I had a knitting class, and Amabel undertook to instruct some of the elder and more promising girls in fine work of various sorts, that they might be prepared to take places as nursery and dressing-maids.
Mr. Cheriton never came to the school while we were there, and, indeed, we saw much less of him than formerly. He was kept very busy and so were we, and I suppose a feeling of delicacy on his part might have had something to do with it. I had seen from the first how greatly he was taken with Amabel, and I presume he thought it would not be honorable for him to try to engage her affections in the absence of any of her relatives.
It was about the first of October, when a letter came from London with sad news. Amabel's step-mother was dead of a fever, taken it was supposed in court whither she had gone with several other fine ladies, to hear sentence pronounced upon a famous highwayman, who had been a terror to all travelers on the North Road for years. It seemed that several of the prisoners brought to the bar at the same time, were suffering from jail fever, and the infection spread to a number of the court officials and spectators, notwithstanding the sweet herbs placed, before them, to ward off such dangers. * Poor Lady Leighton carried the dreadful disease home to her little son, and the two died on the same day.
* See Howard's "Journal" and other memoirs of the time.
It Was not to be expected that Amabel should feel much sorrow for the death of her step-mother whom she had never seen, and who had held very little communication with her, but she grieved sadly over the little brother, about whom she had built many air-castles.
It seems that Mrs. Deborah had written to her brother concerning us, for Mrs. Thorpe received a letter at the same time, thanking her for her care of us, approving the measures taken for our education, and requesting her to continue her guardianship, till such time as the Mrs. Leightons should be able to receive us, or he should make arrangements for our coming to London.
"You will please see that Miss Corbet has her fair share of all my daughter's teachers and other advantages;" the letter concluded. "I consider her a sacred trust committed to my care by her father, who was my dear friend, and her mother, who rendered to my own daughter services which I can never repay. I wish my daughter to form no acquaintances at present." The no was emphasized. "And I wholly approve of your course in that matter, as related to me by my sister Deborah."
Sir Julius sent a sufficient sum to put us both into handsome deep mourning, and requested Mrs. Thorpe to supply us with a certain moderate monthly allowance of pocket money.
This letter put me entirely at my ease, with regard to my future position in life; more so than it would have done, had I known my man better. I have no doubt at all, that Sir Julius meant it at the time; but he was a man easily swayed by those about him, whether for good or ill. His late wife, from all I could learn, was a worthy lady on the whole. I certainly had reason to think well of her, for she left me a pretty remembrance of a necklace and some other trinkets and a small sum of money.
"So you are now your father's heiress!" was Mrs. Cropsey's comment when she heard the news. "I dare say, he will send for you to London, and provide a grand match for you."