and her
large, soft eyes looked their surprise.
"Yes, I said, as we came away, I'm a very peculiar, particular old lady,
my dear; and I can't have tall gentlemen making bows to you when you are
in my charge."
"Oh, Miss Rosebury!" cried Grey, catching her hand and blushing scarlet,
"please--pray don't think that! It was not to me!"
"Ah!" exclaimed the little lady, softly. "Hum! I see;" and she looked
searchingly in the fair young face so near to hers. "It was my mistake,
my dear; I beg your pardon."
Grey's face was all smiles, though her eyes were full of tears, and the
next moment she was clasped tightly to Miss Rosebury's breast,
responding to her motherly kisses, and saying eagerly:
"I could not bear for you to think that."
"And I ought never to have thought it, my dear," said the little lady,
softly patting and smoothing Grey's hair. "Why, I ought to have known
you a long time ago; and now I do know you, I hear you are going away?"
"Yes," said Grey, "and so very soon. My father wishes me to join him at
the station."
"Yes, I know, my dear. It is quite right, for he is alone."
"And he says it is dull without me; but he wished me to thoroughly
finish my education first."
"You don't recollect mamma, my dear, the doctor tells me?"
"No," said Grey, shaking her head. "She died when I was a very little
child--the same year as Mrs Perowne."
"A sad position for two young girls," said Miss Rosebury.
"But the Misses Twettenham have always been so kind," said Grey,
eagerly. "I shall be very, very sorry to go away?"
"And will Helen Perowne be very, very sorry to go away?"
Grey Stuart's face assumed a troubled expression, and she looked
appealingly in her questioner's face, which immediately became all
smiles.
"There, there, I fetched you both over to enjoy yourselves, and I'm
pestering you with questions. Come into my room, my dear, while I wash
my hands, and then we'll go and join the truants in the garden. I want
you to like my brother very much, and I am sure he will like you."
"I know I shall," said Grey, quietly, but with a good deal of bright
girlish ingenuousness in her tones. "Dr Bolter told me a great deal
about him; how clever he is as a naturalist. I do like Dr Bolter."
Miss Rosebury glanced at her sharply. It was an involuntary glance,
which changed directly into a beaming look of satisfaction, as they
crossed the landing into Miss Rosebury's own room, where their
conversation lengthened so that the "truants," as the little lady called
them, were forgotten.