"I never knew such rugged lanes as these!" Lulu cried, irascibly. "Do look at the wheel ruts! And do look at the splashes of mud on my frock! I shall not be fit to be seen by the time we reach the church."
Mrs. Wallis could not help smiling at the sight of the girl's rueful face; however, she very kindly produced her own handkerchief and tried to rectify the damage done, but without much success, for the mud splashes left great, dark stains on the pale blue material. This fact made Lulu very cross; but she recovered her temper, when, church reached at last, she followed Mrs. Wallis up the aisle, conscious of the many pairs of eyes watching her gaily-clad figure. She reflected that it was not often the simple villagers saw anyone so fashionably dressed as herself. This knowledge made her very self-conscious, and she fidgeted with her bracelets, and was so fussy that even Celia, who was inclined to think all their visitor did must be right, wished she would get settled; but it was not until she caught Miss Pring's gaze fixed upon her, whilst the clergyman was reading the second lesson, that a sudden stillness fell upon her, and she was quiet during the rest of the service.
"It was a nice sermon, wasn't it?" said Celia, as she and Lulu started for the homeward walk together as they had come. "It was the Vicar—Mr. Cole—who preached; he often comes to the Moat House to see Uncle Jasper."
"I didn't hear a word of the sermon," Lulu acknowledged, frankly, "not even the text. I never listen to sermons; they're always so stupid."
"Oh, do you think so?" Celia was not quite ready to agree with such a sweeping assertion. "Oh, here's Joy!" she cried, as her sister ran up to them.
"Mother's coming behind with Miss Pring and Miss Mary, so I thought I'd walk home with you, Celia," Joy explained.
"Oh, let us get on! Don't let us wait for Miss Pring!" exclaimed Lulu. "You should have seen how severely she looked at me in church."
"That was because you didn't sit still, I expect," Joy replied; "once I thought mother was going to speak to you about it."
Lulu was silent for a few minutes, slightly abashed; at length she remarked;
"I think your mother's rather particular."