"In this age," she said, "we must use those lighter weapons of wit, or no one will attend."
"Perhaps," said Ermine, "if I approve your object, I should tell you you don't use them lightly."
"Ah! but I know you don't approve it. You are not lay woman enough to be impartial, and you belong to the age that was trying the experiment of the hierarchy modified: I to that which has found it will not do. But at least you understand my view; I have made out my case."
"Yes, I understand your view; but--"
"You don't sympathize. Of course not; but when it receives its full weight from the printer's bands, you will see that it will tell. That bit about the weak tea fumes I thought of afterwards, and I am afraid I did not read it well."
"I remember it; but forgive me if I say first I think the whole is rather too--too lengthy to take."
"Oh, that is only because manuscript takes long to read aloud. I counted the words, so I can't be mistaken, at least I collated twenty lines, and multiplied; and it is not so long as the Invalid's last letter about systematic reading."
"And then comes my question again, Is good to come of it?"
"That I can't expect you to see at this time; but it is to be the beginning of a series, exposing the fallacies of woman's life as at present conducted; and out of these I mean to point the way to more consistent, more independent, better combined exertion. If I can make myself useful with my pen, it will compensate for the being debarred from so many more obvious outlets. I should like to have as much influence over people's minds as that Invalid for instance, and by earnest effort I know I shall attain it."
"I--I--" half-laughing and blushing, "I hope you will, for I know you would wish to use it for good; but, to speak plainly, I doubt about the success of this effort, or--or if it ought to succeed."
"Yes, I know you do," said Rachel. "No one ever can judge of a manuscript. You have done all I wished you to do, and I value your sincerity. Of course I did not expect praise, since the more telling it is on the opposite side, the less you could like it. I saw you appreciated it."
And Rachel departed, while Rose crept up to her aunt, asking, "Aunt Ermine, why do you look so very funny? It was very tiresome. Are not you glad it is over?"
"I was thinking, Rose, what a difficult language plain English is sometimes."
"What, Miss Rachel's? I couldn't understand one bit of her long story, except that she did not like weak tea."
"It was my own that I meant," said Ermine. "But, Rose, always remember that a person who stands plain speaking from one like me has something very noble and generous in her. Were you here all the time, Rosie? I don't wonder you were tired."
"No, Aunt Ermine, I went and told Violetta and Augustus a fairy tale out of my own head."
"Indeed; and how did they like it?"
"Violetta looked at me all the time, and Augustus gave three winks, so I think he liked it."
"Appreciated it!" said Aunt Ermine.
CHAPTER IV. THE HERO.
"And which is Lucy's? Can it be That puny fop, armed cap-a-pie, Who loves in the saloon to show The arms that never knew a foe."--SCOTT.
"My lady's compliments, ma'am, and she would he much obliged if you would remain till she comes home," was Coombe's reception of Alison. "She is gone to Avoncester with Master Temple and Master Francis."
"Gone to Avoncester!" exclaimed Rachel, who had walked from church to Myrtlewood with Alison.
"Mamma is gone to meet the Major!" cried three of the lesser boys, rushing upon them in full cry; then Leoline, facing round, "Not the major, he is lieutenant-colonel now--Colonel Keith, hurrah!"
"What--what do you mean? Speak rationally, Leoline, if you can."
"My lady sent a note to the Homestead this morning," explained Coombe. "She heard this morning that Colonel Keith intended to arrive to-day, and took the young gentlemen with her to meet him."
Rachel could hardly refrain from manifesting her displeasure, and bluntly asked what time Lady Temple was likely to be at home.
"It depended," Coombe said, "upon the train; it was not certain whether Colonel Keith would come by the twelve or the two o'clock train."
And Rachel was going to turn sharply round, and dash home with the tidings, when Alison arrested her with the question--
"And who is Colonel Keith?"
Rachel was too much wrapped up in her own view to hear the trembling of the voice, and answered, "Colonel Keith! why, the Major! You have not been here so long without hearing of the Major?"
"Yes, but I did not know. Who is he?" And a more observant person would have seen the governess's gasping effort to veil her eagerness under her wonted self-control.
"Don't you know who the Major is?" shouted Leoline. "He is our military secretary."
"That's the sum total of my knowledge," said Rachel, "I don't understand his influence, nor know where he was picked up."
"Nor his regiment?"
"He is not a regimental officer; he is on our staff," said Leoline, whose imagination could not attain to an earlier condition than "on our staff."
"I shall go home, then," said Rachel, "and see if there is any explanation there."
"I shall ask the Major not to let Aunt Rachel come here," observed Hubert, as she departed; it was well it was not before.
"Leoline," anxiously asked Alison, "can you tell me the Major's name?"
"Colonel Keith--Lieutenant-Colonel Keith," was all the answer.
"I meant his Christian name, my dear."
"Only little boys have Christian names!" they returned, and Alison was forced to do her best to tame herself and them to the duties of the long day of anticipation so joyous on their part, so full of confusion and bewildered anxiety on her own. She looked in vain, half stealthily, as often before, for a recent Army List or Peerage. Long ago she had lost the Honourable Colin A. Keith from among the officers of the -th Highlanders, and though in the last Peerage she had laid hands on he was still among the surviving sons of the late Lord Keith, of Gowanbrae, the date had not gone back far enough to establish that he had not died in the Indian war. It was fear that predominated with her, there were many moments when she would have given worlds to be secure that the newcomer was not the man she thought of, who, whether constant or inconstant, could bring nothing but pain and disturbance to the calm tenour of her sister's life. Everything was an oppression to her; the children, in their wild, joyous spirits and gladsome inattention, tried her patience almost beyond her powers; the charge of the younger ones in their mother's absence was burthensome, and the delay in returning to her sister became well-nigh intolerable, when she figured to herself Rachel Curtis going down to Ermine with the tidings of Colonel Keith's arrival, and her own discontent at his influence with her cousin. Would that she had spoken a word of warning; yet that might have been merely mischievous, for the subject was surely too delicate for Rachel to broach with so recent a friend. But Rachel had bad taste for anything! That the little boys did not find Miss Williams very cross that day was an effect of the long habit of self-control, and she could hardly sit still under the additional fret, when, just as tea was spread for the school-room party, in walked Miss Rachel, and sat herself down, in spite of Hubert, who made up a most coaxing, entreating face, as he said, "Please, Aunt Rachel, doesn't Aunt Grace want you very much!"