done our utmostto persuade him, but he wouldn't. And then your being there wasunexpected--and they made a muddle of Ella's name: all that came aboutof itself."
"Yes," said Philip. "I see. But I see, too, how cleverly you all--no,not so much you, Maddie--joined to keep up the mistake, though upon myword I can't see any point in it. I cannot find fault with mygrandmother, but I shall have it out with Ermine."
Madelene looked distressed; she saw that Philip was on the point ofbeing angry.
"It is my clumsiness," she said. "If you had seen Ermine first it wouldhave been all right. She would have made you see it differently--butdon't be vexed about it, Philip. I do beg you not to be. I do _so_want to have no more worries in which Ella is concerned. I am so tiredof misunderstandings and all that kind of bother."
Philip took her up at once.
"Have you had many bothers, poor Maddie?" he said. "Is she--is Ellanot--not nice and gentle with you?"
Madelene felt as if she could have bitten her tongue off for havingspoken so ill-advisedly.
"No, of course I didn't mean to say anything against Ella," she repliedquickly. "You shouldn't take one up so, Philip. It makes me thinkErmine was right."
"Right in what? Maddie, I am tired of all these half-speeches andcross-purposes. And I foresee I shall very likely have a quarrel withErmine if you won't speak out. What was she right in, and why did shewant me to make your young sister's acquaintance without knowing who shewas."
"She thought--as it had happened so--it was not our doing at first,remember--she thought you would like Ella better, judge her for herselfas it were, if you met her as a stranger. Ermie has fancied you were alittle prepossessed _against_ Ella, and, I think," Miss St Quentin wenton, consideringly, "I _think_, perhaps she blames herself a little forits being so. You remember--that day when Ella first arrived--Erminehad been really hardly fair about her."
Philip sat listening.
"Well?" he said, after waiting as if for his cousin to continue.
"That's all," said Madelene. "It really is, Philip. I can't tell youany more of what Ermine thinks or doesn't think, and as it is, I didn'twant to tell you this. You might have treated it, I do think, as asimple little piece of fun. But now that I have said so much, I trustyou to make no to-do about it."
"I shall have it out with granny," remarked Philip; "but that's our ownaffair, hers and mine." But he said no more about quarrelling withErmine.
After a while he looked up and related to Madelene how he and Ella hadmet. A variety of expressions crossed Madelene's face as he spoke.
"I wish you had not met her for the first time--"
"But it wasn't the first time," Philip interrupted.
"Well--you know what I mean--the first time at _home_, in thatextraordinary guise. She must have looked comical," said Madelene,laughing however. "She is very impulsive."
"Impressionable, I should say," said Philip. "And very warm-hearted. Ilike to see that sort of impulsiveness," he added heartily, watchingMadelene's face rather closely the while.
Again a slightly uneasy look stole over it.
"Yes," she said, "it was kind, thoroughly kind of her to help poorHetty."
But even in this cordial praise there was a suggestion of reserve whichdid not escape Philip.
"Cross-purposes. They're all at cross-purposes," he thought, "and I'mafraid Maddie's in a mood for a good long ride on her hobby-horse atpresent. Madelene," he said suddenly after some moments silence,"you've had a letter from Bernard lately. I know you have, for he wroteto me by the same mail."
"In that case I need not give you any news, as you will have heard itall direct," Miss St Quentin replied dryly.
"Come now, Maddie, I know what that means. You don't want to talk abouthim. Is there no change then--do you see no prospect of any?"
"None at all," Madelene replied, in a voice which she strove to make asexpressionless as possible.
"It's rather hard upon Omar, I must say," said Philip; and if his objectwere to rouse his cousin, he succeeded.
"Did I ever say it wasn't hard on him?" she exclaimed. "Is it my fault?Have I left undone _anything_ to make him give it up?"
"I don't say you have. I don't say that in that way you are to blame,"said Philip quietly; "always allowing that the obstacles _are_ asinsuperable as you make out."
"They are more so--worse and worse," said Madelene, with a rather wintrysmile.
"Then you will forbid his coming home, as he can now, I suppose?"
"I have no right to do so, but if he does, I--"
The rest of her sentence was left to the imagination, for at that momentthe door opened, and Ermine, followed by Ella, made her appearance.
Ermine gave no one time to feel awkward.
"It is too bad of you, Philip, and of you, Ella, too," she saidlaughing, "to have balked me of my fun. It would have been too lovelyto see you both looking so astonished."
"I am not very fond of looking ridiculous for the amusement of myfriends, though I would do a good deal to oblige you, Ermine," said SirPhilip dryly.
Ella's eyes sparkled with satisfaction. She would not like Sir PhilipCheynes to speak to _her_ in that tone, she said to herself. But Erminedid not seem to mind in the least.
"I can stand your withering speeches, my dear boy," she said coolly."It was great fun all the same, and Aunt Anna enjoyed it as much as Idid. You can have it out with her, if you like, when you go home."
"I intend to do so," he replied.
Ella stood glancing from one to the other with a rather comical look ofperplexity on her pretty face. They seemed on very free and easy terms,these sisters of hers with their cousin. Somehow she had not quiterealised it, and it surprised her a little. She had never seen anythingquite of the same kind before. It was not flirtation, and yet--she wasnot by any means sure but that the brother and sisterly love coveredsome deeper and tenderer feeling, and she watched and listened withpeculiar curiosity. Madelene, she observed, looked up with some anxietywhen she heard the bandying of words between Ermine and her cousin.
"Philip," she said half reproachfully in a low voice--he was standingnear her--"you promised me?"
Sir Philip turned, with the smile which was one of his charms.
"Don't be afraid, Maddie," he said almost tenderly, it seemed to Ella."Ermine, my dear, we must not even _play_ at quarrelling; it troublesdear old Mad."
"Shall we kiss and be friends then--eh, Phil?" said Ermine saucily; andwhen Sir Philip began something about taking her at her word, and sheensconced herself defiantly behind her elder sister's chair, Madelenelaughed with hearty pleasure, her whole face lighted up withsatisfaction at seeing that there was no real danger of misunderstandingbetween the two.
"I have it," said Ella to herself. "It isn't Ermine herself so much.It is Madelene who wants Philip for her; _that_ explains the keeping meout of his way when I first came, and all the rest of is. I wonder ifmy godmother wishes it too? Yet the trick the other night can hardlyhave been on that account. I don't see any object in it. I suppose itwas just a freak of Ermine's, and that Madelene and my godmother toogave in to her. Ermine _is_ so spoilt."
But she was interrupted in these wise and profound cogitations. Erminesuddenly gave an exclamation.
"Oh dear," she said. "I am forgetting to give you this note from MrsBelvoir. I met James with it as I was crossing the hall."
"A note only--no parcel," said Madelene in a tone of disappointment. "Iam so sorry, Ella," she went on after running her eyes down the two orthree hurried lines which the envelope contained. "I am so sorry. MrsBelvoir knows nothing of the--of your lost property. I am so sorry foryou, dear."
A pleasant light spread over her cousin's face as he caught the lastwords. They seemed to assure him of Madelene's kindliness and sympathy.Ella too was touched by them.
"About the shoe, you mean," she said. "Oh, Madelene, I was just goingto tell you. I am not surprised or disappointed for,"--here she glancedat Phili
p--"won't you tell them how it was?" she went on, half shyly; "Idon't think I heard quite exactly how or when you happened to find it."
"_You_ found it! Phil found it! oh, how lovely!" cried Ermine. "Haveyou got it in your pocket, Philip, or were you afraid of sitting downupon it and smashing it?"
Philip frowned a little.
"Out with it," said Ermine, "then--what should you do then?--we'll haveto skip the herald part of the