Headfort's maid, I believe." Mrs Shepton looked considerablysurprised.
"Yes, sir?" she said, interrogatively.
"Now, don't be stupid," said Michael, with some irritation. "You knowvery well I'm not likely to begin gossiping! But there is somethingunusual about this girl, and I cannot help feeling sorry for her. I hadmeant to speak of her to you before. What do you think of her?"
The housekeeper's brow had cleared, but now a look of perplexity cameover her face.
"To tell you the truth, Master Michael, I really don't know," she said."I wouldn't say as much to any one but yourself, and I would not forworlds betray her confidence--"
"Has she given you her confidence, then?" interrupted the young man.
"She has and she hasn't! She has allowed that there is something abouther present position that she cannot explain, and as far as things herego she has put herself in my hands, saying how inexperienced she is, andbegging me to advise her if I see it necessary. But beyond that, I knowno more than you do. Perhaps,"--with a touch of curiosity--"not asmuch, if you entered into conversation with her on the journey?"Michael laughed slightly.
"Oh, dear, no," he said, "she would have snubbed me at once if I hadsaid anything but the merest commonplace--and even that was only broughtabout by Solomon's making such friends with her, which threw her alittle off her dignity once or twice. She is a _lady_, nurse, I amperfectly certain of it, and that is why I am so sorry for her. Theimpression she made upon me," he continued, slowly, "was that she isacting a part." Mrs Shepton looked rather startled.
"I don't like you to say that, Master Michael," she replied, quickly."I have felt from the first that I could trust her--and now that I knowher better, and she has, as it were, thrown herself upon me, I couldn'tbear to go back from doing so."
"You misunderstand me," said Mr Gresham, with some annoyance. "Do yousuppose I think she's a burglar in disguise? People are forced intoseeming what they are not sometimes, by no fault of their own." Almosther own words to Philippa! The housekeeper in her turn hastened toexonerate herself.
"I took up your words wrongly," she said. "I think I feel just as youdo, Master Michael, about the poor girl. I am doing all I can to be afriend to her."
"I'm very glad of that," said Michael, heartily. "That was just what Ihad in my mind--to ask you to be good to her."
He spoke with his usual perfect simplicity, and as his old friendglanced at him she said to herself: "Just the same kind heart as always!Well, if others don't, there's one that does you justice, and that'syour old nurse, my dear."
Aloud she said nothing in reply to his last words, and Michael, too, satsilent. He was stroking Solomon's soft back half absently, andpondering something in his mind, which the sight of his dachshund hadrecalled to his memory. Should he, or should he not say anything toMrs Shepton of the curiously similar way in which both mistress andmaid had alluded to a former "Solomon of their own."
"Have you seen anything of Mrs Marmaduke?" he said at last,tentatively.
"Miss Christine brought her in here for a few minutes yesterday,"answered Mrs Shepton. "Of course I had seen her before, several times,but not to speak to. She is a sweet-looking young lady, very, and sodevoted to her little children. I am very pleased, indeed, that thefamily seems to be taking to her so much; Miss Headfort has quitecheered up over it."
The tone of her words decided Michael to say no more. He could scarcelyhave related the little incident without a suggestion of something notaltogether to the young wife's advantage, though in what way he himselfwould have been utterly at a loss to define. And the faintestsuggestion of such a kind would have been most unfair to young MrsHeadfort, for if her maid had a secret--a secret of which she herselfeven was cognisant, it would be most unjustifiable to lay to the younglady's account any supposition of underhand dealing or subterfuge.
"I think she is--Mrs Marmaduke, I mean--a nice little woman, andcertainly very pretty. I should not say she was particularly clever,but I daresay that doesn't matter much in a woman if her looks are allright," he said, with a slight superciliousness not lost on his hearer.
"Now, Master Michael, I am not going to have you beginning in that way,"she said, remonstratingly. "If a young lady is pretty, that's no reasonwhy she shouldn't have other gifts as well. You would not like me tosay Mr Gresham had nothing but his good looks?"
Again there was just a shade of bitterness in the young man's voice ashe replied:
"Nobody could say such a thing of Bernard. He has got--well, what isthere he hasn't got?"
Michael's old nurse seemed rather nonplussed.
"It was a stupid remark of mine, Master Michael," she answered. "And Idaresay it will make it no better if I say that whatever Mr Bernardhas, and is, there are some ways in which I could never feel that hecomes up to you."
"Mrs Shepton, ma'am, you're a silly old woman. I must be going. If Istay much longer you will be persuading me that my features are the mostregular you have ever seen."
"Nay, nay, my dear. I know what I mean, though I can't put it in words.`All is not gold that glitters,'" she added, sententiously.
The proverb seemed scarcely relevant, but Michael understood the feelingthat suggested the quotation, and there was affection as well asamusement in the smile with which he looked back at his old friend, as,followed by Solomon, he left the room.
The elder Mr Gresham had that day been the subject of discussion inanother quarter as well. He had been almost from the first verygracious to Evelyn, and this naturally pleased her the more as shegradually came to see that Mr Gresham did not always give himself muchtrouble about those with whom he might be thrown in contact. Theattractiveness of his appearance and the invariable gentleness of hismanner had in themselves an undoubted charm, which often made hiscoldness and indifference the more irritating to those who could notflatter themselves that they had aroused in him the slightest interestin their persons or their conversation.
"I do wish you could see him, Phil," Evelyn was saying to her sister atthe very time that Mr Michael Gresham was paying his visit to MrsShepton. "He is really so charming. Felicia and Christine tell me theyhave never seen him make friends so quickly, and I think they are verypleased at it. Every one thinks so much of his opinion."
"Then it is no wonder if he is a little spoilt," said Philippa.
"But I don't think he _is_ spoilt," returned Evelyn, eagerly. "He is sogentle and considerate, such a contrast to his cousin--I never saw sucha `brusque' man as _he_ is; and if it is affectation, he has no right tobe affected! He is so ugly, and of course his position is different inevery way."
"Then it is no wonder if he is a little spoilt," said Philippa.
"But I don't think he _is_ spoilt," returned Evelyn, eagerly. "He is sogentle and considerate, such a contrast to his cousin--I never saw sucha `brusque' man as _he_ is; and if it is affectation, he has no right tobe affected! He is so ugly, and of course his position is different inevery way."
"I should scarcely think he was really affected," said Philippa; "he isjust rather rough. But certainly," she went on, "the elder cousin isquite unusually good-looking."
Evelyn gave a little laugh.
"What is amusing you?" said Philippa, rather sharply.
"Oh, nothing," said Evelyn.
"When people answer `nothing' in that way, it always means something,"said Philippa, sententiously. "You laughed at what I said, and I wantto know why?"
"I didn't--at least, not exactly. I was only thinking--now don't becross--how absurd it is! You admiring Mr Gresham, allowing, at anyrate, that he made some impression upon you--for you are very critical,you know, Philippa--and he on his side entertaining me, whenever he canget round to the subject with his appreciation of your beauty andcharms."
Philippa reddened, and not altogether with gratification.
"That sort of thing is very common, Evelyn; I don't like it. Besideswhich, it is incredible that the man should remember me so distinctly.We only met for
one afternoon, and what chiefly impressed me about himwas his unusual dearth of conversation. It forced me to talk, Iremember--you know the hateful feeling of being _tete-a-tete_ with anyone, and we were _tete-a-tete_ for some little time, in dead silence.No, Evelyn, he has found out one of your weak points, you unsuspiciouslittle goose, not your _weakest_, but he couldn't praise up Bonny andVanda, as he has never seen them. You shouldn't be so open toflattery."
"But, indeed, it isn't flattery," said Evelyn;