"With all the advantages of Avoncester at hand?" inquired Alick, with a
certain gleam under his flaxen eyelashes that convinced Ermine that he
said it in mischief. But Rachel drew herself up gravely, and answered-"In Lady Temple's situation any such thing would be most inconsistent
with good feeling."
"Such as the cathedral?" calmly, not to say sleepily, inquired Alick,
to the excessive diversion of Ermine, who saw that Rachel had never been
laughed at in her life, and was utterly at a loss what to make of it.
"If you meant the cathedral," she said, a little uncertainly,
recollecting the tone in which Mr. Clare had just been spoken of, and
thinking that perhaps Miss Keith might be a curatolatress, "I am afraid
it is not of much benefit to people living at this distance, and there
is not much to be said for the imitation here."
"You will see what my sister says to it. She only wants training to be
the main strength of the Bishopsworthy choir, and perhaps she may find
it here."
Rachel was evidently undecided whether chants or marches were Miss
Keith's passion, and, perhaps, which propensity would render the young
lady the most distasteful to herself. Ermine thought it merciful to
divert the attack by mentioning Mr. Clare's love of music, and hoping
his curate could gratify it. "No," Mr. Keith said, "it was very unlucky
that Mr. Lifford did not know one note from another; so that his vicar
could not delude himself into hoping that his playing on his violin
was anything but a nuisance to his companion, and in spite of all
the curate's persuasions, he only indulged himself therewith on
rare occasions." But as Ermine showed surprise at the retention of
a companion devoid of this sixth sense, so valuable to the blind, he
added--"No one would suit him so well. Mr. Lifford has been with him
ever since his sight began to fail, and understands all his ways."
"Yes, that makes a great difference."
"And," pursued the young man, coming to something like life as he talked
of his uncle, "though he is not quite all that a companion might be, my
uncle says there would be no keeping the living without him, and I do
not believe there would, unless my uncle would have me instead."
Ermine laughed and looked interested, not quite knowing what other
answer to make. Rachel lifted up her eyebrows in amazement.
"Another advantage," added Alick, who somehow seemed to accept Ermine
as one of the family, "is, that he is no impediment to Bessie's living
there, for, poor man, he has a wife, but insane."
"Then your sister will live there?" said Rachel. "What an enviable
position, to have the control of means of doing good that always falls
to the women of a clerical family."