perhaps, to the not unnatural excitement shewas feeling about her journey and its results. Between heranticipations and her regret at leaving her children, she wassufficiently distracted not to notice that Philippa had slipped away insome mysterious fashion quite an hour before the time fixed for her owndeparture. It was actually not till she was standing at the hall door,waiting till the luggage should be safely established on the top of thefly before getting in herself, that she suddenly exclaimed:
"Where can Philippa be, mamma? I haven't seen her since breakfast."
Mrs Raynsworth glanced round with an air of annoyance.
"I have no idea," she said. "She is certainly not with your father.What was it she was saying last night about not going to the stationwith you?"
"Oh, just that she couldn't go; she has some mysterious engagement. Butshe might at least have said good-bye first."
"It is so unlike her," replied the mother. "And somehow I didn't takeit in, otherwise I would have got ready to see you off myself."
"Oh, I don't mind that part of it in the least," said Evelyn. "It's notas if it were a big crowded station. But tell Philippa, all the same,that I don't understand her going off like that. Now, good-bye, dearmamma, and don't worry about me. I shall be all right if I get goodnews of the children, and you or Phil will write every day, I'm sure--amere word would be enough."
"Yes, dear, of course we shall," replied Mrs Raynsworth, reassuringly,though her face had a more anxious expression than usual. "I won't ask_you_ to write every day," she went on, "for I know how tiresome it isto feel bound to do so when one is staying with people. Only let usknow of your arrival as soon as you can, and say how you are."
She stood watching the fly as it made its way down the short drive,waving her hand in response to Evelyn's last smile and nod. Then shewent slowly back into the house.
"I couldn't have said anything to disturb Evelyn just as she wasstarting," she thought to herself, "but I really do think Philippa isbehaving most extraordinarily. I hope these very independent ways ofhers are not the result of her visit to Dorriford. I wonder, by-the-by,if Dorcas knows where she is gone."
But, strange to say, Dorcas was not to be found in any of her usualhaunts, though one of the under-servants said she had seen her not fiveminutes before, up-stairs in Miss Philippa's room. Tired and somewhatdepressed, though she scarcely knew why, Mrs Raynsworth sat down in thedrawing-room with a vague intention of writing a letter or otherwiseemploying herself usefully, but contrary to her usual habits, more thanan hour passed before she exerted herself to do anything but gazedreamily out of the window, where the now fast-falling leaves werewhirling about fantastically in the breeze.
"I feel as if I were waiting for something, though for what I don'tknow," she thought, and it was with a start of surprise that the clock,striking one, caught her ear. "Dear me, how idle I have been--oneo'clock! Evelyn must be well on her way by this. I wonder whenPhilippa intends to come in?"
Just then the door opened and Dorcas appeared. She carried a salver inher hand, and on it lay a letter.
"If you please, ma'am," the old servant began, "Miss Philippa wished meto give you this at one o'clock, but not before. I don't know what it'sabout, I don't, indeed," she added, anxiously, "but I do hope there'snothing wrong."
Her words were well intended, but they only served to sharpen theuneasiness which Mrs Raynsworth was already feeling. Her face grewpale, and her heart beat painfully fast as she took hold of theenvelope.
"A letter, and from Philippa!" she exclaimed; "what can it mean? No,don't go away, Dorcas," though the old servant had shown no sign ofdoing so. "If--if there is anything wrong,"--though what could havebeen wrong she would have been at a loss to say--"I must keep calm.Don't go till I see what it is." And with trembling fingers she openedthe letter.
For Philippa _had_ been preoccupied and unlike herself the night before,and even this very morning, there was no denying.
CHAPTER FOUR.
FELLOW-TRAVELLERS.
In the meantime all had progressed smoothly with Mrs Headfort.
The train was already in the station when she and her boxes foundthemselves on the platform, for Marlby was a terminus in its small way.It lay about an hour off the main line, and as express trains do not_always_ wait the arrival of small local ones, departures from Marlbyfor the junction were characterised by most praiseworthy punctuality,any wafting that might occur being pretty sure to take place at Wrexhilljunction itself.
But to-day the express proved worthy of its name, barely five minuteshaving been passed at the big station before Evelyn found herselfre-established in her favourite corner of a first-class compartment,otherwise empty, of the train.
"Now I shall feel settled," she said to herself, with satisfaction, "nomore changes till I get almost to my journey's end. I do hope nobodywill get in. I wish I could go to sleep and then I should feel fresh onarriving, and I never like to shut my eyes with strangers in thecarriage--for one thing, one looks so silly; I've often laughed at otherpeople. I wish the train would start--oh, dear,"--as at that moment thedoor opened to admit a new-comer--"what a bother!" and as she made thismental ejaculation the train began to move.
"How rash of her!" thought Mrs Headfort, glancing at the intruder,whose back for the moment was turned towards her.
She was a tall, slender woman, neatly but simply dressed in black, youngtoo, as far as Mrs Headfort's present chances of observation coulddecide. "She looks like a maid--she must have got in first-class bymistake sorely," but at this point in her reflections the black-robedfigure turned, calmly seating herself opposite Evelyn, and lifting thethick veil she wore, disclosed to the gazer's astonished eyes the faceof her sister Philippa!
Mrs Headfort grew pale--more than pale indeed, perfectly white--anduttered a faint scream. For the moment, in the confusion of ideasalways engendered by the utterly unexpected, she really felt as if shehad seen a ghost. It was impossible for her at once to grasp the factthat before her was indeed her sister, a flesh-and-blood Philippa. Shecould scarcely have been more amazed had the figure in front of herproceeded to dissolve into thin air and disappear! And the effect onthe girl herself of her sister's agitation was for an instantparalysing. Any enjoyment she had anticipated in this _coup d'etat_,any thought of "fun" completely faded. She felt so terrified andstartled at the effect upon Evelyn of what she had imagined would causeat the most but a start of surprise, and probably some vehementremonstrance, that she was utterly unable to speak. Only, when atlength--or what seemed at length, for in reality not twenty seconds hadpassed since the new-comer had revealed herself--Evelyn's pale lipsmurmured with a gasp, "Philippa!" did her own power of utterance returnto her.
"Evey, Evey," she exclaimed, "don't look like that I never thought youwould be so frightened. I--I thought that on the whole you'd bepleased."
The distress in Philippa's face touched her sister. She tried to smile,and the effort brought some colour back again to her pale face.
"It was silly of me," she said at last, "but I don't understand! Didyou mean to come with me to Wrexhill? Oh, no, I forgot, we have passedit; we shall not stop again till Crowminster, ever so far away.Philippa, what are you thinking of?" and again her face grew verytroubled.
"Of course I know we don't stop for ever so long," said Philippa, tryingto speak easily. "I looked it all out in the railway guide; that waswhy I wouldn't let you know I was in the train till after we had passedthe junction. It's too late to send me back now, Evey; the trains don'tmatch in the least I should have hours to wait at Crowminster, and againat the junction. I shouldn't get home till who knows when, and what isstill more to the purpose," she added, but in a lower voice, "I wouldn'tgo back if you told me to--nothing in the world would make me go back."
The sense of her last words did not reach her sister's brain. She satstaring at Philippa with more and more widely opening eyes.
"Why are you dressed like that?" she exclaimed, gradually taking in thefact
of her sister's unusual get-up. "Is it some trick you are playing,Philippa--some silly, practical joke? I _cannot_ understand you, justnow, especially, when I wanted to be calm and as easy-minded as possiblefor this visit!"
The reproach in her tone roused Philippa's indignation.
"Trick--practical joke!" she repeated. "How can you say such a thing?What do you take me for?" and her voice faltered. "You are very stupid,Evelyn," she went on, more lightly. "You surely must understand what Imean to do. I am no longer Philippa