“She must feel uncomfortable, poor little thing,” said Ermine, “and it will be easier for her if she only arrives when there are a good many other people here.”
“And naturally she feels that any sort of ‘explanations’ would be ill-timed just now when we have so much to think of,” agreed Madelene. “Nothing could be sweeter or gentler than her letters. Ermine, what can have come over the child? I cannot yet understand her strange bitterness—for after all, what she overheard could have been simply explained. It will have to be explained sooner or later—about money matters I mean, and papa’s exaggerated way of looking at it. Ermine—I fear it was a mistake not to tell her the whole at first. Do you remember the day she came, just when we had been talking it all over with Philip? Not a year ago yet.”
“If nobody ever did wrong and nobody ever made mistakes, this world would not be this world any more, and I’m not at all sure but that it would—with our present feelings—be a very dull place indeed,” said Ermine, philosophically. “Keep up your spirits, Maddie. I should not be half as cheerful as I am about leaving you if I had not great faith in some, at least, of my pet schemes ending well after all.” Madelene said nothing for a minute or two.
“If—if you are still thinking about Philip and Ella, you are only preparing fresh disappointment for yourself,” she said. “He never mentions her scarcely; he seems to have forgotten all about her.”
“It did not look as if he were indifferent that day that you were so horribly frightened about her—the day she ran off I mean,” Ermine replied.
“No,” Madelene allowed. “That day I did think—He was fearfully upset. But it may have been principally on our account. I shall never forget how he looked when I sent over in my desperation to fetch him back from Cheynesacre—he was almost rough to me—fancy, Ermine! But I did not mind—I was so frightened myself. And he was so clever and sensible about it. He found out so wonderfully quickly that she was safe with Fräulein Braune.”
“And he managed Mrs Burton very well too,” said Ermine.
“Don’t forget our promise never to tell it was he who went to see her,” said Madelene, quickly.
“Ella shall certainly not hear it from us,” said Ermine, “but I doubt Mrs Burton’s capacity for keeping a secret.”
“I hope she has not told it,” said Madelene; “I could not bear poor Ella to be misled into thinking Philip cares for her—I did my best to warn her, but I doubt if it did any good.”