That Stick

'That's what Aunt Mary meant by saying you were so very good!'

'Well, it would be sheer inhumanity to leave them to themselves, and the mercies of Ratzes, and there seems to be no one else that could come.'

'I'm glad I know!' said Constance, with a long breath. 'Only what shall I do if any one asks me about her?'

'Say she had a nasty fall, which makes it undesirable to move her just yet. It is the simple truth, and what you would have naturally said but for this little communication of mine.'

'I suppose,' said Constance, in a tone Mrs. Bury did not understand, 'it will be all known before my Christmas holidays?'

'Oh yes, my dear, long before that. I'll write to you when I have anything to tell.'

For which Constance thanked her heartily, and thenceforth felt a great deal older for the confidence, which delighted as well as made her anxious, for she was too fond of her uncle and aunt, as well as too young and simple, for it to have occurred to her how the matter might affect her brother.

After seeing much more on her road than she had done before, and won golden opinions from her escort for intelligence and obligingness, she was safely deposited in the train for Colbeam, without having gone home.

She had made up her mind to pass Sunday at her boarding-house, and was greatly surprised when Lady Adela called on Saturday to take her to Northmoor for the Sunday.

'Now tell me about your uncle and aunt,' the good lady began, when Constance was seated beside her. 'Yes, I have heard from Mrs. Bury, but I want to know whether the place is tolerably comfortable.'

'Mrs. Bury has made it much better,' said Constance. 'And it is so beautiful, no one would care for comfort who was quite well.'

'And is your uncle well? Has he got over his headaches?' she asked solicitously.

In fact, the absence of Lord and Lady Northmoor had done more than their presence to make Lady Adela feel their value. She was astonished to find how much she missed the power of referring to him and leaning on his support in all questions, small or great, that cropped up; and she had begun to feel that the stick might be a staff; besides which, having imbibed more than an inkling of the cause of detention, she was anxious to gather what she could of the circumstances.

She was agreeably surprised in Constance, to whom the journey had been a time of development from the mere school girl, and who could talk pleasantly, showing plenty of intelligence and observation in a modest ladylike way. Moreover, she had a game in the garden which little Amice enjoyed extremely, and she and her little Sunday class were delighted to see one another again. It resulted in her Sundays being spent at Northmoor as regularly as before, and in Amice, a companionless child, thinking Saturday brought the white afternoon of the week.

CHAPTER XXI. THE HEIR-APPARENT

'MY DEAR ADDIE,

'You have no doubt ceased from your exertions in the way of finding

nurses, since the telegram has told you that the son and heir has

considerately saved trouble and expense by making his appearance on

Michaelmas morning. It was before there was time to fetch anybody

but the ancient village Bettina. Everything is most prosperous, and

I am almost as proud as the parents-and to see them gloat over the

morsel is a caution. They look at him as if such a being had never

been known on the earth before; and he really is a very fine healthy

creature, most ridiculously like the portrait of the original old

Michael Morton Northmoor in the full-bottomed wig. He seems to be

almost equally marvellous to the Ratzes population, being the first

infant seen there unswaddled-or washed. Bettina's horror at the

idea of washing him is worth seeing. Her brown old face was almost

convulsed, and she and our Frau-wirthin concurred in assuring me that

it would be fatal to der kleine baron if he were washed, except

with white wine and milk at a fortnight old; nor would they accept my

assurance that my three daughters and seven grandchildren had

survived the process. I have to do it myself, and dress him as I

can, for his wardrobe as made here is not complete, and whatever you

can send us will be highly acceptable. It is lucky that Northmoor is

a born nurse, for the women's fear of breaking the child is really

justifiable, as they never handled anything not made up into a mummy;

moreover, they wish to let all the world up into Mary's room to

behold the curiosity, I met the priest upon his way and turned him

back! So we have pretty well all the nursing on our hands, and

happily it is of the most satisfactory kind, with the one drawback

that we have to call in the services of a 'valia'; but on the other

hand we have all been so much interested in a poor little widow,

Hedwig Grantzen, whose husband was lost last spring in a snow-storm,

that it is pleasant to have some employment for her. Such a creature

as came over on chance and speculation-a great coarse handsome girl,

in exaggerated costume, all new, with lacy ribbons down her back; but

I rode over to Botzen, and interviewed her parish priest about her,

and that was enough to settle her. Every one is asleep except

myself, and Mary's face is one smile as she sleeps.

'This is going to be posted by the last of the tourists, luckily a

clergyman, whom we begged to baptize the boy, as there is a

possibility that snows may close us in before we can get away.

'So he is named Michael Kenton, partly after my own dear brother as

well as the old founder, partly in honour of the day and of Sir

Edward Kenton, who, they say, has been their very kind friend. It

really is a feast to see people so wonderingly happy and thankful.

The little creature has all the zest of novelty to them, and they coo

and marvel over it in perfect felicity. When you will be introduced

to the hero, I cannot guess, for though he has been an earlier

arrival than his mother's inexperience expected, I much doubt her

being able to get out of this place while the way to Botzen is

passable according to the prognostics of the sages. What splendid

studies of ice peaks I shall have! Your affectionate cousin,

'L. BURY.'

A telegram had preceded the letter. One soon followed by Mrs. Bury's promised note had filled Constance's honest little heart with rapture, another had set all the bells in Northmoor Church ringing and Best rejoicing that 'that there Harbut's nose was put out of joint,' a feeling wherein Lady Adela could not but participate, though, of course, she showed no sign of it to Constance. A sharply-worded letter to the girl soon came from her mother, demanding what she had known beforehand. Mrs. Morton had plainly been quite unprepared for what was a severe blow to her, and it was quite possible to understand how, in his shyness, Lord Northmoor had put off writing of the hope and expectation from day to day till all had been fulfilled sooner than had been expected.

It was the first thing that brought home to Constance that the event was scarcely as delightful to her family as to herself. She wrote what she knew and heard no more, for none of her home family were apt to favour her with much correspondence. Miss Morton, however, had written to her sister-in-law.

'Poor Herbert! I am sorry for him, though you won't be. He takes it very well, he really is a very good sort at bottom, and it really is the very best thing for him, as I have been trying to persuade him.'

Bulletins came with tolerable frequency from Ratzes, with all good accounts of mother and child, and a particular description of little Michael's beauties; but it was only too soon announced that snow was falling, and this was soon followed by another letter saying that consultation with the best authorities within reach had decided that unless the weather were extraordinarily mild, the journey, after November set in, was not to be ventured by Lady Northmoor or so young a child. There would be perils for any one, even the postmen and the guides, and if it were mild in one valley it might only render it more dangerous over the next Alp. Still Mrs. Bury, a practised and enterprising mountaineer, might have attempted it; but though Mary was rapidly recovering and the language was no longer utterly impracticable, the good lady could not bear to desert her charges, or to think what might happen to them, if left alone, in case of illness or accident, so she devoted herself to them and to her studies of ice and snow, and wrote word to her family that they were to think of her as hibernating till Easter, if not Whitsuntide.