[CHAPTER XVI]
THE LIFEBOAT
"SEEMS to me—I dunno as I'm a judge—but seems to me, Mimy, that Miss Perkins is uncommon changed, some ways, from what she used to be when we first came here. And uncommon nicer, too," said Mrs. Groates, polishing her best plated teapot with a vigour which made it soon to reflect her own beaming visage.
Mimy was not a girl of many words; none the worse for that, perhaps.
"Yes, mother," she said.
"And seems to me, too, a lot of it is through Miss Pattison—if there is a difference, and I'm pretty sure there is. Miss Pattison's nice; and that isn't saying half. She does good to everybody and everything about her. It isn't Miss Perkins only; it's Jessie too."
"Jessie's a dear," Mimy remarked.
"Jessie always was that; a nice little dear, so pretty and smiling. And I always liked her. But, all the same, I wasn't altogether sure, once upon a time, that she was best fitted to make our Jack happy—not as happy as I'd wish him to be. No, I wasn't quite sure, Mimy. And now I've got no manner of doubt. I do believe she's a real good girl, and tries to do what's right; and I believe it's Miss Pattison's doing, a lot of it."
Mrs. Groates rubbed vehemently at the fat round side of her teapot, and thought of a certain stormy day in the preceding March, when a vessel had been descried bearing down upon the dangerous reef of rocks which lay outside Old Maxham; and when the new young Vicar—now new no longer—had called upon her boy, Jack, among others, to go to the rescue of the sailors. Jack had long ago recovered entirely from his share of hurts, and had now been for many weeks engaged to be married to Jessie Perkins; but the Vicar's injuries had been of a more serious and prolonged nature, and perhaps his strength of constitution was less than that of hardy young Groates. His recovery had been a slow one, and he was only this day expected to return to his parish, after more than two months of absence, ordered by the doctor as an ending to months of pain and weakness.
"And Mr. Gilbert 'll be back this very afternoon," continued Mrs. Groates. "I'm glad of it. I like Mr. Gilbert, and I hope he'll come back all right, and able for his duties. Dear me, I dunno whatever this spot is made of. It won't come off; do what I will. But I'll have to keep on till it does."