Nuttie's Father

these hand

thy nobles dwe

r of the pretty dining-room of Bridgefield Rectory, where the g

the dignified lady at the head of

Fraulein said you ought to know. Uncle Alwyn is come home, and Mrs. Egrem

m one to the other in unmitigated astonishment. Mark briefly made answer to the final question, 'Aunt Alice

ldson came out and told us we must ask leave first, for the ladies were come. The Squire came home at nine o'clo

elf married?' exclaimed one of the

o, and from-circumstances in which she was not at all to blame, he lost sight of her while he was abroad with old General Egremont. Mark met her about

and eighteen could not so readily be ordered off as twelve and ten; and Mark, who had been prohibited from uttering a word to his sisters, was eagerly examining Margaret whether she rememb

ld have been more for her own dignity if she had held out a little befor

mother, you will un

be intimate with

racter,' and, as his wife was about to interrupt,-'nothing but an indiscretion to which she was almost driven ma

er and her step-children's grandmother; but she was a sensible woman, and forbore to speak, though there was a mental reservation that inti

said Mark. 'Aunt

perfect lady mea

the poor thing has conducted herself with perfect respectability all this time. What did

to be on friendly terms with the clerical folk. I came across the name at a

he sort of person!' returne

t is too soon to go up and see them. I won

n to say there is a

xactly like you

are cut

ay. You'll have to give her

tian name printed. She said all but the daughters of the

s she?' as

ear younge

'How wonderful it must all be to her! I will g

e mother. She knew the meeting was inevitable, but she prefer

or at least the appearance of it, must be preserved; but she was also exclusive and fastidious by nature, and did

clergyman of the first than of the last half of the century, intensified perhaps that the passive voice was the strongest in him. All the country knew that Canon Egremont could be relied on to give a prudent, scholarly judgment, and to be kind and liberal, when once ind

all to her, she looked from the window and saw the handsome, dignified, gray-haired, close-s

tween excitement and noise, her London slumbers had been broken; and her endeavour to keep Micklethwayte hours had resulted in a long, weary, hungry time in the sitting-room of the hotel, with nothing to do, when the gaze from the window palled on her, but to write to her aunt and Mary Nugent. The rest of the day had been spent in driving about in a brougham with

travels. The second night Mr. Egremont had picked up two friends, not yet gone out of town, whose talk was of horses and of yachts, quite incomprehensible to the ladies. They were very attentive to Mrs. Egremont, whom they evidently admired, one so visibly as to call up

t w

interrupted

ve and severe-looking person, of whom both stood somewhat in awe. The arrival at Bridgefield had been too late for anything to be taken in but a gener

e untidy-looking housemaid, who began by giving warning; and Alice and Nuttie had roamed about without meeting any one from the big wainscotted dining-room with faded crimson curtains and family portraits, the older grimy, the younger chalky, to the two drawing-rooms, whose gilding and pale blue damask had been preserved by pinafores of brown holland; the library, which looked and smelt as if Mr. Egremont was in the habit of sitting there, and a big billiard-room, all opening into a shivery-feeling hall, with Scagliola columns and a few dirty statues be

comprehensive glance in the cheval glass, which showed her some one she felt entirely unfamiliar to her in a dainty summer costume of pale gray silk picked out with a mysterious shade of pink. Ursula too thought Miss Egremont's outer woman more like a Chelsea shepherdess than Nuttie's true self, as she tripped along in her buckled shoes and the sea green stockings that had been sent home with her skirt. With crimson cheeks and a throbbing heart, Alice was only just at the foot of the stairs when the newcomers had made their w

ds with her, while his father ran on with an unusu

luncheon. She thought you would like to get s

,' in a tre

till he has made himself up in the morning. My c

ow. In the drawin

much the worse for that, and opening into a conservatory, which seemed to have little in it but some veteran orange trees. Nuttie, however, exclaimed with pleasure at the nicest room she had seen, and

and have much to forgive me. There, my dear, we will say no more about it, nor think of

is kindness. She had ejaculated, 'Oh, you are so good!' in the midst, and now at the mention of her husband, she exclaim

he has pretty well got over it, and Raikes told me there was no reason for uneasiness, provided he would be ca

conservatory, and showed Nuttie the way into the garden, advising her to ask Ronaldson, the gardener, to fill the conservatory with flowers. The pavilion, as this little room was called, al

t, 'enough to set one's teeth on edge; but it has faded into somet

urage him or anybody else to make up to her, while she had that look of Gerard Godfrey's in her mind's eye. So she made small answ

, and Mark showed the ins-and-outs of the garden, found out Ronaldson, and congratulated him on having some one at last to appreciate his flowers, begging him to make the conse

cept a little fellow in the nursery. And he exhorted his aunt not to be afraid of his step-mother

y pleasant and encouraging to Mrs. Egremont; and she began rejoicing over the kin

ighted with your uncle and

est,' returned Nuttie. 'And I don'

-fashioned

books,' observed Nuttie. 'I didn't th

good man, and has been most kind to me, far more than I deserve, and he i

red a sort of good morning to his daughter, but she was perfectly content to have no closer salutation. Having a healthy noonday appetite, her chief wish was at the moment that those beautiful little cutlets, arranged in a crown form,

e you,' observed Mr. Egremont. '

he was kind

ook at finding I could dis

he is v

rtuous hero was to have been full compensation for all that it migh

nd began a most untrue 'I'm sure-' for, indeed, the poor girl was sure of nothing, but that her father's manner was most uncomfortab

ne, I mean-come up?'

sent word that she is

of the county depends more on how she takes you up than anything else. But that doesn't mean that you are to let her give herself airs and domineer over you. Remember you are the elder brother's wife-Mrs. Egremont of Bridge

her?' exclaimed the poor lady, utterly

or she me!' He added, after a mome

e, and Ursula asked, 'Oh,

are good people, and are sure

ning to make a sore in the young heart that a barrier was thus rising, where there once had been as perfect oneness and

ome fancy-work that she had bought in London, and sent Nuttie to Ronaldson, who was arranging calceolarias, begonias, a

ry handsome, dignified-looking lady, well though simply dressed in what was evidently her home costume, with a large shady hat and feather, her whole air curiously fitting the imposing nic

. I would drive you, and Ursula might walk with Blanche.' And, as Alice hesitated for a moment, considering how this might agree with the complicated instructions that she had received,

ng the cousins, so hats, gloves, and parasols were fetched, and the two mothers drove away with the two sleek

the gardens,' said Blanche. 'H

about with

is one lawn. We wanted to have a garden-party up here last year, and father said we might, but mother thought

a very few tim

d Blanche. 'I always wonder what people did without it. Only'-

weren't garden-parties

's Ursula, isn't it? Haven't you

tti

! I'll call you Nuttie, and

t so nice

but you aren't a stranger, you know. You must tell me al

lse to do,' said N

schoolroom! I forgo

ol,' sai

, isn't it horrid? And we were so worked there! I can tell you a finishing governess is an awful institution! Poor little Rosie and

e would tell me of

German!' and Blanche stood still, an

e is the use o

om the shrubbery, they came in sight of a picturesque but not very architectural church, which had the smallest proportion of wall and the largest of roof, and a prett

then he always advertises for curates of moderate views, and they are so stupid. You neve

prevailed when her uncle had come to the living and built that pretty house-nay, were kept up at his sole ex

so much better, and make nicer servants than those that

ere, and very often I can't go. Only May pegs away at it, and she won't let me have the boys, who are the only jolly ones, because she says I spoi

, was divided between a sense of Blanche's emptiness, and the warmth excit

ing of the soft stone of the country, all the garden front of it a deep verandah that was kept open in summer, but closed with glass

s, in quite a different style from their half-sisters, much lighter in complexion and promising to be handsomer women. They looked full of eagerness and curiosity

she had something to do, and walked off the field, and carrying off with her Adela, who, as Blanche said, 'had a spine,' and was

active amusements, so that, under the tuition of her cousins, sh

tete-a-tete. Yet that sensible woman had asked no alarming questions on the past, still less had offered any advice that could seem like interference. She had only named localities, mentioned neighbours, and made little communication

dvantage Miss Nugent's kindness was, and how she was hoping to go up for the Cambridge examination; then, detecting some doubt in

think we are quite ripe for such things in this county. We are rather backward, and Ursula, com

sure whether her fa

t into her head, I should have hard work to get her father's consent, tho

t regret that it cannot be, for I thought that a motive for keeping up her studies would be helpful to my

ne, and if Ursula is an intellectual girl, perhaps you could keep her up to some regular employment in the morning. I succeeded in doing so

Canon strolled out and was installed in the big, cushioned basket-chair that crackled under his weight; Blanche recounted Nuttie's successes, and her own tennis engagements for

d little Basil had insisted on escorting the guests home

d little innocent thing, and has more good sense than I expec

It's the best thing i

words, 'A hundred tim