IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. A 1.0 I.I 150 ""' If 1^ ^ 1^ 12.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 150mm V «P /. ^X /. eW Y /'/^y. o 7 /APPLIED A IIVMGE . Inc jsa; 1653 East Main street ^^FL Rochester, NY 14609 USA .^^ 1= Phone: 716/482-0300 .^=1^= Fax: 716/288-5989 to 1993. Applied Image. Inc . All Rights Reserved -^S' :<^ \ \ ^1> ^1> o^ 1 ! t''' // [' .y./ ^sz: WINDYHAUGH A NOVEL GRAHAM T R A V E R S (MARGARET G. TODD . M.D.) AITTIIOR OF 'MONA MACLKAN, MBDICAL STUDBNT' 'FELLOW I'ttAViSLLKRB,' KTf. TORONTO : THE COPP, CLARK COMPANY, LIMITED. 1899. ^°**t^,*^"""? V'^ °' *•"' Parliament of Canada, in th« y«tr on. thousand eight hundred and ninetyeight. by Th« Copp Clark jIW RightB Reserved. COPTEIOHTID m TH« Unithd Statis bt D. Appliton ft Co. X XV XVI XI X XX CONTKNTS. CHAP. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. xm. XIV. XV. PART I, ON THR SUOAR-BARREL WINUYHAUOH A NEW DIJIEN8ION LIFE WIDENS OUT IN THE OKOCERS PARLOUR THE PROCESS OF WINNINO ONES AT THE C08M0P0LIS . MADEMOISELLE . A NEW RKGIMK . FOG .... A BOLT FROM THE BLUR TEA AT RUMPELMAYER's THE LORD WRITES FINIS MEBTINO AND PARTING TRAILS OF 8MILAX PART II XVI. THE OLD PROBLEM XVII. MR CARMICHARL . XVIII. ROUNDS BY WHICH WB XIX. THE INOLE NEUK XX. A RESCUE . XXL THR ffAIRY OODMOTHSK XXII. TWO WORLDS MEET XXlll. HEQVISSCAT MAY A8CKND SPURS PAOI 3 6 14 22 30 37 45 66 66 72 78 84 93 98 103 115 122 133 142 148 153 162 in CONTENTS VI XXrV. A NEW UEVKl.lU'MENT XXV. LOOK 1 NO KOUWAIil) . XXVI, A TRANSFORMATION . XXVir. GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE XXVIU. WILHKLMINA KINDS A KINGDOM XXIX. ON THE SEX SHORE. XXX. A LOST Ol'IORTUNlTV XXXI. BROTHER AND SISTER XXXll. A SCNNY DAY . XXXIII. "LOVE AND LIFE" . XXXIV. REACTION XXXV. THE LADY OK LYONS XXXVI. THE CHAINS ARE HIVETTBU XXXVII. love's YOUNO DREAM XXXVIII. WEDDING OIKTS XXXIX. AT THE PINES XL. THE LIGHT THAT F.ilLKD . XLI. THE LIGHT THAT ENDURED PART 111 XLIl. PICKING UP THE PIECES . XLIII. A FRIEND IN NEED , XLIV. NEW KRIENDS AND OLD XLV. BY THEIR FHUITS XLVI. HAHI.EY BRENTWOOD XLVii. wilhelmina's dream XLVIII. SEEKING .... XLIX. AN ORDINATION L. RETURNING LIFE LI. BB.\TUICE CENCI LU. THE INTERVIEW I.III. lliOMME I'HOI'O'^K LIV. THE SKELETON TS THE CUPBOARD LV. THE SKELETON BY THE FIRESIDE LVI. THE VALLEY OK THE SHADOW LVII. WHESTLINQ LViii. Brentwood's return LIX. AKTER LONG GRIEF AND PAIN LX. THE OVCtK 18 COMPLETE . 174 181 186 192 20t) 212 218 230 234 245 254 258 264 269 274 278 281 290 297 302 309 317 324 336 347 354 363 360 878 388 398 408 416 421 427 484 441 174 181 186 192 206 212 218 230 234 245 254 258 264 26St 271 278 281 290 297 302 309 317 324 335 347 354 363 369 378 388 398 408 415 421 427 434 441 bai noA in ( and bon seri< I'm A quee eyes. "] Sh befor "1 Th a secc WINDYHAUGH. CHAPTER I, ON THE 8UOAR-BARBEI, Through the narrow doorwav of th. barrel of Jamaica su^ar had fust L ^V'' '^°P * ^^ now seven-year-old Wnhelmiir T^"^'^ ^^^^''^d, and in earnest Ul7on':IZLZ!: '' ^" ^'^ *^^ °^ '*' andM^i^ :;:Lr[hr:^-* 'z ^t-' — '^ - bonnet had been carelessly nLw k ^ ^"^ *" "^'"^^^ ««"" serious face. ^ ^"'^"^ ^^*'^' '"^^ealing a chubby " For you see, Mr Dar«iifi " f»,« l-u I'm eve„_„„tJ„„e oTuTeete ° ' "" '*^'"«' "P^s '7'?T'i'^''^^°'y«'MissMina." befl^ X'oS '^^^^""^' '"* ^- ^- «'ouded over again "You can't tell. Nobody can." The hot httie hands tug^j^d at eaoJ, nf i. WINDYHAUGH. of one who, at great personal cost, contributes an all- important factor to a discussion,— " I s'pose you know I'm not saved ? " He picked up a fine kidney potato from a creel that stood by the door, surveyed it carefully, and then tossed it back to Its brethren. " And what for no' ? " She shook her head sadly. " I don't seem able to believe somehow. I try an' try and^ sometimes I think I've done it. But it's no use; I dont believe a bit. I s'pose you're saved, Mr Darsie?" bhe paused, and then went on suddenly in a tone of half- envious disappointment,-" Oh, of course— I forgot-you're an elder, so you must be saved." " It's to be hopit so, Missie." " And did you ever find it difficult to believe ? " How differently the lines in a human face afi-ect us at difl-erent times ! As a rule those countless folds and pencil- lings were suggestive mainly of a hard and miserly disposi- tion; but now they seemed with one accord to lend the old man s face a very pleasing air of wisdom and tolerance. That did I!" he answered heartily; and he added to himself, with a queer little smile that was not meant for his visitor, "An' no' sae lang syne neither." He swept up a few stray tea-leaves from the counter with his time-chiselled hands, and .arefully deposited them in a great canister near the window. "Dinna pit yersel' aboot, Missie," he said in a fatherly voice. If ye werena ane o' the elect, I'm thinking the Lord wadna let ye fash yersel',— a wee bit bairnie like you < " This was cheering; but, from the standpoint of theoloirv it struck the well-taught child as flabby. ^ " Will you please help me down. Mr Darsie?" she said. 1 thmk I see Nurse coming back for me." Then, as for the moment her lips came on a level with his ear she whispered, " You won't tell her what we were saying ? '' "Na, na, Missie, that's between you and me." 15. ON THE STOAR-BAEREL. She nodded. " Nurse would only laugh ■• she aaH ■■'it. won d„, i ^„^ J believe'she'd go f„d ', •■ ^ .hettSrjriSr-^-Hl^uphersiuand ,HrrhX^-a::!;;?ift;trj'shei»^' . slowly extracted from it Uvn . ^ ^^ \ ^ ^^'^'« S^^ss jar, Then she suddenly awoke to the significance of tl,o -f rphasl"^" were a very Ion, .../ J^Z ^it,::,: eo5=r=^=^-^*^. and produced a your G:::! :^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ - ^-'^ you say a word to she had no wish to forego her raTe S to^H '"T when a doucenr was to be had T.IT .J ^'^''""^ ^"' a pity not to secure it '"''^^ "' *^"*' ^* ^^'"•^'d be Five minutes later they were nnf «„ ♦! road, with a cloudless blue slTy o -L " .' '?'° '°""*^y of air on their heated faces Wilhpf ' ' "'"' ^''^'^ dance ahead or to lag hehTnd \s ^he in T ' '' "°"^ *' -ttie by little th!thou;:\tvr:^rd:^^^^^^^^^^^ 6 WINDYHAUGH. and she lapsed unreservedly into the healthy animal. She munched her biscuits, stowed away the grimy sugarplum tor future consumption, switched the heads off the wild flowers as ^he bounded on her way, and finally burst into outue unconscious song, — " I thank the goodness and the grace Tliat on my birth have smiled, And made me in these latter day* A happy Christian child." CHAPTER IL WINDYHAUGH.^ The discerning reader scarcely needs to be told that Wilhel- mma lived alone with her grandmother. And their home was a quaint old place, almost worthy of a visit for Its own sake in these days of artistic villas. The sun and storm of a century or two had called forth no mel- ow colouring m the massive iron-grey walls ; but here and there a yellow lichen had woven its dainty web, and ivy and old-fashioned roses clambered about at will, concealing as best they could the cold neutral tints of the stone A straggling tangled old shrubbery flanked the house on the right and in front the close-mown lawn wa« shel- t^ered from the road by a little plantation of lime trees. Very cool and inviting these looked to the dusty wayfarer when the sunlight streamed through the boughs, and the shadows played on the lawn ; but in cloud or storm their shade amounted to gloom, and a sense of mystery, of a haunting « beyond," hung over the whole place They never seemed to be at rest, those trees, and the ' Pronouaeed Windyhaw. WINDYHAUGH, f sweeping sough through their branches was never still • for the house stood high on a terrace above a great arm of the sea; and night after night Wilhelmina was lulled to sleep by the murmur of wind and wave, or startled into wakefulness by tneir fury. Ah, yes, it had its moods, that quaint old homestead of Windyhaugh It could look grim enough at tin.es,-.nm as the rows of leather-bound divines in the library ; but to- day, when we visit it first, the whole place is flooded with sunshme, the very shrubbery is rob'bed of its spells, and all thmgs indoors and out, look as bright and peaceful as the great bowl of old-fashioned roses in the hall You would like, I am sure, to see the home of those roses ; and mdeed the high-walled garden that lies to the left of the house IS the one part of the whole domain that can rarely be brought to share the gloomy moods of the rest. To-day it lies half asleep in a haze of sunshine and hum of bees, breathing out the delicious fragrance of old-world flowers The crisp brown shoots and crimson blooms of the roses stand out vividly against the sunny blue water down below, and the fruit 13 ripening almost visibly on the ruddy brick walls Each wall is curved to meet the full glow of the sun, and so the long stnp of flowering land is divided into a series of gardens linked each to each by an archway of nodding roses The weeds to be sure, have made rather more headway than one might wish. Grannie pays the old jobbing gar- dener some ten pounds a-year, and trusts to his honour to give the garden a fair equivalent of attention ; but she often has reason to comjilain of her share of the bargain The crafty old man is well aware that he has a monopoly • for what newcomer could possibly know the capability and con- stitution of the gardens as he does 1 " I'll be round i' the tail o' the week," he says evasively when his employes waylay him with reproaches on the road ; and so by degrees he has come to be known by the name of "Tail-o'-the week." Grannie is out in the garden herself to-day, in her spotless 6 WIXDYHAUGH. 'or *e aerie s^trrr ■■ ^'-^ ''''"-'-'• W comeTst not ' °" "™ '" '""■" ?'"' ""^ *<>"W ™ut° ''""' '"= ''""«■ «■» '-■' t-'^ broke ioto a doesn't need us to n„l tf. ,■ ■ ^ ^""^ ^y^ ""d He ".» delighted toZ h^ 1 „„ 7 ""* «""" P'^P'o- I And I am »ure\ wo f ? gt hST ""'• "■? J""^^' heart." * "'" ^egun m the bairn's Th^riV? ''°°"«'" ■" "'<' '''"°" deprecatinglj, onJ'' t; 4'".?s:"iti;"' ""'' '^° ■^^'-^ -*» •Imoet bitterly'- " ■ We e;"';r, T'" ' " *' '"'•'™'' years as a tale that IS WINDTHAUGH. 9 told,' and when we look back from the end, as I do now there is but a sentence— a word— between ' too young ' and 'too old.' Xo, no, Mr Carmichael, it can never be 'too young.' " She broke off abruptly, and her voice vibrated with earnestness as she went on slowly, — "My tale is all but told. I seem to see the Lord with the pen in His hand. tints ! He may begin to write it this very day,— anc/ ivhat chance will there he for Wilhelmina then ? " ^ A passing cloud went over the sun, and the room became dark and oppressive. The old woman's face gleamed out white and earnest from the dusky shadows behind it. She reminded the minister of an ancient sybil foretelling a doom. A moment later she broke the spell. " I forgot," she said with a little smile of courteous apology. " You can't know the sorrows of your people as Mr Johnstone knew them ; and no doubt you think me sorely wanting in faith. I have sown the seed in season and out of season, and yet I can scarce believe my eyes when it begins to take root." The speaker seemed unaware of the significance of her own metaphor. Yes, the spell was broken. For a second or two her earnestness had forced him to thrill in sympathy; but, now that the weird prophetess was merged in the con- ventional parishioner, the manhood in him waxed pitiful for the childhood of Wilhelmina. He drew down his brows. " When did it begin ? " "It would be about six weeks ago. I had been telling her she must search her own heart, and make sure that she loved the Lord Jesus. Bairns are so apt to take things for granted; they say pretty things, and then, as they grow up. It all slips from them like a garment. Well, ever since then I can see she's had something on her mind. She'll not answer questions— she has an awful will of her own— but at times she'll ask one— offhand like-about faith or election or justification. She is extraordinarily forward in doctrine for her years." 10 'INDyHAUOH. gn";."' "'""'°« <"'»'" >■« koavy broL rather dt'° °" iSell T"'^- "? """^ "■' -"'- of "" •aid, "there's n„„-^ 1 , """'' •*" " *'' 'Me." *« For a whole half.n,i„„ie nobody spoke. "' t.el s pretad," .aid Wilhelmina drearailv at to ..,!,., we are out in the desert." She had h»i . ?u' X-noIaTr:""*"'/"' ""' "^ "= '«" '»' ">"- -^ row 0, se.^ ,,_^-^^f-JJj Jo,„t,ng to th. That's a mirage." "A what?" "A mirage. There's something about it ,-. book. It's not real." '" "^^ reading- ;; And what's thai ? " He indicated a haycock knights m the desert," she said ™ °° .^T WINDYHAUGH. 11 " How could there be a castle without knights ? What will you be, Gavin ? " Gavin's downy face beamed with the sweetest of smiles. " I'll be a robber ! " he piped. "All right. Wilhelmina, you'll be my wife, and Gavin will run away with you; and then you'll see a fine shindy ! " "I won't : " said Wilhelmina indignantly. "As if Gavin could run away with me ! I'll be a Bedouin." Hugli frowned indignantly. His disgust was not lessened by the fact that he had no idea what a Bedouin was. " Look here now ! " he said. " How can we have a game when everybody chooses? Girls must do what thev are told." ' There was some sense in the question, if not in the de- duction, and Wilhelmina looked doubtful. She was not used to boys' games, but she thought she could organize this one a good deal better than he could. It was the whole question of the rights of women in a nutshell She honestly tried to give in, but it must be admitted that the game suffered considerably as a work of art from the presence in it of a strong-minded woman. Hugh might have become accustomed to the new element in time, but at present it proved rather disturbing, and there was a general sense of relief when the minister appeared and challenged Wilhelmina to race with him across the field. He did not seem to be much of a runner, however, for in a few seconds he cried out for quarter. "It is nice having your cousins to play with, isn't it?" he asked. "Yes." S^-e had grave doubts on the subject at the moment, but in tiiose days well-brought-up children first answered a ques- tion prettily, and then stopped to consider it,— if indeed it was worth consideration at all. The questions of grown-up people are seldom worth much, and yet they are so slow to learu that their business is to ansiver, not to o*fc / 12 WIXDYHAUOH. ma manner was becoming heavy and pastoral, "God loves to see you enjoymg yourself like that. Whv else doe, H, nre «° '"™ ""'"' '""""*'-. a"d-dttebll and ry to :: ST "'""J , '° '°»« "» ^^ ">- ^ «- »p?e:sSri;is:,, "- '-- ^^^ — - - C'soiS:;Zn7eifeef:s;^^^^^^^^^^ to th,s solemn little hearer. Some men would havrLrsned o 1 otid^z;ti,rer ™:^;"r €~i ChMtyThfCi.'"''"'''-'"' '""''°" ^""'^ O'P^^ his'Tani' '""otdC T^^'^r' ""'"^' """'"S "« boys." ^ """ •*"'' ""'I "te «>« of the Of Turse wW hi r"" '" ""'""^ '"' "' ^^ '™l'l-» '-'I course wnat he said was verv nrptfv the, ^)i • • . never talked like tbat-but t^^ ZXllffjZ'Z sa,ne, coneealed among the flowers,- So long 1° ;::!*: And what he said was not only nrettv bnf fm. au knew from the stories she iad reaythattrnfch Id^en dM find a short and easy way to salvation by << Wi„^^^^^^^^^^ ready with a ghb assurance that they loved Him • and Z^-i t5r:i::r;o^r""^-"'"'*-°-'-^^^^^ waf it' zz loterte-ThZri-tr ;- '"■ "- sure tnat one luvud, when so much WINDTHAUGH. snscious that , "God loves else does He id the breeze 1 love Jesus, too gay and assumed an yet he had ospel of Joy ave pursued ; questions ; personality > was afraid md Wilhel- him think aid's Gipsy 13 i as heavy troubles ? 1 minister i just the you love 'ue. She Idren did Jesua " ; her, were nd, until aken for depended on it 1 When it came to searching one's heart, even believing seemed easier than loving. • Hugh was very meditative as the children sat at tea that evening, and when his hunger was appeased, his reflections found voice. "I don't believe anybody will ever marry Wilhelmina," he said dispassionately. Nurse's feathers were out in a moment. She often seemed to " favour " the boy visitors, but her heart was in the right place after all. "Well, I never!" she cried. "And why not, I'd like to know ? " Hugh shrugged his shoulders. He had a number of queer little man-of-the- world airs that at his age were very amusing. " I know / won't ; and I don't believe any of the fellows would. They like the gentle, clinging sort." Wilhelmina's rosy face turned almost white. So life had room for one terror more ! But nurse took up the cudgels gallantly, half laughing, half indignant. "You didn't suppose she was going to cling to yow, did you ? " she asked,— "for all your grand words ? Why, she's more of a man than you and Gavin put together ! Wait till she meets somebody worth her while ! " Wilhelmina looked up gratefully,— -but she was only half comforted. Nurse was very kind ; but after all Hugh was a man : he ought to know. She looked so unhappy that dear little Gavin laid liis peachy face consolingly against hers. "Never mind, Vilraa," he chirped, "711 marry you— someday— if nobody else does ! " But it was a very weary downhearted little girl that buried her face in the pillows that night. What between "getting married" and "getting converted," life really was too difficult ! And yet so many quite eommon pcoplu woro being married and converted every day ! , H WINDYHAUGH. CHAPTER IIL A NBW DIMENSION. leapt at the flitting moths and hTI ^f "^''^^ ^^^"«° each other through ihTl kk "^^ ^'''^ ^^^^^ chased laughter. ^ ' '^'"^^^'^ ^^'^ P«^l« of excited It WM long past Gavin's bedtime-under Mrs r«IKro-.i.. to bring her dead n,„the" ver^ ™' i, f ' "n '""f ™ the child sprans iid in h^ 7 ■ , *'"" '■"^ "gam And it seemed to the child that J,^„ ;^h™ the „„.e oa„e in .„ ,e.h a AS-r rS jS the A NEW DIMENSION. 10 Je, and the lie constant into a fitful aft athwart id lighting iblance of a ling of the eepy inter- )wn kitten <^in chased of excited Slalbraith's boys was > stay up. ith expec- aight was J^nd again le distant corn-cart 3ut, as a isy little 'gby. ' crying, needed at the ^S "Come? Of course she'll come. Why wouldn't she come ? Lie down and go to sleep, and you'll see her all the sooner." Ah, now there was no mistake ! Those wheels must be on the avenue under the limes : that was Gavin's voice raised in a squeal of glee : now Hugh was firing oflF an ill-timed volley of petty experiences : there was a quiet word or two from Grannie, and then Oh, what a beautiful voice ! Hugh's "English accent," as Mrs Galbraith termed it, had struck Wilhelmina at first as affected and ridiculous; but this voice was quite a different thing. It brought a rosy flush of intense appreciation to the eager listening face. Tbci-"! might almost be fairies after all in a world that could produce a voice like that. Surely just so would the wonderful Grsdiiiother have spoken— if— alas !— she had ever appeared to light up the dreary kitchen. Happy Hugh! Happy Gavin ! In truth the voice was soft and musical above the average ; but what really came upon the child as a revela- tion, introducing, as she afterwards said, a new dimension into her life, was the cultured, gracious, flexible manner of speech. It formed a wondrous contrast to the staid and rigid directness with which Grannie went straight to her point. The house was dark and quiet before Wilhelmina fell asleep, and she did not wake next morning till the nurse came in. There were a thousand questions then that she longed to ask ; but Jane would only laugh at her eagerness and talk of it to the other servants, so she resolved to wait and judge for herself. She could be troublesome and im- patient enough on occasion, and to-day she did not reflect that her aunt would not be visible for hours; but she resigned herself to the varied operations of her toilet with absolute stoicism. Nurse almost thought she had forgotten the new arrival, Luckily for both, nurso was a stolid young woman, quite insensible as a rule to the child's state of " ■ :(il ■il' 16 WINDYIIAUGH. House .0 ,., thet:Lfir2;rr *= "'^ A great shock awaited her on the thresho d T > lu n De- ( No, It could not be! or petty or contemptible It I It In"' "'" ^'""^'^'^^ among minds of a certain Ik. ""'''"'""'^ ^^^^^ " Were you thinking that was your aunt t » =1, • ^ the stranger disapp^red into the best bedr om Sat " Pearson, her maid " "c"*oom. ihat is the iitehe'n and C ha^'Th: iotr ''"""'"S'-ing in peated. I, „as only by dint olh.™ ^'"u« ''"'^ '" on the other haL, ,fho had hTh tf la" feTd'Th "?'' cockney inability to understand how ZS!l ."u'T; ^ eaten, go, rid of his with extraordLy^d nf'ch^ ^^^^^^ ^ Sr fhitbir ""■' '" «"=■ ^« '■^ok^ed^vtiri:;^" vlLTevta'n'fa^^it'tht; fh"?" "Il ■>""'"« °™a to see the,„ ^ directlyTe Shr^hr'^rst"'""^ Wilhelmina looked at him with H. ."''"'■ wouldn't be a «„„ / •■ „., sai^sc: "'.■;!,;?;«■ "} I didn't see you kicking O'lv,-,, ? v / ^o you think your MotherVt or.r;^:/ jXotTA;::'.?* .ha°'.rr.,^4r r"°" r ™«™en.edT."e fact i„ .am aave escaped pmyers herself. Besides, A NEW DIMENSION. ir if Hugh was not there, she was bereft even of the conso'^ tion of showing how much better she could tackle the bie words than he could. "Aunt Enid wanted them," she said shortly, when Granme questioned her as to the absence of the boys She had lived too much alone to understand the principle of-honour among thieves, as most children understand it but Curse's unconscious^ training had made it a matter of second nature "not to tell." "Fetch the books," said Grannie severely. She was apt to be severe to her grandchild, not-Heaven knows !-from want of affection, but from an ever-increasing sense of re- sponsibility ; and now the gracious ease of Enid Dalrvmnle's manner had the effect of making Mrs Galbraith, in reality as wen as m semblance, more stern and uncompromising than Wilhelmina took two Bibles, two psalm-books, and a .0 ume of Family Prayers from the shelf, and Grannie so emnly '• gave out " a chapter in Ezra. She would much rather have chosen a passage from the New Testament - something bearing more immediately on the subject of her prayers,-but it seemed to her that a departure from the ordinary routme would argue a want of faith in one who t^n oT(LS!" ""' *^'* "'" ^'"p*"'' '' «^^'" ^y ^"«P^^^ So they read monotonously through the chapter, "verse about ; and after a metrical psahn had been treated in he same fashion. Grannie opened the mighty prayer-book. It was one of her thorns in the flesh that she had no gift for extempore prayer; and, however far afield Wilhelmina's thoughts might be wandering, she could always tell when the Ola lady put in a bit of her own by the pathetic quaver m the feeble voice. h»<*^'=^ The child was looking very thoughtful when they rose from their knees, and the mre, beautiful smile broke over liraniiie s f.ace, " What are you thinking of, bairn ? " B asked kindly. 18 WINDYHAUGH. [ ; I I 4u She scarcely expected a reply, but for once Wilhelmina '.vas frank. " I was wondering," she said, " how Hugh would have per — pernounced Zerubbabel." Poor Grannie ! Wilhelmina put away the books — very reverently, as Grannie's eye was upon her— and then timidly lifted one of the slats of the Venetian blinds to look out on the glorious sunny morning. The windows of the room looked south and east, so the blinds were kept down in the morning, and the windows themselves were kept shut all day. It was very childish and undisciplined, of course, but just after prayers one did feel an almost irresistible longing to prance out on the lawn, and a race through the shrubbery down to the beach would have been very heaven. " Now see and fetch your slate and copy-book," said Grannie quietly; and so the eternal treadmill began once more. By half-past ten slate and copy-book were put away, and Wilhelmina was hemming her handkerchief. We all know that handkerchief !— limp and crumpled and grimy, with its little landmarks of blood all along the track ; tlie original ones very brown and dark, the recent ones vivid and bright with the most glorious colour on earth— so Ruskin tells us— the red of i^-tained-glass windows, ,xJu®, **^* landmark was the largest of all, for, just as Wilhelmina got to that point, the door opened, and the Fairy godmother drifted in. Of course sje was not beautiful. In real life beautiful women are so rare ! And yet— how beautiful she was '—all mellow and golden and full of harmony, like the voice Wilhelmina had listened to the night before. The good Pearson had spent a full half-hour over that wonderful mass of hair that looked like last year's beech leaves in an April shower, and yet one might have thought that Nature had twisted it just like that. Indeed T dnn't feel sure that Nature would have blushed even for the m Wilhelmina would have verently, as ifted one of the glorious )oked south oming, and ly. It was i just after ig to prance sry down to )ook," said began once away, and e all know ly, with its he original and bright I tells us — 3r, just as 1, and the 5 beautiful was ! — all the voice over that ar's beech 'e thought ed I don't a for the A NEW DIMENSION. 19 gown, so much did it resemble a great dewy bunch of Iila« blossom And the complexion, and eyes and teeth made up ^e wonderful chord that vibrated through poor little puritan Wilhelmma for many a long day. The child rose to her feet and stood speechless. Her thick brown hair was brushed smoothly down behind her Sabbath frock, a slate -coloured garment that contained rather than clothed her, a structure built to allow for the expansion of its contents, a thing of excellent material, iU- shaped and beautifully sewed by a conscientious, expensive, provmcial dressmaker. An artist would have failed to recognize the child as the witch of the sugar-barrel ; but, in those days, if children were works of art at all, the credit, as a rule, was quite their own, and their unconscious efforts in this direction were not mvariably appreciated by their elders. "So you are Wilhelmina!" said the Fairy godmother, stooping to kiss the upturned face. She pronounced the name very prettily, taking time to round off the hquids ; and she looked at the child a« if. just at that moment, thete was no one in the world whom she cared so mucn to see. « Is it Mina for short ? " The child shook her head. "Grannie doesn't like them to call me Mina; but Gavin IS so httle— he calls me Vilma." "Eeally? That's quite clever of Gavin. Wilhelmina must be rather a mouthful for him, poor little man ! Now do you think you would like to come up to my room, and see what I hav*. ^ot for you in my trunk ? " A great red wave surged into the child's face ; the element of surprise was so rare in her little life ! But the red died away again before she said shamefacedly,— "Grannie said I was to get to the corner of my hem " itt:;:^"r ''- ^^-* "-^ °^ --^ — p^ in the pleasant laugh '/ "Oh! Quite right. see you are a very good little girl If! Ml' m m ■'I 20 WINDYHAUGH. I hope Hugh and Gavin will take a lesson from you Do you think Grannie would mind our opening the window ?" Of course Grannie would mind ! The window never was opened except at long and stated intervals. Wilhelmina did not dare to commit herself either way in words, nor could she leave the responsibility wholly on the shoulders that were so well able to bear it. She simply looked on at th^ perpetration of the deed with a face of quiet unhap- pmess, not attempting to blink the fact that she ^ 3 an accessory. But Grannie did not seem to notice the window when she came in a minute later. She greeted her guest with dignified courtesy, and enquired how she had slept Mrs Dalrymple looked as if for once it was a real pleasure to answer that question. "I don't know when I have had such a restful night. After that noisy houseful of people m Perthshire, this seems like a haven of rest. What a situation ! and what a view ! This little girl "-she parsed her hand lightly over Wilhelmina's hair -"is fortunate indeed to grow up in a home like this." She laughed softly, and went on with a deprecating docihty that was pretty to see,— "You must think me shockingly lazy, and as a rule I am Buch an rarly riser ! But the pleasure of looking out on the b ue water over the tree-tops was more than I could resist hke tir-^ ''°"^" ^ '^''"^'^ ^^^' ^ country-house just ^ Wilhelmina's eyes grew very round. Here was poverty m a new form !-poverty in a lovely gown that would soil so easily, and that certainly wouldn't wash " Grannie " she said when the conversation came to a pause, ^^ I have got to my corner. May I go with Aunt Mrs Galbraith looked at the visitor enquiringly "I wanted her to come to my room, and then to take me out to the^ grounds; but she was very conscientious about iSmshmg her task first." A NEW DIMENSION. 21 Grannie examined the hem with doubtful satisfaction, but decided to be lenient for once. "Run and get your hat," she said, " and see and don't weary your aunt. Your nurse will soon be ready to take you for your walk," Wilhelmina scarcely recognized the best bedroom. She had been wont to enter its shrouded, lavender - scented precincts with awe, and to speak, if she spoke there at all, in a low hushed voice ; but to-day the room was full of air and sunshine and the song of birds; a profusion of silver lay about the dressing - table ; photographs in morocco frames stood here and there ; a basket of hothouse fruit had been half rifled by the boys ; dainty wraps, dainty linen, dainty shoes peeped out from this corner and that ; and withal there was such a profusion of luggage as Wilhelmina could scarcely believe to be the property of one individual. The child was completely dazzled and bewi'dered. Hith- erto life had arranged itself for her in a definite design, like iron filings round the poles of a magnet. Right and wrong, good and bad. Heaven and Hell : these, in her childish way, she understood. But now a new element had come into view, and it seemed impossible to find a place for it in the original scheme. Here was something that was neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad. Make a second chart, and put it in a separate pigeon-hole ? Some of us accumulate a dozen or more such charts as we go through life, and steer our course by whichever chances to come to hand. Only the very wise and the very simple become possessed of a single chart that will answer all their needs. Of course Wilhelmina dr 3amt of a doll. What else " ap- peals so strongly to the feelings of seven years old ? But dolls are awkward things to pack, and the child was abun- dantly content with the great box of chocolates, encircled as it was with a rich red ribbon. What would Mr Darsie say to a box like that 1 — lie uhosc imagination was bounded (as Wilhelmina's had been hitherto) by the tin-clad slabs of m 92 WINDYHAUGH. of superiority fo p^o^Mr Dal "' ^elt a sudden sense come" which may lend a tit nf .?'"'' '^ ^'"°"'' ^'^ dullest. She said ^. Thank vf'' v. T' , '^^" *° *^« at the box with devoiing eye3 ' "^'™'^^^' '''' ^^-'^ run'L^st^tLtfs^ sirltrr^- "^^-•' your hat on. You know vot „ ' ^^°^ "'^ ^'' *° P"* garden." ^^'^ ^' S^^^^g *« show me the But Wilhelmina did not move would never know." ' ^'^'^ underneath, she Mrs Dalrymple laughed again, Assuredlv t»„-= an attractive child. -assuredly this was not CHAPTEE IV. LIFE WIDENS OUT. But for once her fair face was clouded. A gay place this. Peflrsnnf" „i, • ■, m«ta^ .tail A wJ" ^Idrf; If""^ ' iap» a call f„. u.e muus..r-«„ poa^birfe™ Z LIFE WIDENS OUT. 23 rest of the day. Does the butcher come this afternoon, Pearson, or did that great event occur yesterday 1 Mem Dieu ! but we are fallen on stirring times ! " She threw herself into an old-fashioned arm-chair, but rose to her feet again with a petulant sigh. "Don't you think you could arrange the cushions so as to make this chair a little less intolerable ? There ! Give me the French book I was reading, and bring me a cup of tea when you have finished your dinner. This is Tuesday, and we must hold out till Friday. What in the world made me promise to stay for a week 1 " " Would you not care to go for a drive to - morrow, Madam 1 I saw a very fair turn-out to-day — a landau. Jane said it came from the Cat and Cucumber. You could drive through the Duke of Carsland's grounds, and lunch at Spanforth." Mrs Dalrymple looked up sleepily from her book. •' That's not a bad idea, Pearson," she said. " The boys must be dull enough, poor little souls. Mrs Galbraith doesn't understand children, and it won't do to have them put her family prayer-book in the water-butt again." Pearson left the room, and her mistress was just begin- ning to take a languid interest in the novel when a timid tap at the door announced the arrival of Wilhelmina. " This is the new Good Words," she said. " Grannie sent me up to see if you would like to read it. " Mrs Dalrymple held out her hand with an indulgent smile. "That was very kind. Good — Words. Is that a magazine that Grannie takes in for you?" The child shook her head. " Grannie says the stories are not for children. She doesn't read them herself, but Jane does, and she tells me bits. They're nice." " So you like stories, do you ? " Wilhelmina nodded. " I like grown-up stories best." " That's like Hugh. But I see there are sermons here as well as stories. Does Grannie let you read them ? " " I don't know. I suppose so." I:i III. 24 WINDYHATIGH. of lenCsT" ' '"^ '''''' ^'^' ''^^^ you „.u,t be very fond Wilhelmina looked puzzled Th ij . , not like them much, buT hi ladln? ^^^ ''"^'^'y ^^d ^ere essential to tie hilotiTT!^''^'''Sth^tthey ^}Shly desirable. As th LuU of aT ^'''"' ^"'^ ^^^^^^^^ tion she replied briefly, * ^°°^ P'-°^««« of reflect "I don't know." " 'Don't know-don't know' Wh., you are! Suppose vou t.U ^* * ^"««'" ^'"le girl Whatdoyoua'?dow?thZs2e:r''^^°" ^° ^"-• wmter ? » " yourselves here at Windyhaugh in Another long silence. " if. ?,„, ,^ only different." "^"^^ *^o same as summer— your^'rher h^^'lToucTo? tlet^ '"• '^^"^^« ^^^* «-« takes another form with yo^ DnT" ^^« ^"^l^ strain sometimes ? " ^°"- ^on t you get very duU "I don't know." WUhe'S stlre7' a"^'' '^^^' ^^"^« ^"n^^-" tHewi:Snt^7,t7-^^^ I think I hear "I clon't knlthrfsll thint-r' '^""^^ ''•^^ ^^^ay T "^ •' That would account f '°'°'' ^'""^ '^« *'-««^" reach that large wicker bottJe "n h' .' ^'^^ '^^^^ ' ^^^ ^ou 't«mellgood? Would you life" ^'^'''''"S-^^We? Doesn't Wilhehnina drew in thp f ' *°° ^ " the pleasure of it tingled aW?r' "'*'' ' ''"^ ^^^^*^' ^"^^ nice." she said briefly ^ ^^^ ^^^^^eptible nerves. ''It's "So I think." Mr«.n.i child would go, but Twa^lT^f .^^^^'^ *« --fa that the -/ to say so. Meanwh letnoce^Wiir?" *° ^« '^"-«- fa rself on a low stool, and fal "n ^ f'^''^^ ^^^ ^^^ted f W might at the Fairy godLr ••"'.''''""« "^^^ draperies. ^''^ godmother m her wondrous LIFE WIDENS OUT, 25 Mrs Dalrymple tried to go on with her book, but the mesmerism of those eyes was too much for her. " Why, child, you make me quite nervous," she cried at length with an uneasy laugh. " What ever are you thinking of behind that solemn face 1 " " I was thinking " Wilhelmina began ; but her cour- age failed, and she stopped. "How pretty you are," were the words on her lips, and what a difference they might have made in her life, had she uttered them ! "Well," said her aunt almost sharply, "what were you thinking?" "I don't know." " Of course not. Run away and play, like a good little girl. My head aches." There had been a time when Windyhaugh took an honour- able, if modest, place in the social life of the county, but of late years Mrs Galbraith had withdrawn more and more from conventional intercourse with her neighbours. One or two families still paid her an occasional duty-call ; but the old lady's interests were becoming more and more circum- scribed, and her real friends were few. She was said by some to be the victim of religious melancholy ; for there is no subject on which people are more ready to dogmatise than on the limits of sanity in the religious life ; and yet, when one comes to think of it, the problem is involved and far-reaching enough to be treated with some respect. Remote and forgotten, however, as Windyhaugli had bo- come, it could not long conceal a woman of Enid Dalrymple's social gifts ; and the day before she took her boys to London, a pair of high-stepping horses pranced up the carriage-drive. "Robinson Crusoe sees a footprint in the sand," she remarked sotto voce when the visitors' names were an- nounced. "I h^^ no idea Ryelands was in this part of the world. Tell Pearson to find the children and send them in." 26 WINDYHAUGH. the world than ever h,T "'°'°i,''=° " mmatare man of we^i^s is ';:hrr;h*'"?,r ''' *- '="» *" Zerubbabel hut ih. i *^^ pronunciation of have sS:\ai^:jrZeT " '^"^^ °"^- ^'^^ -^^^ sight of Hush sLT ""'fP°"«^^« »» any case, but the society of wi /to wf Af n '.^^ ^''"^^^^"-^ '^'^ '^^ mina, and Jan" ) 11117^ f! ^''^'"^'^' ^^^ ^°*^^^' Wilhel- be sorry to go 'back to set' f ^"''' '"' *'^* ^« ^^^^ not the power of speTch. "'^^^'-^^P"^^^ her completely of irresistible. '"^"^''"'^ ^" ^ ^^^ t^^^t was simpi; laciiera? tS 'V^]J^T-''''r ' " ^^^^^ -« «^ t^e Galbiuith's dfughter?^^'™"' Oalbraith ?-not George Osarl" Jd Enid I- „*" "",' '" """=• -"M"'' m Ihey think Hugh so clever snH e - t-iever, and mo so stupid," LIFE WIDENS OUT. 27 'and it's not right, it's not fair, it's not she sobbed, true!" Never in her life before had she felt this tearing pain at her heart-strings. She did not know that it was common to all mankind, and that centuries ago dear Mother Church had classified it as one of the seven deadly sins. She only knew that it hurt— hurt horribly. Poor little soul ! And at your age the true cure for that pain IS so far out of reach,-so far that most men live and die without finding it, so far that he who makes it his own has risen above happiness and attained to blessedness. But if the cure for the disease seems unattainable, the cure for the symptom is always at hand. In a few minutes Wilhelmina dried her tears, and began to look round the tiny circle of her acquaintance in search of someone who appreciated her, someone who thought her "clever." Nurse would not do; nurse was rather a silly herself; but Mr "^S^^ ■' ^® "^^^"^ ^"^^ ^^® ^^« ^'^^er* but he thought so. Wilhelmina was perfectly sure that he thought so A great rush of affection ior the old man came over her heart. She wished in her crude childish fashion that she could give him something, but the only thing she had to give was her treasured chocolates, and he would not care for them. She had found out to her great surprise some time ago that, living, as he did, in the midst of a limitless store of sweets, he was never tempted to touch them ixr-^u^ 7^'' ^"'^ °^ ^'"''''' ^""^ ^°°^« ^o«t a lot «>f money, and Wilhelmina had only a penny in the world. He enjoyed a quiet pipe,-wa8 it possible that men enjoyed tobacco as she enjoyed chocolates ?— and if so A minute later she was running through the shrubbery in he direction of the high-walled garden. The gate was kept locked as a rule by Mrs Galbraith's orders, but Tiil-o'- the-week was at work to-day and she had no difficulty in getting in. "^ She wandered about for some time among the tall flowers and hedges before she came upon the old man laying down 28 WINDYHAUGH. \\ Zi^7 K r i'*' «*^^^berry bed. He did not notice her shunt her thoughts for the moment on to a siding I am very fond of strawberries," she said tentatively. postre ' "'' '"" ^'' '^"^' '^^^ "«« ^-™ ^- «4ing " Ye;il no' need to be fond o' them the day," he said grimly. main line' ^ ""''' ''°™^"' '^' ''*'''°'^ ^^*^°"* ^'^^^ *° *^« thil Innplh.^'"'''''''" '^' ^'^"'^ reflectively, unconscious that his appellation was not strictly intended for his ears, "does tobacco cost a great deal of money?" Now this as it chanced, was a home-thrust. Tail-o'-the- He straightened his bent back as far as the rheumatic n^uscles would allow, and scratched his bald head "Wed -no' that muckle," he said apologetically. " Could I get some for a penny ? " thTLirH ?\ w""! !' °° ^^^' *° b"y *J^« «^«^e as what the laird smokes. Wad it be for a freen o' yer ain ? " Noo Missy," said the old man severely, " ye're no' i?aun to g.e It to yon bit callant. I've nae doobt^ava that Wa :^:r::7n^^ti^:f.-'^^-^^^«'^--*^-sgatn^^ "Do you mean Hugh?" cried Wilhelmina indignantly I never thought of giving it to Hugh. He's onlyTlit fe boy." 'Ihen her face softened into a smile. "Are 1 coming again to-morrow?" ^^ "Ay." •'Then, dear Tail-o'-the-week, bring me a pennyworth of tobacco !-just a middling sort of tobacco, you Cw I there's enough to fill two pipes it'll do" LIFE WIDENS OUT. 29 She pressed a hot penny into his homy hand, and rushed away before he had time to refuse so extraordinary and dangerous a commission. The whole enterprise had been no small strain on the child's limited stock of courage, and she trembled with excitement as she took her way back towards the nursery. Unfortunately the visitors had gone, and Jane was already on the war-path. She and her charge met at the garden gate. "What are you doing here?" cried the angry nurse. "You have been at the fruit." But at this the child's overstrained nerves gave way. "It's a lie !" she shouted. All through life we have to pay the penalty of these delicious, soul-satisfying cessions to impulse, and Wilhelmina was not surprised when a shower of smart slaps fell about her head and shoulders. Her screams brought Mrs Galbraith to the spot ; and Jane gave her own explanation of the circum- stances. For all Wilhelmina could find to say, she might as veil have been born dumb. Jane was reprimanded in private afterwards. For Wilhel- mina the day closed in deep disgrace. " And do you suppose she had taken the fruit ? " asked Mrs Dalrymple, when Pearson explained to her the cause of the turmoil. "Well, Madam, if you'll excuse my saying so, I don't think Miss Wilhelmina is a straightforward child. Yester- day evening I met her coming out of your room, and there was a strong scent of eau de Cologne about the place. I looked at the bottle and found it had gone all milky, so I charged her with adding water to it ; but she denied that she had touched it. She turned very red. I'm afraid " Mrs Dalrymple laughed. " I don't mind her taking, or even spiUimj, my eau de Cologne ; but it is a pity she should Bpoii what little she leaves for me. But I am sorry you spoke to her, Pearson. Don't on any account say a word to anyone r 15 80 WINDYHAUGIl. else. We will leave the eau de Cologne to balance a few of Zl7mr ''^* T. '^^^ ''^^ -deserve! Poo ft^ ZZr I " """ '' '""^^ '^°"^^* -^ by a pious grand- CHAPTER V. IN THE GKOCEE's PARLOUR. The shop was shut for the night, and the grocer was com ortably ensconced in his snug little quarters upstairs tZ ouse was a queer old place, with lol ceiii^^gs'; 7u„even nTce^ ?'r"r'^ "''^" ""'^ ^''^'y^ *« be .^Lrned co cTm ng cer.aiu treacherous steps that led unexpectedly from room Bv, look,, chosen so lovtogij, one by one through a long -^ n t the'2 ""^ ""'"^ «""'"<' '" <"'"' ''°*shelvef I gainst the „al.,, and over the manteli.iece hung the rwrlrail r^{«r=:xro^:::t:sr"'""'°'-- " May I come in, Mr Darsie ? " oia voice. i m sure ye re heartily Avelcome. " Ihere were not many men in the town for whom nf fi,- particular hour of the twenty-four, the glee tuidhav" -^-F-ot, If nut for ihe bands, at least for the college gown." " IN THE grocer's PARLOUR. 31 " Have a drop of something hot ? " he asked, apologetically. " No, thanks ; but I shall enjoy seeing you have it. How cosy you look ! " And then they both relapsed into silence, as men do who are at ease in each other's society. " Weel," said the old man at last, " have ye been reading onything new in a theological way since I saw ye ? " The other laughed and shook Lis head. " Pastoral visita- tions, Mr Darsie," he said. "Nothing but pastoral visita- tions ! " Now-a-days all our young preachers, and most of their hearers, are dashed with free-thought, modern science, and German philosophy; but, at the time of which I write. Essays and Reviews was still a comparatively recent work. "We have gained much since then, no doubt ; but some things at least we have lost. We have lost the subtle thrill of intense delight with which an awakening mind scented a kindred mind from af :r ; we have lost the exhilarating, sensa- tion of being in the vanguard ; our treasured watchword, which seemed to us eternal, ha.,.n g, awm tohe has a grup o' doctrine " He paused in search of suitable words, and the young man took advantage of the pause "Is that all?" he asked drily. "What interests me, Darsie, is to know how you found it out. I am free to confess that she didn't inflict much of her doctrinal erudi- tion on me. You must have found an inflammable corner 5:t:n%tr^^^'^^^^^ "Hoot I nae ken. I've a sittin' ahint JVIistress Galbraith the kirk, and ,t was aye a real divert to see that bairn tackle the sermon. Yon earnest bit facie was a picter. I spoke till her aboot it ae day when her nurse left her here i' the shop,_she s an awf u' lassie, yon. I doot we'll hear o' mischief yet. But the bairn took no heed. Then anither day I said, says I 'It's a peety but what you had been a boy, and you d ha' gien us a fine sermon yersel' some day ' Then in a meenit cK>t it cam.-« You see. Mr Darsie, perhaps I m not even one of the elect.' " > i' »p» The minister smiled in spite of himself all'nfeans r'^°'' '"''''' *° "^^ '^^ ^*" ^"^ "°^^°'' °^ ""^^^ »' "She has that." " And you think she is unhappy ? " IN TliE GROCER'S PAKLOUIl. 35 "I've nae doobt ava that she's 'unhappy,' a.s yc ca' it; but at her age the Lord tempers the wind," The young man rose to his feet once more. "But mv dear friend as you have found your way to her confidence, cant you help her? It is awful to think of a baby like that worrymg over election. At her age it is so easy to believe that God is Love. It seems to me that a few words irom one she trusted would put her right." It was some minutes before the old man answered. When lie^did the rare look of elevation had risen to his worn face. At my age, lAIr Carmichael, ye'll no' talk sae glib o' puttm folk right. I've seen them that were better men when they were seekin' God, than when they were sure they had found Him. I'm no scholar like you, but I seem to mmd the story o' a King of England-you'll ken it fine- who was lookin' frae his castle at the battle. His ain son was sore beset i' the thick o' the fight, and the nobles were keen to send somebody to his reiief. But 'No,' said the King, let the lad win his spurs.' That's what I say o' Wilhamina. It's no' a'body that's worth it; but she is Jjet her win her spurs." He snoke so earnestly that the minister was impressed, but a few minutes later he returned to the char-e "Frankly," he said. "I disagree with you from first to last. I dont admit that it is a question of spiritual ex- perience at all. At her age we are - mainly _ what our circumstances make us. All her life she has been hearing of justification, sanctification, election, and reprobation, and she talks of these things as a matter of course. Other chil dren hear about natural history, or steam-boats, or agricul- ture, and talk of them. Where is the difference ? If I went in for betting, I should be prepared to bet that Wilhelmina does not know the name c' a bird or a flower that she meets m her walks She must occupy her mind with something. One child calls its doll Beelzebub, and another calls its doll Tweedledee; but the dolls are the same, and, for all I can see, the children are the same." 36 WINDYIIAUGH. The old man shook his head with a quiet smile of supe- riority. He did not reflect that the minister's argument would include others besides Wilhelmina; but, like the rest of us, he had a strong sympathy with a taste that ran in harness with his own. "Na, na, sir!" he cried. "Williamina is no' the first bairn that was brought up in a pious home." The minister's face fell into lines of deep thought, and it was some minutes before he spoke again. " I don't know," he said slowly, "that I am justified in expressing my thoughts in the making— even to, you; but it does seem to me that, even if your view be right, such a state of things IS most abnormal and undesirable. You know they tell us now-a-days that the development of the race is repeated in the development of each individual, and although of course one may carry such a parallel too far, I do think that in a sense a child should begin life as a healthy pagan, taking the world for granted as God's world, and certainly not analysing its own beliefs and feelings. If there be any truth in my half-fledged fancy, your little friend is simply precocious— abnormal— scarcely human." The old maia rose to his feet. " Na, na, Mr Cannichael ! " he said. " I canna sit still an' hear ye say that, even if ye dinna richtly mean it. Scarcely human !— little Williamina ! " He walked slowly over to the cupboard. " I didna think to show it to onybody, but I'll show it to you," he said, and he put something into the minister's hand. Mr Carmichael surveyed the treasure solemnly for a moment. " It seems to require an explanation," he said at last. And so it did. It was a large and perfect sea-shell, adorned with a rich red ribbon, and packed full of cheap tobacco. To the ribbon was attached a tiny card, on which were inscribed in an un- certain round hand the words, — "Mr Darsie, with Wilhelmina: s love." " Ay, ye may say it requires an explanation. A deal o' THE PROCESS OF WINNING ONE'S SI'URS. 37 thocht an' contrivance went to the old man's present. Whaur she got the tobacco I canna say, but I ken fine that she didna ask her Grannie for it. The shell, nae doobt, she picked up on the beach, an' she tied it up wi' a bonny bit ribbon frae ane o' her dolls. But that's no' a'. She's mony a time seen Mistress Galbraith send a present wi' a visiting-card to say wha it cam' frae. She hasna a visiting-card, puir lamb ! and she canna tell her secret, so she taks a Sabbath School ticket —I hope ye havena forgot the value o' a Sabbath School ticket, Mr Carmichael !— four means a big ane, an' three big anes a little book— and she writes her message on the back. She wad hae blotted oot the text, but the text is the word o' God, an' she daurna. So she draws a shaky bit pencil-line across it— just to let me see that she wasna meanin' to preach me a sermon." As he turned over the ' ticket," his voice broku into a cackling laugh that was half a sob, and the minister read the words, — " We all do fade as a leaf." "Any reference to the tobacco?" asked the young man flippantly. Then his face grew grave. " I admit that I judged the case on insuflJicient premises," he said. " Your Wilhelmina is certainly human." CHAPTER VI. THE PROCESS OF WINNING ONE's SPTTRS. The sun was obscured by leaden clouds, and a tempest raged over Windyhaugh. Never hed the old homestead been in a more sinister mood than now. Night itself has no darkness so drear aa 38 WINDYIIAUGII. the shade of the limes that day at noon. The rain dashed drearily against the window-panes, and the trees slowly tossed their mighty arms from earth to firmament. The air was full of the sobbing of wind and wave, and, as evening came on, every chimney and corridor took up a note of its own, and wailed and shrieked in sympathy. One might have fancied ever and again that armed men were battering against the doors, or forcing their way up the creaky oalcen stair. Mrs Galbraith's thoughts took an even gloomier turn than usual as she sat by the fire with a great Bible on the table by her side : the servants neglected their work, and con- versed in awestruck whispers : Wilhelmina felt sure that the end of the world had come. And she was still unsaved. Every nerve in her body vibrated to the storm, and for terror her tongue well-nigh clave to the roof of her mouth. The sight of the supper that often seemed limited enough was loathsome to her ; she would have left it untasted, but that Jane m ght have seized the occasion to taunt her with being afraid; and she could not bring herself to speak of her fear, though, in the groping fashion of childhood, she fancied the others shared it. This must be why her grand- mother looked so stern ; she expected the Son of Man. The impending day of wrath must be the subject of the servants' whispers. How relieved the child would have been had she known that they only talked of ghosts, robbers, murder, and sudden death ! Surely nothing is more amusing and pathetic than the want of perspective in a child's knowledge of the world and of humanity ! In one place we find the focus sharp and clear, and we do not guess that close at hand is an outline magnified and blurred beyond all recognition. Poor little Wilhelmina! Do you think it would be thus that your friends would await the coming of the Judge? Things nearly came to a climax when .Tane left her charge in bed and went down to the kitchen for company. "Don't bite your nails, ' she had said sharply, as she ' THE PROCESS OF WINNING ONES SPUKS. 39 brushed the silky brown hair. " It's the sign of a bad conscience." Bad conscience, indeed ! It was the sign of a nervous system strained almost beyond endurance ; but Jane Avas nervous herself to-night, and well-nigh as self-centred as Wilhelmina. Of course she knew that her charge would rather not be left alone ; but she did not guess the measure- less dread with which the prosjject was regarded. She had not the least idea of the amount of self-control it took to keep the child from crying out, " Don't leave me 1 " She paused on the threshold, however, and threw a sop to her own kindlier nature. "Go to sleep, like a good girl," she said. " I'll bring you one of those penny dolls to-morrow, when I go to town." A quiver of relief shot through the child's framo. A penny doll is not much to set over against the terrors of eternal doom ; but, if Jane could even speak or think of buying dolls, she must have a fair hope that to-morrow might dawn even as to-day, and all the dear earthly days behind it, had dawned. " Don't pull down the blind, please," said the child very quietly in a small shaky voice. " Are you cold 1 " "No — not very." " "Why do you want to look out ] You'll never go to sleep if you watch those trees. They're not cannie to-night." But Wilhelmina carried hei' point. She did not want to watch the trees at all : it terrified her to see them, — now grovelling with head and arms down to earth, and again sweeping themselves uj as if in a last despairing appeal to Heaven ; but she wanted to watch the sky, to see that night came on steadily and normally, without any of the " signs " that might be supposed to herald the great trump. The season was late, and a crowd of green and yellow leaves went whirling and eddying past the window-panes. " The harvest is past ; the summer is ended," they wailed in their fearsome flight, — " and you are not yet saved I " 40 WINDYHAUGH. . How good and reassuring were all the well-known commoa p ace sounds, as they made themselves heard in the pause, of the storm,-the pumping of water into the cistern, thf doors ! ^'''^''' ^'^' ^^^ '^""'^^ °^ '^"^^^'^ ^''' Wilhelmina was too young to seek sleep, and, seeking, she might well have failed to find it ; but sleep understands the children so well, and she came on this child unawares, and folued her into kind n.otherly arms. For hours she held the httle one close, and then the riotous nerves broke loose, and awoke to a silent house, and a raging storm outside. Minutes passed before the child knew what oppressed her; then she sprang out of bed and ran to the window. The sky was very dark, and only dimly could she see the dirgo-hke dance of the trees. There were no " signs " here • but the window looked out to the front, to the plantation of limes, lerhaps Christ was coming behind, through the sky above the sea. The sea was no obstacle to Him. Had Ho not walked on the water long ago ? Shivering with fear, the little bare feet stole out on the oilcloth that covered the landing, and two great terrified eyes looked forth on the blackness beyond the panes. Noth- ing could be seen -nothing -nothing. Her ears were baffled, deafened, by a multitude of sounds— was this per- chance the great trump ?-but sight she had none Suddenly-suddenly-while she stood, such a light as the chi d had never seen flashed out over sky and sea, and distant hills. It was too much. Poor tortured self-control gave way, and the little bare feet went pattering— flvimr— mto the nurse's room. © / b " Jane ! " cried a choking voice. " Jane ! Wake vp I toake up! Christ is coniimj, and I am not saved!" It was severe treatment for a phlegmatic young woman who had believed in a general way all she had learned in Sunday School, without ever trying very hard to put it in practice. Jane fell on her knees, and began to .ry-then realized the situation, and took the child in her arms. THE rUOCKSS OF WINiNING ONE's SPURS. 41 " There, there ! " she said soothingly. " You've got into a state — that's what it is. I told you how it would be if you watched those trees. There's nothing wrong. Christ is not coming at all ! " Ah me, but the mills of God grind slowly ! If Christ had come — if Wilhelmina could have seen or guessed who and what the eternal Christ was — how surprised she would have been ! But nurse's pity was really roused now. "You poor little thing!" she said. "Your teeth are chattering, and you are just starved with cold. Come into my bed. There ! Put your head on my shoulder and say your prayers. ' Our Father- > i> " No, no!" sobbed Wilhelmina, half comforted, but shiver- ing more than ever. "'Our Father' is no use. There's nothing about salvation in that ! " And nurse, still pitiful, began again. " ' Now I lay me down to sleep ' " Wilhelmina joined in, breathing hard, — " ' Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take ' " "What's the use of praying like that when you don't ' believe ' ? " cried the traditioi.ary creed. But, with all the force in her being, Wilhelmina closed her ears to its voice. Over and over again she repeated the words, — " If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take, And this I ask for Jesus' sake,' " — daring Gk)d, as it were, to send her to hell with those words on her lips ; and so kind sleep overtook her once more, and lulled her to rest. " Neurotic, ill-balanced, overstrung- 42 WINDYHAUGH. m It may be so I might urge that Wilhelmina simply believed what she was taught,-or rather what her baby mnd could accept and formulate out of all that she was taught; but, ,f one is to attempt the defence at all, it is ^Mser perhaps to take the question on a wider ground and remina ourselves ho.yJleM is the nature of a child healthy physiological mania:" and I think -if I have grasped his teaching aright-he would allow us to extend he remark, and say that children may run safely and sanely through such a gamut of moods and feelings as. in the mtu;er' :''"-^~ily imply mental 'disease Nature does not restrict the little ones to the upper half of the keyboard. The sorrows, as well as the joys, o J^t\l !::" ^''* '""^"'y ^>' *^« ^'^q-i^it^ resiliency with which the nature of the child vibmtes to each n turn, and springs without a jerk from one extreme to the If we adults could retain this resiliency, we might safelv one of the characteristics of genius ; for is not the genius god. madman, or child, according to the point of view^^m at the moment on the gamut of human life ? " Neurotic, ill-balanced, overstrung " It may be so, but who shall describe the rapture of Wilhelmina's awakening? Who shall describe the ex- quisite reaction into sanity with which she sprang up in bed see the dear old sun blazing down on a world all fresh and fragrant, and dripping with yesterday's rain ? „r« <<'/'n^* ^^'* *^ "''''^^ °"'" P'*y ^«^ those who at times are troubled by an evil spirit from the Lord " ? They are not necessarily of finer calibre than their fellows; bu one hug at least is preeminently theirs-the Jo, of being sa„e It I a mistake to attribute this joy to the man whose mental and spiritual !if. reBemblea a successful jogtrot Ilong THE PROCESS OF WINNING ONE's SPURS. 43 the highway. It is possible to be so sane that one does not know what sanity means. Jane showed herself amazingly tactful that morning. She was kind, without being eflFusively so. There was nothing in her manner that forcibly reminded Wilhelmina of the unparalleled self-revelation of the night before, and for this the child was tacitly grateful. In truth Jane's con- science had received a shake. It was a vulnerable citadel at the best of times, and particularly so just now. She had vague thoughts that morning of turning certain traitors out of the garrison ; but, before t. ' ing any important step, she decided to make a few general enquiries about the Second Coming. The old gardener was reported to have strong views on the subject, and she determined to consult him ; then burst into hyste: lughter as she fancied she heard him reply, " He'll be . ■■ i' the tail o' the week ! " She was shocked at her own profanity, and put up a mental prayer for forgiveness. Poor Jane ! She judged her own sins and peccadilloes by a curiously arbitrary stand- ard,— a standard that gave the Almighty little credit for any sense of humour. But what put the crowning touch to Wilhelmina's happi- ness that morning was the fact that IMrs Galbraith remained in bed to breakfast. The old lady never allowed herself such an indulgence without serious cause, so no doubt she was suflfering a great deal in mind or body ; but it did not occur to Wilhelmina to look at the matter from that point of view. The aspect of it that occupied her mind to the exclusion of every other was the expectation that the ser- vants would seize the opportunity to send up a crisp rasher of bacon, or a slice of cold pie, for breakfast, along with the invariable porridge ; and that Jane— being in so delectable a frame of mind— would allow her to run out and play by herself the moment the choice morsel was disposed of. How she did run ! with hur pinafore flapping in the wind, and her sun-bonnet blown back from the ruffled hair 1 ii f 44 WINDYHAUGH. Tail-o-the-week was at work in a little garden close by, die- ^ng so„,e " seedy " end storm-tost annuals into the ground. a^dSr.r^'\* ' 't '' *^^ ^^"^"g -i^h sunburnt fist., and looked through with pitiful eyes. "Will they come up again ?" she asked shyly. Ihe old man chuckled. ZtT ^^'T'" \' '^'^- " '^^^y'" "'^' ^«"'« "P again." wondl !, ^'°' .t^^'^g^ being buried out of the sunshine this Thev 1 T"T " "'^ P'^"^^"*^^ *« -«t^h the trees. £s ITtfe IS^ ^^ '''''^^'''' -' ^^^PP^^ their n " f « as if they had been praying for something last nieht and had got jt now," thought Wilhelmina. But this ffcy too was speedily cast aside as being too painfully suggest ve Happy though the child was, she was firmly persuadfd thai s/ie had not got what she had prayed for into L «^ blue waves tossed their white caps merrily nto the air. She enjoyed, without analysing, the vivid in tensity of colour. A stray brown sail glowed red as fire a white one gleamed like Lohengrin's mantle. All the poet in Wilhelmina awoke and struggled for ex- pression,-so she gathered nice flat stones, and, with shrieks of triumph, sent them skimming over the blue Happy Wilhelmina ! Jane went into town that day; but she forgot to buy the W doll. No matter: the penny doll h!d served its AT THE COSMOPOLIS. 45 CHAPTER VII. AT THE COSMOPOLIS. A drizzling rain fell soft'.y on deserted London streets; but the bright facade of the Hotel Cosmopolis stretched out inviting arms into the dusk. The day had been oppressively warm, and Enid Dalrymple was very tired ; or, as she would have expressed it, London was sordid, Pearson obtuse, Hugh indescribably exasperating, life a slow meaningless martyrdom. It was cheering, after the dust and tedium of the journey, to see that brightly- lighted vista with its crimson floor-cloths, fine palms, and groups of immaculate waiters. " Tell them where to put the luggage, Pearson," she said wearily, as they waited for the lift to descend, "and take the children straight to their room. Order supper for them there, and tell the chambermaid I want a bath in my own room immediately." Hugh stole a grimy little paw coaxingly into his mother's hand. " I'm going to dine with you. Mother dear," he said. She looked down at him with an air of sublime impartial justice. After a long day of ineffectual strife and protest her turn had come at last. " You have not made your society so delightful to me during the day, Hugh," she said quietly, " that I should care to have any more of it." "I couldn't lielp it. The train was so beastly hot and shaky. Please, Mother ! I do want a glass of champagne." "Ah ! You shoulil have thought of tliat before." He scowled. " It's not fair to treat me just as you treat Gavin." *' Not at all fair. Gavin would have behaved like a little gentleman if you had allowed him. If I wanted company, 46 WlNt)YHAtJGIt. smL 1" 17T' "'*' ^" ^"^"-d shocked apologetl anJtlVl'Lt'l ^"'^7^«.--^«*«d of a few chambermaids ear''^"YouVpf' ^' 'f ' ^^^^^^^"^ ^^^^"'« dainty pink ear louve begun early, young man. What do you sav to a brandy-and-soda with me in the billiard-room ^"^ "" Why George ! It is a pleasure to see you," said Mrs I can t think what has put such an absurd idea into th^ ctmpl^L'^^- ' '-' ^^"- ^'^y ^- -tsttd ro^a^ hetr" ' ITT^. ''"^^- ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ -*« f-- snhtr K ! f '°'"'*^^*^ *« formulate his statistics on the Few'tWnrd?; ''r f' "'v'^^P^ ^^°^^« «^^b-th. tmngs did. He knew End Dalrvmnle w, ] nn^ din?'\r''''"f^"^'^^'*- "Come, that's right- You'U dine with me, of course. What time shall we sav ? A qua.er^past eight. Ill go down and see whi: 2ly eat His step was light and he hummed an air as he ran down he broad easy staircase. He had scarcely thought of EnTd fo. n.unths. and now she had come into his'ife at tl e AT THE COSMOPOLIS. i7 very moment he would have chosen. So clever of her ! Money chanced to be plentiful, he was hungry, he wanted to be amused ; and, behold. Providence dropped down for his delectation a woman beautiful and fascinating, a woman who knew one man from another, and who yet was content to take men as she found them, — above all a woman who really, without any pretence, understood that a good dinner does not mean an interminable series of kickshaws and a glass of sweet champagne. The hfc..i waiter thoroughly appreciated the importance of the situation, and the dinner of which he and Mr Galbraith drew out the sketch between them was quite a little poem in its way. George Galbraith might or might not enjoy the unquali- fied respect of his equals, but there could be no doubt what- ever as to the estimation in which he ■>vas held by the whole class of men-servants. For them he was a real gentleman, — a gentleman after their own hearts. Even their practised eyes never detected the cloven foot. He was man of the world in all things, down to his most trifling possession, his most involuntary habit. Frank and openhanded, he yet was possessed of a reserve unlike the reserve of other men, — a certain aloofness which was always present as the shadow side of his gaiety, an aloofness of which he had been unconscious until a sense of its market value had been thrust upon him. " You think I play the game rather well," he seemed to be saying with mild surprise. " Au contraire. I have never exerted myself to play it at all. I am out of the running. But at least I see through your game." *' Damned impertinence ! " a friend of his youth was wont to say. " You'd think the fellow was Jove himself, and we his puppets. And I'd like to know what he has done to qualify himself for the rule beyond failing in the work he put his hand to ! " Thua va-'ou^.ty was George Galbraith reflected in ths eyes of his fellow -men. fell? 48 WINDYHAUGH. Reverently, and with the hand of a master, the waiter uncorked a dusty old bottle, and, as he placed it on the table, he wondered whether it was within the limits of reasonable expectation that the unknown quantity, the lady could be on a level with the other factors-including, of course, himself— in so exquisite an entertainment. And I think most women would have felt their sex abundantly justified for the moment in Enid, had they seen the effect she produced as she entered the room v'th a self- consciousness so perfect as to be imperceptible. Her full sunny-white throat rose vividly above the soft black dra- peries; her tawny hair, kindling into red gold in the shaded light, was arranged as only an artist can arrange it,— in that great loose knot that suggests how readily it would fall in a cloud about the owner's shoulders. The waiter's bow was less perfect than usual: he was taken aback The faintest ripple of expression passed over Mr Galbraith s sensitive face, but he met her eye only for a moment with his courteous, conventional sn le. He was too much of an epicure to exhaust his enjoyment in a draught. He could afford to wait. " rt's awfully mean of Mother," Hugh was exclaiming up..tairs. M am sure Uncle George would have liked to have me too." Pearson laughed. She was much more tired than the others, and she had little sense of humour at the best of times ; but Hugh's remark appealed forcibly to such as she He felt he had .said something naive, and he hated to be naive. That was G >in's role. "Just wait till to-morrow when Mother is buying me things for school, and .ants me to care," he said fiercely. Mie II see that s: niebody else can b'e horrid too " " Ihere there ! " said Pearson, at the end of her patience. Its easily seen that what you w.ant ig a good night's AT THE COSMOPOLIS. 49 And, writhing under this final insult, the poor little man of the world betook himself to bed. Downstairs, conversation did not flow very freely just at first, and they were both too wise to force it. It was suffi- cient for the moment to relax, to appreciate and to feel one- self appreciated, to smile those quiet little smiles that mean so much and that seem to mean even more. Life gives us some very good half-hours when youth is past and we have ceased to demand the impossible. Dessert was on the table before Mr Galbraith said casually, "I took for granted that you were in Norway with Fergus." "Did you? I fancied you knew me better. Before Norway is furbished up to the level of my requirements, I shall be ambling along marine parades in a bath-chair. No, no. Fergus and I are old married folk. We live and let live. Guess where I went after leaving Perthshire." He shook his head lazily, but his smile was full of subtle flattery. "I can't guess. My faculties are otherwise employed. Be kind and tell me." " WindyhaugL" She pronounced the word suddenly, and raised her eyes to watch the effect. It is impossible to describe the change that came over his face. It was instantaneous, but for that instant Enid almost felt as if she had struck him. "Did the Highlands prove so exciting, then," he asked, with elaborate carelessness, "that you were forced to go into retreat at once?" He really wondered very much what had induced her to go ; but he knew he was more likely to find out if he did not ask. In point of fact she could scarcely with decency have told him that it had suited her convenience to send the boys there for a time, and that she had thought it only fair to follow up the bitter draught with a sugarplum in the shape of her charming self. o 50 WINDYHAUnlt. "I went for pleasure, of course," she said, mendaciously. " \yindyliaugh is charming,— just the sort of place one reads of in books." " la it ? Tliat is the kind of book I make a point of dodging." " And your mother is a wonderful old lady, George." He bowed gravely. His face was quite impenetrable now as he licld his wine- glass against the light, but it was some seconds before he could bring himself to say, — "And Wilhelmina?" Enid thought her little laugh was perfect, but there was a note of apology in it that spoke volumes. "Oh, she is the quaintest little woman imaginable— so old-fashioned ! " " Poor little soul ! '" His accent was pitying, but scarcely fatherly. He was thinking more of his own past than of Wilhelmina's present. " Oh, I don't know. I think the life suits her. If she were a different sort of child, one might be almost sorry for her. The life is a little— well, it isn't a gay life." He filled her glass. "No," he said dispassionately. "When I recall those days, 'gay' is not the adjective that suggests itself." " Poor boy ! I know. I often thought of you. Even Hugh and Gavin ! But it is different for a girl, and Wilhelmina is such a sedate little maiden." He nodded. " It is a great thing for a girl to be brought up sheltered — in a quiet haven." "No doubt. Still,— perhaps as your daughter she ia scarcely getting a fair chance. To tell the truth, I did half mean to speak to you about her. Hugh says she doesn't understand games in the least, and when I took them to lunch one day at Spanforth she was so unlike the others !— counted up what the drag and the lunch would cost ! " "I have no doubt the splendour of the entertainment struck her as barbaric." AT THE COSMOPOLIS. 51 " She is afraid of an open window, too. Think of it at her age ! Now Hugh is old-fasliioncd too in a way — quite grown up — his uncle Ronald makes so much of him — but then he is cIlic and amusing and makes people laugh, Wilhehnina is so deadly serious. She really is just your mother over again." " A reversion to typo. That's lucky." " I used to li>ve to have the child in my room ; but when she sat fathoming my soul with those great .solemn eyes, I was forced to think of my sins. They were so kind, she and her grannie, and yet one was under fire all round, so to speak. A frivolous person like me began to long for a little close time, like the partridges." He laughed appreciatively, and his eyes caressed her fair face. " Poor little Enid ! Is she having a slice of close time now 1 " " That she is ! She is being just as wicked as ever she likes. Isn't it good to be able to let oneself go ?" He nodded. " I did admire your mother so. She is a saint if ever there was one, and looks the j^art to distraction. But when one wants good company " " One lifts up the light of one's countenance upon the sinners." His face was grave. " Thank you, Enid. I assu.-e you they are not inappreciative. But Wilhelmina is young to be a saint. Has she succeeded in ' getting con- verted ' already ? " Enid was taken aback. Mrs Galbraith did not choose her confidantes at random. " Oh, in her cradle, I should think," she answered flippantly. " Then she won't be eternally chivied on that score. She's not pretty, I suppose 1 " These words betrayed a keener interest than he had shown yet. If Mrs Dalrymple prided herself on anythin.? it was on her tact. " She doesn't take after her father," she said, " if that is what ynn main. At her .age it is impossible to tc!!" He sighed, but the sigh was not a very deep one. 09 WINDYHAUGH. i »S'' "Well " he said, "if she is good and happy -that is thp Don t you think it tends to make children a little-a litS waning m frankness? Hugh and Gavin are shockingly t. oublesome, I know ; but at least they have no secrets frf m He smiled. He was used to this pretty little fiction on the part of young mothers. ^ " °" duigentir^" r '"' '" "* ','"°^^' °^ ^^""^"^«« ^ " ^^ «aid in- down th^" . " •^°'' ^""^'^ ^ I '''"" t° '•^'"ember sliding down the M-ater-pipe myself on Sunday afternoon when I r;:s:' a ': r ^' ^^ "^^ ^°°'"' -^itatirgVp^e- thoufhf t '' ""* P^''*^ °^ '^' recollection that I thought It necessary to make public confession at prayer- She laughed. " Ah, that was different. I can understand her not bemg quite frank with her grandmother Don't you want to smoke, George ?» '^^amotner. Don t "Thank you. If you are sure you don't mind " There was silence for a minute or two. " Tell me how Wilhelmma deceived you, Enid V he said at last ^^^mat nonsense. George! How you do misrepresent He nodded. "All right," he said. " I quite understand • ested m ^^ ilhelmina psychologically.-that's all." "Ai! There I have the adrantage of vou I ,„, „„, mdet J '"? '"■•'"' '° "-i"^ a«Vme «heL7y I made a muddle of it many years lan n ;„f , "y- ^ see what she will make of U ^ '"''''' '"^ *« AT THE COSMOPOLIS, 53 He paused, smiling, while the metaphor expanded in his mind. "When I was a young man," he said, "I took violin lessons, not so much with a view to playing myself, as to appreciating the technique of other men. You've no right to criticise unless you have served in the ranks. In "Wilhel- mina's case the stage is small, and the play is pm grande chose. You suspect me of wishing to take the part of heavy father ? God forbid ! I haven't the smallest intention of crossmg the footlights. But it pleases me to tM. '- T am the one man in the auditorium who is really ouitled t,- form an opinion of the performance. You see hac is a c -tain piquancy in the situation ? " She smiled appreciatively, though she fe'f. ^nr«iy per- plexed. If she understood his drift at all, he ;..s assuredly right m saying that the play was pas grande chose. She was conscious of a vague feeling of envy. Surely Wilhelmina was not worth all this. «« Do you know, I believe if you gave your mind to it you would make a splendid father ? " He laughed. One half of him was surprised that she should take the other half seriously. J^^f\ ' ^^* ^ ^°"'* ^^^^ ^^ ""''^ *° ^*' yo" «^e. No, no. Wilhelmina's chance may be small, but it would be a great deal smaller if I took her. Fie, fie, Enid ! Is that all a resi- dence at Windyhaugh has done for you ? And now we will drop the subject— as soon as you have told me how Wilhel- mina deceived you." " George, dear, for a clever man you are very absurd," she said almost pettishly. « She never ileoeived me. The child was more than welcome to help herself to my perfume; and if she did fill it up with water when she spilt it,— the' action was only ^awcAe— nothing more. I only thought that Hugh and Gavin " " wouldn't have taken the trouble to fill it up" thought George. But aloud he said, " So that is what she did. Nasty mean little trick. And yet you know, Enid, the child must be made of good clay." 54 WINDYHAUGir. He began to feel almost fatherly. His somewhat jaded emotions were responding to the thoughts of old days-and to the grand vm he had chosen with such care. " This particular pitcher," -he tapped his broad chest -"was broken at the wheel or in the furnace; but, if I were to begin life over again, I don't think I should ask for better clay. "I should think not," she replied a little vaguely, "and I hope you understand, George, that, altliough you have made me tell you this-this ridiculous little story— I never spoke of It to anyone else. Mrs Galbraith had no idea or it. " You didn't speak to the child yourself ? " She shook her head with a little air of self-congratulation. He raised his eyebrows. The vintage of that comet year was certainly loosening his tongue. . u ~;^''^"'* ""P'"^''^ *^^ occasion-make a turning-point mo?heVr'' *^'''* '""''^ "^ thing,-speak to her like a Mrs Dalrymple made a charming little moue. "Or like a grandmother?" she said sweetly "No George, I did not. I assure you she gets quite enough of that kind of thing as it is." He did not answer, and she felt she had lost ground, so she assumed an air of deep seriousness. "What she wants is something very different from that. Could she not have a Frencli bonne ? I believe her memorv IS prodigious: Hugh says she knows the Bible by heart • and with such a gift, it does seem a pity that she shouldn't be learning something-something that would stand her in real stead in her future life, don't you know. What are you laughing at, Oeorge ? " ^ "Did I laugli ?" he asked. "I was only thinking that I could wish few better things for Wilhelmi,,. than Lt she might come some day to appreciate her Aunt Enid as I do " MADEMOISELLE. 55 CHAPTER VIIL MADEMOISELLE. There are times when we choose a seed with the greatest care, lay it in friendly soil under favouring skies, tend it day and night, nay, water it with our tears, — but our labour is all in vain. Again, almost without our knowledge, a jiuif of our breath bears a floating seed to some chance scrap of soil where it lies neglected,— and behold, a plenteous harvest ! So it was — if I may use to so small an end a metaphor that has long been accustomed to better company — with Enid's suggestion about a bonne for Wilhelmina. There was every reason why it should not bear fruit. In the first place, no one greatly cared that it should ; in the second place, money at Windyhaugh was at this time a scarce com- modity; in the third place, Mrs Galbraith had been wont to see in every Frenchwoman a possible papist and Jesuit. And yet the suggestion was carried out. It happened on this wise. " Don't put the idea of a bonne quite on*- of your mind, Enid," George had said on the morning after their con- versation. " If you hear of a suitable person, write to — to Wilhelmina's grandmother. Be sure to specify that the woman is an evangelical protestaut, and if you can get her to lay claim to a drop or two of Huguenot blood " Mrs Dalrymple laughed and agreed, and forthwith forgot all about it. But some weeks later a friend who was going abroad asked her if she know of a situation for a French governess with an admirable accent. Enid shook her head reflectively. " Stay," she said as an afterthought, — "would she go to a quiet situation in the country '/ " 56 WINDYIIAUGH. 'it Well, to tell the truth, she can't afford to be rarticular. bhe IS not so young as she was, and she is so busy saving that she doesn't manage to dress veiy well,- though of course she knows how to put on the clothes she has. But ner accent is something exquisite." " Is she a protestant ? " " Oh, yes. At least I think so. I must have known at the time I engaged her. I am sure she never goes to " That's all right. I think perhaps I do know of some- thing that might suit her." nf l"* ""r^^ ^u' *^' "'f' ^"* ^^ ^^^'•^^ ^^' ™«re serious part of the difhculty was the soil in which it was to grow It so chanced, however, that when Enid's letter arrived Mrs Galbraith was deeply interested in an evangelical mission m raris-a mission worked by EnyKsh people-and she rWilhet-"" ' ;; '^'^"^ " j'^ ''" Calrymple-s suggestion. If Wilhelmina really was to be the chosen vessel her gmnd- mo her dreamed of night and day, perhaps it was the Lord's will that Paris-that Sodom and Gomorrah of modern times —should be the scene of her labours. " Bairn," she said pathetically, overcoming for the moment her rigid reserve, "I'm taking an awful responsibility upon myself. I am putting in your hand the key to a world lying in wickedness. Mind, mind, if you enter in, that you go as the messenger of the Lord ! " She took off her spectacles, wiped them slowly, and opened the great Bible. "We'll not take the u.ual lesson to-day," she said. Hearken, bairn." And she read in her quavering voice, ,, ™^, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion, put on liy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city- for henceforth there shall no more come into tliee the un- circumcised and the unclean. 'Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem ; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the Lord, Ye I' MADEMOISELLE. 57 ; I have sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money. . . . ' How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth ! ' The watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye wlien the Lord shall bring again Zion. • Break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem ; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.' " Wilhelmina listened mechanically. One lesson was the same to her as another, unless there was a story in it. Such poetry as this was far above the level of her mind, and she could not foresee how in later days it --ould ring in her ears like battle-music. Ah yes, when all is said, there are many worse training-schools than a home like Windyhaugh. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that saith unto Zion, ' Thy God reigneth ! '" Pathos had to be on a lower level if it was to appeal to Wilhelmina at this time, and on a much lower level Jane contrived to supply it in abundance. "I know how it will be," she said, day after day, "you'll forget all about your poor old nurse when the grand new mademoiselle comes." "Oh, Jane, you know I won't love Mademoiselle the tiniest bit ! " " So you say, so you say ! Before a week's out you'll have told her all our secrets." Wilhelmina raised her head. " I wouldn't be a mean ! " she said indignantly. "And you and she will have a lot of secrets of your own." " I won't tell her a thing, not the least thing ! And I'm sure T won't listen to her horrid old secrets. Besides, I dare- say she'll tell them in French." 58 WINDYHAUGH. i ft .iff' ■tlMl • I'-: ■ I-;}' " You used to tell me things," Jane went on reproachfully. The child's brow furrowed. This subject was threadbare, and she foresaw the retort. "I do tell you things, Jane," she said. " Then tell me what you did with the red ribbon you were so fond of, — that was round your chocolate-box." Wilhelmina bit her lip. She was afraid of her nurse in this mood. " I can't tell you that," she said timidly, but in a tone that was perfectly final. Jane shook her roughly by the shoulder. " Nasty close little thing ! " she said crossly. " It won't be a week before j.Uademoiselle gets it out of you ! " But she was well aware that she was losing her whip hand, and she felt constrained to make terms. She put her arms caressingly round her charge's waist. These sudden changes of mood were in themselves nothing surprising. "You wouldn't like me to tell her about your chats with Mr Darsie, would you 1 " she said,—" or about the sweets he gives you ? She'd soon tell your Grannie," Wilhelmina raised solemn protesting eyes. " There, there ! You know I wouldn't do such a thing ; and you Avon't tell her about — about the gentleman who meets us sometimes in our walks ? " "Course T Avon't!" said Wilhelmina. "Nor about the soldiers either." " Oh, the soldiers ! " said Jane contemptuously. " Soldiers speak to everybody. That's a way they have." Mr Darsie too had a word to say when he heard of the impending change in the household at Windyhaugh. He was almost tempted at first to think that >[rs Galbraith's detractors were right, and that the old lady was going out of hci' mind. "Eh, Miss Williamina!" ho cried. "That's no a guid liearin' ava. I dinna hold with the Frenchies. They're lliglityfolk, no' for the like o' you." He strove to think of anything he might add that would put the child o!i her guard against the wiles of the foreigner ; but was forced to i MADEMOiyELLE. 59 content himself with a philosoohic reflection on the limita- tions of human influence. The reader's sympathies are no doubt abundantly aAvak- ened for poor ^Mademoiselle, and in truth she was a small and harmless mouse to come out of such a mountain of apprehension. She had, it is true, no settled religious con- victions ; but, as she was not conscious of having lost any, she could scarcely be expected to be aware of their absence. She would have thought it very bad taste to talk to her pupils on such a subject, and, in any case, the "first five years " of Wilhelmina's life had been aheady appropriated. It was late in the evening — late for Windyhaugh — when Mademoiselle drove under the limes. At this hour the pupils she had left would just be rising from dinner in their dainty evening dress ; and the Frencliwoman's heart sank within her at the sight of the great silent rambling dimly-lighted house. She could not believe at first that this was really the normal aspect of affairs. She thought some sudden calamity in the form of illness or evil tidings had fallen upon the place ; and Mrs Galbraith's manner — hospitable though it was in a reserved Scotch fashion — certainly did not tend to dispel the impression. In the course of a very brief interview, Mrs Dalrymple had told Mademoiselle that the household at Windyhaugh was "quiet"; but "quiet" is a relative term, and Enid's surroundings were not such as to suggest that she placed a very rigid interpretation upon the word. In truth she scarcely considered an elderly governess to be of the same flesh and blood as herself. Teacher and pupil did not meet till next morning, and then Wilhelmina — feeling Jane's eye upon her — ^was as stony and unresponsive as even she could be. Children are true conservatives, and something in ^riidemoiselle i .enow nobody in the place, I doubt you tvM be dull then < " Ana so it proved. When Sunday came the rain poured in torrents. Made- mmselle had not the least intention of going to church ; bu . definite was Mrs Galbraith's assumption to the con rary that, without a word of protest on her own part, the poo 1 tt.o governess found herself wedged into th hi red landau along wjth the old lady, Wilhelmina, and a maidl va„t The landau was an expensive luxury, and must be made to serve as a means of grace for as many as possib ITI « windows were kept closed throughout the long drive, so there was nothing to be seen save the channels of rain as they made their way down the translucent window-pane! M^dT moiselle became almost hysterical in the efibrt to avoid meeting the eyes of the others. The old church was dark and chilly, and Mr Carmichael's I !.i MADEMOISELLE. 61 ' i^' manncT was less breezy than usual. The strain of pro- ducivig two sermons in the week was proving rather heavy. He had tlie true pastoral eye, however, and he did not fail to observe his new " hearer," nor to note the fact that she seemed unhappy. His was not the only eye that singled her out. If Made- Moisel'e had been less absorbed in her misery, she must surely have been aware of the trenchant gaze that transfixed her obliquely from behind. Mr Darsie was striving to read her inmost soul ; and, not being on her guard, she certainly gave him every opportunity for doing so. The one thing that really impressed her was Wilhelmina's unimpeachable behaviour. The child sat through the sermon, attentive and motionless as Airs Galbraith herself. "She does behave very well," said Mademoiselle when they were seated once more in th". stufiy carriage. Mrs Galbraith looked annoyed. The remark was not in- acceptable in itself ; but it was most unsuited to Wilhelmina's ears. " Indeed I'd be sorely ashamed of her if she didn't behave well," she said severely. "I hope at her age she has sense enough to know how highly she is privileged. When ono thinks of the thousands of children who grow up in heathen lands " It is needless to quote the rest. Mademoiselle drew as far as possible into her corner of the carriage, and volun- teered no further remarks. There was an ai)preciable amount of solid comfort to Be derived from the cold beef and cold fruit-tart that formed the midday meal. When that was over the old lady said with the coldness that betokened timidity,-— " I always have a little class with Wilhelmina on Sunday afternoon, now that I'm not able to go a second time to church. You are welcome to join us if you like." But the worm turned. *• Tiiuuk you, 1 will go to my own room," said Made- moiselle. "I too have some religious books in my box,'* 62 AVINDYHATIOH. * i: f h I* She made her escape at once lest any effort should be made to detain her; but I need scarcely say that the book she took from her box was not strictly reli-nous . M;« Galbraith was relieved to see her go. In truth the invitation had been far more magnanimous than the French- woman sujjposed. The class began with prayer, and then Wilhelmina "said her ticket It was the last of four, which were now duly exchanged for a "big one." as Mr Darsie had said. The ticket was followed by the repetition of a hymn and of several answers from the Shorter Catechism ; and thus was ushered in the solid business of the afternoon,-the reading of a portion of the Bible in Mrs Galbraith's monotonous voice, with the running accompaniment of Matthew Henry's Commentary. It tvas dull, and yet Wilhehnina was forced to listen with one ear on account of the questions that were to follow One ear was sufficient, however, for the old lady had not been educated in a modern training-college, and was apt to word her questions in such a way that, after a little experience of her method, the answer could scarcely be missed. '^ "I'll put the things away. Grannie," said Wilhelmina cheerfully when the long ordeal was over; and, as soon as Airs Galbraith had left the room for her afternoon rest, the child proceeded-like the actors who seek recreation in each other s theatres-to play at Sunday School ' Not a moment was lost before the decks were cleared for action Bibles commentary, and hymn-books were now converted mtd benches. Small paper booklets, more or less L r, T ^ fr^ '\ P^"^' ''^^'' «^ Srey covers, repre- sented the scholars. A larger booklet was wont to do duty as teacher but Wilhelmina couid not lay her hands on this at first. Such trifling hitches were welcomed as affording 2hw>t'? r I ""'' ''^^''"^^*^ ^y-i'^^y' '^"d '^^ ^^^olJ. torthwith took advantage of the interval. "Teacher's late," said one innocently. ArADEMOISELT,E. 63 " Perhaps she's ill," said another. " Let's go out and play." They were on their way to tlie door when the teacher appeared, and a certain amount of horse -play ensued. Wilhelmina was quite artist enough to feel the necessity of relieving the game with touches of comedy. In this case, I fear, it degenerated into farce, and some of the scholars played quite openly to the gallery. They were called to order, however, and the class pro- ceeded. The opening exercises were reduced to a minimum, and then the "hearing of tickets" began. This was the raison d'etre of the whole game, and, to appreciate the point of it, the reader must remember that each scholar was as distinct an individuality in Wilhelmina's eyes as are the horses entered for the Derby in the estimation of the turf. Solemnly closing her eyes to ensure impartiality, she took a ticket from the box and read it aloud, — " ' Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' " ' Blessed: " She glanced over the title of the first book in search of the word ; but it did not appear in that, nor indeed in any of those assembled. " Are: " This was more hopeful. It did not occur in the first nor in the second ; but it did occur in the title of the third, so the third scholar— rejoicing in the cognomen of "Are you happy ? "—claimed the prize. Thus the game went on. Sometimes every word in the text was exhaus::ed before the ticket was earned, and it had to be put back in the box, having served only as the excuse for a severe reprimand on the part of the teacher. "I really will not take the trouble to come and teach you," she would say, " if you can't learn your texts better than that. There's nothing to laugh at. Sunshine. Go and stand in the corner." "Sunshine and Storm," a torn and unattractive grey book, accustomed to the role of scapegoat, was placed in the corner accordingly. 64 mNnYHAunh'. W': "And your frock isn't menaed yet," pursued the teacher relentlessly. " You are qn it -. incorr— incorr " The deli- cious big word that Aunt Enid had applied with such eflFect to Hugh when she was angry with him, danced tantalizingly just out of reach. « You are a very bad girl, Rnr.,- 1," _ The game was not highly intellectual, I contess, nor had It any profound spiritual significance ; but, when relieved by plentiful touches of comedy, it helped to pass the time amazingly. And the beauty of the whole scheme was that, if anyone came (■> the door of the room, a sweep of Wil- helmina's strong linle arm was sufficient to destroy all traces of her guilt. She could be scolded for nothing worse than for strewing the books over the table. On such occasions the closing exercises had to be murmured in a whisper over the ruins. These closing exercises were absolutely de ri^/vur. Not having a companion to urge her on and to .-base away self- consciousness, Wilhelmina suffered from a recurrent suspicion that this fascinating game was displeasing in the ejes of God. So, before putting away the books, she would close her eyes, drop her chubby shan' tt reVgiriiO; ''^ -'''' '-^''- '-' '-^-^^^ the featival, but. beyonaa few grl^gf Lf IS FOG. 7:^ friends, it brought her absolutely nothing. The day was simply ignored. " And we call ourselves a Christian household ! " To be sure, it was to the Lord that the day was not re- garded ; but, in spite of the religious books — in her box — Mademoiselle '!ould scarcely be expected to appreciate the distinction. When evening came, she shed actual tears in the kitchen over Wilhelmina's hard fate, and made the mouths of the servants water as she related tales of the kind of Christmas she had been wont to spend in the South. But in truth Wilhelmina considered herself a very lucky little girl. In addition to Mademoiselle's Christmas greet- ings, the postman had actually brought a book-packet that morning addressed to her very self ! She had not been able to believe her eyes at first, and, when at length she was convinced, she had opened it with the most reverent care. " Wilhelmina, with love from Hugh and Gavin," was the inscription on the fly-leaf. " Not from Aunt Enid herself ? " asked the child wistfully. "But yes, to be sure," answered Mademoiselle quickly. " It is really from her, though she has put the boys' names in it." Wilhelmina clasped the gaily bound volume to her breast. *' Bear Aunt Enid ! " ehe murmured. The book was the bound volume of a children's paper — rather belcw the intellectual level of this pai-ticular child. Presumably Mrs Dalrymple had forgotten the " prodigious memory " of which she had spoken to Mr Galbraith ; and indeed, when one reflects on the endless round of sliopi)ing — in her comfortable brougham, of course — that Christmas meant for her — the only wonder is that she remembered Wilhelmina at alL But the child was far too hapj ;; to be critical. She pored over the sparsely-printed page" v'i tlv^ book, and weeks went by before she would ovcu allow hei"jcif to adnut that '• there wasn't much reading in it," 1i WINDYHAUGir. ^^^ZlZt^J Srit:\^'^'-^^ '^ ^-- "After It; but at that staee of TfT •. " ''" <'^*''^ P^"'" i" institute enquirit^' True Jrs r^.^^?-- *- ^ate to day by the dLtion of flannels l.^^r'^^ '^'^^^^'^^^^ *^« week, and other folk of the - rV°'^ *° ^^'' '^ail-o-the- teep her left hand unlat o "the d"* " Tf ^ ^'^^ «^^ *« her household failed tTZll Z t"7T^ ^'"^^^*' ^^^^ excitement from her chaT2 ' ^'"^ "^ ^^^^^"^^le Jt Ik^drt; o^a? r "^* f-' -^ *^^* - the in plenty, but now a th! k fo^ c^r ''''f *^"^ ^'^^ ^^^" hung over the homestead like VcZd "? ?°" ''^ "^' ^"^ was amusing, but bv tho tV 5 V ^ '^°°'"- ^t first it terrible. M^ GalbrLl': tl 1^ ' "'^ '^""'"^ ^^"-* the house," so no windows wer otn T ". '\'"P '' '''' '' stifling. Mademoiselle's lit! ?' . ' '"'^ ''^' ""'' ^^^^^^'^ helmina began to look as^ shf^'^' "^™^'^*^^^' -^d Wil- Most of us have a weak Znt ft. 1 ''"^'"^"^^ ^ ^"'"e- a strain. Mademoiselle'r;!? tbt '''I '^ f * ""^- helmina's was her conscie^e ^Sh" "1^^ ^''^"^ ' ^il- during daylight, though he'as not Til ^7 1^ '' ^^^ house; but she began lo dread tL ^! '^ *' ^'^^« t^'« Fortunately, on the four h ^^ '' ""^P^^kably. broke the drLed _' Ae'? '^^f "^"'^^^ ^^-* No bnt. the cat kitten r"'-. A„d f^/'' '"* ^^^^^ '-^^-3^- Mademoiselle, " no long-delavedhH ?"'' ^°"'" ^^'•"^ house was ever hailed with warm , "^ "" ^''' *« ^ "«We arrival of those thrl^^Ie 7,:^^^^^^^^ effect on Tabby will be disastm„« f ? ^" ^"''' *^^ "'oral the distraction to think o Tl S' ""' ""^ ^" *°" ^^^^ «f At the end of a week t 7 "''*'' ^"^ ^^^^^re." the gale brought LrUeVrZ and. before the resultinr n h w ^'/"^'^^ impassable. " No," said Mademoifene ^^^^TlTv} ''' '°^' "^™d- and the body than raiment,'" I ^m J!^, '" "'"''^ ^^'^^ '"eat FOG. 7« She was leaning against the garden gate, and her long wavering had just ended in this conclusion, when a cheerful face broke through the fog. "Ah, Monsieur," she cried, " so there really are some men still out there in the world ? " Mr Carmichael laughed, " There are," he said,—" a few that one could dispense with even. Had you begun to doubt it 1" She nodded, and, to her great disgust, her eyes filled with tears. Really her nerves were going to pieces in this terrible place. He took note of her tears in his own fashion. "You are well met," he said cordially. " I was hoping to see you by yourself for a few minutea I wanted to ask your advice. A friend has asked me to recommend a few modern French books— fiction that steers a middle course between the Scylla of goodiness and the Charybdis " She nodded again with ready comprehension, and for some time they paced up and down the avenue discussing litera- ture. When that subject flagged, he fell back on Paris. He had spent a week in the gay metropolis during his student days, and the amount of capital he had made out of that week in his conversations \v ith Mademoiselle was not a little to his credit. " I fear it is dull here in this trying weather," he said at last, when she was obviously herself again. " Oh, I\Ionsieur, dull 1 No ! Leave that mild little word for the prisons and reformatories ! " He laughed. " Is it so bad as that ? " "I can't tell you what it is. l^o fete de Noel ; no jour de I' an. I assure you I have wept for the pauvre petite." She was a tactful woman, Mademoiselle. She had taken his measure carefully, and was now giving him just as nmch of her native language a.s was likely to flatter without over- whelming him. ^^ " "^^^^ one c-oiild wish fur a bott&r pui)ii,' slie continued, *'bttt It is no use. I cannot stand it. I grow ill and 76 WINDYIIAUGII. " That is serious," he said an injur, to a gM .ho J^L her brr-"""'""* '" '° defnL S^s'r™ ■"' '""^ '' "' '^«' "- " Have you "But yes, yes.*' "Then surely your path is clear. Speak to th^ v.„ Ah, Monsieur ! " she cried -irg\7f;L^M!!!r",H ■";° "°"""8. '< »"« had th, 'S oi uiem. Mrs Galbraith be ieves in her anH «!,. afternoon ? " ^'^^^ *° «^e me this Wilhelmina. .vhu.o woe-begone, conscience-ridden face^was '.anawKs.. FOG. 77 pressed against the window-pane. Her expression changed in a moment when she saw she was observed. " You have never walked from Queensmains through such roads," said Mrs Galbraith as she greeted the minister. " No ; my landlady is ill, and I am spending a few days with her brother, ^Ir Dalgleish, at the farm here. He has offered me his gig for the afternoon, and, now that the sun is trying to break through, I want you to lend me Y.'ilhel- mina. She looks as if a drive would do her good, and it is time she and I made friends. I will bring her back quite safely before dark." So Wilhelmina was smothered in wraps, and perched up on the high sent beside her pastor. The sun fairly broke through the clouds, and the colour came to her cheeks as they trotted swiftly along. She was dreadfully shy at first, but she soon began to look as if a mountain of apprehension had been lifted from her mind, and she chatted gaily, as a child should, about the people and things they passed on the way. At the grocer's door, Mr Carmichael drew up, and took her in his arms. " A visitor, Mr Darsie ! " he cried. " I will leave her here for half-an-hour in case she should catch cold, while I make a few brief visitations." " My word ! " cried the old man delightedly. He left the boy to mind the shop, and took his little lady upstairs to the snug sitting-room, where he contrived to find a slice of cake. She still fe't the exhilaration of the drive, and prattled away light-heartedly ; but when the time drew near for her to go, she became suddenly pale and silent, and began to tug at her damp little hands. "]\[r Darsie," she said at last in a hurried undertone, taking the fence at a run, "I get so frightened at nights now. I can't help saying things against the Holy Ghost — in my mind, you know, not loud out — and I pray for the awfuUest things. Last night I couldn't help praying Qod to make me blind before morning!" 78 WINDYHAUGH. The M^7 T , appearance .,f the black c4p. he WW 1:::; S':t '-"^ '""-'^ ^ fo, .he^.. «„, woI,t„lw„;„t"butHe\*''^M-M-» Na,„a.r I no' in aic a hur„ S a^ wT "' '""P'"^'''- ^ he lord'a Mke that He ehLd Z7 ' ^"'^'" '"'""' 'hej'^ wis^ J0„. Puttur mtd'^17rr°"'r *" '~"*''« like "ill 'omJZtZklZll''''^'?''' »"' if tie 'iochts yourdoUs'L the ttterTtr j'^r^'-f- ""H - mucUe attention to the wilef? the'dVviP '^ *" ^^^ °™ faee .ith .eh iZ^fallf £:^ ^ '"" '»' ever' hirr^Sl^ ,t'r « ''« f-Xd, what- I-iehadno^S.r'-n.r^r-Si^ ; J CHAPTER XI A BOLT FROM THE BLUE. "Flighty she may be," said Mrs Galbraith "an,! T v she IS quick in the temner • hnt «l,.T ' ^ ''^^^ W,t family under my'o vi ey nd 1^.?"" "^ " ^" to^believe she is a ChrLian wo'man » '"^^ ''"^°" -e^d-rs:^-^^':-?----.^^^ Sf^ith" '^^^ *^-^^* ^'^ -"^^ elpTf But the old ladj- was not quite a fool .. t ,„ .„„_. have not been happ, with „,," ,he said with Tgnt^J" ^?;; ■ ; 1, A BOLT FROM THE BT,UE. 79 know it is very quiet here.' I am too old to care for worldly gaiety, and T am anxious that the child should grow up in- dependent of it. Btsides, in the country here it is not easy to provide entertainment for our — for those who sojourn with us." "One would think I had asked for a Punch and Judy show on the lawn ! " thought Mademoiselle indignantly, and the tears gathered in her eyea She had meant to take this opportunity of striking a blow for Wilhelmina ; but, behold, the fortress was quite impregnable ! "It grieves my heart to part with the child," she said. " I never had a better pupil. Already she can read a little French story witli a charming accent. I am sure her father would be proud of it." Poor Mademoiselle ! How she had longed for some accident that might bring Mr Galbraith to pass a skilled opinion on her work. The old lady winced. She quite appreciated the slight stress on the word "father." " I hope you will get some one to take my place," con- tinued Mademoiselle. "It is a thousand pities that the lessons should be interruj^ted." Mrs Galbraith smiled quit tly. " I have no doubt you have done your duty well," she said; "but— I fear our country life is not adapted to your cointry women." This was too hard. "But, Madame," cried the little governess, "you are un- just ! I have met many many of your countrywomen, and I find them no less frivolous than my own. I too have been — ah, so happy ! — in the country ; but here — here ! " It was useless. She had not an arrow in her quiver that was worth trying against a citadel like that. Mrs Galbraith rose to her feet with a sigh. She was not feeling well to-day, and this interview had excited and tired her. " I hope the maids have done all they could for you," she said couileousiy. "I will tell cook to prepai'e your f/aud- wiches." IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ^ lilll^ i^ 1^ 1 37 2.2 £fl3£ S IS i^ u. *- u kuu i 1.8 '•25 iu 1.6 150mm V

??«». had not refl::t:d w^ruiT /Z^JH^^'''^ feelings in words. ^'^^'^ ^' *° ^^P'-^ss ^er So there was a painful silence. V\ilheImina,"shebeLran a^ain «T f^o. as good a woman as I thSughtte"''' ^'"' ""'^ '^ ""* " I th'nk she's good," said Wilhelmina quicklv qi,„ ^ a "t,stdLTC^(-l-^l-''' 7 them now and then. Oh dear » r ^^^ t ^ ^'^ told." '^u, Clear! I hope at- t think I their "' '' '" """' ^'^^'^ ' ^«" -^:^ «-- the,a now and " She left me behind. " " WJiere did she leave you ? " "In a shop." "What shop?" Wilhelmiua hesitated, but she had been tol^ r,«f * ter grannie. " Mr Darsie's. " "°* **" ^"«^«' One would have thought this likelv fn kn enough; but Mr Darsie with all ti,„ ^e reassunng ferrpd on 1,;., i i • ' *'^ ^''^ respectab tv con- ferred on h„n by h,s proud position as an elder of the kir^ m A BOLT FROM THE BLUE. 83 B than Jane ! cried, way- u to look on you, I aid n severely. ina's nerve >er looking r. iie stopped, d that she xpress her irse IS not She had 1 Grannie d me. I le — that only saw ; think I now and o Anger ^suring ty con- le kirk, had a reputation for being a trlHe "nnsoond," and to Mrs (ia\- braith " unsoondness " was almost worse than immorality. "Mr Darsie!" she said, "and what did you and he find to talk about ? " Wilhelmina hesitated again. "Sermons and things," she said at last. So long as Grannie did not find nut about the sweets, surely no great harm was done. Mrs Galbraith wrung her hands. "Bairn," she said, "Jane's not a good woman. She's going away. I don't say a word against Mr Darsie. He's an elder of the kirk ; but he's not a fitting companion for you. You'll smile to him when you meet him, of course j but you must promise that you won't go into his shop any more, or speak to him more than you can help ! " This was too much. Wilhelmina forgot all about Ann's warning. " I tvon't !" shecried. " I love Jane ! I love Mr Darsie ! They are my two partic'lar friends. I must see them ! " She was prepared for almost anything in return for so unprecedented an outburst ; but what happened was pre- cisely the thing she did not expect. The old lady did not speak. She was looking so queer. She made a little move- ment with one of her hands, and then, to Wilhelinina's horror, she began to slip heavily over sideways in her high-backed chair. The child rushed to support her, but had only strength enough to break the inevitable fall. " Grannie, Granni< ' " she said. There was no reply. She was not dead. No, her face was still red, anu she was breathing so loud. It was terrible to have her so near, and yet so far away. Wilhelmina laid the poor grey head on the floor. " Gi (innie ! " she cried again. Then with a bound she reached the door. "Jane ! Jane ! Ann ! " she shrieked. " Grannie's tumbled down. Como quick ! Come quick I " 84 WINDVHAUGH. !:'>- ^^1 CHAPTER XII. TEA AT RUMPklMAYEr's. Sunshine without a cloud anrl ^hc. ki . , with a deuelous p,a,h onl/^l^rof*? 1^"""^ Ihe band was n ayine a walf^ K« q. • , it as she sipped her' .f.er„„' * Tl tul ?""* "' dainty china ^umpelmayer's Yet the man who took it eventual Iv r?;^ * overwhelmed by a sense of his pr v"^^^^^^^ ^^ '^ bluff, tweeded, well-groomed Englishmfn and atT/ ^''''' nioment he was in a very surly hu„,our ' *'' P""^^^^' nations congregate. " Have Tome [ea ?" ^ "''"' *'^ He nodded to the attendant who offered it. Deuced bad luck," he said under his breath " T 1, u go near the confounded place again " ^ '^^" * HoLli' fors^r Tnlt TaTb^^ rir^-nless «iglied. She did so hate lo sp. '"''^- ^"'^ ^^^ He shook himse f ILk a grelt St"7 *^T" ^"^^ "' TEA AT RUMPELMAYER's. fi5 "Good Lord!" "Is anxious to know if he will have to pay duty on it." " I should think there is no precedent. Tell him they will retain the ferret at Calais while they bring the question before the ministry." " Are they vicious things ? " " Custom house officers 1 " " No. I know all about them. Ferrets aren't as bad as that, are they ? " "iluch the same, I fancy; and, as Hugh is certain to starve the little brute sooner or later, it will have abundant excuse for making a meal off anyone who comes handy." Enid sighed. " I do hate to disappoint him." She always found that absence endeared her son to her, and she gave it abundant opportunity of doing so. " Don't disappoint him. Tell him to stay at home with the ferret." "Poor boy!" She drew the letter from her pocket. " Oh, I see, there is a postscript over the i)age, — ' P.S. The ferret isn't born yet.' " Mr Dalrymple threw back his head, and laughed as only an Englishman can. " Let us hope there has been some little miscalculation as to dates. I have known it happen. Have you finished your tea ? Come out. I want to talk to you." It was a considerable time, however, before he said — " Who do you think I saw at Monte Carlo ?— enjoying a jolly run of luck too ! " " Not Ronald ? " " No. George Galbraith." " Indeed ! Well, I am glad of it, poor fellow. Did you speak to him ? " Mr Dalrymple nodded. "He says he met you at the Cosmopolis in the autumn." " Yes. Didn't I mention it ? " " No." " Really 1 George Galbraith's little dinners deserve more notice than that, I assure you." 86 WINDYIIAUGH. if fir \i ■<■' .' < § 'I Dinners! Did you dine with him ? " Atthe hotel. We met by chance." " Worse luck i " ^stance, when .hey were oviwi:g"'° *'" '" *" lou are very unjust. What can you exnPoM n- But he i, f„ . .e„i.veiti'":rrroi'.'. ""'■ only been the affair with 12 m- / T".""' "' *'"'" '^ have been moved LT , .? ™"."Sf<"-<>, he would simpl. w« nothing in tha'tolrf .'"'"" °'""^ ^l"" he had oni^een'lTen'lti 'Lt rbl:rt,tT"h " :t'rt"rh"'eiX-Tf. " ^~- -- ^^^ .trs " ^'"' """" "™"' '-= Oo- Wm no ha™ if .ha, y„„„. , 1 TEA AT RUMPELMAYER S, 8? going idiot hadn't gone and shot himself. That was what did the mischief. Why can't people see that, however regardless a suicide may be of the happiness of others, he at least rates his own life at its true value ? " " I know. It was hard lines, and I made up my mind I'd stick to him. But I didn't allow for his going forthwith to the bow-wows." " I do wish you would be explicit. I never mistook George for a saint; but which of the commandments are you referring to now ? " Fergus shrugged his shoulders. " No need to drag the commandments into it. I will tell you something that will appeal to you. They say your ' brother-in-law ' is paying attention to a woman who keeps a boarding-house in Harley Street." Enid turned away her head. " Really, Fergus ! " she said. " I did think you had more sense than to listen to rubbish like that." " I didn't listen the first time ; but yesterday I heard the story again with all sorts of circumstantial details. Wait a bit. Hear me out. She is by way of being a gentlewoman and showing the world how the thing should be done — trails of smilax up and down the dinner-table and all the rest of it. She really has some good people in the house." Enid's lip curled. " I hope she has something more sul stantial than trails of smilax to offer them." " Oh, yes — as it chances ; but it is a pure fluke. She has an excellent cook : but she isn't aware of her good fortune in the matter, and hasn't the sense to grovel to the woman when they have a difference of opinion. The cook is the lynch-pin of the whole establishment, I am told. When she gives warning " "Let us hope," said Enid with burning sarcasm, "she will give warning in time to save George from his doom. Really, Fergus ! George may have gone downhill, as you say; but at least — if he chose to marry again— he could have a nice girl with money." 88 WINDYHXUOH. iil rirlwa'twl! ^^""^ "°*.»° ""re. I ahould advi,« th« nice h^ H« r. r." '*"' '°""^ '" *^^* ^"*^^««ti"g pose 0? J^is. He always had a weakness for plavinsr the mrt- of C^sar ma village. Of course I don't 'supTofe he Ts In ' intentions of matrimony no.; but you know how tha sort a SZcaf ' '"^ end,-though of course this run of luck uT-n "^^ postpone matters " « Ol J ir n !? ^'r '^^'■''^"S ^ " E"id fell into a reverie. "Sheht'on^aTif T) ^ ''' «^^^'" «^« -^ ^ "a^ one Has only a liferent of the property " tell me "^'^ 'f \'^' '"''^' °"'"^« «^-g« ^-m what you tell me. Besides he must have been a tremendous dmin on her resources. Didn't you t.U me she had given Td her carn^e and everything? I expect he convf ted h^ ^ pectations into hard cash some time ago. I doubt Z hTdfbtr ''''-'' --- *° ^ -"'^« -;tt:^t; " And what about his daughter ? " bnZT'^"^'"?*'^^^- "PoorRhoda! And what a bnl hant marnage it seemed at the time ! From tre dar a his feet. How I used to envy that easy graceful wav of n . 1"T~^' '' «^^ *« hang up his hat in trfhaU of a boarding-house! You might have done worse Enfd after all, than marry the clumsy old fellow" ' ^' But she was not in a mood to respond. littCurita:!:'' '"' "^ ""' ''' "^^* - - ^« for the T? Jl?^' ""^ f "*" ^''«"'' y°" ^°'^'' know the nhild a. I do t Ehoda wa. always the serious member of our famUy" but J I III TEA AT BUMPELMAYER S. 89 wish you saw Wilhelmina ! For sheer stodgines:;, she sur- passes your wildest conception. As her father's child, she is a pure freak." " She may be none the worse for that in the long-run. By the way, you didn't gather that Mrs Galbraith suspected George in the matter of the baccarat V "She never referred to him in the most distant way. Oh, no ; I shouldn't think so. Gambling is so heinous a crime in her eyes that the mere forjnality of adhering to the rules of the game is neither here nor there." "Well, take my advice. Let him down gently. He will be over to see you one of these days. And, by the way, Enid, when Ronald comes, I will not have him take Hugh to Monte Carlo. Of course they are not supposed to admit minors to the rooms ; but I won't have Hugh go near the place at alL Ronald will be the ruin of the boy if we don't take care." Enid feared the loss must be rather serious which entailed such moralizings as these; but she had sufficient self- restraint to keep the reflection to herself Two days later George Galbraith came over to Mentone. He found Enid ensconced in a great basket-chair among the palms and orange trees of the garden. "Ah!" she said pleasantly. "Am I to feel myself flattered? I was wond^ "'^g when you would be able to tear yourself away from it. tricksy goddess. I was glad to hear from Fergus of a run of luck." He smiled. " The wheel was at that particular stage, was it, when I met Dalrymple t Ah, well ! I did not come to talk about that." He paused. "I want your advice, Enid," he said simply. A vivid picture of trails of srailax flashed upon her mental vision. " ^fon Dieu I " she thought. " Has it got so far already 1 " But his next words reassured her. " I have bad a letter from— my Mother's— man of busi- ness," 90 WINDYHAUGH. " No bad news, I hope." " She is ill,— has had a stroke of apoplexy " "I am 80 sorry," said Enid conventionally. "Then I suppose you are leaving im.nediately ? " " ^°; Her directions in case of such an emergency were per ectly explicit. No one to be ,ent for: the domest c routine to be undisturbed : she to be nursed by her maid, Ana H^ manner was quite formal and colourless- it pronounced no judgment on his mother's wishes. "Thev know where I am to be found if-if I am wanted." Poor old ady ! She was looking so well when I saw hen I shouldn't wonder if she pulled through yet " He bowed gravely «I believe the doctors say that at ber age it is only a matter of time. The ques^on s.- What am I to do with Wilhelmina ? " She did not answer immediately, and he laughed softly • then became suddenly conscious that the laugh had been rather an uneasy one. "This is howl like the Mediterranean best," he said "seen through a tracery of foliage. Has anyone sketched you in this corner ? Do you know, Enid, I have never felt ^^ much afraid of anyone in my life as I do .f that little th7what^hT-I '^' ""''^ sympathetically She knew WnL7m TJ^" "°' true,-knew that he feared Wdhehnina simply because she was the pale reflection of his mother. It had been his fate all along%o suffer fi^m the superiority of his womankind. He would have bL a better man if they had not been so good. First therTwat his mother ; then dear Rhoda, who hfd been "uiW'"L qmte a different way; and now Wilhelmina. It really was too hard that she should not have inherited from him Z n^xMe disposition that would adapt itself to his habits and " Poor George ! " she repeated reflectively ^ TEA AT KUMPELMAYERS. w Visions of smilax again, and a sudden rush of loyalty towards her dead sister. • • l* « Nonsense ! " she said lightly. " Wilhelmina is mght vears old, and she has been ovetmothered till no^v. What she wants is a good school. Tn the natural course of events, vou would scarcely see her for the next ten years. Marry by all means if you meet a nice girl whom yo^-'^^^^ J°'' and who -would be a credit to you; but dont talk of marrvine on Wilhelmina's account." He did not speak at once. With half-closed eyes ho was watching the smoke as it rose against a background of brilliant blue from the choice cigar in his nand. «« First-rate schools," he said quietly, "are an expensive luxury for a poor man's daughter, and anything short of first-rate does not seem to me worth while. What is the use of paying a couple of hundred a year to have a girl made commonplace ? And, from what you tell me, W ilhel- mina is not likely to prove a great success on conventional lines Who cares what a girl knowsJ-ox whether she knows anything, for the matter of that ? What signifies a rag or tag of "accomplishment," more or less ? I confess I should like her to marry young, and to marry reasonably well. The question is,- What is the best means to that end r' , . . He paused, but she did not help him out. "Two things have occurred to me," he said, forced to go on "either of which might answer, though neither would be'cheap. First, a convent education,-that always gives a woman a certain cachet ;-ov, second, a school where they pay special attention to physical development, - golf and rowing and all that sort of thing." He mechanically ex- tended his arm, and then contracted his biceps sharply : there had been a time when George Galbraith was an tch something „f vonr. ,'""''■ ''*'" wouldn't Uf THE LORD WRITES FimS. d3 iien she wa« ^ing Wilhel- o^liged to >" she ?aid, Ihelmina in stance to a England ? ling out, I iars hence in which r eyes to banished are. iour and offer to ok after give me 'er; but hen she i^ou are in the Then But I Ton I h real 't but She is so judg- id, if n as laid, " when I come over to Monte Carlo. I didn't know they kept one there. Heigho ! With all your knowledge of women, have you yet to learn that they do not look on women as men do ? You would have to teach your daughter to see me with your eyes 1 " Ah, Enid, Enid! How dull you were with all your cleverness ! Would you have known yourself, I wonder, had you seen the halo of romance that enshrined you in little Wilhelmiua'a mind 1 CHAPTER Xni. THE LORD WRITES FINIS. It was growing dark. Wilhelmina sat in the .high kitchen window-seat, with her feet drawn up, and her chin resting on her knees. She spent much of her time in the kitchen now-a-days, and — although the servants were constantly checking the conversation on her account — she heard enough to make her feel that the great mysteries of birth and death were drawing very near. Life for the moment was one great puzzle, and of course nobody would help her out. Nobody would answer her eager questions, or explain why Jane was more to blame than all the other women to whom God had sent the privilege of motherhood. Ann had been sorely distressed because Wilhelmina, on meeting her old nurse accidentally in Queensmains, had rushed impulsively into her arms; and the extraordinary thing was that even Jane, though more aflfectionate than ever, had looked ill at ease, and had cut the interview as short as possible. "If God sent a baby to me?" said Wilhelmina after- wards, " I couldn't help it, could 11" I'! H VVINDYHAL-GH. Ann begged tlie question hv topier North's Z^,, Z sZ' '"' ' ''''''''' «f Chri undes^rability of asking .^estfl """'"^'^ ^^^ «^ the inherent curiosity of 1?!^?? ^"^ "'""'■ ^'ow that th« ^J-ed itself re^e;L?i'tW tZ ^^^"-'^ ^^' ^^^^ the course of her future life sL "^"'""^- ^^^^en, i„ -bject^as we. with all ot ti ^^ "'" *^" ^«"«- o^ a the process was one of inteTlecS"'^'"^: ^^^^°" nearness- of borzng and blasting So 'o "^' f avitation rather than b-th came so near, if retinej' fo ^'°"^' ^^^ ^^ject o depressing mystery,-^^Cmv ^ ^Z ^'"'^ ^ ^^""'"y and servants spoke of it as a vul°' ""- n.igM noVS^^fj^ Her nerves we,. „„• ^ '° ^-^e an avalanche; i I i : / f With noise- entered the stiil alive, snt's breath- t down on a d. clock, and 'he patient. '''lihe wind. loneliness e.' Alake e here til] 1." 3use now, > suppose Every —whom ? ot know ot quite far ! — a did noi id that Was it of the THE LORD WRITES FINIS. 97 stiJl. P" was 1 the faJi che: and all the time that noise went on, — the movement of something unseen. She was praying still in snatches ; but her voice was inar- ticulate, and the sweat stood in great cold drops on her brow. Then came the crowning terror of all. The noise deep- ened into a mighty rushing that must end in something, and a queer shapeless thing flew wildly from the fireplace through the room. It swept over the bed, leaving a trail of black across the snowy sheets : even as it did so, it length- ened out — parted in two, and — the mystery was solved. Only two birds that had taken refuge in the chimney, and— after suflfering an anguish perhaps which might almost be compared to Wilhelmina's own — had made their way down into the room ! Relief and terror struggled for the mastery in the child's breast. Birds were less awful than messengers of God ; but even they were uncanny enough as they fluttered and circled about the dimly - lighted room. Their terror was infectious ; and then — were they only birds 1 If the Holy Ghost had taken the form of a dove, mi^ht not ? But that train of thought was too appalling to be pursued. Summoning all her courage, Wilhelmina went to the door and opened it. A moment later the birds were out in the hall. "Well, did the time seem long?" said Ann's friendly human voice a few minutes later. "Rather long." " What in the world have you done to tha bed ? " " It wasn't me. It was two birds. They came down the chimney." Ann looked uneasy. " Were you feared ? " " It was queer. At first I didn't know what they were." And that was all the reference Wilhelmina made to the terrors she had undergone. But next morning they took her in to see her grand- mother lying so straight and stiff on such a smooth, cold bed t Were they only birds after all ? 98 ' '•I ■ j^ 'il ill It:.' 1] I I,! I' i ' i :iii WlNDYHAUGH. CHAPTER XIV. MEETING AND PAETING. Mcileraent. " ^ ""' """""''^ '"'' interest and moment .he left tli» /.rt j^ '"" ~""'- I'™ *« celebrity. ^''°°''' '•<"'°' *= fo""" larselt a W :^^irtl^^-'\,^»d^^^^^^^ r«e again fe.a fore. Carria ", 1„Z .rf °" " '"^ '"'"'^ 3"»" 1>»- teleg^nas came in Ee dll:,r *" '°'™ ■»""■ '""^ Money resources of thfLtZd ItiT""'"* """ '^'■ and a number of peonle ofTb. 1,. *° '^'^""^^ '*"'<'; iave dreamt of dislSL '• 1 f^' T'' "'^ """M "»« what gossip tbeytSTdtl .ts'rn'i Twb"'/?. "O penedmtheend! Was 'Ir r.lb^v? How Iiad it hap- was to be done with Wlhllt, '"^*'' ' ^"^ "'"" trifedrbfin ttw, wr"T? ™'"'"™ »=»"%-". was nice to eel hert I™ ?J "T"' "■» '^""^ B terest. Even tL dr^mlT't *'* ™* " '^''> »' in- household mourn^nrhad much ? """f" arrange for the people whose gownf mtt "iVo^S^.^SrC:;"?""""] the servants were supplied. Wilhelmma and Everybody looked at the child wlti, « . «he took the occasion for the wT - T'^ '""^''^'^ *ha* herself before the mirn,VL o 17 '' " ''' *° '"^°^« «on she made. The IsssuIL /'''"'* ^^"* ^'"P^^^" her natural attitude and e'l^^ ^" '"^provement on accordingly. expression, and she adopted it Poor Mrs Galbraith. Whose last hope had been that her MEETING AND PARTING. 99 ' Not so. iterest and na experi- Frora the herself a gain for a years he- rds; four lie ready- age due; i^ould not pick up d it hap- nd what ally con- oor. It lo of in- I for the iportant ina and !st that irrange impres- ent on >ted it at her death might accomplish what all the efforts of her life had failed to achieve ! By the time Mr Galbraith arrived, Wilhelmina was look- ing almost sanctimonious. She stood at the top of the stair looking down through the bannisters while the driver carried in the solid travel-worn valise and dressing-bag that would so have delighted Mademoiselle's heart, had she been there to see them. Everybody in the neighbourhood was wondering how George Galbraith would face this home - coming ; but in truth his simple gravity and absence of pose were very disarming. He held out his hand to Ann with the air of a comrado in sorrow, when she opened the door. " I was expecting you last night, sir," she said severely. A look of almost boyish appeal broke through the gloom of his face. Just so had she seen him long years before, when he had got into some scrape of which his mother must not know. " I could not face it, Ann," he said wearily, with a wan little smile. " The place is too full of ghosts for mc." And Ann, who had been hardening her heart against him for years, forgave him straightway his many sins against her dear dead mistress. She felt a lump in her throat as she thought of the promise of his youth. After all, there was no one — no one — like Master George. As for Betsy, she was simply bowled over at once. Never in her life had she seen so handsome a gentleman. " You may indeed. Miss, be proud of your pa ! " Wilhelmina considered it beneath the dignity of her pres- ent position to show excitement about anything ; but I know not whether '\e or her father dreaded the meeting more. In a nightmare of inspiration the dressmaker had con- ceived for her a roomy black silk gown, heavy with crape ; and Ann had brushed her hair into preternatural smoothnesa Mr Galbraith could not bring himself to kiss her, but he stroked her cheek caressingly with his hand. I 'lili I 'S if 100 WINDYHAUGII. not?" grandmother's own child, is ahe "She is that, sir." in reply. "^°™^ ^ out she smiled back ad!t:/r^M;r4r^.-'e"^ed. Tie. is „„«„, a, o™ a long disl* roffL tli L /r™' """ '™» "^ of a good womaa ^' '"'""= '» "■» memory ^^'^^ ^tSfstetTr*^^ *^^^ «^^^ - - «aid on the subject, and ruTdlr'r'"'^ the servants handful of toys to ;«« the cere2^'\ ^^^^^^ ^^^^'^ ^" ^- allowed to peep out from undr^^ '^' ^^' ""* «^«» plumes and the carriage! "Itl? "'"^^^Wind at the «a:d Betsy i„ a delighfed whi.lr '''' ^^^'^'^ ^"-^^I •' " ■tlau an hour aff-pr fji Darsie came amblingll„ thrrolt" i^\''^^< old Mr standing at the end of TL a'l ' ''""^ ^^*«^ «*"! the funeral had taken '' ^^'^"« ''^ ^^e direction J It's an awfu' loss this for little Miss Wilhelmina." he likl' yo!:.,^*^ but it's proud she may be to have a faither He held up his hand « Fj, „^ "''heaeta. A handsomftraJlT ' ^"'^ «' «'« ye^a^ I , Can I see .he wee Ltr * ""' """'■ "' ^era ,„/'.- awado„„.„.ie beach ;B„.,«,„„.,^^^^, -iS-rirhe"ritari''i™> ™» "»™ ^'-i^'- ■""tice hi, approach ° ™ ''°'°« «i"' 'ke did „„t ""''°'™^'''^°"'^^"— '-d With .one, ..d he turned iW, is ahe eath. ailed back i^hing like 'ome men 3 memory- was not servants I all her not even I at the ineral ! " old Mr tsy still irection na," he faither ' fitted there B that llhel- i not I and MEETING AND PARTING. 101 had planted it here and there with weeds and flowers. Be- side her lay a little box with some short pieces of white wool, and she was busily engaged in digging a deep square hole. This completed, she broke some dry twigs into un- even lengths, and planted them round about. Obviously they were meant to do duty as mourners. She opened the box, and took a fond look at the broken doll inside it ; then closed it again and proceeded to adjust the ends of wool With considerable " previousness " she had already erected the headstone, — a slab of slate on which ahe had laboriously printed the words, — ALL FLES H IS GRASS It reminded Mr Darsie of some very old inscriptions in the churchyard, and he remembered Mr Carmichael's remark about the childhood of the race being repeated in that of the individual. An involuntary movement on his part startled the child. She sprang to her feet, blushing furiously, and, with one movement of her foot, obliterated the whole scene. " I — I didn't mean it ! " she stammered, " I — ^I " " Puir lassie ! Puir bit thing 1 " he said kindly. " Come an' sit doun on the rocks, an' tell me aboot it." Of course she had little to tell. She had scarcely seen her father, and had no idea what his plans might be concern- ing her. Moreover there was a subtle barrier now between her and her old friend. She had become an important person since she last saw Mr Darsie, " I doubt they'll tak' ye awa," he said, " an' ye'll forget the auld man. But maybe the day'U come when ye'll tak' thocht o' him again ; an' then I'd like ye to mind that his heart was fu' the day, though he couldna find words." Wilhelmina nodded. She was tracing a pattern in the sand with the toe of her little shoa He laughed awkwardly. "It's no' likely that ye'd be 'I ' ;l i;; I t ;!• 102 WINDYHAUGff. '^tin' to write to me ; but ve ken fi, u get a letter,-if ye was in n ^', ",^« ^°* P^oud I'd be to man. Miss Minaf U"lVu7i;"l'!f ^^'^^ ''^ -' ^ rich Wilhelmina blushed painfully TJ,. • t . and the events of the last f!" dav ^ 7'- "i ^'' ^^*^- standard, and she began to wTsh sh?; . '^'""^ ^'' «°"*' Ay, ay, he said, "I ken finp W .> • a grand gentleman." He L^.Ta ^^f' ^"'^ ^'^** ^e is- Pawky smile. " J hope vouvT '"^ ^"^^''^ ** ^^'^ -it^ a than a grand lady '' ^ " '' ^^^'^^ *° ^^ ^^'"ething better Wilhelmina reflected ;;rd like to be clever," she said. He ^:i '''^l^XZ^'''t\ ^''''- ^- «^« ^t or no' " be cliver." ""^^'^ ^^^^«« *° t^ink that ony fule^'^ Any fool can be clever' Was tli« i^ He looked so wise, though Jt ^ '"^^ dreaming? laid the remark on the shelvt f ^^ ''' '^^' Wilhelmina aideration. ''"'^^'^ °^ ^^' °»ind for future con " Queer folk you'll meet nn' continued mediive, ""CiS 'T ^''"■" "=">•" "» »»arch for God." ^ """'= ^''" « ■>»■ give up the growth of this child was one o^hist ''"'^ '^ ^^^"^'^-1 and it was a real erief tn h ?l , "'^"' interests in life logical museuml£:rrn\t^r^^ «-^- microscopic sections, and the kThTlr'^''"''''''^^''' were few. and there was not oneon ^ .''J'^' specimens value as he did on Wi helmina He" l"' ^^ "* ^° ^^«^ ^ brief word that would inflnenr^ ^\^T^'d *« say some the fewness of her years stre/tort '"^"'"^ ''''> ^ut Hi« voice. One renLk afC 1^ ^^d t^l ^^^ ^^ uiscarded as a mere TRAILS OF 8MILAX. 103 ud I'd be to n no' a rich faer father her social ccepted Mr how green arsie," she ■at he is — ier with a ing better t or no'," ' fule can earning ? Ihelmina ure con- see," he ' up the Y aware oiritual in life, s theo- nmies, :imen8 bigh a some ; but ich of mere m platitude— no more worth saying than a thousand other things. At last he rose to his feet with a sigh. " It's getting late," he said sadly. " W«'d bwt b» on the road." CHAPTER XV. TRAILS OF 8MILAX. The drawing-room certainly was a very attractive place. Had you seen it that evening, you might have been tempted to question Mr Dalrymple's assertion that the cook was the one lynch-pin of the whole establishment. The evening was cold for the time of year, and the fire — instead of sulking and shivering in a black comer, as board- ing-house fires are apt to do— stretched out inviting arms across the friendly tiles. The decoration of the room was on broad and simple lines, and, although the hostess was not responsible for this, having taken the house as it stood, she at least had the sense not to counteract the restful effect by crowding walls and tables with interesting trifles which her guests must strain their eyes and crane their necks to see. It was somewhat past the usual dinner-hour, but the ladies gathered in the room were in high good-humour. Mr Gal- braith was expected that evening, and Mr Galbraith was a guest worth waiting for. True, there were other men in the house,— an old general, a Polish count, a widowed city magnate, an unattached clergyman, and one or two more ; but none of these gave the fillip to social intercourse that was the invariable result of a visit from George GalbraitL He did not even uce4 to talk ; indeed he never talked much, though on occasion he talked well. The very presence of 104 WINDYHAUOH. ^-- He might seem ab orbS .?:h""1' ^^^"^'"^ '^^ "^«n feit instinctively thit w^^J^^^^^'/^* -^^nen and fe'own. no bright /^./^.. wZ e" r h"'' *^*''^ "** ^*^°*y To-night a greater interim than !" '^'^• o^^^ fei^f ^tS/;^'^ ^ ^-ghter,» .ughed -heeling a perambulate /pl'lr •'r/^*"^^^^- i wonder what she is like ? '' ^°tl»ano f It i, too bad. tHe's;:;:: rd;nriir; ^"^^' ^ ^«^-/' -id from the top-and the jL 'fe 1 ZTf *° ^^^^ *^« ^r^- arm as she did so '^r' ffl ? ^"""^ * Pretty white ;jth Y «he added ap^S; '" If -^^-Zto do -lids of the country." ^'*'««"y- She comes from the alw'': SatX^fJ I^^nltta '^^ ^^^^^^ - P"etor.hip in Mr Galbraith « fS. .T''* "" "^^ °^ P^o- ^ould say, with a cynical smilplr*'? ^°'^'" ^^^« -'"^he -h- her hostess's b^lk wlsTuted" " "'^'"'"^ ^^^ ^-e .waTr::: t^uti iiti f t.r*^ ^ ---« good family who had made a s^L '^"*'^"^ ^'^ °^ fairly , "The train must brjate' ' , . T^'^'^ "" *^« «tage. Rooking at her jewelled i:t'h 's^Ju r^^^'^'' ^^^W --cl^g.vi„g them five minus's" morf?'' ' "°^ " ""^ '^^ ^-> ^tron' ^:::^ tl^iS^^Iil^j;^" T"- -" ^ -t.h mmd." '"'S'^*' I ttmk ?-,f your cook won't vantly.^'^-S ^Sbt th:Trou'br;^ *^« ^^^^ -le- ^o .et her daughter into ^It^ll^ ^^,f -- time ago ^ -^ >mg,l}r,g thi, J^«,^ jvell, I find cook has '•^- ev.^. week. I J,!? L ', '^ ' ''^^'''8 ^^ alon^ with ^ ^o^^^i » out because to^iay they f TRAILS OF SMILAX, 106 »sed people ting oneself women and no dainty faed to his ? daughter " laughed tured him 3 too bad. eve," said the fire — tty white ™g to do from the leux waa ' of pro- e ! " she old face leaning ? fairly tage. :iously, :).:> you British won't irrele- e ago k. has with they omitted to sift out a white petticoat nmoh more pretentiously beflounced than my own. I thought the laundry people had maile a mistake till I saw the girl's name on it." " The salmi last night was a work of art," said the old lady significantly. But Mrs Raleigh ignored this. " Of course, with all the house-linen used, the week's bill is enormous, and I have always left it to the servants to check it. I hate super- vising every detail. I like to do things in a liberal spirit, and it is disgusting to find oneself deceived." " Disgusting," said the actress with a yawn. " By the way, Miss Evelyn, I hope it doesn't incon- venience you to have dinner a few minutes late 1 " " Not a bit, thanks. I am understudying Mrs Carring- ton. If I get in for the third act to-night it will do. She really is superb in the third act. Do you care to have a stall, Lady Molyneux ] " " One of these days, thank you, if the piece is not too deadly sentimental." " Oh, no. Parts of it I think you would like. I should love to have you come, for I know you will pick holes, and give me a chance to score when my turn comes. I have had heaps of tips from you." She lifted eyes full of girlish flattery. Lady Molyneux was a friend worth having. The Boarding-House as a Social Bridge, — or as a Jacob's Ladder ? — What a fascinating topic ! What a pity the Autocrat has raised the whole theme out of reach for ever ! A loud knock and ring at the street door put a stop to the conversation. " There they are ! " cried the hostess gaily. " I must go and welcome the little girl." " Humph ! " ejaculated Lady Molyneux when she was gone. " The ' little girl ' takes the trick, I fear. What a fool he is to give that woman so good a card ! If George Galbraith had been the man I thought him, he would have BUpprssseo. eirl » t " ♦' I lay two to one on him still,'' said the actress languidly. 106 WINDYHAUGH. II m "She really is too great a fool ff^«, u ^ W eternal talk of the servan "» TJ^" ^°''" °"* '^it'^ on the establishment M' ' ^""^ '^' "^^^^^ '^^ «P«nd8 ti^a^rereLt;^^^^^^^ 1^ ^-"'* -'^ to hi. like ness. worship, coddL/ th .^^'' "'^ ""^ ^hen. Soft- after n.atrin.'^V/asGfo^e g!^^^ ^^'^ apt to pall he has had a stomy We Too? i^ T'' ^' '^^''' ^ut what may happen^ ^ '"^"' ^"'^ ^here is no saying windU'rtsf '^ *°° «°°^ ^°^ ^-'" -id a voice fro. the presence ! But I thonaVf . , ^"^^^"'"S influence of your influence my judgznent " ^ ^'^ °°* *° ^^^ .y tastes adZwe.-' '* ""' '^ ^^ ^^«-^t ! But you are always That was handsoLVyo/'VeT '',f "^' ^^^ '' ' ^-^• now-more or less. No donhf m "' *^^ -'"^ boat tion, you have noticed how extrarrd '"^'' ^^''^* '' °^«-^«- can be ? » extraordinarily successful a fool actre's.*'' ''°' ^'^"^" *° ^« ^ --an!" threw in the Mrs Carlton smiled air of unconscious superioritv hT/ '^!''' ^'^'^^ *^« ^'^tle At this moment ElS^e gh\:3 t'^'^r-x. hand a quaint, solenm child ?" ''f "^"^d' /eadmg by the father and daughter were an oU."^' ^'°^^- ^ruly that he saw her^n surroundiLr "'.T'*^^ 1^'"^' N«- Windyhaugh, George GaJbrS '' f "f * ^"-""^ *^««« at have allowed that LcF '"l l^I^-f *'^* '^ ^^"'"^ regret his oarelessuoss. ^ ' ^"' '* ^'^^'' *^" 'at" to i:i TRAILS OF SMILAX. 107 es on* with / she spends to him like ;hen. Soft- apt to pall ware. But no saying !e from the i^ere there, ce of your my tastes re always is a fool. ime boat observa- ul a fool in the iave to le little lyneux. by the Truly Now lose at could fito to li He was becomingly grave, but his manner was as fas- cinating as ever. His momentary glance reminded Lady Molyneux how refreshing it must be for a man of the world to meet a really clever woman ; it left the actress blushing with renewed pleasure in her Bond Street gown. Of course everyone was oppressively kind to Wilhelmina, even the tall footman, who made her feel as if she were in churcL Old Lady Molyneux in her usual high-handed fashion insisted that the child should sit by her at table. She could not have endured, she told the actress afterwards, to see " that woman purring over the poor innocent." Every- one wanted to know how the little Scotswoman had enjoyed the journey, and what were her first impressions of London. Wilhelmina said "Yes," or "No," as the case might be, blushing for the baldness of the response, but feeling herself utterly unable to improve upon it. "We tire you out with our questions, don't we?" said Mrs Raleigh tactfully at last. " We will leave you now to eat your dinner in peace." The conversation ran on lightly enough till the table was cleared for dessert. "Any fresh laurels?" said Mr Galbraith then to the actress. She shook her head. " Nothing to speak of. I begin to wonder whether it is worth all the fag." "You are hard to please." " Perhaps I am. Of course as a girl one dreams of the supreme moment, the crowd, the ovation. Is anything short of that worth the years of drudgery ? " "Even that may come." Of course he did not in the least expect that it ever would. " Nonsense I " said Lady Molyneur sharply. " One can do good work, I suppose, and amuse folks, without being a Siddons or a Ristori. I'll wager it isn't the greatest actors and actresses who have been the happiest." " Happiest ! " repeated the girl, contemptuously. " Who cares for happiness ? If one could be a Siddons, one would 1 ill - ' t • 108 WINDYlfAUGH. fc>he glanced at Mr a^v. -.■. BaWgi shook her hid wurlr ■*" **^ ^•" M" "" ''^n^gn warning. "'Be good, sweet maid and W , inis was unendurable Th. . considered a sfunid ^irl «f i^ t^'^^''^^' ^^^ always be<3n -*„.„„.. h'J ZltTLT "" '"'^™ " ^«" She leaned forward Th beautiful eyes. " ^'^ '''^^ ^ saucy light in her ^-^^ix t::^? -rf :?\^^^"^ ^-^^; -but than to be clever'! " '° '""'^^ ^««*'^^ to be good There ^vas a mompnt'c , Galbraith nodded ari%rtiri '^^^^^'^*^- «-^e iiale,gh shook her head again in/f''"":"^ ^'''' ^"^ ui But the words had founfan 1"^"^^^."*^3^- m^na and she had been leftso r'""^ '^^"^^ ^" ^^^"'^1- "tt^l"^^^^^^^^^^ ^"* ^- fooj can be cleve'" ' ''^ ^^'^' --editatively, « that any audadirrad Irn^ttenTtirLt'^^ ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^ «- d«ced. It was as if a Lmb IL f T'^.^^^''^' ^«"^^'t it pro- company, and now everv ' . ^"'" '" ^^^^ ^"idst of the thrower of it. E.^n 7r ^VJ'""'^ "i^°" ^er as the ^^f ^^ance that el^'j et y^f ^ V^ ^augllr": ^hen a r nyle of ;«*„ ^^^'^/one save Mrs I^alei.rl, ^^h; actress ^^^ ftrtTj^rr vt r- ^'-^^^e- someone had hissed in the thlZ r ' ^"* '^^ ^""ked as if t'iUhe tears came. " *^^ *^^^^*r«- ^^dy Molyneu. Jau^d ' "But, ^w,,Ve, you ^ adorable f " ^ • on and I were feeling Xr ^at "''^'^- "^^^''^ ^'^.1- ^ou 3hall come to my room bv ^'^i'^'''"' "" ^°'^'- ^go clioeoiates." ^ '"""• ''^^ and bya and have son o 'IMI: TRAILS OF SMILAX. 109 art,— not to '; but Mra 'er,'" ways been rise of her fit in her gh; "but o be good George and Airs 1 Wilhel- that her ;hat any ler own it pro- ■' of the as the ■liter a table. i as if Jglied Cai-J- ago. some Oddly enough, Wilhelniina was destined to surpass herself again before dinner was over. Lady Molyneux was relating some episodes of her Parisian life. One or two of these were a trifle risque, and, with a fine sense of literary fitness, she discussed them — so to speak — in their native tongue. She was always glad of an excuse for doing this, as it excluded the less eligible members of the party from tne conversation. Wilhelmina was on the alert at once. She felt as if Made- moiselle was with her again, and, leaning forward in her eager- ness, she came in contact with my lady's gesticulating hand. "Pardon, Madame! " she cried involuntarily, in the pretty deprecating fashion her governess had taught her. Lady Molyneux turned and looked through her formid- able lorgnette at the small black thing beside her. "Eh lien ! 2\i as bien ecoute mes petites histoires ? " " Old, Madame," said Wilhelmina, simply, " viais je n'ai pas toi(t co7)ipris." This too, of course, was a remark that she had often had occasion to make to Mademoiselle, but it fell so trippingly from her tongue that another peal of delighted laughter rose from the table. Thanks to Mademoiselle's habit of careful drilling and of arousing the dramatic instincts of her pupils, there was a charm, a flexibility, about VVilhel- mina's manner of speaking French — limited though her knowledge of it was — that was entirely wanting in her treatment of her mother tongue. This time George Gal- hraith did not even lift his eyes. His savoir-vi vre did not admit of his showing any pride or surprise ; but if that clever little woman. Mademoiselle, had seen his impassive face just then, I think she would have felt herself repaid for all she had undergone. Lady Molyneux shook her finger at him. " Nice person you are to be the custodian of a young girl's morals. Why didn't you tell me she could speak French V lie shrugged his shouldera. " I don't consider her accent bad for a little English girl,— do you t " mi •it i'l I no WINDYHAUGH. that some of the greate Js J ^ /^Perience of the fact what Fergus dJ;^XIZTZ' °'„T "^" ^^ ^"« *« And the worst of IVnh ^^^^^^"ed a "fluke." diiBcult to live up to thetT'"'" '' '^'' '' '' uncommonly tivel' Iw-^^^if^^ f^e is oharming.-she is posi- found his way from the st^t' "^'" ^'' "^^'"^'^''^ had "How clever of heHrandVoTht'^'r^^ *^ ^- boudoir, to speak French M.^^"'^°^°*^^'- *" ^^^« the child taughi ^^rrhat was scarcely her grandmother's doing," said George 'ed onttlluppor,^" ^"^ ^''" " better father than you Por/nt^sr Jhrme7.:iif^^^^^^^^^ ^- ^^^ingthe happens to be abroad again andVv. ?""* °''- ^er aunt a loss with a child on h^ tiZ oZ T '' ^"^^^^ ^* school at once." ^^ '^^"'■se she must go to No hurry at all T*- ■ r^et her see something of 'th-sT/er^r'! *' ""^ ^'^ ^^^« ^«r. country life." ^ ^ ^'^^^ ^^o^don after her quiet " Do you think you conM ^. «»WWH>IWWw„w.», TRAILS OF SMILAX. Ill 11 made such ' of the fact i are due to uke." uncommonly ■she is posi- braith had er boudoir, lild taught aid George f than you giving the Her aunt i sorely at ust go to have her. ler quiet her two s to one 'hite for liite she y." ho has her of a fev^ t Mrs Carrington's part, she persuaded Mr Galbraith to take Wil- helmina to the theatre. " Do, do ! " she entreated. " Every child I meet is born in the stalls, if not in the green-room. I shall never have such another opportunity of working on an absolutely virgin soil." So they went, and the effect on Wilhelmina was over- whelming. " I fear it was a great waste," she said long afterwards to Miss Evelyn. " So much less would have been enough to fill my tiny cup. But how that night stands out in my memory ! " She sat still as a mouse, with all her soul in her eyes, till her " friend " came on the stage; then she sprang to her feet with outstretched arms. " Oh, Miss Evelyn ! " she cried in tones of burning admiration. A murmur of amusement ran through the stalls. The young actress hesitated, smiled, forgot her part for the frac- tion of a second ; then bowed and recovered herself in response to a burst of applause. Mr Galbraith had no special wish under the circumstances to be affiche in this fashion ; but, apart from that, he was quite man of the world enough to appreciate the situation. Indeed he and Wilhelmina were really drawn to each other more nearly that night than they had been hitherto. In the interval between the first and second acts he ordered an ice for her delectation, and later he took her to visit Miss Evelyn in her room. " Isn't he perfectly distracting ? " said a young girl who was regarding them through her opera-glass from the front of the dress-circle. " Do you suppose he is her father ? " Her companion shrugged a pair of pretty white phoulders. " Of course," she said with a sigh. " I wonder if the child in the least appreciates her good fortune ? " " How should she ? No doubt she thinks that fathers like that are to be gathered on every blackberry bush." " To do her justice she does look happy." I. 'J'l 112 ^NDYHAUGH. mentj but before they Jeft the tie I"" "^^ '"' '^« P^^ hansom het father could feeThel^ ''"S- "" '"'"«• I" the "Anything wrong?'' he !lr '"^""^ ^^^« * ^^^f- "No," said the fh Jd and f "'^"''^• drove on in silence ' ^ ^'' ^ 'l"^*^^ ^f an hour they Grannie sa,r ^'' '" ^ *°^*"«d voice. <« rA«, ^^ "Your question, little girl" h« ^^ 'f '"'"^ ^"^^e^- problem of which you will ha' to J f '^"^^^' "^'^^^l-e^ a 3^ouraelf-as your Lher ha^T do^ 2;;:^^^ -^"^^ ^- with excite- »d the past ; tne. In the e a leaf. Q hour they ^hat would the house, rpaid— the 1 had been la remem- ' it by the mdles. nvolves a ution for PART II. H i ili CHAPTER XVI THE OLD PROBLEM. I i " WiLHKLMiNA," said a gentle querulous voice, "this is Sarah's night out. Just go down to the kitchen and see that cook has got Mrs Carlton's tea all right. Ask her to cariy it up, and you take it in. Where is that bunch of violets I bought in the Grove? Don't forget to lav that on the tray." " All right, Mutterchen." The answer came in a '' eomy voice from the recesses of the shabby old arm-chair. Mrs Galbraith knew well what that tone meant. " Do go, child," she repeated irritably. " You worry me." Wilhelmina uncurled herself, and threw down hei book with a touch of pettishness. What did it matter whether tea was carried up two minutes earlier or later ? She tossed back her splendid mane, and stretched her lanky arms with a yawn. " Smooth your hair before you go in. How you do stoop, Mina ! " Airs GaJoraith's voice broke into a note of utter despond- ency. It seemed hopeless to try to contend against all the minor difficulties of life. Her appearance had changed even more than her voice since we sav,' her some five or six years ago as Mrs Raleigh in Harley Street. She looked flabby and elderly now, and at the present moment lay stretched on the couch, attired in a shabby dressing-gown. "Don't fret, Mutterchen,** said Wilhelmina cheerfully. She knew by experience how infectious was this mood of 116 WINDYHAUGH. ; iii n I.' her stepmother's, and how fatal the first yielding to it« 1 know but Wilhelmma sighed. She too was sufler- Wilhelmina made her waj- to the untidy kitchen The "The tray-cloth isn't very clean, is it!" she asked den recafngly She was dreadfully Afraid of hurti g lo^k^ ™X?u"is'°™'^"""^"'*™'"'- toIi/*"" T'"* f ■"'ykaugh have said to that ! wulielmina adjusted tlio r.or.«„ .— . Of the\raiU ::;\S -d-Kt; Mrs Carlton had been a good friend to the Galbraiths • when the Harley StreefLpelrt e^'^l t dLZtd wee.y,an1 ,t^ ^h? ^^f; riliTad^f teUXr which, .f not cruel, were at least highly ermi J When fund, were plentiful, the l^lger's tableU furnilhed toh f THE OLD PROBLEM. 117 with game or early strawberries : when funds were low, cold meat hung on with dreary persistence, or she was constrained to share a rabbit with Mrs Galbraith and Wilhelmina. Much of her time now was spent abroad ; but, when she was in London, the Galbraiths' house was her home. "Don't hurry away," she said to Wilhelmina kindly. " What charming violets ! Why, how flushed you are, child! What have you been doing?" "Reading." " Reading what ? " " Oh, just a book from the library." " A nice one ? " " Awfully nice." Farther enquiries led to some wholesome advice ; but, as the books came from the library primarily for the benefit of Wilhelmina's stepmother, who apparently had read all the classic novels at some unspecified period in the past, Mrs Carlton had not much hope that the advice would be followed. " Have you heard from your father lately ? " she said. Wilhelmina shook her head. " I don't know. I forget when the last letter was," she corrected herself, blushing. "You know you don't get out half enough," said Mrs Carlton irrelevantly. " Put on your hat now, and go for a smart trot. Promise ! " "Very well," said Wilhelmina rather ungraciously; but it was growing dark before she took the latchkey and started ofl'. When they first came to Bayswater, Mrs Galbraith had been very particular not to let the child go out alone ; but they had so often been left for a day or two with- out servants, and necessary commodities in their menage were so apt to be found wanting at the eleventh hour, that by degrees they had come to ignore social conven- tions, and the supposed dangers of the streets. Indeed Wilhelmina never dreamt of fear or harm in this respect, and, consequently perhaps, was well able to take care of her- na WINDYHAUGH. I- : i ' 'I' •elf. A chance accost roused in hnr ««♦ * ». natural indignation. ' "''* *'"°'"' ^"* «'npl« She strolled through Westbourne Grove eazin^ "nM .i, "hop windows, and thinkinir of nil thv. ^f ^ '°*° *^® would buy if Ihe had mo'ey to spend o"' "/• f'T «'^ she chose after another tilHn ^ • ^ ^'^^'^^ «^ d'-ess very different bell f^^^lVZC^ ^'^ "" '^"^^^ * dressed child whose eyes were fixed fo T'^'^'T '"^P'^" iey's resplendent winL^ But shf e ST f T V^' to paint the lineanfents, the ^L '^h^^.f j P^'^^d derful friend, till at last she stnoH fl, ', ^ *^^ ''°"- height of the dreamer's ideal rf ' ^^'"Plete, just the testant-or pagTn^Madtt T ' '""""^^ ^°"" °^ P^- noun. : .,,,. Tel^fi^l: ^Cllt-l^r cordially invited to attend. ^ ^^'"^ Wilhelmina stood still. Her religious life had fallen into abeyance of late ^1, went to church reeularlv on o. j T ^*®- ^'i® old anxiety ..ll^i LT t 7'"'^ "' '"'"'^» *« thieve .oLr^,^ I'll t::"":' C °"™ '° i» aue was no longer actuated h •' .I'j { THE OLD PROBLEM. 119 merely by the dread of judgment to come, but also by a real desire for the Personal Communion of which others spoke in such glowing terms. And yet she was beginning to despair. She had striven so long, and she could not believe. It seemed to her untrained mind that she was asked to believe a thing which had not fully happened until she did believe it ; and, although she never doubted for a moment that the fault lay in herself, the diflSculty hitherto had proved an insuperable one. " Coming in ? " said a boy's pleasant voice. The speaker had run up behind her. Wilhelmina shook her head. " I think you had better. I found the Saviour here last night" " Did you ? " Wilhelmina looked at him with hungry interest. " Yes. Have you found Him 1 " She shook her head. " Then come in ! " " I can't. My — people are expecting me." " But won't they think you worth waiting for if you go back to them a Christian girl 1 " She could not honestly say that this would make much difference to " them " ; but she was well aware that it would make a great difference to herself. Her face showed her indecision. " Come in, come in ! " he said again. " We're very late ; " and, with all the zeal of the new convert, he dragged her, half yielding, into the chapel. " Come, ye who haie sought Him twenty years I " cried the preacher's thrilling voice. " That's me ! " thought Wilhelmina, and she sank into a seat. > The preacher was a man of wide reputation, and the place was crowded; but the people had made room in a iBoment. Tuey were worked ujj to the state in w^hich a sacrifice of physical comfort was almost a relief. 120 WINDYHAUGH. if I ■111' m m ii Ah, yes had he not indeed the root of the matter in him ? He worked on the terrors of his audience, no doubt he en overwhelmmg importance to his own for^l his Vwn sMb " "^f. t"^ "'^t ^^Sht weak wills how much they can ? Which haa not cried to sunk, self -weary man : Thou must be born again / " Wilhelmina sat quivering like a reed in response to th« sea^ ' ^'^ '"^""^^^ ^«^°^« 1^^ resumed his tiieTi^fefsr bTwir •^'"^°^"^- ^- «^ w]>at lie said. tL moment the ' '"^'^'^ ^^^^^ to go. *^^ '"''^'"^ ^^^« o^er, she rose wh7h:fi::^,«, t:r ^'^ '-^^"^ ^°"'"'" -^^ *^« w "No, no," she cried terrified. But fate was too strong for her Tl,. u making his way down the chapeL Hi. ^ ^'7 ^"^ extraordinarily keen Hp L ^^ .i. Perceptions were him with adoHng eves he ' , .^'°^'' "'^' ^°^^^^ ^' hands; but he dli n ' pass fmat T T^' '^-^^ ^^^'^^ Wilhelmina. ^ ' '^"nking. insignificant shoulder. '< No ? Mr Jenkins ! » ^^ ^ °" ^'^ THB OLD PKOBLKM. 121 In a moment she was handed over to a satellite and ushered down below. Some time later, when Wilhelmina read Romola, she knew what it meant to the stately heroine to be handed over by Savonarola to another confessor. She was delivered to a formal, rather fussy, grey-haired man. Inquirers were so many that night that the large band of satellites was overworked, and Wilhelmina was classed with a stout elderly woman from the country, though an outsider might have been tempted to think that the spiritual con- ditions of two people so different could not have much in common. The old man gave her a Testament, expressing surprise that she had not brought one with her, and requested them both to read over a very long verse in the Acts of the Apostles : in after years Wilhelmina could not even remem- ber which it was. " If you believe that," he said, « you are saved." He read it over himself, dwelling on this point and that, Wilhelmina was so confused and exhausted that, familiar though she was with Holy Writ, she could not even take in what the text meant ; and the feeling that this important gentleman was waiting there till she "believed," was quite sufficient to reduce her to the last stage of imbecility. No, not the last. That was still to come. " I see it all ! " cried the elderly woman suddenly. " Praise God ! Praise God ! I'm saved ! " And then indeed Wilhelmina reached the '* last stage." The old man now directed his attention to her exclusively. " I like to keep people to one verse," he said, with an air of resigning himself to unmerited failure ; " but we'll try a text from St John." Here at least Wilhelmina might have hoped to find herself at home ; but no. The familiar quotation rang in her ears like a melody of which one strives in vain to remember the words. Her mind was an absolute blank. Would she have to ait there all night ? 'i K •! 122 WINDYHAUGH. "Don't you believe now?" asked the old man and to h«. his vojce sounded weary and reproachful. ' *° ^'' Willielmma was desperate from side to side honT i » ''°"' *" "^J" '"^g CHAPTER XVII. MR CAEMICHAEL. ache and went to bed early " ^' ^^^ * ^^^- voile' '™;;: .'or^fiTii"^'-'™ ~ <- ■« «^*»» it» bills. Mrs Ca" oT»JT I'I"'."''"'" '""' "» ''"es and have the Stoltf: t^ te^tTtl"' '"""• ''"■»" more than meet current S„ "''"' *"^ ''"^ »'''"' """^ll bills standing iZHT^'"\T-^^ "'™ "^ ™'= i^'vy Wilhelmim; rested C "? '"'" '""" ^<"" '»"■■=■■•" .nd ,o.*ed »:;::':;■ t' :!;":o"t :: """" -' '" '» --"^ Matterohe„;.„e3aid,-it„sMrGa,brai.h„bohad ■ff !WI T!* W^M •Wll* i"*i-!>M MR CARMICHAKL. 123 chosen the name by which she should call her new mother, — " Miitterchen, if we are to know any peace in life, we must trust to ourselves. We don't know when we may hear from him." A great tear rolled down Mrs Galbraith's poor flabby face. " Yet last time, just when we were in despair, he came and stayed with us, and left fifty pounds behind him. It was such a help ! " Wilhelmina looked doubtful. She remembered how ex- travagantly the lodgers had fared on that occasion,— how smart a bonnet Mrs Galbraith had purchased in Regent Street, and she wondered whether the fifty pounds had been so great a help in the end. Mrs Galbraith was crying quietly. "And last night," she said in a quavering voice, "cook was positively insolent to me— positively insolent ! " Wilhelmina turned white. This was serious. With all her faults, cook could not be easily replaced. "We must pay her wages," she said. " And where is the money to come from ?— unless your father sends it. There are far more pressing things than cook's wages." A great wave of crimson rushed over the young girl's face. She was having a hard struggle with herself. " There is my money," she said ungraciously. " It will be coming in very soon now." Mrs Galbraith smiled through her tears. " You poor child ! " she said, " and you need a new frock so badly ! But that you shall have in any case. You do grow so fast !-And then there were those music lessons you were to have." Wilhelmina laughed rather bitterly. She was beginning to look upon " those music lessons " as a Will o' the Wisp. " Oh, they can wait another three months ! " she said, " I ought to be paying you for my board." "Nonsense! You are my right hand. What should I do without my dear daughter?" m m ■rl' 124 WINDYHAUGH. !--'■ H 'I ri«rtif l\^\'''/"P'^"^'- ^^« "^« t«^ stepmother's right hand without doubt; but was there any use in beiL reaiiy to take the reins of the establishment herself • but it was so encumbered with debts, with the inc mpet;nt o^^ servants, and with Mrs Galbraith'^ fiffni . ^"'"P^^ence ot the task\vnnM V, r ^^^ , ^^^^ ^ ^"ul extravagance, that tfte task Mould have been a hopeless one. She would have g udged her quarterly pittance less if it had made any rel difference in the sea of their embarrassments. ^ Galbrai'th "^ -,7^' -'T '^^ ^""" '"" ' " -"^^-^ Mrs l^aJbraith. ihere is Mrs Brown over the way-quite a common woman, and never decently dressed! I don' be heve she spends half as, much on her housekeeping as I do so much yet she always has plenty of lodgers. I wish we one Titlle' ^'^ ^'^^ '^^ ^^^ ^«°-- ^^ ^oubt, with jus one Ii tie slavey, she can do the thing more cheaply." bhe does the cooking herself. " waZf' ilrrr.r rf * *' ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^Ing for the Zfer ^ ' ^'"^ °^ '"y ^'^'"'''''^ 'i"^» -'d dinner Thev'wouldT!.^ '^f '■'' ' ^'""'^ '^''' cooking -lessons. lliey would be much more useful than music" You poor child ! As if I should allow such a thin;, at your age ! Here is a note from Mrs Stott, telling me wha things to get in. You will go along to the Grove pTesentlv and order them, won't you ? " presently At this moment the housemaid opened the door " If you please, ma'am," she said sulkily "there h./v..„ great fall of soot in Mrs Carlton's sitSng-ioom Tt'l'tk: me^the best part of the morning to clean it up " this ?e:'y d'y ! ''"' ' """* '' '^^^ '^' '^' chimney-sweeps in ™ Stott": "'' '>r, '^' *^b^«- " ^^frs Carlton must sit m the Stott 8 room," she said. "They won't be here till afternoon. I w 11 co and ««« if T „o^ 4i\i come at once." '^'^ ^"'^ ^ '''''i' ^^° ^i^' MR CARMICHAKL. 125 Ten minutes later, when Mrs Carlton was deep in her Daily Telegraph, a visitor was ushered unannounced into the room. He wore clerical dress, and his face would have been sufficient introduction to any woman. " Mrs Galbraith ? " he .said doubtfully. " No. Mrs Carlton. I lodge here. Did you want to see Mrs Galbraith ? " "Miss Galbraith. My name is Carmichael. They told me she would be in soon, so I said I would wait. I have called outrageously early ; but a Scotch minister in London is fain to map out every minute of his time." " Are you a friend of Wilhelmina's 1 " " A friend of her childhood." " Then," said Mrs Carlton in her deliberate impulsive fashion, " I am glad she is out. You will forgive my saying that I have wondered sometimes what the friends of her childhood are about." He drew down his brows in the old characteristic way. " To tell the truth, we have scarcely heard a word about her. Her father's world never came much in contact with her grandmother's world." Mrs Carlton laughed, "Her father's world does not come much in contact with her stepmother's world," she said caustically. " You heard, of course, that he had married a lady who kept a boarding-house 1 " " Yes. We were much surprised." " You would not have been surprised if you had seen the steps by which it came about. She was very amiable, and worshipped him without criticism. I don't think he ever quite meant to marry her, but her pretty house was always there with its welcome. He was going downhill, and, although no doubt there were lots of good houses where he would still have received a welcome, he was morbidly sen- sitive about laying himself open to a snub. At Harley Street no one was responsible, and we all received him gladly." She paused, but Mr Carmichael did not speaks He looked the thing he was — an admirable listener. 126 WINDYHAUGH. |i f 1 P I !*■ 9'' I ,h^l r "'^^''^- " ^' ^"'- ^«'-' *^«r« i« no denying that she belongs to the class of women who are the despa"! o those who try to help their sex. She was at the JZ of her servants, and, if she had only realized the fact aU might have been well. But she wouldn't realize it. T^e of us who know life, and who can't afford the services of a chef, understand that we must choose between two alter natives,-good cookmg on the one hand, sobriety or good temper, or both, on the other. Personally I prefer ?Ie second alternative; I think good cooking may be b'u^h Ikh ttr 'r ^'•«— ^« oor device of man. ' " Can you honestly say, ' Lord, I am a sinner and a very stupid sinner ; I don't know much about doctrine, but I do honestly want to throw in my lot with Thee. / want to he good I I know I shall sin again, and yet again ; but, with Thy help, I will not he beaten by my sins?' " If you can say all that, don't try to say any more ; the more will come. You have wasted time enough. Gird up your loins, and ask what you can be about. " If you can say all that, — not only in the heat and ex- citement and fear of the moment, but as the deliberate aspiration of your saner h' ; — I hold out to you the right hand of fellowship in ' j name of Christ ! " Who shall reckon the force of the unconventional word, — the word that dispels the vapours and glooms, not because it is learned or clever, — not even because of its inherent truth ; but just because it rises molten hot from a human heart ? Mr Carnichael had got into touch with Wilhelmina at last. CHAPTER XVin. EOUNDS BY WHICH WE MAY ASCEND. On any theory of the religious life, — nay, on any theory of the physical life, — on the sheer frigid doctrine that pleasure is the absence of pain, — I feel that I ought to write of raptures for Wilhelmina now. 134 WINDYHAUGH. 'li ||i:. il i 1 '!■■ ff\t J,':- r ■ '•^- ' W . "1 1 '■ m '% 'r ■ ''^ >ii J mm ii 11 I*,' II l:ii I -Til* ! i ! ' t I But the simple truth is that no raptures occurred. " The spirit bloweth and is still, In mystery our soul abides." : And apparently in her case the time for rapture was not yet. Almost in spite of her own will, something within her perceived the reasonableness of Mr Carmichael's test, and that was all. Relief she experienced certainly, and an ability to sleep at night, even when she was tired or excited, without the haunting fear of waking up in hell ; but of all the wondrous joys she had expected, she tasted almost none. In spite of her relief she could not shake off a vague feel- ing that she had been defrauded. Through all the disap- pointments and hardships of her life she had looked forward to her conversion as some young men look forward to the time when they shall be really in love; and now apparently the long -dreamt -of moment had come and gone without even giving her a chance to cry, « Stay, thou art fair ! " She felt— though of course she did not so express the feel- ing—that, from an artistic point of view, her conversion ha,d fallen flat, that it had come about wth an ease— I might almost say a cheapness— that was out of all pro- portion to the agonies of the preceding years. She was as one who, after knocking vainly at a door, has turned his back, and, leaning against the gate-post, has gazed long and dreamily at the prospect before his eyes. At length he turns again to the door, and behold it stands open wide ! When did it open ?— and why, if not in answer to his knocks ? Is it possible that he might have entered long ago 1 Moreover, now that the door is open, it reveals no celestial vision,— only the first few steps of an uphill path. Wilhelmina did not shirk the deduction. She was saved —if indeed she was saved ?— and she must now begin to work out her own salvation. There was a little-just a little— inspiration in this thought, to atone for all the joys she had missed. ROUNDS BY WHICH WE MAY ASCEND. 135 And having received spiritual sustenance in a somewhat indefinite form, she must needs make haste to cast it into an evangelical mould. A subtle form of temptation is that, — " Im Ganzen — haltet euch an Worte ! " She attended more of the services, and adapted her feelings as far as she could to what she ought to have felt. When she dreamt of saving other souls — as some told her she must strive to do at once — she adopted, not Mr Carmichael's words, but those of the evangelist There was much truth in the words of him who said, Give me the first five years of a child's life, and I will give you the rest. It may be that the increasing worries of her daily life had something to do with her lack of the spiritual joy to which she felt herself entitled. Hardship and deprivation have often proved " rounds by which we may ascend," but carking care, recurrent dread of importunate creditors, of summonses and the like, — it is not at the beginning of the spiritual life that one can rise by these ! "Wilhelmina," said her stepmother one morning, "just go up, will you, and listen to Mrs Stott'a views on the sub- ject of lunch and dinner ? Tell her I am not well." Wilhelmina glanced rather enviously out of the window at a crossing-sweeper over the way. What a luxury it must be to have nothing more complicated to do than to sweep and gather pennies, buy a twopenny pie when funds allowed, and tumble into one's own quiet little corner at night ! She went upstairs with slow unwilling feet, but there was just a touch of graceful dignity in her manner as she said, " Mrs Galbraith is not well. She asked me to come instead of her." "Well, you look a purposelike young person," said the lodger brusquely, and she entered somewhat lengthily into her " views " for the day. " We are going out this after- noon, so we shan't v?ant dinner till half-past seven • and say to cook that the fried potatoes were greasy last time. 136 WINDYHAUGH. i ,, l!Lo^' S^^^**'". ^'?'' '""'* '"""^^ '^'"^ '^'^l^^^ they are perfectly dry and crisp ! " ^ " Perhaps she'd like to come down and fry them herself " message. Half-past seven! I'd like to know when the iTad bT' r '1'°'^" ^'^'^ ^^" *^" y°- -- that she had better be looking out for somebody else to cook for these here Stotts!" ou^ct' t"l"'f *^ 1.'^'" ^''' ''"*^"^^ ^"* Wilhelmina to the quick but she could not afford to show her feelings. gentfy ''""' '"'^ ^"^^" ^""^ ""''^ '^' washing-up." she said But it was not in her power to make things go smoothly that evenmg. The Stotts did not come in 'tilf after eight! and the dinner cook sent up then was even less inviting than It need have been. Moreover, bad as it was, it failed to give the woman s ill temper sufficient vent, and Wilhelmina had much to bear and still more to ignore during the pro- cess of washing-up. & ^ i^u- " My little helper!" said Mrs Galbraith kindly when she returned to the sitting-room. " Are you going to make the toast again to-morrow ? " 'g to maKe tne "Yes." " Nobody makes such delicious toast as you. And while as she fills the coal-scuttles for the sitting-rooms. Make her tCr fZ" T'T ''-'' ^"' '-' ''^' ''^ ^-''* «" them too full. She just wants to save herself the trouble of going up for them again. She never thinks of my poor It was a good deal to ask of so sensitive a child and many a heartfelt prayer went up over the filling of 'those coal-scuttles; but assuredly the answer to those pmyers h^ no immediate bearing on the matter in hand. Wilhelmi^ never acquired the gift_I had almost .said the W^f gaming by prayer the petty temporal things she longed KOUNDS BY WHICH WE MAY ASCEND, 137 / "Mrs Stott says they must make a change," said :^[rs Galbraith a few days later. Wilhelmina's heart sank. Mrs Carlton had just started for Algiers. " What is wrong 1 " she asked. " Oh, everything ; meals unpunctual, cooking unreliable, coal-scuttles not full enough. I told her I always impressed upon the servants that they must fill the scuttles well; but that they found them easier to carry when thev were not too full." " But had yuu told the servants that ? " "Well, no; I don't suppose I had; but one must say something. I don't think you in the least realize how diffi- cult i< ■ •> make ends meet,— or rather to keep them from gapi . > t,e too wide! I said I would speak seriously to cook, iiu^ Mrs Stott has promised to try us a little longer. She is not a gentlewoman. It is dreadful to be at the beck and call of these people with their bourgeois notions of comfort." Wllhelmina felt an odd sense of physical chill. She had often heard her stepmother lie before now; but she had never heard her recount a lie with such absolute sangfroid and self-complacency. At Windyhaugh the child had^been taught that affliction was the forcing-house for the Christian virtues; but assuredly her stepmother was growing more hardened and callous about many things. Was it possible that they were going downhill together? " My money comes to-morrow," she said. " Cook will do better when she gets her wages paid. I don't want a new dress, Mutterchen. Let us pay them both up to date, and start fresh. It will put them in such a good humour." The money duly arrived, and by the same post came a ten-pound note from an uncle of Mrs Galbraith's. Enclosed with this was a letter intimating that no more need be ex- pected from the same source ; but Mrs Galbraith declined to be depressed by the warning. " I knew the tidu would turn ! " she cried delightedly ; and it was all Wilhehnina 138 WINDYHAUGH. The servants seemed pleasantly surorised wl,«n fi, rta^I'oTbl"' T"''""' "' "«'"'-■• t^ "■<■ violent he, loL ^ ' ""°'"° '"'' *' «"">»'* ■=».. into ♦i,/i 1 ^ Snt of the winter mornini? revpali^H the hopelesa confuaion of the kitehe„ flT j ^ revealed Mhes of the fire. ' *' '^"^'^ '*'«»» "Cook I » said Wilhelmina in a startled voice, room "' "° "™^'' "»=' "-^ ■«-'« k" -, to their in "oo^nfttn'^tuf ° ^ "' ""^ "" ^«'-*"- -" ^11 -aS -Le'tre tJoToof iit ir'd T"^ «.rds which Wiihe,„i„a had gfvZt" :TXr I'er dTrtrCr""" "''■ ^"^ '^^ '"""■« ™0e'foo7o72e hea^^i^kl^Xf ™irr hT Z^sht' ""Zf ™dow. and the raw nrornin, afr ^JXlXlr:^' lifer^'eltto *«:rraS*4\*' »'"-«"• '*"« "■» thoroughly in a minntf u . ""''' ""' "'"l' '<> ■»» 't with a reckll hrr A I ^ '°''"^ W'"' '^<' ="*« litll. Wt. . ' ""'' '""' »«' «■«"■ alight. A few Me^b.ts of coal complete! the pyre, and tL she t thellvL"" *• °*"'^ " I ^"P« 'he, are ashamed of ROUNDS BY WHICH WE MAY ASCEND. 139 ran " I hope so," said Wilhelmina dryly. « They're gone." She could not resist this bit of dramatic effect, cruel though it was. It was a full minute before Mrs Galbraith found voice. Her face wrs very white, and for the first time Wilhelmina saw her look positively vindictive. "This," she said at last in tones of suppressed fury, " comes of paying their wages ! " Wilhelmina nodded. She was hurrying on her clothes with all the speed she could muster. " I know," she said stoically ; « but there is no use fretting, Mutterchen. I have lighted the fire. I'll tell .Airs Stott she shall have her hot water in a few minutes, and then I'll get breakfast as fast as ever I can. I won't tell her what has happened till afterwards." " I don't see that we need take her into our confidence." " I thought of that," said Wilhelmina sadly, as she drew the comb through her rebellious hair, " but she is bound to know sooner or later." "But, child, I can't believe it. There must surely ba some mistake." "So I thought. But I don't know where the mistake can be." Now that Wilhelmina had merged her feelings in action, she was as happy as a child need be,— happier certainly than she had been for a long time. She knew she could surprise the whole household by her competency, and it really was much easier to do the necessary work for the moment herself than to be the central point of a triangle composed of mistress, lodgers, and servants. She flew around like a bird ; and, a! hough the servants had levied an extortionate toll on the cold bacon, she contrived to send up a creditable breakfast in a very short space of time. It was quite true, as Mrs Carlton had said, that she had learned to do nothing well ; but in a great emergency people are not hyper- critical, and she seemed to do things s'lperlatively well. For the first time her heart was in a glow of religious 140 WINDYHAUGH. K.f itktj If feeling, and, childlike, she fancied th., .u . [or ever. The spirit n whrch st w« , ? ^ '"^ "'""'^^ ^^' by the servants for their la t\,T^''* *^' ^^«^«« "«ed . that in which the saints of 1 r^'!^ "^'^^ ^^« ^^^^'^^ J»«t afflicted, and washe" te Lt of b. -' ""' °' *^« was burned out of her Hke «,Io f ^^^''- ^^^"'"^^ ^^^g^^t Surely she ha^ hit the ocus^ThlT -^"^^ " *'^ ^"^"'-• It was well perhaos tW 1 • '^'°' '^^^ ^* ^^'^^ tested at once, for th^et st n T^ '^°"'' ''^ ^^-^^3^ "How brightyou look , * '^TJ"'"'' ^°"«- they sat at bfeakC ' Tn't f^^ ^'\''''' ^"^^-«^^- thing upsets me. Look hnT t /""^ ^^"^ *^^« ^^°d of "Poor little Matterchen°» ^^rf ''^"•" that religion steadi d Wown ne^'^wT *'°"^^* °^ — grace given her no^ to ITo "'^1, ""^T *^^^ «^« ^^ realize the difference th![ L ^°''*V^"°ot be expected to «ad cl,iIdhood there it a ertTi '""''' "''"• ^-'^ - ^ originality, about the blows anrrebuffsTf 1 '"t°"^' «^ gives us a new chance of earnil T!/ r f '■ ^^^^ «"« moral thews and sinews • iTw, ' ^'"^'^^^"^ °"^ and suffering wear a ^HaM^ ^^^ '''' ^'''''^ way so often before ' ® ^^""^ Passed that pitiful little shake i„ W ™ioe u m' "^° ™''' "'"' « ttlngs you look like a duchess '^iri ?'" ^°? "»" J"™' best W any attention to pTr me " "° °'™'' ""J' ™»'' " Nonsense ! Mrs SitnH i,„ • x , oapable person you are ' J°'' '''™ ""^"K »bat a pa^rSiShiltirafpil'rfr' r" *° "■''^'« McrMee "on the ^n^T"'"'"'*""''' '■'■^If laying a eosHy ■■«et then, to oome t^ay i, p^iWe. Sayl^,,^^ BOUNDS BY WHICH WE MAY ASCEND. 141 for their characters later. Mind you don't say anything about Its being a lodging-house; and if the woman at the corner ZfZtZ^''^'''^'' '""^ ^" ' ''-■ ' -"^ -"^ *^- Wilhelmina did not think chrysanthemums would have much effect on Mrs Stott, but she had another battle to fight at present. * "Matterchen," she mM, -I ^„l say we keep lodgers. "Matilda was a goose." "And if they begin by despising us- " Mrs Galbraith drew herself up. "Despising us'" she this is a lodging-house, they will think of a common place Ike Mrs Brown's over the way. Whereas if they come and see for themselves tnat it is a lady's house, and [hat things ::: g^i^ foXr '^ ^'^-^^^ '-' *^^* *^^^ ^'^^ ^« -'^ Wilhelmina did not answer. Indeed there was nothing more to be said. She no longer had a mental picture o"f ^.rifice laid on the altar; but she set her teeth and deter- mined to "worry through." The rain poured in torrents as she trudged along, wonder- mg how she was to satisfy both her stepmother and her own conscience. Fortunately-as is so often the case when we distress ourselves most-the difficulty existed in prospect only "lou keep lodgers, don't you?" said the manLr briskly, when Wilhelmina stated her requirements, and no one could find fault with her for replying, <^ One or two " But she suffered many humiliations in the course of the TdTf f ,. .»: "" "' "'*^^ ''' ^^^«^^ L-don servants and she felt their contempt even when it was not expressed Only one was rude enough to say, '«But you are not tht young lydy, are you ?" Yet even that was better than he patronizing kindness with which most of th«m treated W At last she got hold of a substantial '« general " who promisS ill 14$ WINDYHAUGH. to come the next day, and then she was fain to run home in humble triumph. "Only a general!" said Mrs Galbraith resignedly. "Well, she will at least tide us over till we can look round." But this was hoping too much. Late in the evening a dirty blotted postcard was handed in,— "on thinking it over I don't see my way to take in hand with your situation." Wilhelmina looked at the card fixedly for some time " I wonder," she said at last, « why she took the trouble to wnte. I, . I ■A'/ I; Mm CH\PTER XIX THE INGLE NEtJK. The grocer looked at the clock. It was near closing time, and the shop was full of people through '^^' "^'°''" ^^ ""^''P®'^^ uneasily. " I want to get The grocer was a famous gossip. I am not sure that the word does full justice to the human and philosophic interest He took m his fellow-creatures; but I know that if you wanted local information, you bethought yourself forthwith ot the co-existing want of soap or sugar, and, if you had a valuable secret to dispose of, you were in no doubt at all as to your market. Nor was the dusty little shop a meeting-ground for the lower classes exclusively. The days had not yet come when the gentry ordered down a box from the stores. " Darsie'a mixture "-at four shillings a pound-was equal in quality to any tea you could get in Edinburgh : Darsio's whisky THE INGLE NEUK. US was simply firstrate : and he even had a brand ot tobacco that would pass muster in an emergency. So my lady's carriage stopped at his door just often enough to keep him in touch with high life; and the neighbouring lairds, when they found themselves in Queens- mains with a little odd time on their hands, were well aware that they might spend it worse than in a chat with the grocer. His range of subjects was wonderful. With the one important exception of horseflesh — on which, by the way, he rather fancied himself — there were few topics on which he was not an authority. He was well read in politics, conscientiously squeezing the last drop of nourishment out of his daily paper ; he could tell you who was who with a nicety that was beyond praise ; and an Oxford under- graduate, who chanced to be in those parts, had been heard to say that his knowledge of books fairly took one's breath away. Poor Mr Darsie ! What it was to him to get hold of a college man ! It is pathetic to think that he should not have had his fill of their society, for after all, they are so common ! But I fear they voted him rather a bore with his eager questions. When you had come straight from a jolly sociable athletic life — a life just sprinkled over perhaps with a little Latin or Mathematics — it was rather discon- certing to be asked, What influence in your opinion was being exercised on the thought of the English Universities by the works of the late Mr Robertson of Brighton 1 The chances were that you had never heard of the man, and your surprise was great when you accidentally discovered next term that his " works " really were in the University library, and that some of the fellows had read them ! Heigho ! One hopes there is a big English University in heaven for all the good folks who ought to have been in one on earth. But, failing the college man, some interest or amusement might be derived from everybody. Even the poor old washerwoman who came in on Saturday night for her pinch 144 WmDYHAUGH. if! vr I of tea and tobacco was something more than a mere super- numerary on the staoe where history was daily being made —for the benefit of the queer little grocer. To-night, however, his puppets did not interest him, and he made haste to "put them past," as he would have ex- pressed it, in their drawer, "Up wi' the shutters, uoo. Jim ! he said briskly, " and I'll lock the door ahint ye » He hastened upstairs, changed his greasy old coat for one of tolerable respectability, stirred the fire, set the spirit- stand withm reach, and composed himself to wait The book he had on hand at this time was Martineau's Types of Ethcal Theory; but he could not fix his mind on that now _ He had not waited long when Mr Carmichael's character^ istic knock was heard at the door. "Come in, sir, come in ! I'm sure ye're heartily wel- come." J ^^ The minister laughed. « No need to tell me that to- night, Mr Darsie," he said. "'How beautiful upon the mountains ' ! " r « The old man looked at him anxiously. " You'll ha' seen ner ? " Oh yes, I have seen her." Mr Darsie's face brightened. "And how did you find the mighty city ? " ' Mr Carmichael laughed again. " Oh, we'll take Wilhel- niina first," he said. " I think she is looking weU,— in fact she attracts me much more than she did as a child. She is well grown;" and he drew a bright picture of the young girl as he had seen her first, "like a freshly painted tug with a couple of coal barges in tow." The grocer nodded repeatedly like a mandarin. " f^i a/'" l^f said. " I was sure she'd be tail They're fine folk to look at on both sides o' the house. She'll nro- mise to be bonny ? " F "- ^I think so : she is thin and lanky, but her features are ♦^ An' she'll be making gran' progress at the schule ? I THE INGLE NEUK. U6 mind 0' your telling me what a fine scholar yon MademoiseUe found her." Down came the heavy brows. "Mr Darsie," said the minister, "till this moment I meant to answer your questions with discrimination, but now I thmk I will tell you everything exactly as it hap- pened and we'll talk it over together. Wilhelmina was out when I called, and I had the advantage of a chat with a lodfc-er of theirs-an extraordinarily sensible and competent woman,— so sensible indeed, that one was instinctively on one s guard against what she said." He related the whole story very simply. « Did you see Mistress Galbraith ? " asked the grocer «r-,?^ .''*'"® '" ^""^ ^ ^^^ °'^°''*®« ^«^ore I left,— told me Wilhelmma was a great comfort to her." The grocer sat gazing into the fire for a time ; then he raised his eyes and looked full into the minister's face " Damn htm / " he said deliberately « Mr Galbraith ? Is he worth all that ? I confess I am at a loss where to place him in the animal kingdom It is a sheer abuse of language to call him a mammalian. And yet I suppose he might be worse. He is evidently one of hfes failures, but at least he doesn't sponge on his wife as some men do. If he can't help, perhaps he is better out of the way." "An' what right has he to be ane o' life's ^allures, as you ca It 1 He s clner eneugh for ten. What w'y would he sponge on his wife ? He had money frae his faither, an' a tocher wi the first ane. If the world used him iuJ-an' I aye thocht he got nae mair nor his deserts-it at least gi'ed him a gmd education. He was bound i' the eyes o' oSi to hand It on to his bairn." ^ " But, good friend, is the loss so great ? What is a girl's education worth as a rule ? " "I ken. Ay, I ken a' that; but Wilhelmina was no' a ^„i.... tjsica ua maae a sciiolar." " She may make something better." 146 WINDYHAUGH. i'swi' ill ' f -A. i ! " I ken tha". too. My quarrel's no wi' the Lord George Galbraith." " I would like to give him a piece of my mind, I confess, i?' ? y . "^"°*'«»^'l' Mrs Carlton, says Macintyre pays ^ ilhehninas money direct to herself. I will call on Mac f^r." ,J°-°^°"'°'^' a°d se« if he can be induced to write to Mr Galbraith. Failing that, is there any other relative he could apply to ? " " There's yon Mistress Daliymple. Her man's rich eneugh. Ihe Dalrymple mines maun be worth a duke', ransom the noo." "All right. I'll see what can be done." The minister stretched himself. "Well-a-day! It seems ages since I mst had a chat hetre with you." "Imak'naedoobt. A week in London,— my word ! It maun hae been a michty experience." Mr Carmichael laughed and blushed. "It was, in some ways. I have got into such hot water ! " The old eyes twinkled sympathetically through the gold- rimmed spectaclea " Xo' of a domestic nature, I hope ? " ''No,-thank Heaven ! And yet I am not sure that it isn t worse. It is theological. Think of my letting myself in for a heresy hunt ! " " s> j >■ The old man drew himself up. « An' what w'y would ye no let yersel' in for a heresy hunt ? It has whiles been the lot your betters." "No doubt. But why should I? The creed of my fathers is good enough for me." fathe^f" *^^'^ ^"^^ ^^^ '^"^^'' *^"'^ ^' *^® ''^^^^ ""' y°" " Perhaps. No, no ! Don't confront me with chapter and verse. It is barren work tinkering at a creed. So long as the confession permits me to believe that God is bigger than any creed, I'll undertake to find room." A shade of disappointment crossed the old man's face. Weel, maybe ye're richt," he said resignedly. '« I'm free to confess that some o' our heretics have no' been precisely THl QIGLK NBUK. 147 an edifying spectacle. They read twa-three new books, then '\erily we are the men,' they cry, 'and the presbytery's nought but a wheen doited loons ! ' But the presbytery ups, and on wi' its war-paint, and lo, my knight is unmasked and doun on his knees, — an impident college lad ! " The minister laughed. " You are crushing," he said. " Na, na. I'm only sperlrr-vr o' the ae sort. I think if you were minded to pla- the re -mer you'd hae the spunk to carry it through. e mind . Carlyle,-«If any man hold, or IS convinced Ihai he holrs, any truth, in God's name let him utter his tr Hi or :onviction, and leave the consequences with the God < ao gave it him ' ? That would be the w'y o't wi' you, nae doubt ? " Mr Carmichael looked ashamed of himself. " It was— in a humble fashion," he said simply, " Were you preaching in London ? " " No. You have read no doubt of Freeland's great revival mission I went to hear him, and the place was so crammed that I had to sit on the platform." "Ay?" The old man's face was aglow with interest. Ihis was his very own ground. "It was magnificent. It really was. His power of rousing the hardened must be extraordinary ; and yet all the time he was speaking in that hot reeking atmosphere I had a mental picture of the Man of Sorrows standing in the sweet morning air on the open hillside, preaching a sermon that no one ever has contracted into a creed. I am not sure that the revivalist did not reach some souls the Master would have missed ; but his hearers were not all hardened, and his ways seemed to me so much too brutal and sensational for some. His sieve r- tained the large stones, but the small ones seemed to be slipping through his meshes. I felt that many there should be seeking God in action, not in sensa- tion so when an opportunity was given to the rest of us to speak " " Well done ! " cried Mr Darsie. Wait a bit! Wait a bit! It was very forward and raah, 148 WINDYHAUGH. betteTf I ^ V° '^' P^"*^°™ ^«^« °^y senior..-and tha fL h f But somehow it was just borne in on me that faith for many of us-thank God !-simply meens a turning to the light, so I rose to my feet " " And said ? " " Oh bless me ! I don't know what I said. I know what waTn-rf ' "Aw *, *'^^ "^''^ "^^ •^-^- O^ — tWe wasn t a word that they could exactly object to on doctrinal aTd":;, tb' *''^r' ' '^' ^^^'^^^'-^ ^^« course a S and well-thrown dart. Perhaps they were risht T Inv Ta ; ttt t?^^'* ^'^^'^^"^-^^^ ^ '-' I w^leofJeT recals that fine expression, ' the foolishness of preaching ' Who shall define faith to him who has not felt it ? We strive and strive, to generate faith, and all the t me-Il wind bloweth where it will!" Mr Darsie was gazing fixedly into the fire. The minister had wandered a bit beyond that limited spiritual teth ^s Its a pity," said the old man at last, "but what Wilhamma had been there!" out wnat CHAPTER XX " I I A EESCUE. Mr Carmichael interviewed the lawyer next dnv n„^ «i. tained his promise to write to Mr GalbraLi '' '"' °'" He IS not a rich m.n," said Mr Macintyre mvelv " an^ I was under the impression that he already tonSitedf considerable sum tu his wife's support " ^ *=°"*"^"*«'i * " He had money with his first wife, I understand ? " "Very little. She would have been a rich woman b«^ «he hved; but the money that would have comeTw ^ rr^a;;:;i:rr^^^"^^- ^-p— Sa^v: A RESCUE. 149 i,-.iru°^ '^^^ ^°^ ^®® ^""^ undesirable it is that a clever child like that should be growing up without any education." Oh, qmte-quite. But the stepmother must be to letT" ^"'^^ ^' ''^"''' *^' '^*"^*^°° ^" *^« "At any rate you will admit that it is his business to realize the situation ? " The la^vyer raised his hand. " It is not my business to sit in judgment on him, sir," he said. « He is a man on whom life has been hard. But I will write to him, and if nothing comes of that, I'll write to Mrs Dalrymple. I am very sorry to hear such an account of little i»iiss Galbraith " Mr Carmichael was glad to have a disagreeable business behind him It seems to me," he said to himself as he ran down the steps, "that what George Galbraith wants is a good kicking." It was a fine cloudless afternoon in January. The minis- ter was m a mood for a good walk across country, so he resolved to look up a few humble parishioners in the outly- ing hamlet of Windyhaugh. " It seems an age," he said, since I saAv the old place." He strode along the crisp roads at a good swinging pace. Windyhaugh had been let for a few years, but now it stood empty, save for the presence of old Ann who acted as care- taker. The shrubbery was tangled and overgrown, and the whole place had an air of neglect. " I will look up Ann on tny way back," thought tho minister. " No doubt she will give me a cup of tea." At the outskirts of the village he was waylaid by an old woman " W ill you please gang doun to the shore, sir ? " she said. "There's been an awfu' accident. Twa gentlemen were crossing ower frae Silverton, an' the boat capsized close to the shore here. " "They got to land, I hope?" 'Ou ay, sir. Ane o' them is a' richt, but they ^ the ather. I was no" to tell foik, for they're no' wantin crood; but they sent my Jack for the doctor." ro no sure a 150 WlNDYHAUGH. ■)>* "The doctor!" said the minister aghast. "It may be midnight before they find him ! " He took to his heels at once, and ran in the direction of the beach. Some months before, he had come across a paper on the treatment of the apparently drowned, and had re- solved to impress the directions on his memory in case of such an emergency as the present. Unfortunately he had omitted to carry out his laudable intention, and now he strove in vain to recal the directions prescribed. "One ought to be able to think out the rationale of the thing he said to himself indignantly as he ran ; but his knowledge of physiology was even more elementary than he supposed, and he had come in sight of the little group on the beach beforo hp had decided on any plan of action. He remembered afterwards how striking was the scene that met his anxious eyes. The sun was setting over the sea, and a few weird wisps of black cloud stood out in strong relief against a ruddy background. The whole group was in sil- houette save for the figure of a young man who lay streti^hed on the rocks, with his shoulders propped on a bundle. ' > his head knelt an older man-also dripping wet-in his shirt s eeves. He had taken a grip of the lad's arms above the elbow, and, with a deliberate rhythmical movement, was pressing them against the patient's sides and then raisinij them above his head. His whole attention was fixed on the supme figure ; but the calmness of his manner was such aa to suggest preoccupation in a game of skill rather than in a hand-to-hand tussle with death. "Thank Heaven!" said the minister, relieved to find his own incompetence merged in the competence of an- other. For a short time he watched the slow masterly movement with admiration, and then he threw oflf his coat " I think I see now how you do it," he said. " You must be tired Ijet me relieve you." ^^The stranger looked up without disturbing the rhythm of ^e movement. Hia grave eyes took the measure of the A RESCUE. 151 speaker, so there was a tacit compliment in the movement of the head with which he motioned to the minister to take a place beside him. Mr Carmichael felt a sudden desire, not only to save a life, but to gain the approbation of this man. The work v,-a3 much harder than he had anticipated, but he did his best, aa indeed most men would have done with those critical eyes upon them. " Surtottt point de zele," said the stranger gently. "I think he will be all right, but his gratitude might be tem- pered if he woke to a dislocated shoulder." The minister smiled. " SloAvly ! Steady ! Press his elbows well into his riba. Now you have got the knack." For the first time the speaker took his eyes from the patient. "Well," he said quietly, turning to the little group of lads vho were looking on, " have you got the shutter and the blankets ? That's right." He threw a blanket over the prostrate figure, and showed two of the lads how to chafe the cold limbs. "I think we might get a little brandy down now," he said, producing a flask, and he succeeded in administering a few drops with excellent effect. The young man swallowed them, then opened his eyes and looked around him. A fine face his, blurred and dreamy though the eyes were,— the face of a young idealist. The minister was growing very tired with the unac- customed exertion, but he was determined not to cry for quarter. His breath came fast, and the sweat stood on his brovr before the stranger interfered. ^ "Now then, padre," he said. " I think he is all right. You take one arm, and I'll take the other for a few minutes, just to make sure." Tkis was easy, involving as it did a change of position and of muscular strain. It was pleasant too to work with such a man,— to watch how smoothly his muscles moved in obedieneo to his bidding. A iiue or two of poetry ran per- ,<•!( 152 WINDYHAUGH. % u^, -■ ■■- ii i ^ i ■ Bistently-with what he himself deemed irrelevant profanity — m the minister's mind, "itmi/ " Here, work enough to watch The Master work, and catch Hints of the proper craft, tricks of the tool's true play." shulterl';!'"''*'' •^''" '^'^ ^'^''^ *^« P'^tient on to the " Take hif" !" T ^*^°"^ yo-/fellows to Tarry "Stldv, Z'7fu ^^^"'^y^^'^g^." -id the stranger "TZ.f III '^''' '"' '^'' y^'^ g"-"^ tired." WhiT st up ," "°^' '"" "^' ^'^ "^^^^^*- " ^^^^^- the^tinltt's r'aTr^ '\' '"^^^ ^« ^^^ ^^ ^-d on coCof the skv h.. . "'"'^. *°^"''^-^ *^« «'^"«^t- The cloTs had assumedl ^'^T^ *' ^" ^"^''^ ^^'i' ^°<^ '^- than ever " Snt '' T^' •*. °^°'' ^^^^'^ ^"^ g^^t^^q'^e "It IS very remarkable," said the minister. stiff and Iveticir h" t'l^' "'" "^« ^^^'^^"g but touch on To ?u • ^ ^^^"'^ appreciated that frieadly touch on the arm, that casual little remark Mnr..J T^ he not read Martin's translation of FaTst 7 and d hT ^^ come straight from Dora's picture ? ^'^ ^' "'* yachting in my time." ^"^ '^ '^'^- °^ " ^^'^ I be of any farther use ? " " I think not, thank you. He is all nVhf fo. . and the doctor will be here betre night" " '"""*' .! ■ :| THE FAIRY GODMOTHER. 153 " May I call to-morrow to enquire ? " "lam sure the young fellow will be delighted to have an opportunity of expressing his gratitude. I fear I must leava the place to-night." "There is no question of gratitude to me," said the mmister impulsively. " Your friend owes Lis life to your The stranger looked up. " I think you are under a mis- apprehension,' he said. « I don't know the young fellow I chanced to see the accident from the terrace. Oh ' "-Ho glanced at his dri^oing clothes,-" I did lend a hand to pull them out of the water. The other was all right, save for a mp on the head, so I sent him straight up to my house. My name is George Galbraith." CHAPTER XXI. THE FAIEY GODMOTHER. Loldon^''^ ^'^''* °^ ^ February dawn was breaking over The month was one of the coldest on record, and most of was r,- '^l^ "^ghbourhood were frozen. Wilhelmina kitchen kettle, fetching in snow to melt for househoM "gtem?s'"lTT'\'^^ ^°°^^ ^"'^ ^°"« «-«=« *he MttrM .1, /®'"'*^ ^^' • '^ S^* t^° ^t ^ ti^e, and in trTth ll r^ ' T '^' ^^"^^^ ^^-^'-^d to Bta;. for alarming even to a competent person. Moreover the ser- vants next door were readv now -ith <, nivsterinn. ' • that Mr« riDiK-„vt.> " ", ' rajsterious wnisper that Mrs Oalbraith's was a "bad place," and there was no 164 WINDYHAUGH. 11 f 1 we e plenti>rl m the kitchen, when Mrs Grlbraith ^n, iiviw mainly on bread and tea. * The departure of the Stotta ha,l come almost as a relief aJTjrr?^' "^t '''""' "«'^^ ^^^'^^'y t-^- by t.^ qmet dderly ladies wl> were fah!v easy to please; .nd t?Lt I ''" ''''■" •'" ™^°y ^'^^'^^-'^ed petty eco.on,i.« to make mother and daughter ridiculous in vu! ,' r eyes b dl when <.ae first woke up on a bitter w^nte. s day, .no w. . d have be., thankful for the veriest cockney slut ju ? t'''^-' ''^"^^ '-'''^ ligl^t the kitchen fire. Btmb ^^''"'"'''r l^ealth was really giving way under the B^m,« a-u ..i.vati.m. About the end of Janu.ry she had b«^n m:..,ae very happy by a letter from her husband,-^ W thTw^fr .*"«'^ty-P°'^«d «ote, and exi.. ssing the hope that Wilhelmma was " getting on with her lessons;" but of course the twenty pounds slipped at once through the sieve of thoir requirements, and left them to all practical purposes where they had been before ^ des^IabYJ'^r; ^ *\"f '"'^^^ ^^^'^^^ than was strictly desirable at her age, but many a girl has had to do that before her. Fortunately her appetite was good, and she jus^fied a traditional belief in the virtues of oatme^fir ndge; but this did not prevent her suffering acutely wfen she and her stepmother were preparing the lodger/sirnle midday d nner, and night after night she dreame'd of swee meats and c^es with a persistence that seemed pitraWy was to be delivered from temptations of the flesh afternL? ^ V"''' ' ^^^^ '^'''" '''^ ^''' ^^^^^^^^h one atternoon. You must write to your Aunt Enid. I can't "Then nil T /.on "q-l- ,- ^i- ■ i ^n <,ay la ihat you are very r.-r-ia and THE FAIRY GODMOTHER. iSfr selfish. I have written to all my relations, and this is the first time I have asked you to write to anybody." " Miitterchen," pleaded Wilhelmina, "do let us go and live in some tiny cottage." " On forty pounds a year ? And what about the lease of this house ? If we could only let all the rooms and get a couple of capable servants, we should be all right " " /// " thought Wilhelmina. "Even supposing your aunt rei sed to lend us money, which is impossible, think how easy it would be for her to send us lodgers now and then." Wilhelmina sighed. Her life had taught her some sharp lessons in worldly wisdom, but she could not bring herself to point out to her stepmother how impossible it would be for Mrs Dalrymple to own to her friends that she had relatives who kept a lodging-house in Bayswater. "Of course we wouldn't say she was my aunt," thought Wilhel- mina, " but I can't tell her that we wouldn't." " In the meantime," continued Mrs Galbraith, " think what a diflTerence a few pounds would make to us ! And there is your aunt living in boundless luxury." "It is no use," said Wilhelmina. "I cannot write to her. I would rather sweep a crossing." "Oh, that is cheaply said. You are not likely to be asked to sweep a crossing. It is easy for you with your healthy appetite. Think what it would be to me to have even a little nourishing food." " You would like tea nov wouldn't you, Mutterchen ? " said Wilhelmina, glad to strike oflF at a tangent. " I will get it before I get the Miss Prynnes'." She laid out the tray as attractively as might be. On the larder shelf stood a small roast turkey which had been sent to Miss Prynne a few days befora "It will take them weeks to nibble through all that," thought Wilhel- mina. "They will never miss a tiny morsel." The smell of the. turkey seemed to penetrate to the child's very finger-tips. It was more than she could bear. With haaty 156 WINDYHAUGH. trembling up-stairs. " There, Mutterchen ! " helped myself from Miss They'll never miss it." ■'Well, I am sure they carved a few ragged slices, and ran she said defiantly. "I have Prynne's shelf in the larder. * 1,1 /, . — •' ^^y ^^*tJe enoueh for all the trouble they give i " said Mrs Galbraith. (k it plible that this was not the first occasion on which the Lger^ supplies had been forced to render tribute ?) « I quitfex pected they would ask us to share that turkey " ^ tuT^TrW^: ^"""'^ ""''^ ''"^''^^^S more like appe- wflhet ^^./^^"'^ f«^ ™-"y a day, and insisted fhat aTfirs Tr tT. '"* ""^^^ '''^'^'^- The child refused mii w^S "1'^ T ^°°"^^ *° «^« *hat her stepmother might well resent sucli self-denial on her part, and besides — she was so hungry ! ^oiuoa foof * f.f;^!^*^f^^« destined to come with swift and sure '"e will ktn ' "'^ -^'"^ ''^^""^' ^^^^^«^y' *^-* --i-g. fulre iro^T^rT"' f *^^ ^"P^°^^^ ^^^« for the where itl T^r^\''' '^'"^ ''' '^' ^''^'' d«^««tairs where t is cool, but -but I think on the whole you had better leave the turkey here." her^l'^f "^ had deserved far less merciful treatment, but her face burned like fire. Never in all her life had .he ofTlfrl^t 'r""*"'^ " *'^^- ^'^^^^^^ constant hab of self-restraint m petty things enabled her to go on with her work and to leave the room without some UnTof hysterical outburst. The reproof was cutting - aniweH merited-and she was a Christian, a child of ifght ! A Te standard of" -T "" '7 «*«P»other's defections from the standaid of rigid rectitude ! « Oh, God ! " she cried in her sore dxs ress, "how easy it would be to be good if one had no temptations!" She laughed at herself il later days when he recalled the words of the prayer; but after all it is one that h^ gone up from human hearts-I don't talk of lins- more often perhaps than any other. ^ The evening was Sunday, and Wilhelmina was going to THE FAIEY GODMOTHER. 167 chapeL In truth chapel-going was the one recreation of her life at this time, for, acting on a suggestion of the revivalist, she had ceased to read any but purely religious books. As so often happens, the text seemed to fall in surprisingly with her train of thought, — " Who s/mU ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place? " He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." She never knew how much of the sermon that followed was the preacher's, and how much was evolved in her own busy heart and brain; but she made a few resolutions that evening of the imminent kind that bring the sweat to one's brow. AH innocent of modern criticism, she put her own construction on a later verse of the psalm,— "Lift up your heads, ye gates; and he ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in:* An alienist would have said that the child was in a bad way, that she wanted cheerful society, good food, and a few pretty frocks. Of course the alienist would have been right, but at leaat the patient's will-power had suffered no diminution. "Miss Prynne," she said next day with flaming face, "would you like your things to go back to the larder ? I did take some of your turkey, but it won't happen again." Miss Prynne looked startled, as most of us do when a human soul throws off its wrappings before our eyes. Who was she that St Peter's keys should be thus suddenly thrust into her hand ? Fortunately for Wilhelmina she elected to loose and not to bind. "Thank you, my dear," she said kindly. "I shall be glad if you will take the things downstairs." She reproached herself afterwards for not having farther improved the occasion. We are so slow to realize that our inborn shyness is a far more precious gift than most of our talents. Wilhelmina almost staggered from the room. The fueling of huj."' ation oppressed her still, but she was very thankful 188 ^DYHAUGH. T'u T"""""' ^, *" "*** °°'y ascended one rung of the ladder she had set before her; but what a step that had been' Mrs C^Ibraith was very poorly that morning, and as the next day and the next brought no improvement, Wilhelmina begged to bo alh.Ted to fetch tlip ;]- „ "Nonsense," said her Bh^jmotber sharply. "It is weak ness, that is all He would only give me a tonic that would make me long for the food I can't get." " But the pain in your side ? " "WeU! He would recommend a cutlet and a glass of Burgundy for lunch, my pay for a piece of advice that I have been giving myself for weeks ? " Wilhelmina expected a renewal of the suggestion about applymg to Mrs Dalrymple, and she steeled her heart It was not only "pride and selfishness" that made her hold out : she had learned by bitter experience that any help her aunt could give would only postpone the evil day. Tb-f Trj^'n ;r'^°.?'^ ^'^^"'^ ^°P^- ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ found out that Mrs Galbraith was still paying interest on debts con- tracted ;n Harley Street. „t.ri*' ^Ijfufu^'''^' ^'' stepmother did not renew the attack. Til tell you what, dear," she said- " we must let that pearl bracelet go. I r-ould not bear to part with it-as ^Z^l^T ^T^ y'^ "^^'^ '^^°S«' ^''' I q^ite hope l^n^r^ "'"" '' "^^^ ^^ ^'- "^"^ ^- '^^^ ^* *^- Wilhelmina dded wondering by what nieans her step- mother proposed to redeem it. At one time a visit to the pawnbroker had ne^nt torture to the child, but the disgrace of It seem, d small now in compai , .n with that of an appeal her aunt, and, moreover, there is notlung like hunger fo blunting one's delicate sensibilities vVim.Lina would have faced a good deal to obtain f/^at cutlef It was afternoon when .u, .t . She put th. jewel- case into her poo' et. and ins. od. reat safely.pm a. ove it to Keep It m place. She would not _^o to any hop . the neighbourhcKKi. A 'bus from the Eoyal Oh/ took her t THE FAIKY GODMOTHER. 159 Oxford Street, and thence she proceerled on foot. She knew a number of pawnshops, and meant to get offers from several before closing with one. " I will be as hard as nails," she said to herself stoutly. " I mean to get out of this bracelet just as many cutlets and glasses of Burgundy as ever I can." The first two offers were distinctly disappointing, and somewhat crestfallen, she bent her steps farther into the city. She was in the region of the theatres now, in the thick of the rush and roar ; and already the carria<^es were assembling for the close f the morning performances. \t one door a crowd had gathered, and Wilhelmina heard a murmur of " the Princess." She ^vondered whether she too should stop and peep, but decided tluit her errand would not admit of any delay. As she came to this decision, she in- stinctively put her hand for the fiftieth time in the directioa of her pocket. The familiar lump was gone ! Her heart gave a leap that nearly choked her, and she made several frantic clutches about her dress. Then with unconscious frankness, she lifted the scrimp, short ,^kirt to look. Someone, alas! had done that before her T' ^ety-pin remained as she had placed it, but pocket and 'A-c&se had been removed with a sharp, jagged cut. ..'ilhelmina scarcely believed her eyes. She did not see how the theft could have been done. She had never ceased thinking of the jewel-case for a minute, and how was it pos- sible that her pocket had been ci, ^ away withuut her knowing It? She had fancied lier.self a match for this i ..lever wicked London, — alas ! alas ! ' If she had in the least realized the danger of fainting, she would certainly have fainted then, for .she was weak for want of nourishing food ; but fortunately such an idea never occurred to her, and the thought of her terrible loss prevented her paying attention to the queer lightness of her head. The people were i-ouring out of the theatre now, and instinctively .che moved aside to let th, :n pass. "Are you ill, little girl?" said a pleasant voice, and Wfl- 1«0 WINDYHAUGH. IK ',',1 fcKi 14-' When .he fi J .oof LXZ^rf^^ """" '°°« "^^ .he S "oS't"''" tJ " *'' ■?"• '"-^'^ " grette. Hansom ! " " ' '"'* "' ""7 ™.i- Two minutes later Wilhftlm!.,™'^ u i delicious soft sealski„™dX wer^tZ-'^^^^^^^ wards as fa^t as tne crowded stltenT"^/''*^ ^^^*- Permit It almost seemed as if tl ^ ''T''' ^°"^^ Godmother had come true ^'"^"^ °^ *^« ^^^^ "And I am 6?«t/«7 to-nieht hq ,-f u Evelyn hospitably. > "As a rSfe it ^°''.'' ^^** ^^« meal at four • but I wpnff ^^''' ^ ^°''"'^ nondescript Agamemnorio'd y I d oL^d^cllf ^\^^'^^" ^* ^^« "Sr^prtt; T'' -^^^^^i^"''-^- -"quite a shower of bouquets" ^"'' apologetically She established Wilhelminn ,^« +1, i the fire, and moving quietTv to th. I'?"'"^ ^°"°«« ^^^ face of a photograph to he Jail sr^^^^'^' '''''''^ *^« the time, and Wilh'elmLf dTn t notX^c^n^ "^'j 1' 4':\^jroV;t::rr^ f « ^^^^-arved chud;- grapes! The firsf whSof the T "^ "''"' '"^^ ^''*^''««« tears to her eves nnl u """'^ '°"P brought the them bac.: 'Z'tZ^r^lIu^f: ^"^^ ^ ^^P with champagne, but of coul even that w 7'''''''' ^^''' as soon as dinner was over the chiM L !f *°' '""'=^' '^"^ woe. For years she hZc'n.t f ^'^ °"* ^^^ *ale of turvy, out Le tht^tts^'r^t^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^psy If I m THE FAIRY GODMOTHER. jgj "There, there/ Poor chiH f p<^- i-ixi Evelyn kindly " I TlTi \: T *'* ''"' ' "^^^ ^^^^ the pawnshop ^w yoTpu inH ^ ".' ^ '°""^^^ ^^«»' and fol lowedVu. ^He 'Ca'rJZl't^t 5ittLT T'^' easily in the crowd. Mrs GaJhS ,^1 ^^' "^"'^^ errands herself." «albraith ought to do such "She is not well." ning. You'll do me a good t„m ,„,! H "'"'^^ ^l''"" «n, it, jou'l, do it to^TMla eZ tL"'' '"'''"'' claret. It wi„ do you. .tepTo h "l" :7 't answer won't you, for the phea^„t .uT^rlpesI T *" funds just now so mn qKoIi * i x grapes / I am m « wi ,eu ;: .t:s trr-^" ^■""-' -" ^y Ci'^;Sed"re:'r^tu"'°" -"''■■ prond,_tbat i, what vou are Do J I \«"^' '''" ""> *iug, iu this roon, Jr^Znt^^^JT' """ """ P'*^ no bones about accepting them Nol T t"° ^°" ' '"'«'» i"g to be off. I am so^y I rn't I wi.l ""T" '" '""«- at the theatre very soon mT-, ^ ? n ^°"' ''"' ' »"> <>«» a hansom, and huTryT^k tl m"" "" *"' ^""' ''°™ *" t-'X'tni^shrbZedtrr-''' --'"^ "> bouquet of orchids A carTl ^ f '" ^ ''^^^^^ li"Ie scra'wl, the initials G G ^'''' *° ^' '°^«' ^° ^ P«-eil poX td rsf w^Jh T:^''''^ *° ^*« -^^-1 it portrayed. '"*'"'"'" ^* *h« «"« features ^-e^.e^onetoappiythestraitX^rTs:"^^::::^. 162 ^VINDYJIAbXiij. CHAPTER XXIL TWO WORLDS MEET. " I will have tea in the boudoir this afternoon, Pearson," f«ud Enid. "Tell them to say I am not at home, unless it IS someone s])ecial." "Yes, madam." " I think I must have that gown at Lucile's, after all, 1 earson, though I don't in the least know how I am to afford It. It's a lovely thine." "And might have been designed for you, madam. It will be thrown away on a short squat figure and colourless hair. " Oh, depend upon it some bald dwarf like Lady Fan- shawe went in to-day after we left, and snapped it up I never resist the devil without regretting it afterwards. Well, go and give the order about the tea." As she spoke, Enid disposed herself comfortably in her favourite easy-chair. The day was cold, and the glow of the wood fire fell on the ermine bands of her tea-gown like sunlight on foam. The gown was one of her own happy Ideas, an unusual combination of myrtle green velvet and turquoi.se blue. She took up a piece of embroidery, but her work had made little progress when a "special" visitor was ushered in,- -Mr Ilonald Dalrymple. llonald Dalrymple bore a considerable resemblance to J^ergus; but, although the tailor had turned him out more expensively than his brother, nature had economized in various ways, producing, indeed, a cheaper article alto- gether. Ihe reduction of a few inches in stature makes comparatively little difference, but when the same process 18 apphed to the forehead, the chin, the lower jaw,-the effect IS out of all proportion to the saving of material. *.nicl and Itonald had always been good friends, and, since TWO WORLDS MEET. 163 f^Zf. ^'f'-f'j!^^ ^«"dered himself in.poHsible, «he had fouml her husband's young brotl.r particullriy useful. ^_ Well, she said snnhng, " di.l you bring Hugh ? " Oh, yes; they made no special difHculty. He is to ^n back early on Monday. Rollins indicated that 1 y do n'ot exactly regard hma as a burning and shining li.ht " fhi« T ^^; ^^' ' ^°°^' ^'' "°* i" ^^i« li^e.'' I do detest thzs system of con.petitive examination for the arnu It most unfitting for the sons of gentlemen " "Oh, I've no doubt he'll scrai)e thrnnrrT, xr u of time yet to come and go uZ I h v f ^'^'"*^ him to the Alhambra to-n%h I say EnidT"' 'V''" you look perfectly magnififen; T' '' ' '' ^"" '"^" She smiled without surnrisp <'Tq«.o„ ij m, . , feels «cio., , ', - ,i- - *^ ^T .,, .,., Co/./; With the firelight, and the gold of the room and 7/our hair!" room, thothft"'%'r'',;"/^"^P^°^^°fe''-«'' «^"«h so that Enid thought It worth while to pursue the subject. i always envy brunettes," she said " ,,,1,^ a.ber and ye,W and »carle J':r.t„3lri Z incarnation of warmth and colour " ^ "Oh, I say!" He made no allen,|,t to arajjify hi, rtaiark Tor t.l,« mire." ''™* "^"^ *'' '' ™ '->='»« «'-*a •?; "By the way," he stammered awkwardly at last "conld thritlTtU, '^'■^•, ' '"™." ""■forted myaelf with Lqu"t t"'' "' " "" '''°"^». I "«ht mate that •' r should bo delighted, I'm sure." A 164 WINDYHAUGH. "T look upon yon as the nionied man of the familv " " Oh, coine now ! " "^' "Of course I do. With your Uncle Itonald'.s money you are to a intents and purposes far richer than we are." Well, I do contrive to rub along. This is only a inomentary difficulty. The fact is," he added, ashamed of himself for volunteering the information, " Galbraith has feept me longer than usual out of a couple of hundred I lent mm. " Why don't you break with George Galbraith ? " she cried l)etulantly. "Why? Because he is a rattling good fellow. He'll stump up right enough, never fear. There is nobody like him I flatter myself that I know my world fairly well, but l^albraith is always putting me up to fresh wrinkles " "He certainly did so when he married that smilax woman ! "He drew a blank that time, I confess. It was a case ot social suicide during temporary insanity." " You don't go near the Bayswater house, I hope ? " "Oh, Lord, no ! " llonald chuckled. " I shouldn't be like y to find him there. You forget that I really want to see him. ^ " Will you believe that the woman had the impertinence to write and ask me for money the other day ? " " No ! That was average cool." " A woman I never saw, and of whom I should never have heard if she hadn't entrapped that poor fellow into marrying her I put the note in the fire. If .he writes agnin she shall hear a piece of my mind. Apart from its being a begging letter, just think of her effrontery in asHuming that i am aware of her existence ! " " There is a child, isn't there ? " A slight shadow drifted over Enid's face. " Hhoda's child, yes. I had meant to do so much for her, but of course this marriage made it impossibla" " Of course." TWO WORLDS MEET. 165 " Couldn't you ask Fergus for the money, Ronald ? " He shook his head. " Fergus ! I would rather go back to those Jew beasts, and I had made up my mind not to do . u^u""' ^''^V'' "'^*- ^ ^''^ ^ ^°^^d ^^^P :^on; but, to tell the truth, I am rather hard up myself. Lucile is turn- ing restive." "Oh, nonsense! You don't know how other women treat her. Besides, it would be worth Lucile's while to dress you \!^r,?,^- ^'^^^ ^ "^^ g°^'"' ^""^ she'll be all right." Well, said Enid reflectively, " I might do even that to oblige you. But I can't do without the money long, or i^ergus will find out that I have lent it." " Next week or the week after," he said gratefully " You are a regular brick, Enid. Upon my soul, I believe you are tile only generous woman I ever met." She smiled and nodded. "And now I am sure you would like me to make myself scarce. Hugh is dying to see you." And in truth Hugh greeted his mother with an affection that was pretty to see. Xow that he was, as he considered a man, he had ceased to take her beauty as a matter of course. He had learned that a little beauty in a mother goes a long way, that it is one of the things men are proud ot, and that Enid required no indulgence at all. "If you only saw the frumps some of the fellows have to show! he confided exultantly to Ronald. "The mater never turns up without taJjing the trick." " I should think not indeed." It is a pity Hugh had no sisters. He would have been K-ood to them if they had been pretty and smart; and it is difficult to imagine that a daughter of Enid's could have proved otherwise,~unless, like Wilhelmina. she had been a throw-back. Hugh was a well-grown young fellow, but his face resembled his Uncle Ronald's more than it did his fathers. N.Uuro. had repeated that unfortuuato piece of economy in the material of the chin. l*i 166 WINDYHAUGH. m J^yeU," said his mother, " were you glad to come and see "Wasn't I just ? YouVe no notion how sick one gets of swot-svvot-swotting in that beastly den " ^ " Poor boy ! Plucky old fellow i " bac'k r^'" *'^ ""^ ^ ^''"'' '''"'* y°"' ^^^«'-. ^-l^en I go Her face clouded. « I don't see how I can, Hu^di I have so many claims upon me just now. Ani indeed I don t see why I should. Your Uncle Ilonald gives you far too many tips as it is." ^ sdf of late. He wants me to drop the ' uncle ' now that I am grown up. Fer Jr« T'''' ""P' [^^''^ ■ ^^°""^^ «^^d^""y ^"^ans to put -Fergus and me on the shelf." ^ mil^r^"^"'* •''' '^°'''' ^^^'''''^- '^^'^ ^^"«^« a" declare you irdiTitryi''"" '--' '-' '' '- -^ ^-^'-^ ^«'- " You sauce-box ! " " And about that fiver ? " " Yo" k^o^v you ought to be above asking for tips when your father gives you so good an allowance." ^ Hugh shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, that's comme ca / I have known fellows that had more " ^ har7f ^' ""''^^ ""\ ^^ ^ ^^^ '' ^° y«"' y^-^ °^««t work very liard when you go back." "»«■ very He heaved a long sigh. " I do work hard, Jfater -you've no notion; but it's such beastly grind; a'nd some Tthe fellows positively enjoy it ! " Hugi.""°''" ^^''^^°^^°d- Beat them on their own ground, f^Se mild " "" "^ "^^ *^^'"^" *« -P'- *hat to the timl/'t t!:? inl::^ ;:^t:^"^'^ ««7^ —here this -— , ...!..ng to uliangu the subject. TWO WORLDS MEET. 167 SO "Indeed I hope you will do nothing of the kind." "That's your little mistake, Mater,— excuse me. I met a fellow the other day— an awfully clever chap— who thinks Uncle George a regular hero." " Oh, no doubt. I should think there are lots of young men to whom your uncle acts the part of hero." " But this one isn't that kind. He's a scholar ; not a sad dog like Ronald and me." Enid suppressed a smile. « I am interested to hear liow the sad dog met the scholar." " Oh, on his own ground. Old Rollins took me to hear a lecture at the Royal Institution. Rigby was there. You remember Rigby at Eton ? He said he had a friend with him who would be glad to make the acquaintance of Mr Galbraith's nephew. Brentwood was the friend's name — Harley Brentwood. He's got a ripping sister,— classic style. As soon as I set eyes on her, I told Rigby I should be glad to make the acquaintance of her brother." " You think a great deal too much about women, Hugh " " No, I don't. Mother; but I can't help seeing the points of one when she chances to come my way." " And how did young Brentwood meet your uncle 1 " " Oh, in the most sensational fashion. It seems the Brent- wood} have taken a little place opposite Windyhaugh, cM Rigby and Brentwood undertook to row across. They got into a current or something, and capsized. Enter Uncle George. Limelight. Rescue." " So that is why he is a hero. I suppose I should call him one too if he had saved my life." " It isn't only that. Brentwood thinks Uncle George no end plucky and cool ; but he says he is a man of such culture too, and so kind. Ronald says it i« all perfectly true,— there i« 'lobody like Uncle George ; and I think it is a great awii Jla t'iat, when I have got an uncle like that, I should scare jiy l-oo v him by sight." •' I don't v/j.iJ; you to know him. Hugli, And now it is quite time W9 weja dressing for dinner." If 168 WINDYHAUGIf. I' '< i; ■ ( Mr Dalrymple entered the room as his son left it. I his .^fe he had aged considerably in the last six years Unlike "I She looked at him coldry "* - SlTll T'^' ' j"^ T^' «Ko tV,o«u "";:"*aiy- fc'hall I nng for fresh tea ? " No thank you. I have just got Arrovvsmith'., hill u IS a little startling. The fact i. Pn,-^ \ n^ ^* up. I do„. ohoL tot'::Af ;i::,t :r: s She shrugged her shoulders. " How can T Hraw • u That disgustmg smilax woman i, trying to get monlvoj of me ; and vesterdav T ImH o u** / ^ money out " Did you refer him to her father ? " Fergus took a turn up and down the room. Of course you will let Mrs Galbraith alone," he said • morniBg. mJI? 'r,%e.i*»Ji^;;-'°°W that thi. Mi. TWO WORLDS MEET. 169 Unlike Enid opened it. » Well ! " she said. " So this is the next move, is it ? Listen, Pearson, — "'Dear Aunt Enid, " ' I want very much to see you alone please for a few minutes. I will call to-morrow evening about half-past seven. I won't give my name to the servant. " ' Your afifectionate niece, " ' WlLHELMINA GaLBRAITH.' " So the smilax-creature employs a tool this time,— thinks I can't decently refuse money to my own flesh and blood What do you think of that ? " The confidential maid was too discreet to commit herself. " It is almost half -past seven now," she said. " Rather cool to fix her own time for a begging interview I have a great mind not to see her. You won't go, of course, Pearson. She takes her chance of finding me engaged." A few minutes later Wilhelmina was ushered" in. Enid realized for the first time on seeing her that the child had at least shown some tact in not giving her name. " Well, Wilhelmina," she said with a little nod ; " you have called very near dinner-time, but Pearson is nobody IS she? You won't mind her doing my hair while you talk ? Wilhelmina was trembling visibly, and her voice shook like a reed. " It is right that Pearson should be here," she said. Then there feU a painful silence. Mrs Dalrymple was determined not to help her niece out. " I hope you are quite well, aunt Enid ? " "Yes, thank you," was the dry response ; "but I don't thmk you called to ask me that." " No. Aunt Enid, do you remember your visit to Windv- haugh ? " -^ " I have not forgotten it." Wm she going to be a«ked at thi.H dip.tance of time to pay for a week'H »Joard . But the next words took her breath t I > II 170 WINDYHAUGH. I 'I 3 hand ana I w. ar„ia to J, ,^\tT»,,X°* water. Person gave me a chance to confess, but I irda reef".. tS^M-sI^'^' ^"■', *• *'" ™» ^ "" T? • 1 • , , ' ^^"- J^ wanted to tell vnn " far .00 Preocc^^r'to"; ntll'Taf rr """ ?' "^ missib e for a roun^ „i,i » / '" ^^ely per- truding on her eS f „b " "°° '^ '°=''" '""«"<' b/i"- that of their Lt rood' r'^r" " "'*""' "^"^ '™ aunt chose to J, Z!l„ ? ^"^ "'" ''"''^^ ""at, if her them convention ,rHr;S°cr ""'^ '"■»"■"<> "'-er that was tmo withL bX too SmIvT' '" "f " '''='* meant a moral effort almo.? If'"'™'? personal, and this the original confZion *""'" ""» """ "'"""ed i„ would har 0"t of course I RKQUIESCAT. 173 can't go. We have got this house on our hands, and we have two lodgers upstairs." He looked aghast. " But you are a great deal too young to have the management of servants." " Yes," she said simply with a faint hi " We have no servants just now." He was far too kindly a gentleman to .. at her hands but for a few moments he saw nothing else. Poor Rhoda ' 1 our, poor Rhoda ! " Surely," he said, " under the circumstances, these— the.se people will have the decency to leave at once." " Oh, I hope not ! " she cried in genuine distress. "My dear child," he said kindly, "why should you take the world on your shoulders ? You must not be morbid \on must remember that Mrs-Mrs Galbraith is not your mother." "^ Wilhelmina's face hardened. " My father married her," she said quietly. « I couldn't leave her. Besides-she is all i ve got. She looked so near tears again that he took alarm. " Is t here anything you would like me to do for you 1 " he said, rising as he .spoke. She blusfied deeply. "I don't think so, unless-unless you could rind my father. He ought to know " " Of course he ought ! And, if he is to be found,— I'll undertake to find him." Thankful to have a definite course of action before him he hastened out of the hou.se, and his hansom was bowling along the Edgware Road before he remembered that he had meant to give Wilhelmina a five pound note "No matter," he said to himself. "There is no use tinkering at that God-forsaken establishment. We will send ner to school in spite of herself." hr-^.l^Z Tt' f "' ^"^ «^"ii«siou to hospital, Mrs Gal- br.aitb died. Both medicine and surgery did much to relieve her symptoms ; but at this stage they could not give her the if m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 150 lal 153 1.4 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 150mm V

T O 7 /^PPLIED_^ IIV14GE . Inc ^S^ 1653 East Main Street .^= 1: Roctiester, NY 14609 USA -^= '~ Phone: 716/482-0300 .=r.^= Fax: 716/288-5989 1993, Applied Image, Inc., All Rights Reserved ^N ^\'ns^ 'o" ^5:-^^ ^ w ^^ M. -. /.A ^ 1 1'.'"! 174 WINDYHAUGH. wlm death o^fT, ''""'•^"^' «'" ^'^ «"« ^^ *hose to shehad nK K ' "'' '"'""' ""'y- ^^' '=«»«idered that she had always been a good woman, as women go • and she her mind to the prospect of eternal peace and joy She re cogmzed that life had given her mucl. that JaJgood. f t had given her evd also ; and her last days were bri^h ened by frequent visits from her husband. Slie almost ignored Wilhelmma m her joy at seeing him again. He mf de no w7dVn ^^••,^PPT'-g death, but she found bo"h com- fort and fellowship in his quiet suggestion of "You to-dav rgtnir j ft \'^''ri-'^^^^^^^ respectX slfe urged him to "follow her." He had a curious feeling that he had expected ^11 this from the moment he first mf t he seven years before. ^^^ And so she slipped quietly away Truly Enid had well named her the smilax woman f Was he not born to look fragile and charming-while she clung to a firm support m the sunshine? Jiequiescat. ^ CHAPTER XXIV. A NEW DEVELOPMENT. " I call it simple spite," said the leading girl. « If it ha/l caT r T' ",' ^'^° '''' or ery-ef/-what you ma^ call,-but mumps! It is too ridiculous." ^ etti sTatTh'"' T '^" "'""T' ^'^' ^"'i *^« ^olo'^i-l brun- ette seated herself on one of the battered posts with her shoulders. « It wi] be a wonder if it doesn't go the round of he school now," she observed pessimistically "Donotbes%/ What are we to cZo ?" I iHlMlliftllMWiMii — «M« A NEW DEVELOPMENT. 175 The dark head waved despondently from side to side. " We'll never get anyone like Miss Smith. Her cheek was sublime " A peal of laughter greeted this unconscious sally. " A you mean," said some one, inflating her own cheeks to indicate the predominant symptom of the complaint from which the invalid was suffering. But the brunette went on undisturbed. " and her rosy face and snub nose weie worth a fortune." "Miss Smith is pretty," said a quiet-loolcing girl, nick- named "the quakeress." The brunette rose from her post, drew herself up, and knocked a ball idly across the lawn with her mallet. " Did I say she wasn't 1 " Then she turned to the elegant person who had opened the conversation. "What about Miss Galbraith 1 " " Miss Galbraith ? She is too lean and lanky." " She is not half so lean and lanky as she was." "And stupid." " You say that because she had never heard of Peter the Hermit. You home folks need a year in the colony to teach you what stupidity means. / say Miss Galbraith has spunk. Besides nobody else has memory enough to learn the part in the time. She knows six hundred dates by heart already." "Monsieur says her French accent is the best in the school," said the quakeress. Unlike that of the brunette, her championship lost a good deal of its value by being exer- cised universally and on principle. " What is the use of an accent when you don't know your verbs?" enquired the leading girl. She seated herself on the bank that enclosed the lawn. " Fetch iMiss Galbraith " she said. ' Of course some one ran to do her bidding. A girls' school is the i)lace p,tr excellence where human beings are taken at their own valuation. Wilhelmina was soon discovered poring over hor books in the shade of an old lime tree. If even a school-fellow had 176 WiNDYHAUGir. I>H m ^ijil ■(■!!i: ■t.; rif leff fiP,. fn 7 , ^® '''*"'" look of anxiety had We rbir, ^"^ ^^"'^ ^^-/^ - g'-- that a streL of ncsn sweet bloorl wascoursing through her veins. The effect rom a phy.cal point of view was^as when a ligl t s S 1 ehmd an ala aster column. Oh, the beauty of ^she We sheer youth, sheer health ! ' "Miss Gaibraith," said the leading girl serenely "we want you to take Miss Smith's part in^the play " " " OrTcSr !^ "'^ ^rf T'""'' '^ ^yilMnL's face, wu, I can t ! she cried terrified. The leading girl turned to the brunette. " I thou-ht vou said she had spunk." t"ougnt you fro^^^Tr"'' "'! ''''^'^"° ^''''^^ ^"'i her mall.t to and forr^°""'said \tu T""" ^°"' ""^*''"S "f *- kind be- Z,~7 r ,^^^"»^'"""a- She did not reckon the dra- ma ic Sunday schools and funerals as something of the kind ginlgZ.'-'"''' '' ''-' ''''^'^' ^- *h« ^h-e of £ " and I know I should fail." the part, the rest of us will undertake to make it go " The speaker natu,-aly considered her own rendering of .he p in! cipa r.le sufficient of itself to ensure the succes's of the pie"e \\ilhelm,na looked very unhappy. To tell the honesi truth there were several pa.ts in the play which she hS often imagined herself taking with great'effect Tbut the o^ n .juesnon was-or so she fancied-utterly ant pathetic -a sort of saucy soubrette part in which the actr ss mus be content to forego her dignity wholly thZlir "^''^^' ^^'^'^ ^*^'' -^ *h« ^-keress sy^p. " It is." « But you see you must sacrifice either yourself or the others, lou know nobody else could learu it in time'' iCS-l-WB A NEW DEVELOPMENT. have been nxiety had i stream of The effect ?ht is held sheer life, lely, " we ina's face. •ught you let to and o commit kind be- the dra- the kind. 36 of be- througu '." The he prin- le piece. ! honest she had the one etic, — a nust be sympa- or the me." 177 in r'n*!"!'"* T'"""'"!: ^'' '•'"«'°"« "f« ^'^« by no means TJzV:^:Scr '^^ *'" ^- ^ '---' *^^* --^^^ -- The leading girl rose. " Give her the book, somebody " she said^ "Rehearsal to-morrow. Miss Galbraith ; " and takmg the arm of the brunette, she strolled away. deaTh%"hr ^'^ ^''" "'^^ "^ ''''' ^- stepmother'.s death. There was no organic disease,-only the severe anemia whch so often befalls girls of her age • and it mu be admitted that she had more excuse for it t'han mos Tl e doctor had ordered her to the seaside, and, as Windyhauih .as aga^n let, Mr Galbraith had sent her in Ann'schi^^t quiet lodgings m an unknown place on the coast. Mere she read many relig.ous books of a sentimental kind, and toy d of her it tX 'Vr^^ ^^^ ^* *^'« I-t-^J- period her but he reasons for this werr mainly physiological. a i5r ^ M ' T^ '^ ''' ^''°"« ^^y^ ^-"d found her readin.. Id bn J. '' «^f ^^'^y- ^-bstantial pile of sermons, tract^ and booklets. A cunoas little sn.ile flitted across his face as he turned over the pages of one of these. Was he th nk ing of a time when he too had passed that way ? Sh! T *', ?V^' '"^' ^^'^' ^"'"* ^ " ^' ^-^id reflectively She thought he was reierring to her death, but he had something very different in mind. He had liUle affection fo her. and yet he was disappointed that a daughter o his should be turning out so poor and bloodless I thing At least I left her a free hand," he used to say, "and I only wish my parents had done as much for me " He forgot that when he married the "smilax woman," he val scarce y leaving his daughter a free hand. He ;as Lke ^ hohc enough to appreciate religion, but not when tla^ aymZr" '' '^"^ '"^''^ °"« °^ ^ *-" ^^ P^S At the end of a few months Wilhelmina showed so little unprovemeut that the doctor changed his tactics, and .ient M 178 WINDYHAUGir, ill her to a scliool, recoiniuended by Mrs Carlton, on the Yorkshire n.oors It was not a first-clas,s establishment at a 1 , but. partly for that very reason, it just chanced to •suit the pat.ent. The headmistress was a woman of no exceptional culture ; but she was kind and sensible, and her mam object was to make her girls healthy and '-.appy ^one of the pupils belonged to really smart families, and many were the daughters of Anglo-Indians of moderate means. When Wilhelmina first arrived, she marvelled, with the tolerant superionty of a child of light, at the importance the others a tached to their meals. Before she had been at he school a month, .she was munching her bread and butter with the best, and rejoicing as much as anyone at the appearance of a popular pudding. Regaining thus her grip of life, she began to feel that earthly ideals and ambitions are not such utter dross as she had supposed. What had been shadow took on substance • wha had been substance faded-alas ?-tc shadow. She ielt keenly her own want of education, and worked hard to supply her deficiencies. These indeed were not so glaring as might have been supposed. In an average girls' school ot those days it was not easy to be remarkable for mere Ignorance. _ When the hour of the rehearsal arrived, she was almost sick with nervousness; and yet she would have been sorry to withdraw. She was only asked to be word-perfect,- to walk through the part." She would do something.more • she would surpass even Miss Smith. The ambition that had kept her awake in the old days, repeating French vowel sounds that she might astonish Mademoiselle by her pro- ficiency, was fairly fired now; and she meant to astonish them all. Of course she began badly. Indeed she found it as much as she could do to repeat like a lesson the words that fell to her share. Presently she saw a meaning glance pass between the leading girl and the brunette, and she felt that she hated t 't Bill"! f on, on the )lishment at chanced to mian of no nsible, and and '-.appy. .milies, and '■ moderate , with the importance had been bread and '^one at the feel that OSS as slic substance : low. Slie i hard to 50 glaring ris' school for mere 15 almost een sorry •feet,— to fig. more : ;ion that ch vowel her pro- astonish as much It fell to between 16 hated A NEW DEVELOPMENT. 179 them both. Rtung to desperation, she flashed back a pert retort with a vivacity that surprised herself. ".5mm/" cried the English master who had come un- noticed into the room to see how his pupils were getting on. fi I lf::'T'J''^''- "Behold how great a flame a little fire kindleth. P rom that moment Wilhelmina had her cue If audacity was what th.y wanted, audacity they should have. She felt that she had struck a new and unsuspected vein of ore m her own character and disposition. On the evening of the performance several of her school- fellows told her she was looking pretty, and that put the crowning touch to her new-found self-confidence Why after al should she not be like other girls, and beat them, if sue could, on their own ground ? All day the pupils had been busy decorating the large schoolroom with flowers and bracken, and evening brought quite a gay assemblage of local people to see the play nJlr'yf Tl 1""^" ""'' ^''^' '^^''^' *° the wholesome outdoor ife that hardened the nerve of the players, it was acted with more eixect than might have been the case in a more pretentious school. Wilhelmina's part was an attrac- ^r^T'^.'?- '"''^■' ^"^ '^' '''^'''''^y "^^^l« th« niost of it. Wk " T T- "' ^r ^'^' '^' ^^""y ^'' h^^^^lf g«. tossing back her fine hair-which the dresser had transformed into a magnificent aureole-and dropping mock curtseys with an «6««^o;. that surprised herself, and a kitten-like grace that surprised everyone else. The dancing-master hfd appre- ciated her possibilities from the first, and was proud to see his expectations fulfilled. When in due course she was called before the curtain, she received as hearty an ovation as the leading girl herself and a bouquet W.S thrown at her feet. For a mo'ment she seemed uncertain what to do ; then she picked it up. curtseyed, smiled a shy childlike smile that was very fascinating,_ani made Poor little Wilhelmina ! She had such long arrears to make ui,. It xs no wonder if this draught of trumpery H •I f, J '^'^' 180 WINDYHAUGH. i success intoxicated her A« on fi mother's death and of 1. • "''^""" "^ '^^'- g^^"'^- «>y «lie never acrerbefore * " O ' " '""'" "'*■ "Th"? " And such an atfr,.? , ^""^ " "■""kaMe gift ! " Then a »ert"„; 2^.^?° ''^l" *' '"^'^ """* -^• ■mportanee not to n.ate ,1 '""'"' y°<"=<>i«<:"ous of ite »en had existed JtVonlvTth "■ """""> ^°""« leading girl and tlie brunett. I """""^'""^ of the and, now that ma^ulilT,"'' "'"' ™'= "M" 'h™ her,.if , ■^he had no idTw to S "'ir*"'' " ""=='P'«'='»'^ will, she found herse f ,«1k1 ' f '"'"" »'*"■" h'' own a-s you are not going home." """^ ^^"^ ^""^ay.s The grey dormitory struck rhiu ,, . Wilhelmina slipped he ±1 Z '" '^'' ^'"""^^ ^^^e- "WelV'shesaid^thxJfrm: . • °' *^^ 'l"^^-^-- n^e to do it. Did I do it wellT' '"'""• " ^^«^ ^^^d wSSnt^^--^ AW months before, t- and a reproach to her ^d nl^ '' '"^ ^ -W What «.e you. Wilhelmina r- she said. P ^1 T e<^?Sfina.-ia^ her grand- ■y Street, so hour or two ih. " They iWe gift ! " people say. 3 be intro- was more cious of its rto young >ns of the m herself ; xpectedly, ; her own I taken in began to iracter. tionateJy, He says holidays ijig life, lakeress. "ou told before, inspira- LOOKING iOHWARD. 281 CHAPTER XXV. LOOKING FOKWAKD. It Avas evening, and slie was swaying idly to and fro as she leaned against the bough of an old apple tL in 1 1. orch. nT ^tX^ "'"'^ ^"' ''''-''-^ -^^--' ^ I'^^t- The quakeress had had much cause to mourn over her T„ . .1 . itivour, tlie genuine r nf was .'nnp In trn 1, she was a wonder to l.erselt al tin, tin^ Sl^Td not bimk the fact that she was a backslider fi i and the note, of the o,-ga„ ,,se a d f " ,, ° n"' mony, the tears would rush to her eve, Jd ''"""'"V prayer for " reconciliation » would "^'^ '^f ."" '"Vf"^-' She did not really ex,,cet an a i r „" 'hi " SI. "T''^- to exercise violence, Twres'le nW,f l/'T "" """"« possess the Kingdom, rediscov re tLatl .™"' T llielm.na'.s residence at The young girl hesitated. « I don'f i, . • I often think of son.e of the thin.. 1 , """^ ''"" ^''y ^^-^'J- smiled, n can't fancy hratTnMr''^^""'^^^ «^« ;; ^« it .a pretty place ? '' '"'^^'uugh at all. " "I think so. I ha von 'f „ -s full of mysterious iffV':'"? ' ^'' ^ ^^'''''- It continued with another smile '< I caTf'^''"; ^ ^^^'"^-''' «he " You look as if you cou d f„ ^'' ^^'"" "«^^-" you mustn't be sur,' i e^ ^htlT^^^ f"'"^''^' "'^- ^-^' -^ f/onally. It i, a iueer c eature i "• '" "^^ ^'^^'^'^^ «^^a- 'tely that we forge! its very e.' C'''^" T^^ "^ «« ^'^fin- as naturally as if it had been tW w'. '"'^ '^^'" ^^'^1'1'^«'« had a niother to take care of von * f'" v'"" ^ ^^^ >'"« «ensible,-live a great delltr' ''• • ^ "" '""'''t »>- very I -nt you to n.at the itrof^;:;:;;^ ^^ ^-p strong' i mean to" w;i», i • ^"""^'^eii. P'acency. She' could ee Xt^I" 5" ? ^'^^^ «^ -^^^^^^^^ her a very attractive girl Sh! ''^'°"'""«tre,s.s .orisidered with thi, for Mrs Suis was "fa d" " '^'^ ^^^ -"te:' but the old whisper of the Z^Z^^^^'^!^^ -«"- ; I>n Ganreu-haltet euch «« ir ? f '"''''"""^'^ ear,- «tnve to get the feelin^Veeip tTted ' '"' '^'° "'"-^^ "-^^ " M,ss Burnet-" she referred til. '" "'?"''• quakeress, «-thinks I hal d. *''""' ^"°^" as the ^^Irs Sumniers did not rll f ""'''^' ^^'^'^•" -certain whether to r p f a't 7" V'/Zr' '^^'^ ^^^d TTf' ;W"king her mis ress saw thro ff'"""^ ^^"^^^d but the lady w^s too well accus omed t S Y' ''"'« ^"««; any attention to them as such '' ^'"'"^ ^"««« to pay' y^-^^^^^lottl;^::^^^ "r -t make up -your little bit of sociau"e^e3sl"l . ?"^ ^^°^"^-'ty because you fancied it lay out o '^T u ^^^'^"^^^^^ to you ^ Is It not a thing that ■ssed hetween residence at im very well, tome." She all." a child. It t'ji'ik," .she now." 'y f^ear, and faced occa- 3ff so defin- 1 reajjpears I wish you list be very eej) strong. f self-corn- '•onsidered -n content « ^voinan ; I's ear, — Ust needs n as the 3 seemed blushed Je ruse; to pay ake up Jularity to you aluable g that LOUKINU FOKWAKD. j^g for a stone, and had received brearl. ^ '"'^''^ It was a long time before she si,oke tJidVattf ^°""*- '^■" '" - '«'-'■ *" .*.■.. The mistress rose to her fppt wifj, o . m nuher ask why I have s^Id kno^f ""'^■- '"^ ''''''' •Ti8 an awkward thing to play with souls, And matter enough to save one's own.' Oood-night, little girl, good-night ! " u.'XK-rj'.i'-s-'' ■"■-'"■"'• ■• fainl golden af.ergW^a^d ;vL\d H ! '"^f'T"''' """ her cheeks. She ivas tTlT ""''"«' '«"" "" her oo™plieatedeZ.e„u:"j:::L:l,r' "-"'■■= ™ the day one after another rf 1™ X ■"" .T? f seized the opportunity to thj..! """^ ''"""» had sj.vly her hand. The quakerlts haTa™" ""'"'" '='''«''" '"'» the choice of hers Tt , ° «™' self-rMlraint in book, r.h flyJeaf of ThiT''"'^ " """'' '-«■«— ed J. B." with the date T, "T '"'"*'=<'• " "■ «• f'-om ^ add a teJXttd liirirthetr' ""y''^''''"' it would prove the lelo" Lr ' " ""'' "" '">"'" '"" om-tokltped'tr'rTnr- T'"^"^ "°"' "■'" " WpII f)io,r J ^ , ^ ^" *^® *"k, and began v>eu ttiey are over — thesp tvL-r. r,„, ■ ° irreligious yer :'s ! ^^^"^ '^^''^''^^^' '^^^fish, :.f ^11 ilif '■;! : r"f I. ■1^ f ! I '^ 186 WINDYHAUGII. to me ! If thev coulrl n.}Tt i ^'"'^ everyone has been again. "ciijn) sue tooJi up her peji "I. Tojml my h,na once more l„ l/„ j,/o„,,/, « .JlnLr "'-'""'^ « ^ '*-- - "» dee,. ,p.,„„ condemn thee.' •' ^ ' Neither do I y- ^° '^^ °i^e to old Af r Darsie. nu'trn r r t;',! t:t ^'-' ■"™ j- - ->' «■» wrote at tl,e e„d,_^ "" «""'"« ™y ''«v,-, so «I,e "God helpinff me AniPn • " j , orae. Amen, and so betook herself to bed. I i 'I'l I (11 CHAPTER XXVI. A TRANSFORMATION. Wilhelmina did not read dnrinrr fi • and experience had not yet taul* ' '?"'"'^ "^"* ^^3^' emotions by forgettin^r tiff .J- , ' *° ^^'onomize her things that^erftfo^;iLtrreSi: d^b'^^^^^^^^ ''^ --ver, received their due share ii! II ' ot I too know yone has been 1 in my heart ! jain— Wilhel- up my loins, aim at.' " !rchief to lier k up her pen ■ep spiritual '■ "ly father ; is pursuits; : about." 3 help her. ^either do I II to finish round the ivy, so she lelf to bed. A TRANSFORMATION. 187 ext day, iiize her id. The ue share of attention. She saw Windyhaugh,— big, mysterious and imposing, as it lingered in the memory of the child ; she felt the gloom of the shrubbery, and of the old divines mdoors; and she pictured her father, languid, cultured, melancholy, vainly striving to lounge in her grandmother's high-backed chair. To this scene enter Wilhelmina, fresh and buoyant, with a fair knowledge of cooking-had she not learned the trite saymg concerning the way to men's hearts ?— and some skill in the arrangement of flowers. At this point in her vision the dreamer broke off to recall the precise recipe for a cheese muffle, and, having impressed It on her mind, she returned with a glad rebound to the region of romance. How long, how mournful, were the summer evenings at Windyhaugh ! How they played on one's heart-strings like the wailing note of a violin ! In winter she could picture the curtains drawn, and herself curled up by a bright wood fire, reading Carlyle or Ruskin to her father; but how should she exorcise the weird spirits of a summer evening ? She saw herself approach the old spinnet, and charm" a minuet from its quavering keys with such dignity and pathos that her father paused, cigar in hand, at the ivied window to listen ; but this was passing beyond the bounds of legitimate romance. She was well aware that her piano had little in common with David's harp. Fortunately she did at least read aloud well. The accomi^lishment was a poor one, no doubt, but everyone said it was hers. She was horrified to feel some slight return of her old shyness and gaucherie now that the meeting with her father was so near. ^Vhatever happened she must not give in to that. Better be saucy, forward, even audacious, than shy In a dozen different ways she pictured the meeting. Would he be kind and make things easy for her? — or would he be gloomy, mysterious, far-off? "In any case my business is to make him hai.py," said Wilhelmina. She never doubted that ho would come to Queensmains to 'if nil !i « iii . HI '<' .11 t I , t I? 188 WINDYHAUGH. WifdjtV"' "■" '"« '^'^ '-y °» ^ hand, at It was a golden summer evenin^r ti, w an attractive one, with brilli/n/j. ^^^'^'^ '^^« ''at^er banks trimly laid outTn a i "^^"»" «°-e.^^^ and oi country folk, a few r ' rentlt''''" p 'f^""- ^ ^"'"'^^^ groom in top-boots stoodT thfl.? ''' ^°""*^' ^^^ ^ braith's unmistakable figure would t™" ^'"^'^^ «^^- them all-had it been there ^"'"''"''^ ^'^^^^ Wilhelmina lifted her smoll i and walked to the door oTL f !^' '"* °^ *^« ^^^"age, father had sent a fly '' ''"''°" *« «^e whether he; i'f dog-cart. Wilhelmina did no. ''"f '^""^"=" ^ «»^-rt ^ady's whip fell on her ^rm witi a 0^ ^'. '' *^'« ^'" *^- been accidental. ^ ^^^ '^'^^ that might have " mT. t' ^f''^ ^"^ ^'"a^ement. Miss Evelyn !" she said. ^p-fdT^^^^ ;:t^t"h^- "- - ^- What a fool he is - " ^'^ ^'^"^ y»»r s»"all things J-t tell hhn, w.^1 you^^to lolfalir^^ ^^^^^""^ '" ^^^^''^-^^^ «pirit:drr:ri:f-- - i;;-d b^^ a.., the high. --a ventured another qucftion ''^ '^'°^^ ^^^"^^I" "AtV'nVhT"h~^'''^"' has quite 'rhLTf?i7vtito?s11y'"^T^ Your father Brydon, my aunt and my If C T\,''f''^'' «"d Mrs your cousin Hugh." ^ ' ^^' ^^^"^^-^ I>alrymple and Wilhelmina frampr? o^j she said quietly, *^ '"'J^'^*^'^ a dozen questions before «Oh"yout"'"'^^^°"^"fi"dtodo-' Uh, you know your father added a bil Jilliard-i oom when he his hands at on was ratner r-baskets and • A number county, and a George Gal- vered above ;he carriage, whether her 3 best place ng a smart this till the might have you have ill things. :oi>boots ? -he high- 3 Wilhel- ^r father ind Afrs pie and s before 'hen he A TRANSFORMATION. 189 rebuilt the stables ; and none of us happen to be difficile. Mr Galbraith has an extraordinary gift for bringing the right people together." There was no reply. Wilhelmina did not ask the actress where her father had got the money for all this. Obviously she must wait and let the information come by degrees. " It was very kind of you to come and meet me," she said. " Oh, I love bowling along these level roads, and Oxford is a dear. Just look at him ! " It was not a little to Miss Evelyn's credit that, although she had now been on the stage for the best part of a decade, there was nothing about her that proclaimed, or even strongly suggested, the actress. The sailor hat and well-cut gown might have been worn by any lady whose purse was deep enough to admit of such effective simplicity. The smiling country looked its best in the mellow evening light. This was the hour when the level rays of the sun single out each blade of grass with a shaft of light and a trailing shadow. And so Wilhelmina came back to Windyhaugh. ^ Her heart beat hard as they drove under the lime trees. The plantation was in its vesper mood, and yet she was sur- prised to see it so overgrown. " Is Tail-o'-the-week stiil alive ? " she asked ''Who?" Miss Evelyn was preoccupied with the endeavour to draw up in an impressive fashion before the door, so Wilhelmina did not repeat the question. But think of a Windyhaugh that knew not Tail-o'-the-week ! A smart parlour-maid opened the door before the groom had time to ring. Wilhelmina fancied she had seen the face before, and a moment later she said in amazement, " Jane 1 " " Yes, mi.ss, Jane," was the self-complacent reply, " and delighted to welcome you back." There w.as .a note of familiarity in the greeting that chilled the young girl. « Neither do I condemn thee," indeed 1 190 w I' h'' I , it lii 'III ■]!; f^ ' Hi ' m WINDYHAUGH. low that dusty face would 1^^"^™" ''«™' «''= ^new "Don't waii'>,,l"°°H •"'"" ^'^S" 0^'bmiA. >■« ready i„ kt;) Jt ur'- "" '" ''"''"'"™- " ^-er will "J«;t/" cried Wilh^fm " *^^ one-time nursery, the old friend^; „e!k""'""^^ ^^^ ^^^ Aung her arms round "^^o\v, missy, c/o;i'^ em" said A., the arms, anjl setting hef 0^1 . "T'^^' ""*^'^"ing quiver of its muscles "Youv/ T.^'*^ ''^ ^^^^^^^^ the you for that. You're no' wantL'ln . '"^"^' '''^^'' ^'^^'^ eyed, an' a' thae folk therH" ^° "" *^ '^^"°«'- •"^d- Wilhelmina nodded erf>ft.f,,u i "You'll come and Jt XtflTt '''''' f "^^^ the tears. I come up to bed ? " ' °" ^ ^°"' ^''^ ^^d, " when "I will that." ttat white , Jk J,™" veV::!/.. *° ^*''- " O^, ye^ «y, that i8 the very best thin. IVe ■ ''™ '" ■"'"" *•" >- are looking to be there first." ^"'™«-"'"»- Q"'*- It is tet n a„ arawhair-no, Mrs O t !, ,"?.'™' '"thgat en.,e beoomingly dressed ,1 a vel * ^t » mVf '" "'"'- A TRANSFORMATIOX. 191 ontiniied the light, and Wilhohiiina could not see the expression of his face ; but he held out his left liand without a word, and she went up to him. Hei heart was beating as if it would choke her. A moment later he had drawn her close, and his arm was round her. Then he leaned his head on the back of his chair to got a better view of her fresh young face, and the light from the window accentuated his iron-grey hair, his fine forehead and well-cut nose. "Glad to come to m'e ? " he asked simply ; and, such was the magnetism of his pre- sence, that she answered truthfully, " Yes." Father and daughter formed a charming picture when the guests assembled in the drawing-room ; and 'Sir Galbraith was by no means insusceptible to the well-disguised surprise with which Ronald and Hugh regarded the new arrival. The dinner, though simple, was perfectly cooked and served. One advantage of Mr Galbraith's roving life was that he could usually put his hand on the thing he wanted, and now he had picked up a youth of unusual promise] whose health had broken down while he was working under a well-known ch^f, but who was abundantly equal to°a light situation in the country. The conversation turnod mainly on horses; and when Wilhelmina's first angui.sh of shyness was over, she gathered that her father and Mr Dalrymple each kept a racer in the stable. What would Grannie say ] The question was con- stantly in her mind, but fortunately she had sense enough now to keep it there. The afterglow lingered long that night, and the ladies were still on the terrace in their soft fluffy wraps when the gentlemen came out from dinner. The air was fragrant with coffee, and Miss Evelyn was smoking a dainty cigarette. As was not unusual, Ronald had taken a little more wine than was good for him, and now he went straight up to Wilhel- mina. " Doosid pretty girl ! " he said, putting his hand caress- ingly under her chin. It was the first time any mau save her father had touched ; I 192 WlNDYirAUGFT. This young ]ady hanpen^rb, ' '"^'''^"- " ^'^^^ off I He stretched himsplf ^^ Property." - l^er face with a v ! ^LlT ^^?" ^^^*' ^^^ looked up And so it came ahoutlTwi,rf '• to s]eep,-nor did shf WisL i; ""' '^? '"^ ^^>' ^-^elf ^■'th her tears. She was df.^ I u P'""' ""^ ^'' °«^ diary l^er own father ^^''^''^' bewildered, channed,^by kisuk: r CHAPTER XXVII. GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. '^^^ZS;::iZZ:^ ^-i^es. eager to see eye. were about to si hoi it "S '"l 7^' ^''''' ^""«»« How small everythin^ooW .t^f case, and the hall ! The shrnhh .7 f ''''''"' *^« «tair- n^ind as a forest was but a i', u^ ^'' ' ''' ""''^ '" ""'' growth and trees. Even thl ''^ .'^°*^'''^ ^'^t^ under- Jike the ocean than of o,d ''""' '""'^ "^'^^ ^"°ked less Except for the addition of the bilU. a was almost unchanged. Those of Jf ^''^■'•°°"^' '^' house offended Mr GalbraithWas idL^ ! TT'^^'^ *^** had and a few comfortable ^r^^Zl^T ^'^ ^^^° ^^"'^'^^d, the old furniture remained tlT n ''" ^"troduced; but the woodwork andTtt n1; w Jt'^^^^^^^^^^ The garden too was neglected. Tail o'th "'I* ^' ''P'"' and, although his successor boked t 1? 7''^ ^"« ^^d, everything seemed tangled and ove^^^^^^ stated intervals, that the ma.„ .terest of the ^^on^ZrJlJZtX blush, and a ' with an in- " Hands off! 1 looked up ' cry herself new diary irmed, — by GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. 193 ?er to see 'e curious he stair- fc in her 1 undsr- ked less 8 house hat had 'moved, d; but by, and repair. I dead, ervals, bvioua tablea. The new buildings were not really remarkable, but to Wil- helmina's untrained eyes the roomy well-ventilated loose boxes were magnificent, and the coach-house and harness- room, weU lighted and lined with varnished wood, seemed quite palatial. She would have spent a long time examinimr every detail, but the sight of the men filled her with terror! She had never seen people look so knowing, so sure of them- selves and their world. Charles was not quite so alarming, but the impish jockey and important stud-groom made her feel herself a shy little guest at Windyhaugh. There was no lock now on the garden gate, and, once with- in the high enclosure, she well-nigh forgot the changes that had taken place. Once more the fruit was ripening on the ruddy brick walls : once more the crisp brown shoots and crimson blooms of the roses stood out against the opalescent water away down below. At the far end of the garden stood the old arbour, approached by a flight of steps, and command- ing a fine view of the estuary Wilhelmina seated herself on the wooden bench with a long sigh. She had scarcely had time" to collect her thoughts when Hugh appeared. At this period of his life he cherished a hopeless passion for Miss Evelyn ; but as that lady would not be downstairs for hours, he was willing to talk to his cousin. "It's awfully nice to see you again, Vilma," he said, seating himself on the worm-eaten step at her feet. " Mav I smoke ? " ' "Yes," she said doubtfully, " if you want to." "Do you remember," he went on, as if searching in the dimmest recesses of his memory, "a visit we paid to you here, ages and ages r o?" Wilhelmina laughed gleefully. "Oh, yes. I remember it very well." " Windyhangh has rather changed since those days " "It has indeed." " Mean to say you like the old style better 1 " She smiled. "I don't quite know yet what the new style is." N 194 u n.'|- §i 'H m WlNDYHAUGa W^e're all boolrtd «U about ;*„ and Ar/E^fl:° 'Sr^ I ™"' '° ^- going to be a soldier!" "' '^''« yu ««Ujr His brow clouded. " T hon twice, but I think I am 2ltl\f! I"^""" ^'"'^ ^^''''Shed miss Woolwich. I can stiTl h? ^ ^°' °"^* ^^^^e. If I course the arm^ 3 n^ fu" unL? ' '7 ^' ^-^^h^-t. but o Koyal Artillei/" ""^''' '^"''^ commission is in the the meantime^ if T '„ '^^^P^^t, and then he sighed «I„ exam.— T' ' ''" °°^^ ^^^^^P^ through this infernal f-Pty.'you Lw.lnd f:SCo *^^"'-^"i^ry Topo- tind of thing." mortification and Tactics and that Her eyes grew large " Thnf o^ j "No doubt a girl would W . '^^ ^''"^ *'«*^-" -ild horses wouMnrprlnt a n "^ ' "'"• "^^^ ^^ paused, and abided refleS! »V! ^^ P^««'"g ««^-" He "And how are Aunt S^' I^n"' °" *^^ ^'^^"^ '"ight." lovely as he was ? I alw^^ u"d f^ '^ I '' ^^^^'^ «*"^ - read that poem of Wor^r^^slt^LwilL"^ '^"^ ^''^ ^ "'Heavenliesaboutuainourinflncy' you know,— and then,— e.oar;^2:'r^---e. "Hedoesn..^, P-..,abo.. x.„.,;,'-t4^^^^^^^ reguSri;';?'' "'" °°™ ^" °H "ess he, , She is a GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. m " She's beautiful. I often think of that first night when 1 lay m bed, and listened to her voice." "You've an awfully nice voice of your own, now," he looks"* you contribute your share to the family good He watched the rosy colour creep over her face at his words, and wished he could write and tell his mother how pretty she was; but, although Enid knew her son was m Scotland with Ronald, the Windyhaugh part of the programme had been suppressed. " I ^ S^' ^"^'^ •' " '^^^ Wilhelmina. " Don't you think we should go m to breakfast ? " 1^ ^^'uf ^ J^'"'' ^'"' ""'^^^ ^^* "« ^a^« a kiss first." She looked unhappy, not wishing to seem ungracious. "Do youV"'*'' ^°' ^''''°^'" '''" '^'^ hesitatingly at last. "It is an overrated pastime as a rule, I admit; but in dt r;7h7r;" ""' ''' ^°"'"^' ^^^ ''^^-- ^^« -- «^"- chUd^fn.''''""''"'"'* """ ''"''"' ^'""'^ ^^^'^ ^« ^^'« "What a memory you have! and what a fool I must have been ! I remember you were a regular martinet,- kept me m no end of good order. I can believe that j^ou wouldn't let me kiss you." ^ J^l^!Tt"^ ..''* "g^*-^«^''*«dly. «I wish I could feel sure that the objection was entirely on my side in those "I know I feel very sure whose side the objection is on now. Don't be stifi;Vilma; " ' M'e twa hae paidl'd in the bum,' you know, and all that sort of thing." Wilhelmina's eyes bubbled over with elee "True I "she said,- ^ And there's a hand, my trusty fiero t And gie's a hand o' thine.' " *«;'/ ;* 196 WINDYHAUGH. t' ' "Oh Hugh, I wish I were!" she cried wistfully "I was too happy at school to be clever • bnt T ZT tu ■ now. and read very hard." ' '"'^" *° ^'S'" "2)o«7/" he said earnestly. " Take my advice I have met no end of clever women in London/and it h mv de himself o?te d' T' ^^^^'^ "^ ''' ^^^^^^h' -""ing mmseif on the doorstep. His worn face brightened when he caught sight of his daughter in her fresh ^ cotton "Well, little one? "he said. Most of us lunch and dine in the same conventional fashion now-a-days. It is in the breakfast-room that the ^ue character and temperament of a family comTout and Wmdyhaugh at this time was certainly a fine examnle "1 he good old barbarous English school Fish f resT Lm he „ver, fruit from the garden, oatmeal porHdge Z Bcones, backed by more substantial dainties, made a gooSy show, while the old-world flowers in the garden vL S Z td t W "^"" t- """^ '''''''' *^«- breakfasts freil! ' ffj^" °°* English, -delicious coffee from freshly-roas ed berries. Mr Galbraith did not belong to th™ ^eat majority of Englishmen, who in this respect ^r con- tent to grumble and endure. If Mademoiselle could but nave seen the day! Ann, Jane, the chef, and a scUIery - maid constituted he domestic staff, so Wilhelmina escaped as soon as j oSe to help with the lighter housework. She was terriWy hy It did not seem to be m any way reciprocated Its no the ncht thing ava that she should be here," GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. 197 Ann said mournfully, "the mistress having sent her awa' an' that : but your father took a fancy to her. He wanted somebody, too, that would keep a .short tongue in her heid, an'— I'll undertake that Jane'll do that ! " Ann laid a pillow in place with a gesture that seemed to say, " You presume to move at your peril ! " Her whole life at Windyhaugh was a protest in these days, — a protest that dared not find expression in words, and that took refuge in a dour manner, and an uncompromising vernacular. Wilhelmina's face grew very red. " Is she married ? " Ann did not reply immediately. " She's no' married," she said doggedly at last. " It's no' richt that you should be under the same roof wi' her, — an' a play-actress i' the hoose an' a'." "Ann," said Wilhelmina solemnly, "you must never say a word against Miss Evelyn. I can't tell you how kind she has been to me. I think once I should have died if it hadn't been for her." "An' what would your Grannie say ? " Wilhelmina adjusted the perfumed night-dress case, and sat down on a low chair with her head on her hands. "Ann," she said slowly, with sublime naivete, "Grannie didn't know how difficult life gets. It isn't as if we planned it all for ourselves. Things happen, and other things grow out of that, and then we've got to live in the middle of it all. If a little tree in the shrubbery finds a big branch above its head, it can't grow straight on. It has got to pass either on the one side or the other." Ann stared, more than half mystified. If Wilhelmina had wanted an appreciative audience, she should have made that remark to her father. " Well, Miss Wilhelmina, I hope you'll no' set your heart on a' thae braw things. Wha kens how long it'll last ? " They had gone into another room, and Wilhelmina care- fully closed the door. " Ann," she said in a tremulous voice, " whose money is doing it all 1 Not Mr Dalrymple's ? " " Na, na. I'll no' say but what Mr Dalrymple took a share i' the new buildings, an' nae doubt he pays for the keep o' '1M 198 \l? ^ ih ^'^INDYHAUGH. 'ijs ain b«?a8t • but it' -An^l Ann sighed as if\CuJtT''' """"'^ '''^^ ^neugh " " ^^ilffia ! Vilma - " cried R T" """" consolation ^ ;^anta you to come and see thf ' '°''^ " ^'"'^'^ George try their paces in the fieTd >' '' '°^"- ^^ -« going S Uo you hear ? " a.,,V} U'li. . "■"•t Stop, /itt^ ^l^C:r:Y'^. ""=^""K f«e, "I m after years when ol, it« royal enclosure, its grand'l^r"* '' * ^^^^ ^^«e, with gant costumes, and its undercur " I '1 ''""^^ ^'^««' ' «^'^ 'bought with hung^ ion%"7that /^ "^' ^^"^^-' ^^^ Only a quiet level ween fi^M ''* "'^""^ "corning bnghtsun catching the^sh I '"'"'"""^^^ ^^ tree, t ^f the white andfan coSof r"/"*'' ^°""« °^ the lad es «% thoroughbreds ll^lT^ ^"^^ only two beauS throwing out their Jong^shLelv ,| I k'^' ''"''*'^« ^^^s and The animals were hn t «. i. patted and caressed before Wiih'^*^"^-^""^' "^"^^d up them for a moment Cn ^ , ^"""^ took her eyes off tow surprise, met his^yT ^'« '^^^ to her fath^ant o^ow quick thev i/o r '' v . Hngl laughei ^ frwt" *" '""°*'«"'^ "^f^" ie said. ^" "'" »° »™»ual feai„, ;„ ** °/." *iMing-top» ■"''^^-il'slikeae ■world r /. V i-^ ae said slowly. «« w>,« • , '1.^ % cht eneugh." olatiou. 'ncle George Lre going to ifigface, "I 'er hat, she race, with *gs, its ele- qualor, she ' morning. ' trees; a 'te Jadies, ' beautiful ears and sryjoyof ■ery ideal GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. 199 iffled up, eyes off ler, and, ture in juested " thev ke t;'- ard in io her ■8. 1 the "I know," cried Hugh, unabashed by his recent snub. " He's a fellow who got upset in the river near here, and }o\i fisui.(l him out." Mr Galbraith looked at his nephew with expressionless ej ts. " May I ask where you picked up that— that cock- and-bull story ? " Hugh knocked the ash off the end of his cigarette. " He told me himself. I met him— let me see— I think it was at the Royal Institution. He has got a sister— an awfully swagger girl." Mr Galbraith turned to the maid who was waiting. " Tell Mr Brentwood we are out here with the horses. Per- haps he would like to join us." " Now I think of it, Iligby was talking about Brentwood in London the other day," continued Hugh. "I think he said Mrs Brentwood was dead, and Brentwood had chucked the Church and gone in for literature. Honest doubt busi- ness." Mr Galbraith's lip curled. " Quite the regulation pro- ceeding," he said. " This little pose of atheism on the part of our young men is becoming a trifle hackneyed." Ronald yawned. '< I can't think what anybody wants to be an atheist for now that Canon Somebody says there is no hell. I have often wondered whether Heaven couldn't be improved upon ; but, upon my soul, it never occurred to me to tinker at the other place." Wilhelmina looked appalled. '« Don't listen to him, little one," said her father. " It is only his nonsense." " Oh, is it just ? " cried shrewd obtuse Hugh. Then he turned to his cousin. " Are you particularly gone on the doctrine of eternal punishment?" he asked. Wilhelmina drew her.^Hf up. « I don't think I under- stand you," she said with dignity. Mr Galbraith looked at her admiringly. "I wish we could manage a season for her iu town next year " he thought. '. ~F f f ' I rf!f .r 200 Ik ij:lM: i ' .;1 1* WINDYHAUGH. The appearance of the vkitnr . * conversation. Mr Galbra th J". ^ '*°P *° ^" unedifyi„„ took the young manThrnd J^ *°^'^'^ *^« ^^^^ and "^^ih" he said "it ;, ,^^ ^ ^'"^^' «n^"e. • forgotten us at Windyha"/^"'^* ^'^ ^"'^ ^- have not "Indeed, I feel li^^ ' "•adean effort to find you'lon.*?' "?'• ^ ^^""^^ ^^ve «pent much of our time abroad ^itf ^"* ^"'*^^^^ ^« ^ave Jlr GaJbraith's face JZT ^'^^-"^y mother." ^a^^sorry to hear of your loss^'' ^'' '" '" ^"'*^°*- " ^h .' I "^<' W^^r'fc^ *^- hebadhea^ofit. "From what I hear she if a T '"' ^ ''' ^^°°« '^ow." proud of." , '^^ ^« a sister any man would be Mr Brentwood's farn 1,Vt,* i than thaV' he said.ti^h'a' Lt"tL "'''^' ^^^ -- for the absent sister. " Rv T ^^^ obviously meant «he hopes some day to have ir'"^ ^'^ *°^^ -« ^o iy tta you-—" ^ ^ave an opportunity of thanking "For what? Oh!" Mr P.ik •.,. . am sure I will gJadly make tbT \^^''^hed %h% "I that^ivesmesoleir^ttr^^^^^^^^ ^^-- -ice -^^ri^'S^^^^Uon the sloping been, Wilhelmina gre^ d ^X f ''''''' ^^^^ ^a"' come ; and then, q4e involunTarnf " ^"'^^ ^'^''e of wel- to Mr Brentwood A mnT ff ^' ^^e extended the smilA -h of loneliness, a tZTd l fo7tt '^^ ^^'^ ^ ^"^^ ■ '"• , ^he men had looked so flsf i, '"""P^^^ «he ^as cent httle cigarette seemed to pt: "^'"T; '"' *^^t ^^no- «« X *: rrSuf "'^■""'•°<''" Hugh calM " => '•' ^^eu. We two GIAMOUR AND ISOLDE. 201 unedifying 8 gate and e. I have not ould have y we have "Ah! I Jard of it ne now." tvould be ch more ly meant say that hanking ;Iy. "I service sloping ce had 3f wel- ! smile udden le was inno- 1 at a Jught ', did grey illed ;heir two back Glamour. Uncle George and Colonel Brydon back Isolde. Glamour won the Maiden Plate, but Isolde has been putting on form tremendously since." The visitor smiled. " You help me out of a difficulty," he said, " by forcing me to betray the density of my ignor- ance at once. Like Sidney Smith I don't know a horse from a cow. As a picture," he glanced round the field be- fore his eye rested on the ladies, — "the whole thing is delightful. If you ask me to bet, I have just wisdom enough to throw in my lot with Mr Galbraith." Wilhelmina beamed on the speaker. He was young enough to be very appreciative of his own well - turned remark ; but only Mr Galbraith was quick enough to note the self-conscious little blush that accompanied it. He held up his hand with a gesture of protest that was not wholly playful. "Don't! Don't!" he said lightly. "My bad luck is proverbial. Glamour is better bred, but Isolde has a heart of gold." " His bad luck proverbial ! " chuckled Hugh in an under- tone. " Pretty well that for a man who won three thou- sand pounds in a day at Monte Carlo I " Wilhelmina just caught the words. And so the great mystery was solved. Mr Galbraith laid his hand on young Brentwood's shoul- der, and led him away from the others. " Come to my den," he said, « and have a chat. You will stay to lunch of course." " Thank you, I shall be very glad. I should like in the afternoon to look up that clergyman who was so good to me. if he is still here." " Mr CarmichaeU A thorough good fellow. Somebody shall drive you over in the dog-cart after lunch." "Thanks very much; but I think I would rather walk. My doctor is strong on physical exercise for me just now." For the first time Mr Galbraith looked at the lean eager face with an almost professional eye. " You have been none the worse, I hope, for that unlucky ducking ? " 303 L J I i i n ■ f fi "If iif' WINDYHAUGH. Brentwood lauehed «nn«'+ n -. with real feeling, '. lee if;, ^"tL?"^'^^'" ^« -^ »ng you. .Esculapius sava T J! , ^^^^^'^e of know- have escaped organic^ Sief Tn ^r^'^''' "^'''^^ ^"'^^^ ^ but periodicall/l getTe m„i ""^'- ^ ""^ ^" ^'/^t; is a stupid wo4nifriS ^'"'''^''^'^ headaches.^ It have something organic jitT ^' °"'-''?"^^ "''"^^^ ^-^^^^r Bhall probably ;utgC'' ''^' '' '' ^ "^^"^^^^^ ^^at I - tha. Of a LntttTnftor -^ ^^^^ " *^^ — ^esai?:^i:^rS^':':t--n^veitdown,- very trying ^hile it lasts » ^^* '""'^ "^ ^^^^S h "Horribly. And vpf „ 7-. iava done." " '^' """ ''-tkan it mi>ht him to the gate, and afte^ S, /*"">""* "»' with on along the coaa . Foftte tet f, *""; ''"•''«"• ^'">m walked with hi. grave Le,o„h» I "° ^™"« "»" le .topped; a bfyish S broleri; ''"'?"'''''"'>■ ™:sjLS^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ■■ " «- i».t the di|edt:fgitr:\'hre:„:r£'„T.';! •" r "- -- He passed it all in review l! ^^^ ^ "^ "*• stables; the neglected garden The '^''^^^ ?}'^'^> t^e fine and apron. But all thfwls' o'^f u" f^ ^^^^^^^^ '^ap picture. It was the characZ, l^^ background of the There was Mr GaIbrS:?Ctro ''''' 'r''''"^' had regarded with a feeling aki^to L ^T ^''^"^wood Miss Evelyn, whom, under anothp.T'''i^^" '^'''^'^' repeatedly on the sWe?;hr t r^ ttT^X' Sri icby," he said 'ilege of know- lyself lucky to ■ am all right; leadaches. It almost rather eurosis that I > frankly of a fc the moment ive it down," ' of thing is bly going to an it might his way to went with 'ell, strolled young man ■n suddenly ?ht-furrows mrticularly It isn't the ^& his un- set. '. the fine otless cap nd of the teresting. rentwood there M'as admired X, Hugh GLAMOUR AND ISOLDE. 203 Dalrymple," of whom he had seen just enough to know that he belonged to a fa.st set in London; and, in the midst of all, there was the little girl in the cotton frock, " for all the woHd like a blue-bell that has lost its way in an orchid- Brentwood had belonged to a studious set at Cambridge, and his knowledge of life was not yet very profound, though his msight was keen. He possessed that freedom from pre- judice which characterizes most young men now-a-days. but m his case it was balanced by a faculty of reverence that is as rare as the other is common. He did not admire George Galbraith the more because he seemed to live a BohemiL ife ; but on the other hand, he declined to admire him the less on that account. Here evidently was a character, to be studied and appreciated as such. « I shall certainly avail myself of his invitation to go back," said Brentwood as he resumed his walk. "In the meantime, as a mere matter of ^curiosity, I should like to know what the county says to He had not walked far before a turn in the road brought him in sight of the "blue-bell," and he made haste to over- flatterin'" involuntary smile of surprise was very " Are you walking to Queensmains ? " he asked "Yes." "That is lucky forme." She did not respond, and he added playfully, "—unless 1 am interrupting an interesting train of thought " She sighed. " One is glad to stop thinking sometimes." He nearly laughed outright, but she was evidently very serious. •' •' thoughts '•' "^^ ^ ""'' "'* '"''' °^" ' p«°"y f- y""^ ho^d^cttTLr-*'^"^ ^"'^"'^^- ' -'' *'^^"^^"«- "Life at beautiful Windyhaugh?-wit,h its kind people, and those mce horses and dogs to play with ? " 'I 204 ^ fit WINDYHAUGH. He was talking down to her now T);a i, , «he was ? She drew herself Tn ? ,.^' ^°°^ ^°^ ^^^ herself could scarcely have TookeT ' °'^ ^^" ^^^"^'^^'^ she said,— -^ ^°''^^'^ ">ore uncompromising as " ^nrvrtt-T' '"*' *'^ "^^^'^ J-* to play." i^on t you think some of us were 1 " She shook her head S?.. i, T of old Windyhaug^ ^^' ^"^ "°* *^"« ^^-nt the lesson and^^/^rtrtlr^ST"^'-^^ out of ourTfnds t''''^"' ^"* '''^^''' '^' ^^^^ i« taken right that?u:';e:L'ar/--^f^^^ ^"**^« ehancesare She .'.ook her h ad Th ^'"'^ "" '^' t^"™«-" exigencies of the case in^^^^^'^^^^^ ^'^ ««* ^^eet the "ciX: Skt^o^uXor 1?^"^ *° ^« ^^^PH If le time in which to lafby lilf ' ?" '"^^ ^'^'^'^ ^ chances are that life will drL f "^ '^''^^^ ^ The bye." ^'" drive us on hard enough by and way through Sartor ZZL] no ' """" '^°'^- ^ ^ ^'h^ Again his eyes bubbled over wJfi, i i used to the society of wome„7hf r :^^^^^^^^^ , ^^^^s^uite Jiesartns and Windyhaugh-aa h« t Sr'^^^'^' ''"* '^"^^"^ an irresistibly funny combinatfon n-7;."'^'^"-"^---^^^ grow edelweiss as well as blue ^ ? ^1 V', V"'"^ " ^°-« stand it ? » he said. ^ "^"^^ d you were going to see a She blushed She «"ough to "see life whoT^'' Tnf ^ T""^ ^"""^^^ "or old f a girls' scWl without^. " ^"^ "°* ^^^» two yea s childhood for that ^ ^ *"* '^""^ ^^^ friend of her "I am," she said bravely " \f ^ . ■ ^ ,. And so the blue-bell disaDn.„/y- "'^ ^'^'" ^^re." nous darkness of the shor ^ "'"^ '"*° *^' ^"^* ^^^ «*^er. ; ■>:: pi'!' CHAPTER xxvm. *- -eh lZr2,'l7^:'X 1'-' *^« ^-ips were -tice her entrance at aU*'' '"'^^^* ""'^^ disoussln t" "What I'd fain ken »nn m ''- what call a play-ac'trets hfs t'oTe" "" "^^"^ — ^7. and horse-racing's bad eneucrhbut a ^T^"'' ^^^^-playin^g brought a hornv hnnd for^H f' , Z'^-ac^rm-/" "^j,! ■ - -<^ forcibly down on the counter. '^U'l WILHELMINA FINDS A KINGDOM. 207 id Wilhelmina 'e an immense of course, grocer's shop, destination." ng to see a figt nor oJd 'n two years feeble snob- iend of her lere." and caver- lelmina's 6 to see ips Were ision to everelj, playing She s "If a disgrace to the memory of a righteous God- fearing woman ! " ° A murmur of approval greeted this creditable sentiment. 'They do say this ane's respectable," put in a young man feebly. ° "Respectable? Hoot awa! Dinna tell me! I never met the play-actress yet that was respectable." As the speaker had probably never met one of any kind this statement was not surprising. * "An' if the hussy's pleased to ca' hersel' respectable," she continued with biting sarcasm, " wha' is it she'll be after ?— Mr (Jalbraith or Mr Dalrymple 1 " The young man grinned. « I'm told she's sweet on Mr Oalbraith, but weel aware that Mr Dalrymple has the siiX6r. "An' there they baith stan' ~ dancing attendance, an' waiting for my leddy to pick an' choose? Hoots man ye're doited!" ' "Na, na. Mr Galbraith's no' like to pit his heid i' the noose a third time; but they say she's bound to catch Mr Dalrymple. "Weel it's a sin an' a shame— when ye mind o' auld Mistress Galbraith-to think that noo nae decent woman wad cross the threshold o' Windyhaugh ! " Up to this moment Wilhelmina had been wondering how she could escape unobserved. Now she accepted the risk and d^-^ed out into the sunshine. ' Panting and breathless she walked up and down till she had recovered her presence of mind ; then she turned up the steep httle lane that led to the rooms above the shop. With her hand on the knocker she paused. What a relief it would be to hurry home, and postpone her visit till to-morrow t '! ^l^^'-fl " sl\e said. « Will you act as if you believed their hateful slanders?" And there was no doubt or inde- cision about her cheerful rat-tat. The old man was busy preparing his bachelor tea. The woman who "did " for him usually went home after cooking I J I i fc 208 WINDYHAUGH. 'Cltl rUM IT^T '^ ^'^^^^^ ^- ver, old gait was beginning o^uleT<.t^ ''''"'' ""^^^ °^'^-- His of gravity," and^he seS unal T;"' ''^ ''^ °"" ^-^- not been curious to W « .i, ''" ^""^^" ^^ "« had and it „.ust be admitted that o^? oMVindyhaugh too; «eant encouragel„t ' ,deed \ "''r * ^"^^ ^^^^^ ^™ gaily and perfistenl thl. 1. "^''''^ ^^'^^^ ^''""^ ^^ so think the s'tate of ad tlrrf ' " ""^^"°" ^^°> it actually was. On he who! , '^ '""^^ ^^"°"« *J^^n was as successful as first teTvt:; tSIH V'^ "*^™ are wont to be '^ * ^ong separation cheek. "^ * ''"gilt red flush on each warning." ^ deserting her household without body call J" " *" *'=™™»." Ae said. "Didany- R-ald grinned acl'trltr t Ifrfn''™:'' '""«'"■ latter did not meet his eye Galbraith, but the windyhaugh torZ'T,:^::"^,'^' "r"'^ " ever to be reintroduced, the'S, wHl hat'e to"^' " "u " full responsibilities." *" assume her When Wilhelmina went im t« i, brightness of the moo?" LlA'rT *^^* "^^^* *h« and look out. The ZeXt of' H .''"'" "^ ^'^ ^^^^^ in light, and,awaytothe;:f::rel:f;^^-^^^ I ''T^ -'«Miiiptmft» a I him very old b older. His lis own centre ol the facial of her. rself and her in if :,e had J'haugh too; »e gave him 7 from it so making him erious than 8 interview ' separation for dinner, sh on each 3on?" said ■d without her. "Didany- )n with a all laugh, h, but the frivolous ■■aged at If it is !ume her ight the ler blind I bathed jurea in WILHELMINA FINDS A KINGDOM. 209 the Shrubbery. While she stood they emerged into the open, and turned back into the shadow of thf trees agdn It was her father and Miss Evelyn Wilhelmina felt a queer little pang of jealousy as she drew down the blind and lighted her%andle. ^ am IZtllr'' '"' ^' ^^^^°'" ''' -^ ^-"^^- "I She prayed more earnestly than she had done for a long attached sea-weed into the ocean of God"; but her vdce wen out into vacancy. There was no response. At la^t she rose from her knees, and, unlocking a box took from It the leather-covered book. 6i course the telr^ but sh^ d-r r ''' "'' *'^ «^^^y °f t-o nights beS bu she did not give in for a moment. Her careful hi n^\''^^{^^^^^^^^ "* "" ''- He looted sut'isTd^^f -r^"™^ — - «Vm, f J , ^"6 18 easy." iTou found the key then?" tone nodded. " And where was it ? " hoML'""'* '■'°" •'-' '*-'• I suppo. m, e,e, were oonventional conversation from i?' u"",' ='™ t" Mp«ct '^=««^.eeneea.„oo<,iJ:L?Cr;r:;'Helr werwohntdorboben auf goldenen Sternenf Und e.n Narr wartefc auf AiTtwoit." ^ ON THE SEA SHORE. 217 He repeated the last line aloud, rashly assuming that she would not understand. s to sue But the assumption was correct. "What does that mean ? " she asked smiling thiZgtloud ''' ' "^'"""^ ^'^"^- ' ''' y°"^ P-^- ^- A deeper blush than before crept over her face. "You said something very beautiful about the sea once," she said shyly. "I thmk of It so often when I am sitting here or lying awake at night listening to the waves " " What did I say ? " ' Her voice sank almost to a whisper. "It was about thro^ng oneself like an unattached sea-weed into the ocean It was his turn now to blush, though fortunately his tanned complexion did not show the warm blood as hers did The pendulum was rather at the opposite end of its swing that time," he said to himself with a grim inward He noticed for the first time that she was not daintily dressed as before, and yet she was full of charm. He was just a httle piqued by her obvious independence of him and his society. A young girl's religion was a matter of course and yet there was something here that tempted him to probe a little deeper. "You are very happy," he said as he rose to go. She smiled radiantly. " Tell me your secret, Miss Galbraith." No one who held the views she did could refuse such an appeal ; and besides-had he not ears to hear ?-did he not know better than she what the inner life meant ? She had risen to her feet, and now she clasped her hands behind her head, as If the change of attitude would aid her in the search for words. Her face was very pale, and her well- poised figure swayed almost imperceptibly in the soft sea-breeze. lor I am persuaded,'" she said in a low throbbina voice, "'that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor pri* 1 I. "la If '< ii'i I ' I 218 WINDYHAUGH be able to aeparat" „» fr!^ T f "^ °'^" "«'"»■ *"" "ec^nl ttl "" "■" """"" P'"'™ "e carried away the ■I i I fi CHAPTER XXX A lOST OPPORTUNITY. The first two lectures tet^JTr ? *^' ^^^"^^ ^^^Phets. of the third theTJnJZnf^ T^''''^''''^ people assembled in ththaS ' '°^ " '"^^^ ^^"^^"^ of place. For a momen st f ^ u *"" ""^^ ^'^^^^^ i" ^3 dazzled by the gasS an. '^^"'^.^^^^^^ting at the door, her windLsed^hKd IrT'r/''^ *^^ ^^^* ^^'"^ o fire was reflected on the leH .^7 "^^'f ^°°*^- ^ ^«^""g a pool. '^^ well-scoured planks like the sun in C^^e^JZ:^,^^^^ ^r^^V' said Mr we must rally our forces " '° ^'^ *°-°^«ht that the^criSe^ttTr^r^ ^^^ - ^^- ^^ responsive face within rLToA.'° ^°"^^* ^^^ ^««r laan who knows whatTtT. i'/^''^"^' '^^ ^^^y the email and phlelltic 'Lf '''^;:'^ ^" ^" earnestness a laean.^ evcu u It be a young girl's. r things to sature, shall which is in 1 away the tild of her A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 219 jan to de- Prophets. 9 evening andful of 3 against Jy in his be door, time of roaring e sun in aid Mr ht that idea of r eager aly the tness a hat re- Mr Carmichael had not been blind to the fervour of his young parishioner, but experience had made him wise, and he was in no hurry to fan the flame. « The human soul can never be so safely left to itself," he had said once to Mr Darsie, "as when it first catches sight of God. Who am I that I should thrust my blundering personality all out of focus mto the beatific vision ? By and bye when the mists begin to rise, as rise they surely will, one may be able to do a little— a very little." But, although he had certainly given her no reason to guess the fact, he had seldom felt so deep an interest in a young girl as he now did in Wilhelmina. The whole circum- stances of her life appealed strongly to his fancy,— her irresistible inexplicable father, her anomalous social position, the genuineness of her religion, her lonely life in the sea- bound homestead ;— she seemed to him to carry about with her always the sough of the waves and trees at Windyhaugh. Wilhelmina had not proceeded far on her homeward way that night when the minister overtook her. " Alone, Miss Galbraith ?" he said. She started. " I usually have Ann's company. To^iay it was too wet for her." " Then you must let me take Ann's place for a mile or two." " Oh, please don't ! " she cried in genuine disappointment and distress. " I know every step of the way. What harm could befall me here ? " What harm indeed ? How often had she passed over that road scarcely feeling the ground under her feet for very rapture ! "Nevertheless," he said quietly, "I would like to come a httle way. I want to talk to you. Don't you think it is time you were taking a class in Sunday-school ? " " Oh, no ! " He did not reply, and as they walked on in the darkneag, she wondered whether she had offended him. " It is not that I mean to be always saying ' No ' " she f M wm ffi| WiNDYHAUGir. said shylv • " f»iif /^f ai. ^ judge, ii; I Z V' '* °"' *^^"S I '"'«* be the best * I don't know " Wa ^ i hi« desire to set her to wtk aidi'""/' '^^^'^"^ ''^^^^^'^ vam. '< The Lord's best work Is TIp' ""\ '^ '"^^^"g ^er instruments." ^^ sometimes done with faultv oftento'lTrs Walrt^ddlf- ,?^^, '"^--aster used - finer thing than a StXHu^inVh/^"/^ °' ^ "^^^^ " I ten think of that. I don't n,^^ Y^' "^^"^^ ^^ "«• fiddle if-if__oh, Mr CarmichlT ^''"« ^^^^ ^ ^^^e^t things; but don't you thLk I shn'.^ '""'* *^'^ ^^ these «ould say that the stringlTme n 7 ^' ""'^ *°« ^'^d if I of the Master ? " , ^ ^ ""^ °"^y responded to the touch ^^"^^^^^S^a^^^^ Before «|ent she was expressing and she^J^' ?"^"^«« °^ ^^e senti- did not reply. ^' " '^^ ^^s disappointed that he ^^^1^1 S, bSTelaTaZ ^ ^'^^^^ ^^ other ;«'^e. " How mlny of our te!i /°"' "^ *'^^'" *« ^^^ fat level?" was the firs;, tuffh ^ '^" ^"^^^^^ ^"-- enough to invoke the second --p"' °°i^ ^^"S^^«d long of spiritual pride ! ' " S V ^ T' °^ TeufelsdrockhT Jethought,Sdo you thtk^or^-r •''''• "^H«hild.'' have set before you ? " ^ ''' '^''" ''''"=^ the goal you twllfald'th?:^^^^^ that night.^ him m spite of himself; so iTkeaw ''°'' ^^ ^^P^««««d parson altogether, and flowed uZ^TT't' ^^°°^ "^ the the society of his youn^ onl • ^^ ^'^ '^^ recreated by ready to follow hisS to a frT . ^"^^^'"^"a was very " My mother is omi " to ? ^ ^""^'" ^^^^^- at parting, »aud I me^nTo vrCl^^f ^«'" ^« -^ return m a quiet way a little of t h JT ^^' P''^^"<=« to iere have shown me.^ Do 1 th nt "^'"^^'^ *^« ^"««d« "BaDse some evening ? ft ^^a t ^°" '°'^** """^^ *« the ' * lun^r way, I know, and we A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 221 old folks are not very entertaining, but I should like you to meet my mother." Her eyes danced at the prospect of the " ploy." In spite of all her efforts, human nature died hard, and months had passed since she had taken part in any social gaiety. Surely there could be no harm in going to a party at the maJe. 1 should love to come," she said warmly. She began at once to wonder what she would wear on the gryt occasion. Miss Evelyn had been as good as her word, and her maid, with the help of a seamstress, had run up two charming muslin gowns for Wilhelmina in dainty shades of pmk and blue. ^ «I will wear the blue," she thought. " It is quieter." a child o light ? Then, with a rush of shame, she realized how worldly her thoughts had been. " Vanity, vanity. vanity ! she cried. " What a graceless wretch i am ! " She remembered then how the minister had failed to respond to her sentiment about the violins. "He thought \2r\r'jL"^" ^"S^* humiliated; and a moment later she added, truly humbled, "and he was right- I t.a. posing Oh, God, I have attained nothing Help me to begin all over again, here at Thy feet ' " By way of a first step she resolved to go to the party in her everyday wincey frock; but, on hearing this, Ann was really roused. " Sma' respect ve'd be showing to your iiostess," .he cried indignantly,-" let alone the minister himsel' ! .\n' what do ye think the folks'll say ? Ye think maybe they'll talk T), ',mT'"*' ° ^ '"'"^ '"^ 'i"'^'^* ^^^ ? Hoot awa ! rhey II be for saying that Mr Galbraith canna gie his bairn a decent gown to her back. Puir lamb ! Puir lamb ! He surely has eneugh to answer for, forbye that " Ann's apron went to her eyes, and the blue frock wa« worn accordingly. Moreover it exercised its due effect on the wearers estimate of herself, and throughout tiie evening she was gay and talkative, winning the admiration, and ia t M '.^'*i ft , \i < '.', r '^i 222 WINDYHAUGH. some cases even the hparfa nt fu„ i.i. one at all times ' "* ^'' ''°''' ^"^^ ^ Pl«^*^°t the sufferings of a ^ounf man o " ^' ' '' "P^^^^^^*^ after a debauch. £ p^T^toT 1 ^"^"^fl °° ^'^ ''^^ lightheartedness the nigrWe ' m T"'V'' ^''' '" if fi,„„ ij 1. '"S"!- ueiore To-ild have been sumrispfl UW light sh^efefo. AltkoM, ^ X^I ^t came, she had forgotten all about it ! moment "I see I must give up the world altogether," she said Other people may be able to dally unharmed with ts temptations; but it is full of pit-falls for me^ ' fromlsTl!;^;;^'^^ ^^^^ ^"-^^^^' ^^« ---^ a letter "Deak little Vilma, ,ofl * "^** ^'^ *^^ '* ^^^'"^ ^'"''^ I saw you! When I reflect on the depressing subject of dates, I suppor vou must be quite grownup; and a little bird whispefs Tn mv ear (though of course I should not tell you tll^that yl^ vnn rJ t r^" ^r""'""^ ""''y ^i«« ^"d learned ?-or are you, like Mr Alicawber. 'falling back for a sprinc of no ordinary magnitude'? I expect to be in TdUtr^h where ? If there happens to be anything good in the theatres we might drop in for an hour or two in the after noon I wan to talk to you too about your future I dont believe in 'blushing unseen,' and, if'j am t own next season, you must come to me for a month or tZ A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 223 and have i good tim& We will manage the frocks some- how. — In great haste, " Yours affectionately, "Enid Dalrymple." " How kind she is ! " said Wilhelmina, and then her eyes shone. " God is putting me to the test very soon." It was natural that she should think the renunciation greater than it really was. In point of fact the letter found her in the exalted mood that lies out of reach of such sacrifices. She was sorry to seem ungracious, but, for the moment, that was all. She attached enormous importance to her answer. In the hands of Omnipotence, what might it not achieve ? When finally transcribed in a neat hand on cheap note-paper, it was the outcome — the disappointing outcome, I admit — of many fervent prayers. "Deae Aunt Enid, " I can't give you the least idea how delighted I was to get your letter. I am very happy at ' queer old Windy- haugh,' and yet it did me good to think you had not for- gotten me. " It would be a great treat to meet you in Edinburgh, but I must not go to the theatre, and I must not come to you in London for the season. I don't mean to say that such amusements are wrong, but I don't seem able to join in them without losing something that I value more. " ' God fulfils Himself in many ways,' and it may be that He means me to walk in the twilight — save for the light of His presence. " Again thanking you a hundred times, I am, " Your affectionate niece, " Wilhelmina Galbraith." 2rs4 ir WINDYHAUGH. H^ZIT'""''' "" ^^""^^ ^*^ ^"^^ -^- «^« -eived disgu^f ' " '''' '"'^''™^'' ^'^^"^"S ^^-y ter head in dainty " 'VVhat's wrong ?— patchouli ? " apiTaS S'°" e;^"/;. " '°*"«- ^^"^'^ -""«.-"'* »pS\t:r ' ^'""^ °' '° '"^ " ^°- ' ^"' "» «<■ not PnM'. r ^ , , S"'™""" Army oonvenlicle." .h'7l .""Hrf Hat! *r'' 'T7.' "- '-"« -- uv .I.- L . *"^* ^^'■d 'niece'!" p.„t^ "*'" ^"" ■"'«' "^'"8 »-." h« observed flip. " For shaMe, Ronald ! Leav, that to Hugi." wfeji:r;rontiT::::r?f:'-'"-=-- of i. The ommS s rjt s^h: J' t «. «*'"=" 'or that inWtationltrwit'::: 5o,^ri/;reth;^a^rw^^:---' -« - death must have been ' " ^ *^^* woman's "Wei,, by JoTlZuKetaTttr^^-^^^^^^^^^^^^ up to the tricks of a fillv Tf ® '' °° ^"^"8 Galbraith I must say. H \ flhtfuirr"'^ T^' °" just now, and I thought TlL\ °J^ . ^' ^""^^ °" ^^« '"'^k suit him down to tSfl,nd A '^ "T^'^'"^ *^^* ^^^'^ States, whose ath r ZT^ . ^'°""^ ^'"°^ ^ ">«* ^^ the so.eti;ing,rantr„rthV;:^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^ to all the things that money ca^t rea h ' iLfl^Vf bra.th was his man, and hinfed g.Xly .L^'^JZ^ A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 226 Warium would tempt him. Galbraith had only to sell Windyhaugh and marry Wilhelmina. and the trick was done— for this time." to ^hf I "" -^^ ''^' -.T* encouraging. " Marry Wilhelmina to the American millionaire, I suppose?" "Oh Lord, no ! The boy isn't half bad. If Galbraith trots him out, he'll end by marrying a peeress in her own Enid might well wish that she could hear what Wilhel- ^nas father would say when he heard of her decision. She would have appreciated, though not quite at its true value ous 1 rr '''* *'°' P^^^^ ' ^^^^ ^^y« -ft- the momen! tous letter was v, .itten. fh^^^ ^f^.'^'^^ ^-^ ^^Pe'^ted to be at Windyhaugh when vlinr Z\ TwlT "-^P-t^dly, late in the evening. As a rule Wilhelmina seemed to know by a sort of instinct when he was near; but to-ni-^ no on« T l^TTi"^ '' *^^ ^°«^' -"i - ^^ tung u r h s hat in the hall, he heard, for the first time since 4 boyhood the quavering notes of his mother's old spinnet. Th drawing tTnotrr:' ''7 ^"' ^"^'^^^-- -« softly s:rn^- glhti^^Lriir"^'^^"^ ^^^-- ^— t'^ ^e? "'My soul is not at rest. There comes a stran-e and ecret whisper to my spirit, like a dream of n'hf that tells me I am on enchanted ground. The vows of God ZTe7t,r^ ' "^^ r ^*^^ *^ P^^^ with Idows or "Go el h ^ frZ'- ?' ""'''' °f °^y departed Lord.- Go teach all nations," comes on the night air and awakes mme ear. ^ ' -"" "'And I must go. Henceforth it matters not if storm or sunshine be my earthly lot,-bitter or sweet my cuT -tch me-a; th: la:[ ^tatten^a;^ J -t^: ' . .^•4 226 WINDYHAUOH. presently '- ' '" '"""^' ^"'^ ^h^" be down to supper The old woman'is face fell. « if j ha^ hnf t. * coming ! " ^i i nact but kent you was He looked at her with fi,r.*. » "I am quite co„t t "th p„ f^TT "'"7 """" "' "'^ Ann s supper, as it chanced, really was fooH fnr ^ ■ He drew her down on his knee. Is It still my little girl ? " he said kindly. She nodded, smiling. "Still." "But she is growing such a big girl i And th»v * ii that she is go ne 'to Tnn^^,, , ** * ; '^°'* t'ley tell me c,i,„ii u ^, i^ondon to see the Ouefin ' Ti, t shall have a grand ladv to Ha nr«„.4 ^ • SJueen. Then I to play with." ^ ^ P'°"'* °^' »''«t«ad of a kitten A LOST OPPORTUNm-. 337 I am not gomg to London," .she said quickly He drew down his brows as if in amused perplexity "Aot gomn to London 2 Haa„'f P^'F'exiiy. you?" ^'>««o«/ Hasn t your aunt written to hIT;, f"^*^ * ^i"d letter. But I must not go. " 413 3,^^^^^^ "Silly child? So she is "No; it is not that. I am not shy- at least-I think withV:miS '"^"' "^ -''' *^^ «^^' ^"^ *^- -t her eyes "Then she must go to please her old father." Vl^ihelmjnas face burned. "Oh. Father," she cried, "I cant! I have written to Aunt Enid to tell her so." It was a full minute before 1 spoke. " Have you posted the let.ur / " " Yes, two days ago." Another long silence. Then he released her from the clasn Wimelmhrh ,"" '" ''^ '''' "'*^ ^ talf-suppreld yawn' "Good-;Ut"^ *'^" ' *^°^^^*'" ^« -d indiLently. are'^not toltr" 'f "f '' '^^^'^ *^^* ^^P^"*"^^ ^-^-ies are not to be won so cheaply after all 1 uc^tl K^"."^ ^""^'"^"^ ^'™ ^^ P^°l'°«^ a ga^ie of billiards as usual, but now, with a heart of lead, she responded to hi Good-night. and left the room. This was the'irst Un rany seTovera /" ^ ^^'^«"S ^ ^m I wrong?" she asked her- self over and over again. For hours she remained on her knees without getting any fresh light. " The friendshio of the world i" onr-;-- • -. , ,. »aid an inward voice. ''^' ''^^^°'' ^^ 1 228 WlNDYITAUOH. iWi lilt InZZ *^.f'*''" f "^ '^'' '"""-r-" -id another. All through the ,nght, sleeping and waking, Wilhehnina s\v ung from one extreme to tlie otlirr V«.v .if "'^^^ "'"» a humble letter of apology to Enid nol I ^^'^«^^"t„.g heroically to her principles'^ Wh n at iZthV ''"'"^' and u f h^,^ ^^ I^^ _^ ^en^at^^ng^ he . weary ^^^ She l.ad scarcely finished dressing when Ann knocked at "HJlriJ:::^- -;---." -said. ^ Isn t he going to have breakfast ? " He breakfasted in his room an hour svne n- cross him, Miss Wilhelmina • hp >.a i Y * ' ' -^'""^ him all his life.-" ' ^^' ^^^ '"^ "^"^^ agin Ill^tr^ h^^vy eyed, Wilhelmina hurried down-stairs •Her tather was writing o io+fc>« i • i_ . ^^^yn staiis. the light. ^ Ietter,-his back was turned to "Sit down, Wilhelmina," he said ouietlv " T i much t me to snare bjif t i i j , , ^"^^*v- I have not "Oh, Father! " she cried. He held up his hand. view_. The experience you are passing through is not Z JI hope «o.» ,he aaid in all .criouane.,, yel „„„g bj, hu He looked at her will, a slmnge little smile " On the other hand, I gi,e ,ou credit for My average i„teCnct A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 229 " Oh, Father, I know that." " Pardon me, you do not know' it Yo,i mn,. ; /• -^ with a mental reservation concerrin.l IS I 7 your part-but that is a very diifer e^t tl nT « ° °" then when I tell von th«f ^h "'"^ *^""g- ^^^'^^^ me a just estimate of yourself and vnnT ,^ .^.^^ ^^'^^ formed would have been gld humb to 1 '^^f!!^'''''' ^"^^1^ ^ou before placing y^^^^ ^:^ ;:^ Z';::^ '^' T' you afraid of being too refined too w ll . ' "^'^ for the arnioury of the Lord ? ?' H "F"'f ' " ^'^'^P"" clumsy ill-shaped to^il^^;^^ ^'^^^J ^^ - edifying in the society of your Ss ^1^ trl Jf l^^ to reach. You hate becom carekss of vorT" '"" T'' of your hair, careless ]>ow yr 1 a^t"' ''"''" down. There is a button w^iing ^^^t^^ In "' not mistaken the sn,,.,. button w->^ ^""^fe'"^^"; If I am hereamonthago. ■ofc:^ rt^mi;?;"':'^^^^ im« may be a recom- m H 230 "W'lXDYHAUGH. ignorant. She will ask me again " ^°«J^«1^ and-and He had sealed his letter, and now he rcse to his feet Spare me that last humiliation. WilhelminC" h " said n.ar;rc\\i*^i:tft\'^n^^^ ^^^ ^^- ^^- ^- Good-bye." '"'* ^^^' *^^ P'"'''^ to abide by it. He touched her forehead with his lips and left the house. 1 ii tti« It 'I CHAPTER XXXI. BROTHER AND SISTER. " Awake, Hal ? " "Ye-es," said a drowsy voice " Better ? " ^ • up the blind 1" ^^' ^ ^""aw "Do. I love to see our tame pine-wood." -.1 „ aate. teUe never seemed to be in a hurry, BROTHER AND SISTER. 231 and in all she did there was a fine breadth of movement that was ver>- restful to irritable nerves chose' to'soi'^'TT*''/" "^'""' ^'"'"^^ *"^ J^- brother cnose to speak His face was pale and haggard. The sheer bhss," he said, " of just being out of pain ' " "Poor old boy! You have been doing too much I :lrre7"^' ""^"'^^ ^'^* °"' ''^ ^' given all^^J seaZl*! ^""T'^f"' '^' ^"'* *^^* '"y ^'•ti^l^ ^'"1 be un- Thaven t '/ f P^^^^ber-or October at the latest, ^o, knocks J ' .'""'^- ^^^"^^ *^^^^"i°g -1-^y knocks me up now-a-days; but I am all right now." read^ y.;.;''""'' "'' ^^' "P *"* dinner-time. Shall I Mari!n T'''^' '' '"' ""^ "'^^ '^^ ^""^ ^^^ - -th Aunt to llrr"^^- ^^" 7''^'' y"" ^^"^'^ '"^^'•y' ^"d leave me to bear her company for good." «nl!'J? ^'^\*^iat' And are you to remain celibate for her ^ake ? I hope you told her I am not in the least likely to Honor laughed mischievously,— " ' I really must contrive to be Less pleasant,— if I can ; And Kate must tell her candidly, I'm not a marrying man. ' "Don't brag Hal. Heaven knows I don't grudge you a good wife ; and you needn't be afraid that I shall p ay h' jealous sister when you find her." I' I wish you had been with me, Honor." '' You enjoyed it then on the whole ? " ,J'^\ i ^''^''^^'^ '^ ijnmensely,-especially the tranm hrough Kent. It was a first-rate idea' of yo'uis tha T -re^f 'aSTr ^T ' "'"'" ' "^'^^^ '^^^y '^^ -*-!« tmte it '' ^ ""'"" '*"""'"« "^^^^^^^'^« t« i"'^^- 3^2 WINDYHAUGH. -es, you Will have to hurrv iin " w^ ,.„„ j . .\ of recollection broke over hkhc7' ' "^ ™''' ;S;^;r^l^.---if,,-— ^^^ Her smile was a very pleasant one to see. «I shouW think I do remember," she said quietly. "^'^ 1 was travelling third-class, and he came intn fl, nose, open mouth— i I a<»osed to all affectionate, heart-hungr^ 1 tt^s 'tw" • °'/^'°- ^"^i-^-ve, learns not to write • Ihev T . '" ^^^^' y^^'' «"« -ten the sun sh nel aZ ' sj" '^'""^* *^ "^^ "P ^^ an answer by return St h. ''"'!>'''^ ''^' ^'"^^ *'" time came, the li^ht b'ole XTV' '"^ '^'°^^ ^^^^ it light from heaven but ,> '.' ' "°* ^°"^«^^^ -^^il 9),a 1 J >-"vcu, out — It served. What Shan :eVarL: Xer,^^-'^ ^"^^"^ -"i^^t. « if O^d^^l^^^^^^ -e again. What a comfort P,,L l'^'"'-^' '"^^^"^^ G°d ! . frock!" ^""'^ ^^^ «^"t back my white silk . ^^'^ Galbraith arrived in roval annA u ^B my little white swan ?" he si 'A J"'"^" "^""^ ^«^ affectionately. "Isn't t nl f ' ^'''"^ '"« ^''^"ghter a turn in the^■ose gTrLn bef^etri^T'? T ''''''' fine smewy hand on her shonMp/ i "^ ""'^^'^ J^i« the soft sunset light. 'wl^^! '' *^'^ ^*^°^^^^ ^ound in for her in this wa^ste old wiMerel"' '' "^ ^^""^"^' ^ -« Koses there were by hundreds' bnf l, please. One a, : another he loot ,. , ""^^ °°* '^'y to length he chose a few mos y ^u 1 "', T' ''""•^^^'^' '^»* ^t ----.asytouchSrri:~^^ A SUNNY DAT. 237 3ed her ]ike e Quakeress, nan with a t th< letter •osed to all i impulsive, J'ears one live up to hours till )efore that nestly call usual, and to-night. >d! . hite silk ^nd how daughter "v\'e take isted his round in ' a rose easy to 1, but at 1 in her ;ised in ught a er pro- " Oh, Father ! " she cried, blushing with jtleasuro. " That is far too pretty for me." He placed it on her head, and, laying his hands on her shoulders, turned her gently to the old-fashioned mirror. " What does the looking-glass cay ? " he said gaily. " Too pretty, eh?" ^ T,rM^^'"° *^^* ^"^ "'''^''* *^ ^''^^^ ^'^'" 'i'^e a little queen, Wilhelmina rose to the full height of her privileges. A physical reaction from the depression of the i)ast weeks was overdue, and it came. She grew saucy, piquant, playful, pretending to keep him in order while she humoured his every whim. "By the way," he said suddenly, "Mr Brentwood is commg to spend a few days with us. Do you remember him? Pie seems to have a very pleasant recollection of you." " I remember him very well." Wilhelmina blushed. She liked Mr Brentwood, but what pleased her most in the prospect of his visit was the chance of showing her father that she was not so hopelessly f/auche as he imagined. She meant to receive her visitor with great dignity, but he defeated her plans by arriving unexpectedly and on foot. Mr Galbraitli was walking in the garden with a new book in his hand when Wilhelmina joined him. " What are you reading. Father ? " she asked idly, slipping her hand through his arm with her new-found confidence. He smiled. " Little girls must not be curious." "I am not curious. I only want to know." He raised the book just above the level of her eyes, but she saw the expression of his face, and made a spring, like a kitten, in search of the desired information. Thereupon he raised the book higher still,— and the pretty contest was at its height when Brentwood appeared. Wilhelmina's kitten-like curves vanished, and she blushed charmingly. "Very pleased to see you," she said sedately. Then she ' # 238 WlNDYHAUfiH. turned to her father. "Inm„i i talk to instead of being redTced to '"" T" ''"^■'' «^™««"« *« "As what ?" he a«I edl , '"'^ ^"^^ books." round her as he spoke and I TT 'f' '"^ ^« ?"* hi« arm ^ " Vou find us Ly\:itTer ' '"' " ^^^ ^^^s. . ':?'°"r solitude does not seem J" '' ^/^' '" '"' ^^''''^"^'^•'' «r," Brentwood answered wlT "^^°^.'""'^'' "' "eed of pity, - very ki„d of you tott J 1^?^ """^^^^^ ^ "biztS And so the three settlp^^ °'' " ^^^^ o"" two." intimacies that never fbetT *° ?"^ °^ *^-« charming The evening was warm andTf^" " '''°"'^^"d- terrace till long after subset WilhT?" ''^^' ^^* «" ^^e she was so obviously happy and cn^TT 'P°''' ""^«' but on the c/.a.-.. Ion J in ihfch he ItT .'', ^'^ ^^^ ^* «-« that her presence made itself M , ^^"^ ^"'^*^"«d her. J-- about that beaui;--;—^^^^^^^^ w^o'r ^ii? ri: reT;^ ""'''-'' •- - — ted delightfully." "'' ^°" ^^ve made me forget it so " The mistress of the house i^ fh. great while before day if j ! ^' T''^" ^^° "««« "P a Galbraith. ^' '^ ^ ''emember rightly," said Mr Wilhelmina drew hprQ^if , o^nt give meat till aomeboivt « . '■™«h„l,l. gt^ -glit, Mr Brentwood G„^^„ 1^?° '° '" "■ Good- g*" long reat in the n,o™tg •?"' '^''"" "«"• Tate a "^oZa^lZ::"'" °"^' *= '■-' «»-. «.e two „en -^''■SrO:^^.iS,f---.ee,o„ We. Brent- to hurry away ? " "^ ^^P^ you don't mean A SUNNY DAY. « someone to >ooks." put his arm ler hands. Brentwood," ■ solitude." ^eed of pity, ce ; " but it r two." le charming hand. sat on the > little, but lay at ease tailed her, Ibraith at he way to strangers entreated 'get it so ses Up a said Mr iv-a-daya d. She Good- Take a 'o men Brent- fc mean 239 Thank you very much, sir. I have promised to go to a fnond--a professor m Edinburgh. There is a paper in the B.o.og:eal section that I an. an.vious to hear. This is Jues onJy too S" ' "' '" Friday morning, I shall bo "Ah, I hoped you would stay till Saturday at any rate I have a box at the Lyceum for the matinee. Miss Fvel '; iittlT? "^rf •'" 'V' "^"'^ "^ ^^-- I^on't td t . little girl. It IS to be a surjmse." ^ "Miss Evelyn? Pauline? That U an inducement- if TZZT'"'- l^'.T^'^'^^y -y friend has Tsked om people to dinner on Friday evening " ;;Then come in on Saturday afternoon all the same." liiank you very much. I will." whTthe wT"'''f"' ""t "^^^ '"^^"^"S she wondered whj she was so happy. For a time she lay in drowsy con- ten , and then she stretched herself with a yawn ^^ So sunny - "she said, glancing out of the window. ^^^Y* SOinS to be another long delicious day like yester- watr " ^ ^T ^r.^?'* '^'^ 'P^"* *^^ "'-"-g on the ^vater Brentwood did most of the rowing,-Mr Galbraith relieving him from time to time. Both wet good oarsmf Let me have a turn," said Wilhelmina at last. " I am so tired of doing nothing." ^'^' You can't row, little one," said her father. Can t I ! I often paddle about when you are away " Brentwood gave her the oars, and her father watched her witn quiet critical amusement. "Your rowing is scarcely on a level with your suuse of iterary fitness, Vilma," he said. -Paddle aLut' i ust the expression. '' Her face fell. She had become acclimatized so quickly to an atmosphere of admiration. ^ uheZr'''^'" ^ ''"'* ^°^ P'-^I-^ly ^ith you looking on," ul. m f 240 ■ -1 'f,. A ii u hi ■ f|l ^ - If WINDYHAUGH. ro*le,;l:° '"" '°"'" "" -''■ «'"'""«-"'■ a touch or but her moral the 1^^ L ''' " ■'''™'''''''" "'"' '"'«"; B.™t„o„,, ,„ur „.„A 1, o:.":ur/or";„';,» ''^■°" "-"^ ah. ,ei™a with e*2i:l^'4r''°'„7;rr heard of the quietness of women but Ir2' ■ *™ able gifts had prepared u,° ,'"'' ""'"■» "'""y remark- Wilhetoina had maaeut 1^1 lT '"» '""■ ">'»■ 0»» perfeel, and she would own „ , ° """' ''" ''""'^ ™ hour wL, over she wl, ■ '"'«"°- ^'"'^ >">« an ri.j-.hmi an; f athr,;T*;.r *°"«'^' "' »»"«. >>»' Wirt a fine i v HtelVd Trl'^' ™.7'"« '"'°'' "» ~» into the water. '^' ^ '*""'""« ""^ "'* » dean cut ..eipedtr^rt'omel^: ''"'^^ ~" "^"■'""«'^. - '= tive to his approbatior^' ° ~'' l"='«™""»"y «ensi. When they reached the house, she found a letter , ■•• her.-a letter from the quakeress. 4 J .k , »™'«"ig thing to be ashamed olXZ^ily'^t I' ""'r""" and a week later she foind it there " '^'''^■~ In the afternoon Mr Galbraith carried Wiihelmina oiT to >.■. t A SUNNY DAY. 241 do some copying for him, and kept her busy till it was nearly time for afternoon tea. Then she ran to the garden to gather fruit. Before she had reached the strawberry bed Brentwood overtook her. "I thought I caught a bllket" ^°^ ^''^^''" ^' "^^ "^'' '"^ carry your frnT^-'H' ^^^^^^^P^^ t« gather .he fr .rrant coral-pink lis shyly °"^ ''^^ *° ^' ^'"'^ ^" ' •" Wilhelmina d.r Uf" r''^?"'' ^ '° ''^^'^' ^ ^"' ^''^' I think it is dehghtful work gathering fruit with ., • -ieud, don't you ? " She straightened herself with a long sigh of content. "Everything 13 delightful to-day. " herl r'""^^'' ^ ^'^* '^^^"■'°'' *° y°" *« h*^« y^'ir father "OA./" Her voice was low but emphatic. "Isn't he perfectly splendid ? " II Perfectly splendid. You are much to be envied." noon wr* . ^' ^\^''" ^''•■^^"g '° '^^••d this after- ou7"to I: tTri:^'^'^ '"^^ '^^'- ^ '''' ''-^ *^« *-y a wdk" *!f,^^^°*7°.^ d-J-r«d his intention of going for Lti-to^irei:r^°"^^^"^^^^^'^*^=--^^^-^" Father ? We might strike across the hayfield, and th^n along the coast to the right. It is level/ that way.'' bette/' '^- "^^^y^^lV'hesaid. "Don't Attsft!!!'''"'"" and Brentwood set out together demurely. tlo strivmg to be amiable and to say something clever when ^eygot a chance to bring it in. Presently they belame boy and girl, chatting away at random; a.!d before thTv " What a nice flat stone ! » Wilhelmina said, stooping to 242 WINDYHAUGH. Ml ttser^ "^- .•"^^•^'" ^ ""^ ^^"^« I "«^d to love to send these things skimming over the sea." "Oh, that is a recreation that never palls. Fire away t " compLrihr-r"""^' ^"* '^^'^^''"^"^ -^« beaten «« strolled o^ ni .. '''" ''^''^ *° ^^ ^^^i*i"g' and thev ^^C,Z''Z^Z ''l^ ^1 r™ «-<^ thrown down hard by ^''' '' ^'^'^ ^'^P« '^^'^ ^^^^ craft^'''" ^''' ' *'°'* '"'' • " ^"^^ Parley. " Choose your easily amS '" ^' ^"^''^^ ^^^* ^^^^ ^^ -e so the world ''^iT ^\ ^ wouldn't be Cambridge for unlvlr"fy> '"""'' "^^"^y- " Oxford is my ffther's " That's all right. Have you got a boat ? » a stltt^Tfhir^ '^"'^^^'°" ^^^^ ^^ ^^- ^-^«^- " How are we to know them apart ? " What a pity ! " she said reeretfnilv <« t • u. r;r ; -' ^ ''-^'^ - '^- -'" -i w mTlk? of life' Thave .ot"' T'' '''''''' *^^ ^^^^* emergencies you and Ltl ^ nT P'"'^'' ^ ^"^ ^lock in an O for y>ju, ana natch m a C for mvuplf n^u^t. -u • dark and light blue." ^ "'" «'" "' "■» <-it«T,:^l '"'° ''"* "^ '-'» lie did not replv at o.,(.p le „i,^ ,, , , , *» »o,.„ .„. have ,e.i..e,/;„%t^t" -rr^-J ']*« 244 WINDYHAUGH. after a curious inward struggle that she answered gravely, Then she rose. " Father will be expecting us " she said, and she slid down the sloping side of the rick. " Stop a moment," he cried as he followed her " You have got some clover in your hair. You must not go home looking hke Ophelia in the mad scene." She put up her hand to remove it. " It doesn't matter. If you hadn t been here, I shouldn't have known about it." Ah -but It does just happen, you see, that 1 am here." fy.\'uT r^f'l '"'"'^ ^'' *° "-"^'^ "ke a hare across he fields to her father ; but while she hesitated, it was too 1a .wl f^ ""^^ ""' ^^' ^^' ^°^ then-she felt very glad that her hair was so pretty. ..^l^^f"^^^ r* '^' ^^'^"g P^«Pl^ ^« they walked sedately home Their silence was not lost on him,-nor was the rose in Wilhelmina's belt. " When the missis has decided what she means to wear f;os7rL.'' ''''' "-"'' '^ '^ ''' '-'- -^ ^h-e Wilhelmina hurried up-stairs, and in a quarter of an hour came down in the blue muslin frock. " Ah " he said, "you meant to set me a puzzle, did you ? Haven t you a pmk gown ? Wear that to-morrow night" They strolled into the garden together. " If lily of the valley were in season," he said, "we would try tilt; but white IS a cowardly way out of the difficulty. Ivy would be pretty, but too mature. Ah, I didn't know we had farget-m^nots. Th, are not decorative, but the- are very throat ^"^"^"^ ^ ^'^'^^""^ 'P'*^' ^"'^ ^'''*'^"^ '^ ^t her After supper Wilhelmina went to make the coffee, as she always did when her father was at home, and then the three spent another long peaceful evening on the terrace. When the young girl went to her room, she read her ed gravely, " she said, er. " You 3fc go home n't matter, about it." am here." lare across it was too e felt very 'LOVE AND LIFE." 246 tXZr "^ '"'' ^'^"'^ ^'' '"^"d -«"Jd take a grip of the famihar verses ; and then she knelt down to pray.^ ^ Oh God, I am so happy ! I am so happy i " Those were he words that forced themselves to her lips Sh^ tried to remember what a sinner she was, but the remem branee brought no remorse. She did not ask Verse wTv' he was happy. When love first breathes a flying whpeTiu he ear of an mnocent girl, he does not make heMn rtpee Mn.1, '^.^^:^^"«^^«"^ He draws her back to the boom of Mother Mature and makes her at one with all the dear ^Id thmgs m forest and meadow and stream y walked him, — nor IS to wear nd choose f an hour did you ? night." ily of the hat; but vy would we had are very t at her 0, as she ;he three •ead her CHAPTER XXXIII. "love and life." Next morning at breakfast Mr Galbraith received a tele gram calhng h,„ i, to Edinburgh on business WUhelm „a and Brentwood accompanied him to the gate I shall come back by the four o'clock train," he said Take care of yourselves and of each other • and if vot have another rowing- lesson, be very cautious." "^ Trust me, sir," said Brentwood ^^Mr^ Galbraith turned to him. " I do trust you." he said eactoZ iS'.r r:?^'''' ^"^ Wimelmina looked at ^Zf •/ r T 'a. ^" ""^ ^^^^ ^"other lesson ? " She hesitated. She had resolved the night before th.t .h. "T have various little duties in th mg," she said. " If 111 tlie house in the morn- you go on, I will join you in an hour. i^'> » ' 111 246 WINDYHAUGH. " Oh, no ; I will wait for you." _ Shyness soon wore away in the healthy excitement of row- ing, but Mr Galbraith's parting words had exercised a sobering influence on Brentwood, and when they began to talk, he chose the safe subject of books. "You are a great reader, I think," he said, mindful of jbartor Hesartus. " I am afraid not." For the first time she felt a pang of regret that her reading had been so limited in range of late • but such regrets, she felt sure, were a temptation of the evil ona " Life is so short," she said sententiously. He smiled. " True, oh. Queen ! " bo^kt "** I think one ought to be careful to read the best _ "Granted again. But how are we who ar-^ young and Ignorant to know what is best ? Don't you think that in books as m wmes we must have our fling ? It is only when the shadows begin to gather that we are entitled to say, That book, that wine, may be very good ; but these are the brands for me ? ' " "And yet," she said, "we surely know that books which pertain entirely to this world must be a— waste of time " ^^ And among such books you include Shakespeare ? " « Oh, no," she said, but her voice lacked the rine of Bincenty. *' " Honour bright. Miss Galbraith ! Carry your conviction loyally through." " Yes," she said. " i am afraid I should include Shake- speare. " And Browning ? " " I don't know anything about Browning." He wondered whether it was worth while to pursue the subject, but he was young and it tempted him "In the books you find helpful," he said at last, "don't you think the writers are apt to take a religious idea, and then shape their incidents and characters to suit it ? The "LOVE AND LIFE." 247 iiTlI result may be very pretty and pathetic ; but, if your father read such a book, he would say, ' This is not life.' N'est ce pas ? " She nodded gravely. " On the other hand, let your father or any other able man of the world read a work like Shakespeare's Ju'ius Camr, or Browning's Iime:Z:'^r^'- " ^'' ''-' '' ^ '^^^^y ^^- ' He will forftieru::iir/;eSeTt!;rr ^-'^ ^^ ^-^ '^^ ^- exchanged her pretty cotton f f" ^'^m^red. She had she carried undS arm two" ""."' "'" ^^^^' ^"^ "It is time you werT Zl^^^^T^'-Tl^''''^''- revoir!" ^^' '^' "^'^ brightly. - Au her\'h "h- '/.et'lt S ^^ '' t ^^*^' ^"^ ^^"-^^ was out of sig^beLe L t^^^^^^ ^^^^ '^^" *^^ -^^^ ^^^ fatriTbrtired td If ^'^ ^^'^ ^-^^"^^ «- the moment she Sd^etheTof^hTh^ *.^ ^^ *^^ Moreover it would never do o r h m t I , t ^?^'''''^- and a flower that wouM go w7.h S 1^" ^^ T '" kept a bowl ot roaes on her Z2ltZt\ ^''"'^J" was reflected 0X11 <(f'"°«'° "f '""»"' "'<>" .he flowe. Wore :c;ttdow„:Lr bt:T'f '™r minutes she might let then, remak ' ' '" " ''" She moved about gailv nnHin^ ti,„ the sound of wheel, ^ght h " 1, and°7o '" -T'"' *" Ming but the exacted arrival, rirng'iSS °™''" The dog.cart wa, driving up to the door, but Mr qI™,,. wasnotmit. Harley Brentwood wa, alone. """■ "LOVE AND LIFE." 261 "Au His face brightened when he saw Wilhelmina. "^our father has been detained in town," he said with a scarcely perceptible shake in his voice. "He sent a Dressage by the lawyer's clerk. He will come as soon a^ xiG Ctin, bPwT;^i"'^r ^'^ """^ ^"'^''•- ^^' ^^'^ become suddenly, bewildenngly, conscious of the roses at her breast. ^_^She did not speak till she had regained her self-posses- "I suppose we had better have tea," she said slowly. surftC l"f '^"^' "' '^' '^'''^ '^'^ t^--P«t. and felt sure that her whole nature was vibrating with some emotion. Was she merely disappointed at her father's non-appearance? X/Tvl'/^r^'"'^^'' ^i'-gi^ally apprehensive, of an- other solitude d, deux i irr , l S jTir/'^'f ""' ^^.'' ^^^ '^^^^^^^'^ *° keep him in doubt She talked gaily, excitedly, impersonally,-,iaking him fee there was an armed neutrality between them,-mfking h m hope there was a traitor in her camp ^ Supper time came, and still no Mr Galbraith. It was .», ^.f^'- '^' '^'^ ''-''' "«^«^ t« ^ait for him Tut neither Wilhelmina nor Brentwood ate with much op'lite famiy Bible and laid it on the table with the air of one who wiU tolerate no compromise. Wilhelmina looked startled and uncertain, but the maid t^s Z^^^^'^' - ^ ^^^^^ 'y ^^e door, and'"^ "I will read a chapter gladly," he said. "I am sorrv I have no gift for— for prayer." ^ ^ He read the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the There was a Ion, 1' ?■ se. Wilhehnina was trying to think of a prayer that was in h r wh 252 i'-f i it r,: i ■ WINDYIIAUGH. ^\'lien the inspiration some way suiteci to a clever man came, it was a Imppy one "Tt ,, I, . , •"' "' "'■* ■"• desire, had X:' He\T'"f/' ^'^ '^^"^^'"^' ^^« --ds she ^.cer^:^a^7ri-^—::;t^^ For a long time neither spok . Tliere was f T languor in the summer night The s ent of tJ? ' ""'^ suckle hung about ther. onchainA bv th fU '''^' air. Away down below S \ ^ ^""''' "' ^^^ thing asleep. ^ *'^^^ "^"^ ^^^^^^^^^ like a live tiZy'Jl^''"^ ^^^°"^^" ^"^^^-- -id conven- Je turned to look at her. Surely, surely she was actin, A fair girlish arm lay on the rose- minted stretced out his hand and caressed u nl^ Ah! There was no mi taking tha !ivt spouse A ...cent's hesitation, and tl... her , th- ca-. hke a timid fluttering dove, and rested on hi .^another moment he had her in his arms. ' VUma!»hecned,"Iloveyou! Don't you lov,> „,«? " 'nvn. He rill of re- ther hand 'LOVE AND LIFE." 253 When Mr Oalbraith came : d "Deed ay, sir." "And Mr Brentwood can support a wife " Ann snorted. " If ye'd been content to wait she'd ha' maim the minister himsel' i " ' °* doubt' ^r'' '^^^^ ,7f'l ^^ - an honest man, without ^^ 111 1 bring you some supper, sir ? " 'iSo, no, he murmured to himself • "tint i,-f» • dock! Give her some sort TZ'- " * J'***' beyond!" ^ ^°"'°°' ^°^« sense of J M 254 WlNI)YirAU<;i|. CHAPTER XXXIV. «-it^,p rift I' REACTION. ont^oZ'l !? ^JT ^^^.«"«'^^«^^'i by those who are out ot It to be a desert, but this year it was the scenfl nf nn important scientific gathering/and for a few dajbril iant people from all parts of the .orld were assenTbSthe e who del VerlS tl r''^- ?" '^ '"-"'"ental attainment, centre^o^trs^t^^^^^^^^^^^^ varying subjects were the planets : the TrinTtheorist tkh Ins extensive following dashed across the fieM as usul Z tj the erratic course of a comet : and satellites of every ^M S Ld at "o t r '°'"^ .*''"^'^ ^^°- b-" had toiUt^t^:;^^^^^^^^^^^ ^- devising So It came about that talent and beauty were well r«. presented at the professorial dinner on Friday evcnil^ and a ingularly attractive woman fell to Brenfwood fhare She was some years older than himself huf ^. aa 1 suspect the fact; he was struck on^ by the oe fe.f " and smoothness of her manner. She did not f. fi '*'' hin. by any means her undivided aUentl W by'Te^ she became more interested in his conve sation untflnf ength she yielded herself up to it with a who^Jt^^^^^^^^^^ that was very flattering. Not strictly clever herself sh! had always lived with cultured peoplef and sL saw lifet a perspective that harmonized pleasLt ly with Brentwood? own point of view. Both were conscious of a feeW o regret when the hostess rose. "^ °^ A former acquaintance of Brentwood's took the vacant place beside him. vacant REACTION. 25ft " Well, old fellow," he said, "you have been a stranger of " Yes, I have been abroad a good deal." " We all thought you would have had a professorship before now." Brentwood did not say that he might have had one in the colonies, if hi.^ mother's health had allowed him to leave her. " I hope you are settling down here now ? " "My sister and I—" A great wave of feeling took ^rentwood by surprise as he pronounced the familiar words For the first time he realized the change that had come over his life. «— my sister and I mean to .spend the greater part of the year in London ; but we have a cotta-e near Silverton,— quite within roach of Edinburgh." " And are you staying there now 1 " "More or less. I was in Kent a week ago. I come to-day from Windyhaugh." " Windyhaugh ! " An odd flash of intelligence came over the speaker's face. « That is Mr Galbraith's place, isn't it ? » "It is." " I was hearing about him the other day. An interestinff man, I am told 1 " " Extraordinarily able and interesting." " But it takes a long spoon to sup with him, eh ? " Brentwood's manner froze. " I don't know what you mean," he said coldly. "I find him a delightful com- panion." The conversation went on for some time, but Brentwood could not afterwards remember a word of it save that odious little remark,-" It takes a long spoon to sup with him, eh ? " He succeeded in banishing the subject from his mind for the evening, however, although he l^ad no opportunity of resuming the conversation which had interested him during dinner. When the gentlemen went to the drawing-room, his charming companion at once became the queen of a little court. She scarcely spoke to Brentwood individually, but m 256 WINDYHAUGIT. I' « ' i r . r* mt K ,1 (( >• f '""''^''^^^ Unpremeditated fallen into his mnnfli K<>f i, , , ' ^^ ^'^^ ""i* hia ^rrdt^teir'"*'' »pu.3e,B.„tw^d opened "foRELLA Mia, "^ou wzll guess, of course, that it is Miss Galbraith. 4 ';• IH > r, I 268 WINDYHAUGH. She is ft Circumstances threw us together a great dea_ charming girl,— a world too good for me, and yet " I should be a cur to write like this if you had not been my mother confessor always ; but I may as well prepare you for what you would read in my face before we had been ten minutes together. Of course I may find to-morrow that I am taking an exaggerated view of what passed between us, so I won't post this until I have seen her. " If there is any blame in the matter— beyond that which is due to 'the Power that made us girl and boy'— it is entirely mine, and I don't want to shirk an ounce of my due responsibility. I told her I loved her— this again you won't understand—; I drew from her the confession that she loved me. It was I who led her on : she had never been there before. I would swear with my dying breath that she had never been so much as effleuree by any man till now. " Write me a line, dear, by return, in Heaven's name ! " What jolly times we have had together ! " Yours incoherently, « Hal." CHAPTER XXXV. THB LADY OF LYONS. Did ever the sun shine as it shone on Windyhaugh the next morning ? The old place was a very fairy-land. The tall white lilies seemed to chime like bells, and every rose in the garden had lifted up its heart. Wilhelmina was half dazed with delight. Her father waa taking her in to town for the day ; he was in his happiest mood ; he called Ann to admire the effect of the new hat above the white silk gown, and laughed to see an unwilling THE LADY OP LYONS. 259 smile of surprise and admiration break up the dour lines of tne disapproving face. .ti/\ • ^''.""^'l' """" ^*^" ^'^° happiness enough; but, around the landscape it irradiates and transcends, was the new, mystic, wonderful, half-apprehended joy One can do a good deal in two short summer nights and one Jong summer day. In that time Wilhelmina had suc- ceeded m investing Harley Brentwood with all the virtues fairy prince had ridden out of the everywhere, out of the ev rywhere for her. How could she do enough to show her passiona e appreciation ? To think that she had judged life so harshly, so cruelly ! Poor life ! Generous life that now was filling her cup with full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over ! Wilhelmina lunched with her father at a big hotel in Princes Street, and then they set out on foot. Of course she asked no que.stions, and they were in the vestibule of the theatre before she realized what was taking place. Then a dozen conflicting thoughts and intentions ran through h.r mind. Of course she ought to turn back at once. She was perfectly sure about that. On the other hand, it wa. so pleasant to be at one with her father again ! She did so want to be lovable and childlike ! Moreover she could not mlnrtn^ f '". "^'^'"u '"'"^''^"^ ^'' ^ft«"^oon's amuse- TrZ w °M TT ^' ^"'^^'^ °"* ^^^^« ^'' ^1«"« i» the street. While she hesitated, they reached their box, the curtain rose. Miss Evelyn flashed up a quiet glance of re- cognition, and It was too late to draw back. Oh, that good, genial, sentimental old play, The Lcuh, of ^2 7^;* ^ contrast to the flim..y webs of mood and eptgmm that fill-or empty-our theatres in these degene- rate days ! What a story to make a young girl's pulses leap with generous sympathy ! C . wants to see The Ladu of Lyom at Wilhelmina's age-shall I add. in Wilbplmina's mood?-in order to know just all that a play ought to be. if i ■' '^fi 260 WINDYHAUGH. At the end of the first act Brentwood joined them. His face was very pale, but in the uncertain light Wilhelmina scarcely noticed that. Of course the first rush of reaction was over for him ; he felt almost calm now; but, if he still entertamed any hope that he had not irrevocably committed himself, Wilhelmina's first upward glance dispelled it for ever. She could not speak, but her "soul stood up in her eyes, and claimed him for its own. Beyond all possibility of doubt, he was the one man in the world for her. And all this had happened in three days— three days ' Well .1 She was pretty, and sweet-and young. At least he could mould her to his will. He could not conceive a more reasonable, more docile, wife than she would make: he could not imagine her really opposing him in any way. And, just as he was congratulating himself on this, he realized for the first time with a prophetic flash that the nioment a man has moulded a woman to his will, her soecial charm for him is gone. He realized that in some way or another, spiritually, mentally or physically, a woman must constantly elude a man, if she is to retain her hold on him • and herein, he thought bitterly, lies a fine and inspiring, if also a humbling, truth, for may she not elude him by her very greatness? Brentwood did not for one moment fail to see the situa- tion from Wilhelmina's point of view; he was almost mor- bidly anxious that she should not find him cold ; but on this score he need not have been uneasy. She looked for no demonstration in public, and indeed the reserve of his man- ner now, in contrast with the fervour of that wondrous night on the terrace, thrilled her with a sense of his power His presence hemmed her in so completely that she scarcely noticed the fact of which he was overwhelmingly aware that Mr Galbraith had gone out, and left them alone in the box. He returned, however, at the beginning of the second act, and now Wilhelmina gave herself up unreservedly once more to the play. She rejoiced when Pauline be^'an to * IMF THE LADY OF LYONS. 261 show a human heart beneath her worldliness and vanity and when Miss Evei;j.n's fine voice uttered the lines'- IT XI . , . "Even then Methmka thou would'et be only made more dear ' By the svyeet thought that I could prove how deep Is woman 8 love ! We are like the insects, caught iSy the glittering of a garish flame ; But, oh, the winga once scorched, the brightest star inures U8 no more ; and by the fatal light We cling till death ! " Ah When Miss Evelyn said that,-it is well Wilhelmina did not know how the words affected Harley Brentwood ! bo the story ran on to the three thrilling scenes of the renuncial ,on the rescue, the final explanation WnLlm na had a hard battle with her tears during the latter haTf o^ ^e play, and they got the better of h^r altogether when poor pale Pauline said in that low heart-brokfn voice,-! " Zf^'"^' ^'"' ^^*" ^ ''^'^'' """-^^d a thought That was not his ;-that on his wandering way Daily and nightly, poured a mourner's prayers. Tell him ev'n now that I would rather share His owliest Irt-walk by his side, an outcast,- Work for lum, beg with him,_live upon the light Of one kind smile from him,-than wear the crown The Bourbon lost 1 " .Jr^^'^r^^ ^fl *^"* *^' ''^""Sht of her heart had been expressed at last ! r. J!!? l''^^"'' f"'""^ °^ '^' "S^*^ '"^ '^' theatre discon- certed her sorely, and she kept her head down for a few Tentwood *^' ""'**''' ^'"" "^^'^ '^' ^"^'^'•^ *" "And people say the the^tr. i, .,rong/ " she said. Mr Galbraith smiled. " W:, ^ivelyn wants you to go and dme with her at her lc,o - v >, ^^ ^^^ ^ «° not acting to-night. I will take .ou to her room now and can lor you in time for the train. Do you care to pay your IJII S62 WINDYHAUGH. Wmi m respects to Pauline, Brentwood ? All right. Come along Perhaps you can arrange to walk a little way iu my direc- tion afterwarda I should like to have a word with you." A visit behind the scenes is scarcely to be recommended to any young person who does not wish to be disillusioned. MnTTn ^ ?K^"''^^' ^"J^^J'^i"* J^alf expected to find Pauline still m the surroundings in which she had left her: hnJt 7T '^^ ^''''^''' '^' '^'^^y Professiona loungers the bare room with its litter of garments and cos- metics struck chill to her heart. Miss Evelyn did not detain her long however, and when they were seated in the great oriel window of the hotel, looking out on the sunny green gardens, the young girl forgot all about her brief reaction. you Hke'iU^i' "''" "'' ""'" ^""''^ ""^''y' "^°- <^^ Wilhelniina's eyes were shining. "I feel," she said fervently, "as if I had listened to a dozen sermons. " Oh, heavens, Vilma ! I hope not " think t'"'^''^" ^° y°^ ^°°^ I am almost frightened. I think things are wrong, and then when I come to experi- ence them, they are so different somehow ! It is so d fficuU ^:r Oh M-'Tf"' . I --^b- better woman after tOHday . Oh, Miss Evelyn, it was jnat-npltfting / " The actress smiled "Pauline is out of date," she said, but there is no doubt she is very fetching » "She is splendid! And what a hero Melnotte is - And even old Damas ! I didn't care for him at first, but he rbgs e'e aTif 7 ? '"' "' f ^^ ^'"^ '""^^ "^^ ' ^ou made m^e sribody.' ""' '° "^'^ '^'' ^^' ^^^ -^ -^ "^« ^or ticSr'?"''^^'' ^"'^"^ mischievous. "Somebody in par- The flush that rose to Wilhelmina's cheeks seemed to make her eyes shine more brightly than ever. "I didn't mean anybody in particular." 3me along, my direc- rith you." ommended lillusioned. :ed to find i left her; rofessional ts and cos- 1 did not ted in the ihe sunny her brief 'how did ned to a ;ened. I experi- ) difficult nan after I) Jhe said, s! And he rings nade me life for in par- tmed to [ didn't THE LADY OF LYONS. 263 Her friend laughed. " Oh, Vilma, Vilma, don't try to de- davT'' J i'TT/'"'^* '""^^ °^^ ^*^Sers in the house tcv tkh th. f?.l A "^""^'f^y^' * -^T poor affair compared w-S , • ^T"" *^'* ^^^ S°^"g «" i" one of the boxes." Wilhelmina did not epeak. She was gating out over the gardens. " Happy, jDc^iVc?" wJIf'f '^^^«°°?'"onplace little word shook under the weight of meaning it contained Wilhelmina was the one to break the silence after all « Isn't It wonderful ? " she said ofZ^I^ I don't W One has heard of the same sort of thing happemng before." ,^. '?^^ rM'^f '^^'- ^^' ^^'^^ ^^^ly°' is'i't it wonderful that he should think of me r' There was another silence. r.2^1 ^r-ffti ^'^ *^' ^•'^''^^^ ^* '^«*' "yo'^ ^i" think me a brute if I tell you a few home truths, and yet-there 13 no one else to do it. It is dangerous work to fall in love at Wmdyhaugh. Your life there is so quiet, so sentimental so romantic, that you can't see this affair in its true propor- tioa I don't want you not to give yourself up to it because of course it is the greatest happiness you will eve^ know. But don't squander it. If Brentwood was a god would be safe enough; but men are not built to stand this sort of thing Try to keep just one little comer of you being mne. Worship him with all the rest if you like but m that one little corner realize that he is only an ordinary young man,.-rather pedantic, a bit of a prig,-though that of course, is not a bad fault at his aga" tHoT^l!"'"* raised yearning pathetic eyea Teax^hable though she was, it did not even cross her mind that there was truth and reason in her friend's words 264 WINDTHAUGH. m ' ' irf! i 1 1 "1 T' Mif CHAPTER XXXVL THE CHAINS ABB EIVETTBD. "It takes a long spoon to sup with him, eh ? " The words had rung in Brentwood's ears all morning the box at the Lyceum. Mr Galbraith looked so quiet so s holarly, so completely master of himself and of the situ heT^ n'o h "' 'r ^r'^'^' ^^^- *° wonder whethe; he ha^ not been guilty of unpardonable audacity iu making love to he daughter of such a man. Why in he woSd W^henotb^otfh ^'t *° '''' ^^"^ fof a^Tw was He not born to have his own way ? Even in the simnlfl tmctive of himself, so unlike that of ordinary green room ^^'*'''': 'Y-'^ Wilhelmina's eyes had oniTee„ Z eloquent-she might have had BreLood attrS:t on^e B Jiw ''7''' ""^^^'^ *^"^ *°^^^^« P""''^^ Street in silence. Brentwood was wondering desperately what he oult .^ «ay,^or^ whether, indeed, it was absol/tely necesL^f say .score"' ^" '''"^'"^°° ''"° ^^"^^'"'^ ^11 doubt on that "Well Brentwood," he said not unkindly, "you and mv little girl have stolen a march on me " ^ Brentwood's face burned. "I am sure T nn, ^ :cr "«!-: — rr -f"-" -- T „» J ^ V^ ^^^* *° ^*^® spoken to you fir^t I need not say— I need not say " ^ ' I knowr^hf ''r"' T ' ^^ °"^- "^^°" -°°der how her face so well Ah. Pygmalion. Pygmati , "of coursl that THE CHAINS ARE RIVETTED. 266 one has seen the miracle happen before, but you can't .uess what It means when it comes to one's own little II It makes a man feel verv oW —nn^ i,^ -ui ^ iealouq Dno / : Old,— and horribly, unreasonably jealous. One does not want her to be an old maid vet The nng of smeen ty m his voice was unmistakeable. That I can wel believe," said Brentwood warmly. One never realizes till it comes so near how ieat the change 1, One day a child, heartwhole and happy.Sk n^ of nothing but her religion and her frocks-fhad ^o"! -born agam-a woman with the love-light in her eyes " I al^r r g^?^--^^' *^^^ ^ - -^^ aware hrmuch Mr Galbraith nodded. " I confess that at one time I did look higher. You probably know that Wilhehnina and I Tm oT rt' '^^"^' 1 ''' ^^-'^- She t'otv sTs^er but the vT^ T^'' *'^ ^"^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ °>«ther's d d nLt hi! . ^f '°°^' °^^ ^«"°^°'^« «^ruple that I marry a good .„d able man-who ha, won her h^rt." """ I am well aware that she is a world too good for me » as a maa of the world. I gather fmm what you told me not ^7 "T "^ '° " I"""™ '" »»PPort a wife fnL:LtinrmteLiit:trL^c^^^^^ she has ever been in her father " ^'^ "I would not hear your enemy say so, sir." r m p-..,,; 966 WINDYHAUGH. Jlelinf ''"S r''' T' ^^«"*-^'' he said with .^al you are!" ^"''' ''""'' ^^"* ^ ^"^^^ f«"°^ They walked on in silence for a little way. "I wish I "tt TS" '" T "i- ' ™^'" ^'' «^^b-'^h «-'d at last an^ Z f^^^ ^^ ^''''''' ^^*h a ^"««d at his club here Xr'L wee\T^ ^^ ''^' - ^- - ^^'^^^Wt An hour or two later he called for Wilhelmina. You had better be putting your hat on," he said kindly; but don't hurry. We have plenty of time." ^ This at least was a hint that she was abundantly canable Well Miss Evelyn said at last, "so it is settled ?" •He nodded. " And you are eraiailed ? " He shrugged hi. .boulders. "Is it likely? I am only tun^n. I ne.e. ..:a,.ued that I should be Lisfie^^J -my iS." ""''" ""^^'^"^ '"^' ^'' ^"^-^"*« °>y " I think she is a darling." "Still it wa^ the best thing to do under the circumstances She overturned my own little plans for her welfare I may be away or years, and it is not right that she should be alone at Wmdyhaugh." " ^ your American millionaire so irresistible 1 " He 18 something better than that: he is precisely what I choose to make him The boy has taken a curiouf fln^y to venerate me, and he does not get on my nerves. The milw-;!" ""' ""'' ''^"""^- "^'^''^y - - "Especially in a millionaire." "When do you start ? " THE CHAINS ABE RIVETTED. ' In September sometime. 'And where?" ' I don't know. 26r ' moves Brent- a - Wherever the fane wood i« a thoroughly reliable fellow ?» uo'lho^irirv,'^""^' ' ^ ^"""^ ^"^y 'l^^^rously b> hLband '." {,^^^\t-°,.<=\-iderations i„ her choic, a M^ei^^reiV^oThat'^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^« ^'^ *^« ^-^'- "I hope he is sufficiently in love ?" ^ n have been giving her a hint not to spoil the young ;; That's right. I should have been afraid of overdoing She has taken the complaint it. "Not much fear of that, m its full force." '' I suppose so. It is a family weakness." till now Sh« "'"'' '^''"'•^ '^' "^^^"^^^ i°-the family to In r , ^^ '° '•"" ''' *^^* I '^^'^Id not bring mS He smiled. « Poor Ronald ! " "Oh Ronald is all right. He abundantly makes ud for any shortcomings on my part. It is time you were starting Good..ght. George. We have been e^celle^rm^retS " Excellent comrades ! " " Take care ! I hear Wilhelmina." Brentwood was weary with conflicting emotions when he went to his room that nic-lit w^ i, • ""'""""^ '^nen He hi» chains were rivettdlv -"o^dTnl: r*"';'"^ '^ what a lo,aI fe,W ,„„ are /"-a^AiT 1^ ! iTdP «ot greati, care. He one thing to which he d7flnTwy it^ '■ '!.ii J" ll IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / i^ /.A v^ 1.0 I.I 2.8 If 1^ .■r ■4,0 1.25 iu 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 150mm Si 7, *^ / ^w O / >1PPLIED^ IM/IGE . Inc .^= 1653 East Main Street j^='- Rochester, NY 14609 USA ■=r.= Phone: 716/482-0300 -="-= Fax: 716/288-5989 © 1993. Applied Image. Inc , All Rights Reserved ^^^■"k^y"^' < <;.- « /, v^ 268 WINDYHAUGH. mi if if mil ; I forward was his sister's letter; he longed to hear that she did not despise him, that she was not too cruelly surprised • but he had almost ceased to hope that slie could throw any fresh light on the situation. Her letter arrived without loss of a post. Honor had not knelt for hours in prayer before writing it, as Wilhelmina in her circumstances would have done. Of course it was not written without a struggle, and yet in a sense it was the spontaneous erpression of her mind. "My dear Hal, " I must begin by telling you that my first feeling on reading your letter was one of profound thankfulness that you should have written to me just like that. ' You being what you are,' it is a letter of which a sister may well be proud; but we have not been an ordinary brother and sister have we, Hal ? " Well, dear, of course I was surprised, and, of course— in a way, as you say, I don't understand it; but if a good man's nature takes him by surprise— I dislike your word, emottons,~if a good man's nature is his destiny, I must cling to the belief that in spite of appearances the destiny is a good, or at least a fine one. At worst I would rather you became engaged like this than that you set out in cold blood, as some men do, to look for a suitable wife. "I say 'in spite of appearances,' because of course, for love of my sex as well as for love of Hal, I should have wished you to marry a woman to whom you would look up as much as she looked up to you. But your 'little devote' is young : she may develop. "Am I a brute, Hal,— a cold-hearted brute, to write as I do? Some women, perhaps, would urge you to break this thing off, to treat it as a mere entanglement. I confess for one moment I did think of that ; but of course you would not listen to me if I proposed it. I gather that circum- stances were hard upon you, but after all you were a free moral agent ; and if you drew from the lips of an innocent love's young dream. 269 girl the confession that she loved you.-you have to all intents and purposes married her. "Do you remember the passage we liked so much in John IngLesantJ-^li may be that in some other place God would have found for you other work ; you have failed in attaining that place; serve Him where you are. If you fall still ower, or imagine you fall lower, still serve Him in the lowest room of all.' What more can you want, Hal, dear? Ihere are your marching orders. We may live to bless the day when your nature took you by surprise, and you married the httle devote. " Yours as always, " Honor. w".^"^-~^ °P^° ™y '^**^^ '" baste to tell you that Aunt Marian is very seriously ill. They want me to go to her so I am starting for IJothesay at once. Dear old boy, it cro'es to n.y heart to think I shall not be at The Pines to wdcome you back, but I will write every day, and hurry home the first minute I can be spared. God bless you ! " m r, CHAPTER XXXVII. love's young dream. It was Brentwood who expressed the wish that the weddmg should take place as soon as possible. Of course m doing so he was guided mainly by impulse, though he believed himself to be acting on mature consid;ration In ^e course of the week following the ..aiinee, he found that Wdhelmina nad by no means altogether lost her charm for him. The tide had turned of course. Well, let him s.ize it bexorc it« lowest ebb ! He had anticipated great things from fit p 270 WINDYHAUGH. f4l^l im I f, •i.v'l i his first real love, and the feelings he experienced now fell very far short of his expectations. He had dreamed of a love altogether convincing, and he was bitterly ashamed of his own weakness and uncertainty and vacillation. He still believed himself to be capable of a great passion, and h- dreaded lest he should meet the woman wlio would call it forth. Better burn his boats at once and be done with it ' At least he could say now that there was no woman whom he cared for more than he cared for Wilhelmhia. A year hence she and he would have settled down, and it would inatter little whether love's young dream had been everything that he had longed for. After all, love was very .listurbing there were a thousand interests in life besides love ! For many reasons the suggestion seemed a desirable one Mr Galbraith was going abroad. Wilhelmina was eighteen,-too old to return to school ; not too young to be married. Her heart beat fast when the idea of a speedy marriage was first mooted, but she raised no coquettish objection bhe trusted Brentwood profoundly; she was never weary of his society; when his arm was round her she was perfectly happy. What more did she want to feel, to know ? Mr Galbraith was greatly preoccupied with his own affairs for the next few weeks. Much of his time was spent m Edinburgh and London ; but, when he came to Wmdyhaugh, his manner was more than kind, it was tender; and he seldom came empty-handed. Sometimes his gift was a mere trifle ; r,t other times it was of real mtrinsic value; and of course it was he who chose the girlish white Liberty gown, so unlike the conventional wedding-dress of those days. "Now I must not interfere any more," he said playfully one day. "She has excellent taste of her own " and sitting down to his writing-table, he wrote a che/ue "Fifty pounds!" exclaimed Wilhelmina. "I can never spend all that!" A look of real pain crossed his face, and there was a note love's YOtJNG DREAM. Of pathetic appeal in his voice that she there before. 'Don't, little one!" he said hastily. 271 h>^d never heard 'X< .er .h.„ the old dad .hat it i^nit wh;'." U "o^ghtT quietly at The'°Pi '" """"« '°. *™=' ^O"' "--^"-n in tL! t , T'""' J"" ™° ' ""d muoh, »„d even first It doesn't matter if y„„ have few tUni i L ' r ?e z^^r ""- -- ^ot» tnd^;::! She nodded, blushing. It seemed tn I,.. * j- fashion. ^''^ ^'^^^^^ masterful "She is a little bit fond of the old man ? " ■Ine tears started to her eyes p..pL:xre^E^„r^^^^^^^^^^^^ '■ Never happy to leave him • h„f ^ , •That's righfl And yr;he Fr^™"\''T^'" -der to y„f and .e uS one Do vo? I* """? "^T fa. . a night in the old ^iace wiZt «s if?. „?f the night tmin to London, and cross the Okl r ?''° We should have enjoyed .' IMe TJof S"„ Iw'^ should we not ? " ^'^^'^ ^ society, trututSufj: td'e:^iir„Td\"= -r ■"°" "»» "■» satisfled with his ^1 y t 1."" bT '"".f ,"*""^ Brentwood had crossed L mfh w • ' """" ""''J' picture life withouTun, ^ ' " '""e---"™ 'ailed to " Have you heard again from Miss Brentwood I " still Tf JC-* "' ''"" ' "-'^^ ^^ «'" « .e.!!r r^ "Ldltrht '"T^""'- ""» airucK iixm as being somewhat iV' \ 1 i si f 272 WINDYHAUGH. w \4 ■n oppressively beautiful, but there was no use in tellin«f Wilhelmina that. He realized-what so few of us realize ' -the absurdity of arming people with weapons they cannot u ...u ^^f.'"'"* """'^ ^^"^ ^^' ^^y-" ^^ «aid to him- self, bhe will win her way." With all his wisdom, however, Mr Galbraith waa at fault when he spoke of Wilhelmina's taste in dress. He had often seen her simply and becomingly attired, and had naturally assumed that the credit was due to her. As it happened, she had pven extremely little thought to the subject until the last lew weeks, and she had spent so small a portion of her life with well-dressed women that she had many false steps to make before she could be expected to find her feet When It came to the all-important choice of a "goine- away gown," she mentally ran her eye over Miss Evelyn^ many costumes in search of a fitting inspiration. One there was that specially appealed to her fancy,-a dove- grey cashmere and little plumed bonnet with a spray of apple-blossom under the brim. Surely no conception could have been safer, but Wilhelmina had yet to learn that It IS one thing to conceive, another to realize Miss Evelyn's gown had been bought in the Montague de la Cour : it would have seemed to Wilhelmina unpardonable extravagance to have hers made by anyone more pretentious than the new dressmaker at Queensmains. This lady con- sidered herse f immeasurably superior to her predecessor,- the creator of the roomy frocks that helped to darken Wil- helmina s childhood ;-her laudable ambition was to have something fresh " about every gown she turned out, and she made up her mind that the one thing essential to A\ilhelminas quakerlike grey was an elaborate trimming of steel that she had in stock. All Wilhelmina's instincts were against that steel; but she was young, timid, un- certain; the dressmaker was mature, loquacious, resolved; so of course Wilhelmina gave way. The hat was a source of trouble too. " That really is the same dye," the shopman assured her; "of course it doesn't i m love's young dream. 273 -ake that remark Z t M s EvIL^'T'' '! T^^"^ *° was sometlung wronc. about ti;!^ ^?"'*- ^^^^ there -em quite at hon.e o^fhot b^tZ '^T"- '' ^''^"'^ to the conc,u.io„ that she Z; hi cHt'T ^"'^ ^^'"^ to ban,3h from her mind a sub^'cfwhi td" , ""'"' AST' -r ^"^^^^^ ^^- it was' r^'^ ^^"^^^ "WhItetrT teTTi:!'!-^:; ''^ ^' ^0 herself. And herein la, a great Ltl; T''^'"^"^ ^^^'^^th." one gown among hund 1 1 i^/ ?""^ ^^^^ -- only niina Galbraith. ^''^ '''" ^^« ^^^te Wilhel o4t:::r:f rtptr- ^^^^-^^ ^ ^--^^-i another took its place nSl^r'''"- ^"^ ^^^''^'^ ^^ter pour out the tea for tli« ° '^'"- ^" *^'« «he would she would awa W htbaS h '"'''"* ^ ^'^ *^^* evening; i„ a third s'r would wT"?";'"^ "^ *^^ ^^^^P'"* With reckless extravaLcr ^ ^ ^/ ^'^ ^'^^ ^" ^'^"''^^h. palette when she paSTert 'T^*^^ ^°^«"^« «» 1^^^ was noble and chivalrous Tn''°" 1 *\' '"*"''^- ^" that With all that was good Ind it l''^"' °" ^^^^^y- common life. How c!uld T f i ^ ' '^' ""^"^^^ theh- be an ideal woman TsVeof^ " '""°""''"^«' *° open by her side while Te s teld f ' '"' '' ^'^^^ aents, and her heart now t 11 ^ • ^''^^^ ^'^'t^ gar- heroines of romance now '^ '"^ sympathy with the that she n^ighrbVo L' Tt, ''"'' '"^^ ^" ^P'-tion Brentwood. For the IsMimo r' ~7°^*^^ «^ ^^^'^^ Jeading girl with wholeltt'rs™a2' ^^h"" ^^°"^ ^'^ :Lr ilLV: ''-^'^ Wilhelmiia^fSn th^lHiTj te Jbtrdt^rc?^^^^^^^^^^^^^ t -'' ^'^ °^ ^^p- ^ ^""'^ ^t work, so he did not ofti II f F ' I 274 WINDYHAUGH. come to see her ; but his letters and his presence alike har- monized with the tone of her dream. Once or twice in their intercourse she was conscious of a feeling of chill, like the easterly haar that stole up so often from the sea ; but, almost before she had time to ask herself what it meant, his manner became tender as before, and she blamed herself for expecting too much. Xo real cloud of misunderstanding rose between them ; Wilhelmina wondered what people meant who talked of lovers' quarrels. She -,as not one of those women "who would like to stop everything at April " ; but "her heart was still at the early spring nevertheless ; and, although it was Harley's rush of passion that had carried her off her feet, she liked him best m this quiet, self-restrained mood. The other almost fric^ht- ened her. Of course she would have been sorry to think that the furnace had burned itself out, but was there not every now and then a ruddy gleam to convince her that this was not so ? \^^lat experience had she to make her fear that the gleam rose from dying embers ? So the days ran on, and Wilhelmina dreamed her dream. I! n I .«.' iii CHAPTER XXXVin. WEDDING GIFTS. "J/on 6rat;«/" Enid's voice was very tender and pitiful "Don't fret, Hugh. We'll get it put right yet. I believe half the men who do pass have no notion how to sit a horse. The British Army will soon be like those queer creatures we saw at Drury Lane,-huge heads with little spmdlmg legs underneath ! " " You're awfully good, Mater. I should have gone and hanged myself if it hadn't been for you." e alike har- ice in their ill, like the but, almost his manner r expecting se between who talked ike to stop t the early y's rush of i him best lost fright- ^ to think there not r that this r fear that Jr dream. id pitiful I believe to sit a •se queer ith little ?one and WEDDING GIFTS. 275 Hugh smiled whimsically. "Gavin's wnUn™ ,. . ■ his own room" savins writing poetry m J e™ S r " " "'"' ■' '~ "■«-"-- «i'l l-e ha,, '"Though only by thy name thou'rt known 1 et to my fancy's eye, ' A form, a face, to match that name oeem ever passing by. " ' A form of matchless symmetry, A face divinely fair ; Such grace, such sweet simplicity Seem ever blending there.' " ^1, he IS hammering away at the third verse now v«, aa good « the ,t„ff J.OU read i„ book, » '° "" ''"'"' poeraiTSi^atXl^:; Sir::' r " much too pretty to be a bov •• wl . I ' """'"ly ".other', „e* 'r:i Ms^tL. J^:.^^: ^ rV''' Have you .eeu i.^Hugh , ^^y^^J^ ^ ^1^'''- E.I 276 WINDYHAUGH. ^•|1 ii 1 t «!l Hugh took the magazine listlessly. " TVTio is it by ? Ilarle, BrenUoood f Oh, ^fater, what a duffer I am ! ^ ;| ^^iJhelmina Galbraith ?-an(i to M-hom ? " you Lncle George had saved his life ? They are to be married almost immediately." ^ I' Who told you ? Are you sure it is true ? " Brentwood told me. He ought to know. He had run pfivl"" '^^ P"'^''^'^^^- '^^^ -^^-^ i« to be quTt: elatedl^ ' "'^"''' ^'^''' ^"^^ ^P^'^^" "^°^« ^' «eem >,.r°'w,!''*,^ ^ ^'"""^ ^'^^ th** y°" "ever can tell I itT 1 sk ^^ 1^ 'r""' °'^^ ^^"^^^^•'^^^- Hi« face wa btk to P ^'^'V"'^"''^^ *° ^"Sgest that he should go back to Geneva to be reimired." ^ " But didn't you try to draw him ? " .y!^V^- . \ '^'^ '^ ^Vilhelmina wasn't quite so good I " But he failed to rise ? " "Rather. He froze. He is an awfully clever fellow but a beast of a prig." ^ ^' Wi7?''- ^•'^?^'^ '^^"'^ '^'y ^'^ well.mated,-not that thaf. ;r r ^^t- '''^" •' ^ ^"^ ^^--^ ^^ ^-^ ^h; best thing ^at could have happened. We must run up to town sits Th";;'/ ^T""^^^ '^^ - ^^^« --^ of a! iTke n • t '^^ ''"" ' ^'^"^ "^"'^y P^^«^"ts. and I should like to give her something really nice Who rUA this Brentwood was?" ^"^^ °^^^- V\ ho did you say EnS^'^'^'rf , r^''^'' ^"'■^ ^^^^^^"'y a pathetic sight irom Konald. AIiss Evelyn sent a really suitable dressier b««; Fergus Dalrymple a cheque for fifty pounds Zt k 3 is it by ? r I am! I nihelmina'a nber I told are to be fie had run 3 be quite s he seem m tell. I 8 face was should go o good, I ted was a er fellow, -not that est thing to town, y of tea- I should you say ic sight. I necklet iressing- Even WEDDING GIFTS. 277 The other XZrTZtnr ■' '"" '"'"''"■■' >'«l»- cence. Shewasa^L,ir,.V ^^"'«'""m >™» all i„„„. and «he apoK^jrE^Tj" '^tl'T "°'^^-'°-' oM«t::rit:Toirter™f '•"^•' -"» '» «« waa when I was a child." '" ''°"' »°°'' "> »■« he ;; W gmndmother didn't see much of him surelv ! " Mv^^r:^ro:ir^s^p„-/---^ea... hea?of ,,^ii:[:.sX^e:''en.T„ r^ if'^ ^'^^^ '° Oh, nothing ! In the first place WJIJ,.) ■ a™a„whos.;d- ;tr,s;L';,s,t;i::"", -""^ ~ rD::s;st:;r er -^r "^=^ ™ »"-„■;; :.r " nrH fc! « .."=»■"'*"' "" visited Wilhelmina, and as both houses stood at some dis- ten.e from a railway station, it was all he could do ^ un h an? 'he' t!!^ T.T '^'"^ °^^'*'^"- «'> ^^^ ^^^s we e rare, brl esthn? ff"? accordingly. They constituted th xcust t.reary part oi his gloomy existenrp TTer uiwajs settled down again as soon as he startpd nn th. homeward journey. Wilhelmina was swee , lo W Zl ante but m his warmest moments he did Lot n^lh^ It want to marry her. He did not want to marry any woZ for long years to come. All he asked was to'^sJleTZ aga^n to his restful solitude a deux with Honor l"nes that h? ^ °"' ^'^'- H^"^'- '"^^d between the mILstti 7?. "'* "''^ ^^PP^' ^"* «h« tad r ot the smallest idea of the extent of his suffering ward ..„„»,, he .„„,,. a„ ...n^^ ^^^ ^'Z^^, Brentwood 8hivp^p,^ it« * u ""^"/"^^ wedding Day." wee to the man s motives op fn +i,„ * v """"i- reier- mouves, or to the feelmga of the bride ' tuary in an id when he some dis- lo to lunch were rare, ituted the ough, they ence. Her depression Bd on the g, preven- the least ay woman ttle down infidence. e, and, in sleepless ween the rot the er set in. weather, 30 differ- h before e almost e home- le away 3 fell on ' Day." ead the and he ted the h hom-, ted the i refer- brid§; THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. 281 He larly omi„„,« that he shou dTa'e 1 h.. „ " T-^"' then " *"^* paragraph just CHAPTER XL. THE LIGHT THAT FAIXKD. The quiet little wedding was over ho«., A„„ had ieari 1:11^^ v^S T^ro a ' '^'- discordant sob when he least intend^ 1- An ' T, 'T"' found it in her heart to burst 1 ij.;. Cself ,v , 7 Tv :; dt"„e^stfe'tr °"-' '» ^^ *X"bt / uDtcuujr g sajie, some one must nut a hn'.rlif f„„ w:' f Hi 282 WINDYHAUGH. to leave hira alone, but the consciousness that the spirit was wanting made him cling the more closely to the form. Hia heart was full of the pity that is farthest removed from love He would not run the smallest risk of hurting her feelings So he smiled and endured till the pain became almost in- tolerable. In spite of all his efforts, in spite of the dazzling sunshine. Wilhelmma began to feel that raw easterly haar stealing up-more definitely, more persistently, than ever before, bure y it was not only a headache that made him like t^is ! A vague sense of terror took possession of her, and She began to lose her nerve. She asked no questions, but her manner was full of appeal ; her every act and look seemed to say-" My lord, you once did love me ! " How could she know that this waa not the way to win her hus- band's heart ? By degrees Harley began to see, what he had felt all along, that her dress was singularly unfortunate. The steel trimmings flashed and burned in the sun, the flowers were tawdry, the whole effect cheap and commonplace. And this was his wife. This was her deliberate self. Glamour- glamour and chance had painted the seductive creature on the terrace at fundown with her pale pink draperies and the roses on her breast. " I had another lovely letter from-from your sister this morning, she said at last. « Do you care to see it ? " He took It with evident interest, and spent a long time in the perusal of its few pages. While he read, black clouds surged up m the west, and an ominous roll of thunder was heard above the rattle of the train. "That accounts for my headachy ' he said with a pitiful attempt at cheerfulnesa Flash followed flash m constant succession; the thunder feept up an almost continuous roar. Great thongs of rain ^hed the wmdow-panes, and the air grew suddenly cold. Wilhelmina begged Hariey to put on hi« nv«rcoat, and 'it h :l' e spirit was form. Hia 1 from love, ler feelings, almost in- g sunshine, ar stealing ver before, e him like )f her, and questions, ; and look 3!" How n her hus- d felt all The steel iwers were And this riamour — eature on is and the sister this t?" g time in ;k clouds mder was a pitiful earnest. thunder s of rain uly cold, •at, and, THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. sgS One'effoVn? T'"'"' ''^"^ ^^' ^« ^«* ^'^ h^ve her way tZ f.f '""^"'""'^ '""'■^ "^ ^^«« "tattered little now The platform was almost flooded hx,t fh. !lll- with a word of congratulation and a feeble iest Ztt! deemed appropriate to the situation " I thiik iM, noVhe said, "but we haven't had a stor^^t'tri:: Pi,fef " '^'^ ''^'"'^ ^'^ *^« ^-^S silent drive to The "Mv MAE Hai, .««„„ a. 0,a,«„„, a„d the :Zc^;^";ne "^ ™"- I did not want to go back absolutely einptT.la„d«d .„_ it'T^xfr L' r ''-?""'^ ™ ^- ^^^ Major Bu™leyl.r„,°^.T J" ^''° ""'* '"'" "'"<''• and I o.deredXa"L'fnrto''rrltt'!r™' entrapped. I „,ghi g„ ,„ j,„„ ^^^ ^__^ ^^^ ^_^ J I7« i Ifl 284 WINDYHAUGH. li'i !4 ,1 .* iL..„ Jl ppl v^r ^ -'u r ^ "''? "''* ^^^' *°'^ y°" I '^as in the house, but you might be vexed if I didn't. I need not say how gri;v^ I should be If you felt bound to see me. Of nouri ll won't tell your wife I am here. ^ " All good be with you ! "Honor." Brentwood ignored the request contained in the letter wnhtnt^'" '' ' "^°"' *^"^' ^"^^ *^- ^-^«^ i' to yJZ:'' '''' •' " ''' "^'- "^ ^^- - -"t«^ to meet herToTou!^^' ''"' '"' ^^* ^^'^ ^^^'^^ °ff- I -» bring anif ^17.""°"*'' ^"'"^ ^°'^''" ^°°'''^^'* »* Wilhelmina's door and the two wonaen met for the first time. Honor was very pa e. Her tluck white woollen gown feU in heavy folds Z Wt fT f i^^ ^^^ ^"^ '"^"^ "'""d and round the back of her head. Her personality would have appealed to almos anyone that night. It made its way straight as ad e o? Ill" rT'""^' ^^^^^- ^ tl^ou^and^old dream of noble womanhood seemed sprung into life. Here in actual human for. was the ideal she had scarcely .eZZ tZl nir^' If '^' ^""^'' with her storm' tost emt tional nature, could never hope to realize Honor's first glimpse was of a drooping travel-worn figure Zi:T 'r''^''' ^^^'^ = ^'' «^^o°d wa« of a pitiful human soul that looked at her eye to eye. Assuredl/th^L was not he wife she had pictured for her brother: still less was it UieaUunng" little devote" she had seen in her m nd'Iey Was ,t possible that even from the bride's point of vietThe marriage was a great mistake ? The fear made Honor's manner very gracious almost motherly. She removed Wilhelmina's haf wiThLr Z hands, and drew her down on the aofa by her sida you would I bouse, but ow grieved course you lONOR." ;he letter, ided it to d to meet viJl bring na'a door was very 7 folds to 9und the pealed to '' as a die 1 dreams Here in v^entured ost emo- rn figure 1 human was not IS was it id's eye. 'iew the almost er own THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. agft for\?t:^reTr: T T^r' ^^^^^ ^-« ^^-^ed that formfd so ; He n f"l toT"' '"' '" ^'^ ''''' but one has no'such e ling as fhrw^r^'^ ''''''''-' angel. ^ "^* ^'^^ one's guardian of U, ord JXdtZ™"*- ''° ^°" ""-'■ " '» J« »■" ill If.hU b£ ""r, "■ I ,^';. — !■» look nearly ., «n-oying youT' ^"^ ''"«"''^ "'* Wm.df for fail^'l aS"' tV^r"' ^V' "-' -"er^.' And TK^ .t ^ i. ^PPy "°^ *bat you are hera" kwe rn°;:i t SdV ?°"'''' "-"■'"^ *= ™ ''Wh«n . ^^'^ ^"P^'^ Of intended to be leavingW tTnir bTtl'"- ' ""' '"^^ ^« ^^^ ^^out one can't l^I^^l * 1? '' "^ T ''"^"^'^^ °^^^ '^ngs Bhallget a reply LlvLVoJ^'""^ «^^ y^""- driver, and I without me for Zme ^C T' ^' ''°"'* ^^ "^^« ^° ^^ Honor smiled-" the™ei^rot'f'"'"t ^^" «^« ^^'^-" to be done, is there not ? T h r'^ '° *^^ ^^^'^ ^^i««g my brothe;. but ;h „ V hear rallTat" '^ '^^^^ ^^ -*' feel like the old war ho seTn th« T w ''T''^ "'"" ^°^"& ^ the battle music." ^' ^""^^'^ '^^'^ ^^^^^ be hears This was partly said, of course, to ^onH-,-- wii, i ■ that Harley's sister was nnf ,-»„i"' ;""\^2^° Hilhelmina / sister was not jealous; but it impressed the 1 11^ IJ '35 !, •!» H 286 WINDYHAUGH. I)'* ' li! ill If '1 . Ii| aubject-of which some of us have heard enough Honor poured the warm water into a basin "T will eave you now," she said. "Come down as soon as vou can; dinner will be ready directly" ^ tStt)''f' ^7 ^''"'"''^ °" '^' dining-room hearth, and the wnen sne went to her room. "There is nn ncn i^ ^u- i • about it now." she said to herself reaHi; "<\Ct i! better, and I see him again, I shall l-nol " It was not easy to banish the subject, however and mindful of the maxim of some old divine thit "if'ou fill a sack ful of beans you can defy Satan to fill it full of peal " «he resolved to think only of Honor, to forget all Is fnThe memory of her new sister's grace and kindness and blty She bethought herself that she would like to read HonoS let ers again m the light shed on them by a glimpse of the writers personality. The first letter was if her wrhint il^h rkT'ff ''' '^'^ Harley put absent mbdedT into the pocket of his overcoat when the storm came on A moment later Wilhelmina's eye fell on the coTtin'^Ltion her husband had thrown it down when he went in ea ch of mrr-b ""f 'r ^*^PP^°^ *^ *^-'^' «^« P'-S^d her hand into the breast pocket. Ah, yes. here was the dear letter ' There was no mistaking the feel of Miss Brentwood's fine thicK writing-paper. ^ Returning to the fireside, she sat down to read in com- " Jvdear WilH •" ^T'' ^handwriting, but, instead of My dear Wilhelmma," she read, "My dear Hal " With a scarlet blush Wilhclmina folded it up. but as she did so her eye fell on the words. "You married your ittle devote. 'Involuntarily she glanced at the date It wl written three days after that night. It must be. yes, it mu^ be. a letter of congratulation. If she read this le t r he THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. 287 Hotr .Tu ^: '* '''' ^'' ^"^^- She would know how Honor and Harley really felt. haf« tl T'^" -'-r' '° '""'^'^ ^ temptation could not have found an inch of foothold in her mind h, ? T love for Harley had dwarfed all the tt Ther iW; fe and in the warped mood of the moment she feU Xt If he had ceased to care for her, it was no use o be good no use to be honourable. Her 'deals ZJ^ . ..the ,i3ts of her depression : she fven fo^t Tw tha and vet 2^ "" ,f "'^ *" "^^ ^"^- ^he tried to pray llSl tts^il^r^"'^^ ^^^" -^- «^« -^^enly The reader knows what she read,— "My dear Hal, " Well, dear, of course I was surDrispH ar,A «f a way, as you say, I don't understand^ bnf 'f ''T""'" nature takes him by surprise T St ' ^ F"^ '"^"^ 1 say «m spite of appearances,' ber-nu- o' on-.- ' love 0, „, sex as weU as fo, ,„, ' „f Hafl ;hSd lav: til i 'ii;>li ^1 i - S88 WINDTHAUGH. .\fc I f Wished you to marry a woman to whom you would loolr « as much as she looked up to vou RnT l !?!., , '^^ is young : she may develop ^ ' ^''''* ' do '^'^SnL* ^'''''' ^*''~* cold-hearted brute, to write as I th4 oHoTrr •; 'J^^'-' """'' "^^« ^-^« b-k This one moment I did ^ k ^T.XTI'T'- ' ^°"^^«^ ^- not listen to me if T n ^^^j'.^"* ^^ ^^"rse you would stances wer:\::i Von^ri^a Jr tl^^ '''' ^^^-'"- moral agent ; and if you drew f,l the uL T "'" ' '"' girl the confession that she loved vol ^ T '"""'""* intents and purposes married he' '"" '"' *" ^ 41r;:i:r:ay ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^.^^ - --^ - ^«^» have found for yruother w ^ '""V*^'' P'"^« ^^^ would that place • serve ut T ' ^°" ^""^ ^"^'^^ ^" attaining ;owe{orim5::rjfZS^sr-e^-Jiif ThTe^ryr::^:^^^^^^^^^ ^- ^aitXr ; day when yCnatrrtToTv?. ^^e may live to bless the the little devote. ^'" by surprise, and you married " Yours as always, " HONOB." Wilhelmina bent low over tha flm «i,- • She was not dazed Zr t /?' ^^"^'"''S ^'^^ ^'oW. -of a woman who gave herSu 7oJZ..!: ^ T^ ^^""'y' Why had she never thought of that woL '^" ''^"^• with herself? Why hid n. T° '° connection cii v»ny Had no one ever told her that- lid look up ttle devote' write as I break this confess for you would 'at circum- vere a free n innocent ave to all 3h in John 3od would attaining fall still m in the lal, dear ? bless the I married 3N0B." ith cold, led pre- marched recollec- er days, g fancy, asking, inection •t — even JO dear, good? school THl LIGHT THAT FAILED. ggg who held themselves cheao WJ,^ a- a .l -different when she .ZoJ^Jf *'« ^^°^« ^^ ^ She remembered how she had liked fT. i . time she saw him,-how she h«^ / ^?^'^ ^'^"^ '^e first her to row,-how she hL n "^'^ ^'"^ ^^«° ^e taught --t. kerett:^/:;^;^^^^^^^^^^^ ^o? : the clover from her hair -to L V ""^^"^ ^"^ *« take at sundown. She retZ^retZ °"* ? *" *^^ t"'^- Then with relentlesTaT^r ™''' °" ^^'^ ^"-^ast word,-"There al ;r^:^^/«--3^ --'led her father's women whose ver^ exfs^ce is a^'"!.""^ highminded tion to the n.en 7ho ruL the Irld pf '"' '''. ^'^^P'- men, and what would thev seeTn v , f ?.^°" ^*^ «»ch ^gno^nt. awkward, .atl" Vhr^ad^^'^"'""^"^^^' sequent events to banish th« .ff / J. ^^ ^"^^^^ s"b- true they were, how 1 1 « J °^ •^^''^^ ^^^^s ? How jnust be one of the women fo If" f '" "°"- ^onor -r-nds^-^r^-rtv^ With a groan she stretched herself nn *», fire and buried her face in her handf ' '"^ ^''°^« '^^ JNext came the recollection nf *u ' had crossed her mind after her enl ^^^' «"«Picions that seemed to her now far more nTf'"^'^*- ^^ ^^^-^^se they been at the time, and :heTgledt;^%^^ *'^^^^^ -% of the little thrill of pride w^fh wl^ l tT ^' '^' *''°"ght jorree^^^^^ - ^er With new be safe enough, bu men are notT^^/'^' ^ ^'^' ^' ^«"Id thing." " She was right -Cidtim *" ''^"^ *^^« ««^^ -^ the place of God; and L^V fw .Tl"' '^ "^ P"' ^^^ i" can find my own 4,d agahr ^' '° ^°°^ ^^^^^-^ I With the memory of Mi«<, F,,»i Pauline, of Melnotto How L ^I! T""' ^^' ^^^'^^ of "" happyshehadbeen that day/ i I', ill 290 WINDYHAUGH. Was it really she, was it Wilhelmina Galbraith, who had been so happy? Then at last came a rush of relief. What Melnotte had done for Pauline, surely she could do for Harley. She could leave mm free ! - i-WP I? 'I CHAPTER XLL THE LIGHT THAT ENDUEED. The housemaid was washing the doorstep when Wilhel- mma came down next morning, dressed apparently for a stroll in the pine wood. " It is a beautiful morning," she said timidly. "It is that, ma'am, but I doubt ye'll find it very wet yet. The girl moved her pail aside to let her new mistress pass and-laying a letter on the hall table as she went.- Wilhelmina stepped out into the sweet fresh air. An hour later Honor came down. She was anxious to see how her brother was, and then to return to Rothesay with the least possible delay. " Mrs Brentwood has gone for a walk," said the housemaid cheerfully. Honor nodded, and picked up a letter that lay on the table. She did not at first recognize the unformed hand- writing, but a moment later she stepped quickly into the drawmg-room, and closed the door. Wilhelmina had hesitated long before deciding how to ^dress her correspondent, but this was the letter that Honor finally read, — "Dear Lady, " The letter you wrote to your brother has come into my hands, and I have read it. Of course I know that I have ith, who had THE LIGHT THAT ENDURED. 291 matters is that I have ^d'i^^^^^^ ^"' *^^"«-^- ^^" ^^at If I had just seen you as iZlaul '"'' ^""'~ room Ja.st niL'ht -I thint T T ^m\ '" ^""'^ ^^"'^ ^"^ "^y could be a wt\o ^0';!'^"'' '^^^ ''^^^^ ''^' ' ^^^'^ been true to the light thli was L ^ T ^'"^*- ^^ ^ ^^^ been swept off .y Lt b'/L^^rtT,;^?^^^^ '''^'' '^^ that? ir; awr lus ^tT '^^^' ^^" -" - the humiliatL of meetinTMfr . ^""! ''^"^'^' ^"^^ "«* it is an awful thin^ t„ t „ . ^^-f twood again. I know yesterday mornt/l should"" "^°J^'^^^ ^'^ ^"^^and ; murderer; bu f V.o atf Tl ^""' ^^P^^*«d to be a difficulty in getlg K wVY^ ^-^al" ' ^l '^'^ "^ to think that I am brindnTtro.^Kl i^^f ' ""^ ^'^'•* ^'^^ him. I would have Sed to bri^ '"' *'? "^^"^ ^'^ ^^^ " Of course I know Mr P ?^ T'' "^^'^ ^"^^^ •' I know I cannot hr^yiTJXth"'" '^r^ '^^ •"«'• me if he wished ; but he S L ° . ^' """"^^ ^^'^ *° ^^d It would be terrible for bTth of ?^"^ '""^ ^'''' "^'^^^ne. to persuade me to cte back buMhaT ^ ''^"'^^' *^^ thing that even God could tta^e'^ ""^^ ''' °"« him I shall come to ^0 harm l7 '''" ^"' '"^^^^^^ ^ell "pon. and I know suffiott ;f L.""TT7 ^"""^'^ '' "^« out of its way Mv o^Hf i /'''^ °^ *^^ ^^''^d to keep .; , y* ^v old fnend and servant Ar,« -t. ^ to me If she hears I want her ' ' '"^^ '^^"^^ A pathetic ren.ini«cence of The lady 0/ Lyons here ! ' i^ m *fc. i 292 WnmrKAVnu. I of my life and carry them bac;c to God. I say this because then he will understand that no harm can come to me " If I had met you sooner -if I had met you difTerently, -how much you would have taught me ! As it is,-by and bye perhaps you will forgive me. " WlLHELMINA GaLBRAITH." Honor allowed her brother to eat his frugal breakfast in peace before she gave him the letter. He was still looking haggard and hollow-eyed, though he declared himself quite well. ^ His face turned very grey, but he read to the end before he realized how much it meant. Here was a contretemps ID- Hd; h't nothing surely that a few caresses would not Bei ..ght. lis mind could make no room for the idea that Wilhelmma would cause him anxiety of this kind. It was the signat ce that roused all the hunter in him. « Good God ! " he cried, springing up in bed, " you don't mean to say she is gone ! " " Yes." " When did you get this ? " "Half an hour ago. Wilhelmina had gone an hour be- tore that. "And what have you done ? " " Nothing. I did not wish to make an esclandre without consulting you." He bit his lip, struggling to keep himself in hand. But why in Heaven's name," he said with laborious calmness "didn't you bring the letter straight to me ? Do you in the least realize how difficult it will be to find her Honor nodded. " Are you sure that it is desirable to find fZlJr !•' 'Y '"^P'^' '^' "°^^^ '^'^ °f looking at the whole question from the is. uipoint of eternity " "Desirable to find her! Gre.. '> • r<. H- nnn »v, leave me like '°" wasted t.o ^.«br w!.::!" ''^ '' *'"^«- You have Honor rose to her f-l] height. wrotl" :r\ft had t\f' ^"""^' "*^^* ^"h^J-ina would be yours Try to Tl' M° ^?' *^^ responsibility find her. I mean hi toT ' ^^' I ^°"'* ""''^ ^^^ to me to shame. Z ]^.^^l 'f. '''"". ^^« ^^« ?"' be great" "^Pwasion xa that your Wilhelmina will t i| you don't hour be- 5 without i. laborious ne? Do find her le to find jking at he can't I will i ■ hand ; i : j8 ^' H 1 vf^H if. if I IB PART III. '1 t It CHAPTER XLIL IM PIOEING UP THE PIECES. observeT'^* '"'"^' ''^ ^^^ "^""""^ Wilhelmina knelt un- I am afraid she was crying,-for the music and pageantry, ^e massive cdumns and the white-robed figures, appeaS to her profoundly after the severe simplicity of the kirk at Queensmains. The preacher, too, had that gift of sym- pathetic utterance-which may mean so much or so little! — and many of the congregation were conscious of a magnetic current that flowed from his personality to theirs. But, although Wilhelmma was deeply moved, she felt as If she were looking on at the spiritual life through a grating. The preacher's manner made her think somehow of the onehness, the humiliation, the trouble, she was struggling to keep at arm's-length, and she felt that she had not suf ficient mihative of her own to start afresh on the uphill course. What it must be to have a friend like this in whom to confide, from whom to seek advice! A printed paper before her gave the clergyman's name and address; and as she read it, a sudden longing seized her to seek his spiritual guidance. Other people had found comfort m this way. Why should not she ? ^ Why shou"d she not let herself go for once ? Was it not a clergyman^ business to be the friend of the friendless 1 Hef Zr leapt almost painfully at the daring thought but she resolved to see him nevnr+h-lp-- " T ^"^' ^^\ ^^f, „!,„ „„., ,.^ c.-i.n..ieon. • io-morrow eveuiuB." she said, "to-morrow evening, I will go." If p "^^ ■ j I 298 WINDYHAUGH. AU through the next day she revelled in the luxury of that prospective interview. She did not mean to tell the c ergyman much about her life, yet in imagination she told him a great deal, and in imagination she saw him listening with grave, pitying kindness. "You have brought this darkness upon yourself," she fancied she heard him say with the fine severity that so often proves more inspiring than any sympathy.-the severity that is ably wielded only by the man who is severe with himself. "Accept it ^ the chas isement of God. Xever complain, never stand still, so long as you can see one step ahead. " • The heights by greaL men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight ; But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.' " Her courage failed her when she actually stood in front of the house, but she pulled herself together and knocked. spirit of old Wmdyhaugh rose in fierce rebellion against this extraordmary weakness. Why should she lean on an arm of flesh? After all she had come through, did she ^ed a man, a stranger, to mediate between her and her Ood? Was^ she not choosing at best a lengthy luxurious way round instead of the straight cut up the hiU ? She had knocked, however, and she could not run away It would have been so easy to say, "I beg your pardon. I to think of that. She w^s speechless with confusion, when an elderly woman opened the door. " Did you call to see Mr Ellis ? " "Ye-ea" "Was it about the nursery-governess' situation ?" Ihere was a moment's pause. Like the hero of romantic adventure, WUhelmina seized the door of escape, re^Xl of he renewed perils that might lie on the other sidf les." PICKING UP THE PIECES. 299 studv << M P,r'^' ^'""^ ^"'^" ^" ^ comfortable lamp-lit «h?tt I. . '''u'f''*^^- ^^*^ t'^^* «he left the room shuttmg the door behind her ' And Wilhelmina had time to realize what she had done. She had cherished many beautiful dreams of "work in the mission field," but that was all in the rosv Wah^J T uture. When she actually came to face thTsSo„ she' QrZ Vi " *'; f " '' nursery-governess as fo hit o to Herself, and I have forgotten most of that. I don't Enr. r,r\'^^"^"''^^ *^« dates of the K ngs o England,-William I. 1066, William II. 1087 » learned, and the feverish anxiety of the moment, her fine memory was baffled, and she stuck fast somewh re n the Houses of York and Lancaster. When she realized that she simply could not go on she sprang to her feet, and looked about for some mi o? ^:^ '''' -'''-' ''' '-^ °^-d' -d ^^^r^ ..■7- ^T ^^v '^" ^""'^^^ '"^ ^^^ disturbing you," she said in a trembling voice. " J have been thinking it over and I see I am not fit to be a governess " He adjusted the lamp, letting the light fall full on her face -so young, so honest, so sensitive, with the new wist- ful look m the eyes. ^ Then he smiled. I' Sit down,'' he said kindly, "and tell me about it." h«^ I ^°^ l.'t l^T ^' °°*^^"« *° *«"." ^^^ faltered. « I had no right to think of it I know so little." We none of us know very much, do we ?» This was a platitude with which she was familiar. Oh, but It IS not in that sense I am ignorant." Now that she was regaining her self-possession, h«r vq?c- struck nun as singularly pleasant,-the voice of a rirl who comes of cultured people. ** \'i :.fc ?.jj ..r 11I 800 WINDYHAUGH. 'm ^ if" R . 1 J "1^''1L^''''T fT"^ ^''""^ y^"^^ ignorance," he said, judge!" ' ^'"' *^^ *^ ^^^^ ^*- Let me be the shf LI!^'^' ""''' r*' ^^^'^'^^^^ *° ^^^ "^o«^l sense, and she looked up with eyes full of simple trust. "Thank you," she ?aid. drHnT),f ?V^' ''^\ ^* ^^•^'"^ *« ^^i- *t-* "ot one t^at H«h\ r"l^ ^'"^ ^^'^ " '^^"^ y°" " J"«t like t „., "^ ^^ ""^"y ''^*"ce™ be™ take oa„ of Wlf Tde'd "ieT"^'''^ *' -^ «»fe '0 do that she was scarcely coniot of 21,'° T"^ "*"" '" Ming a hansom, she Wit lb, 1'"* '"'''"'■ "^^'o things that w-'absoiute^te^tiitrTbe'^-^brA': • ''fl A FRIEND IN NEED. 303 was not enough, she knew, to ^ive her an nir .f the situation through. A less exnPrJ? ^ ^ ''''^'^ «uch rigid economy, mightTave^S^^^^^^^^ '""? *° room in humble streets Win!, .^""^"'^ . '«"g ^o^ a clean She drove rtmLht to ; ^^''^!^';!"\^^«'ded that mistake. tb^ hoiLs were ,at ' fl u'' '''»™8-™-» "oors ia two in ehe ar S ttLtaS/lr^^r^ r" yet," she said: "but I shall b« i ^^f ^ ^' "°* ^'""^^^ advance." " ^' ^lad to pay for a room in Her face was recommendation enough and thA la«^i a was ^tisfied. Wilhelmina paid the cafnlan ^3' e^t trf and, to her surprise, he thanked her qj,o r, 76*1 lare, learned that in the matter of thf™, "^ °°* ^'^ the way. "I am thankfnl T . ?,- ^^ ^°"'^ «^^'' ine n^p war a rr- ^ ' • - was a grcu. giowmg mass, and Wilhelmina 804 WINDYHATJGH. I sighed to think that there was no one but herself to eat such beautiful toast. As if in answer to her thought let was a knock at the door. "A gentleman to see you, miss," said the maid, and a moment later Mr Carmichael was ushered in eyetanlT '''* 'fT '^"^' ^"^ ^'°"S^* *^^« *«-r« to her eyes, and she was glad to wait on him in silence. He chatted L Z ZT' "'^'r ^°^''°^ ^°^ ^"^ — ^ but as si rir trxr^darr^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^- ^^^^^ ^° *^« ;; And no<' he said cheerfully, "about that testimonial?" ««that vnfl? ""'^^ '° '^^'" '^' '^''^ ^" ^" ^^««tr^«k voice, that you have come up to London about that ? " ton ,7/*/"""^"'' ^°^^ ^"'^'t yo" think I was only too glad to know where to come 1 Do you so little reaS the value your friends set upon you that you have tortured wiii;:ttiUr*^^"-^^^^^ abs?l^Tf' '"^ ^'u ^"*«''^°'^''«« ^ith her, he had carefully abstaned from all appearance of flattery; but now-now that from h,s own point of view it was too late-he guessel enough of her intense self-depreciation to know hofmucT she stood m need of a little loving praise. «n In T^fl"^ * '°^- ^'^ *''"*^ ^'' self-estimate had sunk ci bt' '^^ "^" '' *'^ "^^"^^ ^^^ ^^--^ -- than sht co:;d^rtrrstez:i: '"' ^" -'- -^^ ^^ -- - ^- -^- " Of course not. I am all in the dark. But I have come prepaid to say whatever you wish me to say; so take i She took so long that his heart ached for her. There is very Httle that you need to tell me." he went A FRIEND IN NEED. 3Q5 and " Known that he would, " But he was ill ! " " He did look far from woii . „ j * ... o«ne .„.„„«. I .i.rrk "oC:^'ir '"« *? «"<• y-' >■» "as ir. ,reat distress H. w i ^ •" ""''"""A H» w;t*taCiircr:nd™fiiT^ "■"*■" waa alsolutelv 8tf.n^,r „ j ^""imana ot her voice now. It " It wasn't ItfluTtt It ,:r '' ^'^"^^^^ - ^^« -^^ -^d'^. ;;And about Mr EUis-you like him?" ^ les. He was very kind to me." me too ig„„^„t in any cLe Of ' "? """"" '"'™ '™°<' trutli." Mycase. Of course I can't teil him tlio to-Lerrerir:;tn;:i> ""-'' ""~,h woIStts?™"^ 'dTvou"" '""« '- ^" "» "-'" I He bit his Mp ™„„ "° ,5.°" ""'" '" say you would !" rertc-ir-'-^-rzrh-rr^^^^ .Unk A« «ri ."st you." """"■' '" ™ «" ->" '•> It was he who had difficnlfir ;,, c . • « Verv wpII " 1,0 .^""^T^ '» speakmg this time. - ,;7a;h'to.to"fj"S'' "' 'n'- "' "'" "™ -0 what the ^,„,t mTvT. I ZlZZ T ! ""' '" "^ ''« your— pastor— is,"' ' "■"""""■ "iat inauoer of man fri ifl rl ^ i'« 306 WINDYHAUOH. " I hope he mu^ be my employer some day. You are my pastor." A few minutes later Mr Carmichael rose to go. Wilhel- mina rose too, but she did net take the hand he held out, "Mr Carmichael," she said desperately, "if you cared enough to come all this way, you must have more to say. Go on. You are my pastor, you know." He leaned against the mantelpiece, and looked rather gloomily into the fire. " I promised Mr Brentwood that I would let him know if I heard of you," he said. " I need not say he is very anxious to have you back." Her eyes dilated with terror. "You don't— don't think that is my duty ? " He hesitated again. "As far as I am in a position to judge, I think you are right to wait a while — if you get some work to do, and have will power enough to do it cheerfully." He had a dreary selfish certainty that there would be a re- conciliation before long. " I will tell Mr Brentwood that I told you so, but it won't be easy to convince him of the wis- dom of it. I suppose you know that he is entitled to insist on your going back ? " Her smile was a sad one. " I have far too much respect for Mr Brentwood to be afraid of his doing that." The minister looked at her admiringly. " I think when you are a little calmer, — a little more self-reliant, you should have it out with him. He will never quite believe you till you do." "Oh, not now! You won't think it necessary to give him my address?" He turned on her sharply. " Of course not— until you wish it." Then his manner changed. "And what will Mr Galbraith say to it all ? " he asked almost shyly. He did not in the least realize how much tether she was giving him. She sighed. " Poor father ! He was so pleased to leave me so happy. You know — he is ever so good to me when we are together, but he hates writing letters, and doesn't expect many, I wrote to him — that first night at The Pines ; A FRIEND IN NKED. 307 just told him what a pretty place it was, and how much I md so forth. It wasn't very honest, ilse step lay farther back. By-and- I think I can manage not to distress liked Miss Brentwood I am afraid, but the bye I will write again, him too much." Mr Carmichael had an uneasy suspicion that this was more than probable. I' I am afraid Mr Darsie " She could not go on. "You may trust Mr Darsie always to be very loyal to you. He is puzzled and grieved of course." She thought of the talk that must be going on in the little shop, and shuddered. "If I could only explain to people that there has been no quarrel ! Things would be so much easier if there had been ! Mr Brentwood is all I ever thought he was,— more in some ways." " If I were you, I would not attempt to explain myself, Miss Galbraith. Leave your life to explain you. It comes to that in the long-run with all of us." He smiled. " Have you been to Westminster Abbey yet ? " She shook her head absently, but a moment later her face lighted up. " Oh," she cried, " you offered to take me years and years ago. Will you give me the chance again ? " Yes, life gives us some very good half-hours when we have ceased to demand the impossible. Wilhelmina forgot her troubles next day to an almost incredible extent. Mr Carmichael called for her before noon. He had already had an interview with Mr Ellis. I think you will be fortunate if you get the situation," he said. " There are a great many applicants." " I suppose so," she answered rather ruefully, " and many of them must know so much more than I do." " Oh, no doubt ! But Mr Ellis seemed to think you the most human of those he had seen." " Human ? " said Wilhelmina puzzled. " Am I hwnian ? " This was the only question she aaked with reference to the interview, though Mr Carmichael volunteered no in- s 1 1" 1 1. ,'i i;titf 308 WINDYHAUGH. formation. Her notion of trusting people was a very whole- hearted one. They enjoyed their day in Lrndon as only country cousins can. Westminster Abbey in the morning, followed by din- ner at an old-fashioned eating-house that Mr Carmichael's father had patronized before him ; the Park in the after- noon, and— oh, daring dissipation \— Hamlet in the evening ! Mr Carmiehael had not read the play for some time, and he was a little uneasy as to what Ophelia might say or do, but Wilhehnina was soon so absorbed in the central character that she had no sympathy left for Ophelia. Of course she fairly quivered at first under the recollection of the last time she had been in a theatre ; her face tingled when Laertes and Polonius overwhelmed the love-struck heroine with advice that cut like a surgeon's knife ; but the moment that painful scene was over, Wilhelmina turned to her companion with a quiet frosty little smile. It was not an unqualified artistic success that smile ; she was new to the role of woman of the world, and she did not even impose upon an honest Scotsman; but the very attempt was a promise of better things. On the way home she broke into a low laugh of real amusement. « We used to recite ' To be or not to be ' at school," she said. « How could they let us do it ? " " It was a bit of a revelation, wasn't it 1 " "It reminded me of a sermon of yours,— 'The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life.' I never realized before that it takes two people to make a book,— the man who writes it, and the man who reads it." " It is the old story, isn't it,—' He that hath ears to hear let him hear.' Well, Miss Galbraith, I have to thank you for a very refreshing day." " Oh, if you talk of thanks ! " she said. " You have simply given me a fresh start." " That is right. Keep up your courage, and don't look back. I will look in to-morrow on my way to the station aad see if you have heard from Mr Ellis." * NEW FRIENDS AND OLD. 309 Thank you. May I come with you to the station ? I think my boxes should have arrived. I told Ann to send them to the cloak-room at King's Cross. Dear old Ann ! When you see her— you will comfort her a bit ? You see, I am taking your kindness for granted again." " I hope you always will— such as it is." "Such as it is/' — she sighed, — "it is the thing that makes a weary world worth while." He found her in tears next morning, yet her face was as bright as an April day. "Oh," she said, "do you know it is settled? I thought he would ask me a hundred questions first ; but he wants me to go at once— to live in the house. He is responsible for my ignorance, isn't he ? " " Assuredly." She threw back her head in playful pride. "Can you believe it, Mr Carmichael ? I am a breadwinner— I am a breadwinner I I'm a made man!" If Ml CHAPTER XLI.Y. NEW FRIENDS AND OLD. "The master would like to see you in the study, miss." Wilhelmina turned pale. Of course she had expected the summons, and yet it filled her with apprehension. She had not the least idea how much Mr Ellis knew of her history, and, in addition to her uneasiness on this score, she dreaded some exposure of her shameful ignorance. But the clergyman's manner was very reassuring. " Well," ho said kindly, " I hope they have made you comfortable." "Very comfortable, thank you." ;:.:»; 810 WINDYHAUGH. '! ! I "And you have made the acquaintance of your pupils. Sit down, please. They are not very formidable, are they ? " Wilhelmina smiled. " They are quite formidable enough," she said. « They have been telling me stories. I am afraid they know more about some things than I do." He laughed. "Oh, I tell them all sorts of things when they come down here before dinner. Children are like the rest of us,— they often learn most when they don't realize that they are learning at all." She looked perplexed. ^ « But of course I want you to set them definite tasks. It IS quite time. You won't find their three R's on a level with their general information, I assure you." He proceeded to explain his wishes, and she listened in- tently. The amount of fresh air and games in his programme startled her. "Well," he said, smiling at her earnestness, "do you approve ? " "I urderstand now," she said, "how it is they look so happy. It seems to me you give them no chance to sin." Sin. The uncompromising word carried with it a breath of old Windyhaugh. Perhaps Mr Carmichael had referred to Wilhelmina's early days, for the clergyman's voice was very gentle as he said,— "I think those of us who have known the sorrows of child- hood ourselves must be the more anxious to deliver the little ones from the evil." Wilhelmina's face shone. " That's true ! I often think people don't realize how good for us happiness is. After all, it is happiness that makes us humble." Mr EUis smiled. " Some of us," he said quietly. " Well, good night. Miss Galbraith. You must always let me know if you are in difficulty, or if there is anything you want. I don't suppose you have many books with you. Do you care to take one 1 " "Thank you very much," she said, JUamletf" — o"- T I,. NEW FRIENDS AND OLD. 311 i "Certainly." He turned to his poets' corner. "Have you read it before?" " I read it at school. Mr Carmichael took me to see it the other night." " Oh ? Sit down and tell me about it." This made her nervous. "I thought it splendid," she said feebly. "When Hamlet came in front of the curtain, I was so glad to see that he was still alive. The one thing that disappointed me was the ghost." He smiled. This was a youthful criticism. " I .suppose he did look a bit stagy." ^ " I don't mean that. I mean — I was disappointed in his views of things. If that is all a month of eternity does for a good man " Mr Ellis did not answer immediately. Again he felt that sough in the waves and trees he had never seen. " I am afraid," he said, "if Shakespeare had set out to tell us what a month of eternity does for a good man,— we should never have had the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." " 0/ course not!" Wilhelmina's eyes flashed admiration. (" Du lieher Oott, was so ein Mann Nicht aU.es, aUes denken kann ! ") " So I suppose he gave us just very much what the people expected in the way of a ghost, or rather perhaps"— Mr Ellis was paying his listener the compliment of thinking aloud, — "he gave us what Hamlet expected." She looked very grave. " Do you mean that there wasn't really any ghost ? " He smiled. "Who shall say when there is and when there isn't a ghost? In any case we see it through the medium of Hamlet's personality. However genuinely a man may reveal the supernatural— the eternal, the spiritual, call it what you will,— it remains true in a sense that he ia only revealing himself." Mr Ellis had taken flight to a higher plane of thought. He was surprised to find from Wilhehnina's next words that she had followed him. M ,' i ,,11'' I i»i ! I 312 WINDYHAUGH. t'' f* ' " You mean— he is God's window " The clergyman looked at her. " That is a beautiful way of putting ,t, Miss Galbraith. Yes-God help him --hl's He St ^""^^"^ '"^"y- " ^"^^ *« '^^' tl^« stutters ? " wof' So T? f '^- . ".""r *° '"^^ *^« «^^- No ; that 7heul;JVl^''T^^''' ^ "^'^ involuntary colour ng of the hght that his self-revelation-that the artistic quality o hi. mes^sage-comes in. But at least he is bound to keep the glass clear and bright." ^ "i^ • " ^^l^«,sighed. " And that is not easy." lies." '' ^'"'^ *^''' *^^* *^' ^^°^« g^"^'^^ «f living iier. lou know, ..Le said shyly at last, "how some glasses distort things?" now some He smiled. "I. soem3 to me, Miss Galbraith, that we s"rw"' '""'""'" '"'^"^^ ^^^ °- «^ -y We advL^w''"'"'''^^'"** *^^* ^^ ^^^ "^^'^ ^^^ Carmichael's mteests m 1 f e, and that dangerously sympathetic manner ot his brought many people to ask his help and advice He mshed sometimes that he had an indefinite number o vacancies for nursery-governesses ! He always meant to see more of the young girl, but when evening chanced to find him a leisure, z was apt to find him tired with the day's work, and more mchned to drowse in his arm-chair over a whThT "^ *?r '' '^'^°^« ^^"^-^^ «« *t« pedes J w th whch he was well aware his nursery-governess had furnished him._ Enthusiastic youth is apt to be so merciless! One ZT^\ "I' T^'" ^'' ^"^^ '''' *^^^d' ^' ««°t for her to ZJL^' '°^ *5' '"^"'"^^"' "^« «« ^"^^^^^f'^l that he repeated it once and again. Tl.e charm of her voice appealed to him strongly, and of course the vainer r.^„,A ._ .Z • NEW FRIENDS AND OLD. 31 3 for her He was always interested too to hear her naive criti- cisms of the books he lent her. He encouraged her to read romances and poetry as well as more solid works, but, after a few attempts, she refused. The "sentiment" was more than she could bear. Her one chance at this time was to aivide her life into water-tight compartments. What saved and steadied her more even than the work she had undertaken was the profound conviction that that work was too high for her. She never doubted that, even if she threw her whole self into it, she would still be found want- ing— though not, perhaps, in her employer's eyes bhe made the most too of her occasional free afternoons. Ihose water-tight compartments were not so reliable that she could afford to indulge in leisure and reverie. In a pro- foundly conscientious spirit she visited the Tower, St Paul's the British Museum, South Kensington,-thus learning to know her London, and gradually, without self-assertion, assuming her rights as a unit in that mighty aggregate of One day, as was her wont, she had stopped at a bookstall, and was dippmg into this and that, when she was struck by something familiar in the attitude of a shabbily - dressed ycung woman by her side. A moment later their eyes "Wilhelmina!" " Joan Burnet ! " They grasped each other's hands, and stood for some seconds without speaking Miss Burnet's eyes slowly filled Tn^Vrriy. "'^^ ""'''' ''-'' ^^^'^ ^'^ ^^^'^^^^ " No. Are you free ? Can you come for a walk ? " And they set off together through the streets of London. Oh wonderful, wise, all-knowing streets of London! What io7tLTr'^''l'w '"" ^"""^ '''' ■ I« *^^-« - -rrow, a n t'hl ^A M/:'"^ y^"'' '^'' ^ ^^'^^ y-^ "ot been n the confidence of all ?-the enthusiast, the pleasuro-soeker, the wondering country girl, the ardent lover, the desperate ii 1 1 ,t !., I 314 WINDYHAUGH. »''^. .'^ ^l« I |i \ woman, the thief at night, the babbling child ? The dross has been spread and flaunted before your eyes, yet, in its depths, you have caught the rare gleam of gold. Do you laugh ?— do you weep ?— or have you long ceased to look and listen ? If we could open up your books at the great day what should we read?— a chronicle ?— a philosophy ?— or merely an epigram ? Are you poet, moralist, or cynic ? You have seen it all— all; and there you stand impassive as the Sphinx,— silent as God himself. _ So, as the many thousands had done before them, the two girls carried their poor little confidences through the London streets. Wilhelmina was the first to speak. "I didn't know you were in town," she said. "I just came up for a week— for an examination. Oh, I do hope and pray that I may have passed ! " "But what are you doing it for? I thought you were going to be a missionary?" " So did I ; but— well, I suppose I was not worthy. We have been in sad trouble at home. We have lost almost all our money, and if the children are to have any proper educa- tion at all, we older ones must find the means. Mrs Summers has been so kind. She strongly advised me to spend a year or two in study. She says the first few women who take their London degrees will get excellent salaries." "And is that what you are doing now ? " " I am up for my Matriculation. If I pasa I sliall come to London and work at the Napier Institute. The classes there are good and very cheap." "You had such a good education, hadn't you?" Wilhel- mina said enviously. " And you always worked so hard." "Oh, I felt as if I knew nothing when I began this." For the second time the quakeress pressed her fingers finnly abo?e her left eyebrow. "There is a tea-shop close by here," said Wilhelmina. " Come." , A headache waa a thing full of significance for her now, NEW FRIENDS AND OLD. 316 and she carefully refrained from speaking again till they /ere seated at the little marble table and the quakeress had re- newed the conversation. "Yesterday was the worst," she said. "I really had crammed the subjects for yesterday." " What were the subjects ? " "All of them ? Latin, French, German, English, Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic, Natural Philosophy, and Chemistry." She felt some pride in the enumeration, as a girl well might in those days, but she strove not to show it. That was the crushing part of the announcement. She ran over the dire list as glibly as if she had been saying, " Butter, eggs, milk, cheese," or " Ribbons, ruches, gauzes, flowers," or anything else that was simple and frivolous. Wilhelmina's face f elL " Nothing else ? " she asked whimsically. " Do you care to sea the papers ? " " Very much." They were sipping their tea in comfort, and the quakeress produced the formidable sheaf which now-a-days the London Geisha girl must know so well Wilhelmina glanced over the grey-white slips, and then looked hard at her friend. "What I can't make out," she said, " is how it is that you look so much the same as before. 1 suppose your head is bigger, but even that is not notice- able." Miss Burnet smiled. " You have changed," she said frankly. " Grown old and ugly 1 " " No. Yes, you do look older. I can't express it. You look so much more mistress of yourself." Wilhelmina flushed — partly with pleasure. "One had need be," she said tersely. "Your letters did help me so, Wilhelmina. They were just beautiful." There was no reply, so she went on, " And how do you come to be in London ? " " Oh, I have been in trouble too, and have to work for ii iJsir^'^H :!■ 1 IvCfjT-^^^^^H I ^M ^^Hfl iKiH ft ^KLfj^^^H f^K^H i eRi^'*^^^| 3ie WINDYHAUGH. l:4i 'U i h> . It ' ■f,' i;+*i marriage. But I am only a very inferior little nursery-governess." ^ mierior " In a family ? » "In a clercryman's family." " That must be a great privilege." " It is indeed-very great. He'lends me hooks and his W^d ZVr ^T\. ^'^"^" y°" ^« - ^-"^ *-o"row Would you hke to hear him ? " Miss Burnet hesitated. "There are so many wonderful the mo nfT ; ?. "''''''' ^ ^"^ Soing to the Tabernacle in tne morning. In the evening I could go. " bo they arranged a meeting and parted. ^^^Ihelmma met Mr Ellis on the staircase when she went 'jZ^/' \' "^^ pleasantly, « have you had a good time 1 " Her face brightened as it always did when she spoke to " That W r '«''"^ ^°"- ^ "^^ - ^^'i -1^-1 friend/^ visit?hi::vrntgr?"''°^^ ^°" ^^^^ ^^- -^ p^^ -- "May I? Thank you so much." JL?a mf^-. "^ "''^ ^°^ ^^"^'^ P"* ^« in the way of get ing a little education," she said shamefacedly. ^ m JedS::,"^^"" '''''''''-' ^^' ^-^^' -d ^itch "Oh yes. I suppose I mean instruction. I have no He looked amused. He Judmd— rirrMv tl,.. i .ntellec. was not her strongest ^int. "wS,~t ±' ^choose. I believe in a n-an's rLing the b:!^ ^Zt If BY THEIR FRUITP, 3ir She coloured painfully. " Might I have a Latin grammar ? " Mr Ellis laughed " I didn't know you had learned any Latin." "I haven't." " Then I am afraid you won't make much oi it by your- self ; but there is no reason why you shouldn't try." If his aim had been to spur her on, he could have chosen no better means of doing it. Ajipreciation made her diflBdent : to doubt her powers was to double them. But in truth her hour had come. She needed no spurring now. She took the shabby old volume as a starving man trkes bread. Her whole intellect hungered for it. Her eyes caressed those little columns of nouns and verbs. What joy to seize and devour them one by one ! How had she been content to forego for so long the exquisite joy of sheer learning ? The soil had lain unused for years, and now it gathered rich and warm round the dry little seeds. It glowed and thrilled like the bosom of a mother at the touch of her first born. Alas for the girls who learn so much at school that they never can bring to a subject the richness of fallow ground! Tlie woman of twenty — forty — years ago cried cat for learning because she was anhungered, athirst; but now she has taken good care that her daughters shall hunger no more. It is all very wise and right and profit- able no doubt, — but it is just so much less joy iu the world. CHAPTER XLV. BY THEIR FRUITS. On Sunday evening the two girls went to church to- gether. Mr Ellis wa.°, in his most sympathetic mood, and Wilhehnina rejoiced that her friend should hear him at his SIS WINDYHAUGH. • I you K r "^''°''''* """' ^"'"'"'^ '" ^y ^* ^^«*' " ^^^ did "I noticed that he fought very shy of the word convert." and she felt sure that they were all iatact. "The people there were not all unconverted." ^^ " But think of those that were ! If there had even been a few words at the end to point them in the right direction ! If one of those unconverted people dies to-night, I should not like to be Mr Ellis." Wilhelmina did not answer. She was striving to think of any occasion on which the clergyman had preached conver- sion She had derived so much help from his teaching, that iiTnt ^^" ^*"^' '" "°^ '' ''' ^^-- «^ ^-i"-' From that day she began to listen to him in the spirit of the niT''^"*r. .^^' '''''''' *° ^^'l"'* ^^- 0^ the'char 'e UmTr^r" ^ 5'°"^^*^ ^^^ "^^^^ *^« °^««* of many a h^Ue reference and quotation; but-looked at from the point of view of " the man who must die to-night "-there was no doubt that Mr Ellis' sermons left much to be deS In her search for what was not there, Wilhelmina grew S and deaf to the good and true thoughts that were f here Jn l?rlY '^' ^"^ ''''''''^y '^^^t^-^d to hit upon the least profitable way of looking at life One evening in February Mr Ellis bethought him of his aid his hand on the bell. "Ask Miss Galbraith to s^eak wee's Igo' " ' " "' '" '""^ "^ '""^ ^°^^ ' ^-* ^- -:' Wilhelmina lost no time in obeying the summons, but she fel less at ease with him than she had done for lon^ Come and have a chat," he said genially, pointing to the arm-chair at the other side of the fire Well, I BY THEIR FRUITS. 319 an opinion " how did d convert." loctrines in heirlooms, ^he people even been direction ! , I should o think of ;d conver- hing, that ■ doctrinal ! spirit of he charge f many a from the " — there 3 desired, •ew blind lere. In ipon the a of his ling, he o speak er some but she ting to Well, I think the congregation behaved very well last night, don't you ? " She looked perplexed. " When there was that little alarm of fire ?" Perhaps— we are all human— he wanted her to say that he had managed the congregation extremely well ; but for once Wilhelmina looked blank "Was there an alarm of fire?" she said, "I wasn't at church." "Tired?" " No. I went to the Tabernacle." His eyes grew round. " That was enterprising of you." " I have been there repeatedly of late. Perhaps I ought to have told you before." "I don't know why you should have told me," he said rather doubtfully. " Remarkable man, isn't he ? " "Very. He preached conversion. If any unconverted person there died last niglit, the preacher would have nothing — nothing to reproach himself with." "Ah! " The least suspicion of a smile played about the clergyman's mouth, but Wilhelmina was gazing fixedly into the fire Her face was very red. Her breath came fast. You don t agree with me then, Miss Galbraith, that the best preparation for a good death is a good life ? " ^ "Why— yes," she said, drawn this way and that by instinct and belief, " a good life built on the right foundation " He seemed uncertain whether to reply, and finally he changed the subject. "And how goes the Latin grammar ?" he said "Not so well as I should like." This was honest. Wilhelmina had no ordinary student companions by whom to reckon her progress. He held out his hand for the book. "Is this your marker ? " ' "Yes." It is difficult for the public-school man to realize what it means to bring a fairly mature mind to the study of Latin. m i I I mi' ill lil 320 WINDYHAUGH. \lxt Mr Ellis had expected Wilhelmina to travel at the rate of a boy m the preparatory school; but he succeeded in showing no surprise. "Then we will put you through your paces," he said quietly. He read the terror in her face,— the longing for an even- ing in which to "revise"; he was quite aware that it took all her pluck and common-sense and ingrained humility to make her hold her ground. That was what gave the situa- tion Its piquancy— from his point of view. He was a good examiner. His first questions were so easy that she almost took them for a joke; when the time came really to exercise her mind, she was in full possession of it. He laughed a good deal, for of course the mistakes she made were precisely those which a schoolboy would not have made, but it did not take her loii„ to find out that she was surpris- ing him, and then his amusement ceased to hurt. Before ten minutes were over, she was seated in a low chair by his side, her face all aglow with unselfconscious enthusiasm. The night was late when they bethought them of looking at the clock. "Well," he said, "there was nothing to be so much alarmed about, was there?" She drew a long breath. Any ordinary word of thanks seemed ridiculously inadequate. " I haven't been so happy for — a hundred years" she said. He laid his hand on her shoulder very kindly. "I thought you looked more at home when you were learning from me than when you were sitting in judgment on my doctrine." She blushed, but it did not occur to her to deny that she had been sitting in judgment on his doctrine. "Indescribably," she said, naively. "That's right! Then I would try to remember for my comfort, if I were you, that 'we are none of us infallible — not even the youngest.' " ' — ......i!sg ^n ner nauu. one aia not speak, BY THEIR FRUITS. 321 iPi but the cun-es of her face ran into the expression of re- ceptivity that is 80 rare in the voung. "About this word 'conversion,' tur instance; and all the her words of the kind,-don't you think one may deliber- ately elect to avoid them because they have become mere counters, so to speak.-so familiar to us that we have come to take the word for the thing ? " She drew a deep breath. "And about the ' foundations,'-are you quite sure that they are any business of yours? 'By their fruits ye shall mZJv^' """ """ ''*^" ^'P" '' *^"^"-^ «^ '^' '' Her face grew firm and dogged, as if she were addressin- not Jiim, but some imaginary opponent. " Why should not proVer *''^' °"''' '^^''^ """ *^^*' ^"'^ ''^"'' *° ^''y ^''^ "Why indeed ?-especially if one is young and very- very ignorant?" ^ _ She smiled. It was comforting that he should take thn< Ignorance of hers for granted. "Our whole chance of education lies in looking to things -books, pictures, sermons, people-for what they Imve, and not for what they have not." She looked puzzled. " But whenever I get to know any. tkincj or anyhodu, I seem to see good in them." ^'^'Then thank God you are not blind to tie good." "But that is such an easy way of looking at life i " "Then thank God that it is easy " Wilhelmina rose to her feet. " It seems ridiculous now," she said "but It is quite true that I have been sitting, in judgment on your doctrine, and it has just felt horror She drew a long breath. " It is so much pleasanter to be content with the act that there is more wisdom in your little finger than m the whole of me-twice told'" 'We must have another Latin lesson," he said "Let me see - Tuesday, Wednesday, _ Friday I shall be at , II ill 1 11 liuine. 322 WINDYHAUGH. Il4 Friday evening setiled the matter. Wilhelmina had worked hard all along. In the days that intervened before her second lesson, she poured into her Latin exercises a wealth of penitence and gratitude that could not fail to bear abundant fruit. At the end of ten minutes Mr Ellis laid down the book. " You had not done any Latin before ? " he said. "No." « Not at school ? " "No." " Nor with your father ? " "No." " And you had not dabbled in it by yourself ? " The tears rose to her eyes. " Oh, Mr Ellis," she said, "I am not very honest, but at least I have suffered too much to lie about a thing like that!" He was too preoccupied to pay any attention to her natural resentment. He rose from his arm - chair, and, going over to his writing-table, dipped his pen in the ink. " Now," he said simply, " tell me how much money you have apart from the pittance you get from me, — what your father gives you, I mean." " Forty pounds a-year." She did not think it necessary to specify that her father did not give it to her. " And what did it cost you to live in lodgings before you came here ? " " Fifteen shillings a-week." " Forty pounds. Dress ? " " Oh, nothing— for years to come. Besides — I have saved a little here. I have fully fifty pounds in hand." He laid down his quill, and returned to his arm-chair. "In that case," he said, "my next duty is to look out for a new governess." Her face fell. " You are not going to send me away ? " " I think so. I think so unquestionably. I have no great enthusiasm for the higher education of women, as they m BY THEIR FRUITS. 323 «n!! ?V^"M? '^'■*^'°'^ have a turn for-for scholarship, and I should like to see what you will make of it. " " But can't I teach and study too ? " He hesitated. "I think not. No, I think not. How old are you J Nineteen ? From the point of view of sheer scholarship, you have wasted some of the best years of your ctst r '• '^""'"'^ "'-"'^" ''' y- *« g^* y«- ^'^' At the Napier Institute," she responded glibly. « qfuT? ^^l T'! '"'"' ""^'y ™"gh P««Pl« there ? » Shall I? Oh, I don't mind that. Besides, I have a tTk ti.' '' '' '"' "°'^°"^''"' ^"' "^« ^« ^-« *« " And could you arrange to live with her ? " "I think so." "Well, we might make a trial of the Napier," he said Slowly. He spoke with quiet matter-of-course interest, as if he were arranging for a daughter of his own. In truth he had meant to help her out with her fees, but if she could pay her own vyay in the first instance,-so much the better. ^^ Wilhelmina s face was like a landscape on an April day. 1 do hope I shant disappoint you," she said. "I have such a way of disappointing people!" He looked at her seriously. "I am not at all sure that you won.t disappoint me," he said. " You have begun weU but It may turn out that you have no staying-power. Both you and I must lay our account for that. Then perhaps you will work too hard, and turn out a mere blue-stocking Ihat would be a much greater disappointment. You must come often and have a romp with my girls and keep yourself human. I want to introduce you, too, to a Shakespeare Reading Club, lou have a real gift for dramatic reading. And finally-people are so ready to flatter a woman ! Thev will soon begin to tell you that you are clever and learned and I am afraid you will believe them. That would be the graate^, disappointment of all. I should not call you clever Miss Galbraith; and you are very ignorant - shockkgT; •iT" 'I t , J ll in 324 WINDYHAUGH. 1 i ,. ! I I ignorant. It may be years before you know as much as aa ordinary schoolboy." She nodded, smiling brightly through the tears that shone in her eyes, but did not fall. " I shall be conceited indeed," she said, " if the thought of your kindness does not keep me humble. After all, what am I to you ? " • She rose to go as she spoke, and he held out his hand. " My friend, I hope," he said. " Oh ! " Her eyes looked eager question. " Thank you. That is the best of all." Mr Ellis closed the door behind her, and stirred the fire. " Poor fellow ! " he .said to himself. " Poor Carmichael ! " Wilhelmina did not sleep much that night. Her brain was in a whirl. She never would have had suflScient faith in her powers to take this step on her own responsibility ; but now that Mr Ellis had suggested and fostered the idea, her heart was full of exultation. Her mental thews and sinews were just getting into form, and she rejoiced literally like a strong man to run a race. Some day, please God, she would be an educated woman, and — and — would Harley Brentwood ever know ? li |T|- 1-11 i CHAPTER XLVI. HARLEY BRENTWOOD. It was a Sunday afternoon in March, and great flabby flakes of snow were melting feebly into blackness on the London streets. In Miss Evelyn's room the fire burned brightly, and as usual the fragrance of hothouse flowers mingled with the faint aroma of tlie soothing weed. , " I expect Mr Brentwood this afternoon, Rose. Just give HARLEY BRENTWOOD. 3> ^ ; It does seem an unprofitable form of spiritual repast." Will you give me Wilhelmina's address?" "I don't know it." « TpTI -''^Tu ;. ^° y^'' ^"°^^ ^''^^^ «b^ i« doing ? " reaching, I believa" ^ " p'^'f ^■'^^ ^ ^'^d that is your idea of faring well ? " «< H« « 1? '"^' .,^^' '' ^ ^"''*'"° ''^ ^^'^ idea, not mine." -tlas slie anything to teach ? " fac!" """vftt*'"' f t1'''" '' ^ ^'""^ «i^'k--d over his lace. jNot too much, I fancy." Miss Evelyn was seized with a brilliant inspiration '< T do wish I could meet hpr If oJ,„ n '"Pi'^'^^on. i own Hfp .S T ^ '■''^"y '"'^'^"^ to 'ive her ZJ . T ^""u^^"' "" "^J^'^''^" *" '^«'' doing so-why doesn t she go on the stage ? She would nuake a fascinating LTSgi^tli^L^ ^"^-^^^ -^^ ~^^^^ «^- ofw lip^-Ud^Itt' ^7" '^'^•'d that time. Harley bit hi. hhnsP ; ^"^..^''"^^t ^ ""»ute before he could brin-^ himself to say coldly,-" I should have thought that was the last thing for which she was qualified." . prefer a man's judgment to a woman's any day -ex cept on the subject of the qualifications of his womankind!"" S28 WINDYHAUGH. I Brentwood bowed. " A woman judges her male relatives in the li;;ht of the great world and its interests : the male relative judges her in the light of his dinners and shirt-buttons." Brentwood had heard something of this kind before. " That is more or less true, and not altogether unnatural, but I fail to see its relevance to the present case." Miss Evelyn's temper was rising. " You mean you have not had much ^jportunity of judging Wilhelmina from the dinner and shirt-button point of view ? " Brentwood flinched. Then he smiled. " I admit my in- debtedness to the full," he said ; " but don't you think you have had your pound of flesh ?" "It is flesh, is it?" " That I can't undertake to say." Miss Evelyn changed the line of attack. " She was very much in love with you." Curiously enough he resented this on Wilhelmina's ac- count, though he did not see fit to question it. "You choose your tense with discrimination." " I should not fancy her fickle." " No ? Yet she can't help being her father's daughter." Miss Evelyn raised her head defiantly. " And why should she help it ? My hope is that she will show herself her father's daughter. That reminds me— Mr Galbraith said Macintyre of Queensmains was the family man of business. He will put me in communication with Wilhelmina. I will write to him at once." Brentwood lost control of himself for a moment. " I beg you will do nothing of the kind ! " Miss Evelyn laughed. " Issue your orders to Wilhelmina, if you please. I don't acknowledge the jurisdiction." He held out his hand. " Goodbye," he said cheerfully, with a change of tone that suggested histrionic possibilities to her professional mind. "Many thanks for your kind help." She relented when she saw the pain in his face. " If you HARLEY BRENTWOOD, 329 i[;ht of the judges her »efore. • unnatural, 1 you have la from the Imit my in- L think you le was very ilraina's ac- it. " You laughter." why should herself her braith said jf business, na. I will t. " I beg V^ilhelmina, on." cheerfully, jossibilities your kind " If you only knew it. I should be glad to Jielp you in another way. 1 think this— misunderstanding is awfully hard upon you " There was a dangerously sympathetic cadence in her voice, and for a moment he was really tempted. Here was a woman who knew the world as it is, -a kindly tolerant cntic before whom it wa. quite unnecessary to pose. Brentwood drew a long breath, but, with the reflection that Miss Evelyn had not many ideals to lose, came the vague echo of a rumour that she was engaged to Konald Dalrymple. "You are very kind," he said cordially; "but do we stand in need of help? It is absurd for you and n.^ to assume that the marriage relation is a uniformly hapi.y and desirable one. Wilhelmina and I have muddled things of course; but at least we have no cause to envy the spiritual cannibals to whom you referred so graphically. We are not occupied n consuming each other's souls." "You pr ^fer that she should eat her own heart out ? " • n \T^'^- „ " ^^°t '^''^^ fear of that. I am told she is well and hajjpy. " I don't believe a word of it. Why, Mr Brentwood " A knock at the door. "If you please, ma'am, that is Mr Ronald Dalrympk" , «- is Miss Evelyn frowned. "All right. He can wait." She turned to Brentwood with a friendly smile. "Confound Mr Eonald Dalrymple ! " she said frankly. But the mention of the name was enough. " I fear I havo Ihank you a thousand times." A minute later Ronald was ushered in "What the dickens brings that fellow here ? " he asked. Miss Evelyn glanced up with languid eyes. " What the dickens brings <;m fellow here?" »»iiaiuie " Oh, come, I say, Gertrude, if you knew how I have been worrying about you, you wouldn't be down on a fellow re 1 ! iiij il iM I- ' ' 11- ' 330 WINDYHAUGH. " No ? " Do you know, if I died She arched her fine eyebrows. "I came up to see my lawyer, to-morrow all my money would go to P'ergus and his boys — most of it to Hugh ? " She laughed light-heartedly. " I am quite prepared to take the chance of your dying, Ronald. You don't look at all like it." " Oh, I am not so sure. I have been riding a. brute with a devil of a temper." " Why will you be so silly ?" she said fretfully. " I thought you had more sense." If he had not rasped her, she would have begged him not to ride the brute in question, but she was in the mood in which we see the foibles of our friends through the cold blue glass of the intellect, and not in the rosy light of the affections. " And how is Brentwood ? " he said. She yawned. " Who shall find a virtuous man, for his dulness is beyond conception. I forgot— one ought not to be profane with you, Ronald. You will lay the flattering unction to your soul that I am in earnest." " Is Brentwood virtuous 1 " " How should I know 1 He is dull enough, and priggish ... IT OO enough. " Has Wilhelmina gone back to him ? " " I imagine not, but as you broke in on our interview, you can't expect me to give you much information." " Did I really ? I told her not to announce me." His voice softened. " Do you mean to say yo.. really sent him away for me ? " She was not dishonest enough to insist on the point. "Mr Brentwood is never expansive," she said. " I thought you would draw him if anyone could." " So I did in a sense. Oh, I know the whole story as well as if he had told me, and, as he gave nie no confidence, I have none to keep. Wilhelmina was the one who kissed : he bent his cheek." Miss Evelyn had no wish to touch on Qeorge Galbraith's part in the programme. " I never quite HARLEY liliENTWOOD. 331 believed that the marriage would come off, but ajjparently she found him out too late." " found out what ?— that there was another girl ? " She sighed. " How crude you are, Konald ! Mr Brent- wood thinks my intellectual retina is not sensitive to subtle lights and shades. I wonder what he would think of yours ? " " Well, all I can say is— if there wasn't another girl— it is confoundedly awkward for him." "It is rather." " I can't make it out. She never struck me as that sort of girl. Enid is racy on the subject. Thanks the guiding hand that warned her to leave the child alone. Always felt in her bones that the filly would come to no good. Says it's the Galbraith blood." Miss Evelyn bent over the fire. « She is right, of course. It is the Galbraith blood, though not in the sense she means. It was a stroke of genius on Wilhelmina's part to leave him. She forced him to recognize her once for all as a personality." Ronald stared. " And was Brentwood never in love at aU?" " Oh dear, yes. You know what a man's love is worth. He is a little bit in love still." " Then why the mischief doesn't he just trot her back ? " Miss Evelyn turned on him sharply. "Because he doesn't happen to be either a fool or a brute ! When you talk like that, you make me feel that God made a few men, •and left the devil to produce the rest." " Good Lord, Gertrude ! what have I said now ? " She laughed, " Poor boy ! What a life I do lead him ! Brentwood doesn't ' trot her back,' as you poetically phrase It, for two reasons. First, because she has asked to be let alone, and he is a chivalrous fool." There was a little inconsistency here, of which Ronald was dimly conscious. " Secondly, — well, I haven't seen Wiihemiiua yet, so 1 don't know how much it would take to make her go back, f ;; u\ •! .4" Fl' 332 WINDYHAUGH. on . I Jl > but I fancy it would take a good deal. She is still in love, of course, but she has been taken in by the guinea stamp once, and she will need the genuine article next time. In other words, Brentwood will have to ' weep, to light, to fast, to tear himself.' He v.-ould like to have her back, if he could have her without much fuss, but he is not prepared to ' drink up eisel, eat a crocodile.' See ? " Ronald nodded doubtfully, and changed the subject. " Hugh pointed out Miss Brentwood to me the other night. What a stunning girl she is!— reminds one of Helen of Troy, and all that kind of thing." " Yes, as her brother says, she is the kind of woman who has never gone out of fashion. That type has no limitations of space and time. One cannot imagine her out of place anywhere — except perhaps at the court of Louis XV. She links the ages, so to speak." "If Brentwood often talks about his sister like that, I don't wonder Wilhelmina left him." Miss Evelyn laughed merrily. « Well done, Ronald ! In point of fact I believe Vilma adores Miss Brentwood. Do you go down to-morrow 1 " " Yes, I have told Aitchison what I want. He is to whip the thing into shape, and bring it down for me to sign. Fergus is abroad just now, but he likes Aitchison to have a day with the hounds now and then. Oh, by the way, Enid wants ^ou to come down for a week before the hunt- ing is over. She will write to you herself." The last vestige of a cloud vanished from Miss Evelyn's face. " Come, it was good of you to engineer that, and it can't have been easy." " Oh, well, you see she is a capital sort, but she is a bit conservative and conventional." Miss Evelyn nodded. "I quite understand. You have got me the invitation. It is my loolc-out now. Have a cigarette ? " . Wlien Brentwood went home that evening, he felt that ■ i I HARLEY BRENTWOOD. 333 he had behaved like a churl to a delightful woman, and he wrote a pretty note to thank Miss Evelyn again for all her kindness. He congratulated her, too, on her engagement "I has'e no doubt ^Ir Dalrymple quite appreciates his good fortune, and will realize that it is too late for any one man to monopolize the resources of the woman whose art has been an education and a joy to so many." He was quite honest-even selfishly honest-in sayinf' this AIiss Evelyn's acting appealed to him strongly, and he had half hoped that she might be tempted to take the part of his heroine. His interest in that play of his was almost crucial. It was the first bit of live work that he had done for six months, and it had sprung into life and form so quickly, so spontaneously, that in his heart of hearts he took no credit for it at all. But the writing of it had given him a fresh lease of vitality, and if it should prove a success, he felt as if there might be a chance for him still Of course, in his letter he did not refer again to his own private affairs. Was he not thankful to have escaped the day before by the skin of his teeth ? And after all, how little he had to tell ! The news of Wilhelmina's flight had filled him for the moment with the hope that he really was in love, but swift upon this came Mr Carmichacl's intelligence that she was independent and happy, (I am afraid the old Adam in Mr Carmichael made ^e most of that happiness and independence), and then Harley realized that his docile little Wilhelmina had made him ridiculous in the eyes of his fellow-men. This is an injury difficult to forgive un.lcr any circumstances, and for- giveness IS not rendered easier by the fact that a woman has contrived to inflict the injury without so much as soiling her own white robes in the process. The only atonement Wilhelmina could have made was to starve, or break her heart, and apparently she showed no inclination to do either Worse, too, than making him ridiculous in the eyes of others, she had made him ridiculous in liis own; for, viewed in the light of subsequent events, how feeble and melo- 11^ I .1 t.i ' ^ i i '* n. $S4 WINDYHAUOII. dramatic seenierl the anguisii lie 'uul undergone during the weeks that preceded his wedding I Brentwood had always been advanced and chivalrous in his views of women ; in his future relations with them he had justly pictured himself as acting with fine moral virility: but now he was painfully conscious of the sheer brute desire to conquer a woman by force. He was too angry to think of gentler wooing. And indeed one is forced to reflect how impossible it is to reckon on any woman '. If Brentwood had been false to his troth, what surety had he that Wilhelmina would not pine away and die? But, because he had been true, she had thrust him into a position in which no ordinary moral compass was of any avail. In her impulsive woman fashion, she had acted with a dash of the heroic, and he was quite disposed to pay her back in her own coin ; but she had acted so that no heroic revenge on his side was possible. It seemed to him that his life had been a mistake and a failure from the day he saw her springing like a kitten at her father's book ; and yet he would have been the first to admit that she had done nothing wrong. That was the maddening part of it. His sister, Mr Carmichael, and Miss Evelyn were perfectly right when they said she was too good for him, and yet no unbiassed observer could deny that she and the fates between them had treated him most cruelly. Miss Evelyn was pleased and disappointed when she read the letter. She did want to play Providence to Brentwood and Wilhelmina. "That delightful moody heroine of yours — Hagar, I mean, not Wilhelmina — has taken an extraordinary grip of me," she wrote. " I was actually thinking in the watches of the night how much might be made of her. Why did you not create her a year ago ? I am l)idding farewell for the present to the scene of my labours, and I assure you it is no small sacrifice. If the nostalgia becomes unendurable, I shall take a leaf from Wilhelmina's book. I trust Ronald may be induced to take one from aomcbody else's." during the lacl always len ; in his himself as 3 painfully woman by ing. ible it is to false to his i not pine , she had ary moral an fashion, was quite b she had )ssible. ;ake and a I kitten at he first to t was the , and Miss e was too ould deny him most n she read Brentwood - Hagar, I ry grip of e watches Why did rewell for lire you it endurable, 1st Ronald Wir^HELMTNA's PRRaM, 335 Honor sitting .,,,,,<,,site to Iut brother at the breakfast table di.l not fail to note the light, and shadows that drifted acros. his face as he r.u.l the letter in what Mr ixalbraith had once happily terme much at en to recal r stair with had found class, and dread lest e had not ansciou, of handsome )f surprise ! — and she id seem so iasgow laid iid you pay enny, she wilhelmina's dream. 337 had replied with beaming face ; and the barrier thus broken down, she was soon on terms of potential camaraderie with every man m the class. It was a fine initiation into prac- tical socialism. The consciousness that she was not in the marriage market gave her manner an ease and repose that was very unusual in so young a girl. She never again allowed anyone to wash her test-tubes for her; by degrees she took her place, assumed her rights as a student, with a simplicity that went as far as anything could to make the men forget the diflference of her sex. Many happy hours she had spent in that dusty laboratory : but to-night the summer had got into her blood, and for the first time in months she was seized with a great longing for Windyhaugh How cool the shade of the limes must be t -how^fresh the breezes! -how fragrant the hay - ricks ! "May I walk home with you, Miss Galbraith?" said a deformed intellectual-looking lad as she ran downstairs. Not to-night, thank you, Mr Dunn. I am going on the top of the bus to Kensington Church." « That's right ! I wish I could come too." He hesitated; but his examination was imminent, and a fourpenny 'bus- nde was extravagant ! Wilhelmina walked to Gower Street station and took her place in the front seat of the omnibus with a long sigh of ajaticipation. This was not Windyhaugh. but it was some- thing. The city was sultry and airless, and among her fellow-passengers were a number of bleached weary workers -dressmakers, clerks, shop-hands, and the like. A royal boon to the over-wrought is that ride to Kensington Church i It lifts them just a little way above the dust and the hubbub, the sameness of their daily life ; giv^s them a glimpse of trees and shrubs and restful greensward; and as they leave the densest trafiic behind, they meet the gay procession bowling cityward, they catch a glimpse of the pinnacles and minarets of the great social edifice, they coaat with eager eyes along the margin of another world. I' M u < j f f I 338 WINDYHAUGH. On the homeward journey a young man took the vacant place beside Wilhelmina. As he seated himself, he glanced pointedly under the brim of her hat, and she proceeded to turn on him the languid, icy, unseeing glance which had proved her best weapon in such circumstances. But a moment later she held out her hand. "Good evening, Hugh," she said. He was greatly surprised, and seemed more confused than the occasion warranted. " Yilma ! " he exclaimed. Neither found it very easy to proceed. « I am awfully glad to meet you," he said at last. This was more than she could honestly reciprocate. His jaded young face was not attractive. «'We can't talk here," he continued. "Do you mind coming in a hansom instead V " I think I would rather not have a hansom ; but if you care to walk home with me " He nodded, and helped her down from the 'bus with the exaggerated courtesy that appeals so strongly to women. "You have no idea how often I wanted to meet you." " I wonder why." " Oh, so many things have happened since we met. You Ijnow "—he became almost shy as he approached the delicate subject— "I backed you up all along the line." She smiled a little bitterly. The friends who are eager to tell us of their championship forget sometimes that, unless we value their judgment very highly, our appreciation may not be sufficient to compensate for the reminder that we stood in need of such aid. " I am afraid you found your work cut out for you," she said. " Oh, well, you know what the 3fater is. I told her I wished I had had the sense and gumption to marry you myself." Wilhelmina broke into a pleasant laugh. "Oh no, Hugh," she cried, mindful of the Antocraf, nnd thankful .to relax the tension of the situation. "Think of all the wilhblmina's dream. 33^ lie vacant e glanced ceeded to .•hich had But a evening, used than t. ;ate. His you mind )ut if you 3 with the o women. St you." net. You lie delicate re eager to hat, unles.s ation may jr that we you, she told her I marry you "Oh no, i thankful of all the who would have drowned themselves if you nice giris had ! " " That's just it." He laughed with the uneasy feeling of tXnVI fAj'T'^^ overweighted by the woman he is talkmg to. "Oh, of course I know you wouldn't have had a word to .say to me, but at lea.st I am not a pri.' " ' It seems to me," said Wilhelmina thoughtfully, « that I " Then I should have thought " " I am in a flat with a friend." "Doing London?" '^j7S Z-^" ^^"«^«<1/« if «he were owning to a crime. 1 am studying— attending classes." He look«.-l at her almost incredulously. " I suppose vou enjoy that .and of thing ? " ^^ ^^ " Imrnensely. It seems too good to be true that I am —so frightfully Ignorant, Hugh." " It seems to me," he said thoughtfully, reflecting her She k. 1 "r"« t';'"^' "^l^^^I like i^orant women'' view r , if ^ ^T- ^"' ^ ^'^^^^ «^« '^'' P-"t of view. O.. half of me hates the thought of trying to be a learned woman but the other half does so want^Io grow I » And what does Uncle George say to it all ? ' She hesitated. " He was distressed and uneasy at first pLTMi't-,"Tn'^\''^^^^°* '"^^ thinX^:^*; Poor httle Vilma ! You had seen so little of life. You didn t know what love meant." "And then of course he cau't worry when he knows I have good friends." " Have you good friends 1 " Her face glou^ed " Oh, one or two Hplendid friends." He wondered what would happen when she fell in love '% V" '\f4 ■p 'p^ I W V :: If il: 'ir 'i 1 340 WlKDYllAl'CU. really. He hinged to ask next what Brentwood said to it all, but he did not dare. " And now," she said, " I am hungering to hear about you. I saw Aunt Enid in the Park one day, looking lovely. An you all well ? " "Oh, I think so. Of course Ronald's death was an awful shock to us all." '' Ronald' a death!'' " Do you mean to say you hadn't heard of it ? " " Not a word. Oh, Hugh, how terrible ! " "It was so frightfully sudden, too. There was a horse in the stables that the governor wouldn't let anyone ride except himself. But the governor went over to Germany for a few days, and then Ronald woul-^ ride him, and he was thrown." Hugh's lips quivered. " It was just ghastly, Vilma— the whole thing from first to last! And father being away, I was nearest male relative. You've no notion what it means to be nearest male relative at such timea" " Was he — conscious ? " " Not properly— no. The Mater would send for a clergy- man : women are like that : and she flatters herself - But I don't believe he heard a word the fellow said." Hugh gulped down a sob. " How terrible ! " said Wilhelmina again. "It is an awful shock to Gertrude too." "Miss Evelyn ?— Yes, I suppose so." " Of course I don't mean to say that she was just gone on him, but he was awfully good to her. He was making a will in her favour, but it i& just so much waste paper. However, I'll take care that she doesn't lose it all." " Yes, do, Hugh. That is good of you." " I suppose she will go back to the stage after a bit. By the way, she is very anxious to see you." " Is she 1 She has always been very kind to me. I will go before I leave town. Poor IMiss Evelyn ! " Hugh's thoughts were evidently wandering. " If there's any life at all beyond the grave," he broke forth impulsively wilhelmina's dream. 341 at last, "I suppose you think it is a poor look-out for him. You know, Vilma, he was awfully • kind. Lots of pious people aren't half so kind as he was." She did not answer immediately. She was touched to see this precocious man of the world show so much genuine feeling. "Surely, surely," she said at last, " God will give him another chance ! " Hugh's face brightened. "Do you really think -:>, Vilma? You wouldn't have said that once. You were awfully religious." •' Indeed, Hugh, I don't mean to be less religious now, but I have come to see things differently." " What made you do that ? " he as!:ed eagerly. He had taken a genuine, if fitful, interest in religion since his uncle's death. " I think the beginning of it was that in books and in life I saw people living good Uves without believing the doc- trines I had thought to be the foundation of a good life. I tried at first to persuade myself that they were not really good, but that was barren work, as Mr Carmichael would say. My heart was at rest when I gave up that attempt, but my mind wasn't content to stop there. ' Is the doc- trine essential then?' it asked; and then, ' Is the doctrine true?' " So by degrees I began to look at the different doctrines as I had never done before, and a thousand things I had read in Carlyle came back to my mind. I thought, too, of a poem Mr Carmichael is very fond of — " ' Who fathoms the eternal thought ? Who talks of scheme and plan ? The Lord is God ! He needeth not The poor device of man.' I read a great deal, and especially I read the Bible " "Why, Vilma, you knew it by heart when you were a baby." '•Many of the finest passages were terribly familiar. I 'N1 i" 342 WINDYHAUGH. lii'.^ Ii4- had to read them over and over again before I could look at them with any freshness at all." " I am afraid all the reading in the world wouldn't get rid of the fire and brimstone 1 " She did not answer, and presently she stopped in front of a block of respectable workinen's houses. "This is where I live." Hugh tried to conceal h'? surprise. "May I convi up with you ? " he said. " It is so awfully v'ce to meet you again." As a rule he was ill at ease with \ir-^'iot'- women, but Wilhehnina's somewhat anomalous posix;on uppvaled to J dm. She nodded, and led the way to a room on tho tiiird floor. It was freshly papered and painted, and very bright with hardy Taints and flowers. "Well, you do keep it nice ! " he exclaimed. She smiled. " T am so glad you think so. I am dread- fully lazy about sit .;h things ; so I keep reminding myself that my father may drop in any day. He likes pretty things, and at Coven t Garden the plants and cuttings cost almost nothing. Ann sent me the rugs from Windy- haugh, and I stained the floor myself." " What a lot of books you have got ! I suppose you want to be at them. I shan't stay long. I want to hear what you found in the Bible " She was silent for a few moments, struck by his recur- rence to the subject. It was an extraordinarily novel ex- perience to meet Hugh Dalrymple, so to speak, on a spiritual plana Like one who encounters a home friend in a far country, Wilhelmina was moved to treat him with all the hospitality her soul could provide. " You are quite right, Hugh. There was no getting rid of the fire." She drew a long breath and her face grew pale. " I wonder if I could tell you a dream I had when I was a child. I have never told anyone before. You know I used to suffer terribly with thoughts of hell. Po you remember the picture in /V^j of Day of the lak( ^ ; fire ? WII.HEl MINA'S dream. 343 ' you fire? W<>!1, one iiight I dre8.i)it. I was out walking with my grand- mother,, feeling very unhappy, and away in front of us we saw a mass of flame rising from the ground. 'Is that hell ? ' I asked. ' Xo,' she said, ' but those who go to heaven must firsi pass thror.^^h the fire.' In a moment I had left hei- side and was running towards the glare as if I had wings to n.y f..^et, i. found the flames rose from a great svjuare space baiit into the ground. They did not fill the space. TLere was a wide, clear passage round about, the outer half of which was divided by partitions like a stable with its stalls. In most of these stalls a man or woman was sitting, and I took my place in a vacant one without a word. 1 was wondering— wondering— what was going to happen. Pveaently " — her voice shook and she lost her self-control fo! a moment — "Christ came round. I suppose He was juct the Jesus of my picture-books, but His face and form havo grown with my growth, till now I see Him as the Man of Sorrows, the Light of the World. He held in His hand an unlighted torch, and, when He came to me, He lighted it at the great fire, and held out His other hand for mine. Of course I gave it in a moment — I never could ' believe ' in my waking hours, but how I trusted Him then !— and, taking it in His, He passed the torch slowly across the [)alni. ' Is that all ? ' I cried, and the rush of surprise was so great that I awoke." " Oh, I say, Vilma, did you really dream that ? " She nodded, striving to blink away the tears. " Then I suppose you didn't sufi'er any more 1 " " I wish I could say so. It did calm me a bit, but the teaching of my childhood was too deeply ingrained for that. The dream impressed me so much that I tried and tried to make it fit the creed I had been taught, but I couldn't. Oh, Hugh, if you think of it— how could a child appreciate a ire^m like that? Of course it was only a dream. All thtt <:/.,, 3r little jumbled atoms just chanced to make a pic- tri.'e for once. But it was the one dream of my life, I ha-?o never had another that I would place beside it for a If 'if > .Kj % 111 i t IV' iii 1 I it' ) ■J •Ml. !:■ , I 1 V 344 WINDYHAUGH. moment." She laughed apologetically. "I keep it in a chapel by itself." Hugh did not answer. The room was growing dark, and he felt the atmosphere of the story intensely, but he wished Wilhelmina would be a little more explicit. When he spoke his words were disappointing. " Well, all I can say is that if hell isn't in the Bible — the real genuine article, I mean — the priests have a deal to answer for." " I felt that too. For a time I felt dreadfully bitter — I sometimes feel bitter yet; but we had to make mistakes, Hugh, and God was over all." He glanced round the roona. " You do a deal of thinking here, Vilma." She nodded. "Don't overdo it. You don't grow fat on it." " I am going to Bournemouth for two months. I shall grow fat there." " Who is taking you 1 " "I am taking two little girls — former pupils of mine. Their father is going to Switzerland." " May I look in again soon 1 " "Do." " I'll bring Gavin some evening." " Oh, I should like to see Gavin again, but — would Aunt Enid like it?" Hugh shouted. " If he goes to no worse place that his mother doesn't approve, he'll do ! But he is a vast improve- ment on me, Gavin is. You see, he fell in love young, and sticks to it, though the girl doesn't care a straw for him so far, and her father wants her to marry money. It's an awful curse to be in love with the whole sex, as I am. Groodnight, little coz ! " He stopped to speak to a pretty girl on the stair, and, after strolling about the streets for a time, ended the evening in a music-hall. Wilhelmina would have been s.ad!y disap- pointed, had she known, but the reader will be more tolerant, J I I shall WILHELMINA's dream. 345 recognizing how rarefied the air can be in a block of work men's houses ! saZTnT'^/ *'" ^Tr !"y ^''^'^^" Wilhelmina was saying to herself reproachfully. That dream had become the symbol of her whole spiritual life, and she thought n her simphcxty that others must see as much in it as she did The quakeress broke in on her musings. " Are you never commg to supper r' she asked in a rfsigned wea^y voTc drivin . T "'"'^'"^ "* ^'^"'^^^^'^ «q"^t'°"« instead of drying to Kensington Church on the top of the 'bus I quite forgot. Why did you wait for me ? " W«. .'m'°i^^^ ^ *'" *^"* y°"^ ^^«^t°^ ^^«"ld stay so long? Wa^ It Mr Dunn again 1 " she continued coldly ^ Oh dear, no. It was one of my cousins." Mr Dunn was the deformed student at the Institutfl wJtT, whom Wilhelmina had struck up a Platonic friendly H^ was a bit of a free-thinker, and it was partly in the effort to drag him m to shore that she had felt the sand ymil, beneath her own feet. They lent each other books and had rkertrrLrh'w' t^" *° *^^ ^^^^-^ «^ '^« sdrit of ;w. J l^'* P^'"^'^ ^''^ Wilhelmina in a ?onL ' reasonableness; but hot summer days in London-nays ciummed to the brim with intellectual work and competition-^re apt to knock a little of the bloom off the most consistent Christian. Wilhelmina, on tl e oXr LtlrbTerth'' *^e stage when intelligent youth is mo ntoleiable to those who disagree with its opinions She terked more about logic than her limited stock of he com modity strictly justified, and when the quakeress assured her that logic would never save her, she eith r reZ d darkly to the comparative unimportance of her own salva txon. or replied, "TTiat's very tnze," with a far-awaTlookl L trof " drhr'^'"^^^^^^^^ *° "'^^^^^^^ «-^^ -d blood Instead of doubting" things, she was tempted to "regard them as more than controvertible," and she had latter V W a tendency to .'leave her sister when she pr.yed ': X heaven, her happy views,"-that was poiti/ely insuWn^ 1 ;'re and f n is it given to poor human nature to live with such inter as W^lhel mma did now. Her very rest was greater acti. , y Everv- thmg about her was surcharged with meaning. Xaturc, art, touched them all wit' his wand and converted them into go d. The world was burning with divine lire, yet was it not consumed. The ideal was no longer in the clouds : it was here, around her. everywhere. How beautiful life was how sad, now earnest ! Yet in the midst ot it Wilhelmina was constantly see/cin;,; her heart thrilled with the divine unrest of youti Her vhole being seemed to keep step with the bat • le-musio of the prophets. " Awake, awake .• put on thy dr.,r,th Zv.v ; put on thy beautiful , Up ! whole mi'jht. eth when no re ripe unto rth, and put lay aside the take up her aa discarded ig those that rive to spend ent result so jlmina never 16 process of lid not study J of time for ittle girls, or i\\ to spin the the children i Wilhelmina metimes read- in "the open )nder whether t lead farther er breath with int draw back. I not so much ational nature "the Truth." rayer was that and feeling." ! Let me not righten all my ( out with me ! GivP n,r strength to bear the dark till Thou dost send me a gleam of light ! " One evening she sat looking through a fringe of trees on the sea at sundown. The day had been very still, and there was not a breath in the leave.s and branche.s. Pondering over many problems, she watched the sun sink below the horizon. " After all, God i,;' sjie .said witli a sigh. " AVhat else matters ? " *" For a moment the stillness around lier was greater than before and then all at once a long shuddering sigh seemed to shake the trees to their very foundations. It was un- earthly. <' What if there he no GodV' it seemed to say For the first time, as by a lightning -flash, WilhelminJs mind entertained the conception of a world without God It was a mere unreasoning conception, nothing more ; but for a moment it seemed to blot the life out of the landscape : the very throbbing heart within her was as if turned to stone and the skm rippled on her body like the surface of glassy water in a breath of wind. " What if there he no God?" Indignantly Wilhelmina turned to her intellect. « Do vou hear? she said. " They doubt the existence of a God But intellect did not rise to the task with the alacrity that might have been anticipated. Calling memory to its aid, intellect began slowly to talk of the argument from design the existence of a moral law within us, the notion of perfec- tion, the need of an infinite cause ;-and its words sounded cold and misty and very far away. "xManifestations" Wilhelmina had known, but intellect did not seem to make much of them. She was forced to tail back upon the manifestations vouchsafed to other men And, now that one came to think of it, in what did these consist? How had God revealed Himself in olden times? -Not audibly : nnr visibly : then how ? Alas, poor intellect ! Alas, poor Wilhelmina i w .1 I MrM 1:1 It M ;| m :l 350 WINDYHAUGII. i I Of course her mind did not travel so far that day. As night came on she grew weary of thinking, and the old beliefs settled down again like homing birds. But not to stay. Day by day their flights grew longer, more sustained, and Wilhehnina stood at the window of the ark looking out over troubled waters. For some time she had kept a conscientious list of "books to be read," and now she duly inscribed therein certain works by Paley and Butler,— also a primer of Logic by one Jevons. It is an awful moment in the history of a believing soul when it cries out for Paley and Butler ! A curious memory, too, came back to her of that sunny morning with the racers in the field, when Brentwood was first announced. "Chucked the Church," Hugh had said. "Honest doubt business." If she and Brentwood could have been friends — only friends, nothing more — how she would have loved a long, long talk with him ! It gave her a sense of comfort to think that he had been over this ground before her ; and that yet he could talk of " throwing oneself like an unattached sea- weed into the ocean of God " ! Sometimes she dreamed of having a long talk with Mr Ellis, but that idea she resolutely put from her. That he would be kind and sympathetic she knew only too well, but his influence over her was so great, she wanted so much to please him, that she could not trust herself. This question must be decided fairly, or left open for ever. At times her depression was so great that it was more than she could do to be bright and cheerful with those about her. Yet she redoubled her efforts to be faithful in life. " Having missed this year some peraonal hope I must beware the rather that I miss No re; 'onable duty," she said to herself; and, with her eyes strained in the direction where she believed the east vrindow to be, with a thousand ghostly shapes hovering in the arches al)ove her, SEEKING. 351 she still prayed that she ,„ig],t have courage not to light th« had Wh ""'T "''• ''"' """ ^^"^^- For of coufse sh had her hours of reaction, -hours when she was haunted once more by the spirit-or the letter-of old Windyhaugh ^lien she almost pictured a jealous God writing down in A rath the passionate outpourings of her heart and mind • .nd more frequent far than these were the hours of childlike its loved'''' *^^' ^'' fancy pictured, the God that When she ^yent back to town, she summoned all her courage to aid her in telling Mr Ellis that she would rather work at ^atural Science than at Classics. His obvious casappomtment cut her to the quick fnn?''"1< wf " \" ^'^^^"^ °'' ''' ''''^^ *«^'" ^'^ «aid regret- fully. <'I thouglit it really interested you " "So it does, immensely, and if you strongly advise it I wil give up my idea ; but it is more than myLd it is my sonl tliat is thirsty for a little science. I w'ill keep up my Latm and come back to it later; but surely Eiology is the all-unportant subjecc just now. I don't see that anyone has at firs hand It has simply come to this, that I Jan't get on with my life till I know more, annut it " _ Mr Ellis smiled. Grappled with its problems! Here indeed was a child of the age! "Well!" he said, "have your own way; but don't miss your Matriculation In your enthusiasm. And you must not go to the Napier for this. 1 will make enquiries as to the best i^lace " So, vv^th trembling feet, as one crosses the threshold of a darkened room to submit to some mysterious initiation, Wil- helmina entered on the serious study of Biology. She had long since read the famous lay sermon on 'L musical Ams of L^fe ; now she was going to probe the great mystery for herself. She was surprised to find the labora- tones so cheerful, the demonstrators so frp«h and 5.-»j;v The teaching of Biology was just entering on its heyday- *l "I. . r J r Ltli ' i III. 352 WINDYHAUGH. I'l ,'i : i^ !':■! Nature, perhaps, was depicted as a little gratuitously "red in tooth and claw," and some painful half-truths were unpleasantly emphasized; but, fortunately, only a small number of the students had come, like Wilhelmina, in search of food for their souls. Sometimes the sheer de- light of woi-k carried her on with a sense of exhilaration that blinded her to every ulterior consideration : on other days, with lens and scalpel and forceps she strove to find out God. Her diary at this time was pathetic. "A sad, sad afternoon at the Zoological Gardens,— sad, because of the endless problems that suggest themselves. Can we not have protoplasm and soul too? In evolution we must believe, but does it necessarily follow that all species have sprung from a common origin ? Yet if a penguin is a link between a bird and a reptile — what next? Surely there is a break between 'animal' and man. Yet the more I think of it, the more incredible it seems that there is such an infinite difference between a man and a dog. The latter as well as the former has thoughts, feelings,— love, trust, sorrow. From dogs to lower animals —from those to plants— I might shake hands with a nettle (!) and call him a man and a brother." Such a common experience it was !— so common that I write of it only as one paints the flowers by the wayside. And yet it was an interesting phase through which the earnest youth of those days passed. It reminds one almost of the crusades, of the search for the Holy Grail,— this strange determined resolution to go out in pursuit of the Truth. Solitary souls— groups of two or three— have gone forth in all ages ; but here was a whole army with its en- thusiasts, its raw recruits, its mercenaries, its troop of mere camp-followers. Well that the army had leaders so noble,— leaders to remind them that "obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge," that "America is here or nowhere." Nay. was not a great seer faithfully reiterating the forgotten words of Pascal,—" Je sots que Dieu a voulu que les vhitet SEEKING, litously "red ■ truths were inly a small Ihelmina, in lie sheer de- ilaration that 1 other days, ! to find out ardens, — sad, -, themselves. In evolution How that all ? Yet if a jptile — what animal ' and incredible it stween a man has thoughts, ower animals ith a nettle (!) mnion that I the wayside, jh which the ds one almost J Grail, — this )ursuit of the e — have gone y with its en- troop of mere irs so noble, — the organ of or nowhere." r the forgotten qw les veritea 353 rf« entrent du ccenr dam Vesprit, et non pas de V esprit f- ec^ur Et de l^ vient qu^au lieu qu^en parlanides chases hurna^nes on dit qu'il faut les co.naUreavant ,ue des chases d,v^nes qu'd faut les aimer paur les cannaitre, et quart nentre dans la verite que par la charite?" I shall be told-the charge has been brought against greater folk than Wilhelmina-that her mind trLlIed la in outgrowing the creed of her childhood. But she was not one of those people who, at occasional intervals, take a doc- nne ^p between finger and thumb and regard iJ with critical TX A "t """"""^ *° ^''' ^ '"^"^^ «^ Jif« ^nd death ; twaHb V •"''''^' '^^"^°^^ «Pi"^"^» e-i«tence not res T ^"?^ q"estion,-the one thing that mus not rest. So she slept with it, woke with it, lived with it, prayed with it; and her mind travelled-not fast, but con- tr.!?r' "^""""^ ^"\ *^''°"S^ ^" ''^' ^^^ h«P« that she was travelling in a spiral,-that a chastening hand was leading her round he hill. Perhaps in time it would bring her back to a point of vantage on the side from which she had started,-a pomt from which she would see sun and moon m the same position as before, wJiile her view over land and sea wouxd be infinitely widened and glorified But the chastening hand will not be hurried nor guided, Ld \:Z''''' '^"^"^ ^' '^ '' --* ^« -*-* 'o wait I' !' i 2 ijlJ *' #' i I 354 ':MPi 1 1 -iii WmDYHAUPrH. CHAPTER XLIX. AN ORDINATION. " Does Miss Galbraith live here ? " "Yes." The quakeress stared — civilly. She "was ceasing to be surprised at Wilhelmlna's visitors, but here again was a new type. " She is engaged just now, but I think she will be at liberty in a few minutes. Will you come in ? " Miss Evelyn was ushered into what was really the kitchen of the tiny Hat, though the girls made it their dining-room as well. " What charming quarters you have ! and how spick and span ! There is nothing like a bond fide kitchen fire on a really cold evening." Miss Evelyn loosened her furs and ensconced herself comfortably. " I hope Miss Galbraith is well ? " "Yes, thank you. She has a bad cold." A rippling laugh heralded the response. " Oh ! I thought it wa*< only we poor stage folk who called that being well." Stsbge-folk I The quakeress turned pale. And this was a friend of Wilhelmina's ! Fortunately at this moment Wilhelmina herself entered the room. It seemed to Miss Evelyn that she looked very far from well. Her face was thin, her eyes unnaturally bright, and there was a vivid red spot on each cheek. " How kind of you to find me out ! " she said. " Come into my room." " You have not been to see me since Christmas. It is quite time somebody found you out," said the actress cordi- ally. " My dear girl, you are knocking yourself up." " Oh no, I am not. I did work very hard just before my Matriculation, but that is over now, and I have scraped through." " Wo.!! t]!^v,f ' Why, Vilmfi, I know lots of men who can't get through their Matric." > was ceasing ire again was hink she will in?" y the kitchen • dining-room '6 ! and how \fide kitchen ened her furs ih ! I thought being well." nd this was a srself entered e looked very J unnaturally ch cheek, aid. " Come istmas. It is actress cordi- If up." ust before my have .scraped nen who can't nice. AN ORDINATION. 355 Wilhelmina smiled " ft ;=. . r ., , " Vet ,o„d„„j:l;k e,„u;:„;r '""•""--«• I am worried t<.„igh,. Talk ,„ „,e. TeU „e ^„.thi„g fto. He sent me fiftypounda the other dav " SI,., • j 'o «y th,s i„ an easy incidental fashion "EivotfTr wli never get round the world at this «e." ^' ' ™°'' -m's ver/hriXrXSe^' '""'' '°*' "'"> '"^ "I am so glad." woS'n'l'rrt^tr^'lLT^./r ^ ""'''" ""'- "' "f thing is so'g:,S"7ht " " ' ™ ''■'■ f"' « Hu:;'um tmtr" '°^"^- ^- "« " »'^ «^el, to Who wouldn't be I " Bayswater days ? " ^ ^""'^ ''^ ^™ »« the Wilhelmina flushed hotlv " // ,„ . l • . said after a pause with the nir f ?' ^*«/««/^." she "He did help n7:TfZZt,^:T'V'' *^^ ^«^«-<^ less. My stepmoUif r wL f. ' ^"* *^" '^^^^ ^^« ^^P' always lughT ou mtfT ^'" ^""'^ *° ™e, but-«J,,e took the house at kvsw„T 1,"'^' '" '^'^"■'^^"^- ^k, It was not hs flulfTh! "^'^' ^ father was abroui Miss Ev«!.n Ml -- ''''-^■"' ^°P^^^^«-" for him," she said "H;;;'""^- ., " ' "^' *° ^^^ ^^^ ^'^''^-'1 up . said, but now that you arr a woman, it won't :$f - ,1 ,.^..a* - - *. I M'$ r I' 1 356 WINDYITATTOU. do for you to go on spoiling lilm. My belief is that most of his inconsistencies are due to the fact that Provvy meant him for a good man — a deliriously, melodramatically good man — and that everybody insisted on spoiling him. He is my very dear friend, Vilmu, but he is selfish, you know. His own people always asked too much of him, and, when he turned to the circle of his choice, they asked too little. It was demoralizing. Do you see what I mean ? " Wilhelmina did not answer. She saw only too well, but to say so would have seemed disloyal to the absent father. Miss Evelyn went on, musing. " In other words he is like a man who has plenty of silver in his pockets. His friends keep asking him for gold, and, after worrying be- cause he hasn't got it to give, he suddenly discovers that there are lots of pleasant people who will be abundantly satisfied with copper. Then he had a great misfortune in his youth. That nearly wrecked his life." Wilhelmina seemed to have heard a rumour to this effect. " I wish you would tell me about that," she said, "if you think he wouldn't object." "I can't. I never knew the details, and now they are buried for ever. Even lionald refused to say much about it. But it made me sor.y for your father always. How hot your hands are, child ! Tell me what it is that is worrying you." It was some moments before the young girl replied. "Such a horrible thing has happened ! " she said, impetu- ously, at last. " The friend who was with me just now — a woman who lives in the flat below — is in such trouble ! She had a daughter — such a bonny kitten-like thing " Only the old old story —of sin and shame ! Yet a story which, when first understood, forms an epoch in the life of a generous girl. Miss Evelyn was disappointed. She did not understand impersonal grief. "So," .she said calmly, "you have just got to that particular stage." Wilhelmina raised reproachful eyes. m AN ORDINATION. 357 IS worrying Oh, I know you think me a cynical brute. Ten or iiiteen years hence some sweet young girl will come to you -her eyes just open to the wrongs of her sex. Think of me then, V ilma . " Wilhelmina's eyes blazed. "How damnably selfish we good women are!" ^ "I admit the first impeachment, not the second. What have I done that you should call me good ? Is all this a -evelation to you, little one ? " "I have known about this particular case for a fortnight, o-ntht" tf r •'"'";• ''^^ "^^*^^^ ^^'"^ *° -"-!*"- " l" twir' '"*^^^^^*«7. ^° ^^^•" Miss Evelyn reflected. 1 thought_ you were initiated early. I remember seeing a bonny bairn in a cottage near ^Vindyhaugh, whom your parlour-maid frankly introduced to me as-welll" « J^^ indiscretion de sa Jennesse 'I" ^ 'JThat was different. Jane was old-or seemed so to me Molly IS a child— seventeen ! " ^^Miss Evelyn shrugged her shoulders. "She is not the ^^"^I know. That is my point. Oh, Pauline, what can we cas?'i?wilMf b^f'i'^ ^'" '"^ '^''' "^ - ^"dividual eternal.'' ^ ^ ""'"'''^ ^''^ ^^°™- ^1^^ evil is " Then there is no God / " T h!Z ^'*''r fr^f^ ^''' '^°"''^«'-^- "That's as may be I have no rehable information. I am sorry to disturb you; lor tne beneht of a luarried woman ! " There wa« .<)ilence. T J^i'''^"" "^I'i^'"^ '^'' '""*^*^ ^^"^^'^"d harrow yo« for I wonder ? ;' said Miss Evelyn sharply at last. ' J^M. BecausViea.;/' ° "^"- ••^■^--"- ^'^^ i« ^.jr < 'I i 4 J,', J I' '•I I I' I If ii 358 WINDYHAUGH. I I " I suppose it is as much as my place is worth to suggest that the girl may have been partially to blame ? ' "To blame?" Wilhelmina rested a crimson face on her two hands, and looked doggedly across at her friend. " Where are we to draw the line of blame ? A perilous path is the path of love ! " " Oh, I know that ! Crossing Niagara on a tight-rope isn't in it!" " But the man had one sure guide. He knew quite well what it must mean for her. God do so to me and more also if I ever forget my sisterhood with women like that ! " She rose to pace up and down the room, pausing at last before a reproduction of Guido's Cenci on the wall. " I keep that there," she said slowly, " to remind me of — what women have sufifered ! When life runs smoothly, and men are chivalrous, and everyone is kind — one is apt to forget !" " I will give you a Bacchante to hang opposite. We can't have you grow one-sided. How did you come by that?" " Hugh gave it to me. He knew I admired it." " Hugh ? " Miss Evelyn looked startled. " Does he com.« here ? "* "Sometimea" " He is a good generous boy ; but I fear he is going the pace." Miss Evelyn's eyes returned to the picture. " Do you know the story ? " Wilhelmina sighed. For the moment all the fathomless woe of Guido's conception was in her eyes. " Is there any sorrow like unto thy sorrow ? " she said. " Poor child ! Poor child ! " "Have you read Shelley?" The young girl shuddered. "Yes, I thought I should never sleep again ; but the last part is magnificent — soul- stirring ! " She drew herself into an attitude of simple unselfconscious dignity, glancing over her shoulder with a ;i AN ORDINATION. 359 3es he coino chilly courteous smile that only seemed to accentuate the depth of woe beneath it. Give yourself no unueces^aI■y pain, My dear Lord Cardinal. Here, motlier, tie My girdle for me, and bind up this hair In any simj.le knot ; ay, that does well, And youra I 6ee is coming down. How often Have we done this for one another ! now We shall not do it any more. My Lord, We are quite ready. Well, 'tis very well."' "Vilma ! Have you ever acted before ? " " Occasionally. I belong to a Shakespeare Reading Club Was_ I actmg now 1 I beg your pardon. What an in- hospitable wretch 1 am ! " She laughed and held out buth hands to her friend. "Do you remember the princely feast you gave me one night when I was starvin-? lUy I retaliate with— with-let me see ! Bread and cheese a glass of draught ale from the public-house, and— oh, I would make you such a lovely omelette!" Miss Evelyn looked serious. "The omelette carries it " she said,— "especially if I may come into the kitchen and seo you make it." "Why, of course! Eggs are becoming possible again even in London. If only I had Windyhaugh air to beat into them!" The omelette was a great succes.s, but it did not tempt Wilhelmina's appetite. She talked gaily, however, all through the meal, bridging over, for the moment, even the gulf between Miss Evelyn and the quakeress. "Now I am going to see you safe into your room'' said Miss Evelyn firmly. " You are fei/ to-night, as your old Ann would say. You must promise to go to bed at once." Wilhelmina led the way. "Yes, I shall be glad to go, my head aches. It was good of you to come— and bring me news of my father." "You know, Vilma, I was half disappointed when I heard i| I 'I Ml* 360 WINDYHAUGH. It ll/i of your engagement. You had an influence over your father that no one else ever had." "Miss Evelyn! //" " You, little one. You were making him human — draw- ing out the father in him." Miss Evelyn thought of all the child must have suffered in the Bayswater days. " He must have been surprised to find his daughter so generous." Wilhelmina hent low over the fire. It was in moments of praise and appreciation like this that her heart insisted on a God. In her humility she felt that she must get down at the feet of someone I " Miss Evelyn," she said, as her friend was leaving the room, " I ought not — even in the heat of the moment — to have said what I did." Miss Evelyn drew down her brows in perplexity. " You have made so many memorable remarks in t)-\. oarse of the evening " " I said if the evil was eternal there was. jjo Cktd. Even if it were true, it is too awful a thing to dGy. ' " Oh ! All right. I am not susceptible, yor !;now. And besides — pardon me, dear, — the remark was not original ! " Wilhelmina laughed feebly. " I own the softness of the impeachment," she said. " Good-night." Before leaving the house Miss Evelyn paused at the kitchen door. " I hope you will persuade your friend to stay in bed to-morrow," she said. "She seems feverish. I will call in the morning to see how she is." Miss Burnet's manner froze. If Wilhelmina was going to be ill, it was most undesirable that she should have " stage- folk " about her. She was destined to be sorely tried, poor girl, for next day the patient was so unlike herself that Miss Evelyn bundled her up in rugs, and announced an intention of carrying her off to her own rooms in a cab. In vain the quakeress protested. " I may at least call to enquire for her ? " she said almost defiantly at last , "Oh, certainly." Miss Evelyn took a card from her % I AN ORDINATION. 361 ■<,td. Even " I can't ]>roHiise tliat you will see exquisite filigree c^se. her." "Then let me have one minute alone with her now " Misa &. :!yn frowned and left the room. ^V,lhelmina, dear," said the girl in a trembling voice m ifter t? "' Tt", ^ ''' ''' '''-' "^^ '^' -« -"^ my minister to see you ! I know he would come ; he is very bad and he would explain away your difficul'tie. I a„^ afraid I have been horribly unsympathetic. You say I am and he would help you. Indeed, indeed he would ! " Her affection her earnestness, were unmistakeable. ^dhelmmas head ached acutely. A wretched sensation of malaise permeated her whole being. The thou-^ht of ctriVh^"'^^* ^".^^^' -^' intolerable, tTfdil' cussion with Miss Burnet's minister t L T S!n ; u r ^''" ^^"^ ^"'^ ^°°^l t° "^« always; Shil f rl".^^*''°"- ^^^ " Her head swim She wondered whether Mr Brentwood had felt like this wh^n IbLtilJa^S^t ^'" ''' ''' ''''-'- - '''' "-"- UtZne'r"''" '"' ""'" '^'^'^'^'^ P'^"^°* ^«^-- " ^^'«-. "irTprln^'P ^" T"" *^^""^'" Wilhelminasaid feebly. Ask her to tea some day. Would you mind calling her to say Good-bye to me now ? " 'g "er to enltldT ^'*'' ^^^^^^-- -as at rest in a bed that enlarged for ever her views of comfort and luxury Miss ^ kid r u"^' ^'^ administered a cup of beef'ea, ani had laid a cold compress on her aching head. The fire Wwit'^i"'' S T '° ;'''°'= " "'* °°"- She certainly ^he. at an, Vea,; Wo^:!": iad'' f:::,talr''?a,:,^ ll. 'I ilT IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 7 // // /- <<^ ^ /. V^ 1.0 I.I IIIIM ilM ■ 4.0 2.5 2.2 2£ 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 150mm V burely c.-cun,.sta.ces brought enough pressure to bear on him without this well-meant interference "Yolo's";;:!"? /l''^''"\."'^^ ^^^ ^«^^' -^ -Crating, back.'- ''''' '' '^'"^-^^ ""''• -t« bring him m..!^!tolf"' '"^"'^ "^' ''^'^"^'- '^^^^^ ^-* --« thoroughly n.nageable now, neatly packed in her ten.^- young hLd I am afraid the little will be wanting," she'said" part. P orgive me, dear," she said. " Indeed I don't for^ret ?ZXL:nr ^^-^— ^ay you will give^r III !/ I)oy by day the colour relumed to Willielminrt cheeks and », I, „ came the „1,1 ddigU m life. The ret, rr„; .•.,.nng hrousht her a joy that'wa, almost e 1 y "hi now 1 Behold the .cc/mi^ltLo ^ I mZ,tT ,^" r,:f „'"T7. "■-■ "■" !'«*- of life. H.r:'g:id ^ world was How swoct just to bo al ive 366 WlNDYHAUnH. " I haven't felt so well for years," she said. " I want to do something ..utrageous. I feel as if I could sing in the Albert Hall, or jump through hooj.s in the circus. But for you I should be a haggard wreck, clammily toiling to and from my classes." " I am glad I was at leisure to come down here But I have a bit of work that will take me back to town in a day or two. I have promised to organise some amateur theatri- cals for Mrs Cavendish." " What fun ! Oh, Miss Evelyn, do you think you could smuggle me in to see them? I ain hungering -simply hungering— for a frolic." ^ "Of course you shall come. By the way, you told me you had acted yourself occasionally. I want to hear about it What was your first role ? Lady ^facbeth ? " "Your Highness is pleased to jest. Tt was a horrid little soubrette part that I hated." " Did you do it well 1 " " They said so. I know I enjoyed it when the time came. They spoiled me so that that evening was a turning-point in ir-y life. I began to see that I could be-well, as nice as other girls, and I let myself go,-took off my bearing-rein so to speak." ' Miss Evelyn looked at her critically. " You were born with a good voice production," she said. " Mrs Dalrymple has ,t too, and your father speaks well. Suppose we read a bit now ? I have two copies of The Cenci here. We will read the last act. There is nothing too dreadful in that I thought you did the closing lines admirably the other even mg. I will take all the other parts. You will find your hands full with Beatrice." "Overflowing I fancy." So she thought when Miss Evelyn began. Giacomo's r.T Vrf •"^'''^'^ ^" atmosphere of tragedy that af- fected Wi helmina profoundly, and the atmo.sphere grew she felt the gloom that-like the contracting chamber of the RETURNING LIFE. ^(.^ "^y nearly of ll " T J °""|^ "'^ ''»[' '"""'"^ Wni,el,„i„a alike «t J„e,, „« '.h."' ZtZttV'T r'T""""' supreme tvDe of tl,P «„«• ■ / , "*^'' ^" Beatrice,— r o t_y|)t or tJie suttL'nii.r of both "n,^^v. , . istered uj,on Iw fiend,s " To fl.. r . , '' ^"^el min- the shrinking of thehi,- v . W^ ^''' ^''^''' '^' ^'^^^ rack, the hurnrn Z ^ ^z:^^:;^ t:: "; 'r''^ -^ ''- ting, wormy .round " ? '"'^'"^^'^/'^'ath, of the "cold, rot- thet-fu, uL:;w,as o^ ::::!h f r'' ^i-^^'"^^ ^" world we know," in the in. ilifvT^ ^'^'°"^' "'^^« ''"^^^ -lations. Ho^peace^rSef;;^;^^ r^:f f "^ comparison .'-a death mn,ln no u "^^*'^^" ^^ave been ni ne.s,-,et ,.„. .r"„7iL™i ^.i' z:"::^"""'""- 'he wd re^„:r.o i':*^;:,''^-*"^^ adolescence. potential heroism of her own She spoilt the fine climax by feelin.. if fn. , , was a fault that Miss Evel.n 0^1^^^ "^n a ' T sional point of view Win,pin.;na' 1 J^ rom a profes- «I'tTe T,.rl '""? f""" "'"" "'=)' '"I ^"i'hol. " Well " «am tne actress at last, " will vou rin »!,„» t ' hence ! " ' "° """ '<" me a month "*"'"■"■ ' A' amateur theatricals ! " had r^cet f ITLtrirS '"trT"' "^''^ ^-"■«* other friends, aUnirHSa'-V't^alfr"'^ one of those who had nnf ... / i , '-^'^"^ish was Evelyn meant this ente i,frtt^ '"• ''''' Cavendish herself made an n 1 k, t . '"''^'■''- '"^f''^ made an admirable Lady Teazle, and one t Wr'' 368 WlNDYIIAUPrH. I'- ■ V, u of her friends a more than passable Juliet; but the circle for whom she had to cater was advanced in its views, and was more or less inured to the histrionic triumphs of Mrs Cavendish and her friend. A new and charming amateur as Beatrice Cenci would be worth many Juliets and Lady 1 eazles. -^ Moreover Miss Evelyn did not consider that she was sacnfinng her protegee. Wilhelmina's Interpretation of the part would, she felt sure, disarm hostile criticism • it was pure and strong as Shelley's conception. Her namo wouhl not be given ; her relatives had no right to resent anything she did, and if Brentwood was an<^ry and in- dignant-so nuich the better! He wanted sonfething to rouse h„n. Ihis would rouse him like a thunderclap. \Vilhelni.na would awake to find herself famou.s, and her husband at her feet. Nothing but passionate wooing would win her now, and passionate wooing she should But not a word of all this did Miss Evelyn say. She knew her audience better. j j ^ "They are not ordinary theatricals," she .said at last. Mrs Cavendish is a very cultured woman, and Ibsen is a household word m their circle. I think it is a mistake to ^Tose that anything we do well is too good to give to the " I thought I did it abominably." '' So you did in one sense. You need a deal of coaching • but you have hit the soul of the thing." " And in public " " I am not asking you to do it in the Albert Hall, or even rC^om." ^^ '''' ' ^^arity performance in a private "But the .story is too horrible." "There is nothing too horrible in the fifth act. You needn t tell me you don't think it a noble conception.' execltd." ''"' '° ""'"" "^ ^'"'™' *° ^'' *^««« ^'^ ^« iii . •' VLvm,ummt mgli^$Jlgtltm elyn say. She BEATRICE CENCI. Uft, my dear child, we hadn'f oil *u , brought up bya pious Jandl fi^ advantage of beinr, Evelyn paLl ' Zfo^t^r^'' t 'Tl'''''''''' ^ ^^^>- volved in an actor's life ^He oft. k '^ '^' «<^lf-acrifice in- that someone else may be Tl^^Tu *^ ^ ' ^'^^ shado^v father consoling me lith th f / ■- ^ '''^''^^'' yo»r young-so young!" '' '■'^'^*^«" ^^'^n I was so imelmina's face kindled. Think of Beatrice's training V. possess all your virtues " ''^'*' * ^^P^^^* her to rtCs:^----.i^^rmr:;L^-r ^n^X:j'^;tS^r^^:l!^^^^'^ed. She social circle to reflect her actions ll^'''"''^"" ^^^^ ^^^ "« appealed to her; she wanted L, ™ ^^« ^^^"ty above all, the yo^th and fort ^.d' "" ''!" ^^^^^"> ^ut hungered to find expression 1 .\^'""^"'''"' ^" '^^'^ ^«'n« She scarcely reali.edTeal, k '"'"' ^^"g'''^^ ^°™- her it was mainly the a^Jdv of Tr" ' '^ ^he drama : for filled youth. ^^"'^^ °^ bhghted ideals, of unful- OHAPTER LI. BEATKICK CENCI. Mrs Cavendish's beautifni i, • , liant spectacle „„ .he „ 'ht oT:;, '" f"^*"' "- ^ ""1- great drawing-rooms war. I I 7 ""ertainmrat. The and, fro„, I oulri IT: :^L^°'" «"«'"-%"* audience foretold that th^ ! excitement among the 2a 11 said. " lj„, igine 370 WINDYHAUGH. you are still at the rehearsal." She was almo«t more nervous than Wilhelmina herself. In proportion to the audacity of the subject would the failure be— if The Cenci failed. \Vilhelmina felt as if she had stepped through the portal into another worlil. Slio had never been in society before ; a schoolgirls' tea-jjarty was her standard of gaiety ; and the flash of diamonds, the fragrance of the flowers, the appealing note of the music, the radiance of the whole spectacle as she peeped from behind th& scenes, — intoxicated her. She forgot the existence of good and evil, and was conscious only of beauty. This was not the world she knew, nor was she Wilhelmina. The ordinary conditions of time and space were suspended. Surely in a world like this one could do anything. A great hush of expectation preceded the rising of the curtain on the lust act of I'he Cenci. The first two scenes went off more or less conventionally. Wilhelmina had been well coached, but she did not know the Beatrice who con- fronted ^farzio with a spirit that defied all ordinary moral canons, and her acting wanted the ring of reality. Perhaps the idea of Hester in the market-place still lurked in the background of her mind, and few things could have been less compatible with Shelley's conception. She looked very charming, however. Miss Evelyn had thought more of beauty than of rigid historical accuracy in designing the soft white silk robe that responded to every movement of the rounded limbs ; and Wilhelmina was just at the age when the human countenance answers like a perfect instrument to the life behind, when the moon face of youth is gone, and dominant thoughts and moods and aspirations have not yet Lad time to carve relentless lines. It was in the third scene that she first got her chance. She looked very- pathetic in her sleep of exhaustion, and when she woke unwillingly — all forgetful of her grim snr- roundings^she was for the moment the very type of in- BEATHRE CEXCr. m " ' I waa just dreaming riiat we were all in Paradi.e. ■ •• And thoi, the tragedy clo«id in. defian,,^:5„r;:::LT '° i' "^"- •'^'" -« '"*>a„^ «l.e took 1 c,. feeble 'hri, I """"l*'" "' i-'minent doom the loolt 0, . S * ;« "-''■e,. in ler a™, and, with fron. VVi,he,,„i„a-, f.l^ZL^'Z ZZl'-''''' °'r were moi»t eye, among ,J,e iool ;,'luss it over with words that fni tlie youni,' victim meant iiothin;,'. " ' Ti.i jiast ! Whatever L'orneH, my heart i^hall sink no niore ; And yet, I know not wliy, your words strike chill ; How tedioUH, fiilM' iiiid cold ncctn all tilings. • - < t • • • I am cut off from the only world 1 know, From li^lit and life and love in youth's sweet prime, You do well telling me to trust in fJod : T ho[ie I do trust in Him. In whom else Can any trust ! and yet my heart is cold.' " The restrained tenderness of Ikatrice's farewell to her young brother brought tears to many eyes, and then came the fine, .simple, exquisite elimax that had so deeply im- pres.sed Mi.ss Evelyn two months byfore. When the curtain fell, some of the audience were ai)pre- ciative enough to check the applause of the merely enthusi- astic. Miss Evelyn's great roup had been a success. It was an amatetir study, of course, and yet it possessed points that a finished professional performance might have lacked. Wilhelmina acted the part with intense feeling, with instinctive purity, and with an intellectual breadth that was more surprising than either. Of course there were those who said, "C'est mn;/?iiji(/ue, mais ce n'est pas la Cenci " .■ one man of extraordinarily fine perceptions wa.s heard even to express a doubt as to whether the attractive yoiuig actress knew what the play was all about, but no one doubted that she was a fine representative of the " fair sister ... in whom Men wondered how such loveliness and wisdom Did not destroy each other," — a finer representative stili of the youth that "could be bounded in a nutshell, and count itself a king of infinite space," — did not cruel fate inflict "bad dreams." The days were just beginning vv'hen a young woman was UKAIKICK CKSCl. 373 expected to "do sometli in,." .f i ... ence. Wilhelnla hn 1 ? • '^ ''"'^'^^ ^'' '^^'■^^- iiutimina Had done somcth mr uith n. ,.^ lie Ud been .w ,„„d, i.„„rei,„., , ' , '"'"'""''I. «"'l would not reeogni.e her „ieeo, „, 1 1 "rl .il';,,".,"" "Poor little soul ' " .she sni,l » \vi ". " Do vnn I.. 1 . " ''''^^ '"i P'-ithetlc face ' " ■1^0 you know who it s. Afothfr t Tf • \\'u , . ' He nodded. liit-u iier cjnicismcanie uppernio.st "Sofi,;.; i . Miss Evelyn's doincr ^L ; / , , '' ^'^''^ ^^"'^-^ all / noing. febe i.s awfully humble rpill,-" Enid did not answer immediiff.lv r\ u i^' eia^onall around was,uite:::;:;:L^^^^ ^-^%i^t^n:tmi"^""^- '- '^- «^- ^« -ictly "Then you had better take her home. Tell her to . and see me. Stop a minutP Tf n • ^ ^°'^^ What a pity .she marri^ tl. ^^^ '' ""''^ ""''^''^'d. .i .-^ ''"^ ""airied that youuL' man' Anrl +v,«. *i • frankly. ex,>,e.«d lLfZ\ ''"""' "«•"»■ ■'''"■• the first time to th opening her eyes for I: le magnitude of the thiny «] le had .ff. f i , r? 1 1 ! il ' i ' 374 WINDYIIAUGH. attempted, and her startled eyes fell on her cousin with evident relief. " May I take you home, Vilma V he asked. " That is, if you are sure you won't stay to supper." "Thank you very much. I will be ready in five minutes." Of course Miss Evelyn had taken care that Brentwood should be at the performance. He needed no urging wh'.'ii he hiard that the last act of The Cenci was to form a pait of the programme. " It will be a fiasco," he said ; but he went. He was not the only man who paid a fancy price for the sake of seeing a young gentlewoman who was willing to act the part of Beatrice. Wilhelmina had never looked so beautiful in her life a.s when she came on the stage. Miss Evelyn had taken care of that. Brentwood did not recognize her, but he smo tlie resemblance in a moment, — and, with a sudden sense o!" shock, every drop of blood seemed driven back to the core of him. Was this an older Miss Galbraith of whom he had never heard ? In that remarkable tamily no mystery would be incredible. The second scene was over before he was fully conscious of all that he saw and heard. Trying to recal it afterwards, he told himself that it was a " very effective " performance ; but the awakening in the prison cell went straight to his heart. Could tliis be Wilhelmina? He remembered how Miss Evelyn had threatened to urge her to go on the stage. From that moment the young actress held him spell- bound ; her sudden heartbreaking — "0 My God ! Can it be possible—? " sent a thrill through his very vitals. Obviously this girl had the gift of throwing her own personality into the part. If it was Wilhelmina, — how she had grown I how she had felt the burden of the mystery ! But who in the BKATKICE CKNCI. 376 world was responsible for her acting the part of Beatrice when the curtain fell on that chLli « '""'^^''^^^^^^ ' ^"d Sjuite an amateur," he hearrl Ariaa t,%. i • " feive nie it i revealed her nnniP sjj,^ ; :?r.?7xr zr "■'■ """'^ «" -— " m. ^"^"ig It- ^uch a sweet girl t " The cheap truth of this maddened Brentwood • but at that moment Miss Evelyn advanced to him "Rtv we hadnt a pa. of gloves on it," she said in a low voicT What do you think of it ? " It was a second or two before he could reulv T}.« i; of Ins face were as hard as those of an 1 Ze "IT commg back-to this place ? " ^ ^' '^''' "No, she is going Jiome." Hugh turned on him with a defiant scowl. wortr vr:r «:"i:-r:;' :r'^- -v; m r'! fc '\: nm ■i!ii'"i «i" < 1a - hf i h i'l' III i iili: v;;; ' i i llfi n 'I J I ' I i Ih,.; wfeliiwiiiB i 376 WINDYHAUGH. she said quietly; but, womanlike, she trembled for very loyalty to her husband. "I shall be at homo to-morrow evenmg if you care to calL" She gave him the address, and turned away on the arm of the "he-minx." "It was stunning, Vilma, simply stunning. Do you know the Mater was in tears?" He had to repeat the remark before she heard it, and then her face burned. "Was Aunt Enid there? How — horrified she must have been ! " "^ot a bit of it. She wants you to come and see her; but she IS going to write." Wilhelmina shook her head ruefully. «I am afraid she will think better of it before to-morrow." " Nonsense ! " He did not speak again till they were up in her sitting- room, and then his mood had quite changed. He sat gloomily for a time with his head buried in his hands " So you do care for him all the time, Vilma," he said " For whom ? " " Oh, come now ! I clearly see there will be a recorcilia- frndrp'r " """"' '"'^ ^^^'^-^^^^-^y'^ *« °- pi--"t She drew herself up. "How can there be a reconcilia- tion when there has been no quarrel ? We made a mistake : that IS all. Is It because you are a man that you are so unable to understand ? Do you think a woman capable of no emotion save one ? Is it likely, after all that has come and gone, that I should meet Mr Brentwood quite as an ordinaiy acquaintance ? Of course I haven't had time to forget, but~but all that doesn't mean love " Hugh did not answer. He would have given a good deal to know hov much had "come and gone" "Any news of Uncle George ? " he said at last. He was sailing for India from Suez when he last wrote He seemed m capital spirits." " Did he really ? Yes, I always feel that he has got hold of some secret, if one could only get at it." BEATRICE CENCr. 377 "What kind of secret?" wmie to^ro on. Here am I not half his age,-and I have just about squeezed the orange." " Nonsense, Hugh ! " "It is true. Some fellows fall back on religion or a r 1 awfullv low'"' ^'> '' '''' ^'"^^ «^ I^°-»'l'« ^Jeath that^inl^f f), '~?'^'^'„"P "'^^ """'^ *« ^^f^r'" and all tHat kmd of thing. I really did pray for stren.^h to to resist temptation, as the pious foil s'ay, bu thf tre,;:^ ne^ver came-nary a bit ! You've no noL what a Sot con WH '"""'• ""'' '^ ^^^^ *° -^« ^- h- -ther sadW^'mf'^^^T.^'^r^ ^'^^ opportunity. She smiled sadly. When one thought of all the great souls who had agonized in vain, it seemed ridiculous to hope that Huih', casua httle pi^yers should meet with any answ L td ye^t, imeymet with none, how could he Jain strengtlf ^o "You did not pray hard enough, Hugh " to ^htrof tr "'"' '" '"^' *^'' *""'"^^^*- «he wanted husband R T-'t'' u° ^'°"'^^^" *'"^^' ^' had affected her husband. Hugh might have said with Beatrice,- " And yet I know not why, your words strike chill : How tedious, false and cold seem all things ! " "Uncle George doesn't look n ^ Well ! Ihe leaf was turned. That was his lust visit to ! i' f ': if'" t ll^'. • ''^ ''11 A i ,', :: 378 WINDYHAUGH. Cousin Vilma. Again he saw Brentwood's white furious face, and felt Wilhelmina's trembling hand on his arm. Of course they would kiss and be friends, and in their joint life no place would be found for a sinner like him. He hated Brentwood, and Brentwood did not consider him fit to tie a decent woman's shoe-lace. Wilhelmina had changed too. That momentary meeting had been sufficient to remove her a hundred i. les. from him and his poor little strivings. Well, thank God that all Avomen were not clever and high-minded and— in love with ether men ! Thank God for a soft rosy kitten-like tiling who asked no questions, and looked up with worshipping eyes! I I CHAPTER LII THE INTKRVIEW. _ "There is absolutely no u.se iu trying to forecast an inter- view of this kind," Harley said to himself. " The only thing one can be sure of is that it will be entirely different from anything one anticipated." He resolved to banish the whole subject from his mind with the natural result that he thought of little else till he found himself at Wilhelmina's door. He was ten minutes before his time, and she had not returned from a class, but the quakeress ushered liim at once into the pretty room. It chanced to be looking unusually pretty, (or Miss Evelyn had driven over in the afternoon with a quantity of flowers and of congratulatory notes that had been left at her house for Wdhelmina. "Quite worthy of a lady in the variety line, Brentwood reflected bitterly. He even thought for a moment that he could say this to Wilhelmina. Many a pointed remark and repartee has been lost to the world THE INTERVIEW. 379 bless him \^lIhelnH„a seemed fated now to rouse Brent- fter laurels out of the window. How dared they send 2Ln f . W " °r"" r™^"^''^^ to act the part of Beatri e wL b the n 1 i"u T"* ^^'"'-J»"na himself, but he was in the mood in which he could have killed any other man who wanted her. ^ "^^''"^ He turned from the flowers, however, to take stock of the more permanent furniture of the room, - the books microscope, the instruments,-all the s epping-ston s tha 11 T '""l 'T''' '''''''' " ^^ ^^d kiown'to the y yfd pagan of the night before. W *^.r '^' ''''' ''^^'°'''^y "ot ^ P^fe"^"^ at heart The rn^H 7 u "^*"'^' expression of a mind that was rooted deep m the soil of old Windyhaugh Ah, those books !- -how they poured from the press in the strenuous days! books literary, books scienfific, book philosophical, touching hands round the mighty problems with which men's hearts were full. The seleftion here v^ small, but a .vhole library might well have expi^s.^ir Battle-music, battle-music i nttle out of breath,-perhaps with climbing the W stair It was hard upon her that Brentwood shoufd have got ttre She took off her hat as a schoolboy might have done (What a fine keen face hers was ') (How much older he had grown !) H i, u* ».',( mm\ i-iil ^PBffWnP ' ' ; ¥■; , '■ , h'Vi; ft' ; yi ', ■ -Is ■ 1 ;' . 'S' V^' ^V' '.: : '■1 ■ t 380 WINDYIIAUOH. He smiled. " It could scarcely be called waiting. Your room had plenty to say for itself -and for you.", Startled, she glanced at the books and i^ictures from a new point of fiew " I hope it treated my faults with dis- cretion." ^ Involuntarily his eyes fell on the flowers, and she appre- ciated to the full the sudden hardening of his face. Here at least was a note of disapproval in the chorus of adulation. But his glance returned in a moment to the books. "Well," he said almost genially, "have you evolved a complete philosophy of life yet ? " "Shall I ever? I seem to be just drinking in the mystery." "You seem on the whole to find it exhilarating." ^ She pondered. " That is the curious thing. One day it sits on one's heart like lead ; the next it goes to one's head like wine." " Yet on the whole you are hajipy." She gave her head a pretty little toss of something like defiance. " I don't know that ' hapjjy ' is the word. I am alive, and life is intensely interesting." " And are you still « persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor lowers, nor things present,' nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord ' 1 " He spoke in a low emphatic voice. What a i5ity she could not respond,—" And are y>m still persuaded that ' a fool waits for an answer ' ? " But her eyes were full of yearning when she raised them to his. She dwelt so constantly among such thoughts,— she had so often longed to talk to him about these things— that the turn the conversation had taken seemed most natural. "Mr Brentwood," she said, "I wanted to ask you— does one ever come back to that?" He paused before replying. " It was you who quoted the words, — not I." THE INTERVIEW, 381 Irinking in the a to one's head d are you still Su^elJ^ snrely, the time is ripe for another revelation' We ai-e all i„ a muddle, the blind leading the blind. Just look at all the people who are praying for light. ' And yet God has not saia a word.' " "Hasn't He?" "//as/Ze;" vIIa "^""'J nT' '^''''' ^'^ ^^^'^^ ^^'h« «ay that the kingdom of God cometh not with observation '' Je tol .' •?" ' ^^? ":"'* ^"'" ^°" ^''^^"kful we should be Jo be good if we only knew He was there." " And would that be walking by faith ? " "Wouldn't it?" ° ^ "^ "' "Would it ? I don't know. It seems to me that if we had a new revelation to-morrow, we should be squabbling over Its unimportant details witliin a week. Sometimes I think 1 IS not a question of l-nowing at all. but of ueing." "But I don't see." ^ "Perhaps you do see, but don't realize that that is what you are looKing for. I don't profess to be a religious man, but as a mere matter of common-sense it seems more suitable that we should adapt ourselves to God than that He should adapt Himself to us." " But He is so big — so big ! " "If you could build Him to your liking now, would you- not have outgrown Him within a year ? " cam^Wtotf "^'' " ' ^'^'^'' ''' -'-^ ^ ^-^ ^-^^ Jfhoughllt"' '"^''^' *' ''' """^ ^" ^'^ ''^'' '' "I did not mention preaching, di ' T ? Have I ever denied the tisefu:iiess of dogma ? " She looked up quickly, then smiled half sadly at the audacity of her own words. "Jhit / umit to save mankind ! " He nodded. " I am less ambitious. All I ask for in my ,ifi in i k mm 382 WINDYHAUOH. III 'J- ■ Wildest moments is the grace-or should I say the decency 1 -—to keep my own corner clean." Suddenly he awoke to selfconsciousness. Assuredly there was no use m trying to forecast an interview of this kind. Who could have dreamed that it would take a turn like this ? All the time of their separation he had pictured Wilhelmina as Chens lung a Christian and womanly contempt for him • It was pleasant to find that this had not been the case.' Ihe pnmal instincts began to sink into their true place ^^ "I want to hear all about your life," he said kindly I don t need to say, do I, that you can tell me nothing to,, small to mterest me ? " She seemed so bright and successful as she sat there, that he felt the distmction conferred on him by liis own failure tie was no longer conscious of any bitterness— only of a warm wave of generous feeling that raised him pleasantly m his own esteem. With a sudden sensation of rest he realized that his way was now perfectly clear. Of course no man worthy of the name would ask this brilliant young thing to forego a life full of eager interest in order to share his moody and morbid existence. What he would like now would be to share his income with her, and leave her frea His very figure filled out as he realized that under the circumstances this was the yirile-and modern-thing to do. Jiut thank Heaven he was no longer bound to dangle round on the outskirts of her success ! He need only accept the hint of his old chief in Edinburgh, and apply for that tem- porary appointment abroad. She blu.shed painfully at the sudden personal kindness of his tone, and then she began her tale. After the first few moments she told it well, with a keen eye for her own mistakes. As her nervousness wore off, he felt her dramatic gift almost as much as he had done the night before Be tween the lines he read the record of her pluck and enthu- siasm, and the story called forth his respect, admiration, amazement,-everything, indeed, except his love. Of Mr Elhs she spoke in the warmest terms. IHIC IXTRKVIKW. say the decency ? 383 whl^HTT ^""*™''« '^"'••-«ity overcame hi.n. -And ^^hat did lie say to— last night ? " didnfv'"'"'-- u'^''' ""^^"''P^'- '"!'« *«" the truth, he a ast i"::Lm T'. " ' ^"* °^ ^"^ P^^^ «ff' -d -hen at last I called, he had gone away for his holiday" She «;nied, but not without apprehension. « So I lave go that on ,ny mind to tell him when he conies back " ' I here was a knock at the door saf w\:rrh:dr: ^^^^^^'""^^"^' ^--^^ ^^"- ^^- "Come in," said Wilhelmina without effusion ^^ Brentwood rose. " I was Just going in any case," he eye? His T''1 '". '''' •''' ^^"'""^ ^" ^^^^^ Evelyn's tu^i had co^e^ ""' ^ '"^^'^'"^' "^^"^^' ^"^ ^^^ ^^'t that'his rnu^L'""" '"'" '^^ ^"^•^- "^^^---^-vaiting. I we\?'"'^^'''!l "^''^ "'"'^' ^^^ Vnihelmina will tell you ^ve have already scoured the universe in our talk. Good bye, he said, holding out his hand to his wife, " I thhik Honor would greatly like to come and see you. You wou d find her a kindred spirit in many ways " tear'^^'it't :'' ft'"f '"^^'^ "-^^^ *'- threatening bel^y friend.'' ''^ '"^"^ ^' "^^ "^^ *''^* «^^ ^^^^^ thr^ay stt:;:' --~^"' ^^"'- ^^^^ ^'^™ ^^■"^— ^"- A moment later he was gone. There was a great silence in'the room. Wilhelmina had walked over to the window. i'^eimina Had "Vilma, dear," said Miss Evelyn at last, "I am inex- pressibly sorry." ^^ Wilhelmina tapped the ground impatiently with her foot. Dont, she «a,d. MVhat is the use of talking? But i'l fi (r I 384 WTNDYJrAUrill. ' K 1 1 * I' ' It I' 1 i Iff.- !i U4 pray take those flowers to somebody else— I am sick, sick, sid; of the whole thing ! " Mim Evelyn was startled. Such an outburst as that from most of her friends would have meant— just nothing at all ; but most of her friends had not been brought up at puritan Windyhaugh. And indeed Wilhelmina awoke next morning, feeling as though she had come to the end of all things. What did life contain that made it worth while to get up and dress and go on living ? Xo doubt much of this feeling was sheer physical reaction after the excitement of the play. The wonder is that it had not set in the day before ; but the flowers, the adulation, the prospect of the meeting with her husband, had kept up her si)irits till now. Of course she went to her classes as usual, though for days her perceptions were as if wrapped in a thick dank fog. But youth is youth, and for Wilhelmina life at the worst was always life. On the third day the fog began to clear, and a sud.len sharp storm dispelled it wholly. Molly— pretty peccant IMolly— disappeared. For weeks— until the play began to absorb ail her energies- Wilhelmina had been treat- ing the girl like a sister, and now the disappointment was great. Older women— women inured to good works— treat cases like this on a regular system. Wilhelmina's system was still to make. We never fall into such grave mistakes as when in the ardour of youth we treat each case as though It were the first that had occurred in the history of man ; but do we ever again do such good work? " Do you suppose she has gone to marry him ? " she asked of the mother. The woman took her apron from her eyes, and laughed with the harsh practical cynicism of the working woman "Bless your innocent soul, miss. I doubt he's got her cheaper than that." Wilhelmina's eyes blazed. "If we could only find out who the man is " ■n I am sick, sick, tn ? " she asked THB INTEKVIEW. jg^ " bat I think ravS iu. ™1 ^ ""' '^ "=" J"""'" *« »»M. Friday evening" S™"™"-! that was with you on toSt™ r„"f '^ "" '-'■ "- ^-'-W "- .one " J o / " she gasped. abo'ut .t"pLi'': S 'Z T' """■ ^™ -' l-^'' t"- Molly from the tor' " ^~ P"''' '"" ^"'^ "<"™"i f™"":.:itX::;eSi:"'V"h "°''" God knows it is b^ ! T' "• ^™ "W''' ovening it „a, ! .be otberi'i:,rnorhat bo^ irv-'ii' ".'^^ '- my cousin to-night." "^'^^ "^"^^ ^'>~^ There was not much compromise about the letter. "My dear Hugh, "I hope they are mahgning vou hprp Ti,. la you who have taken away our pretfv Mollt P? ^ '^^- '^ me an emphatic denial by return rll ^ • ^''^'' ^"*« and, if I had been the mJTfu ■ '°°*^'' ^'"^ '"y ^"^nd, my heart would break. ""^'"^ *^^^ ^"^«« "P*^" ^er, " Your affectionate cousin, "WiLHELMINA GalEEAITH." an answer." "^ poem,— A fool waits for W h"ow7a:;he t. W ™ ^r- *' •'=^" 'o a.k place. During Z wt k hat S™"""'. 'f "'"" '"O '-ken been far too preoccZ^^: ,„ "^""f'"' "" P'^^ ''"'bad 'ooted for an opening to conBde in M B }.; ■ft' if' $m WINDY if AUGH. M i\''i Iv; I m her, — had fo-md no place for repentance {^'^ugh she sought it with tears. " And Hugh himself — how had she received his pathetic attempt to lift the conversation on to a higher plane that very Thursday night? "You didn't pray hard enough, Hugh," — as who should say, " I am too preoccupied with my own affairs to take any interest in your salvation." Brute, brute, that she was ! — selfish, cold-hearted brute ! So it came about that Miss Evelyn, choosing, as she thought, an admirable moment for the suggestion that Wilhelmina should seriously adopt the stage as her pro- fession, was met by an incomprehensible rebuff. " All the world's a stage ! " sighed Wilhelmina. " Keally, Vilma, the originality of your remarks is most striking, but the apropos ?" " Is only too clear to me. We may act on the toy stage or not as we choose, but we have got to act on the real one whether we will or no. You seem extraordinarily successful in combining the two. I don't say that yf^u lose no oppor- tunity of doing a kind action, because in truth you go out of your way to do them ; but I — I am so taken up with my trumpery lime-light effects that I miss the most obvious duty next to hand. No, dear, thank you very much, but I will never act again." That very evening brought a letter from Brentwood, — an ordii'ary common-place inland letter from the postman's point o: view, delivered with as much haste and indifference as if it had come from — anybody else in the wide world ! It was a long time before the envelope had delivered the whole of its message, but at last Wilhelicaina opened it. " My dear Wilhelmina, "I fear my awkward lips refused to tell you the other nigb^ ^ow much I respect and admire you for the way in which yo 'kuvs taken life by the horns. Your success is not an acc'der 7 • have deserved every inch of it; and, now that yoi ^U'-'f^ hi.!r"-: to succeed, I feel sure you will go 'vli^ THE TNTERVIKW. 387 on You are one of those women who are strong enough to stand alone, and you ^vill only grow the stronger for all the poor souls who will cling to you for comfor't as lifegl:: on. How docs one ^m ach to the ma.sses ? ' By being such a woman us Wilholmina is becoming. ^ " As foi ine - ' Lave given up trying to be clever. I have had a ;,ood piece of hard work offered me at the University of byduey, and I mean to accept it. One thing I shou d hke to ask of you before I go. After all, we are not Ze strangers to one another. I want you 'to accept-sa^ a hundred pounds a-year out of my income. I would gladly make xt twice or thrice the amount, but I only ask or a hundred Don't you think it is your duty to gfve yourself SttTlT ''' '"' '''' '' '''-' ^''"^ '- ^^-^^ " Yours always most truly, cir\ J X, , " Harley Brentwood. It w 11 do you no harm to have it in his keeping, and if you shou d want it-it will be there. If by an/'chance you should ever want me, I would come from th^ ends of Ve Verily Harley Brentwood's turn had come. Wilhelmina had no wish to start for Sydney before she had takenTer degree ; she was too much interested in her work for that • but, with true feminine inconsistency, she cried over the letted till the ount of her tears was dry. Then the night was cod "of ti iVr "'^"^' ^^^^ '^^^ *° *'^ q-" cooliioso of the deserted street. Mi^ZV^K^^^- "r" °" ^' "^«'^*^^"- I* «°°thed her a litt e to hear it swish on the dust and grime. As she stood STst;'^ '7'''' '^^'"^^^' ^" '''-'y gentlemt ;t wih his wife on his arm. She clung to him so closely that one umbrella served abundantly for both. His stalwart figure was the type of protection, just as hers Ttkl embodiment of trust. ilii ill 388 WINDYHAUGH. Wilhelmina turned, and dragged her weary steps up-stairs. "Strong enough to stand alone." Oh God, oh God! If she could only have seen Harley again, just for ten minutes — just to tell him how miserably she had failed in this little bit of work that had been placed before her — how she would have thanked God for all the rest of her life ! But she had not forgotten that fateful night on the terrace; she would not make the same mistake a second time. " My father sends me plenty of money, thank you," — a poor little white lie, this ; but the recording angel has not shed the last of his tears, — " God bless you, and good-bye." CHAPTEE LIII. L'HOMME PROPOSE. Wilhelmina was justified in fearing that on second thoughts Mrs Dalrymple would regret her friendly overture. Enid would fain have taken up so sweet and interesting a girl, but there really were too many odd things about Wil- helmina ; it would be better for the present to leave things as they were. Gavin had called at the flat before going to Woolwich. He was taller than his brother and extraordinarily attractive for a lad of his age. He kissed Wilhelmina as if she had been his sister, and talked to her with a simplicity and lack of reserve that went straight to her heart. He had brought a i)hotograpli of his fair lady, and he proceeded to fill in colour and expression with eager ready lips. " Her father won't hear of it yet," he said. " You see I am so awfully poor; and there is that lucky dog, Hugh, scattering his money as if it were waste paper. If he had a nice woman to show for it, one wouldn't mind, but — ugh ! " L'HOMME PROPOSE. 389 He "How is Hugh?" " Oh, well enough. We scarcely see him now-a-daya and the governor are not on speaking terms." anfsfniv""' T"''"^ '"^ '^' pl^otograph. It was sweet and sonsy.-nothmg more ; only through Gavin's eyes could she see the wonder of it. On the mar Jn, in a rouZoho , "lil nr-'w?.,*'' "^""' "^^'«y Laudirdale." l^aisy, Daisy," Wilhelmina was thinking, "what is thJf^W Su g^tr-'" ''' -^' " -^ ^- ^e* on well, helTd" ,. *u was ya,v„i„g under her feet, 'she had no 'Z e^.^: ^l"! tion ot giving up her examination, but there w»r„l notked''tor''Th.T, '.""""""^ '°e°"'' »' ^'' ^>. *« £^a:j-rt:tT-r:z:ii.^? Wm-a„d tr "h " .''T* *'' '"*"" *^^* ^^3^ before ^/:}^r:.t^sert^^^-^;-^^^ whether they considered that he was taking tTo much n the least glance of silent comment would have eZed he keen young eyes; but, except that they treated Mr P. T braxth wzth exaggerated cou/tesv. there wa! notMnf L^ and the. civiHty was abundantly ac^ox^^rKy the II r ' j: 396 WINDYHAUGH. 'hi ■,; amount of money he was spending. It was clear that waiters and shopkeepers thought her father a very perfect gentleman indeed. "And so ho is," she said to herself indignantly when she was back in her little room. " He is three years older, he has knocked about the world, and he is tired. I am three years older too, three years more observant, and no longer able to idealize him as I once could. I had seen so few people in those old Windyhaugh days." But she sighed. Whether the old air of hothouse bloom had existed in her imagination or in reality, it had been a very beautiful thine to see. ° " To-morrow," she said, " he will be rested. I will talk over this question of my examination with him then. It is only that he does not understand." When he was away, she imagined herself talking to him quietly, clearly and at length, convincing him of the justice of her views; but when the moment came, she felt as if she were shouting to him through a brick wall. It was im- possible to get into any kind of touch with him. Still she would not face the idea that she might have to give up her examination. That would be too dreadful. If only one of her professors could meet Mr Galbraith, and talk to him on the subject ! If she had been on the old terms of intimacy with Mr Ellis, she would have asked his advice, but as it was— she did not. Miss Evelyn was away yachting, and there was no one else to whom she could confide her father's weakness. On the fourth day after his arrival, he came up to her room in excellent spirits as usual. "Ah, I see your things have come," he said, glancing at the parcels. " We will go down to Dover to-morrow morning. Normandy or Brittany will be pleasant while' this hot weather lasts, and then my little girl shall see Paris. When it begins to grow cold we'll go down south." ' With sinking heart she made one last effort to explain her position, but before she realized that he wa.s taking her Mill t to explain her L'HOMME PROPOSE. 39^ seriously, he burst into a sudden tempest of wrath She had never seen any one in a passion before, and it ! emed to her almost indecent that she should be he w tness of o Ki^^r ''''''-'• ''' -' -^^^-^-' "^^^- a: arrhSofal!!""'"''"*,^^"''^ "* '^' ^^^' announced the arriva of another parcel,-a new hat, as it chanced- and with a sudden change of manner, more suc.cestive of n2l ^hanc. sober daily life he insisted th^t^tlotll ^^0? o^n^'w^f ;:Xt:rt?" '''-' '-' ^^- '- ^- -^^^ He threw his arm around her affectionately. " To think she has never been prettily dressed in her lie before "he said with a rush of tears. "My bonny bairn- For the future she shall have all that money can buy.'' " " can bly '' "''" '"'''^'^ ^^^°- ^^ ^^'^^^ -oney "To-morrow morning, then," he said. "I will call for you at eight. Sans adieu, little one " She was thankful to be left alone that she might review the situation in peace. Looking at the matter superfidair one thing was clear. Either she must go with her S next day, or quarrel with him. Looking at the Latter more deeply something else was equally clear': For some rea on as a : ^"rh"^ '^t^''''^' '' ^^« P--"^ mom n ;: te as a rational human being. It is impossible to describe the wave of depression with which she admitted this to he s df n lif but It IS a tragic moment when youth first eflles that the old relations are reversed —that if „„ T f allowance for the weakness of th bein« it ha I o , "''''' as something more than human. ^ ' ^"'^''^ "^^^ And now the application,_what was her duty ? She no longer hungered for renunciation in the abstract She wanted to make the very most of her own po^^. She could not bear to disappoint her teachers. And yet and ye.-she knew that she would have to go. That old rd^nt id? :'f' ' i 398 WINDYHAUGH. less memory of hers brought back Miss Evelyn's words. " You had an influence over your father that no one else ever had: . . . you were making him human,— drawing out the father in him. He must have been surprised to find his daughter so generous." Wilhelmina sat down to write to one of her teachers ; she tried to compose a quiet little note ; but when she read it over she seemed to hear the ring of anguish through all its hues— so she tossed it into the fire, and the tears streamed down her face like autumn rain. It did not even cross her mind to suggest that her father should consult a doctor. Had she done so, he would have assured her that he had never been so well in his life ; but m after years it was strange to reflect that on that 'very evening men and women all over the world had been seek- ing medical advice for the merest fancies and finger-aches. CHAPTER LIV. II. THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD. " Well, cherte, does this amuse you ? " " Immensely. How quiet they are ! It is like watching an ant-heap." Wilhelmina and her father were sitting in roomy fauteuils on the first floor of the Hotel Terminus in Paris, looking down on the ever-varying scene in the great hall below. An imposing array of newspapers was drawn up on the centre tables, and peoi)le of all nationalities were porinc. over their columns. Business men and gay girl tourists shared the comfortable writing-tables in the corners, family groups here and there discussed their plans in a whisper an actress in gorgeous plumage strolled up and down o„'the It 'i Hfiif I ' s Evelyn's worda ' that no one else nan, — drawing out irprised to find his her teachers ; she when she read it ish through all its he tears streamed ist that her father so, he would have 11 in his life ; but lat on that very Id had been seek- and finger-aches. LED. is like watching 1 roomy fauteuils n Paris, looking •eat hall below, rawn up on the ties were poring cay girl tourists 3 corners, family in a whisper, an id down on the THE SKILETON IN THE CUPBOARD. 398 arm of a stoat young man, and other men, lounging in quiet corners, Jaz,Iy took in her point, ,„„ „„a'„ drfopfng ImT ™"i",r Zd sai^ *" «- "- "^» - - ''-^. ^ " ^^"'.Jf t "s go and have some lunch. What do you sav to a partridge, and a bottle of Chateau Lafite ? " ^ ^ Rnn^ I r '°''' ^"'^ '""''^'^ ««ftly downstairs in her Bond Street gown. She had come to the cynical con dustn that those gowns did more for her than any nurbeTof letters after her name. She and her father had travelled tl gether now for months, and she had acquired the easy at o^ the people who are used to be waited on. Yet herTce was a httle worn with anxiety. From the moment they 7ef London her father's manner had become more stib f I^d she had felt rewarded for the sacrifice she had made but every now and then a curious fit of excitement or talkative ness raised her fears afresh, and her manner began to attaTn well the effect of her pretty gowns, but who feels all the time underneath the sting of the thorn in the flesh Wilhelmma was tall, and father and daughter formed a striking couple. The head-waiter received them w th mtch ceremony, and, as he pushed in Wilhelmina'T That and paced a footstool under her feet, she became awar of 1 pa^r of hungry envious eyes directed towards her from an adiob ing table. They were those of a poor little eZw^Z to two exacting English ladies. t^ourier "I must speak to her by-and-bye," thought Wilhelmina She was acquiring an unerring instinct for suffering Tn nose whose skeleton takes its place by the fireside frankly fc: 400 WINPYHAUOH. !l i( 1 \ '1 1 !1 < li Her opportunity came in the afternoon, when the English ladies were resting in their rooms. " I think you will find this a good pen." How naturally the remark came ! How the little woman's face lighted up when she heard it ! It seemed to Wilhelmina strangely pathetic tluit any one should be flattered by a little notice from her, — i)Oor Vilma Galbraith ! But when the little woman's face lighted up, it looked ten years younger, and, when the owner of the face began to speak, Wilhelmina had a strong conviction that all this had happened before. " I do believe," she said at last, " that you are my very own ilademoiselle. Do you remember Windyhaugh and Wilhelmina Galbraith?" What it is to be French ! If Mademoiselle had met her dearest friend, she could scarcely have experienced a more lively emotion. She laughed and cried, and embraced her old pupil with effusion. " Who would have thought that you would turn out like this ? " she said with admiring eyes. " And that was your father,— Monsieur Galbraith V She sighed deeply. "Eiijin / At last ! How I have longed to meet Monsieur Galbraith ! I have remarked him at lunch, and wondered who was this handsome man." She sighed again. The contrast between Wilhelmina's lot and her own was too painful. "How happy you must be ! " " My father is smoking just now. I will introduce him presently." At that moment the swing door opened, and two young Englishmen entered, laughing. Of course there might have been thousands of trivial causes for their mirth, but Mr Galbraith had been unlike himself at lunch, and a sudden fear crossed Wilhelmina's mind that he had been givin" him- self away in the billiard-room. Once or twice before, she had seen men nudge each other as he passed, and indeed she had sometimes heard him talk of his own doings to complete strangers in a way that a gentleman does not hen the English introduce him ran SKELETON m THE COTBOAED. «! sisted that she must have a peen at Z) '^""^ ^' ''" that i. waa u<»les, to argie ^ h^ ;/'''t"';"'' '>>? ^'T"' ™Lf ' '' ""' ""' °"""' «'' "°-"»»« f- Made- " Why, Father, that is kiad of von T ,1,«„M thought of it " ^ "''w lia™ young fellow a; ttthotef... "''" ""^ °»-'-that "But why ,Wrf y„„ , He wUl be very much surorised " ^J^^Galbrauh iaughed, aud put the peL, with t& " Don't, Father 1 " 2c h T*'i 402 WINDYHAUGH. ■;'l II n if' His eyes flashed. " Good God, Vilma ! Is it your aflfair or mine ? " he shouted. She blushed deeply, and the shopman turned away his head, but the pencil was bought. Mademjiselle was overjoyed with her brooch, and it was by no means the only present that came to her during the days that she and the Galbraiths were in Paris together. She salved her feelings by assuring Mr Galbraith that no pupil had ever been so much to her as his daughter was, and perhaps the statement was not so outrageously false as Wilhelmina supposed. In any case the poor girl would have forgiven much to anyone who so frankly admired Mr Galbraith. She could never be grateful enough to Mademoiselle for seeing nothing wrong with her father. The weather continued fine for the time of year, and Paris was full of tourists returning to England. One moining a local letter was slipped under Wilhelmina's door, addressed in a handwriting that she knew well, though she had seen it seldom. A crowd of old recollections brought the colour to her face as she read, "My dear Vilma, "I have just heard that you are in Paris. I am only stopping a day or two, and am very busy with my dressmaker. Could you come and see me 1 1 shall be at home to-morrow afternoon, and I want to see you alone, I am in great trouble about Hugh. " Yours affectionately, "Enid Dalrymplb." "I think that should prevent her bringing her father," Enid had reflected as she sealed the letter. " I have no wish to be sponged upon as the pepsin man was." For, although the young millionaire had been loyal on the whole, Enid had heard some strange stories concerninfic the latter part of that tour. Dalrymple." ing her father," THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD. 403 But she need not have been afraid wiu i • wish to take her father aT I Wilhelmma had no her beautiful hair rlthpn '''^'f *^' ^'''''' «^« <^«il«d intended, and reflected for TY'^''''''''^ *^^" '"^^ ^^^ on the eWuirFrc/Vw: h'^f f^rlad' -IT"" gvin^her All Tio,. ^ .• , ^'^ "^^ insisted on ier aunt o„ ,„„ethi„g «re"uaU™: "' *° ^'^ ■"==' of the three prepared her n any «y fo/fte fi °\T entered the room. ^ ^® ^°'^''« *hat Enid would not have rallp*! li^^ • a W «k w"h vo" • rl °!i ^™,'o «»-■ I do so want friend, all tL r C • t":'' " " ""'; ''«' "-" --"-' in Pari,. How do y^„ 1 Zr^'T"^ *" '"" ''"' ™'' " I. intent, „: fZ;t :y " *""' "'™™™ ' " "Most unlike your father to jro ther„ r i. well?" " ^"®'^''- f nope he i, ^"^1 S h^;:-:ter:'"'": ™"i- ^^■^^ cour,e any woman could wear „ L liW^'fT ^r « "Tf /7". a^ove the Z rit ' "" *° *"* And what are your plans now ? » the' RHetrj^ /^^'^: ?^^- ^° --k leisurely down to The Lauderdales are going to the Riviera. I wonder '^ir 11 '''iHlh'tl if! ' M 1 f ; 1 [ *1 ! '' M '', i' 1 , i ' m k : i 'H W 4 1 i " 1 H •{■ ' 1 B 1 ' * > » IH' i isJiui' •^t.i 404 WmDYHAUGH. whether you will meet them. Daisy Lauderdale is Gavin's divinity, you know. I wish you could come and meet them at dinner here to-night." " I think I could. My father is engaged, as it chances." " That is right. Mr Lauderdale has a great admiration for learned women, and Hugh tells me you are tremendously learned." A little flicker of pain passed over Wilhelmina's face. " I will do you the justice to say you don't show it. I am very proud of you, Vilma." " Thank you. I feel better for having your cachet. You certainly gave me the chance to develop, Aunt Enid. It is my own fault if I refused it." There was a new ring in Enid's voice. " I wish you had come to me, dear." " So do L I should have been saved a lot of mistakes. And yet what folly it is to regret anything in life. The design is so big — so big ! Of course I was an unutterable prig, but it was all very real to me at the time." " You made me feel very wicked and frivolous, I know. But you lost nothing by refusing to come to me. It is better not to be quite like other girls, and you have got that touch of — melancholy is it ? — that was so attractive in your father." " It is a liberal education to live with my father. But you were going to tell me about Hugh." Enid's face grew old. " Oh, poor Hugh — yes. You have no idea what an anxiety that boy has been to me. I really don't know how to tell you, but of course you are not a girl 1 " « No." " I never had any great objection to a young man sowing his wild oats, but poor dear Ronald made Hugh his com- panion, and I am afraid they were very wild." Wilheliiiina nodded gravely. " Hugh behaved most nobly about Ronald's money — insisted on sharing it with Miss Evelyn, though of course y father. But THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD. 405 she had no claim on him whatever. Now he has run through many thousands in a year or two. Even tliat we would have overlooked if he would have married a nice girl and settled down; but some time ago he took up with a quite common " ^ "I know." « Everybody knows now, no doubt. They went together down to some watering-place,-! really don't know how to !n n V''/^.*^' ''°'^- ^^''' ^^« ^ ™^" preaching on the beach, and this pretty pair of fools stopped to listen Can you believe, Vilma, Hugh wrote to me a few days later to say that he had been converted ! " Wilhelmina did not say so, but she certainly had great difficulty m believing it. Hugh, the man of the world, the scephc, the boy who four years before had asked her whether she was " particularly gone on the doctrine of eternal punishment " ! Wilhelmina was young, and this was a blow straight between the eyes. She had hoped some day to impress Hugh with her own fine view of life If one may use the parlance she had left behind, Wilhelmina hao looked upon Hugh as her own special sheaf, and behold a mere evangelical preacher had carried him home > Her face encouraged Enid to go on. " If it had been a Churchman, I should have been so thankful. If it had been a Romanist-or even a Buddhist-I should have felt It less,-so many people are becoming Buddhists just now! — but a common ranting Methodist ! "After listening to the preacher for several evenings-on the beach, remember, with a mob of trippers-Hugh stayed behind to speak to the man,_who is not even in orders though Hugh declares he is a gentleman. He seems to have confessed with a most unnecessary amount of detail, and the result is that the preacher has convinced him it is nis duty to marry the girl ! " Wilhelmina's face broke into a great dawn of emotion. s^ir ' ''"'^' "^"" '''"^■^ '"^' '"^'f^'^ «« "i 406 WINDYHAUGH. '■, I '£i Enid's disappointment nearly brought the tears to her eyes. "I thought you would have helped me," she said pitifully. "Nobody has the influence over him that you have. You should hear how he used to talk of you ! If things had been difierent " Wilhelmina winced as if an insect had stung her. And then Enid rose to an act of real generosity. It was all very well to scoflf at the idea of a husband whose main recommendations might perhaps be his money and position ; but who did Wilhelmina suppose was paying for that Parisian gown ? It would have been easy to instil the poisonous thought with a mere needle-prick, but Enid refrained. " Nobody has the influence over him that you have," she vepeated. Wilhelmina's eyes were very bright. " Forgive me," she said. " I am abominably unsympathetic. Of course Hugh is your heir. This must be a great disappointment in many ways. I do feel that. I feel it so strongly that, if Hugh had asked me, I could not have advised him to marry M the y:'mg girl. But " — she clapped her hands softly as if she were looking on at some feat of strength or skill, — " Hugh has taken the lead. My business is to follow him." This untried enthusiasm of youth is very galling to those who know life ; but the case was so nearly desperate that Enid was glad to hear consolation of any kind. " Of course," she went on more composedly, " I am quite aware that this world is not everything. Dear Ronald's death brought that home to us so terribly, though I can't help trusting all was well with him at the last. But you must see, Vilma, that this is the world we have got to live injtist now." " I know. For you who are beautiful and sought after, the reconciling of the two worlds must be the great problem of life." " It is very difficult. I sometimes think the great comfort of Heaven will be that there will be only one standard to tears to her ne," she said him that you c of you ! If ; her. Dsity. It was I whose main and position j ring for that nous thought [. ou have," she give me," she : course Hugh ment in many , if Hugh had rry M the »ftly as if she kill,—" Hugh Urn." ,lling to those esperate that nd. " I am quite (ear Ronald's ough I can't St. But you ve got to live sought after, ^reat problem great comfort i standard to THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD. 407 reckon with. Perhaps even a marriage like this is better than living in sin, and fortunately the property is not en- tailed. Fergus has stood a great deal, but if Hugh marries this creature, of course his father will cut him off with a snuhng. It will make a great difference in Gavin's pros- pects I doubt if Mr Lauderdale would ever have given his daughter to a younger son in Gavin's position " "Gavin was born-not so much to succeed as to be suc- cessful. Poor Hugh! Does he know this?" "Oh. dear, yes! It does not weigh with him in the least He declares he has squeezed the orange, has tasted all the p easures this world has to offer, and has found them apples of Sodom." Enid actually laughed. "There is a strong fruity flavour about his letter. He means to invest his few remaining hundreds in land in the Argentine, and take to farming." Soon after Wilhelmina took her leave. Of course at her age she could not but feel much older and wiser than her aunt but It warmed her heart like a cordial to be on such friendly terms. She longed to say that she would be a sister to Molly,_would try to do for the child ^^ hat Honor had done for her; but the time for saying so had not come. When she reached the hotel, she sat down in the great hall to write. "My dear brave old Hugh, "I have been finding life rather hard and barren of Iate,-though you would not think so if you saw me !-and have been greatly cheered and comforted by the news of your moral pluck. Will you forgive my obnoxious conceit ? burely I shall never dare to judge people again. Even when they commit a sin that seems to me impossible, I will remember that a year hence they may make that very sin a steppmg-stone to a greatness I may never attain. " And this I owe to you. " Your grateful and affectionate cousin, "Wilhelmina Galbeaith." X ! 408 WINDYHAUGH. Wilhelmina was much admired at the little dinner-party that night. Daisy Lauderdale, who had been quite pre- pared to dislike the "learned woman," fell in love with her promptly, and Gavin was amazed to see how demonstrative his divinity could be. From that evening he looked at his cousin with different eyes. " Mr Lauderdale only wishes I had half as much in me as she has," he told Miss Evelyn, with that instinctive frankness of his, when he met her in London a few days later. So it came about that in the course of time Brentwood received a letter informing him that his wife was in Paris with her father, " having a good time, and proving a great social success." Brentwood was working very hard just then, and the news made him feel very lonely. He had been thinlring a good deal of Wilhelmina lately,— but not of a Wilhelmina like this. CHAPTER LV. THE SKELETON BY THE FIBESIDE. Night had come at last, thank God, dear Mother Night ! Wilhelmina had seen her father into his room ; now she opened the window in her own, and stretched her arms on the great wide sill. The March air cut sharply, but the moonlight fell in a silver flood, irradiating the bold outline of the Maria della Salute, and falling in an almost unbroken expanse on the glassy surface of the Grand Canal. Away in the distance voices were singing in chorus. Beautiful Venice ! You have seen so much. What care you for one breaking heart the more ? There was no keeping the skeleton concealed any longer. THE SKELETON BY THE FIRESIDE. 409 It was flaunting itself in the light of day. and yet-and yet Its outhne was strangely indistinct. wL wnl it ? l" ifa e capea all the bounds of her previous experience, and even o trlerr "Tk "="• ""^^ '' ^«- '^« bearlble aspect All thf of;- ^''? '* ^'T' " '"'^^''^^'^ pantoniime or farce. All the ordinary laws of existence seemed to be su.«pended ^tZ^rJ^l "°^^ ^'-'^''^y --r^^'-" - to Uat To-night her father's boastfuhiess had made them boH, Z2friT '^ "^"^' ^«^^'"^*--' but oni; Z tw seerdt .. '^T'""^ ^'' ^''' Wilhelmina! They semed to see through her constant pitiful effort to control hm, -to keep him at his best. The waiters were obsequ ous as ever, but she was always trying now not to see the meaning glances that so often passed blween them He JLIrint of '* ^"l" "? '^' '^'^ '^'' ^^ ^^^her drank. ^h« Vlf TA '°"'''' abundantly, but not enough for this She thought he must be taking some mysterious dru. -or oTd davsTh T" "™P'^ ""^ "I^^^-^d ^^' S th now,-seen how he ate and drank and walked-a/. / Wilhel- Ta? t st: ■• ^^ *'f.r °' ^^^ «"^'- «^^ -^^e wnat his sufferings would have been. To a man of his ri Howd'Tl' '\' ^^^'"" ^^""^^ ^-« nieant-ju pa Ln? If hi ' '^' '' '''' ""'^ ^"-'"^tion in com- parison ? If he ever woke up and /elt,~-and yet, oh if he only would wake up and feel ' ' Drawing the window-curtain ,, she undressed and went to terribl. . K^ "^ '"''' "'* ^° ^'' ^^""^ h°me ! It vas errible to be among strangers at a time like this. But for her father, strangers had ceased to exist. He had offered : e" rejr fndt io -r ' '' ' 'Tr '' ^ '^ '-- three tmpVlW•If?^^^^'^"'"^ «uub, had raised his bid three times! Wilhelmma buried her face in the pillows :pMkh 'm ' il^H^Riii i' i !( ' *' 11 1 1 ii mfi WINDTHAUGH. and groaned. To think of that whipper-snapper daring to snub George Galbraith ! Her dread was that the manager would speak to her on the subject, and so deprive her of all power to persuade her- self that her sensitiveness was exaggerating an insignificant eccentricity; but her father was running up a lordly bill, and the manager knew him of old. It was only since they came to Venice that things had been so bad. They had lived very quietly on the Riviera, and Wilhelmina's chief anxiety had been her father's occa- sional trips to Monte Carlo, where his luck seemed pheno- menal It was the irony of the situation that n.ffeoted lier most. If ever a man had seemed equal to any and every occasion, that man was her father, and now ! On the landing-stage that day she had called to him, and he had seemed almost unable to turn. In the effort to come to her, he had made a great shaky circuit, and the gondoliers had laughed ! Sometimes when he was almost his old self, talking quite sensibly, though always with that queer thick utterance, he would forget a word, and his distress at the lapse was in- describably painful. "Oh, my Father ! " sobbed Wilhelmina, "my great strong beautiful Father ! God help you, God help you ! God help us all ! " "Ift/ou should ever want me I would come from the ends of the earth." Wilhelmina was sometimes tempted to take her husband at his word ; but he could not travel, like Uriel, on a shaft • of light, and she felt that a crisis was at hand. Things simply could not go on as they were going now. When she went down to breakfast next morning she was startled and distressed to see Air Lauderdale in the room. She caught his eye for a moment, and glanced away again, hoping that he would not recognise her. In truth, he might well have failed to do so, for she looked older by years than ipper daring to leak to her on 3 persuade her- in insignificant 3 a lordly bill, hat things had )n the Riviera, r father's occa- seemed pheno- cted aer most, every occasion, e landing-stage seemed almost , he had made had laughed ! talking quite c utterance, he lapse was in- ly great strong 3u ! God help '.from the ends 3 her husband iel, on a shaft • band. Things now. rning she was in the room. 1 away again, uth, he might by years than THE SKELETOr BY THE FIRESIDE. 411 When he had met her in Paris, some six months earlier ; but fie had noticed their n. .iie in the Visitors' Book the night before, and the manager had told him how strangely Mr Gal- braith was behaving. «' I am soriy for the young lady, sir." Mr Lauderdale was one of the few people who had always succeeded in maintaining ^ contempt for George Galbraith : he had no wish to be thrown with him under any circum- stances, and he might have followed Wilhelmina's lead if her face had been less pitiful. He would not have liked his Daisy to look like that. So he was quite merciless, shaking hands with her gravely and asking leave to share her table, "as you and I are the onlymembe.sof our respective parties energetic enough to come down to breakfast. How is your father ? " Her face turned so white that he regretted introducing the subject before she had drunk her coffee. "He is not very well." This was the first time she had admitted even so much "Perhaps the climate doesn't suit him. Why not tro home?" '' ° " If he only would ! " " Shall I go and have a talk with him ? " "I think not, thank you." He did not reply, and she looked up to see if he was offended. Mr Lauderdale was a mere man of the worid but— how good a mere man of the world can be ' Wilhel' mina suddenly resolved to make the plunge. "You are very kind,'' she said nervously. "I ought not to let you share my burden, but-it has come to that. I wish you would have a talk with him, and-and advise me." Mr Lauderdale's face was very grave when he joined her after the interview. " Has your father been drinkirg ? " he said quietly How she blessed him for asking the question straight out like that, without any « tactful " beating about the bush I Yet her breath came very quick as she answered. "He does drink a good deal, but not enough to account for-for Wi 412 WINDYHAUGH. ft - i If'.. !'l Ji that. I have seen lots of men drink more. At least," she added with characteristic honesty, " I have seen one or two men drink more. I sometimes think he takes some drug." " Perhaps. I am quite sure he ought to be at home, but he seems very unwilling to go." "Yes." " And apparently he has plenty of money ? " "I don't know how he came by it," she panted. "We have always been poor." " Do you know when he last paid his bill ? " " I don't think he has paid it at all since we came here. The manager has known him a long time. I hope my father realizes how large the bill will be." " Shall I suggest to the manager that he should ask him to pay? It seems to me your father wants something to rouse him." Wilhelmina a.ssented, and that afternoon the manager very civilly suggested that, if it would not inconvenience Mr Galbraith But it did inconvenience Mr Galbraith very much. He burst into one of his storms of rage, and for one awful moment Wilhelmina was afraid that he would knock the manager down. He had never heard such a confounded piece of impertinence. He could buy up the blessed hotel a dozen times over ; but it did not suit him to pay just now. He had hundreds — thousands — coming in any day. Send up a bottle of that Veuve Clicquot ! He was going out. Wilhelmina went with him, trembling. The afternoon was cold, but he Avould not put on his overcoat, and, as they drifted along in their gondola, she shivered with nervousness and chill. All night she heard him coughing on the other side of the wall, and, when she went into his room next morning, an extraordinary change had come over him. " We are beggars, Wilhelmina," he said, " simply beggars ! I don't know what is to become of us." If it Lad been heartrending to see him self-confident, it THE SKELETON BY THE FIRESIDE. 413 At least," she seen one or two es some drug." be at home, but ?" panted. " We ?" we came here, e. I hope my should ask him ts something to le manager very sonvenience Mr 'ery much. He for one awful )uld knock the I a confounded le blessed hotel o pay just now. iny day. Send going out. The afternoon at, and, as they ith nervousness ther side of the sxt morning, an limply beggars I jlf-confident, it was worse to see him so abject. With all a mother's tender- ness, she gathered him in her arms, assuring him that if he would only come home, all would yet be well ; but it was useless to contend with his overwhelming depression. How were they to get home ? he asked. He declared now that he had only a few francs in the world. Wilhelmina resolved to avail herself of Brentwood's hun- dred pounds : her scruples seemed very small in the stress of present events: and— after wiring to Fergus Dalrymple for mstructions,— Mr Lauderdale became surety for the remainder. It was a waek before George Galbraith was strong enough to travel. Then he emerged from the blackest depth of his depression, but— mercifully perhaps— he never quite regained the old self-confidence. He allowed Wilhelmina to make all arrangements for the journey, a.id he accepted them with a patient apathy that touched her profoundly. Mr Lauderdale was diflFerently affected by his attitude. "Good-bye, Miss Galbraith," he said, when he had seen to the luggage, and had helped her father into the high car- riage. "You must not regret that you were forced to take me a little bit into your confidence. If my girl is ever in trouble when her dad is gone, I should like to think some old man felt for her as I have felt for you." Wilhelmina could not speak. Her eyes were full of tears. They slept at Milan that night, and next morning her father insisted that she should go to see the picture and the cathedral.^ She was in no mood for sight-seeing, but to humour hun she went. Weary and preoccupied, she entered the sacred room, and for ten minutes sat looking at the picture with unseeing eyes. Its general outline had been familiar from her baby- hood, and at first she saw nothing more in the original than in the smug copies round about. Then, all at once, the battered fresco began to livR. Its blemishes disappeared. It stood out quick with interest, ill If! Ki 1 I'-;: 'mm f'i 414 "WINDYHAUGH. while she and her sorrows shrank almost into nothingness. The old story was real,— the realest thing in the world. Why had no one told her of the land3cai)e seen through the window, — the wondrous suggestion of the peaceful days gone by ? What a world of expression in those two hands, the left so full of resignation, the right of instinctive recoil ! "Father, if it be possible !" But it was not possible. The tragedy had to be faced. The hour of doom was just as much in the order of things as the sunlit mornings on the Galilean hills. And we don't know why, we don't know why. We can only live on and trust. The first sight of the cathedral jarred on her mood. It was like a scene out of the Arabian Nights. But as soon as she entered the door, her feeling changed. As if disdaining the exquisite filigree of the spires and buttresses outside, these great columns rose up, — up, — up, — in a way that satis- fied her inmost soul. " God ! " they seemed to say. " God ' NothiigbutGod!" Slowly and reverently Wilhelmina walked up the nave. The level rays of the March sun struck through the yellow windows on the great brass crucifix. A burst of music soared up among the arches. Her heart swelled with triumph. In that one morning she had seen the wheel of time spin round through centuries. Victsti Galilme ! And there He hung on the Cross. Oh, Man of Sorrows ! Oh, Light of the World ! What wonder that men have fallen in adoration at Thy feet? *0h. Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the worl-i, ' Grant us Thy peace ! ' ^ Wilhelmina was very weary with the struggle. It was time a great wave of emotion should lift her towards the shore. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. CHAPTER LVI. ilb f THE VALLEY OP THE SHADOW. « Youi; father will sleep now," said the great man quietly. "Sit down." He looked straight across at her, reading her face, her attitude, her involuntary movements, like a book. "You must have had a trying time." Wilhelmina did not answer. "Your father is very ill. I don't mean to say there is any question of imminent danger; but he is very ill, and the illness must have been coming on for many months I want you to realize that a thousand little things, which may have struck you as moral failings, were really symptoms of which you may talk to me as frankly as of a cough or a headache." He was pleased to see the gratitude in her eyes "And now I want you to tell me all abc ■." Thus encouraged, she told him more -f the story than she had ever expected to tell in this worla. What a relief the telling was .'—and what a comfort to see the matter-of-fact way in which he took it ! " Will he get better ? " she ventured pitifully at last. "Under favourable conditions, he may improve very much, but the truth is, his :U not a suitable case for home nursing. Don't you think you had better trust him to me ?" " Oh no ! I will take such care of him." " And what about yourself ? " "Oh, that's all right." " So young people always say when a breakdown threatens • when the breakdown actually comes, I don't notice that they look upon It with the same philosophy." »he smiled. " It has been the travelling— the pubUcity— 416 WINDYHAUGH. that has knocked me up. Now that we are home,— Windy- haugh seems like a haven of rest in comparison; and we have a wise old servant there who has known my father from his boyhood. She worships him." The great man reflected that it would take all the old servant's worship to carry her through. " But you have told me of fits of violence. They may not return— this convul- sion must have left him weaker— but I can't guarantee that they won't." "I have thought about that. At worst I could get our old gardener's son to help." "You could have a trained attendant." She hesitated. " I am afraid we can't afford it. We are very poor, absolutely, literally poor. That is partly why I can't send him to you." She did not say that she could not bear to have strangers see her father in his present state,— strangers who had never known him in his prime ! Her great hope, too, was that his moral nature would wake up again. And if it did, she must be there to tell him how she loved him, to comfort him in his remorse, to help him to rise above the selfishness that had blighted his beautiful life. The great man was watching her face. There were good strong lines in it, but were they strong enough for this? Ihe fiat had gone forth. George Galbraith must drink the cup of dissolution to the dregs. He would not suffer much He would drink the cup by proxy ; and his proxy was this lair young girl. The doctor tried to break to her something of what she might expect, but all he said only added fuel to the flame bf her love and loyalty. How our little grievances and humilia- tions melt away in the presence of that great word. Death ! The doctor was essentially a sane man ; his view of life was eminently physiological; but, as he looked at Wilhel- mina his mind fell back on the words of another physician, —"Ah, long illness is the real vampirism ; think of living a year or two after one is dead, by sucking the life-blood out home, — Windy- irison; and we own my father ike all the old t you have told 1 — this convul- guarantee that could get our rd it. We are i partly why I have strangers who had never o, was that his did, she must omfort him in elfishness that ere were good ugh for this? lUst drink the t suffer much. )roxy was this J of what she the flame of i and humilia- pord. Death ! 3 view of life 3d at Wilhel- ler physician, ik of living a life-blood out THE VALLEy OF THE SHADOW. 41 7 of a frail young creature at one's bedside! Well souls ^mw Tn al r ^" " ^'"'^' ^" '""^'^ ^°^y duties'; iTht^gZ women !'-' "'" ""' °"* ^'^ ^"^^^^ ^^^ ^^-s all ^Z "You see, doctor," Wilhelmina said gravely, «'I have no hislS ""m: "^' ^'r^{' "*^^ ''■" He rose from Wilhelmina mentioned the name. "Ah," he said with the air that only a very creat mnn ..r. assume " T /inn't^ „„ „ ^ 1 , ^ great man can much It will k/o 1 r ^^* interests us very 2d !'4il 418 WINDYHAUGH, J? ?• m #* She tried to prepare Ann by letter for the change in her beloved master, but the shock of the meeting was very great. For days the old woman was almost speechless with resent- ment against fata Then she bent her back to the burden, and bore it nobly. In the finest sense of the words, she had always been "one of the family," and there was comfort in the way she accepted this, not as Wilhelmina's sorrow, but as her own sorrow. "Duma tell me," she said, when her young mistress spoke of hope. " He'll never be himsel' again i' this warld. What do we want wi' yon callant aboot the place? Tell him we'll send for him gin we want him. Do ye think he's fit to baud his tongue when a'body's speirin' 1 " So the young doctor was not encouraged to pay unneces- sary visits. Wilhfelmina learned from him how to administer morphia hypodermically, and this proved sufficient to control the patient's diminishing attacks of excitement. How won- derfully it soothed him ! Almost every day the two faithful attendants helped him out on the terrace, and at first they hoped that his native air was doing him good. He grew stouter, and his physical health improved. But it soon became evident that his mind was growing feebler, and his efforts to speak were a painful thing to see. No need to talk of all those women went through. God save all we love from such an end as this! Mr Carmichael was the only visitor who was allowed to see him. Had not Mr Carmichael admired him too ? To her friends, Wilhelmina wrote that her father was an invalid, and that she was nursing him with Ann's help. There was little in the words to suggest what they were actually enduring. And yet how acclimatized one becomes to an atmosphere of sorrow ! Wilhelmina's cheerfulness was a constant source of amazement to Mr Carmichael. She began to read Latin again, and when she felt herself growing too despondent, she invented gymnastic exercises, and raced round the garden in the gloaming. Anything to make the blood circulate, and drive away the morbid humours. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 4,9 Windyhaugh w^^utLXt I?" V'Z ^^'" ^' a dozen plans for earnin.T ^ . ^''™^'* ^"'1 rejected the bitter draught "Afv "27' ""^ ''? '^"'"'^ «^-"°-^ I am compelled o ^XtnrT7 '^''' '''' '''''''' "- • -t be so. It i. soSLgTbe';: e at^r? ^•^*' ^^ ^^ anxiety, and it is much to be abl foT V '"'"" "^""^^ to him in his great need." °*' "^y^'^*' ^^t^^^Iy Brentwood wrote bv return ««•„ • although she had beorcom polled "f .T' '^'"^' ^"*' self, she would not thro " f fithr onT '''"*^ ^^" speedy reply dissuaded ' '"^'"^y' ^^^ her had intended. ' '"" '"^''^ ^^^^^edly than she so tLr^d rth': tT^ rff?^ ^^^ ^- ^«"- - man the charm oher'p^X at; "f *° ""^ *^ ^ ^^^ reply. Personality, and it required no definite bringing with her some pretty toiettt ''"''' '^' ""'"^^' of news, and a breezy wS from tb!' ?."''' " ''"^^^' "Poor Miss Evelyn -"TOeirn„-rf '"*'^^^' at the station. " You littrinnw T 7^ ^^^"^ '^' ^^* ^'^ you are coming." ^"^ *^' ^'«'''* ^^1^"^ to which Miss Evelyn stroked the pale face ««Yon «. . cheer you up a bit. don't vn,, ? t ^ "^^"^ *"« *« look in a sfck-room PerhaVs I m? T* T' ' '^"^ ^« ^ father too." ^ ^ ""^^ ^« ^ble to cheer your Alas, alas! ghusdy caricature of a helpless infnnf TTd ?! "'"' * 'iMIl 420 AVINDYKAUGH. slie put it in his ha .d, but a moment later he had forgotten and dropped it. When she had left the room — smiling still — she burst into such a tempest of tears as Willielmina had never seen. If only she too could cry like that! " What a mockery ! " cried Miss Evelyn at last. " He of all men!" "Yes." " Tliat, Vilma, is the one man in the world for whom I have ever cared — two straws ! " Wilhelmina nodded gravely. She had never formulated the idea, but of course that was why she had allowed Miss Evelyn to see her father. " Has he ever — realized it all ? " " I think not. , I kept hoping that he would, but I fear he never will now. Don't cry, dear. One has just got to bear it." " Have you morphia in the house ? " " Yes ; but he doesn't often need it now." " And you are never tempted to overdo it ? " Wilhelmina shook her head resolutely. "If we knew what it all meant, I might be tempted. Sometimes I think he and I are just the plaything of fate. And yet, who knows? God may be behind it all. The off-chanco is worth a deal of endurance." There was a long silence. "And now," Miss Evelyn said slowly, "we shall never know whether he did it or not." No need to ask what she meant. "Never," said Wilhelmina quietly. " You would like to leave to-morrow, wouldn't you ? Shall I order the trap ? " It was in late autumn, when the cooing murmur of wind and wave was transformed into a constant moan, that her nerve began to give way. At first she was merely depressed, but after a time sleep forsook her, and the wakeful hours were filled with a nameless terror. The old anguish of her childhood had returned, but it was not hell she was afraid WRESTLING. rkl for whom I 421 of now. What was it? She could not have told, and yet One night, in sheer desperation, she took the little syringe and injected into ner arm half the dose she had been in the habit of givine her father p^.. „ ^ . , h^r I,. ^ '"g oer tatner. For a moment she waited, then her W rushed off in a frantic chase ; but a minute later ties. Her mind could no more grapple with worries and terro. Jhan her hand could grasp Z tiny instruct by "How heavenly ! " thought Wilhelmina. " I must never tlu^inT "'" '^' '"'^' ^^^" ^ '''' '' ^"""^- But Mr Galbraith Uved on for many months after that. CHAPTER LVII. we shall never WRESTLING. " MiBs Galbraith has taken to morphia," said the doctor dTagnot. "'"'^' ^^^ °' ^"^ ^^^^ ^- -d« - -at M^ Carmichael started. " Miss Galbraith ? J\r,,sense ! " " Is she sleeping badly 1 " " I don't know. She dislikes me,-never lets me approach But to Mr Carmichael-as to Wilhelmina herself -it seemed that to take morphia at all for mental or nervou suffering wa. a .in. « Docs she know you suspect it r 422 WINDYHAUGH. 4lki "And I am quite sure that nobody else will." Mr Car- michael flashed on the young man the full light of his honest eyes. "God knows it is no wonder!" " Oh no ! Her father ought to have been in an asylum for the last year. And it has been such wasted labour. A tramed nurse would have done it without all the nerve wear and tear." _ " True. To what purpose is this waste ? And yet I some- times think it is the perfume of the wasted labour that keeps the whole world sweet." Mr Carmichael was on his way to Edinburgh, having promised to lunch with a friend; but he sent a telegram instead, and walked out to Windyhaugh. Perhaps his views on the subject of opium-eating were provincial, but he could not rest. If George Galbraith would only die ! It was awful to see a woman make so brave a fight and fall at last; —and when that woman was Wilhelmina ! He found her out of doors, vigorously playing a tenni? ball against the high wall of the fruit-garden. She laughed half shamefacedly when she saw him. " Now you know what a baby I am," she said. " You are extremely sensible; but I would rather see you playing with a fellow-baby. For the sake of yoi- friends you must not bring too great a strain to bear on >.urself. Are you still determined not to let your father go 1 " She raised sad eyes. « I must not fail in all the relations of life. " And won't you go away yourself for a week or so ? "• " Think if he woke up and missed me ! " "Then why not ask someone to come and stay with you 1 " '' "There is no one— who could come— who would not worry rather than rest me. Besides, we are too poor to entertain even very modestly. Some day you may find me scouring the doorstep." " M*^'"^ * ***** *"^ *^^ *^*i"" fine ' ? " Ann would say she ' had her doota '• The action. T hnnp r — WRESTLING. 423 ill." Mr Car- 11 light of his !" in an asylum ed labour. A the nerve wear iid yet I sonie- d labour that burgh, having nt a telegram laps his views , but he could die ! It was id fall at last; y^ing a tennis She laughed )w you know ather see you yor-' friends • on j^urself. go?" the relations : or so?"- d stay with • would not too poor to may find me ad her doots o' the doorstep ' ! Indeed I am much better than I was a month ago." She met his eyes so brightly and honestly that he went away reassured. " The doctor is at fault this time," he said But the doctor was not at fault. Wilhelmina was having a hard battle with the enemy. At present the advantage lay with her, and she felt all the exhilaration of victory She would invite no one to share her burden; she did not wish to have the conditions of the battle made easier; she must beat the enemy on his own ground. A woman is much slower than a man to learn the full value of the prayer — Lead us not into temptation. "You wanted a sin to con- quer, Wilhelmina said to herself defiantly. "You found life too easy! Here is your chance tc grow strong!" If only the flesh had proved a better ally ! She did all in her power to reinforce it, and the crisp frosty weather aided her efforts mightily; but the poor tiesh had been heavily overtaxed, and was sorely unequal to the combat. From many a cruel struggle Wilhelmina came forth victor but sooner or later, there always came a day when she yielded' It was worth it," she would say, as the delicious languor stole over the jarring nerves ; but when full consciousness returned, and her moral nature once more took the reins she would cry in sore humiliation, " It was not worth it i It was not worth it!" To redeem that failure she must meet the enemy in his full force again. She smiled bitterly to think how she had looked upon the fear of hell as a motive force beneath the contempt of a full- grown soul. If only the fear of hell would restrain her now! Were not the shattered nerves of the opium-eater a hell upon earth ? Already she felt her will-power growing weaker. What if the day came when it would fail her al- together 1 Could she even now retrace her steps ? Long since she Lad experienced the communion of saints. She was tasting now the communion of sinners. "You didn't pray hard enough, Hugh." How little she had known of temptation then ! She seemed now to feel the I i II tf {;!'/'■ 424 WINDYHAUGtt. 1 1' I ' 1^ V i4 • ' If' .", k. m. m'-- -M ^■'i;' .^w ■:i' lA Wth ■ great struggle going on all around her,-the whole ct^ttion groaning and travailing, if she did 'not conquer he^and now, who should conquer anywhere? Were sins never conquered, then 1 The thought was too terrible. Obvioully wasSle? ^^•"/^^%*-P^t-n was the contribution she Her n ihtvT ' "f ' *.°""^'^ ^^« «^^-^'- -' '^^ -orld. to thi ^ How rr ""'^"^ "'""^^"^ ^''^ "-"'-^d down to ths How much easier to preach Christ on the house- But' f The f T.""'"'* " *'^ ^"""* ^^^^-« °^ -°'--" Pni 1 ^^«,/^^^«^ "^'^.-the spiritual world was a chimera Ven^ His kingdom cometh not with observation. How does one preach to the masses? By being such a woman as Wilhelmina is becoming " ^ What were all great schemes compared to this? It was only by bnn^ ,ood, by ringing true, by rooting ou T^ vtucT'thaT * '^^^;i^^ne.tl. the fai .owef oT W virtues, that one could be sure of helping others. They would never hear of the struggle, and yef it must affect their lives more than all one's fair words^i " For thetke InX /""^^*°'^"^'^*'' • ■ • "For their sake 1 sanctify — I consecrate myself." « \v« ar<. ruj. windows,"-shall we shut out the li^ht? ^' A great motive this. One of the few motives worth thTdM "/'r '^'* ^'"^ '""^'^«'^* *«-P*-«-. Yet evt his did not always avail. With the awful realism ofTer father s protracted death-in-life constantly before h^r It was hard to keep her eyes fixed on the ideal, "^e ^ worse links than a sin 1 .tween the soul and God » Mr Carmichael said in his ._rmon one day, "and Xt lifk can compare with a conquered sin 1 No'doubt thl^is ^y m heaven over a successful Exeter Hall meeting hJ eanno. help feeling that the Jo, I, f^C^^t^ ^ Z^Z^r' °» -* i- ^' al, awa. that ..^XT, i^hole ctejition juer here and •e sins never e. Obviously itribution she of the world, irrowed down )n the house- of one's soul ! is a chimera, in her soul? tion. being such a his 1 It was ting out the iver of one's hers. They must afiect For the sake • their sakes ' are God's tives worth Yet even lism of her ' her, it was ' There are God," Mr what link here is joy »g, but one a only one t anything •ean Paget's WREeTLING. been sleeping better of t^K . T'-T"" Wiihelmina had She was struggCto e d ^l"^?'""' ^^^ -"^^ -* «Ieep. little instrumfnt of peacei .f 'u"f, °t* *° *^^"^ '^ '^- whole being ting J^^ on^ ^v^ -J^/ ^"* ^er to-night," she thought, 'i«* human life. ^ ^ "' ^'^i^'"« ^^^h the greyness of A step on the gravel roascd her. May I come and sit with you ? " ii 428 WINDYHAUGH. wn in' She ra' Hed her eyes with a quiei sad smile. " Yes." The ruses had been dashed with the rain of the night before, and the breath of autumn was in the air. What a contrast t ) that glorious summer afternoon five years ago ! Brentwood turned to look at his companion. She was sitting in the same attitude now as then, leaning back wearily, but her weariness then was the momentary lassitude of youth and life ; now How pale she was, how worn, how sad ! The merciless light fell full on her face, but she made no effort to ward it off. Was the womanhood dead within her ? She had not ordered new mourning, and the shabby black gown fell full about her shoulders. What a contrast to the bluebell in her physical prima ! — to the vivid young student with her wealth of heart and mind ! And then, as Harley looked, a strange thing happened. In spite of his instinctive jealousy, in spite of Miss Evelyn's kindly plans, the beautiful Cenci, with her chorus of admirers, had left him cold. As he looked at this weary solitary woman who sat by his side so trustfully, with all the pretty defences of her sex laid down, his heart leaped within him. Already he respected, admired, her more than enough. Now glamour — glamour sprang up, and took his eyes by storm. Was she trampled in the dust ? She was more to him than any queen on the throne. Plain, — she was all- glorious. Solitary and unsought-for, — she was the desire of his eyes, the joy of his heart, the one woman who lived on all God's earth. The conviction went surging through his veins like some wonderful Eastern drug. It made his head swim, his heart turn faint. He trembled so that he dared not lift his hand, dared not trust his voica And yet he must speak, for the waves of passion that shook him did not so much as ripple the hem of her garment. " Vilrna ! " he said at last. She opened her eyes, wondering. His face wiis revelation enough. No woman ou cat'th BIJKNTW OOD's RKTURN. 430 "Yes." of the night air. What a 3 years ago ! 1 then, leaning IB momentary The merciless brt to ward it She had not gown fell full ie bluebell in dent with her iappened. In Miss Evelyn's 3r chorus of at this weary y, with all the leaped within ! than enough. : his eyes by } was more to —she was all- 5 the desire of who lived on ins like some vim, his heart lift his hand, speak, for the luch as ripple aaii uii earth need have a.sked what he meant,-- least of all poor Wilhel- mina with all the cociuetry burnt out of her. "//m-A'/y/" she said in a low thrilling voice. She fellow '»'^"''" ** ^'^ '^^^^^ ^°''"- " ^^' ^'°" "'^ ^ ^""^ The tears rose to her eyes, but she spoke as though she were holding out her hand to him across the river , .' ith He drew closer to her; she could feel him t en.ble ,i..w and for a time they sat in silence. ' "Thank you, dear," she said at last. « Of -ou o 't c-i i never be now; and yet-you are very good. \r:, h^^ taken away such an old sting. If only I had kep. myself worthy of your love ! " He flushed hotly. " Worthy - yow ./ Don't mock me, Vilma. ' But she nodded quietly. " I always meant to be a good woman, and I have been so weak and wicked. Look Do you know what that means ? " She unfastened her sleeve at the wrist and drew it up. He stooped and kissed the white arm passionately, but there was no thrill of response as there had been that night on the terrace to the mere touch of his hand " Wicked ? " he said. " Oh, white-souled Vilma, is that your notion of being wicked ? Poor little girl, strained beyond even her endurance ! " He laughed. « I have no doubt It was the best thing you could do," he said cheerfully " \ou never could have stood it without something to oil the wheels of life a little bit." But her face showed no comfort, only disappointment, and he saw that he was on the wrong tack. " Don't, Harley ' It was a sin for me. I held it as one all along, yet often I yielded. Call it by its name,— and help me ! " " But the temptation is gone now, isn't it 1 " She shook her head quickly, emphatically. "It will go, I am sure, when you are a Uttle stronger. But I am sure, too, that you will be brave, and conquer beiore the reinforcements arrive." 430 WINDYHAUGH. i' k. fell 3 If' ill' She smiled now, though sadly, and put her hand in his, ^ as his sister might have done. " I think the reinforcements have come," she said simply. Again there was a long silence. "I might well be loath to make it a sin, dear," Harley said at last. "'If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?' Of course I never was your mate. It made me angry when Miss Evelyn and the others kept throwing that in my teeth; but now ! Give me a motive, Vilma ! Saint Vilma ! Let us share each other's burdens ! " Her voice broke into a low cry. « Oh, my dear, my dear, the might have been ! " "Nay," he said, ,«the shall be. We have wasted time enough." " Too much ! " she said. " Five years ! It was all we had. I don't complain. I made my choice. I have had my pennyworth and— I have spent my penny ! Do you know how long I have got to live 1 " A great fear turned his lips white. Was there some- thing more than strain and weariness behind that pale worn face ? An almost imperceptible dew rose to her forehead. "I thought I should never tell anyone," she said. " It is good of you to make it possible to tell you. I suppose I shall be dead in a couple of years, and of life— real life— I have only got a very few months." "What is it?" He spoke peremptorily, but his voice shook. " It is too awful. You see how thin I have grown. You see how my lips tremble when I speak. If you asked me to turn in that narrow walk, I couldn't do it. I should have to make a big circuit. If you asked me to say a long word I should stumble over it. They are all the symptoms that my father had." Harley gave a great shout of relief. "Oh, Vilma my darling, my poor, poor litt'- girl ! What fools these doctors at his voice Brentwood's return. 431 mTl 1^^ ^^JT ^^"' '""^^ ""' • ^^^y' sweetheart, you might just as well have yellow fever here at Windvhaueh iz::tirzV''' ''- ^'^-^ ^-*^' or-.rti:t' tremens-as the disease your father had! Why, my own silly darlmg, you are nervous and worn-out. You w^ntT to take care of you,-that is all." ' He took her in his arms as if she had been a child an,' sL„rA °^ *^^* *^' «elf.conscious Harley Brentwood should have come to this 1 "utwooa as t/ he IT"^ '\''''' '' '''''' ''''' «^«^ ^«r f-^e ^- felt Then t "'"'' ^""^'^ ^^"* ^^PP^^^«« «^«^nt till now se'^out 7hTa?mr ^^^^"' ^^^^^°""^' ^^ ^'^ ^^ ^-i "You have taken such a load off my mind," she said " T iZTdoaV'^' 'r' t^^^'— dVt H: h.^ tTfte it 1 thank God on my knees for what you have told me. But wreca— as old as the wandering Jew." "You are so good, so clever, Vilma," he said "fJiof u • very difficult for you not to be proud.^' ' '* '* '' " Have I been proud with you to-day ? " you are. Let it be, if you will, a worn-out wreck Thon ,ll I can ^y i, that a worn-out wreck i, the thbg I need t omple e my life. Let U3 «.y you are ncr™u,4i ly^te^ >tmined,-I want you all the more for that. I wanf you to seUgo. Cant you trust me enough for that !■' There was a fine light of gmlitude in her eye,. "Nav dear, she said, "only death-not love nor life ],„ . ■ t to woo like that. Marriage is not an eL °lT is a 1 1 be^nmng. O all others it is the burden one shldS must wait. Even n„wwhen-y:« h ve^SeTsrgL-^L' 432 WINDYHAUGH. .'',U i'l ¥ 11 M! 4.; ■iiiia./Ji good-wh«n my heart is so full of thankfulness.-! feel ^o~coldf Even when you,»_she faltered, but went on steadily,-" when you took me in your arras-my pulses did not leap as they did long ago when you just-touched — my hand. Harley's sigh was almost a groan. " Then at least let mo come and see you every day." She shook her head. "Don't think me perverse, dear; but. If you came to see me every day, I should watch myself constantly for your sake as well as my own. You say well that I am nervous and silly, but you haven't the least con- ception how nervous and silly I am. I must try to get out of myself altogether." ^ "Then promise to go right away from here, to new aur- roundmgs that will give you a fresh start " "I am afraid I can't." He took her face in his hands, and turned it to him. isn't^S?^'""^ Io"g«uffering. Vilma, but is that perversity, or The imprisoned face flushed scarlet. " I have scarcely a penny m the house," she said with trembling lips; "and the He drew a long breath of relief. "At last vou throw a crumb to the starving wretch ! Money is very pfentiful with me just now, dear. Will you remember that, and use it as If It were your own?" He took a cheque-book from hia pocket. "Promise to go right away to the country, and spend without scruple." "Thank you." " Promise ! " "I do promise," she said simply. "Oh, Vilma, if you had only asked me before ! " "How could I, dear?" she said. "It was very bitter having to spend what you gave me. Things are different • "^''' ^^T^..^^ ■ '^^'''^ *^« ^^--y different now. u a poor old fellow. Vilma. I>nv« hi™ o ut-fu i » He ifulnees, — I feel d, but went on rms — my pulses u just — touched I at least let me perverse, dear; Id watch myself You say well 't the least con- try to get out are, to new sur- ned it to him. t perversity, or have scarcely a lips ; " and the st you throw a r plentiful with t, and use it as book from hia country, and re I" as very bitter I are different int now. He Brentwood's rbturn. 433 QulZins* He w "'"^'^ "'^"^ ^''^'^^^ ^'^^'^ ^or for heluld see jr ''.7 ^'^^ *° ^^"« Wilhelmina; cloud of dfprlio 'ittlL: f '"^ ? "^'*' ' ^-* to fight it o„7kT I*, ^^ ^'"^'^ °° ^^'•- "I^eave me r Si- -1^- -^^^^^^^^^ atruggle wa, g„i„, „„, a„a tht. ifhadtoj'e LtSl^r Jh,- '*'"''"*' ""'''"^' ■"*»-'"". "•« word, .„rg.i thiZ'T™ h 1'° f*" "' "-' " '"• 0' ''"o art i„ .,1 ;„,„ .V TJi ^~'" '" "" """ »« "y «■« •' Penetrate into tie farthest fibre of mv heiiu, «nH „i. ""'"""^ there, by the heat nf Tk,, ■ w. *' ' ''™ ^^'"' »" rt °. '"" ""'^ "°"' ^"^ ™* " Oo"'. a-d 1 am- There was a moment'i silence, 2s then a little jet of |B f|' I'i IS^ « J 1 (|*|f'i 1- ' i 434 WINDYHAUGH. fluid rose from the syringe into the air. The struggle was over. Barley had never felt so guilty in his life. He crept downstairs like a thief, and ran as if for dear life. Wil- helmina was safe for that night. CHAPTEK LIX. ■ ' ' .'li^B Hr' - !'9 ■lly y» Iki, iwJBi m- AFTER LONG GEIEF AND PAIN. I think Wilhelm:..a's friends profited ever after by that tussle of hers with what she believed to be mortal sin, but she never could take any credit to herself for the victory. It seemed as if suddenly everything conspired to help her. Two days after the funeral she received a long and cordial letter from Honor^ begging her to come to a quiet little country inn many miles from the nearest station. Of course Wilhelmina knew that the proposal had originated with Harley, but she trusted both brother and sister too deeply to ask any questions. She accepted gladly. She had been idealizing Honor for five strenuous years. Now she would really learn to know her. Honor little guessed the heights to which she was expected to attain ! Wilbelmina's letter of acceptance was scarcely written when Mr Macintyre was announced. His shrewd business-like face beamed with gratification. " I am the bearer of good news at last," he said. " I find from Mr Darsie's will that he has left you his sole heir. I thought it better to make full enquiries before speaking to you. His money is admir- ably invested. You cannot do better than leave it where it is. It will bring you in an income of about two hundred and sixty pounds a year," le struggle was AFTKR LONG GRIEF AND PAIN. ^35 The lawyer rubbed his hands "So), PU poses,--and you are the gaLr ' "^'^ *° "" P^^^*^'^' ^u%'^"^^^^^^---Wforhi..,.,e said regret- I think you did a good de«I w aJ^ing of that visit to /ou in r'n. ''"' "^"^^ *"'«d of faihng subject of interest-and I th'T r ^ '" ^^''^ ^ "^^^r- tfaeoldnian. Hei^ho ' n. "'^''^ ^ "^^^^ay of joy-to place without hini/tuwiSrairr "°"'^ '« *^« -- «ea„s, Miss Gaibraith I horl '"' '" ^°^ '°"<^h this "meeting the more. Wilhelnfirnl''''' ^T^"" '°J°y«'i that ^ a being much wiser an^! te T ^''' "^^^ ^onor thezr first day of life in oo^'"'; *^"" ^^^^^'^ i but, after thought so. "It ei.p, " ^o'nmon, Honor certainly never her," she wrote 'to rirhe: '%^" *^« ^^-* *« lookat has surely scaled the 'tonnl! ^^^^^^^ mistakenly, she f ' I 436 WIXDYIIAUGH. V h. j.i; Ik i5»^! again, stranger still to be in London without worries, with- out work, and with sufficient money to live in quiet comfort. How little changed other people were ! And she — sht felt as if she had been away for a hundred ytiirs. Four points of contact she had with the s ighty ciiy--?lio quakeross, ]vliss Evelyn, Mr Ellis, and Mrai i;)alrymple. By means of the four she pegged out a spiritual tent sufficier: * )y roomy for her own free life and expansion. Oi course she had to a gf.at extent dropped oat of their lives, but now that she really appen v I Among them in the flesh once more, she received a welcome -bat ^virined her Leart. Miss Evelyn had returned t,- the stage some time before, "I never was so thank": u 'w my life," she said, "as when I heard it was all oyer. No;-; -ve have got our old ideal back again," "Yes," said Wiihehnina dreamily; "or it will come. I can't trust myself yet to go to sleep without seeing him— as you saw him that day. You must come and pay Windy- haugh a long visit under happier auspices." The quakeress was now a successful and enthusiastic schoolmistress in receipt of an excellent salary. She worked hard, lived sparely, dressed in the most uncompromising fashion, and educated two young brothers. The simple elegance of Wilhelmina's black gown was a barrier between them at first, but Miss Burnet soon forgot all about the dress, " I have often thought," she said, " of how you gave up everything to go away with your father. With your prospects, I could not have done it. I am sure God must liave rewarded you." Wilhelmina did not answer. The reward would have been less real if she had been aware of having received it. •'And now that you are free, you will do great things yet." " Oh no. Never now. I have learnt my own measure." " Don't, dear ! You have not forgotten your old ideals ? " " No," Wilhelmina smiled. " I remember I wanted to t worries, with- 1 quiet comfort, d she — she felt ighty city- --ho 'alrymple. By tent sufficier'ly v)f course she r lives, but now iesh once more, ■t. le time before, said, " as when ■ old ideal back i will come. I t seeing him — nd pay Windy- id enthusiastic r. She worked acompromising . The simple arrier between all about the how you gave With your sure God must d would have Qg received it. ) great things vn measure." r old ideals ? " : I wanted ty AFTER LOXG GRIEF AND PAIN. 437 oneself." '" °*^^'' "'^"' *« ^'^el God in There was a long silence. « Even that » fi, 7 .aul at length, "is a good deal." ' ^" ^^""^'^'^^ "The Being breathing thoughtful breath, The traveller between life and death." He led her on to tell him more about her life of the In.f few years than she had told anyone before mL T library agam, and just say, ra„,^. .„„ , ., "'=" "^ «-ith us , I ™„. you .ot:llTe„a°"„T.i2«it^° letailiTt.*'" ""''^"""='' '=™'«'™ "■»' -l^ed Wil- vou .m »jd us d:::^:. ■^ii-'-^r.tr"' '""^■ if nnlv r " """'" J">°'- invitation by^and-bve .f only to oonnuce you that the censor in mJiTdZ Looking back on my life I reillv H„„'. i , . , belned .ne the more It ^ , ''"''"■"''■'* have Hugh !" "">"•-"" »amt., or the sinners. How is .ir/i'«»:/;£tS»---;- 438 WINDYHAUGH. m ; m ^4 ' 0' " ■ Ti;'; ir i : f i ^I^^^M'!'' BLlilli^iiiir a long period of backsliding he has returned to the fold. I never expected thid phase to last." " It may last yet," Wilhelmina said, but she felt a little uneasy. Hugh's was not the nature that could safely in- dulge in a long period of backsliding. Daily she looked out for some sign from her husband ; but Harley,— though of course he knew she was in London —did not come. His play was to be produced in a few days, and it seemed to him that, with the exception of Miss Eve- lyn, the actors did worse at every rehearsal. He had taken a cottage at Richmond, too, and was busy weeding out the furniture, and introducing lamps, pictures, arm-chairs, books, —making of the place an ideal little home. He first saw Wilheknina at a concert in the Queen's Hall. It was a wonderful concert, and a smart social function. Everybody was there, and the whole place was e?i fke. Everybody was there, and the music was entrancing ; but Hariey was only aware of the presence of one woman ; the music scarcely reached his consciousness ; it formed a soft harmonious background to his dreams. Wilhelmina did not see him, and of course he did not speak to her. Oh, no ! He had waited for his happiness long enough. He approached it now in the spirit of an epicure ; he played •with it as a cat plays with a mouse. For this first evening it was quite enough just to look at her. And how he looked !— feasting his eyes on every curve, every gesture, every glance. And to think that she was his by right, — his very own ! He tried to imagine how she would impress him if he met her now for the first time, — of how he v/ould impress her,-^ and he felt very glad of the tie that already linked them indissolubly,— he felt very grateful to George Galbraith. A week later they met at somebody's crush. This time she saw him, she even caught his eye, but, instead of bowing, she glanced away again with odd girlish shyness. A moment later she was ashamed of her gamherie, but of course it en- chanted him : it was so unlike the woman he had watched the fold. I AFTER LONG GKIEF AND PAIN. 439 at the concert a week before. He saw her face tura white toj^e hps, and then,-a knot of people drifted in between Coming out of the music-room, she was separated for a awaTthaf Harl " ""t^^'^' ^"' '^' «"^'-^^ b^- aware that Harley was by her side. His sleeve was touch K:;; ™; 'h ""!.' "1 ^^^^'^ ^-^^ ^^ --^^ ^^^^ fle could not. How ridiculous it all was ! Simply to relieve le^nUoT 1 ff '^'°"' ™^^"^^"^ -^« 'Lie m ve- ment to overtake her aunt, and then Brentwood bent low. i am glad to see you looking so well," he said ouietlv without preamble. quietly, " Thank you. I am quite strong now." How calmlv she had contrived to speak ! ^ ^ "Andjor/ous?" The words were uttered in a tone scarcdy above a whisper, but they brought a fiery wave to her white face and neck. How humiliating to blush -Youn" girls are the lawful prey of that dread "enemy. By whS boM miscalculate Had it attacked a mature'woma'ntke joined het '"''""' "^"^ '"'^'^ ^^""^' ^"'^ ^ilhelmina Next morning Honor called " I took a long rest, didn't 1 1 " "%Jr ^°" -™ *«« " « proving „!it. a 3U0 "s/r ^ " You haven't seen it ? " "Oh, no." .Jl^V^ "?M '*'''"''^' ^'^'^ ^"''^•" Honor laughed. " But I can t help hking it very much. It is extraordinary how the public taste has changed. Of '^o-.-se tliA },pr.^; • , Miss Evelyn's creatio^ as 1^1,:":" " ^''"'"^ '' ^ "^"''^ 440 yflKDYUJ :<\tK I ¥'* ^ -J 4 - ili , 3( 4.^*./' lij fl. 1 N ?!' I " Hagar 1 Yes, they all --ay ihe is very fine," " Do you care to come wuh me to-night ? I have a box." " Thank you. I should like to come very much." When evening came, Wilhelmina dressed - ' ordinary care. She was very pale, but her eyes shone brilliantly. Honor was almost more nervous than she was. Assuredly the phj was not eternal, but it had taken the fancy of London for the time, the house was well-filled, and everything promiffd a long rua To Wilhelmina the drama sepraed amazmgly clever. This was her first experience of the problei, ' lay, and it appealed to her keenly. After the first act sae was quite carried away, and, from behind the scenes, Harley watched her eager face. She constituted the audience for him that night ; and she could not have looked more triumphant if the play had been her o -n. Towards the end of the last act she became aware that he had entered the box, and was standing in the shadow at tho bacL Honor nodded to him brightly, but Wilhelmina did not turn her Lead. She was very pale again,— almost as pale as Harley himself. The curtain fell, and, as the actors came forward to receive their meed of applause, Harley came up to hn side. She glanced quickly round. Honor had disappeared. The house was full of noise, but thear two were co scions only of an overwhelming silence They b' ard noth' ; save the beating of their own hearts. During the day Harley had thought of many things that It behov-ed him to say, but nr>w he ^lr ;, her cloak ard held it up without a word. He had made no definite pla; .,. but, as their eyes met, they knew that they were not goin« to part any more. "It is a long drive," he said huskily. "^^h^U you be warm enough '? " But she did not answer at alL A tumult of applause filled the theatre. Miss Evelyn, bowing ia response to the ovation, looked up eagerly at lave a box." ch." eyes shone .n she was. I taken the ll-filled, and I. the drama experience nly. After rom behind constituted i not have O "H. ire that he dow at tho elmina did -almost as i to receive side. She > CO scious >th" ^ save hings that : and held plai o, but, t goin/^ to II you be IS Evelyn, 3agerly at THE CYCLK IS COMPLKTB. ' 441 -^,irnt,r:.t "" ^"' '^'^ '- *« -'- took caS, of that. VT "'^ '""'^- ^'o""" Mature CHAPTER LX THE CYCLi . COMPLETa T.et s pretend--" said Wilhelmina dreamily at hst is a frci^atingti^rh V^^^^^^^^^^^^ . '"^^^^^-^ ^^« «-nd hex soul. I ZrfS sh '! "°* °^^'^ ^°"^«">^d about «»im ^oung grocer, though he has rphuilt f 1, old shop, and has fitted it up with "evprt , * ^^g^nny menf What with rabbit! "be fed "^anT ? T^"'" watered, and a great family of doUs to be nnt f k > '" '^ mght life really is a very b'usy an^r^oX thing' ^""^ _ WUhelmma's smul] brother, Geor;.e the sfw fl , , r.^- m-.rest,ng playmate at p^sent" Uncle Gavt has tt 442 WINDYHAUGH, got his company, and George can play at nothing but soldiera. He has a thousand questions to a.s!- Uncle Gavin when that wonderful being brings Aunt Daisy to Windyhaugh next month. Fortunately Wilhelmina the Second is not shut up to George's company just now. Mr Ellis' two tall girls are kindly willing to lay aside the dignity of their years, and join in many a frolic. Mr Ellis himself ia seated some distance oflf with Harley and Willielmina the First. Mr Carmichael has just joined the party, and Mr Ellis is reading aloud from a book he has brought from London. Mi 'iJ Hh''' ;,: i Bii i t •* Si! '. : ?ai. " ' Yet Faith, ofttimes He taught. Was nowise bare believing ; since belief Comes hard or easy as minds go. . . . What Faith He asked of whoso entered in The slave may have in bondage, if he lifts Eyes of sad hope ; th' unlettered hind may have Who, at his toil, hungers for better bread Than what toil^buys ; the little child may have Content to love and trust ; all souls shall have Which, when the light shines, turn themselves to light As field-flowers do ; and, like the flowers of tiie field. Are glad of the great sun for the sun's sake ; And, being evil, are for good ; being weak. Will give what thews they own for Righteousness, Will lay what gifts they may at Love's fair feet, And follow, with quick step or slow,— through faults, Through failures, through dwcomfitures, through sins,— The march of tliat majestic King whose flag, Distant and dim, they hail, and with true hearts. Though will be wilful, and though fleph be weak- Burn to obey. These are Heaven's men-at-arms In van or rear ; informed or ignorant Of whither battle rolls, and what shall prove Its issue ; and, for them, whether high spoils Of Victory at last— the Leader's eye Wai-e of their wounds— or some forgotten grave Where they that gained Him glory sleep unnamed; Always to orders loyal, standing fast K m 448 THE CYCLE 18 COMPLETE. In what post be assigned ; in life and death %ht-m.uded, but not blameless ; Wing God With lowly heart, an.l earnest striving soul Which trusted, seeing darkly ; lovixig nj Mr Carmichael was the first to find words faith ? " "^'" -^^' Carmichael define The minister sliook his head " T hn«^ v. . • define faith all my life." '''^' ^'"'^ *''y^"S *« "Fools rush in where angels fear to trP«H » w i marked quietly. " Is not faith the ^ower of tein/S^ ", specie iHernitatis ? " ^ ""^^ ^''^ "Good!" saidMrElHs. miZf ""' *' ''^*"* ~™8='" «k«l Mr Car. 444 WINDYHAUGH. %\\ i'l But the Church elected to remain perdu. " Don't go, Muvvy ! " piped two sweet little Toices in unison. Wilhelmina turned her beautiful mother-face to them. "Not for long," she said. "I will send Mademoiselle. You must be very gentle with her, you know." Poor old Mademoiselle has come to spend a long holiday at Windyhaugh. She can scarcely believe the old home- stead is the place she knew a quarter of a century ago. For Windyhaugh has entered on a third phase of existence. The old divines still retain their place, but the library has grown to such mighty proportions that these worthy an- cestors have assumed something like their true perspective. The house seems full of sunshine and fresh air, of peace and goodwill. The one thing Mademoiselle has to fear is a chance meeting with a hedgehog or an escaped caterpillar on the stair. She is ei en beginning to take an interest in natural history — wants to know when caterpillars may reasonably be expected to assume that much - talked - of chrysalis stage ! Fortunately the children are prepared to give her any amount of information. They have long chats with their mother about animals and plants ; and indeed it was after listening to one of these talks, that Harley finally committed to the flames his manuscript Ethics of Lower Life. Times have changed; he can aflford to burn a manuscript now. The beautiful stables are rather thrown away on one good roadster and two shaggy ponies, but the billiard-room is in great demand. The river is an ocean once more ; the grim old shrubbery a primeval forest, but its recesses are often enlivened by the shriek of Red Indians and the roar of wild bears. Wilhelmina the Second thinks Bunyan all very well for Sundays, but, for sheer literature, commend her to the author of The Dog Crusoe! She can scarcely be in- duced to bend her mighty mind to the pronunciation of mieux, but she loves to hear Mademoiselle tell what a tie Toices in THE CYCLE IS COMPLETE. 445 noble gentleman grandfather was, and to see the lovely brooch he gave the old lady in Paris ^ How Wilhelmina the First worships that child- How she dreams about her future ! " She shall have '' wfngT where I had weary feet ' ! " ^ Wi^'.lf"' ^'V^' ^^'"^^'^'^'^ ^^re watching Harley and "I rrt .. ? ^""^ '' ''' ^^^"^ «*-" oif together. Ellis sS; at tt ''""^ "" "^^^' ''''''^^ ^-'" ^^^ Mr Carmichael did not answer immediately. '< Perhaps The question is, was Brentwood worth it all ? " "If Brentwood had been worth it all in the ordinary human sense of the words, we should never have had o^ AViIhelmina. I think she has chosen more wisely than women of her calibre usually do. Natur halan' el^^ ordmary We of bringing things back to the average, b" Brentwood has real spiritual insight " I Z't Wv irf-f '"' """^P '' ^'^^"Ss spiritual, at least. 1 dont know that it is quite the same thing There U nothing so easy as to convince a fine woman that her hu band is her superior," "^ Mr Ellis laughed. " I don't know that you and I are the l^Ple best qualified to pass an opinion on Brentwood He leaves her a ^vonderfully free hand." "Having no one to be jealous of— save God » They both fell a-musing. J' IV' '"*''''*'"S *^ '^« *^^ Ryelands carriage here" Mr Ellis continued at last. " Does Mrs Berkeleytow thlt Miss Evelyn was the last guest, and that Mrs Hugh Dal [ftZ I': ^ "^^^'-"^* *« ™-*-» that frooki little anarchist, Dunn?" ^'^uiieu here. Young Berkeley was shot accidentally by his brother two years ago and Wilhelmina had to tell the mo her" Mr Carmichael bit his lip, « That v..^. the kind of oruoiU, R If P,!i. i - I 446 WINDYHAtlGH. to bring out the gold in both women. Wilhelmina is a real social link. She takes care that people who don't want to meet shall not meet under her roof. For the rest, sh^ can do as she hkes. When yon come to think of it,— that is the great tan^ble reward of goodness." Mr Ellis shook his head. " Goodness alone would never achieve that," he said. "It wants goodness plus a real strength and breadth of personality. Jliss Brentwood was telhng me the other day that Wilhelmina ought to have achieved more, that she had never taken the position to which her gifts entitled her. It seems to me " Mr Carmichael nodded quickly and emphatically, as if afraid that xMr Ellis would think it necessary to finish his sentence. Perhaps the reader will agree with Honor Brentwood that Wilhelmina ought to have accomplished more. It is true she achieved little as we reckon achievement in these days. She carved no statue, painted no picture, com- posed no oratorio; she did not even write a book, nor take a degree; but when all these things have been excluded there remains that little art of living which has been open m aU ages alike to the wise and to the simple. THE END. mina is a real don't want to est, she can do — that is the would never I jtj/ws a real •entwood was ight to have e position to itically, as if to finish his sntwood that hievement in picture, com- ok, nor take 3n excluded, s been open