The whole village seemed relieved by the departure of the Rowlands.
Mrs Grey, who had always been refused admission to her old friend on
one pretence or another, was joyfully welcomed by Phoebe, and was
plunged into all the delights of neighbourly chat before the clock
struck twelve, on the very first morning, Fanny and Mary Grey
voluntarily offered to go to Miss Young, now that they were her only
pupils, to save her the trouble of the walk to the schoolroom. This was
a great relief to Maria, and her little parlour held the three very
nicely; and when the girls had sufficiently admired the screen over
again,--their father's profile, the planets, and the Dargle, they
settled quite as well as at home. There was still a corner left for
cousin Margaret, when she chose to come with her German books, or her
work, and her useful remarks on what they were doing. No immediate
consequences had happened to Maria from her plain-dealing with Mr
Rowland; and she was quite ready to enjoy the three months of freedom,
without looking too anxiously towards the end of them. The very
gardener at the Rowlands' seemed to bestir himself with unusual alacrity
to put the garden into spring trim; and the cook and housemaid might be
seen over the hedge, walking arm-in-arm on the gravel-walks, smelling at
the mezereon, and admiring Miss Anna's border of yellow crocuses, as the
gardener said, as much as if they had been fine plants out of a
conservatory. The birds themselves seemed to begin their twittering in
the trees, and the cows their lowing in the meadow, from the hour that
Mrs Rowland went away. In other words, there were many whom that event
left free and at ease to observe the harmonies of nature, who were
usually compelled to observe only the lady, and the discords of her
household.
It was only the second day after the departure of the family that
Margaret took her seat in the offered corner of Maria's parlour. She
laid down her book, and took up her work, when the question arose, which
has probably interested all intelligent school-girls for many a year--
What made so many Athenians,--so many, that there must have been some
wise and good men among them,--treat such a person as Socrates in the
way they did? Margaret was quite occupied in admiring the sort of
Socratic method, with which Maria drew out from the minds of her pupils
some of the difficult philosophy of Opinion, and the liberality with
which she allowed for the distress of heathen moralists at having the
sanction of Custom broken up. Margaret was thus quite occupied with the
delight of seeing a great subject skilfully let down into young minds,
and the others were no less busy with the subject itself, when Mary
started, and said it made her jump to see Sydney bring Fairy close up to
the window. Fanny imperiously bade her mind what she was about, and let
Sydney alone: but yet, in a minute or two, Fanny's own eyes were
detected wandering into the yard where Sydney still remained. "He is
getting Fairy shod," she said in a soliloquising tone. Every one
laughed,--the idea of shoeing a fairy was so ridiculous!--and some
witticisms, about Bottom the Weaver, and his ass's head, were sported.
It was evident that Socrates had no more chance this day, and Maria
changed the subject.
"Sydney looks very much as if he wanted to come in," observed Mary.
Sydney did particularly wish to come in; but he saw that cousin Margaret
was there: and he had felt an unconquerable awe of cousin Margaret ever
since the day of his conveying her over the ice. So he stood
irresolutely watching, as nail after nail was driven into Fairy's hoof,
casting glances every minute at the window.
"Shall I see what he wants?" asked Margaret, perceiving that lessons
would not go on till Sydney had got out what he wished to say. "May I
open the window for a moment, Maria, to speak to him?"
"What do you think?" cried Sydney, taking instant advantage of the
movement, and carrying off his awkwardness by whipping the window-sill
while he spoke. "What _do_ you think? Mr Enderby is come by the coach
this morning. I saw him myself; and you might have met our Ben carrying
his portmanteau home, from where he was put down, half an hour ago.
We'll have rare sport, if he stays as long as he did last summer. I do
believe," he continued, leaning into the room, and speaking with a touch
of his mother's mystery, "he would have come long since if Mrs Rowland
had not been here. I wish she had taken herself off two months ago, and
then I might have had a run with the harriers with him, as he promised I
should."
"Now you have said just a little too much, Sydney; so you may go," said
Maria. "Shut down the window, will you?"
It was well for Margaret that there was the recess of the window to lean
in. There she stood, not speaking a word. It was not in nature for
Maria to refrain from casting a glance at her,--which glance grew into a
look of intelligence.
"You do not quite wink as mamma does," observed Fanny, "but I know very
well what you mean, Miss Young."
"So people always fancy when they observe upon nothing, or upon what
they know nothing about, Fanny. But I thought you were convinced, some
time ago, that you should not watch people's countenances, to find out
what they are thinking, any more than--"
"I should read a letter they are writing," interrupted Fanny. "Well, I
beg your pardon, Miss Young; but I really thought I saw you looking at
cousin Margaret's face. However, I dare say everybody supposes the
same,--that Mr Enderby would not have been here now if Mrs Rowland had
not gone away. You need not mind Mary and me, Miss Young; you know we
hear all about Mrs Rowland at home."
"I know you are apt to fancy that you understand all about Mrs Rowland,
my dear; but perhaps Mrs Rowland herself might happen to differ from
you, if she could look into your mind. It is for you to settle with
yourself, whether you think she would be satisfied that you have done by
her as you would have her do by you. This is your own affair, Fanny; so
now, without any one trying to see in your face what you think of
yourself, we will go to our business."
The scratching of pens in the exercise-books, and the turning over of
the dictionary, now proceeded for some time in profound silence, in the
midst of which Margaret stole back to her corner.
"There goes twelve!" softly exclaimed Mary. "Mamma said we might go
with her to call at cousin Hester's, if we were home and ready by
half-past twelve. We shall not have nearly done, Miss Young."