"Oh, but it is such fun," went on Angela, "only I can"t make it out.
You read it, Lance."
"Did she give it you?" said Felix.
"No, I whipped it up when she dropped it. There"s something about Ratton in it."
Felix quietly took the paper out of her hand, folded it, and put it into an envelope. "You take it back to her the first thing to- morrow," he said. "Now go to bed."
Angela durst not oppose that tone, so unusually serious and authoritative; but she contrived to prolong her good-nights, and the putting away of her goods, with a kind of half droll, half sullen resignation; and just as Wilmet was hurrying her off, Edgar returned.
He always spoilt Angela a little, and she sprang to him with a kind of droll pout. "You"ll not be cross, Edgar. You"ll let us hear Alice"s transmigrations. Look! here"s Felix bottled them up in an envelope, and won"t let us peep at them! But you"ll let me hear. You won"t order me off to bed."
Cherry fancied she saw a disconcerted look on his face when he saw the envelope held up to him; but if so, it instantly gave place to the mischievous entertainment of defeating a lesson on discretion.-- "The heads of the family must a.s.sert themselves sometimes, my dear, even about nothing," he said consolingly.
"Indeed," said Wilmet, bristling in defence of Felix, "of course we knew it was nothing. It was only very ill-mannered and wrong of Angela to go prying into what was not meant to be shown.
"I"m sure," said Edgar most ungratefully, "it might be posted on the church door for what I care, except for its intrinsic vileness."
"Oh, let"s have it! let"s have it!" burst out Lance and Robina, who had been burning with curiosity all the time.
"Don"t let us have them murdered, whatever they are," said Edgar, taking them into his own hand. "Pity the sorrows of a poor wretch seduced into one of your horrid jeux d"esprit--a lady"s excuse for fishing for compliments that sound more than they mean. Here goes, then:--
"Say, Lady, what existence past Thine essence hath enfolded; What humble antecedent cast Thy present self hath moulded.
The hawthorn bush, with blossom white Veiling her branches p.r.i.c.king; The painted lady, fluttering light, The rash pursuer tricking.
Gra.s.s paraquit, who loves to sit In cl.u.s.tering rows and chat on; Caressing, purring, traitor kit, Fatal to Master Ratton.
There, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are satisfied," he concluded, letting his performance float into the fire; "the metaphors, to say the least, are startling, but that is the fault of the game."
"I don"t enter into it all," said Cherry.
"Not likely another of the gra.s.s paraquits would, my dear," said Edgar.
"And it is exactly what Robin made her," said Angela; "both that and the b.u.t.terfly; and Felix, the kitten. You didn"t borrow of course.
How funny!"
"But I didn"t make her inconstant," said Robin; "that is not fair."
"Not when you made her a b.u.t.terfly, and the shepherd"s weather-gla.s.s too!"
"I never thought of that, only their being both bright, dark, sparkling things; and Felix has the forget-me-not, by way of antidote."
"I do not think such things are wise," p.r.o.nounced Wilmet.
"And, by the by, Edgar, it has always been the custom that n.o.body should walk home with Alice. Miss Pearson would not like it, and it would make a talk."
Edgar laughed. "Dear W. W., let it not trouble you! What it may lead to is a bugbear to you. You can"t think how much younger and more agreeable you will be when you have learnt that there can be pa.s.sages that lead to nothing."
Geraldine went to bed uncomfortable and perplexed. Before she was dressed in the morning, Alice darted in. "Cherry, I"m so vexed; I dropped that paper. Do you think it is here?"
"No; Angel picked it up, and Edgar read us the verses, and then threw them into the fire."
"Burnt them!"
"Yes; he said the worst of such games was that they force one to pay compliments that may be taken to mean more than they do."
Cherry spoke under a stern sense of virtue doing a service to Alice; and when the quick answer came, "He didn"t say that, I"m sure it was Wilmet," she a.s.severated, "Indeed he did. I don"t confuse in that way. It is a very good warning not to dwell on what gentlemen may say in mere play."
"Who told you I did?" said Alice sharply. "You"ve no business to say such things!"
Happily there was an interruption. Cherry felt as if she had had a taste of the claws; but she feared she had been malicious, and she was penitent.
CHAPTER XV
WHAT IT LED TO
"Then out and spak the popinjay."--Old Ballad.
Geraldine was hard at work on a drawing. Edgar"s teaching had improved her so much that, under a sore longing to obtain some good studies, she had ventured to place in the shop one of her best imaginary groups, and to her surprise and delight, it had brought her in fifteen shillings, and an order for a companion.
Vistas of hope began to rise before her, only obscured by her consciousness of the want of knowledge and skill. It took some resolution not to attend exclusively to her art, and she was forced to make it a rule never to touch a pencil till the lessons of Bernard and Stella were both over for the day.
They were finished, the children in the garden, and Cherry was in that world of joy and something like inspiration known to spirits imbued with any of the constructive poetry of art, always endeavouring to fulfil an ideal, never indeed satisfying themselves, but never so at rest as in the effort.
Presently she was startled by a step on the stairs. Nothing short of the Fall of Delhi had ever been known to bring Felix upstairs in business hours; and he was especially bound to his work at present, since Mr. Froggatt was detained at home by a serious attack of rheumatism. She looked up amazed at the eager question, "Is there a letter from Alda?"
"I believe there is, waiting for Wilmet. What is the matter?"
"The most astonishing thing. Here is Ferdinand Travis writing to tell me of his engagement to Alda."
"To Alda?"
"To Alda! I looked twice to be sure that there was no confusion between the names, but it is my sister Alda beyond a doubt. He would not ask my consent if it were Marilda. Here"s the letter, as good and nice as possible, dear good fellow."
"Then what Edgar told us must have been pure imagination."
"Not the old folks" wishes, most likely. For the rest, Edgar can make a good story. One can"t wonder at the preference, and there"s no denying that it is a brilliant chance for Alda."
"And what a blessing that he should be so good!"
"Infinite! No one could be so welcome! How pleased Mr. Audley will be! But I must go, and try not to look too much disposed to stand on the counter and crow."