"Who said it would?"
"None of us; but these younger ones fancy it is the Church's fault, instead of that of her members' failures, and so they try to walk in the light of the sparks that they have kindled."
"Altruism as they call it-love of the neighbour without love of God."
"It may lead that way."
"Does it?"
"Perhaps we are the impatient ones now," said Geraldine, "in disliking the young ones' experiments, and wanting to bind them to our own views."
"Then you look on with toleration but with distrust."
"Distrust of myself as well as of the young ones, and trying not to forget that 'one good custom may corrupt the world,' so it may be as well that the pendulum should swing."
"The pendulum, but not its axis-faith!"
"No; and of my boy's mainspring of faith I do feel sure, and of his real upright steadiness."
Lady Merrifield asked no more, but could wait.
But is not each generation a terra incognita to the last? A question which those feel most decidedly who stand on the border-land of both, with love and sympathy divided between the old and the new, clinging to the one, and fearing to alienate the other.
CHAPTER XIV. BUTTERFLY'S NECTAR
If you heed my warning It will save you much.-A. A. PROCTOR.
Clement Underwood was so much better as to be arrived at taking solitary rides and walks, these suiting him better than having companions, as he liked to go his own pace, and preferred silence. His sister had become much engrossed with her painting, and saw likewise that in this matter of exercise it was better to let him go his own way, and he declared that this time of thought and reading was an immense help to him, restoring that balance of life which he seemed to himself to have lost in the whirl of duties at St. Matthew's after Felix's death.
The shore, with the fresh, monotonous plash of the waves, when the tide served, was his favourite resort. He could stand still and look out over the expanse of ripples, or wander on, as he pleased, watching the sea-gulls float along-
"As though life's only call and care Were graceful motion."
There had been a somewhat noisy luncheon, for Edward Harewood, a midshipman in the Channel Fleet, which was hovering in the offing, had come over on a day's leave with Horner, a messmate whose parents lived in the town. He was a big lad, a year older than Gerald, and as soon as a little awe of Uncle Clement and Aunt Cherry had worn off, he showed himself of the original Harewood type, directing himself chiefly to what he meant to be teasing Gerald about Vale Leston and Penbeacon.
"All the grouse there were on the bit of moor are snapped up."
"Very likely," said Gerald coolly.
"Those precious surveyors and engineers that Walsh brings down can give an account of them! As soon as you come of age, you'll have to double your staff of keepers, I can tell you."
"Guardians of ferae naturae," said Gerald.
"I thought your father did all that was required in that line," said Clement.
"Not since duffers and land-lubbers have been marauding over Penbeacon-aye, and elsewhere. What would you say to an engineer poaching away one of the august house of Vanderkist?"
"The awful cad! I'd soon show him what I thought of his cheek," cried Adrian, with a flourish of his knife.
"Ha, ha! I bet that he will be shooting over Ironbeam Park long before you are of age."
"I shall shoot him, then," cried Adrian.
"Not improbably there will be nothing else to shoot by that time," quietly said Gerald.
"I shall have a keeper in every lodge, and bring up four or five hundred pheasants every year," boasted the little baronet, quite alive to the pride of possession, though he had never seen Ironbeam in his life.
Edward laughed a "Don't you wish you may get it," and the others, who knew very well the futility of the poor boy's expectations, even if Gerald's augury were not fulfilled, hastened to turn away the conversation to plans for the afternoon. Anna asked the visitor if he would ride out with her and Gerald to Clipstone or to the moor, and was relieved when he declined, saying he had promised to meet Horner.
"You will come in to tea at five?" said his aunt, "and bring him if you like."
"Thanks awfully, but we hardly can. We have to start from the quay at six sharp."
All had gone their several ways, and Clement, after the heat of the day, was pacing towards a secluded cove out of an inner bay which lay nearer than Anscombe Cove, but was not much frequented. However, he smelt tobacco, and heard sounds of boyish glee, and presently saw Adrian and Fergus Merrifield, bare-legged, digging in the mud.
"Ha! youngsters! Do you know the tide has turned? I thought you had had enough of that."
"I thought I might find my aralia!" sighed Fergus. "The tide was almost as low."
Just then there resounded from behind a projecting rock a peal of undesirable singing, a shout of laughter, and an oath, with-
"Holloa, those little beasts of teetotallers have hooked it."
There were confused cries-"Haul 'em back! Drench 'em. Give 'em a roll in the mud!" and Adrian shrank behind his uncle, taking hold of his coat, as there burst from behind the rock a party of boys, headed by the two cadets, all shouting loudly, till brought to a sudden standstill by the sight of "Parson! By Jove!" as the Horner mid muttered, taking out his pipe, while Edward Harewood mumbled something about "Horner's brother's tuck-out." One or two other boys were picking up the remains of the feast, which had been on lobsters, jam tarts, clotted cream, and the like delicacies dear to the juvenile mind. The two biggest school-boys came forward, one voluble and thick of speech about Horner's tuck-out, and "I assure you, sir, it is nothing-not a taste. Never thought of such-" Just then the other lad, staggering about, had almost lurched over into the deepening channel; but Clement caught him by the collar and held him fast, demanding in a low voice, very terrible to his hearers-
"Where does this poor boy live?"
It was Adrian who answered.
"Devereux Buildings."
"You two, Adrian and Fergus, run to the quay and fetch a cab as near this place as it can come," said Clement. "You little fellows, you had better run home at once. I hope you will take warning by the shame and disgrace of this spectacle."
The boys were glad enough to disperse, being terrified by the condition of the prisoner, as well as by the detection; but the two who were encumbered with the baskets containing the bottles, jam- pots, and tin of cream remained, and so did the two young sailors, Horner saying civilly-
"You'll not be hard on the kids, sir, for just a spree carried a little too far."
"I certainly shall not be hard on the children, whom you seem to have tempted," was the answer as they moved along; and as the younger Horner turned towards a little shop near the end of the steps to restore the goods, he asked-"Were you supplied from hence?"
"Yes," said Horner, who was perhaps hardly sober enough for caution. "Mother Butterfly is a jolly old soul."
Looking up. Clement saw no licence to sell spirituous liquors under the name of Sarah Schnetterling, tobacconist. The window had the placard 'Ici on parle Francais', and was adorned in a tasteful manner with ornamental pipes, fishing-rods and flies, jars of sweets, sheets of foreign stamps, pictorial advertisements of innocuous beverages. A woman with black grizzling hair, fashionably dressed, flashing dark eyes, long gold ear-rings, gold beads and gaudy attire, came out to reclaim her property. A word or two passed about payment, during which Clement had a strange thrill of puzzled recollection. The bottles bore the labels of raspberry vinegar and lemonade, but he had seen too much not to say-
"You drive a dangerous trade."
"Ah, sir, young people will be gourmands," she said, with a foreign accent. "Ah, that poor young gentleman is very ill. Will he not come in and lie down to recover?"
"No, thank you," said Clement. "A carriage is coming to take him home."