Her voice broke down, though she kept from tears as an unkindness to her
aunt.
In very fact, little as she knew it, she could not have defended herself
better than by this humble question, throwing the whole guidance of her
conduct upon her aunt. If she had been affronted, Mrs. Curtis could have
been displeased; but to be thus set to prescribe the right conduct, was
at once mollifying and perplexing.
"Well, well, my dear child, we all know you wish to do right; you can
judge best. I would not have you ungrateful or uncivil, only you know
you are living very quietly, and intimacy--oh! my dear, I know your
own feeling will direct you. Dear child! you have taken what I said so
kindly. And now let me see that dear little girl."
Rachel had not anticipated that the upshot of a remonstrance, even from
her mother, would be that Fanny was to be directed by her own feeling!
That same feeling took Lady Temple to Mackarel Lane later in the day.
She had told the Colonel her intention, and obtained Alison's assurance
that Ermine's stay at Myrtlewood need not be impracticable, and armed
with their consent, she made her timid tap at Miss Williams' door, and
showed her sweet face within it.
"May I come in? Your sister and your little niece are gone for a walk. I
told them I would come! I did want to see you!"
"Thank you," said Ermine, with a sweet smile, colouring cheek, yet grave
eyes, and much taken by surprise at being seized by both hands, and
kissed on each cheek.
"Yes, you must let me," said her visitor, looking up with her pretty
imploring gesture, "you know I have known him so long, and he has been
so good to me!"
"Indeed it is very kind in you," said Ermine, fully feeling the force
of the plea expressed in the winning young face and gentle eyes full of
tears.
"Oh, no, I could not help it. I am only so sorry we kept him away from
you when you wanted him so much; but we did not know, and he was Sir
Stephen's right hand, and we none of us knew what to do without him; but
if he had only told--"
"Thank you, oh, thank you!" said Ermine, "but indeed it was better for
him to be away."
Even her wish to console that pleading little widow could not make her
say that his coming would not have been good for her. "It has been such
a pleasure to hear he had so kind and happy a home all these years."
"Oh, you cannot think how Sir Stephen loved and valued him. The one
thing I always did wish was, that Conrade should grow up to be as much
help and comfort to his father, and now he never can! But," driving back
a tear, "it was so hard that you should not have known how distinguished
and useful and good he was all those years. Only now I shall have the
pleasure of telling you," and she smiled. She was quite a different
being when free from the unsympathizing influence which, without
her understanding it, had kept her from dwelling on her dearest
associations.