“Cicely, my darling,” said the mother reproachfully.
In an instant the sweet face turned to her with a smile. “I am naughty, mother; I am in a teasing humour. I am so much happier since I have seen Trevor again.”
“Then it is all right?”
“Yes, quite. Trevor was very nice; but I have got my way, we are not going to be married for six months. He is quite pleased, however; he understands me about it now. He was quite different this morning, so gentle, and ready to agree to what I wished. I am glad they are going away for awhile, however, the change will keep Trevor from grumbling. Now I think I will go to poor Geneviève, and make her lie down for an hour or two. But I am sure there is not much the matter with her, mother, as she says herself.”
“I trust not,” said Mrs. Methvyn. “Cicely,” she said with sudden anxiety, “I hope I have not done her any harm by what I said to her about Mr. Guildford; I mean I hope I have not put it into her head so as to unsettle her and cause these variable spirits.”
“‘By what you said to her about Mr. Guildford!’ What did you say? I don’t understand,” said Cicely, her brow contracting a little.
“Oh! yes, you do. It was very little; only what I said to you, you remember, about Mr. Guildford’s admiring her. Of course, I did not say it so broadly; I only hinted it as it were, more for the sake of amusing and gratifying her when she was in such low spirits yesterday. For, do you know, Cicely, it did strike me afterwards that all that crying and so on when I told her about you might be partly a girlish sort of envy of you—a feeling she was, I dare say, only half conscious of herself.”
“Could she be so silly?” said Cicely. “If so, she certainly may be silly enough to have attached too serious a meaning to what you said. I wish you hadn’t said it, mother dear; but I don’t think Geneviève could be so silly.”
“It is natural she should look forward to being married,” said Mrs. Methvyn, rather inclined again to defend Geneviève.
“Is it? I suppose it is,” replied Cicely thoughtfully. “It is a pity when a girl has no future except marriage to look forward to. There is something lowering and undignified in the position. But still, mother, you have no actual reason for trying to make Geneviève fancy that Mr. Guildford is to be the hero of her third volume.”