It was with curiously mingled feelings that she looked forward to the visit to her godmother’s the next day.
“Very likely,” she thought, “Sir Philip will not be there. As Ermine isn’t going Madelene and his grandmother won’t mind whether he is or not. No,” she went on, “no, it isn’t my godmother’s doing. I won’t think it. It is only Madelene—I don’t even feel sure that Ermine herself wants it. She, I must say, always seems pleased to put me forward. I’ll never forget Madelene’s face when she saw whom I was dancing with that evening at the Manor.” Madelene however did not seem as devoid of interest in her young sister, as Ella in her present mood would have liked to imagine. One of the prettiest of the frocks she had brought with her from her aunt’s, was looked out and revived by Mélanie’s skilful hands, under Miss St Quentin’s own supervision, and Ermine herself assisted at Ella’s toilet.
“You look lovely,—doesn’t she now, Maddie?” she exclaimed, when Madelene glanced in to say that the carriage was round. “Now don’t look forbidding—let me spoil the child a bit for once. That shade of pink does suit her—almost better than white. It’s the shade Philip likes so—now, Ella, don’t forget to ask him from me if it isn’t his favourite colour.”
“Do you often wear it?” said Ella, meaningly.
“Bless the child, what does Philip care what I wear?” exclaimed Ermine.
But Madelene’s displeasure was not to be mistaken this time.
“Ermine,” she said coldly, “you really must not run on so heedlessly. Of course Philip cares. Even if he were really our brother, as you like to say he seems—he would care. And he will care about Ella too because she is our sister. But you shouldn’t talk such nonsense—I mean send silly messages like that. It would make Ella feel and look quite foolish.”
And she turned back for an instant as she and Ella were going down stairs, to reprimand Ermine still more sharply.
“Do you want to teach the child to flirt?” she asked. “You have agreed with me that there was quite enough tendency of the kind about her already. You will be getting into trouble, Ermine, if you don’t take care—making her fancy Philip is in love with her, and preparing great unhappiness for her, poor child, perhaps.”
But Ermine only laughed.