words died on her lips, for there before her stoodSolomon's master, his eyes fixed on her in astonishment, not unmingledwith concern, which latter detail, however, at the moment escaped hernotice.
Alarmed and indignant at what seemed to her an unjustifiable intrusion,Philippa sprang to her feet, making a futile effort to remove the tracesof her tears. She was brushing past the young man with the one idea ofescaping from the room, when the housekeeper, recovering from her ownfirst start of annoyance, stopped her.
"My dear," she began, "my dear young lady--as--as Mr Michael _is_ here,will you not wait a moment? Perhaps it may be the best opportunityof--"
"I don't know what you mean, Mrs Shepton," replied the girl, haughtily."I would not have come to see you if I had thought any one else--"
"I beg your pardon," exclaimed Michael, recollecting himself, as herealised that he was the culprit.--"I will come back again, nurse," headded to his old friend.
But now it was on him that the housekeeper's detaining hand was laid.
"Stay a moment, Master Michael," she began; and acting on a suddenimpulse, she again appealed to Philippa. "Will you give me leave," shesaid, "to consult Mr Michael about--about this difficulty, as we havereason to think that he knows so much already? May it not be better totell him all?"
Philippa turned upon her with flaming cheeks, too angry now to carewhether the young man saw her tear-stained face and swollen eyes or not.
"Mrs Shepton," she said, indignantly, "you leave me no choice. Whatyou have said now is equivalent to telling everything! Say what youlike, I don't care, but I cannot stay to hear it. And remember if--ifMr Gresham agrees to what I know you mean to ask him, he will do so foryour sake, not for mine.--_I_ make no appeal to you," she ended, coldly,glancing at the young man, as she determinedly crossed the room anddisappeared, closing the door behind her.
The two she had left looked at each other in consternation. ThenMichael gave a short laugh.
"What a whirlwind of a girl!" he ejaculated. "What does it all mean,Mrs Shepton, ma'am? I suppose you must tell me now, and I suppose I'vegot to listen. But why is your young friend so furious with _me_--whatever have _I_ done?" and in his tone, beneath its lightness, MrsShepton perceived a considerable spice of indignation.
The housekeeper, though sharing his indignation, looked ready to cry.
"What have you done, sir?" she repeated. "Nothing, of course nothing,except that you have been very kind and considerate about a self-willed,headstrong young lady--for a young lady she is, as you suspected fromthe first. And never in all my life have I heard of such a wild schemeas she has planned and carried out. If she had fallen into some hands,a nice scandal there would have been! But yet," she went on, her voicesoftening, "I am so sorry for her too, for her motives were good andmost unselfish. And when she goes home, she will have to face herparents' great displeasure."
Michael Gresham raised his eyebrows.
"I am glad to hear that," he said. "I was beginning to wonder what sortof people they could be to countenance such a proceeding, for this verymoment I had come to tell you what I had grown sure of, that this mosteccentric young lady's-maid is no other than Mrs Marmaduke's ownsister--Miss Raynsworth." And he hastily recapitulated the various twosand twos which had offered themselves to be made fours of, without anyspecial efforts at detection or very great exercise of acuteness on hispart.
Mrs Shepton looked considerably relieved, for the having acted on herimpulse had already begun to frighten her a little.
"I shall be glad to tell Miss Raynsworth that you had found it all out,"she said, "when she has calmed down a little, and then she will not bevexed with me. She was sure you suspected something, and that was whatbrought it all out to-day. She is terribly frightened, and no wonder!And yet her pride makes her angry at the very idea of appealing to anyone--to you, Mr Michael--to keep her secret, you see?"
"Yes, naturally; but what I _don't_ see is why I should be expected todo so. A girl who can behave so wildly, and in defiance of her parents,should be pulled up for it, and the sooner the better, I should say."
His tone was hard; all the softness and geniality seemed to have meltedout of his face. Mrs Shepton looked distressed. She began to feel asif by her appeal to him she had let the genii out of the bottle--notthat she, good woman, would have thus expressed it--there was a look inher "boy's" face which she had encountered more than once before in hisprogress from babyhood to manhood, and which meant a good deal beyondwhat she was able to cope with.
"Master Michael, my dear," she began, sitting down as she spoke, andmotioning him to a seat beside her, "you don't understand. Wait tillyou hear the whole, and all that the poor, dear young lady had in hermind;" and trying not to seem too eager in her defence of Philippa, forshe was not without experience in the "little ways" of the sterner sex,the housekeeper related with considerable detail all that she had learntfrom Miss Raynsworth as to the home life of her family, her sisterlydevotion and not unreasonable anxiety about Evelyn at the presentcrisis, all--down even to the little difficulties which had attended theefforts to find a suitable attendant to accompany Mrs MarmadukeHeadfort to Wyverston. She drew, too, a touching picture of Philippa'sanguish of mind on receiving the sternly disapproving letter from herparents.
"Poor dear, I couldn't but feel for her, however rash and foolish shemay have been, when she looked up at me so piteous-like through hertears, and said, `Don't speak of mamma; she has never been really angrywith me before in my life.' It quite went to my heart, Master Michael,but of course that's a woman's way of looking at it, I know," she added,diplomatically.
Michael emitted an indefinite sound, something between a "humph," and a"pshaw," but the lines of his face had softened; there was a touch ofamusement, too, in his eyes as he glanced up.
"She is a very silly girl," he said, at last, "and a very bad actress,though I don't know that I like her any the less for that.--Eh, Solomon,what do you say to it, old boy? _You_ saw through her from the first,didn't you?--Solomon is very fastidious in his friendships, you know,Mrs Shepton, ma'am, and he took to her at once, as I have told you."
His old nurse's spirits rose. Master Michael wouldn't speak like that,she thought, if he was going to be hard and unsympathising, but she waswise enough not to show her elation.
"Of course, sir," she agreed, "_silly_ is no word for it! It wasperfectly wild, but the wilder it was, the more mischief may come of itif we cannot help her. That is what she is now so wretched about; shethought of how it might turn our ladies, here, indeed, the whole family,against poor Captain Marmaduke and his wife, little as either deservesit," for Mrs Shepton had not forgotten to exculpate Evelyn from allconcerted share in the mad freak.
Michael's face darkened a little.
"I don't understand that young woman altogether," he said; "either sheis a better actress than her sister, or extraordinarily childish."
"She is quite straightforward," said the housekeeper, "but her sisterhas not allowed her to take it up deeply. She knows nothing of theangry letter from their home, or of all this trouble just now. And shehas not nearly the strength of character of her sister, I am sure. MissRaynsworth tells me that Mrs Marmaduke really forgets about it fromtime to time! And it must be so, or she would never have been soincautious. Why, it's mainly thanks to her that there's all this now."
The smiles which had been lurking somewhere in the corners of Michael'sphysiognomy now made itself visible, and broadened as he caught sight ofthe dubious expression it called forth on his old friend's face.
"I can't help thinking," he began, half apologetically, "of the scenethere might be here if it all came out. I mean nothing disrespectful tothis family, nurse, when I say that they are not remarkable for theirsense of humour. Christine, perhaps, has the most of it, of a ratherblunt kind, but Mrs Headfort's face would grow so long that it wouldnever shorten again, and Felicia would certainly faint and be moremelancholy than ever, if they once discovered the trick that had beenplayed up
on them."
"Indeed, yes, sir," Mrs Shepton replied, gravely, too decorous to joinin his smile. "It would be no laughing matter."
"But what have _I_ to do with it," said Michael, reverting to theearlier part of their conversation. "What do you--or she--want me todo, or not to do?"
"Oh, that is quite easy to explain, sir," replied the housekeeper,briskly. "It is _not_ to do that we ask of you. Just to keep hersecret, in short, for the two or three days that remain."
Michael again raised his eyebrow's.
"And after that--shall I be at liberty to tell anybody who cares tohear? It is rather like giving the burglars time to escape; does MissRaynsworth intend leaving the country?"
But Mrs Shepton did not smile. On the contrary, she shook her head.
"It is no joking matter, sir," she repeated, dolefully; "it is not,indeed. I wish I saw a clear end to it, that I do. No, MasterMichael--of course I did not mean what you say. She will depend on you_never_ to betray her, I feel sure. I only mentioned the two or threedays she will still be here, because once they are over, it is notlikely the poor young lady or her troubles will ever come into your mindagain--there would be no difficulty in keeping her secret after that."
From behind her own spectacles the old woman eyed the young man with asomewhat curious expression. But he was looking down; his face wasperfectly composed, almost stolid. Only his old nurse knew that when he"put on that face," it was often more as a mask than as indicatingindifference.
"I don't know," he said at last, with a slightly cynical lightness oftone. "I have not the very least doubt that she will keep out of myway--she took a dislike to me from the very first, even in the train; acase of natural antipathy, probably. But fate has a nasty little trickof meddlesomeness in these cases sometimes; just because she wouldprefer giving me the widest berth possible, your young lady, my goodMrs Shepton, may find herself hurled in my way some day when she leastexpects it. It is by no means improbable; once Duke Headfort is backagain, he and his wife will naturally see something of the people here,and Bernard and I are often about Wyverston."
"But Miss Raynsworth is not Captain Marmaduke's wife--I am quite sure_she_ will not want to come here again, sir," said Mrs Shepton.
"Well, no; perhaps not. But there are other possibilities--Mrs Dukeand my cousin have struck up a great friendship--I told you, you know,that I heard them planning a visit in which the sister was to beincluded. And I don't see why I should stay away from Merle at the bestof the shooting for any silly girl in the world. Do you?"
"Nobody asked such a thing," said the housekeeper, feeling for oncerather cross with her adored nursling. "Miss Raynsworth would neverdream of it--once you have given your promise, her mind, so far as youare concerned, will be quite at rest, Master Michael, I can assure you."
"I daresay," said Michael, grimly, "once I _have_ given my promise."
He was in a very teasing mood.
But his words failed this time in their effect.
"My dear Master Michael," said the housekeeper, with a smile, "you aretalking for talking's sake, just to get a `rise out of me,' as you usedto say. Of course I know it is all right, and I can assure poor MissRaynsworth that the matter will be perfectly safe in your hands."
Mr Gresham did not reply. He had transferred his teasing to Solomon,from whom he at last succeeded in extracting a growl, which made MrsShepton start. Though if the truth were told, the dachs only growledout of amiable condescension, understanding that his doing so wouldgratify his master, whose childishness really amused him sometimes.
"All the same," continued the old woman, when Solomon had subsidedagain, "I shall be more thankful than I can tell you, when the twoladies are safely off. It makes me that nervous, sir, you'd scarcelybelieve it. And unless I can persuade Miss Raynsworth to stay in herroom with a bad headache this evening, there's sure to be gossip in thehall; any one with half an eye could see she is quite upset; her pooreyes alone--"
Michael looked up quickly, and this time his old friend had no need torebuke him for levity.
"Do you mean--" he began. "Are the--all of the servants not--notrespectful and civil to her?"
Mrs Shepton bristled slightly.
"_Civil_, sir; of course they are that, at any rate when _I_ am by, andI don't think she ever comes much across them at other times. But`respectful'--if you mean behaving to her as if she were not one ofthemselves!--is the very last thing to wish for under thecircumstances."
"Of course, of course--I was forgetting," said the young man.
"You may be sure _I_ would allow no disrespect to any young girl, aboveall, a stranger. And as far as our own servants are concerned I thinkit has been quite pleasant, though even I cannot stop talk amongthemselves. And the visitors' servants I know still less about; I hadto give Miss--Miss Ray is the name she calls herself--a warning theother day, to be a little more chatty and friendly. There's a maid ofMrs Worthing's that I felt uneasy about. She's a sharp sort of personand inclined to be spiteful to any one younger and better-looking thanherself."
"She takes after her mistress, then. I can't stand Mrs Worthing," saidMichael, boyishly. "The daughter is a harmless little thing--wax in hermother's hands, but Mrs Worthing is a bundle of worldliness, just thesort of woman to beware of."
He had more in his mind than he thought it well to discuss, even withhis trusted old friend. It would have required no great acumen todiscover the great attraction of Wyverston at the present time to thelady in question, for Bernard Gresham was universally recognised as oneof the most desirable _partis_ of the day. And that, not only by reasonof his wealth and social position, but on the higher grounds also of hispersonal character and refinement of taste. And what Michael hadoverheard of Evelyn's conversation with his cousin, even one or tworemarks accidentally dropped by his cousin himself, had shown that theMiss Raynsworth of Dorriford had made an impression on him, little as hehad seen of her.
"Yes," added Michael aloud, after a little pause, "you are quite right,nurse. Don't let the Worthings--mistress or maid--get the slightestscent of any mystery. And impress upon the young lady at all costs tokeep out of Bernard's way."
So saying, he got up and turned to leave the room. "You may depend uponme," he said, with a slight nod, and without waiting to hear thehousekeeper's fervent thanks, he called to Solomon, who by this time hadfallen comfortably asleep by the fire, and the two went off together.
When Evelyn came in from her drive, somewhat to her surprise, no"Phillis" was awaiting her as usual in her room. She had shut andlocked the door carefully, for by this time she had in some waysacquired caution, and then hurrying through the dressing-room, she madeher way to the small apartment appropriated to her sister, thoughscarcely expecting to find her there.
"I believe she has gone out for a stroll," she said to herself. "Philis always so fond of mooning about in the dusk, and I do so want to seeher."
But her conjecture proved unfounded, for there on the little bed, with ashawl thrown over her, lay Philippa fast asleep. Evelyn stole up besideher, and stooped down to see her face.
"Poor dear," she thought, "she is looking very pale, and there are darkrings round her eyes; I wonder if there is anything the matter! AnywayI won't wake her. I must wait till later to tell her of this newcomplication."
So if young Mrs Headfort looked a degree less trim than usual when shemade her appearance among the circle gathered in the hall for afternoontea, it was not to be marvelled at. On her way thither, at the cornerof the first passage, she almost ran into the arms of the housekeeper.Evelyn started; she was in rather a nervous mood, and it was not oftenone came across Mrs Shepton in the upper storeys. To her relief thehousekeeper was the first to speak.
"I beg your pardon, ma'am," she said, "I'm afraid I startled you. I didnot know you had come in, and I was on my way to your--maid's room. Shedid not come down to tea, and I know her head was aching this afternoon.I thought perhaps she would like a cup of tea up-sta
irs."
"Thank you," said Evelyn, with incautious fervour. "Thank you so verymuch. She is lying on her bed fast asleep, and she does not look at allwell! But I must go down to tea. If you _could_ stay beside her a fewminutes I should be most grateful. She may wake; if she does, pleasetell her that I can manage quite well for myself to-night."
The new-comer glanced at the young lady approvingly; even the flushwhich involuntarily rose to Evelyn's face, much to her own annoyance,for they were standing close to an already lighted lamp, increased MrsShepton's good opinion of Mrs Marmaduke.
"I will certainly say so, ma'am," she replied, quickly.
"I have a quarter of an hour to spare, and I will see to her. Perhapsthe best thing would be for her to go to bed properly. A good night'ssleep will put her quite right, I daresay."
And Evelyn, her mind more at rest about her sister, hurried off,congratulating herself on the lucky chance which had brought them incontact with such a kindly "unsuspicious" person as the Wyverstonhousekeeper.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
HERSELF AGAIN.
More "good luck" was in store for young Mrs Headfort that
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