‘Oh, you don’t imagine me thinking of that!’ cried Albinia, laughing.  ‘I meant their behaving ill to Mr. Dusautoy.’

’I know nothing about that.  Mr. Dusautoy once called to ask for my support for a vestry meeting, but I make it a rule never to meddle with parish skirmishes.  I believe there was a very unbecoming scene, and that Mr. Dusautoy was in the minority.’

’Ah, Edmund, next time you’ll see if a parson’s sister can sit quietly by to see the parson beaten!’

He smiled, and moved towards his study.

‘Then I am to be civil?’

‘Certainly.’

‘But is it necessary to call to-day?’

‘I should suppose not;’ and there he was, shut up in his den.  Albinia went back, between laughing and vexation, and Lucy looked up from her exercise to say, ’Does papa say you must call on the Osborns?’

It was undignified!  She bit her lip, and felt her false position, as with a quiver of the voice she replied, ’We shall make nothing but mischief if we talk now.  Go on with your business.’

The sharp, curious eyes did not take themselves off her face.  She leant over Sophy, who was copying a house, told her the lines were slanting, took the pencil from her hand, and tried to correct them, but found herself making them over-black, and shaky.  She had not seen such a line since the days of her childhood’s ill-temper.  She walked to the fireplace and said, ’I am going to call on Mrs. Osborn to-day.  Not that your father desires it, but because I have been indulging in a wrong feeling.’

‘I’m sure you needn’t,’ cried Gilbert.  ’It is very impertinent of Mrs. Osborn.  Why, if he is an admiral, she was the daughter of an old lieutenant of the Marines, and you are General Sir Maurice Ferrars’ first cousin.’

‘Hush, hush, Gilbert!’ said Albinia, blushing and distressed.  ’Mrs. Osborn’s standing in the place entitles her to all attention.  I was thinking of nothing of the kind.  It was because I gave way to a wrong feeling that I mean to go this afternoon.’

On the Sunday, when Mr. and Mrs. Kendal went to pay their weekly visit to Mrs. Meadows, they found the old lady taking a turn in the garden.  And as they were passing by the screen of laurels, Gilbert’s voice was heard very loud, ’That’s too bad, Lucy!  Grandmamma, don’t believe one word of it!’

‘Gilbert, you—­you are, I’m sure, very rude to your sister.’

‘I’ll not stand to hear false stories of Mrs. Kendal!’

‘What is all this?’ said Mr. Kendal, suddenly appearing, and discovering Gilbert pirouetting with indignation before Lucy.

Miss Meadows burst out with a shower of half sentences, grandmamma begged that no notice might be taken of the children’s nonsense, Lucy put on an air of injured innocence, and Gilbert was beginning to speak, but his father put him aside, saying, ’Tell me what has happened, Sophia.  From you I am certain of hearing the exact truth.’