“I thought he would be so glad to come and be with the Colonel, who was his guardian and Bessie’s,” said Fanny, “and I have promised to have Bessie to stay with me, she was such a dear little thing—­”

“Well, my dear, it may be a good thing for you to have a young lady with you, and if he is to come over, her presence will explain it.  Understand me, my dear, I am not at all afraid of your—­your doing anything foolish, only to get talked of is so dreadful in your situation, that you can’t be too careful.”

“Yes, yes, thank you, dear aunt,” murmured the drooping and subdued Fanny, aware how much the remonstrance must cost her aunt, and sure that she must be in fault in some way, if she could only see how.  “Please, dear aunt, help me, for indeed I don’t know how to manage—­ tell me how to be civil and kind to my dear husband’s friends without—­without—­”

Her voice broke down, though she kept from tears as an unkindness to her aunt.

In very fact, little as she knew it, she could not have defended herself better than by this humble question, throwing the whole guidance of her conduct upon her aunt.  If she had been affronted, Mrs. Curtis could have been displeased; but to be thus set to prescribe the right conduct, was at once mollifying and perplexing.

“Well, well, my dear child, we all know you wish to do right; you can judge best.  I would not have you ungrateful or uncivil, only you know you are living very quietly, and intimacy—­oh! my dear, I know your own feeling will direct you.  Dear child! you have taken what I said so kindly.  And now let me see that dear little girl.”

Rachel had not anticipated that the upshot of a remonstrance, even from her mother, would be that Fanny was to be directed by her own feeling!

That same feeling took Lady Temple to Mackarel Lane later in the day.  She had told the Colonel her intention, and obtained Alison’s assurance that Ermine’s stay at Myrtlewood need not be impracticable, and armed with their consent, she made her timid tap at Miss Williams’ door, and showed her sweet face within it.

“May I come in?  Your sister and your little niece are gone for a walk.  I told them I would come!  I did want to see you!”

“Thank you,” said Ermine, with a sweet smile, colouring cheek, yet grave eyes, and much taken by surprise at being seized by both hands, and kissed on each cheek.

“Yes, you must let me,” said her visitor, looking up with her pretty imploring gesture, “you know I have known him so long, and he has been so good to me!”

“Indeed it is very kind in you,” said Ermine, fully feeling the force of the plea expressed in the winning young face and gentle eyes full of tears.

“Oh, no, I could not help it.  I am only so sorry we kept him away from you when you wanted him so much; but we did not know, and he was Sir Stephen’s right hand, and we none of us knew what to do without him; but if he had only told—­”