Some persons, hearing what I now heard, would have been probably
overwhelmed with astonishment. For my own part, knowing Rachel's spirit
to have been essentially unregenerate from her childhood upwards, I
was prepared for whatever my aunt could tell me on the subject of her
daughter. It might have gone on from bad to worse till it ended in
Murder; and I should still have said to myself, The natural result! oh,
dear, dear, the natural result! The one thing that DID shock me was the
course my aunt had taken under the circumstances. Here surely was a case
for a clergyman, if ever there was one yet! Lady Verinder had thought it
a case for a physician. All my poor aunt's early life had been passed
in her father's godless household. The natural result again! Oh, dear,
dear, the natural result again!
"The doctors recommend plenty of exercise and amusement for Rachel, and
strongly urge me to keep her mind as much as possible from dwelling on
the past," said Lady Verinder.
"Oh, what heathen advice!" I thought to myself. "In this Christian
country, what heathen advice!"
My aunt went on, "I do my best to carry out my instructions. But this
strange adventure of Godfrey's happens at a most unfortunate time.
Rachel has been incessantly restless and excited since she first heard
of it. She left me no peace till I had written and asked my nephew
Ablewhite to come here. She even feels an interest in the other person
who was roughly used--Mr. Luker, or some such name--though the man is,
of course, a total stranger to her."
"Your knowledge of the world, dear aunt, is superior to mine," I
suggested diffidently. "But there must be a reason surely for this
extraordinary conduct on Rachel's part. She is keeping a sinful secret
from you and from everybody. May there not be something in these recent
events which threatens her secret with discovery?"
"Discovery?" repeated my aunt. "What can you possibly mean? Discovery
through Mr. Luker? Discovery through my nephew?"
As the word passed her lips, a special providence occurred. The servant
opened the door, and announced Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite.