“I have no great faith in Flapsy’s affections surviving the contact with greater swells.”
“Poor Hubert!”
“Perhaps his will not survive common sense. I am sure I hope not for both their sakes.”
“But, Nag, it would be very horrid of them if they had no constancy,” declared the more romantic Paula.
“It will be a regular mess if they do have it, and bring on horrid scrapes with the M.A. Just think. It is all very well to say she has known Hubert all his life; but she can’t treat him as a gentleman, or she won’t. She has a position to keep up with all these swells, and he will be only the man who paints the church! I only hope he will not come. There will be nothing but bother if he does, unless they both have more sense and less constancy than you expect. Well, this really is a splendid view. Old Mr. Delrio would be wild about it.”
Here the steep and stony hill brought them into contact with the pony carriage, nor were there any more confidential conversations. The pony was put up at the top of the hill leading from Rockstone to Rockquay, and thence the party walked down for Miss Prescott to make a few purchases, and, moreover, to begin by gratifying Thekla’s reiterated entreaty for a bicycle, though, as she was unpractised and growing so fast, it was decided to be better to hire a tricycle for practice, and one bicycle on which Vera and Paula might learn the art.
The choice was a long one, and left only just time for a peep into the two churches and a study of the hours of their services. St. Kenelm’s was decided to be a “perfect gem,” ornaments, beauty, and all, a little overdone, perhaps, in Magdalen’s opinion, but perfectly “the thing” in her sisters’.
This St. Andrew’s fulfilled to her mind, being handsome, reverent, and decorous in all the arrangements, while to the younger folk it was “all very well,” but quite of the old times. Little did they know of “old times” beyond the quarter century of their birth! Poor old Arnscombe might feebly represent them, but even that had struggled out of the modern “dark ages.” Magdalen had decided on talking to Agatha and seeing how far she understood the situation, and she came to her room to put her in possession now that Mrs. Best had left the guest chamber free.
“This is your home when you are here. You must put up any belongings that you do not want to take to St. Robert’s.”
“Thank you; it is a nice pleasant room.”