discovered that she is – all but a few weeks! – as old as her cousin Lucasta. A pretty child, with big, scared eyes, a tangle of brown hair, and a deplorably outmoded and ill-fitting gown.'
Lady Emborough tried hard to see his face, but it was too dark inside the carriage for her to distinguish more than its outlines. She said: 'Yes, I think I have seen her once. I must own, it astonishes me to learn that she is as old as Lucasta, for – like you! – I thought her a schoolroom miss! A poor little dab of a girl, isn't she? Well, she's the daughter of Lady Bugle's only sister, who ran off with that ne'er-do-well son of old Nettlecombe's. Before your time, but I remember what a scandal it was! Lady Bugle was obliged to take this girl under her roof – oh, a little over a year ago! I forget the rights of it, but I know that I thought it very charitable of her to have done so, when she told me about it.'
'Oh, was that how it was?' he said, in an indifferent tone.
'Charitable?' said Miss Montsale. 'Why, yes – if the charity was not used as a cloak to cover more mercenary aims!'
'Good God, Mary, what in the world do you mean?' de manded Lady Emborough.
'Oh, nothing, dear ma'am, against Lady Bugle! How could I, when I never met her before tonight? But I have so often seen – as I am persuaded you too must have seen! – the – the indigent female who has been received into the household of one of her more affluent relations, as an act of charity, and has been turned into a drudge!'
'And has been expected to be grateful for it!' struck in the Viscount.
'If,' said Lady Emborough awfully, 'these remarks refer to my cousin Cordelia's position at Hazelfield – '
'Oh, no, no, no!' Miss Montsale assured her laughingly. 'Of course they don't! Lord Desford, could anyone suppose Miss Pembury to be a downtrodden drudge?'
'Certainly not!' he responded promptly. 'No one, that is to say, who had been privileged to hear her giving handsome setdowns to my aunt! But you are very right, Miss Montsale: I too have seen just what you have described, and I suspect that the child I met tonight may be an example of that sort of charity.'
No more was said, for by this time the carriage had drawn up before the imposing portals of Hazelfield House. The ladies were handed down from it; Lord Emborough was roused by his nephew from his gentle slumber; and his sons, springing down from the Redgrave carriage, which drew up a minute later, were indignantly calling upon their pusillanimous sister to own that the storm was still miles distant, and that it had been a great shame to have dragged them away from the ball when (according to them) it had scarcely begun.
Lord Emborough, on entering his house, presented all the appearance of a gentleman no more than half awake, but when he walked into my lady's bedchamber, an hour later, he had emerged from his drowsy mists, and so obviously wished to engage her in private conversation that she dismissed her abigail, who was in the act of fitting a nightcap over her irongrey locks, and said, as this excellent female curtsied herself out of the room: 'Now we can be comfortable, and talk about the party – which I have for long thought to be the best thing about parties, even the finest of 'em! Which the lord knows this wasn't! An insipid evening, wasn't it?'
'It was indeed,' he agreed, disposing himself in a cushioned chair, and yawning. 'I have never known, my love, why my old friend – as good a man as ever stepped when we were up at Oxford together! – should have chosen to marry – I won't say a smatterer, but a mere miss, which was what we all thought her!'
'Well,' said Lady Emborough tolerantly, 'I do not say that she is a woman of the first consideration, but it must be ack nowledged that she has been a good wife to Sir Thomas, and is an excellent mother. And even you, Emborough, must also acknowledge that Sir
Lady Emborough tried hard to see his face, but it was too dark inside the carriage for her to distinguish more than its outlines. She said: 'Yes, I think I have seen her once. I must own, it astonishes me to learn that she is as old as Lucasta, for – like you! – I thought her a schoolroom miss! A poor little dab of a girl, isn't she? Well, she's the daughter of Lady Bugle's only sister, who ran off with that ne'er-do-well son of old Nettlecombe's. Before your time, but I remember what a scandal it was! Lady Bugle was obliged to take this girl under her roof – oh, a little over a year ago! I forget the rights of it, but I know that I thought it very charitable of her to have done so, when she told me about it.'
'Oh, was that how it was?' he said, in an indifferent tone.
'Charitable?' said Miss Montsale. 'Why, yes – if the charity was not used as a cloak to cover more mercenary aims!'
'Good God, Mary, what in the world do you mean?' de manded Lady Emborough.
'Oh, nothing, dear ma'am, against Lady Bugle! How could I, when I never met her before tonight? But I have so often seen – as I am persuaded you too must have seen! – the – the indigent female who has been received into the household of one of her more affluent relations, as an act of charity, and has been turned into a drudge!'
'And has been expected to be grateful for it!' struck in the Viscount.
'If,' said Lady Emborough awfully, 'these remarks refer to my cousin Cordelia's position at Hazelfield – '
'Oh, no, no, no!' Miss Montsale assured her laughingly. 'Of course they don't! Lord Desford, could anyone suppose Miss Pembury to be a downtrodden drudge?'
'Certainly not!' he responded promptly. 'No one, that is to say, who had been privileged to hear her giving handsome setdowns to my aunt! But you are very right, Miss Montsale: I too have seen just what you have described, and I suspect that the child I met tonight may be an example of that sort of charity.'
No more was said, for by this time the carriage had drawn up before the imposing portals of Hazelfield House. The ladies were handed down from it; Lord Emborough was roused by his nephew from his gentle slumber; and his sons, springing down from the Redgrave carriage, which drew up a minute later, were indignantly calling upon their pusillanimous sister to own that the storm was still miles distant, and that it had been a great shame to have dragged them away from the ball when (according to them) it had scarcely begun.
Lord Emborough, on entering his house, presented all the appearance of a gentleman no more than half awake, but when he walked into my lady's bedchamber, an hour later, he had emerged from his drowsy mists, and so obviously wished to engage her in private conversation that she dismissed her abigail, who was in the act of fitting a nightcap over her irongrey locks, and said, as this excellent female curtsied herself out of the room: 'Now we can be comfortable, and talk about the party – which I have for long thought to be the best thing about parties, even the finest of 'em! Which the lord knows this wasn't! An insipid evening, wasn't it?'
'It was indeed,' he agreed, disposing himself in a cushioned chair, and yawning. 'I have never known, my love, why my old friend – as good a man as ever stepped when we were up at Oxford together! – should have chosen to marry – I won't say a smatterer, but a mere miss, which was what we all thought her!'
'Well,' said Lady Emborough tolerantly, 'I do not say that she is a woman of the first consideration, but it must be ack nowledged that she has been a good wife to Sir Thomas, and is an excellent mother. And even you, Emborough, must also acknowledge that Sir
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