Mrs. Stone had never seen Rachel anything but calm and bright: and was much distressed at the result of her advice.
"My dear, I am so sorry to have pained you," she said. "Of course we ought not to expect the impossible from you."
Rachel, overwrought and very remorseful, burst into tears.
"I ought not to have said that. I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "Only just now I feel as if I couldn't do a thing more. Please forget it. The fact is," she added, "I have to say a dozen times a day, 'Lord I am oppressed. Undertake for me.' But it was very very wrong of me. I will certainly come if I possibly can. Of course for Luke's sake I ought not let it be said that there is no head of the parish, and I really love that kind of work."
Mrs. Stone went home flushed and distressed. She saw that Rachel was just on the verge of a breakdown, and blamed herself for not doing more to take the heavy burden of the parish off her shoulders.
[CHAPTER XXI.]
THE BISHOP LOOKS INTO THE KITCHEN.
Mrs. Greville's illness not only gave Rachel more work to do in the parish, but took up a certain amount of her time in visiting her and seeing that she was well looked after. And her mother-in-law, being such an active woman was not an easy patient to do with. Her incapacity to help her son was trying in the extreme to her, and she was one of those people who look on illness as a humiliation. The atmosphere of the sick room was not a happy one.
Moreover, Rachel found that visiting her meant various little extra duties to perform, as there was someone or other always on Mrs. Greville's mind. Would Rachel give Mrs. Jones a look as her heart was constantly giving her trouble; and Mrs. Jacob was probably in great need of a grocery ticket. She would like to know also if Mrs. Grayston's baby had arrived, and how she was. And by-the-bye, she had promised to lend a book the day before she was taken ill to that poor crippled man in Rainer Street. Then two or three women ought to be looked up who had not lately been to the mothers' meeting. And though Miss Sweet had not told her, she felt sure that her young man was going to spend the week end with them soon, and that in all probability she would not be likely to take her class at the school that Sunday. Someone ought to be found to take her place.