“Good-night. You’re a good fellow. She is quite right. I suppose I ought not to have told you how it is with me...?”
“It is of no consequence,” Gabriel answered, intending to be courteous.
CHAPTER XI
Sunday morning the church bells were chiming against the blue sky in the clear air. Both invalids were better. The reports Gabriel received whilst he sat over his solitary breakfast were to the effect that Miss Stanton had slept well and was without headache, she sent word also of her intention to go to church if it were possible. Stevens herself told him that Mrs. Capel would be coming down at eleven o’clock or half-past, having had an excellent night. He was not to stay in for her.
“Can you tell me how far off is the nearest church?”
Stevens was fully informed on the matter. There were two almost within equal distance.
“Not more than a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes away. The nearest is the ’ighest....” Stevens was a typical English maid, secretly devoted to her mistress, well up in her duties but with a perpetual grievance or list of grievances. “Not that I get there myself, not on Sunday mornings, since I’ve been here.”
Gabriel was sympathetic. Contempt, however, was thrown upon his suggestion of the afternoon.
“Children’s services and such-like, no thank you!”
As for the evenings Stevens said “they was mostly hymns.” He detained her for a few minutes, for was she not Margaret’s confidential maid, compensating her, too, for her lack of religious privileges. He told her to tell her mistress he would walk to church with his sister and then return, that he looked forward to seeing her if she were really better. Otherwise she was not to think of rising.