Raby looked up curiously and then laughed.
“You judge of him by seeing how heroic I am braving my aunt’s wrath! Oh dear, I do hope she meets us. It would be such a waste of courage if she doesn’t.”
“I have benefited by your courage,” said Jeffreys, quite staggered at his own gallantry.
“I expect you’re awfully dull in that old library,” said the girl; “you should hear how uncle praises you behind your back! Poor auntie—”
At that moment they turned a corner of the shrubbery leading up to the house, and found themselves suddenly face to face with Mrs Rimbolt with a gentleman and two or three of her lady guests. Jeffreys flushed up as guiltily as if he had been detected in a highway robbery, and absolutely forgot to salute. Even Raby, who was not at all sure that her aunt had not overheard their last words, was taken aback and looked confused. Mrs Rimbolt bridled up like a cat going into action. She took in the situation at a glance, and drew her own inferences.
“Raby, my dear,” said she, “come with us. Colonel Brotherton wishes to see Rodnet Force, and we are going there. Oh, Mr Jeffreys,” added she, turning frigidly upon the already laden librarian, “when you have carried Miss Atherton’s things into the house, be good enough to go to Kennedy and tell him to meet us at the Upper Fall. And you will find some letters on the hall table to be posted. By-the-way, Colonel Brotherton, if you have that telegram you want to send off, the librarian will go with it. It is a pity you should have the walk.”
To these miscellaneous orders Jeffreys bowed solemnly, and did not fail to exhibit his clumsiness by dropping Raby’s waterproof in a belated effort to raise his hat. Mrs Rimbolt would hardly have been appeased had he not done so; and it was probably in a final endeavour to show him off as he departed that she added,—
“Raby, give Mr Jeffreys that basket to take in; you cannot carry that up to the Falls.”
“Oh, aunt, I’ve told Mr Jeffreys I can’t trust him with it. It has grapes in it. Didn’t I, Mr Jeffreys?” she said, appealing gaily to him with a smile which seemed to make a man of him once more.
“I will undertake not to eat them,” said he, with a twitch of his mouth, receiving the precious basket.