Mrs. Sloane looked serious. Diana had been subjected to great danger, on all sides—and they, too, of course, had run considerable risks of unhappiness. Mr. Maitland was a clever matchmaker and he had chosen very well. One man was rich and the other he could help to make rich. Diana was very happily situated with an uncle so rich and so devoted—devoted from a sense of duty only, of course, said Mrs. Sloane.
“But he is a very kind man,” she added; “here is evidence of it.” And she drew a letter from a bag that lay beside her on the seat. She opened it and read: “‘I cannot tell you what I feel about Mr. Maitland—he is a perfect angel—and I shall love him as long as I live and we shall pray for him every night of our lives.’
“High praise that,” said Mrs. Sloane, smiling; “it comes from a very pretty young woman too.”
“I don’t say he wouldn’t be kind to a pretty young woman and I am not sure that it is greatly to his credit to admit it,” said Elsie.
“Elsie, Elsie,” said Mrs. Sloane, laughing, “I see what was once a charming and delightful nature growing warped and—shall we say a little soured?—and all because a man—in every other way we will admit it, depraved and horrible—is kind to the children of his sister.”
“Not soured,” said Elsie, laughing; “I’m quite nice really—I don’t really dislike him, even, but I do resent his suddenly awaking to his responsibilities and treating me as though I had no right to exist.” Then she added: “But tell me about this young woman—if it can be told.”
It could be told, and Elsie learned how much Shan’t had had to do in the matter: how she had drawn Uncle Marcus into the affair, and at the end of the story Elsie could not easily impute any great blame to Uncle Marcus.
“I think,” said Mrs. Sloane, “he will receive a shock one of these days and we must do what we can to help him to bear it.”
“You don’t mean he—cared for her?” asked Elsie.
“No—but I am quite certain one of these days—very soon, perhaps—he will receive a piece of wedding cake, and with it a card, printed in silver, and the name Madder will be crossed out and the name Flueyn will remain—also in silver. Socially it will shock him—pain him that he could have been so kind to any one so lacking the social sense—but she will be very happy.”