A VISIT TO FAIRLEIGH.
WHEN Nellie's train steamed into the station at Shellford, she caught
sight of her grandmamma's little pony carriage waiting outside, and
before she had time to open the door, a young lady came up to it, and
said pleasantly, "Are you Miss Arundel?"
"Yes," said Nellie, gathering her packages together and quickly
alighting, "grandmamma said you would meet me."
When they were seated in the little carriage, Nellie felt somewhat shy,
for the young girl who sat beside her was quite a stranger to her,
though she had heard a good deal of her.
Hope Elliot was one of a large family. She had a sister and a brother
older than herself, and a number younger. Within the last three years
she had lost her father, and the family had moved from Exeter, and had
settled in Shellford, in order to live more economically.
Hope's eldest sister was married, and lived in London, whither also her
brother was gone, and was doing well in business.
The second sister, Maude, was now her mother's right hand, and it had
come to pass that Hope had become "a right hand" to Mrs. Arundel, at
Fairleigh.
Soon after Mrs. Elliot had come to live at Shellford, Mrs. Arundel had
found out all about her; and, ever ready to shed a little sunshine into
lives that seemed to be dark, she called on the desolate widow, and
invited some of her young people to come up and enjoy her garden.
Mrs. Elliot could not but be struck by the beautiful old lady, and
responded most gladly to the invitation. An intimacy soon sprang up,
and Mrs. Arundel and Aunt Ruth found an interest in the large family,
while they on their part felt that life was not so utterly blank, now
they knew the inmates of Fairleigh, and could look forward to visits
and errands there.
About Christmas, when Nellie had been visiting Christina in London,
Mrs. Arundel's maid, who had been with her for many years, broke her
leg, and became unable to wait upon her mistress. Hope Elliot happened
to call upon Mrs. Arundel on the day of the accident, and finding at
what a loss the dear old lady would be without her attendant, she asked
if she might come for a few days and help them.
Mrs. Arundel had looked up in her face in sudden astonishment, and
when she met the candid eyes, had taken her hand and given it a warm
squeeze. "Thank you, my dear," she had said simply, and with grave
courtesy, "I know you mean what you say, and I shall be very glad to
have you."
So Hope had taken up her abode at Fairleigh, and had never left it
since for many hours; and thus it came to pass that she was sitting by
Nellie, driving her home from the station on that beautiful May day.
"I cannot think how you knew me," said Nellie, for the sake of saying
something.
Hope laughed. "We have not so many bright young ladies stop here that I
should be likely to mistake. You seemed ready to get out."
"Of course I was; I forgot that."
Hope was silent; and in a few minutes they turned in at the gate of
Fairleigh, and passed under the tender green trees of the little avenue
that led up to the house.
The sound of the wheels brought the maid to the door, and Nellie was
quickly led into the old-fashioned hall.
In an instant, her grandmamma's two hands were placed on her two
shoulders, and she received the warmest of kisses, and the most loving
of welcomes.
"My dear," said her grandmamma, holding her hand close, and leading her
into the drawing room, "you are like a bit of your father to me; I am
so glad to see you."
Nellie smiled brightly in answer, and then asked for "Aunt Ruth."
"She is pretty well to-day, my dear, and perhaps will be able—"
They all turned; for entering at the moment, with almost noiseless
step, was Nellie's invalid aunt.
"I have just come to give you one kiss, darling, and to ask you how you
have travelled, and how they all are at home?"
"Oh, very nicely, thank you, dear auntie! And I have had a very good
journey. It is so sweet to be at dear Fairleigh again."
"You must be tired," answered her aunt, "and so our dear Hope will take
you upstairs. Hope is quite like a grandchild here, and is a great
comfort to us."
"How lovely everything smells!" exclaimed Nellie, as she entered the
fresh country bedroom, with its snowy curtains, pretty chintzes, and
dainty little ornaments.
Hope looked surprised. "Does it? I thought every place smelt alike."
"Oh no," said Nellie. "Fairleigh smells like no other place in the
world. It is the freshness, and the flowers, and the absence of smoke
and dust, I suppose, so different from London."
"Ah! I have never been to London."
"It is nothing to be regretted," said the little London lady, who was
as tired of it as she could be.
Hope smiled. "You must tell me all about it, Miss Arundel."
"Please call me Nellie; I feel you a sort of cousin, you know; and we
shall have to get used to each other," she added, looking up shyly.
"Very well," said Hope; "and now I shall leave you to get ready for
tea, which I am sure you must be wanting; it is such a tedious journey.
You know your way down?"
"Oh yes; I shall not be very long."
When Hope closed the door, and Nellie was alone, she sat down by the
dressing-table, and looked round her. What a gulf lay between the
beginning of this day and the end. Her sympathies and thoughts this
morning were all centered in her busy home. Now everything was strange,
and her grandmamma, Aunt Ruth, Fairleigh, and Hope Elliot, filled her
mind.
She got up again and went to the window. It looked over a piece of the
kitchen garden, kept in beautiful order, then beyond was the field
where her grandmamma's cows were feeding, and beyond that, the greenest
of hedges, some fine old elms, and a piece of fiat, well-wooded
country, which Nellie loved inexpressibly.
The other window looked over a part of the flower garden, divided from
the orchard by a splendid yew hedge. As she looked at the orchard,
Nellie held her breath, and a strange feeling came over her. It was
one mass of blossom; snowy cherry-trees, green and white pear, and
rosy apple-trees mingled their branches together in such wonderful
luxuriance that Nellie stood entranced.
With a deep-drawn sigh, she turned at last to take off her things, and
feared Hope would think she had been a long time.
When she descended to the drawing room, her grandmamma rose, and taking
her arm, to which she gave a loving pressure, led the way into the
dining-room, while Hope followed.
"You still pour out tea, grandmamma?" said Nellie, as they seated
themselves.
"Yes, my dear," answered Mrs. Arundel, emphatically; "and you will find
it is very nice tea, and our old-fashioned bread and butter just the
same as ever."
When tea was over, Mrs. Arundel asked Hope to ring the bell for
prayers; after which they all went into the drawing room, and Mrs.
Arundel took up a book of travels she was reading, while the two girls
brought their work and listened to her pleasant voice.
When she retired, which she did rather early, Hope and Nellie were left
together to make the best of each other.
They were both rather shy, and the conversation was not as lively as
Nellie wished she could have made it.
"Shall we go into the garden?" asked Hope.
Nellie willingly assented; so they stepped through the glass-door on to
the shady lawn.
"Here is our favourite place," said Hope, leading the way to a small
sheltered seat under the spreading branches of an elm.
Nellie did not need telling, and they sat down, and under the influence
of the peaceful evening began to feel more at home.
"They will miss you very much," said Hope.
"I am afraid they will; but mamma wished me so much to come."
"Yes, it is always right for the busy one to get a change," said Hope.
"I suppose so," answered Nellie doubtfully.
"That was partly why my mamma was so pleased for me to come here,"
resumed Hope. "I was so busy at home all day long, and my next sister
had not much opportunity to do what she would otherwise have been
willing to do."
"You like it, I suppose?" said Nellie, smiling.
"Very much indeed. I love dear Mrs. Arundel so much; and so I do 'Aunt
Ruth,' as she allows me to call her."
"Do you often go home?"
"Two or three times a week I run down and say, 'How do you do?' to
mamma; but my sister Maude laughingly tells me to keep to my own
ground!"
"You have plenty of sisters and brothers, haven't you?"
"Yes," answered Hope; "but we get along very well. Mamma is very good
to us, and tries to forget her own sorrows to cheer us."
"That is so like mothers," said Nellie.
"Some mothers," answered Hope. "But here is Maude coming across the
lawn to welcome you; so you will see some of us to-night, and some
to-morrow, and next week we expect our brother Wilmot down from London
to spend his holiday; then you will have seen all but one."
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