"So I heard! I shall see you again." And he turned aside to give an order, bowing as he did so.
"Is he the artist of those sweet designs?" asked Sister Mena.
"Did we not tell you?"
"And now he is going to execute them? How delicious!"
"I trust so! We must see him again. We have not heard of Edie and Nellie, nor any one."
"He will call on you?" said Sister Mena.
"I do not think so," said Paula. "At least his father is really an artist, but he is drawing-master at the High School, and Hubert works for this firm. They are not what you call in society, and our sister is all for getting in with Lady Merrifield and General Mohun and all the swells, so it would never do for him to call."
"She would first be stiff and stuck up," said Vera, "and I could not stand that."
"I thought she was so kind," said Mena.
"You don"t understand," said Vera. "She would be kind to a workman in a fever; but this sort--oh, no."
"To be on an equality with the man painting the church?" said Paula.
"No, indeed! not if he were Fra Angelico and Ary Scheffer and Michelangelo rolled into one."
At that moment the subject referred to in that mighty conglomeration reappeared. He was a handsome young man, his touch of Italian blood showing just enough to give him a romantic air; and Sister Philomena listened, much impressed by the interchange of question and answer about "Edie and Nellie," and the dear Warings, and the happy Christmas at the Grange; and Vera blushed again, and Paula coloured in sympathy, as it appeared that Mr. Delrio had never had such a splendid time.
The colloquy was ended by Mr. Flight being descried, approaching with his mother, whereupon the two girls fled away like guilty creatures.
Presently Vera exclaimed, "Oh, Polly dear, what a complication! Poor dear fellow! he cares for me as much as ever."
"And you will be staunch to him in spite of all the worldly allurements," said Paula.
"Well, I mean Mr. Wilfred Merrifield is not half so handsome,"
returned Vera.
"Nor is he engaged in sacred work; only bent on frivolity," said Paula; "yet see how the M.A. encourages him with tennis and games and nonsense."
Poor M.A., when the encouragement had only been some general merriment, and a few games on the lawn Paulina, who had heard many confidences when Vera returned from Waring Grange, believed altogether in the true love of the damsel and Hubert Delrio, who had been wont to single out the prettiest of the girls at Filstead, and she was resolved to do all she could in their cause, being schoolgirl enough to have no scruple as to secrecy towards Magdalen, though on the next opportunity she poured out all to Sister Philomena"s by no means unwilling ears.
Lovers had never fallen within the young Sister"s experience, either personally or through friends; and they had only been revealed to her in a few very carefully-selected tales, where they were more the necessary machinery than the main interest, for she had been bred up in an orphanage by Sister Beata, and had never seen beyond it. So to her Paula"s story, little as there was of it, was a perfect romance, and it gained in colour when she related it to her senior.
Sister Beata hesitated a little, having rather more knowledge of the world, remembering that Vera Prescott was not eighteen years old, and doubting whether an underhand intimacy ought to be encouraged; but then Mr. Flight had spoken of Mr. Delrio as a highly praiseworthy young man, of decided Catholic principles; he was regular at Church services, and had dined or supped at the Vicarage. The intercourse, as the girls had explained, had been sanctioned by Mrs. Best in their native town, where all parties were well known, and thus there could be no harm in letting it continue. While as to the elder Miss Prescott, she was understood to be unduly bent on county and t.i.tled society, and to be exclusive towards inferiors. Moreover, she was an attendant at St. Andrew"s Church, and thus regarded as out of the pale of sympathy of the St. Kenelm"s flock.
So no obstacle was put in the way of the gossips, for they were really nothing more, except that there was admiration of the designs for the side chapel, which were of the Scripture children on one side, and on the other of child martyrs. Now and then there was a reference to the chilliness and hardship of living with an unsympathising sister, and being obliged to go to churches of which they did not approve. Sometimes too there were airy castles of a distant future to be shared by the magnificent architect, together with Vera, while Paula nursed in the convent with Mother Beata and Sister Philomena.
But all this did not prevent an excitement and eager laughter and chatter whenever Wilfred Merrifield came in the way, and he certainly was enough attracted by Vera"s pretty face and lively graces to make his sisters think him very absurd; but his mother had seen so many pa.s.sing fancies among her elder sons as to hold that blindness was better than serious treatment.
There was the further effect that Magdalen had no suspicion that the vehement attraction to St. Kenelm"s went beyond the harmless quarter of the two nursing Sisters and some hero worship of Mr. Flight. Miss Mohun, who knew everything, had indeed hinted that something foolish might be going on there; but Magdalen had not decided on the mutual fairness of the two congregations, and deferred investigation till Agatha should come home, when she would have a reasonable, if cold, person to deal with. Nor did Thekla"s chatter excite any suspicion; for the only time when she had been present at a meeting with Mr.
Delrio, she had been half bribed, half threatened into silence, and she was quite schoolgirl enough to feel that such was the natural treatment of authority, though she had become really fond of "sister."
CHAPTER IX--GONE OVER TO THE ENEMY
"Can I teach thee, my beloved? can I teach thee?"
E. B. BROWNING.
Agatha came home in due time, and Magdalen sent her sister to meet her at the station, where they found a merry Clipstone party in the waggonette waiting for Gillian, who was to come home at the same time. There was so much discussion of the new golf ground, that Vera had hardly a hand or a glance to bestow on Mr. Delrio, who jumped out of the same train, shook hands with Agatha, and bestirred himself in finding her luggage and calling a cab.
"How he is improved! What a pleasing, gentlemanly fellow he looks!"
she exclaimed, as she waved her thanks, while driving off in the cab.
"Is he not?" said Paula, while Vera bridled and blushed. "You will be delighted with his work. I never saw anything more lovely than little St. Cyriac the martyr."
"He is taken from Mrs. Henderson"s little boy," added Vera; "such a dear little darling."
"And his mother is to be done; indeed, he has sketched her for St.
Juliet."
"Flapsy! St. Romeo, too, I suppose?"
"Nonsense, Nag! There really was a St. Juliet or Julitta, and she was his mother, and they both were martyrs. I will tell you all the history," began Paula; but Agatha interposed.
"You must like having him down here. Sister must be much pleased with him. She used to like old Mr. Delrio."
"Well, we have not said much about him," owned Paula. "He does not seem to wish it, or expect to be in with swells."
"We could not stand his being treated like a common house-painter and upholsterer," added Vera.
"Surely no one does so," said Agatha.
"Not exactly," said Paula; "at least, he has had supper at St.
Kenelm"s Vicarage with Lady Flight, and luncheon at Carrara with Captain and Mrs. Henderson."
"Because he was DOING the child," interposed Vera; "and Thekla says that Primrose Merrifield says that her Aunt Jane--that is, old Miss Mohun--says that Lady Flight is not a gentlewoman."
"What has that to do with Magdalen?"
"Why, she is so taken up with those swells of hers, especially now that there is a talk of Lord Somebody"s yacht coming in, that she would never treat him as on equal terms, but just keep him at a distance, like a mere decorator."
"That seemed to me just what you were doing," said Agatha, "when he was so kind and helpful about my box."
"Oh, THEY were all there, and we did not want to be talked of," said Vera, blushing. "He understands."
"He understands," repeated Paula. "We do see him at the church and at the Sisters". Those dear Sisters! There is no nonsense about them. You will love them, Nag."
"Well, it does not seem to me to be treating our own sister Magdalen fairly."