"We do not really know each other at all," she said."It is disgraceful how little relatives see of one another."The disgrace, if measured by the extent of the relationship, was not immense.Perhaps this thought flickered across Miss Alicia's mind among a number of other things.She had heard "dear papa" on Lady Mallowe, and, howsoever lacking in graces, the vicar of Rowcroft had not lacked an acrid shrewdness.Miss Alicia's sensitively self-accusing soul shrank before a hasty realization of the fact that if he had been present when the cards were brought up, he would, on glancing over them through his spectacles, have jerked out immediately: "What does the woman want? She's come to get something." Miss Alicia wished she had not been so immediately beset by this mental vision.
Lady Mallowe had come for something.She had come to be amiable to Miss Temple Barholm and to establish relations with her.
"Joan should have been here to meet me," she explained."Her dressmaker is keeping her, of course.She will be so annoyed.She wanted very much to come with me."It was further revealed that she might arrive at any moment, which gave Miss Alicia an opportunity to express, with pretty grace, the hope that she would, and her trust that she was quite well.
"She is always well," Lady Mallowe returned."And she is of course as interested as we all are in this romantic thing.It is perfectly delicious, like a three- volumed novel.""It is romantic," said Miss Alicia, wondering how much her visitor knew or thought she knew, and what circumstances would present themselves to her as delicious.
"Of course one has heard only the usual talk one always hears when everybody is chattering about a thing," Lady Mallowe replied, with a propitiating smile."No one really knows what is true and what isn't.
But it is nice to notice that all the gossip speaks so well of him.No one seems to pretend that he is anything but extremely nice himself, notwithstanding his disadvantages."She kept a fine hazel eye, surrounded by a line which artistically represented itself as black lashes, steadily resting on Miss Alicia as she said the last words.
"He is," said Miss Alicia, with gentle firmness, "nicer than I had ever imagined any young man could be--far nicer."Lady Mallowe's glance round the luxurious private sitting-room and over the perfect "idea" of Mrs.Mellish was so swift as to be almost imperceptible.
"How delightful!" she said."He must be unusually agreeable, or you would not have consented to stay and take care of him.""I cannot tell you how HAPPY I am to have been asked to stay with him, Lady Mallowe," Miss Alicia replied, the gentle firmness becoming a soft dignity.
"Which of course shows all the more how attractive he must be.And in view of the past lack of advantages, what a help you can be to him! It is quite wonderful for him to have a relative at hand who is an Englishwoman and familiar with things he will feel he must learn."A perhaps singular truth is that but for the unmistakable nature of the surroundings she quickly took in the significance of, and but for the perfection of the carrying out of Mrs.Mellish's delightful idea, it is more than probable that her lady-ship's manner of approaching Miss Alicia and certain subjects on which she desired enlightenment would have been much more direct and much less propitiatory.
