Lady Honoria had a friendship of many years with Lord Elgin, now Governor-General of Canada. His duties had brought him to Kingston and, having received a letter from Lady Honoria, he was willing to extend his journey westward in order to renew their friendship and to act as godfather to her grandson. Accompanied by Lady Elgin, he arrived at Jalna on the day before the christening, a handsome gentleman of strong will who had a liberal and emphatic interest in the country. A few years before he had been the centre of a storm, when he had, as the English-Canadians thought, favoured the French. In Montreal he had been attacked with stones and his carriage badly broken and battered. But he had come through the trouble victorious and was now the most popular man in the entire country. He seemed not at all tired by his journey and he and his wife and Lady Honoria made lively conversation, talking of mutual friends. All was easy and natural. Even the weather, when the morning of the christening came, was perfect, a summer-like warmth blessing the autumn brilliance of the woods. Carriages conveyed the party from house to church where windows and doors stood open and Wilmott, in his best broadcloth, was already seated at the organ.
The church was half filled with invited guests, for the Whiteoaks by this time had a large acquaintance. To be sure, the church was small and it did not take a crowd to fill it. Soon the vacant pews were overflowing with the country folk who had come from far and near to have a glimpse of Lord Elgin. Never had there been such a christening in those parts. The centre of it all lay dozing in his mother’s arms, his long, tucked, embroidered and lace-trimmed robe almost touching the floor. His cape, his bonnet, were a marvel of elegance and intricacy. His two pink hands, with fingers extended like starfish, lay helpless as though washed up on the expanse of satin. In addition to Lord Elgin, Colonel Vaughan and Captain Lacey were godfathers and Mrs. Vaughan his godmother. Surely no godmother ever looked more benign than she, in her lavender silk with her prematurely white hair in full waves beneath her flowered bonnet! Adeline placed the infant in her arms and she stood, flanked by the three godfathers, facing Mr. Pink across the font. This font, which was her gift to the church, was a handsome one and Ernest was the first child to be marked with the sign of the Cross from its blessed brim. Adeline and Philip, with her parents and brothers, stood in a group nearby. Lady Honoria held Gussie by the hand and Gussie’s other hand held Nicholas. The two were dressed alike, in short-sleeved, low-necked frocks with pale-blue shoulder knots and fringed blue sashes. As a matter of truth they looked so lovely that even the presence of Lord Elgin was overshadowed by them.
Mr. Pink’s sonorous voice now came:
"’Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin; and that our Saviour Christ saith, none can enter into the Kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of water and of the Holy Ghost..’". The service proceeded, the congregation taking their part, according to the ancient form. At last Mr. Pink, turning to the godparents, asked the prescribed and searching questions regarding the spiritual convictions of Ernest Whiteoak. Mr. Pink asked of the godparents:
"’Dost thou, in the name of this child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them?’"
And they responded: "’I renounce them all’".
Still Ernest slept.
But when the moment came when Mr. Pink took him into his own arms and, saying his name in full tones, sprinkled him liberally with water from the font, Ernest opened wide his forget-me-not eyes and uttered a loud cry of protest and alarm. When Nicholas saw his little brother so treated, he thrust out his under lip, tears rolled down his cheeks and he sobbed. Seeing Nicholas weep, Gussie also broke into tears.
Nero, who was patiently waiting in the porch, could not endure the sound of the children’s crying. He pushed open the door with his strong muzzle and put his head into the church. He looked about him with a lowering expression till he saw the white-robed figure at the font with the baby in its arms. Nero advanced into the church, fixing Mr. Pink with his eye, and lifting his lip.
"For heaven’s sake, take that brute out!" muttered Philip to Sholto, who sprang forward, grasped Nero by the collar and dragged him back to the porch. A titter ran through the church. Lady Honoria comforted the children.
Ernest Whiteoak, having renounced the devil and his works and recovered from the shock of baptism, looked about him and smiled. He placed the finger-tips of one tiny hand upon the finger-tips of the other and regarded the assemblage magnanimously. Wilmott pressed down the loud pedal and all joined their voices to the organ accompaniment. They sang:
The hymn swelled onward and upward into the Doxology.
There were white flowers on the altar, and the silver candlesticks presented by Lady Honoria. All the red and gold and green leaves, with bits of blue sky showing between, gave the windows an aspect even richer than that of stained glass. The congregation moved happily down the aisle, the little Pink boys in plaid dresses being barely restrained from capering by their mother’s hand. The church overflowed into the churchyard where as yet there was but a single grave, that of a young bird which Lady Honoria and Gussie had found and buried there. The church bell, presented by Elihu Busby, pealed forth in rejoicing.
At Jalna, the doors between library and dining-room were thrown open and long tables were loaded with refreshments. The infant’s health was drunk in punch made from Lady Honoria’s own recipe.
Another and more substantial meal was partaken of by a more intimate party before Lord and Lady Elgin left. In addition to the family there were the Pinks and the churchwardens and their wives. Elihu Busby could not restrain himself from being critical of the policy of the Governor-General toward French Canada.
"It is no wonder", he said, "that the English-Canadians showed resentment and threw stones at your Lordship’s carriage!"
Lord Elgin laughed tolerantly. "Well, I have got even with them", he said. "For I have never yet had that battered vehicle repaired but drive everywhere in it so that the world may see how badly they behaved".
"I can’t agree", said Busby, "in your coddling of the French. Make ’em English by force, I say".
"No, no", returned Lord Elgin. "I encourage them to use their native ability for the Empire, while assuring them of protection. Who will venture to say that the last hand which waves the British flag on American ground may not be that of a French-Canadian?"
He talked to Philip and Adeline about their experiences in India, and confessed that it was his ambition to go there himself one day as Governor-General. Renny Court exclaimed:
"Then indeed you might congratulate yourself, sir! Who would not prefer India to this wilderness? Yet here my daughter and son-in-law came of their own free will and already I see the moss collecting on them. Philip’s sword has become a ploughshare and as for Adeline-why, that girl was a beauty once and look at her now! A rough-handed, red-faced country wench!"
"If", said Lord Elgin, "I ever meet anyone half so delightful in India, I shall be content".
The guests were gone. It was afternoon of the following day. Philip and Adeline were strolling hand in hand across the lawn in the tranquil sunlight of declining Indian summer. They had talked over the events of the day, agreeing that all had passed off well and that Lord Elgin was a man of merit. Now they wanted only to be happy in each other’s company, to look with satisfaction on the home they had built. It stood solid among its trees with an air of being ready for what might come.