Fanny, however, asked the clergyman's consent first, telling him, with
her sweet, earnest smile, how sorry she was for the little girl, and
showing him the high testimonials to Mrs. Rawlins. He owned that they
were all that could be wished, and even said at her request that he
would talk to Mr. Mauleverer. What the talk amounted to they never knew;
but when Fanny said "she hoped he had found nothing unsatisfactory,
the poor man must be so glad to be of use;" Mr. Touchett replied with,
"Indeed, it is an unfortunate situation;" and his opposition might
therefore be considered as suspended.
"Of course," cried Bessie, "we know by what witchery!" But Alison
Williams, her listener, turned on her such great eyes of wilful want of
comprehension, that she held her peace.
Rachel and Grace united in sending Mary Morris, the other child; they
really could do nothing more, so heavily had their means been drawn upon
for the first expenses; but Rachel trusted to do more for the future,
and resolved that her dress should henceforth cost no more than Alison
Williams's; indeed, she went through a series of assertions by way of
examining Alison on the expenses of her wardrobe.
The house was taken from Michaelmas, and a few days after, the two
little victims, as Bessie laughingly called them, were taken over to St.
Norbert's in the Homestead carriage, Lady Temple chaperoning the three
young ladies to see the inauguration, and the height of Rachel's glory.
They were received by Mr. Mauleverer at the door, and slightly in the
rear saw the matron, Mrs. Rawlins, a handsome pale woman, younger than
they expected, but whose weeds made Fanny warm to her directly; but she
was shy and retiring, and could not be drawn into conversation; and
her little Alice was only three years old, much younger than Rachel had
expected as a pupil, but a very pretty creature with great black eyes.
Tea and cake were provided by way of an inauguration feast, and the
three little girls sat up in an atmosphere of good cheer, strongly
suggestive of school feasts, and were left in the midst, with many
promises of being good, a matter that Lovedy seemed to think would be
very easy in this happy place, with no lace to make.
Mrs. Rawlins, whose husband had been a trained schoolmaster, was to
take the children to church, and attend to their religious instruction;
indeed, Mr. Mauleverer was most anxious on this head, and as Rachel
already knew the scruples that withheld him from ordination were only
upon the absolute binding himself to positive belief in minor technical
points, that would never come in the way of young children.
Altogether, the neat freshness of the room, the urbanity of Mr.
Mauleverer, the shy grief of the matron, all left a most pleasant
impression. Rachel was full of delight and triumph, and Grace and Fanny
quite enthusiastic; the latter even to the being sure that the Colonel
would be delighted, for the Colonel was already beginning to dawn on the
horizon, and not alone. He had written, in the name of his brother, to
secure a cottage of gentility of about the same calibre as Myrtlewood,
newly completed by a speculator on one of the few bits of ground
available for building purposes. A name was yet wanting to it; but the
day after the negotiation was concluded, the landlord paid the delicate
compliment to his first tenant by painting "Gowanbrae" upon the
gate-posts in letters of green. "Go and bray," read Bessie Keith as she
passed by; "for the sake of the chief of my name, I hope that it is not
an omen of his occupations here."