The Third Miss St Quentin Page 9

nothing. The truth was that she was on the look-out for somesign or signal from Madelene as to what was the meaning of this suddeninvasion and in what spirit it was to be met. For though they were notabsolutely free from small differences of opinion in private, the mutualunderstanding and confidence existing between the sisters were thoroughand complete, and even had this not been the case, they would never haveallowed any outsider to suspect it.

  Madelene caught and rightly interpreted Ermine's unspoken inquiry.

  "Ella has thought it right," she began in a somewhat constrained tone,"to come home sooner than was arranged, on--on account of annoyanceswhich she has been exposed to at Mrs Robertson's and--"

  "`Annoyances,'" flashed out Ella, thereby giving Ermine her firstglimpse of the fieriness of which Madelene had already in the lastquarter of an hour seen a good many sparks, "`annoyances,' do you callthem? I think that is a very mild term for unendurable, unbearableinsult, and--"

  "Ella," said Madelene quietly, "you have told me quite as much as I wantto hear at present. Papa will be home soon and then you can see what hesays. In the meantime it seems to me very much better to drop thesubject--it would only leave a painful association with the beginning ofyour life here to do nothing but uselessly discuss disagreeables. Thething is done--you have left your aunt's and you are now with us.Neither Ermine nor I need to say anything about it and it is probablymuch better that we should not."

  "Very well," said Ella, with as near an approach to sullenness in hertone, as such an essentially un-sullen person could be capable of. "Idon't like it, but I don't want you to think me ill-natured orquarrelsome when I know I am neither, so I'll give in. But all the sameI feel that you blame me and disapprove of me, and I hate to feel that."

  She glanced up with a slight suspicious dewiness in her lovely browneyes.

  "Poor little thing," murmured Ermine half under her breath, but a glancefrom Madelene restrained her. "I know how she means, Maddie," she saidaloud, "I hate the feeling of unexpressed blame or disapproval more thanthe worst scolding spoken out to me."

  "But there is no question of either, just now," said Madelene smiling alittle. "I did tell Ella openly what I thought, but she did not agreewith me, and so I don't see that there's the least use in saying more.Do let us get into the shade--and I am sure Ella is longing for sometea."

  "It is all ready," said Ermine, leading the way to the table under thetrees, as she spoke. "I had some fresh made."

  "And Philip?" asked Madelene with the very slightest possible touch ofhesitation.

  "He is gone," said Ermine. "He left immediately after you went in."

  "I thought perhaps he would have stayed after all," she said vaguely.

  Ella listened, not without curiosity.

  "Who is Philip?" she had it on the end of her tongue to say, but shehesitated. "If they wanted to make me feel at home--_one of them_," shesaid to herself, "they would have begun telling me all about everybodyand everything, and if they don't choose to tell I don't choose to ask.`Philip,' I remember something about some one of the name in a dreamyway. And just now in the house Madelene spoke of a cousin--`ourcousin,' I think she said. Well I suppose he is my cousin too, and ifso, I can't but hear about him before long, without asking."

  One question however occurred to her as a perfectly natural andpermissible one.

  "Is my godmother, Lady Cheynes, at home just now?" she asked abruptly.

  Madelene looked a little surprised.

  "`My godmother,'" she repeated to herself inwardly, "what a queer way ofspeaking of our aunt! Of course it is only because she is our aunt thatshe is Ella's godmother, I remember her offering to be it `just toplease poor Ellen,' as she said. What does Ella want to know for?Perhaps she is thinking of making a descent upon Cheynesacre if shedoesn't find things to her mind here! I suppose our mention of Philipput it in her head."

  Ella repeated her question in another form.

  "Lady Cheynes lives near here, does she not? and she _is_ my godmother,"she said with a touch of asperity, as much as she dared show toMadelene, for there was something in Miss St Quentin's calm,self-contained manner which awed even while it irritated her youngersister.

  "Yes," Madelene replied. "She lives at Cheynesacre, which is about fivemiles from here. But she is our aunt."

  "Oh," said Ella, looking a little mystified, "then should I call heraunt? When I have written to her I have always said `godmother.'"

  "She is not your aunt," said Madelene gently. "Unless she particularlywished it, I should think it best for you just to call her by her name."

  Ella grew crimson.

  "Another snub," she said to herself.

  "She is really our great-aunt," Ermine said quickly, as if diviningElla's feelings. "She was our mother's aunt, and her grandson, SirPhilip Cheynes, is, therefore, only papa's first cousin once removed.But he always calls papa uncle."

  "Oh," said Ella. "Of course," she went on bitterly, "I can't beexpected to understand all the family connections, considering I havebeen brought up a stranger even to my father. I _suppose_ Colonel StQuentin is my father," she went on sarcastically, "but I begin to feel alittle doubtful even about that."

  "Ella," said Ermine, "what do you mean? You must not take that tone.You are vexing and hurting Madelene," for Miss St Quentin's face waspale and her lips quivering, "and I can just tell you, my dear child,now at once, at the first start, that I won't have Madelene vexed orhurt. You are a foolish baby, otherwise--"

  Ella's crimson had turned to something still fierier by this, and hereyes were literally gleaming. She controlled herself for a moment ortwo to the extent of not speaking, but she lost no time in mentallyretracting her decision that she "would like Ermine the best." It was,perhaps, fortunate that at that moment Barnes reappeared upon the scene.He was not in the habit of so much condescension, but for once dignityhad yielded to curiosity. Barnes was dying to have another look at thenew arrival, and to be able to judge how things were going to turn out.So he seized the excuse of his master's dog-cart being seen approachingto betake himself again to the lawn.

  "If you please, ma'am," he began, hesitating when he had got so far,partly because he did not feel quite at ease under Miss Ermine's rathersharp glance, and partly because he was conscious of being rather out ofbreath--

  "Well, Barnes?" said Madelene coldly.

  "I thought you would like to know, ma'am, that the colonel will be heredirectly. James has just seen the dog-cart at the mile-end turn."

  This was a land-mark visible by experienced eyes from Coombesthorpegates, though at some considerable distance.

  "Very well. Thank you, Barnes. You can tell my father he will find mein the library. I should like to see him as soon as he comes in," saidMadelene composedly, and Barnes retired, very little the wiser for hisexpedition, though Ella's burning cheeks had not been altogether lostupon him, and he gave it as his private opinion to the housekeeper thatless peaceful times were in store for "his" young ladies than hitherto.

  Miss St Quentin got up.

  "Ella," she said, "will you come with me at once to see papa?"

  Ella looked a little taken aback. She had expected to find thatMadelene was going to have a long, confidential talk with her father inthe first place.

  "If you like--if you think it best," she said, with the first approachto misgiving or shyness she had yet shown.

  "Would you like better to see papa alone?" asked Madelene.

  Ella instinctively made a little movement towards her.

  "Oh no, no, thank you," she said, looking really, frightened.

  "Well then, we will go together," said Madelene softened, though hermanner scarcely showed it.

  And in a few minutes Ella found herself again in the library where shehad waited for her sister, little more than half-an-hour before.

  Wheels crunching the gravel drive were heard almost immediately, thenBarnes's voice and another in the hall.

  "In the library, do you say?" this new
voice repeated. And in a momentthe door was opened quickly.

  "Are you here, Madelene? There is nothing wrong, I hope? Barnes met meat the door to tell me you wanted me at once."

  "Yes, papa," said Miss St Quentin, rising as she spoke. "You didn'tmeet Philip, then? No, there is nothing wrong. It is only that--" Shehalf turned to look for Ella. The girl was standing just behind her,and it almost seemed to Madelene as if she had intentionally tried toconceal herself from Colonel St