‘He forgave entirely,’ said Ada; ‘and he really has done a great deal for the family, who own that they have no claim upon him.’
‘Yes,’ said Jane, ‘but from a distance, with no personal knowledge, and a contempt for the foreign mother, and the pretensions to gentility. He would have been far kinder if his cousin had remained a sergeant.’
‘He only wished to try them,’ said Adeline, ‘and he always meant to come and see about them; besides, that eldest son has been begging of him on false pretences all along.’
‘That I can believe,’ said Sir Jasper. ‘I remember his father’s distress at his untruth in the regimental school, and his foolish mother shielding him. No doubt he might do enough to cause distrust of his family; but has Mr. White actually never gone near them, as Gillian told me?’
‘Excepting once walking Maura home,’ said Jane, ‘no; but I ascribe all that to the partner, Mr. Stebbing, who has had it all his own way here, and seems to me to have systematically kept Alexis down to unnecessarily distasteful drudgery. Kalliope’s talent gave her a place; but young Stebbing’s pursuit of her, though entirely unrequited, has roused his mother’s bitter enmity, and there are all manner of stories afloat. I believe I could disprove every one of them; but together they have set Mr. White against her, and he cannot see her in her office, as her mother is too ill to be left. I do believe that if the case against Alexis is discharged, they will think she has the money.’
‘Stebbing said Maura changed a five-pound note,’ put in Fergus; ‘and when I told him to shut up, for it was all bosh, he punched me.’
I hope Richard sent it’ said Ada, ‘but you see the sort of report that is continually before Mr. White—not that I think he believes half, or is satisfied—with the Stebbings.’
‘I am sure he is not with Frank Stebbing,’ said Jane. ‘I do think and hope that he is only holding off in order to judge; and I think your coming may have a great effect upon him, Jasper.’
The Rotherwoods had requested Sir Jasper to use their apartments at the hotel, and he went thither to dress, being received, as he said, by little Lady Phyllis with much grace and simplicity.
The evening passed brightly, and when the children were gone to bed, their father said rather anxiously that he feared the aunts had had a troublesome charge hastily thrust on them.