Anita was silent, not caring to say that she had any knowledge of that other reason. "He has come over," she said after a pause, "so that mother can consult him about the best way to set investigation on foot in order to find Pepé. Mother thinks that he can give her good counsel."
"I believe he can. Everyone goes to Mr. Kirkby when they are in trouble," Lillian told her.
"He is no longer a mere curate; he is rector of his church?"
"Oh, yes, and we are very proud that he is."
They wandered around the fine old town, viewing the lovely gardens, fair in their spring blossoms, the sweeping lawns freshly green, the stately old houses, the quaint and pretty St. Mary's Hospital. Of this last Lillian said, "This we must visit some day, and take it all to itself. I want you to see some one who lives there, as odd a character as you can meet anywhere. We call her Aunt Betsy Potter, though strictly speaking, she is not an aunt at all. However, I shall not tell you about her, for now we must get back. It is lunch time and I am half starved."
They reached the lodgings to find Mr. Kirkby gone some time before, with half a dozen plans to carry through and numerous appointments to meet, all made in behalf of Anita and her mother.
CHAPTER XIII
Primrose Cottage
The walk to Borton was one Anita long remembered; along the Portsmouth Road, on through the little villages, smiling and fair, then Borton. When she was not walking with Lillian and chatting about dogs, flowers or Great-aunt Manning, she was being entertained by Mr. Kirkby with tales of Sussex, and for the first time realized how rich in history was this county of her mother's birth. It was here, the good clergyman told her, from one of these villages, that Harold rode on his mission to the Duke of Normandy. One can see a representation of that event on the Bayeux tapestry. It was in Sussex that King Canute had a palace, and tradition has it that on this spot he defied the rising tide.
"Oh, there is much to learn about Sussex," the rector told her. "It claims more than one literary celebrity, and can show you many interesting pages of history."