Cashel Byron's Profession

Alice went home from the castle expecting to find the household

divided between joy at her good-fortune and grief at losing her; for

her views of human nature and parental feeling were as yet pure

superstitions. But Mrs. Goff at once became envious of the luxury

her daughter was about to enjoy, and overwhelmed her with

accusations of want of feeling, eagerness to desert her mother, and

vain love of pleasure. Alice, who loved Mrs. Goff so well that she

had often told her as many as five different lies in the course of

one afternoon to spare her some unpleasant truth, and would have

scouted as infamous any suggestion that her parent was more selfish

than saintly, soon burst into tears, declaring that she would not

return to the castle, and that nothing would have induced her to

stay there the night before had she thought that her doing so could

give pain at home. This alarmed Mrs. Goff, who knew by experience

that it was easier to drive Alice upon rash resolves than to shake

her in them afterwards. Fear of incurring blame in Wiltstoken for

wantonly opposing her daughter's obvious interests, and of losing

her share of Miss Carew's money and countenance, got the better of

her jealousy. She lectured Alice severely for her headstrong temper,

and commanded her, on her duty not only to her mother, but also and

chiefly to her God, to accept Miss Carew's offer with thankfulness,

and to insist upon a definite salary as soon as she had, by good

behavior, made her society indispensable at the castle. Alice,

dutiful as she was, reduced Mrs. Goff to entreaties, and even to

symptoms of an outburst of violent grief for the late Mr. Goff,

before she consented to obey her. She would wait, she said, until

Janet, who was absent teaching, came in, and promised to forgive her

for staying away the previous night (Mrs. Goff had falsely

represented that Janet had been deeply hurt, and had lain awake

weeping during the small hours of the morning). The mother, seeing

nothing for it but either to get rid of Alice before Janet's return

or to be detected in a spiteful untruth, had to pretend that Janet

was spending the evening with some friends, and to urge the

unkindness of leaving Miss Carew lonely. At last Alice washed away

the traces of her tears and returned to the castle, feeling very

miserable, and trying to comfort herself with the reflection that

her sister had been spared the scene which had just passed.

Lucian Webber had not arrived when she reached the castle. Miss

Carew glanced at her melancholy face as she entered, but asked no

questions. Presently, however, she put down her book, considered for

a moment, and said, "It is nearly three years since I have had a new dress." Alice

looked up with interest. "Now that I have you to help me to choose,

I think I will be extravagant enough to renew my entire wardrobe. I

wish you would take this opportunity to get some things for

yourself. You will find that my dress-maker, Madame Smith, is to be

depended on for work, though she is expensive and dishonest. When we

are tired of Wiltstoken we will go to Paris, and be millinered

there; but in the meantime we can resort to Madame Smith."