alltoo good to be true."
Sir Adam glanced back at them as he left the room, standing together onthe hearthrug, the firelight dancing on the two bright heads, on the twoyoung faces so very full of happy gratitude.
"I scarcely feel like a childless old fogy, after all," he thought, ashe made his way down-stairs. "It seems to me I have a good manychildren. That little Stasy now--Blanche is charming, but Stasy isperfectly irresistible."
About four o'clock the next afternoon the Alderwood brougham might havebeen seen on the road from Blissmore to East Moddersham. There were twopeople inside it--Blanche Derwent and Sir Adam. It was a cold day, forthe autumn was now advancing rapidly.
"Dear me," said Blanche, with a slight shiver, as she glanced out of thewindow at her side, "this road is beginning to look quite wintry. It isjust about a year since mamma and Stasy and I drove along here for thefirst time, the day we came down to look at Pinnerton Lodge--only ayear!"
Sir Adam stooped and drew the fur rug a little more closely round her.
"Blanche, my dear," he said, "you are a sweet, good child, I know, butI'm _very_ angry with you, nevertheless. You really might have helpedme to make your mother see things more reasonably."
"But if I don't see them `reasonably' myself?" said Blanche. "I can'thelp quite agreeing with what mamma feels; and after all, Sir Adam, itis only a few months' delay."
"But a few months mean a good deal at my age," he persisted. "Yourmother promises to look upon me--for the years, certainly not many, thatstill remain to me--entirely as a father. Why should we put off actingupon this at once, for a scruple which, after all, need be of noimportance?" Blanche hesitated.
"I can't feel that," she said. "To me it seems so much better, fromevery point of view, to carry out our plan for the time arranged. Andyou know, Sir Adam, it will not practically make much difference. Youcouldn't risk all the winter in England, and mamma thinks it better notto interrupt Herty's and Stasy's lessons, though, of course, these aresecondary reasons; the real one is our promise to Miss Halliday and--"
"And what?"
"Perhaps it is selfish," said Blanche. "But somehow it seems to me moredignified not to give up what we are doing, so hurriedly, as if--almostas if we were at all ashamed of it;" and she blushed a little.
"There's something in that perhaps," replied her old friend. "Perhapsin my heart I agree with you to some extent. But I am tired ofwandering about by myself. I am longing to feel I have got a homeagain, and daughters to care about me in my last days."
"Dear Sir Adam," said Blanche, "you don't know how I love to hear youspeak like that! The winter will seem as bright as possible to us withthe looking forward to going back to Pinnerton in the spring. You'regoing to see our house to-day, aren't you, while I am with Lady Hebe?You mustn't be disappointed in its size. It isn't at all large, youknow, but those half-finished rooms mamma was telling you about caneasily be made very nice."
"Yes, I'm sure of it," said Sir Adam. "I've no love for very big housesand the worries they entail. The Bracys are very good-natured, and willlet us make plans beforehand, so as to lose no time. They turn out inMay next year, don't they? And by then your beloved Miss Halliday willhave found an assistant to suit her--not as difficult a matter as amoneyed partner, which she will not now require. Then, as I was saying,I shall take a house in London for a short time, and all of you mustjoin me there. We must give Stasy a pleasanter impression of Londonthan she has, poor child. But here we are--"
Blanche looked up with interest at the fine old house. It was the firsttime she had seen more of it than its gables and chimneys through thetrees, even though for several months they had been within astone's-throw of the lodge gates.
"I will take you up at once to Hebe's room," said Sir Adam, "as she isexpecting you;" and he led the way across the hall to the widestaircase.
"And how shall I meet you again?" said Blanche, who was not above acertain sensation of nervousness at the thought of encountering theformidable Lady Marth in her own house.
"It will be all right," Sir Adam replied, laying his hand lightly on hershoulder as he spoke. "Hebe will look after you," for he was quickenough to perceive her slight timidity, and liked her none the less forit. His kind tone reassured her, but had she known who was at thatmoment crossing the hall below them, it is very certain that Blanche'shabitual calm would have been still more seriously disturbed.
She forgot all about Lady Marth and everything else for the moment inthe pleasure of seeing Hebe Shetland again--her "girl with the happyface," chastened perhaps, somewhat paler and thinner than she rememberedher, but sweeter still, and best of all, with the same bright sunnyeyes, bearing no traces of the suffering they had gone through.
Hebe caught her by both hands and kissed her.
"Dear Blanche," she said.
The words and gesture surprised Blanche a little, but pleased her stillmore; while to Hebe it was an immense gratification to feel that she andthe girl she had instinctively chosen as a friend could now meet onequal ground, with no constraint.
"It is so good of you to come," she said to Blanche.
"So good of Sir Adam to bring you"--But Sir Adam had alreadydisappeared. "I have been looking forward so very much to seeing youagain. I only wish you were at Pinnerton Lodge, and then you would cometo see me often, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, indeed," said Blanche heartily, thinking to herself withsatisfaction that, thanks to Sir Adam, there could no longer be anycomplication in the matter. "But we shall not be at Pinnerton for agood while--not till next summer; however, I will come to see youwhenever I can, you may be quite sure."
"I'm afraid I shan't be allowed to go as far as Blissmore just yet,"said Hebe; "I have to guard against any chill. But I had quite hopedyou were coming back to the Lodge soon, from what Sir Adam said lastnight."
"Dear Sir Adam," said Blanche. "I could never tell you how good he isto us! But still, things must stay as they are for a while." And thenshe went on to explain to Hebe the position of affairs with regard toMiss Halliday, and how much they felt themselves indebted to her, addingsimply: "At that time she really seemed our only friend."
Hebe stroked Blanche's hand.
"I quite understand how you feel," she said, "and I have no doubt youare right. But Sir Adam was so full of it last night, he was sure he'dget your tenants to turn out at once, and--he's such an old man now,Blanche--he can't have many years to live. Don't you think perhaps, forhis sake, you should not be _quite_ so scrupulous?"
"It may be possible to arrange things a little sooner," said Blanche."Of course his wishes will be almost our first thought now. But, yousee, in any case he must not risk the winter in this climate."
"I was forgetting that," said Hebe regretfully. "He seems so muchstronger lately."
Then they went on to talk of other things, Hebe giving a few details ofall she had gone through.
"I can bear to think of it now that it is all so happily over;" and inthe interest of their conversation time passed rapidly.
Hebe started when the silvery sound of a gong reached them from the hallbelow.
"That's the tea-gong," she said. "I am allowed to go down to tea, forJosephine keeps the room in a half-light for me. I had no idea it wasso late."
The two girls went down the staircase together; the drawing-room doorstood open, and a hum of voices reached their ears before they enteredthe room. Then Lady Marth's clear, decided tones rang out conspicuouslyabove the others.
"Nonsense!" she was saying. "You can both stay if you choose--you knowyou are always welcome."
"That must be Norman," said Hebe gladly, "and--"
But Blanche heard no more, for by this time they were inside the room,and Lady Marth was addressing her.
"How do you do, Miss Derwent? My hands are full of teacups, you see. Ipersuaded Sir Adam to stay to tea."
Some one came forward from the little group near the fire. It wasalmost too dark to distinguish faces at the first mome
nt, but Hebe's,"This is Norman, Blanche," prepared her for his cordial greeting.
"Here's a nice corner for you both," said Mr Milward. "No foot-stoolsto stumble over!"
"I see better in the dark than the rest of you, I think," said Hebelaughingly; "it is too bad for you all to suffer for my sake.--Oh," sheexclaimed, "is that you, Archie? I didn't know you were coming backagain to-day."
"Norman brought me over," Mr Dunstan