Helen sighed. She wished it had remained possible for her also to become one of Mr. Wingfold’s pupils, but how could she now when she had learned that what he had to teach was at best but a lovely phantasm, sprung of the seething together of the conscience and imagination. George could give account of the whole matter: religion invariably excited the imagination and weakened the conscience;—witness the innumerable tales concerning Jesus invented in the first of the Christian centuries, and about this and that saint in those that followed! Helen’s experience in Leopold’s case had certainly been different, but the other fact remained. Alas, she could not be a pupil of Mr. Wingfold! She could no longer deceive herself with such comfort. And yet!—COME UNTO ME, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.
“I do wish I could hear them,” she said.
“And why not?” returned Rachel. “There is not one of them would not be glad to see you. I know that.”
“I am afraid I should hinder their talk. Would they speak just as freely as if I were not there? Not that I know why they shouldn’t,” she added; “only the presence of any stranger—”
“You are no stranger to Mr. Wingfold or my uncle,” said Rachel, “and I daresay you know Mr. Drew?”
“To tell you the truth, Miss Polwarth, I have not behaved as I should either to your uncle or Mr. Wingfold. I know it now that my brother is gone. They were so good to him! I feel now as if I had been possessed with an evil spirit. I could not bear them to be more to him than I was. Oh, how I should like to hear what they are saying! I feel as if I should get a glimpse of Leopold—almost, if I might. But I couldn’t face them all together. I could not go into the room.”
Rachel was silent for a moment, thinking. Then she said:
“I’ll tell you what then: there’s no occasion. Between my uncle’s room and mine there’s a little closet, where you shall sit and hear every word. Nothing will divide you from them but a few thin old boards.”
“That would hardly be honourable though—would it?”
“I will answer for it. I shall tell my uncle afterwards. There may be cases where the motive makes the right or the wrong. It’s not as if you were listening to find out secrets. I shall be in the room, and that will be a connecting link, you know: they never turn me out. Come now. We don’t know what we may be losing.”