Beechcroft at Rockstone

by Charlotte M. Yonge

  'Well, now for the second stage of our guardianship!' said Aunt Ada, asthe two sisters sat over the fire after Valetta had gone to bed. 'Ferguscomes back to-morrow, and Gillian--when?'

  'She does not seem quite certain, for there is to be a day or twoat Brompton with this delightful Geraldine, so that she may see hergrandmother--also Mr. Clement Underwood's church, and the Merchant ofVenice--an odd mixture of ecclesiastics and dissipations.'

  'I wonder whether she will be set up by it.'

  'So do I! They are all remarkably good people; but then good people dosometimes spoil the most of all, for they are too unselfish to snub. Andon the other hand, seeing the world sometimes has the wholesome effectof making one feel small--'

  'My dear Jenny!'

  'Oh! I did not mean you, who are never easily effaced; but I wasthinking of youthful bumptiousness, fostered by country life and eldersistership.'

  'Certainly, though Valetta is really much improved, Gillian has notbeen as pleasant as I expected, especially during the latter part of thetime.'

  'Query, was it her fault or mine, or the worry of the examination, orall three?'

  'Perhaps you did superintend a little too much at first. More thanmodern independence was prepared for, though I should not have expectedrecalcitration in a young Lily; but I think there was more ruffling oftemper and more reserve than I can quite understand.'

  'It has not been a success. As dear old Lily would have said, "My dreamhas vanished," of a friend in the younger generation, and now it remainsto do the best I can for her in the few weeks that are left, before wehave her dear mother again.'

  'At any rate, you have no cause to be troubled about the other two.Valetta is really the better for her experience, and you have always goton well with the boy.'

  Fergus was the first of the travellers to appear at Rockstone. MissMohun, who went to meet him at the station, beheld a small figurelustily pulling at a great canvas bag, which came bumping down the step,assisted by a shove from the other passengers, and threatening for amoment to drag him down between platform and carriages.

  'Fergus, Fergus, what have you got there? Give it to me. How heavy!'

  'It's a few of my mineralogical specimens,' replied Fergus. 'Harrywouldn't let me put any more into my portmanteau--but the peacock andthe dendrum are there.'

  Already, without special regard to peacock or dendrum, whatever thatarticle might be, Miss Mohun was claiming the little old militaryportmanteau, with a great M and 110th painted on it, that held Fergus'sgarments.

  He would scarcely endure to deposit the precious bag in the omnibus,and as he walked home his talk was all of tertiary formations, and coalmeasures, and limestones, as he extracted a hammer from his pocket, andlooked perilously disposed to use it on the vein of crystals in a greatpink stone in a garden wall. His aunt was obliged to begin by insistingthat the walls should be safe from geological investigations.

  'But it is such waste, Aunt Jane. Only think of building up suchbeautiful specimens in a stupid old wall.'

  Aunt Jane did not debate the question of waste, but assured him thatequally precious specimens could be honestly come by; while she feltrenewed amusement and pleasure at anything so like the brother Mauriceof thirty odd years ago being beside her.

  It made her endure the contents of the bag being turned out like aminiature rockery for her inspection on the floor of the glazedverandah outside the drawing-room, and also try to pacify Mrs. Mount'sindignation at finding the more valuable specimens, or, as she calledthem, 'nasty stones' and bits of dirty coal, within his socks.

  Much more information as to mines, coal, or copper, was to be gainedfrom him than as to Cousin David, or Harry, or Jasper, who had spent thelast ten days of his holidays at Coalham, which had procured for Fergusthe felicity of a second underground expedition. It was left to hismaturer judgment and the next move to decide how many of his specimenswere absolutely worthless; it was only stipulated that he and Valettashould carry them, all and sundry, up to the lumber-room, and therearrange them as he chose;--Aunt Jane routing out for him a very dulllittle manual of mineralogy, and likewise a book of Maria Hack's, longsince out of print, but wherein 'Harry Beaufoy' is instructed in thechief outlines of geology in a manner only perhaps inferior to that of"Madame How and Lady Why," which she reserved for a birthday present.Meantime Rockstone and its quarries were almost as excellent a field ofresearch as the mines of Coalham, and in a different line.

  'How much nicer it is to be a boy than a girl!' sighed Valetta, asshe beheld her junior marching off with all the dignity of hammer andknapsack to look up Alexis White and obtain access to the heaps ofrubbish, which in his eyes held as infinite possibilities as the diamondfields of Kimberley. And Alexis was only delighted to bestow on him anyspace of daylight when both were free from school or from work, and kepta look-out for the treasures he desired. Of course, out of gratitude tohis parents--or was it out of gratitude to his sister? Perhaps Ferguscould have told, if he had paid the slightest attention to such atrifle, how anxiously Alexis inquired when Miss Gillian was expectedto return. Moreover, he might have told that his other model, Stebbing,pronounced old Dick White a beast and a screw, with whom his brotherFrank was not going to stop.

  Gillian came back a fortnight later, having been kept at Rowthorpe,together with Mrs. Grinstead, for a family festival over the doublemarriage in Ceylon, after which she spent a few days in London, so as tosee her grandmother, Mrs. Merrifield, who was too infirm for an actualvisit to be welcome, since her attendant grandchild, Bessie Merrifield,was so entirely occupied with her as to have no time to bestow upon aguest of more than an hour or two. Gillian was met at the station byher aunt, and when all her belongings had been duly extracted, proving agood deal larger in bulk than when she had left Rockstone, and both wereseated in the fly to drive home through a dismal February Fill-dyke day,the first words that were spoken were,

  'Aunt Jane, I ought to tell you something.'

  Hastily revolving conjectures as to the subject of the comingconfession, Miss Mohun put herself at her niece's service.

  'Aunt Jane, I know I ought to have told you how much I was seeing of theWhites last autumn.'

  'Indeed, I know you wished to do what you could for them.'

  'Yes,' said Gillian, finding it easier than she expected. 'You knowAlexis wants very much to be prepared for Holy Orders, and he couldnot get on by himself, so I have been running down to Kalliope's officeafter reading to Lily Giles, to look over his Greek exercises.'

  'Meeting him?'

  'Only sometimes. But Kally did not like it. She said you ought to know,and that was the reason she would not come into the G.F.S. She is sogood and honourable, Aunt Jane.'

  'I am sure she is a very excellent girl,' said Aunt Jane warmly. 'Butcertainly it would have been better to have these lessons in our house.Does your mother know?'

  'Yes,' said Gillian, 'I wrote to her all I was doing, and how I havebeen talking to Kally on Sunday afternoons through the rails of Mr.White's garden. I thought she could telegraph if she did not approve,but she does not seem to have noticed it in my letters, only sayingsomething I could not make out--about "if you approved."'

  'And is that the reason you have told me?'

  'Partly, but I got the letter before the holidays. I think it has workeditself up, Aunt Jane, into a sense that it was not the thing. There wasKally, and there was poor Valetta's mess, and her justifying herself bysaying I did more for the Whites than you knew, and altogether, I grewsorry I had begun it, for I was sure it was not acting honestly towardsyou, Aunt Jane, and I hope you will forgive me.'

  Miss Mohun put her arm round the girl and kissed her heartily.

  'My dear Gill, I am glad you have told me! I dare say I seemed to worryyou, and that you felt as if you were watched; I will do my very best tohelp you, if you have got into a scrape. I only want to ask you notto do anything more till I can see Kally, and settle with her the mostsuitable way of helping the youth.'

  But do you th
ink there is a scrape, aunt? I never thought of that, ifyou forgave me.'

  'My dear, I see you did not; and that you told me because you are myLily's daughter, and have her honest heart. I do not know that there isanything amiss, but I am afraid young ladies can't do--well, impulsivethings without a few vexations in consequence. Don't be so dismayed,I don't know of anything, and I cannot tell you how glad I am of yourhaving spoken out in this way.'

  'I feel as if a load were off my back!' said Gillian.

  And a bar between her and her aunt seemed to have vanished, as theydrove up the now familiar slope, and under the leafless copper beeches.Blood is thinker than water, and what five months ago had seemed to beexile, had become the first step towards home, if not home itself, fornow, like Valetta, she welcomed the sound of her mother's voice in heraunt's. And there were Valetta and Fergus rushing out, almost under thewheels to fly at her, and Aunt Ada's soft embraces in the hall.

  The first voice that came out of the melee was Valetta's. 'Gill is grownquite a lady!'

  'How much improved!' exclaimed Aunt Ada.

  'The Bachfisch has swum into the river,' was Aunt Jane's comment.

  'She'll never be good for anything jolly--no scrambling!' grumbledFergus.

  'Now Fergus! didn't Kitty Somerville and I scramble when we found thegate locked, and thought we saw the spiteful stag, and that he was goingto run at us?'

  'I'm afraid that was rather on compulsion, Gill.'

  'It wasn't the spiteful stag after all, but we had such a long way tocome home, and got over the park wall at last by the help of the limb ofa tree. We had been taking a bit of wedding-cake to Frank Somerville'sold nurse, and Kitty told her I was her maiden aunt, and we had suchfun--her uncle's wife's sister, you know.'

  'We sent a great piece of our wedding-cake to the Whites,' put inValetta. 'Fergus and I took it on Saturday afternoon, but nobody was athome but Mrs. White, and she is fatter than ever.'

  'I say, Gill, which is the best formation, Vale Leston or Rowthorpe?'

  'Oh, nobody is equal to Geraldine; but Kitty is a dear thing.'

  'I didn't mean that stuff, but which had the best strata and specimens?'

  'Geological, he means--not of society,' interposed Aunt Jane.

  'Oh yes! Harry said he had gone geology mad, and I really did get youa bit of something at Vale Leston, Fergus, that Mr. Harewood said wasworth having. Was it an encrinite? I know it was a stone-lily.'

  'An encrinite! Oh, scrumptious!'

  Then ensued such an unpacking as only falls to the lot of home-comersfrom London, within the later precincts of Christmas, gifts ofmarvellous contrivance and novelty, as well as cheapness, for all andsundry, those reserved for others almost as charming to the beholders asthose which fell to their own lot. The box, divided into compartments,transported Fergus as much as the encrinite; Valetta had aphotograph-book, and, more diffidently, Gillian presented Aunt Adawith a graceful little statuette in Parian, and Aunt Jane with the lastnovelty in baskets. There were appropriate keepsakes for the maids,and likewise for Kalliope and Maura. Aunt Jane was glad to see thatdiscretion had prevailed so as to confine these gifts to the female partof the White family. There were other precious articles in reserve forthe absent; and the display of Gillian's own garments was not withoutinterest, as she had been to her first ball, under the chaperonageof Lady Somerville, and Mrs. Grinstead had made her white tarletanavailable by painting it and its ribbons with exquisite blue nemophilas,too lovely for anything so fleeting.

  Mrs. Grinstead and her maid had taken charge of the damsel's toilette atRowthorpe, had perhaps touched up her dresses, and had certainly taughther how to put them on, and how to manage her hair, so that though ithad not broken out into fringes or tousles, as if it were desirable toimitate savages 'with foreheads marvellous low,' the effect was greatlyimproved. The young brown-skinned, dark-eyed face, and rather tallfigure were the same, even the clothes the very same chosen under heraunt Ada's superintendence, but there was an indescribable change, notso much that of fashion as of distinction, and something of the sameinward growth might be gathered from her conversation.

  All the evening there was a delightful outpouring. Gillian had beenextremely happy, and considerably reconciled to her sisters' marriages;but she had been away from home and kin long enough to make her feel hernearness to her aunts, and to appreciate the pleasure of describingher enjoyment without restraint, and of being with those whose personalfamily interests were her own, not only sympathetic, like her dearGeraldine's. They were ready for any amount of description, though, onthe whole, Miss Mohun preferred to hear of the Vale Leston charities andchurch details, and Miss Adeline of the Rowthorpe grandees and gaieties,after the children had supped full of the diversions of their ownkind at both places, and the deeply interesting political scraps anddescriptions of great men had been given.

  It had been, said Aunt Jane, a bit of education. Gillian had indeedspent her life with thoughtful, cultivated, and superior people; butthe circumstances of her family had confined her to a schoolroom sortof existence ever since she had reached appreciative years, retarding,though not perhaps injuring, her development; nor did Rockquay societyafford much that was elevating, beyond the Bureau de Charite thatBeechcroft Cottage had become. Details were so much in hand that breadthof principle might be obscured.

  At Vale Leston, however, there was a strong ecclesiastical atmosphere;but while practical parish detail was thoroughly kept up, there was awider outlook, and constant conversation and discussion among superiormen, such as the Harewood brothers, Lancelot Underwood, Mr. Grinstead,and Dr. May, on the great principles and issues of Church and Statematters, religion, and morals, together with matters of art, music, andliterature, opening new vistas to her, and which she could afterwards goover with Mrs. Grinstead and Emily and Anna Vanderkist with enthusiasmand comprehension. It was something different from grumbling over thenumber of candles at St. Kenelm's, or the defective washing of the St.Andrew's surplices.

  At Rowthorpe she had seen and heard people with great historic names,champions in the actual battle. There had been a constant coming andgoing of guests during her three weeks' visit, political meetings,entertainments to high and low, the opening of a public institute inthe next town, the exhibition of tableaux in which she had an importantshare, parties in the evenings, and her first ball. The length of hervisit and her connection with the family had made her share the part ofhostess with Lady Constance and Lady Katharine Somerville, and she hadbeen closely associated with their intimates, the daughters of these menof great names. Of course there had been plenty of girlish chatterand merry trifling, perhaps some sharp satirical criticism, and therevelations she had heard had been a good deal of the domestic comedy ofpolitical and aristocratic life; but throughout there had been a view ofconscientious goodness, for the young girls who gave a tone to therest had been carefully brought up, and were earnest and right-minded,accepting representation, gaiety, and hospitality as part of the duty oftheir position, often involving self-denial, though there was likewiseplenty of enjoyment.

  Such glimpses of life had taught Gillian more than she yet realised. Ashas been seen, the atmosphere of Vale Leston had deepened her spirituallife, and the sermons had touched her heart to the quick, andcaused self-examination, which had revealed to her the secret of herdissatisfaction with herself, and her perception was the clearer throughher intercourse on entirely equal terms with persons of a high tone ofrefinement.

  The immediate fret of sense of supervision and opposition being removed,she had seen things more justly, and a distaste had grown on her forstolen expeditions to the office, and for the corrections of her pupil'sexercises. She recoiled from the idea that this was the consequenceeither of having swell friends, or of getting out of her depth in herinstructions; but reluctance recurred, while advance in knowledge ofthe world made her aware that Alexis White, after hours, in hissister's office, might justly be regarded by her mother and aunts as anundesirable scholar for her, and that
his sister's remonstrances oughtnot to have been scouted. She had done the thing in her simplicity, butit was through her own wilful secretiveness that her ignorance had notbeen guarded.

  Thus she had, as a matter of truth, conscience, and repentance, made theconfession which had been so kindly received as to warm her heart withgratitude to her aunt, and she awoke the next morning to feel freer,happier, and more at home than she had ever yet done at Rockstone.

  When the morning letters were opened, they contained the startling newsthat Mysie might be expected that very evening, with Fly, the governess,and Lady Rotherwood,--at least that was the order of precedence in whichthe party represented itself to the minds of the young Merrifields.Primrose had caught a fresh cold, and her uncle and aunt would not partwith her till her mother's return, but the infection was over with theother two, and sea air was recommended as soon as possible for LadyPhyllis; so, as the wing of the hotel, which was almost a mansion initself, had been already engaged, the journey was to be made at once,and the arrival would take place in the afternoon. The tidings were mostrapturously received; Valetta jumped on and off all the chairs in theroom unchidden, while Fergus shouted, 'Hurrah for Mysie and Fly!' andGillian's heart felt free to leap.

  This made it a very busy day, since Lady Rotherwood had begged to havesome commissions executed for her beforehand, small in themselves, but,with a scrupulously thorough person, occupying all the time left fromother needful engagements; so that there was no chance of the promisedconversation with Kalliope, nor did Gillian trouble herself muchabout it in her eagerness, and hardly heard Fergus announce that FrankStebbing had come home, and the old boss was coming, 'bad luck to him.'

  All the three young people were greatly disappointed that their auntswould not consent to their being on the platform nor in front of thehotel, nor even in what its mistress termed the reception-room, to meetthe travellers.

  'There was nothing Lady Rotherwood would dislike more than a rush of youall,' said Aunt Adeline, and they had to submit, though Valetta nearlycried when she was dragged in from demonstratively watching at the gatein a Scotch mist.

  However, in about a quarter of an hour there was a ring at the door, andin another moment Mysie and Gillian were hugging one smother, Valettahanging round Mysie's neck, Fergus pulling down her arm. The fourcreatures seemed all wreathed into one like fabulous snakes for someseconds, and when they unfolded enough for Mysie to recollect and kissher aunts, there certainly was a taller, better-equipped figure, butjust the same round, good-humoured countenance, and the first thing,beyond happy ejaculations, that she was heard in a dutiful voice to saywas, 'Miss Elbury brought me to the door. I may stay as long as my auntslike to have me this evening, if you will be so kind as to send some oneto see me back.'

  Great was the jubilation, and many the inquiries after Primrose, who hadonce been nearly well, but had fallen back again, and Fly, who, Mysiesaid, was quite well and as comical as ever when she was well, butquickly tired. She had set out in high spirits, but had been dreadfullyweary all the latter part of the journey, and was to go to bed at once.She still coughed, but Mysie was bent on disproving Nurse Halfpenny'sassurance that the recovery would not be complete till May, nor wasthere any doubt of her own air of perfect health.

  It was an evening of felicitous chatter, of showing off Christmas cards,of exchanging of news, of building of schemes, the most prominent beingthat Valetta should be in the constant companionship of Mysie andFly until her own schoolroom should be re-established. This had beenproposed by Lord Rotherwood, and was what the aunts would have foundconvenient; but apparently this had been settled by Lord Rotherwood andthe two little girls, but Lady Rotherwood had not said anything aboutit, and quoth Mysie, 'Somehow things don't happen till Lady Rotherwoodsettles them, and then they always do.'

  'And shall I like Miss Elbury?' asked Valetta.

  'Yes, if--if you take pains,' said Mysie; 'but you mustn't botherher with questions in the middle of a lesson, or she tells you not tochatter. She likes to have them all kept for the end; and then, if theyaren't foolish, she will take lots of trouble.'

  'Oh, I hate that!' said Valetta. 'I shouldn't remember them, and I liketo have done with it. Then she is not like Miss Vincent?'

  'Oh no! She couldn't be dear Miss Vincent; but, indeed, she is very kindand nice.'

  'How did you get on altogether, Mysie! Wasn't it horrid?' asked Gillian.

  'I was afraid it was going to be horrid,' said Mysie. 'You see, itwasn't like going in holiday time as it was before. We had to be almostalways in the schoolroom; and there were lots of lessons--more for methan Fly.'

  'Just like a horrid old governess to slake her thirst on you,' put inFergus; and though his aunts shook their heads at him, they did notcorrect him.

  'And one had to sit bolt upright all the time, and never twist one'sankles,' continued Mysie; 'and not speak except French and German--good,mind! It wouldn't do to say, "La jambe du table est sur mon exercise?"'

  'Oh, oh! No wonder Fly got ill!'

  'Fly didn't mind one bit. French and German come as naturally to her asthe days of the week, and they really begin to come to me in the morningnow when I see Miss Elbury.'

  'But have you to go on all day?' asked Valetta disconsolately.

  'Oh no! Not after one o'clock.'

  'And you didn't say that mamma thinks it only leads to slovenly badgrammar!' said Gillian.

  'That would have been impertinent,' said Mysie; 'and no one would haveminded either.'

  'Did you never play?'

  'We might play after our walk--and after tea; but it had to be quietplay, not real good games, even before Fly was ill--at least we did havesome real games when Primrose came over, or when Cousin Rotherwood hadus down in his study or in the hall; but Fly got tired, and knocked upvery soon even then. Miss Elbury wanted us always to play battledore andshuttlecock, or Les Graces, if we couldn't go out.'

  'Horrid woman!' said Valetta.

  'No, she isn't horrid,' said Mysie stoutly; 'I only fancied her so whenshe used to say, "Vos coudes, mademoiselle," or "Redresses-vous," andwhen she would not let us whisper; but really and truly she wasvery, very kind, and I came to like her very much and see she was notcross--only thought it right.'

  'And redressez-vous has been useful, Mysie,' said Aunt Ada; 'you are asmuch improved as Gillian.'

  'I thought it would be dreadful,' continued Mysie, 'when the grown-upswent out on a round of visits, and we had no drawing-room, and no CousinRotherwood; but Cousin Florence came every day, and once she had us todinner, and that was nice; and once she took us to Beechcroft to seePrimrose, and if it was not fine enough for Fly to go out, she came forme, and I went to her cottages with her. Oh, I did like that! And whenthe whooping-cough came, you can't think how very kind she was, and MissElbury too. They both seemed only to think how to make me happy, thoughI didn't feel ill a bit, except when I whooped, but they seemed so sorryfor me, and so pleased that I didn't make more fuss. I couldn't, youknow, when poor Fly was so ill. And when she grew better, we were allso glad that somehow it made us all like a sort of a kind of a hometogether, though it could not be that.'

  Mysie's English had scarcely improved, whatever her French had done; butGillian gathered that she had had far more grievances to overcome, andhad met them in a very different spirit from herself.

  As to the schoolroom arrangements, which would have been so convenientto the aunts, it was evident that the matter had not yet been decisivelysettled, though the children took it for granted. It was pretty to seehow Mysie was almost devoured by Fergus and Valetta, hanging on eitherside of her as she sat, and Gillian, as near as they would allow, whilethe four tongues went on unceasingly.

  It was only horrid, Valetta said, that Mysie should sleep in a differenthouse; but almost as much of her company was vouchsafed on the ensuingday, Sunday, for Miss Elbury had relations at Rockquay, and was releasedfor the entire day; and Fly was still so tired in the morning that shewas not allowed to get up early in the day.r />
  Her mother, however, came in to go to church with Adeline Mohun, andGillian, who had heard so much of the great Marchioness, was surprisedto see a small slight woman, not handsome, and worn-looking about theeyes. At the first glance, she was plainly dressed; but the eye of aconnoisseur like Aunt Ada could detect the exquisiteness of the materialand the taste, and the slow soft tone of her voice; and every gestureand phrase showed that she had all her life been in the habitof condescending--in fact, thought Gillian, revolving her recentexperience, though Lady Liddesdale and all her set are taller,finer-looking people, they are not one bit so grand--no, not that--butso unapproachable, as I am sure she is. She is gracious, while they arejust good-natured!

  Aunt Ada was evidently pleased with the graciousness, and highlydelighted to have to take this distinguished personage to church. Mysiewas with her sisters, Valetta was extremely anxious to take her to theSunday drawing-room class--whether for the sake of showing her to Mrs.Hablot, or Mrs. Hablot to her, did not appear.

  Gillian was glad to be asked to sit with Fly in the meantime. It was asufficient reason for not repairing to the garden, and she hoped thatKalliope was unaware of her return, little knowing of the replies bywhich Fergus repaid Alexis for his assistance in mineral hunting.She had no desire to transgress Miss Mohun's desire that no furtherintercourse should take place till she herself had spoken with Kalliope.

  She found little Phyllis Devereux a great deal taller and thinner thanthe droll childish being who had been so amusing two years before atSilverfold, but eagerly throwing herself into her arms with the sameaffectionate delight. All the table was spread with pretty books andoutlined illuminations waiting to be painted, and some really beautifulillustrated Sunday books; but as Gillian touched the first, Fly criedout, 'Oh, don't! I am so tired of all those things! And this is sucha stupid window. I thought at least I should see the people goingto church, and this looks at nothing but the old sea and a tiresomegarden.'

  'That is thought a special advantage,' said Gillian, smiling.

  'Then I wish some one had it who liked it!'

  'You would not be so near us.'

  'No, and that is nice, and very nice for Mysie. How are all the dearbeasts at Silverfold--Begum, and all?'

  'I am afraid I do not know more about them than Mysie does. Aunt Janeheard this morning that she must go down there to-morrow to meet thehealth-man and see what he says; but she won't take any of us because ofthe diphtheria and the scarlet fever being about.'

  'Oh dear, how horrid those catching things are! I've not seen Ivinghoeall this winter! Ah! but they are good sometimes! If it had not beenfor the measles, I should never have had that most delicious time atSilverfold, nor known Mysie. Now, please tell me all about where youhave been, and what you have been doing.'

  Fly knew some of the younger party that Gillian had met at Rowthorpe;but she was more interested in the revels at Vale Leston, and requireda precise description of the theatricals, or still better, of therehearsals. Never was there a more appreciative audience, of how it allbegan from Kit Harewood, the young sailor, having sent home a lion'sskin from Africa, which had already served for tableaux of Androcles andof Una--how the boy element had insisted on fun, and the child elementon fairies, and how Mrs. William Harewood had suggested MidsummerNight's Dream as the only combination of the three essentials, lion,fun, and fairy, and pronounced that education had progressed far enoughfor the representation to be 'understanded of the people,' at least bythe 6th and 7th standards. On the whole, however, comprehension seemedto have been bounded by intense admiration of the little girl fairies,whom the old women appeared to have taken for angels, for one haddeclared that to hear little Miss Cherry and Miss Katie singing theirhymns like the angels they was, was just like Heaven. She must have hadan odd notion of 'Spotted snakes with double tongues.' Moreover, effectwas added to the said hymns by Uncle Lance behind the scenes.

  Then there was the account of how it had been at first intended thatOberon should be represented by little Sir Adrian, with his Bexleycousin, Pearl Underwood, for his Titania; but though she was fairyenough for anything, he turned out so stolid, and uttered 'Well met bymoonlight, proud Titania,' the only lines he ever learnt, exactly likea lesson, besides crying whenever asked to study his part, that theattempt had to be given up, and the fairy sovereigns had to be of largesize, Mr. Grinstead pronouncing that probably this was intended byShakespeare, as Titania was a name of Diana, and he combined Greciannymphs with English fairies. So Gerald Underwood had to combine the partof Peter Quince (including Thisbe) with that of Oberon, and the queenwas offered to Gillian.

  'But I had learnt Hermia,' she said, 'and I saw it was politeness, soI wouldn't, and Anna Vanderkist is ever so much prettier, besides beingused to acting with Gerald. She did look perfectly lovely, asleep onthe moss in the scene Mrs. Grinstead painted and devised for her! Therewas--'

  'Oh! not only the prettiness, I don't care for that. One gets enough ofthe artistic, but the fun--the dear fun.'

  'There was fun enough, I am sure,' said Gillian. 'Puck wasFelix--Pearl's brother, you know--eleven years old, so clever, and anawful imp--and he was Moon besides; but the worst of it was that hisdog--it was a funny rough terrier at the Vicarage--was so furious at thelion, when Adrian was roaring under the skin, that nobody could hear,and Adrian got frightened, as well he might, and crept out from underit, screaming, and there fell the lion, collapsing flat in the middle ofthe place. Even Theseus--Major Harewood, you know, who had tried to beas grave as a judge, and so polite to the actors--could not stand thatinterpolation, as he called it, of "the man in the moon--not to say thedog," came down too soon--Why, Fly--'

  For Fly was in such a paroxysm of laughter as to end in a violent fit ofcoughing, and to bring Lady Rotherwood in, vexed and anxious.

  'Oh, mother! it was only--it was only the lion's skin--' and off wentFly, laughing and coughing again.

  'I was telling her about the acting or Midsummer Night's Dream at ValeLeston,' explained Gillian.

  'I should not have thought that a suitable subject for the day,' saidthe Marchioness gravely, and Fly's endeavour to say it was her faultfor asking about it was silenced by choking; and Gillian found herselfcourteously dismissed in polite disgrace, and, as she felt, not entirelywithout justice.

  It was a great disappointment that Aunt Jane did not think it well totake any of the young people to their home with her. As she said, shedid not believe that they would catch anything; but it was better to beon the safe side, and she fully expected that they would spend most ofthe day with Mysie and Fly.

  'I wish I could go and talk to Kalliope, my dear,' she said to Gillian;'but I am afraid it must wait another day.'

  'Oh, never mind,' said Gillian, as they bade each other good-night attheir doors; 'they don't know that I am come home, so they will notexpect me.'

  CHAPTER XIII. -- ST. VALENTINE'S DAY