from Bordeaux, and things like that."
Her voice faltered a little as she spoke, and the old man glanced at hersympathisingly.
"What a charming girl!" he thought to himself. "Too pretty to be agoverness or companion or anything of that kind."
"I hope," he said aloud, "that you will be able to keep your daughterswith you, Mrs Derwent. I will talk it over with my wife; she has plentyof good sense, and if any idea strikes us, I will write to you. Aschool--a small, select school, for instance. Your daughters must havebeen well educated, though, no doubt, private schools do not succeednowadays as they used to do."
"Thank you," said Mrs Derwent; "we must think it over."
Then they said good-bye, and made their way back to the station again,feeling perhaps a trifle less depressed than on their arrival.
"Shall we stop at the agent's on our way through Blissmore, do youthink, Blanche?" said Mrs Derwent, as they were nearing the end of theirrailway journey. "We must drive out, I suppose," she went on, with arather wan smile, "though I want to begin those small economies atonce."
Blanche glanced at her. It was a hot, close day, and Mrs Derwent seemedvery tired.
"It would be poor economy to begin by making ourselves ill," saidBlanche. "Of course we must drive. I will write to the house-agentto-night, if you will tell me exactly what to say, mamma. It will doquite as well as seeing him, and be far less disagreeable."
Stasy was watching for them at their own gate as they drove up. Shelooked bright and eager.
"Tell the man not to drive in," said Mrs Derwent; "we will get out here,poor Stasy looks so anxious to hear what we have got to say."
"She looks as if she had something to tell us, I think," said Blanche."I must say her good spirits--for she is never low-spirited now--are agreat blessing."
"She doesn't realise it," said Mrs Derwent, with a little sigh. "But atsixteen what would you have? That in itself is a blessing."
"Have you any news?" was Stasy's first question? "You don't look so--atleast, not any _worse_ than when you went away, except that you'retired, of course, poor dears."
"We have certainly nothing worse to tell you," said Blanche cheerfully."And one or two things are just a little better than we feared." Andshe gave Stasy a rapid summary of their interview with Mr Mapleson.
"That's all right," said Stasy. "Come in: I have tea all ready for youin the library. _I_ have some news for you; at least, something to tellyou--two things. In the first place," she went on, as she began pouringout tea, "I've had a visitor to-day. Nobody very exciting, but it maybe a good thing. My visitor was Adela Bracy."
"What did she come about?" said Blanche. "I hope they're not beginningto think they may--well, take freedoms with us, just because we've lostour money."
Blanche's tone was a trifle bitter. She was tired, and she could notbear to see her mother's pale face. For the moment, she and Stasyseemed to have changed characters.
"Take freedoms with us!" Stasy repeated. "Oh dear no! Poor Adela! ifyou had seen how she blushed and stammered over her errand."
"And what was it?" asked Mrs Derwent, reviving a little, thanks toStasy's good cup of tea.
"She wanted to know," said Stasy, "if her father might call to see youto-morrow morning, mamma, on business. They have heard, you know, aboutour trouble, because Blanche had to tell them that we couldn't give theother guild treat that we had promised. You said it was best to befrank about it."
"Yes, I remember," said Mrs Derwent. "But both she and her cousin havebeen very good," continued Stasy. "They have told no one at all tillthis morning, and then Adela thought it would be only right to let herfather know, for our sake, and it was _that_ that she was in such afright about. She thought we might be vexed."
"It doesn't in the least matter who knows and who doesn't, it seems tome," said Blanche. "Besides, I have written to Lady Hebe, to tell her Ishould probably have to give up the guild work, and I made no secret ofour troubles. But you're so mysterious, Stasy: I wish you'd explain!What can it matter about old Mr Bracy knowing?"
"I'm coming to it," said Stasy, "as fast as I can, if you wouldn'tinterrupt. It's about this house. You know, mamma, you said one dayyou thought we'd have to sell all our things, and I think anything wouldbe better than that."
"I'm afraid it will be the wisest thing to do, however," said MrsDerwent, rather dejectedly.
"No, mamma, perhaps not," said Stasy. "What Adela's father wants to seeyou about is this. He has a brother who has been out in India for agood many years--a rich man, Adela says--and he's coming home almostimmediately, with his wife and daughter, for a long holiday; and hewants Mr Bracy to find a furnished house close to theirs for a year, andit struck Adela that this might just do. She says they would take greatcare of everything, and, oh mamma! think how nice it would be to feel itwas still ours, _in case_, you know, of some good luck turning up!"
Her mother smiled.
"My dear child, we mustn't begin to hope for anything of that kind, I'mafraid," she said. "It is better to face the reality. Still, no doubt,it would be _very_ nice not to have to part with our things at once. Ayear from now, we should better know which of these we could keep. Itwas very kind and sensible of Adela Bracy to think of it, and I shallcertainly be very glad to see her father. Can you send him a note tosay so, Blanche? It seems to have been a very good thing that we havesaid nothing yet to the agent."
"I will write at once," said Blanche, rousing herself, for she felt thatshe had been yielding too much to her unusual depression.
She got up from her place and went towards the writing-table as shespoke.
"What's the name of the Bracys' house, Stasy--Green?--"
"Green Nest," replied Stasy.
"And will eleven o'clock be the best time, mamma?"
"Say any time that suits him, after ten," Mrs Derwent replied.
She spoke more cheerfully. It really seemed as if this new proposal hadcome in the nick of time, and there was something infectious in Stasy'shopefulness, little ground as there might appear for it.
"I suppose Miss Bracy said nothing about the rent her uncle would belikely to give?" asked Mrs Derwent.
Stasy shook her head.
"No," she replied, "and I didn't like to ask her, indeed I don't think Ishould have understood about it; but she did say he was liberal andkind, as well as rich."
"Of course I should not expect more than a fair sum," said Mrs Derwent;"the fact of its being of great consequence to us cannot be taken intoconsideration. Still, it is much better to have to do with people ofthat character, and no doubt the house is now unusually attractive inmany ways, all being in such perfect order."
Blanche rang the bell, and gave orders for the note to be sent at once.Then she came back and sat down again.
"And what's your second piece of news, Stasy?" she said. "You spoke oftwo."
Stasy reddened a little.
"It wasn't a piece of news," she said. "It was an--an--" And shehesitated.
"What?" asked her mother.
"I'm not quite sure," Stasy replied. "I'm not quite sure but that itwas an inspiration!"
Both Mrs Derwent and Blanche looked up.
"Do tell us," said Blanche, but Stasy still hesitated.
"If you don't mind, mamma dear," she began, "I think I'd rather tell itto Blanchie alone first, and see what she thinks. You _might_ be alittle vexed with me. It may have a little to do with what Mr Bracysays to-morrow."
"Very well, dear," said Mrs Derwent. "I'm quite content to wait, andnot to hear it at all, if you'd rather not tell me after consulting withBlanchie."
She had not, perhaps, any very great faith in the practicability ofStasy's inspirations, but she was delighted to see the girl rising withsuch unselfish cheerfulness to meet their difficulties.
"After all," she said to herself, "troubles are often blessings indisguise. This may be the making of Stasy, and give her the stabilityshe needs."
Mr Bracy called
the next morning, behaving with so much tact andconsideration as to make it easy to forget his somewhat rough and readymanner, and his frequent oblivion of the letter "h."
The terms he proposed, and which he felt sure his brother would endorse,seemed to Mrs Derwent fair and, indeed, liberal. But before committingherself to accept them, she wished to consult Mr Mapleson, a proposalwhich Mr Bracy at