Rachel did not much like this, but it was so prettily and playfully said

that the pleasing impression was quite predominant; and when Rachel took

leave, it was with a sense of vexation that a person whom she had begun

to esteem should be hard upon this bright engaging sister. Yet it might

be well if Fanny took note of the admission that he could be irritable

as well as stern, and sometimes mistaken in his judgments. What would

the Colonel say to all this? The Colonel--here he was coming back again

into her imagination. Another symptom!

The brother left the field entirely to his sister for the present; he

was a good deal occupied after his leave, and other officers being away,

he was detained at Avoncester, and meantime Bessie Keith took all hearts

by storm with her gay good humour and eager sympathy. By the end of the

first morning she had been to the stable with a swarm of boys, patted,

and learnt the names of all the ponies; she was on the warmest terms

with the young spaniel, that, to the Curtises' vexation, one of the

officers had given Conrade, and which was always getting into the

way; she had won Alison by telling her of Mr. Clare's recollections of

Ermine's remarkable beauty and intelligence, and charmed Ermine herself

by his kind messages and her own sunshiny brightness; she had delighted

Mrs. Curtis and Grace by appreciating their views and their flowers;

she had discussed hymnals and chants with Mr. Touchett, and promised her

services; she had given a brilliant object lesson at Mrs. Kelland's, and

received one herself in lace-making; and had proved herself, to Rachel's

satisfaction, equally practical and well-read. All the outer world was

asking, "Have you seen the young lady with Lady Temple?"

Nothing came amiss to her, from the antiquity of man to Stephana's first

words; and whether she taught Grace new stitches, played cricket with

Conrade, made boats for Cyril, prattled with Lady Temple, or studied

with Rachel, all was done with grace, zest, and sympathy peculiarly

her own. Two practisings at the school removed the leaden drawl, and

lessened the twang of the choir; and Mr. Touchett looked quite exalted,

while even Rachel owned that she had hardly believed her ears.

Rachel and she constituted themselves particular friends, and Grace kept

almost aloof in the fear of disturbing them. She had many friends, and

this was the first, except Ermine Williams, to whom Rachel had taken,

since a favourite companion of her youth had disappointed her by a

foolish marriage. Bessie's confidences had a vigour in them that even

Rachel's half-way meetings could not check, and then the sharp, clever

things she would say, in accordance with Rachel's views, were more

sympathetic than anything she had met with. It was another new charm to

life.




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