"Oh, don"t stop, Hilda; go on. I am so happy," whispered Judy back.
Hilda smiled, and immediately resumed the music which thrilled through and through Judy"s soul.
Hilda was eighteen, and the full glory and bloom of this perfect age surrounded her; it shone in her dark red-brown hair, and gleamed in her brown eyes, and smiled on her lips and even echoed from her sweet voice.
Hilda would always be lovely to look at, but she had the tender radiance of early spring about her now. Judy was not the only person who thought her the fairest creature in the world.
While she was playing, and the influence of the music was more and more filling her face, there came a shadow across the church door. The shadow lengthened and grew longer, and the young man, whose smile Judy had ignored, came softly across the church and up to Hilda"s side.
"Go on playing," he said, nodding to her. "I have been waiting and listening. I can wait and listen a little longer if you will allow me to sit in the church."
"I shall have done in a moment," said Hilda. "I just want to choose something for the final voluntary." She took up a book of lighter music as she spoke, and selecting some of Haydn"s sweet and gracious melodies, began to play.
Judy stirred restlessly. Jasper Quentyns came closer, so close that his shadow fell partly over the child as she lay on the ground, and quite shut away the evening sunlight as it streamed over Hilda"s figure.
Jasper was a musician himself, and he made comments which were listened to attentively.
Hilda played the notes as he directed her. She brought added volume into certain pa.s.sages, she rendered the light staccato notes with precision.
"Oh, you are spoiling the playing," said Judy suddenly. She started up, knitting her black brows and glaring angrily at Jasper Quentyns.
"You don"t mean to say you are here all the time, you little puss," he exclaimed. "I thought you and Miss Mills and Babs were miles away by now. Why, what"s the matter, child? Why do you frown at me as if I were an ogre?"
Hilda put her arm round Judy"s waist. The contact of Hilda"s arm was like balm to the child; she smiled and held out her hand penitently.
"Of course I don"t think you are an ogre," she said, "but I do wish you would let Hilda play her music her own way."
"Oh, don"t talk nonsense, Judy," said Hilda; "you quite forget that Mr.
Quentyns knows a great deal more about music than I do."
"He doesn"t play half nor quarter as well as you, for all that," replied Judy, with emphasis.
Hilda bent forward and kissed her little sister on her forehead.
"We won"t have any more music at present," she said, "it is time for us to return to the house. You are going to dine at the Rectory this evening, are you not, Mr. Quentyns?"
"If you will have me."
"Of course we shall all be delighted to have you."
"Hilda," said Judy, "do you know that Mildred Anstruther is down at the house waiting to see you?"
A faint shadow of disappointment flitted across Hilda Merton"s face--an additional wave of color mounted to Jasper Quentyns" brow. He looked at Hilda to see if she had noticed it; Hilda turned from him and began to arrange her music.
"Come," she said, "we mustn"t keep Mildred waiting."
"What has she come for?" asked Jasper, as the three walked down the shady avenue.
"You know you are glad to see her," replied Hilda suddenly.
Something in her tone caused Jasper to laugh and raise his brows in mock surprise. Judy looked eagerly from one face to the other. Her heart began to beat with fierce dislike to Jasper. What right had he to interfere with Hilda"s music, and above all things, what right, pray, had he to bring that tone, into Hilda"s beloved voice?
Judy clasped her sister"s arm with a tight pressure. In a few minutes they reached the old-fashioned and cozy Rectory.
The Rector was pacing about in the pleasant evening sunshine, and Mildred Anstruther was walking by his side and chatting to him.
"Oh, here you are," said Mildred, running up to her friend and greeting her with affection; "and you have come too, Mr. Quentyns?--this is a delightful surprise."
"You had better run into the house now, Judy," said Hilda. "Yes, darling, go at once."
"May I come down after dinner to-night, Hilda?"
"You look rather pale, Judy, and as we are having friends to dinner it may be best for you to go to bed early," said another voice. It proceeded from the comfortable, good-natured mouth of Aunt Marjorie.
"No, no, Aunt Maggie, you won"t send me to bed. Hilda, you"ll plead for me, won"t you?" gasped Judy.
"I think she may come down just for half an hour, auntie," said Hilda, smiling.
"Well, child, it must be as you please; of course we all know who spoils Judy."
"Of course we all know who loves Judy," said Hilda. "Now are you satisfied, my sweet? Run away; be the best of good children. Eat a hearty tea; don"t think of any trouble. Oh, Judy! what a frown you have between your brows; let me kiss it away. I"ll find you in the drawing room after dinner."
"And you"ll come and talk to me if only for one minute. Promise, promise, Hilda!"
"Of course I promise; now run off."
Judy went slowly away. She thought the grown people very unkind to dismiss her. She was interested in all people who were grown up; she had not a great deal of sympathy with children--she felt that she did not quite belong to them. The depths of her thoughts, the intense pathos of her unsatisfied affections were incomprehensible to most children. Hilda understood her perfectly, and even Aunt Marjorie and her father were more agreeable companions than Miss Mills and Babs.
There was no help for it, however. Judy was a schoolroom child, and back to the schoolroom and to Miss Mills" dull society she must go.
Swinging her hat on her arm she walked slowly down the long, cool stone pa.s.sage which led from the princ.i.p.al hall to the schoolroom regions. A maidservant of the name of Susan hurried past her with the tray which contained the schoolroom tea in her hands.
"You must be quick, Miss Judy, I am bringing in the tea," she said.
Judy frowned. She did not think it at all necessary for Susan to remind her of her rather disagreeable duties. Instead of hurrying to the schoolroom she stood still and looked out of one of the windows. The words Miss Mills had uttered as they walked across the fields to the wood kept returning to her memory. In some curious, undefined, uncomfortable way she connected them with her sister Hilda. What did they mean? Why was it dreadful to be engaged to be married? Why were some people so fickle, and why were promises broken? Judy had never seen Miss Mills so excited before.
"She looked quite interesting when she spoke in that voice," said Judy to herself. "What did she mean? what could she mean? She said it was dreadful to be married, and dreadful to be engaged. I think I"ll go and ask Mrs. Sutton. I don"t care if I am a bit late for tea. The worst Miss Mills will do is to give me some poetry to learn, and I like learning poetry. Yes, I"ll go and see Mrs. Sutton. She was married twice, so she must have been engaged twice. She must know all--all about it. She"s a much better judge than Miss Mills, who never was married at all."
Judy opened a baize door, which shut behind her with a bang. She went down a few steps, and a moment later was standing in a comfortably furnished sitting room which belonged to the housekeeper, Mrs. Sutton.
Mrs. Sutton was a stout, portly old lady. She had twinkling good-humored eyes, a mouth which smiled whenever she looked at a child, and a constant habit of putting her hand into her pocket and taking out a lollipop. This lollipop found its way straight into the receptive mouth of any small creature of the human race who came in her way.
"Is that you, Miss Judy?" she said now, turning round and setting down her own cup of strong tea. "Come along, my pet, and give me a kiss. What do you say to this?" She held a pink sugar-stick between her finger and thumb. "I suppose you"ll want another for Miss Babs, bless her!"
"Yes, thank you, Sutton," replied Judy. "Will you lay them on the table, please, and I"ll take them when I am going away. Sutton, I want to talk to you about a _very_ private matter."
"Well, darling--bless your dear heart, your secrets are safe enough with me."
"Oh, it isn"t exactly a secret, Sutton--it is something I want to know.
Is it a dreadful thing to be engaged to be married?"
"Bless us and save us!" said Mrs. Sutton. She flopped down again on her seat, and her red face grew purple. "Are you quite well, Miss Judy? You haven"t been reading naughty books now, that you shouldn"t open? What could put such thoughts into the head of a little miss like you?"