Fanny, however, asked the clergyman's consent first, telling him, with

her sweet, earnest smile, how sorry she was for the little girl, and

showing him the high testimonials to Mrs. Rawlins. He owned that they

were all that could be wished, and even said at her request that he

would talk to Mr. Mauleverer. What the talk amounted to they never knew;

but when Fanny said "she hoped he had found nothing unsatisfactory,

the poor man must be so glad to be of use;" Mr. Touchett replied with,

"Indeed, it is an unfortunate situation;" and his opposition might

therefore be considered as suspended.

"Of course," cried Bessie, "we know by what witchery!" But Alison

Williams, her listener, turned on her such great eyes of wilful want of

comprehension, that she held her peace.

Rachel and Grace united in sending Mary Morris, the other child; they

really could do nothing more, so heavily had their means been drawn upon

for the first expenses; but Rachel trusted to do more for the future,

and resolved that her dress should henceforth cost no more than Alison

Williams's; indeed, she went through a series of assertions by way of

examining Alison on the expenses of her wardrobe.

The house was taken from Michaelmas, and a few days after, the two

little victims, as Bessie laughingly called them, were taken over to St.

Norbert's in the Homestead carriage, Lady Temple chaperoning the three

young ladies to see the inauguration, and the height of Rachel's glory.

They were received by Mr. Mauleverer at the door, and slightly in the

rear saw the matron, Mrs. Rawlins, a handsome pale woman, younger than

they expected, but whose weeds made Fanny warm to her directly; but she

was shy and retiring, and could not be drawn into conversation; and

her little Alice was only three years old, much younger than Rachel had

expected as a pupil, but a very pretty creature with great black eyes.

Tea and cake were provided by way of an inauguration feast, and the

three little girls sat up in an atmosphere of good cheer, strongly

suggestive of school feasts, and were left in the midst, with many

promises of being good, a matter that Lovedy seemed to think would be

very easy in this happy place, with no lace to make.

Mrs. Rawlins, whose husband had been a trained schoolmaster, was to

take the children to church, and attend to their religious instruction;

indeed, Mr. Mauleverer was most anxious on this head, and as Rachel

already knew the scruples that withheld him from ordination were only

upon the absolute binding himself to positive belief in minor technical

points, that would never come in the way of young children.

Altogether, the neat freshness of the room, the urbanity of Mr.

Mauleverer, the shy grief of the matron, all left a most pleasant

impression. Rachel was full of delight and triumph, and Grace and Fanny

quite enthusiastic; the latter even to the being sure that the Colonel

would be delighted, for the Colonel was already beginning to dawn on the

horizon, and not alone. He had written, in the name of his brother, to

secure a cottage of gentility of about the same calibre as Myrtlewood,

newly completed by a speculator on one of the few bits of ground

available for building purposes. A name was yet wanting to it; but the

day after the negotiation was concluded, the landlord paid the delicate

compliment to his first tenant by painting "Gowanbrae" upon the

gate-posts in letters of green. "Go and bray," read Bessie Keith as she

passed by; "for the sake of the chief of my name, I hope that it is not

an omen of his occupations here."




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