CHAPTER TWENTY.
UNSTABLE AS WATER.
"And I hope, my dear son," said the Rev. Mr Bastian, with a face andvoice as mellifluous as a honeycomb, "that all the members of yourhousehold are faithful, and well affected towards the Church ourmother?"
The Rev. Mr Bastian chose his words well. If he had said, "asfaithful as yourself," Mr Roberts might have assented, with an interiorconviction that his own faithfulness was not without its limits. Heleft no such loophole of escape. Mr Roberts could only reply that heentertained a similar hope. But whatever his hopes might be, hisexpectations on that score were not extensive. Mr Roberts had thenature of the ostrich, and imagined that if he shut his eyes to thething he wished to avoid seeing, he thereby annihilated its existence.Deep down in his heart he held considerable doubts as concerned morethan one member of his family; but the doubts were uncomfortable: so heput them to bed, drew the curtains, and told them to be good doubts andgo to sleep. When children are treated in this manner, mothers andnurses know that sometimes they go to sleep. But sometimes they don't.And doubts are very much like children in that respect. Occasionallythey consent to be smothered up and shelved aside; at other times theybreak out and become provokingly noisy. A good deal depends on thevitality of both the doubts and the children.
Mr Roberts's doubts and fears--for they went together--that all hishousehold were not in a conformable state of mind, had hitherto gone tosleep at his bidding; but lately they had been more difficult to manage.He was uneasy about his sister, Mrs Collenwood; and with no diminutionof his affection for her, was beginning to realise that his mind wouldbe relieved when she ended her visit and went home. He feared herinfluence over Pandora. For Gertrude he had no fears. He knew, and sodid the priest, that Gertrude was not the sort of girl to indulge inabstract speculations, religious or otherwise. So long as her new gownwas not made in last year's fashion, and her mantua-maker did not puther off with Venice ribbon when she wanted Tours, it mattered nothing atall to Gertrude whether she attended mass or went to the nearestconventicle. Nor had the fears spread yet towards Mistress Grena, whostill appeared at mass on Sunday and holy-days, though with many inwardmisgivings which she never spoke.
Perhaps the priest had sharper eyes than the easy-tempered master ofPrimrose Croft. But his tongue had lost nothing of its softness when henext inquired--
"And how long, my son, does your sister, Mistress Collenwood, abide withyou?"
"Not much longer now, Father," replied the unhappy Mr Roberts, with aprivate resolution that his answer should be true if he could make itso.
Mr Bastian left that unpleasant topic, and proceeded to carry hisqueries into the servants' department, Mr Roberts growing more relievedas he proceeded. He had never observed any want of conformity among hisservants, he assured the priest; so far as he knew, all were loyal tothe Catholic Church. By that term both gentlemen meant, not theuniversal body of Christian believers (the real signification of theword), but that minority which blindly obeys the Pope, and being aminority, is of course not Catholic nor universal. When Mr Roberts'sapprehensions had thus been entirely lulled to rest, the wily priestsuddenly returned to the charge.
"I need not, I am fully ensured," he said in his suave manner, "ask anyquestions touching your daughters."
"Of that, Father," answered Mr Roberts quickly, "you must be a betterjudge than I. But I do most unfeignedly trust that neither of my maidshath given you any trouble by neglect of her religious duties?Gertrude, indeed, is so--"
"Mistress Gertrude hath not given me trouble," replied the priest. "Herworst failing is one common to maidens--a certain lack of soberness.But I cannot conceal from you, my son, that I am under some uneasinessof mind as touching her sister."
Mr Bastian's uneasiness was nothing to that of the man he was engagedin tormenting. The terrified mouse does not struggle more eagerly toescape the claws of the cat, than the suffering father of Pandora toavoid implicating her in the eyes of his insinuating confessor.
"Forsooth, Father, you do indeed distress me," said he. "If Pandorahave heard any foolish talk on matters of religion, I would gladly breakher from communication with any such of her acquaintance as can havebeen thus ill-beseen. Truly, I know not of any, and methought my sisterGrena kept the maids full diligently, that they should not fall intounseemly ways. I will speak, under your good leave, with both of them,and will warn Pandora that she company not with such as seem like tohave any power over her for evil."
"Well said, my son!" responded the priest, with a slight twinkle in hiseye. "Therein shall you do well; and in especial if you report to methe names of any that you shall suspect to have ill-affected the maiden.And now, methinks, I must be on my way home."
Mr Roberts devoutly thanked all the saints when he heard it. Thepriest took up his hat, brushed a stray thread from its edge, and said,as he laid his hand upon his silver-headed stick--said it as though theidea had just occurred to him--
"You spake of Mistress Holland. She, of course, is true to holy Churchbeyond all doubts?"
Mr Roberts went back to his previous condition of a frightened mouse.
"In good sooth, Father, I make no question thereof, nor never so did.She conformeth in all respects, no doth she?"
The cat smiled to itself at the poor mouse's writhings under its playfulpats.
"She conformeth--ay: but I scarce need warn you, my son, that there bemany who conform outwardly, where the heart is not accordant with theactions. I trust, in very deed, that it were an unjust matter so tospeak of Mistress Holland."
Saying which, the cat withdrew its paw, and suffered the mouse to escapeto its hole until another little excitement should be agreeable to it.In other words, the priest said good-bye, and left Mr Roberts in astate of mingled relief for the moment and apprehension for the future.For a few minutes that unhappy gentleman sat lost in meditation. Thenrising with a muttered exclamation, wherein "meddlesome praters" werethe only words distinguishable, he went to the foot of the stairs, andcalled up them, "Pandora!"
"There, now! You'll hear of something!" said Gertrude to her sister, asshe stood trying on a new apron before the glass. "You'd best go down.When Father's charitably-minded he says either `Pan' or `Dorrie.'`Pandora' signifies he's in a taking."
"I have done nought to vex him that I know of," replied Pandora, risingfrom her knees before a drawer wherein she was putting some lace tidilyaway.
"Well, get not me in hot water," responded Gertrude. "Look you, Pan,were this lace not better to run athwart toward the left hand?"
"I cannot wait to look, True; I must see what Father would have."
As Pandora hastened downstairs, her aunt, Mrs Collenwood, came out ofher room and joined her.
"I hear my brother calling you," she said. "I would fain have a wordwith him, so I will go withal."
The ladies found Mr Roberts wandering to and fro in the dining-room,with the aspect of a very dissatisfied man. He turned at once to hisdaughter.
"Pandora, when were you at confession?"
Pandora's heart beat fast. "Not this week, Father."
"Nor this month, maybe?"
"I am somewhat unsure, Father."
"Went you to mass on Saint Chad's Day?"
"Yes, Father."
"And this Saint Perpetua?"
"No, Father; I had an aching of mine head, you mind."
"Thomas," interjected Mrs Collenwood, before the examination couldproceed further, "give me leave, pray you, to speak a word, which Idesire to say quickly, and you can resume your questioning of Pandora atafter. I think to return home Thursday shall be a se'nnight; and, yourleave granted, I would fain carry Pan with me. Methinks this air is notentirely wholesome for her at this time; and unless I err greatly, itshould maybe save her some troublement if she tarried with me a season.I pray you, consider of the same, and let me know your mind thereon asearly as may stand with your conveniency: and reckon me not tedious if Iurge you yet again not to debar the same wit
hout right good reason. Ifear somewhat for the child, without she can change the air, and thatright soon."
Pandora listened in astonishment. She was quite unconscious of bodilyailment, either present or likely to come. What could Aunt Francesmean? But Mr Roberts saw, what Pandora did not, a very significantlook in his sister's eyes, which said, more plainly than her words, thatdanger of some kind lay in wait for her niece if she remained in Kent,and was to be expected soon. He fidgeted up and down the room for amoment, played nervously with an alms-dish on the side-board, took upCicero's Orations and laid it down again, and at last said, in a tonewhich indicated relief from vexation--
"Well, well! Be it so, if you will. Make thee ready, then, child, togo with thine aunt. Doth Grena know your desire, Frank?"
"Grena and I have taken counsel," replied Mrs Collenwood, "and this isher avisement no less than mine."
"Settle it so, then. I thank you, Frank, for your care for the maid.When shall she return?"
"It were better to leave that for time to come. But, Thomas, I go aboutto ask a favour of you more."
"Go to! what is it?"
"That you will not name to any man Pandora's journey with me. Not toany man," repeated Mrs Collenwood, with a stress on the last two words.
Mr Roberts looked at her. Her eyes conveyed serious warning. He knewas well as if she had shouted the words in his ears that the realtranslation of her request was, "Do not tell the priest." But it wasnot safe to say it. Wherever there are Romish priests, there must besilent looks and tacit hints and unspoken understandings.
"Very good, Frances," he said: "I will give no man to wit thereof."
"I thank you right heartily, Tom. Should Dorrie abide here for yourfurther satisfying, or may she go with me?"
"Go with you, go with you," answered Mr Roberts hastily, waving Pandoraaway. "No need any further--time presseth, and I have business to seeto."
Mrs Collenwood smiled silently as she motioned to Pandora to pass out.Mr Roberts could scarcely have confessed more plainly that the priesthad set him to a catechising of which he was but too thankful to be rid."Poor Tom!" she said to herself.