“And I made nothing! I feel quite guilty among you all, for I took not a single coin the whole afternoon,” said Maud the modest; but Jim would not allow his favourite sister to decry herself in his presence, and was up in arms in a moment in her defence.
“And why not, pray? Because you were doing the thankless work, as you always are, and fielding for every one else. That was my task, too; and let me tell these young people that they have to thank us for their success. You tackled the dowagers, and put them into a good temper by asking after their ailments, and I managed the girls. Bless their pretty hearts, they would do anything for me! You should have heard me complimenting ’em, and quoting poetry by the yard, and all the while luring ’em on towards the fancy stall. Then I’d nothing to do but remark, ‘See that cosy? I drew the design.’ ‘Observe that cushion? that’s my favourite colour,’ and they fairly jostled each other in their eagerness to buy it. It was our gentle influence behind the scene which helped you on, young women; and don’t you forget it.”
Maud smiled; but the smile flickered out all too quickly, as her smiles had a habit of doing nowadays, and her brother glanced at her sharply. Maud was not herself, and he feared that he knew too well the reason of the change. The news of Ned Talbot’s engagement to Lilias had smitten him dumb with surprise; but as none of the home letters breathed a hint of a like feeling, he had tried to persuade himself that he had been mistaken in his earlier surmises. This had been easy to do, for Master Jim was not given to distressing himself unnecessarily; but since his return home his fears had sprung into life again in unwelcome fashion. When Maud returned to the house he rose as if to follow, but, changing his mind, turned back and took possession of Kitty Maitland instead.
“What is the matter with my Maud?” he asked her the moment they had turned a corner and were safely out of hearing. “She hasn’t half the life and go in her that she had last time I was home. What have you been doing to her, I should like to know?”
Kitty elevated her eyebrows until they were almost lost to sight beneath her curling hair.
“Personally,” she said, “personally I have treated her with every consideration. Maud is Maud, and no one in this neighbourhood would dare to treat her otherwise. Of course if other people—from a distance—choose to make lunatics of themselves, and—and—”
“All right—you need say no more! I thought as much; and as you and I had discussed the situation together last year, I wanted to see if your ideas agreed with mine. I could have sworn we were right, and
can’t imagine how this muddle has come about. It’s a big mistake anyhow, and some one will find it out before long, or my name’s not James Rendell. It’s not my business, I suppose, but I—I should uncommonly like to kick somebody, just as a small relief to my feelings!”
“Oh, so should I—badly; but I’m afraid I couldn’t kick hard enough,” said Kitty humbly. “The worst of it is you have to be civil, because to show your suspicions would be the most unkind thing you could do. I know Nan agrees with us, and I think Elsie too, but the others seem quite pleased and satisfied.”