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Then she and Harold fell to talking of Melkbridge and Montague Devitt; presently of Victoria. "I hope she was kind to you at Melkbridge," said Harold. "Very," declared Mavis, saying what was untrue. "Dear Vic is a little disappointing. I'm always reproaching myself I don't love her more than I do. Have you ever met the man she married?" "Mr. Perigal? I've met him," replied Mavis.
Montague told his wife of this; she had replied: "We will decide nothing till we see her," which meant that, if Mavis had not fulfilled the promise of her childhood, and had grown up plain, there would be some prospect of her being engaged in some capacity in the Devitt family, as her acquaintance with the big people about Melkbridge might result in introducing Victoria within the charmed circle, without prejudicing the latter's chances of making a brilliant match.
She had a healthy distrust of the tribe, and was wondering if, after all, it would not have been better to have risked the inspector's writing to any address she may have given at Melkbridge, rather than trust any chance lawyer with the matter, when she remembered that her old acquaintance, Miss Meakin, was engaged to a solicitor's clerk.
Mrs Devitt's words likewise meant that, if Mavis were charming or pretty, her prospects of securing an engagement would be of the slenderest. Mavis, ignorant of these considerations, was driven to the door of Melkbridge House. On getting out of the cart, the front door was opened by Hayter, the fat butler, who showed her into the drawing-room.
Although they looked as if they had got into the dignified atmosphere of Major Perigal's drawing-room by mistake, they were greatly delighted with their evening; afterwards, they did not fail to make copious references to those they had met at dinner to their Melkbridge friends. A month after the dinner, Major Perigal died suddenly in his chair.
His face was flushed, his eyes staring and wide awake; but Mavis put down these manifestations to the trying journey from town. She went downstairs to eat a few mouthfuls with Mr and Mrs Trivett before returning to his side. She found them much altered; they had aged considerably and were weighted with care. Music teaching in Melkbridge was a sorry crutch on which to lean for support.
Rather to her surprise, Mrs Farthing made little objection to Jill's coming to live with Mavis, her surrender being partly due to the fact of the girl's winsome presence having softened the elder woman's heart, but largely because it had got about Melkbridge that Mavis came of a local county family.
You liked me before before that happened, and, when you've forgiven me, there's no reason why you shouldn't like me again." "There's every reason." "My name's Windebank Archibald Windebank. I'm in the service, and my home is Haycock Abbey, near Melkbridge "
Where does he come from?" asked Mavis of Mrs Budd, who had a genius for gleaning the gossip of the place. "Melkbridge. He's the eldest son of Mr Montague Devitt, a very rich gentleman. Mr Harold lives at Mrs Buck's with a male nurse to look after him, poor fellow." Mrs Budd went on talking, but Mavis did not hear what she was saying.
"I never had it." "Not really?" "A fact. What was it?" "I said that my people and myself were no end of keen on seeing you again and that we wanted you to come down and stay." "You told him that?" "One day in the market-place at Melkbridge. Afterwards, I often asked about you, if he knew your address and all that; but I never got anything out of him." "But he knew all the time where I was.
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