"Oh! Julius will see to all that," said Mrs. Poynsett.
"It is a woman's question," returned Cecil.
"Not entirely."
"Fancy a clergyman's wife! It Mrs. Venn had appeared in that way at Dunstone!"
"You would have left it to Mr. Venn! My dear, the less said the sooner mended."
Cecil was silenced, but shocked, for she was far too young and inexperienced to understand that indecorous customs complied with as a matter of course, do not necessarily denote lack of innate modesty-far less, how they could be confounded with home allegiance; and as to Anne, poor Rosamond was, in her eyes, only too like the ladies who impeded Christiana on her outset.
So her ladyship retreated into languid sleepy dignity towards both her sisters-in-law; and on Monday evening showed herself, for a moment, more decolletee, if possible, than before. Mrs. Poynsett feared lest Julius were weak in this matter; but at night she had a visit from him.
"Mother," he said, "it will not happen again. Say no more."
"I am only too thankful."
"What do you think settled it? No less than Lady Tyrrell's admiration."
"What could she have said?"
"I can't make out. Rose was far too indignant to be comprehensible, when she told me on the way home; but there was something about adopting the becoming, and a repetition of-of some insolent praise." And his mother felt his quiver of suppressed wrath. "If Rose had been what that woman took her for, she would have been delighted," he continued; "but-"
"It was horrible to her!" said his mother. "And to you. Yes, I knew it would right itself, and I am glad nothing passed about it between us."
"So am I; she quite separates you from Cecil and Anne, and indeed all her anger is with Lady Tyrrell. She will have it there was malice in inciting her to shock old friends and annoy you-a sort of attempt to sympathize her into opposition."
"Which had a contrary effect upon a generous nature."
"Exactly! She thinks nothing too bad for that woman, and declares she is a serpent."
"That's dear Rosamond's anger; but I imagine that when I occur to Camilla's mind, it is as the obstructive old hag, who once stood in her way; and so, without any formed designs, whatever she says of me is coloured by that view."
"Quite possible; and I am afraid the sister is just such another. She seems quite to belong to Mrs. Duncombe's set. I sat next her at dinner, and tried to talk to her, but she would only listen to that young Strangeways."
"Strangeways! I wonder if that is Susan Lorimer's son?"
"Probably, for his Christian name is Lorimer."
"I knew her rather well as a girl. She was old Lord Lorimer's youngest daughter, and we used to walk in the Square gardens together; but I did not see much of her after I married; and after a good while, she married a man who had made a great fortune by mining. I wonder what her son is like?"
"He must be the man, for he is said to be the millionaire of the regiment. Just the match that Lady Tyrrell would like."
"Ah! that's well," said Mrs. Poynsett.
"From your point of view," said Julius, smiling.
"If he will only speak out before it has had time to go deep with Frank!"
CHAPTER IX. Cold Heart
At that very moment the two sisters in question were driving home in the opposite corners of the carriage in the dark.
"Really, Lenore," was Lady Tyrrell saying, "you are a very impracticable girl."
There was a little low laugh in answer.
"What blast has come and frozen you up into ice?" the elder sister added caressingly; but as she felt for Eleonora's hand in the dark, she obtained nothing but the cold handle of a fan. "That's just it!" she said, laughing; "hard ivory, instead of flesh and blood."
"I can't help it!" was the answer.
"But why not? I'm sure you had admiration enough to turn any girl's head."
No answer.
Lady Tyrrell renewed her address still more tenderly-"Lenore, darling, it is quite needful that you should understand your position."
"I am afraid I understand it only too well," came in a smothered voice.
"It may be very painful, but it ought to be made clear before you how you stand. You know that my father was ruined-there's no word for it but ruined."
"Yes."
"He had to give up the property to the creditors, and live on an allowance."
"I know that."
"And, of course, I can't bear speaking of it; but the house is really let to me. I have taken it as I might any other house to let."
"Yes," again assented Eleonora.
"And do you know why?"
"You said it was for the sake of the old home and my father!" said the girl, with a bitter emphasis on the said.
"So it was! It was to give you the chance of redeeming it, and keeping it in the family. It is to be sold, you know, as soon as you are of age, and can give your consent. I can't buy it. Mine is only a jointure, a life income, and you know that you might as well think of Mary buying Golconda; but you-you-with such beauty as yours-might easily make a connection that would save it."
There was only a choked sound.
"I know you feel the situation painfully, after having been mistress so long."
"Camilla, you know it is not that!"
"Ah, my dear, I can see farther than you avow. You can't marry till you are twenty-one, you know; but you might be very soon engaged, and then we should see our way. It only depends on yourself. Plenty of means, and no land to tie him down, ready to purchase and to settle down. It would be the very thing; and I see you are a thoroughly sensible girl, Lena."
"Indeed! I am not even sensible enough to know who is to be this purchaser."
"Come, Lena, don't be affected. Why! he was the only poor creature you were moderately gracious to."
"I! what do you mean?"
Lady Tyrrell laughed again.
"Oh!" in a tone of relief, "I can explain all that to you. All the Strangeways family were at Rockpier the winter before you came, and I made great friends with Margaret Strangeways, the eldest sister. I wanted very much to hear about her, for she has had a great deal of illness and trouble, and I had not ventured to write to her."
"Oh! was that the girl young Debenham gave up because her mother worried him so incessantly, and who went into a Sisterhood?"
"It was she who broke it off. She found he had been forced into it by his family, and was really attached elsewhere. I never knew the rights of it till I saw the brother to-night."
"Very praiseworthy family confidence!"
"Camilla, you know I object to that tone."
"So do most young ladies, my dear-at least by word."
"And once for all, you need have no fancies about Mr. Lorimer Strangeways. I am civil to him, of course, for Margaret's sake; and Lady Susan was very kind to me; but if there were nothing else against him, he is entirely out of the question, for I know he runs horses and bets on them."
"So does everybody, more or less."
"And you! you, Camilla, after what the turf has cost us, can wish me to encourage a man connected with it."
"My dear Lena, I know you had a great shock, which made the more impression because you were such a child; but you might almost as well forswear riding, as men who have run a few horses, or staked a few thousands. Every young man of fortune has done so in his turn, just by way of experiment-as a social duty as often as not."