Scenes and Characters, or, Eighteen Months at Beechcroft Part 41

'Did Lily think us unfit to take care of him?' asked Emily, in surprise.

As she spoke Lily herself came in, the key of the storeroom in her hand, and looks of consternation on her face. She came to announce a terrible deficiency in the preserved quinces, which she herself had carefully put aside on a shelf in the storeroom, and which Emily said she had not touched in her absence.

'Let me see,' said Eleanor, rising, and setting off to the storeroom; Emily and Lily followed, with a sad suspicion of the truth. On the way they looked into the nursery, to give little Henry to his nurse, and to ask Jane, who was sitting with Ada, what she remembered about it. Jane knew nothing, and they went on to the storeroom, where Eleanor, quite in her element, began rummaging, arranging, and sighing over the confusion, while Lily lent a helping hand, and Emily stood by, wis.h.i.+ng that her sister would not trouble herself.

Presently Jane came running up with a saucer in her hand, containing a quarter of a quince and some syrup, which she said she had found in the nursery cupboard, in searching for a puzzle which Ada wanted.

'And,' said Jane, 'I should guess that Miss Ada herself knew something about it, for when I could not find the puzzle in the right-hand cupboard, she was so very unwilling that I should look into that one; she said there was nothing there but the boys' old playthings and Esther's clothes. And I do not know whether you saw how she fidgeted when you were talking about the quinces, before you went up.'

'It is much too plain,' sighed Lily. 'Oh! Rachel, why did we not listen to you?'

'Do you suppose,' said Eleanor, 'that Ada has been in the habit of taking the key and helping herself?'

'No,' said Emily, 'but that Esther has helped her.'

'Ah!' said Eleanor, 'I never thought it wise to take her, but how could she get the key? You do not mean that you trusted it out of your own keeping.'

'It began while we were ill,' faltered Emily, 'and afterwards it was difficult to bring matters into their former order.'

'But oh, Eleanor, what is to be done?' sighed Lily.

'Speak to papa, of course,' said Eleanor. 'He is gone to the castle, and in the meantime we had better take an exact account of everything here.'

'And Esther? And Ada?' inquired the sisters.

'I think it will be better to speak to him before making so grave an accusation,' said Eleanor.

They now commenced that wearisome occupation--a complete setting-to- rights; Eleanor counted, weighed, and measured, and extended her cares from the stores to every other household matter. Emily made her escape, and went to sit with Ada; but Lily and Jane toiled for several hours with Eleanor, till Lily was so heated and wearied that she was obliged to give up a walk to Broomhill, and spend another day without a talk with Alethea. However, she was so patient, ready, and good-humoured, that Eleanor was well pleased with her. She could hardly think of the slight vexation, when her mind was full of sorrow and shame on Esther's account. It was she who, contrary to the advice of her elders, had insisted on bringing her into the house; she had allowed temptation to be set in her way, and had not taken sufficient pains to strengthen her principles; and how could she do otherwise than feel guilty of all Esther's faults, and of those into which she had led Adeline?

On Mr. Mohun's return Ada was interrogated. She pitied herself--said she did not think papa would be angry--prevaricated--and tried to coax away his inquiries, but all in vain; and at length, by slow degrees, the confession was drawn from her that she had been used to asking Esther for morsels of sweet things when she was sent to the storeroom; that afterwards she had seen her packing up some tea and sugar to take to her mother, and that Esther on that occasion, and several others, purchased her silence by giving her a share of pilfered sweetmeats. Telling her that he only spared her a very severe punishment for the present, on account of her illness, Mr.

Mohun left her, and on his way downstairs met Phyllis.

'Phyl,' said he, 'did Esther ever give you sweet things out of the storeroom?'

'Once, papa, when she had been putting out some currant jam, she offered me what had been left in the spoon.'

'Did you take it?'

'No, papa, for Eleanor used to say it was a bad trick to lick out spoons.'

'Did you ever know that she took tea and sugar from the storeroom, for her mother?'

'Took home tea and sugar to her mother! She could not have done it, papa. It would be stealing!'

Esther, who was next called for, cried a great deal, and begged for pardon, pleading again and again that -

'It was mother,' an answer which made her young mistresses again sigh over the remembrance of Rachel's disregarded advice. Her fate was left for consideration and consultation with Mr. Devereux, for Mr.

Mohun, seeing himself to blame for having allowed her to be placed in a situation of so much trial, and thinking that there was much that was good about her, did not like to send her to her home, where she was likely to learn nothing but what was bad.

CHAPTER XXIV: LOVE'S LABOUR LOST

'And well, with ready hand and heart, Each task of toilsome duty taking, Did one dear inmate take her part, The last asleep, the earliest waking.'

In the course of the afternoon Lord Rotherwood and Florence called, to see Eleanor, inquire after Ada, and make the final arrangements for going to a morning concert at Raynham the next day. Lady Rotherwood was afraid of the fatigue, and Florence therefore wished to accompany her cousins, who, as Eleanor meant to stay at home, were to be under Mrs. Weston's protection. Lady Florence and her brother, therefore, agreed to ride home by Broomhill, and mention the plan to Mrs. Weston, and took their leave, appointing Adam's shop as the place of rendezvous.

Next morning Emily, Lilias, and Jane happened to be together in the drawing-room, when Mr. Mohun and Claude came in, the former saying to Lily, 'Here is the mason's account for the gravestone which you wished to have put up to Agnes Eden; it comes to two pounds. You undertook half the expense, and as Claude is going to Raynham, he will pay for it if you will give him your sovereign.'

'I will,' said Lily, 'but first I must ask Emily to pay me for the London commissions.'

Emily repented not having had a private conference with Lily.

'So you have not settled your accounts,' said Mr. Mohun. 'I hope Lily has not ruined you, Emily.'

'I thought her a mirror of prudence,' said Claude.

'Well, Emily, is the sovereign forthcoming? I am going directly, for Frank has something to do at Raynham, and William is going to try his gray in the phaeton.'

'I am afraid you will think me very silly,' said Emily, after some deliberation, 'but I hope Lily will not be very angry when I confess that seven s.h.i.+llings is the sum total of my property.'

'Oh, Emily,' cried Lily, in dismay, 'what has become of your five pounds?'

'I gave them as a subscription for a clergyman's widow in distress,'

said Emily; 'it was the impulse of a moment, I could not help it, and, dear Lily, I hope it will not inconvenience you.'

'If papa will be kind enough to wait for this pound till Michaelmas,'

said Lily.

'I would wait willingly,' said Mr. Mohun, 'but I will not see you cheated. How much does she owe you?'

'The commissions came to six pounds three,' said Lily, looking down.

'But, Lily,' said Jane, 'you forget the old debt.'

'Never mind,' whispered Lily; but Mr. Mohun asked what Jane had said, and Claude repeated her speech, upon which he inquired, 'What old debt?'

'Papa,' said Emily, in her most candid tone, 'I do not know what I should have done but for Lily's kindness. Really, I cannot get on with my present allowance; being the eldest, so many expenses come upon me.'

'Then am I to understand,' replied Mr. Mohun, 'that your foolish vanity has led you to encroach on your sister's kindness, and to borrow of her what you had no reasonable hope of repaying? Again, Lily, what does she owe you?'

Emily felt the difference between the sharp, curious eyes with which Jane regarded her, and the sorrowful downcast looks of Lily, who replied, 'The old debt is four pounds, but that does not signify.'

'Well,' resumed her father, 'I cannot blame you for your good-nature, though an older person might have acted otherwise. You must have managed wonderfully well, to look always so well dressed with only half your proper income. Here is the amount of the debt. Is it right? And, Lily, one thing more; I wish to thank you for what you have done towards keeping this house in order. You have worked hard, and endured much, and from all I can gather, you have prevented much mischief. Much has unfairly been thrown upon you, and you have well and steadily done your duty. For you, Emily, I have more to say to you, but I shall not enter on it at present, for it is late. You had better get ready, or you will keep the others waiting.'

'I do not think I can go,' sighed Emily.

'You are wanted,' said Mr. Mohun. 'I do not think your aunt would like Florence to go without you.'