Patrick advanced. He looked neither at Avery nor his father, but kept his eyes rigidly downcast. His freckled face had a half-frightened, half-sullen expression. He halted before Mr. Lorimer who took him by the shoulder, and turned him round towards Avery.
"Tell Mrs. Denys what you did!" he said.
Pat shot a single glance upwards, and made laconic reply. "I undid Mike."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Avery in great distress. "I"m afraid that was my fault."
"Yours, Mrs. Denys?" Mr. Lorimer"s eyes became visible as two brilliant pin-points turned searchingly upon her face.
"Yes, mine!" she reiterated. "Mike was whining on his chain, and I said I thought it was cruel to keep a dog tied up. I suppose I ought to have kept my thoughts to myself," she said with a pathetic little smile. "Do please forgive us both this time!"
Mr. Lorimer ignored the appeal. "And do you know what happened in consequence of his being liberated?" he asked.
"Yes, I do." Ruefully she made answer. "He fought Mr. Evesham"s dog and I helped to pull him off."
"You, Mrs. Denys!"
"Yes, I." She nodded. "There wasn"t much damage done, anyhow to Mike. I am very, very sorry, Mr. Lorimer. But really Pat is not to blame for this. Won"t you--please--"
She stopped, for very decidedly Mr. Lorimer interrupted her. "I am afraid I cannot agree with you, Mrs. Denys. You may have spoken unadvisedly, but Patrick was aware that in releasing the dog he was acting in direct opposition to my orders. Therefore he must bear his own punishment. I must beg that for the future you will endeavour to be a little more discreet in your observations. Patrick, open the door for Mrs. Denys!"
It was a definite dismissal--perhaps the most definite that Avery had ever had in her life. A fury of resentment possessed her, but feeling her self-control to be tottering, she dared not give it vent. She turned in quivering silence and departed.
As she went out of the room, she perceived that Pat had begun to cry.
CHAPTER IV
THE MOTHER"S HELP
"It"s always the same," moaned Mrs. Lorimer. "My poor children! They"re never out of trouble." Avery stood still. She had fled to the drawing-room to recover herself, only to find the lady of the house lying in tears upon the sofa there. Mrs. Lorimer was very small and pathetic.
She had lost all her health long before in the bearing and nurturing of her children. Once upon a time she must have possessed the delicate prettiness that characterized her eldest daughter Jeanie, but it had faded long since. She was worn out now, a tired, drab little woman, with no strength left to stand against adversity. The only consolation in her life was her love for her husband. Him she worshipped, not wholly blindly, but with a devotion that never faltered. A kind word from him was capable of exalting her to a state of rapture that was only out-matched by the despair engendered by his displeasure. There was so much of sorrow mingled with her love for her children that they could scarcely have been regarded as a joy. In fact Avery often thought to herself how much happier she would have been without them.
"Do sit down, Mrs. Denys!" she begged nervously, as Avery remained motionless in the middle of the room. "Stay with me for a little, won"t you? I can never bear to be alone when any of the children are being punished. I sometimes think Pat is the worst of all. He is so highly strung, and he loses his head. And Stephen doesn"t quite understand him, and he is so terribly severe when they rebel. And did you know that Ronald and Julian had been smoking again on the way back from school? They look so dreadfully ill, both of them. I know their father will find out."
Mrs. Lorimer"s whispered words went into soft weeping. She hid her face in the cushion.
A curious little spasm went through Avery, and for a few mad seconds she wanted to burst into heartless laughter. She conquered the impulse with a desperate effort though it left her feeling slightly hysterical.
She moved across to the forlorn little woman and stooped over her.
"Don"t cry, dear Mrs. Lorimer!" she urged. "It doesn"t do any good. Perhaps Ronald and Julian are better by now. Shall we go upstairs and see?"
The principle was a wrong one and she knew it, but for the life of her she could not have resisted the temptation at that moment. She had an unholy desire to get the better of the Reverend Stephen which would not be denied.
Mrs. Lorimer checked her tears. "You"re very kind," she murmured shakily.
She dried her eyes and sat up. "Do you think it would be wrong to give them a spoonful of brandy?" she asked wistfully.
But Avery"s principles were proof against this at least. "Yes, I do," she said. "But we can manage quite well without it. Let us go, shall we, and see what can be done?"
"I"m afraid I"m very wicked," sighed Mrs. Lorimer. "I"m very thankful to have you with us, dear. I don"t know what I should do without you."
Avery"s pretty mouth took an unfamiliar curve of grimness for a moment, but she banished it at once. She slipped a sustaining hand through Mrs.
Lorimer"s arm.
"Thank you for saying so, though, you know, I"ve only been with you a fortnight, and I don"t feel that I have done very much to deserve such high praise."
"I don"t think time has much to do with friendship," said Mrs. Lorimer, looking at her with genuine affection in her faded blue eyes. "Do you know I became engaged to my husband before I had known him a fortnight?"
But this was a subject upon which Avery found it difficult to express any sympathy, and she gently changed it. "You are looking very tired. Don"t you think you could lie down for a little in your bedroom before supper?"
"I must see the poor boys first," protested Mrs. Lorimer.
"Yes, of course. We will go straight up, shall we?"
She led her to the door with the words, and they went out together into the hall. As they emerged, a sudden burst of stormy crying came from the study. Pat was literally howling at the top of his voice.
His mother stopped and wrung her hands. "Oh, what is to be done? He always cries like that. He used to as a baby--the only one of them who did. Mrs. Denys, what shall I do? I don"t think I can bear it."
Avery drew her on towards the stairs. "My dear, come away!" she said practically. "You can"t do anything. Interference will only make matters worse. Let us go right up to the boys" room! Pat is sure to come up directly."
They went to the boys" room. It was a large attic in which the three elder boys slept. Ronald and Julian, aged fifteen and fourteen respectively, were both lying prostrate on their beds.
Julian uttered a forced laugh at the sight of his mother"s face. "My dear Mater, for Heaven"s sake don"t come fussing round here! We"ve been smoking some filthy cigars--little beastly Brown dared us to--and there"s been the devil to pay. I can"t get up. My tummy won"t let me."
"Oh, Julian, why do you do it?" said Mrs. Lorimer, in great distress.
"You know what your father said the last time."
She bent over him. Julian was her favourite of them all. But he turned his face sharply to avoid her kiss.
"Don"t, Mater! I don"t feel up to it. I can"t jaw either. I believe those dashed cigars were poisoned. Hullo, Ronald, are you quieting down yet?"
"Shut up!" growled Ronald.
His brother laughed again sardonically. "Stick to it, my hearty! There"s a swishing in store for us. The mater always gives the show away."
"Julian!" It was Avery"s voice; she spoke with quick decision. "You"ve got exactly an hour--you and Ronald--to pull yourselves together. Don"t lie here any longer! Get up and go out! Go for a hard walk! No, of course you don"t feel like it. But it will do you good. You want to get that horrible stuff out of your lungs. Quick! Go now--while you can!"
"But I can"t!" declared Julian.
"Yes, you can,--you must! You too, Ronald! Where are your coats? Pop them on and make a dash for it! You"ll come back better. Perhaps you will get out of the swishing after all."
Julian turned his head and looked at her by the light of the flaring, unshaded gas-jet. "By Jove!" he said. "You"re rather a brick, Mrs.
Denys."
"Don"t stop to talk!" she commanded. "Just get up and do as I say. Go down the back stairs, mind! I"ll let you in again in time to get ready for supper."