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Tea was laid and a girl brought in the hot water when Mr. Churchouse rang for it. After she had gone Raymond praised her enthusiastically. "By Jove, what a pretty housemaid!" he exclaimed. "Pretty, yes; a housemaid, no," explained Mr. Churchouse. "She is the daughter of my housekeeper, Mrs. Dinnett. Mrs.
Baggs stood and looked down, as he had done when Henry Ironsyde came to his grave. "Life, how short eternity, how long," he said to John Best. Ernest Churchouse opened the door of the mourning coach as he had done on the previous occasion, and Miss Ironsyde alighted, followed by Raymond. He had come. But he had changed even to the visible eye.
"The charm of this house is that there's no head to it," said Estelle, "and Raymond isn't going to usurp any such position just because he means to marry me." But distractions broke in upon their happiness. Ernest Churchouse fell grievously ill and lacked strength to fight disease; while there came news from Knapp that the farmer was tired of Abel and wished him away.
There is nothing more healthy for their minds as a rule than to travel about. However, we will get him used to the idea of going and think about it again in the spring." So the subject was left, and when the suggestion of departing from Bridetown came to Abel, he belied the prophecy of Mr. Churchouse and declared a strong objection to the thought of going. His mother influenced him in this.
But the harm was done and the delicate poise of the situation between Abel's parents upset. Sabina said no more, and in the momentary silence that followed she rose and left them. "What clumsy fools even nice men can be," sighed Miss Ironsyde, and Churchouse spoke. "Leave Sabina to me," he said. "I'll comfort her when you've gone.
Daniel Ironsyde was dead and had passed many hours before Raymond reached him. Sabina went home on hearing this news, and Ernest Churchouse remained with Miss Ironsyde. She was prostrated and, for a time, he could not comfort her. But the practical nature of her mind asserted itself between gusts of grief.
For a few days she raged and was only comforted with difficulty. Mr. Churchouse and Jenny Ironsyde both visited Sabina and bade her control herself and keep calm, lest worst things should happen to her. Ernest was still sanguine that the young man would regret his suggestions; but Jenny quenched this hope. "It is all of a piece," she said, "and, looking back, I see it.
"The weaker vessels come to church, I grant," said Benny, "but the men be after more manly things than church-going of a Sunday nowadays." "So much the worse for them," declared Mr. Churchouse. "Here," he continued, "there are naturally more women than men.
Others also were glad to aid Estelle and, to her delight, Ernest Churchouse, with whom she was in favour, yielded to entreaty and joined the company on the lawn of North Hill House. Tea was served out of doors, and to it there came nine workers from the mill, and two of Mr. Best's own girls, who were friends of Estelle.
Churchouse tremble for the entire future of the criminal. Yet he saw very little hope of changing Ironsyde's decision. Raymond had evidently considered the matter, and though his argument was abominable in Ernest's view, and nothing more than a cowardly evasion of his promises, he suspected that the writer found it satisfy his conscience, since its further education in the consciousness of power.
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