"One achievement is mine," she said, dancing away backwards, her bright
eyes beaming with saucy merriment, "the great Alexander has bidden me to
croquet."
"I am afraid," said her brother, turning to Rachel as she departed,
"that it was all her fault. Pray be patient with her, she has had many
disadvantages."
His incomprehensible irony had so often perplexed Rachel, that she did
not know whether his serious apologetic tone were making game of her
annoyance, and she answered not very graciously, "Oh, never mind, it did
not signify." And at the same time came another urgent entreaty from
the boys that the two "aunts" would join the game, Conrade evidently
considering that partnership with him would seal the forgiveness Aunt
Rachel had won by the rescue of Don.
Grace readily yielded, but Rachel pleaded her engagement, and when the
incorrigible Bessie declared that they perfectly understood that nothing
could compete with the sketch of the Spinster's Needles, she answered,
"I promised to write a letter for my mother on business before post
time. The Burnaby bargain," she explained, to add further conviction.
"A business-like transaction indeed!" exclaimed Bessie, much diverted
with the name.
"Only a bit of land in trust for apprenticing poor children," said
Rachel. "It was left by a Curtis many generations ago, in trust to the
rector of the parish and the lord of the manor; and poor Mr. Linton is
so entirely effete, that it is virtually in our hands. It is one of the
vexations of my life that more good cannot be done with it, for the fees
are too small for superior tradespeople, and we can only bind them to
the misery of lacemaking. The system belongs to a worn-out state of
things."
The word system in Rachel's mouth was quite sufficient to send Bessie to
her croquet, and the poor boys were at length rewarded for their unusual
patience. Their mother had been enduring almost as much as they did in
her dislike to see them tantalised, and she now threw herself into
the game with a relish that proved that as yet, at least, Conrade's
approbation was more to her than Captain Keith's. It was very pretty to
see her so pleased with her instructions, so eager about her own game,
and yet so delighted with every hit of her boys; while Bessie was an
admirable general, playing everybody's game as well as her own, and with
such life and spirit, such readiness and good nature, that a far duller
sport would have been delicious under her management.
"Poor Alick," said she, meeting him when he again strolled into the
garden, while the boys were collecting the mallets and balls; "he did
think he had one lawn in the world undefiled by those horrible hoops!"
then as she met his smile of amusement and pardon, "but it was so
exactly what they wanted here. It is so good for Lady Temple and her
boys to have something they can do together."