“What was it you wanted to know?” she asked Mrs. Carpenter gently. “I would so much rather tell you, if you are interested, than have you going about asking all sorts of people whether they have heard anything.”
“Dear little Teresa!” Mrs. Carpenter said, recovering her usual smile. “What a set-down for poor me! You fierce little thing! Well then, since you ask, tell me what Evangeline has been doing to set all the tongues wagging? I shouldn’t have liked to ask you, dear, until you offered me your confidence so sweetly. I appreciate it, I assure you. But you know it is distressing to hear a thing hinted at everywhere and not to be able to put it right authoritatively. Now we will have it all fair and square, shall we? Sit down there and tell me——have they separated?”
“No, they haven’t,” said Teresa. “Mrs. Vachell lent Evangeline those books that I have brought back, and they are all written to dish up rows that needn’t happen if people’s minds weren’t as stuffy as mouldy cupboards. Evangeline’s is like a wide open door, you know; she is not at all stuffy; but she wants so much to have everyone enjoy everything they can that she took on the idea of women being oppressed, and of course, wanted to help to let them out, as she thought. That is true, isn’t it?” she turned to Mrs. Vachell.
Mrs. Vachell shrugged her shoulders. “It is true as far as it goes,” she said. “Yes.”
“Well then, you know Evan Hatton, don’t you,” Teresa continued. She had forgotten her anger against Mrs. Carpenter, and was trying to tell the story as if she were in a Court of Justice, presenting Evangeline’s case and Evan’s as one against the world. “He is not so naturally anxious for everyone to be happy. In fact he doesn’t mind whether they are enjoying themselves or not, so long as he thinks they are doing what has got to be done. He got really worried about her trying to undo all the doors and locks everywhere. I think he got a sort of panic about it; as if she would or could possibly have done any harm! Anyhow, he thought it was the thing to do, so they had it out; that is all. And now he is coming back. They hated being away from each other, and he is going into Mr. Price’s engineering place, a new one he has started near London. Now aren’t you sorry you helped to make people think there was some nasty, frowsy mystery?”
“That is nonsense, dear Teresa,” Mrs. Carpenter protested. “You ought not to let yourself run away with such ideas. But I am more than delighted it is so simple as you say. You know Mrs. Trotter had quite a different impression, and I must say Evangeline talked to her a good deal when you were all together that summer.”
“Yes, that is what she does,” Teresa admitted regretfully. “She talks to everybody as if they were all straight and decent, and she doesn’t realise what worms some of them are. Of course they just mix whatever she says with slime.”
Mrs. Carpenter gave the little laugh which she used to express offence. “Hardly flattering to her audience, is it?” she said.
“No, I didn’t mean to flatter them,” said Teresa. “They can do that for themselves when they have finished. I was telling you how it looks to me when I know how Evangeline loves all sunny and kind things.”
“I hear you are going to be married and give up all your work,” said Mrs. Carpenter. “I must congratulate you and I hope you will be very happy. Aldwych is a lovely place and David Varens is quite delightful I think. You find you can’t keep on with your poor people, don’t you? With so many new interests, I daresay it is not easy for young people to think of others.”