The Eldest Son Part 40

Her companion regarded her with more attention than she had yet bestowed. "You have grown to look very sensible," she said.

"Thanks," replied Miss Dexter. "That means that my appearance is not prepossessing. I've always known that, and it doesn't bother me a bit."

Miss Phipp laughed. "It is all coming back to me," she said. "At first, except that your face is much the same, I should hardly have recognised you for the little girl I used to be so fond of. But you haven't altered, Margaret. You are just as direct as ever. I believe I first taught you to be direct."

"If you did, you had easy ground to work on," replied Miss Dexter.

"I suppose I had. But aren't you doing anything, Margaret? You're not just spending your life like other rich people--going about and amusing yourself? You weren't like that as a child."

"I'm not rich," returned Miss Dexter. "My father died too young to make a lot of money. And as for doing something, I'm companion to Lady George Dubec."

Miss Phipp was visibly taken aback. "Oh!" she exclaimed; and after a pause said, "I'm sorry. Still, if you're obliged to earn your living, I should have thought you might have done something more useful than going out as a companion to a lady of fas.h.i.+on."

Miss Dexter coloured and then laughed. "It's all coming back to me too," she said. "That's what you used to call talking straight, and we used to call Janet's manners. If it is any comfort to you to know it, I don't have to earn my own living--I only said I wasn't rich. I live with Virginia Dubec because I love her, and I share some of the expenses. I'll tell you how much I pay if you like."

"Oh, don't be silly," said Miss Phipp. "You said you were her companion, and I took that to mean what anybody would. Then you're _not_ doing anything, and I'm sorry for it. However, we needn't quarrel about that. What are these people like I'm going to? I've seen Mrs. Clinton, and on the whole I like her."

"Well, I don't," said Miss Dexter, "and if I weren't such a fool as to follow Virginia about wherever she wants to go to, as if she were a baby, I shouldn't go within a mile of Mrs. Clinton. I don't mind telling you, as you're bound to find out for yourself directly you get to Kencote, that Virginia is going to marry Captain Clinton, the eldest son, and the whole family have hitherto turned up their stupid noses at her. Now he seems to have persuaded them to inspect her and see whether she'll do, after all. She's worth a hundred of the whole lot of them put together, except, perhaps, Captain Clinton himself, who has behaved fairly well. No, I'll do him justice--he's behaved quite well.

He's all right. But Mrs. Clinton--well, you say you like her, but you'll see; as for Mr. Clinton, he's the most odious, purse-proud, blood-proud, ignorant old pig you'll find anywhere."

"H'm!'" commented Miss Phipp drily. "Seems a nice sort of family I'm going to. What's that youth travelling with your Lady Virginia, or whatever her name is--what's _he_ like?"

"What he looks like," replied Miss Dexter shortly.

"And the girls I'm going to teach?"'

"I don't know them, and don't want to."

"But you will, if you're going to stay in the house. And you must have heard about them."

"Well, I believe they're rather fun," admitted Miss Dexter grudgingly.

"And they're reported to be clever. Still, they've been boxed up at home all their lives, and can't know much. I expect you'll have your work cut out."

"They'll have their work cut out," returned Miss Phipp grimly, "and they'll have to do it too. I do hate having to go out as a governess, Margaret."

Miss Dexter glanced at her friend, who was so plain as to be almost unfeminine, and looked jaded and unwell besides; she had her eyes fixed on the suburban landscape now flying past at sixty miles an hour, and something in her aspect caused Miss Dexter's heart to contract. "Poor old Janet," she said, "I don't suppose it will be as bad as you expect.

I'm a brute to be trying to put you against them. You won't see much of Mr. Clinton, and he probably won't bother you when you do. As for Mrs. Clinton, if you want the truth, she once gave me a snub, and I feel catty about her; so you needn't take any notice of what I say.

The children are real characters, with any amount of brains, and you'll have a great opportunity with them if you can keep them in order."

Miss Phipp brightened up. "Ah, that's better hearing," she said. "As for keeping them in order, after a cla.s.s of thirty High School girls, that's child's play."

"Well, I don't want to paint _too_ bright a picture," said Miss Dexter, "and from what I've heard of them I don't think that it will be quite that."

In the meantime Virginia and Humphrey were getting on very well in their more luxurious compartment. Humphrey had expressed his pleasure at the opening up of the home of his fathers to his brother's expectant bride, and in such a fas.h.i.+on that Virginia had warmed to him and told him exactly how things stood.

"You see, I'm going on what the shops call 'appro,'" she said. "If they don't like me they can turn me out again."

"And if they _do_ like you," said Humphrey, "which, of course, they will----"

"Then all will be well," concluded Virginia.

He looked out of the window before he asked, carelessly, "I suppose d.i.c.k's there?"

"Of course d.i.c.k's there," said Virginia. "You don't suppose I should venture into the lion's den without my d.i.c.k to support me, do you?

Dear old d.i.c.k! I'm glad he's made it up with your father."

"So am I," said Humphrey, after the minutest pause. "Family quarrels are the devil and all. And there was no sense in this one. I suppose he's chucked the idea of Yorks.h.i.+re, and he's returned to the bosom of the fold."

"Oh, good gracious, no!" said Virginia. "At least he hasn't said so.

Why should he, anyway? I guess we shall want all the dollars we can grab at. A wife's an expensive luxury, you know, Mr. Humphrey."

"Especially a wife like you," returned Humphrey genially. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised if you find Yorks.h.i.+re 'off' when you get to Kencote. If the governor has come round about you, he'll probably come round about--about other things."

"You mean money?" said Virginia. "We're not bothering ourselves about that."

"_You're_ not, perhaps."

"You mean that d.i.c.k is? I don't know anything about it, and I don't care. That's not what I'm going to Kencote for. Why do men always think such a lot about money, I wonder?"

"Ah, I wonder," said Humphrey.

The four travellers joined up at Bathgate, where they had to change, and travelled to Kencote together in a second-cla.s.s carriage, on Virginia's decision, which Humphrey accepted with some distaste, but did not combat.

d.i.c.k and the twins were on the platform at Kencote. The twins were inveterate train-meeters, whenever they were allowed to be, and d.i.c.k had brought them this evening with the idea of packing them and Miss Dexter and Miss Phipp into one carriage and accompanying Virginia in the other. But Humphrey had not been expected, and the greeting between the brothers was not particularly cordial. However, he grasped the situation when he saw a landau and a brougham in waiting outside instead of the station omnibus, which he had expected to see, and solved it by announcing his intention of walking.

"We would come with you, darling," said Joan in an aside, "but we must see it out with our image. What's she like, Humphrey?"

"Oh, most lovable--as you can see," replied Humphrey, disengaging his arm and setting out into the darkness.

When the carriage into which the twins had packed themselves with Miss Phipp and Miss Dexter had rolled off in the wake of the other, Miss Phipp said, "Well, girls, I hope we shall get on well together. You're not afraid of hard work, I suppose?"

"Oh no," replied Joan readily; "we're looking forward to it immensely."

"You will find our diligence one of our best points," said Nancy. "If at first we don't succeed we always try, try, try again."

There was a moment's silence, except for the sharp trot of the horse's hoofs and the wheels rolling on the frosty road. Then Miss Dexter laughed suddenly. "There, you're answered," she said to Miss Phipp.

"Let's put them through an examination. What do you know of mathematics?"

"Don't be foolish, Margaret," said Miss Phipp sharply. "They must not begin by making fun of their lessons."

"Oh, but we shouldn't think of doing that," said Joan.

"They're far too serious, and we have been taught not to make fun of serious things," said Nancy.

Miss Dexter laughed again. "What do you know of mathematics?" she asked.

"Nancy is not good at them," replied Joan. "She got as far as the a.s.ses' bridge in Euclid, with the starling, our last governess, and then she struck, as you might expect. Her strong point is literature.

She writes poems that bring tears to the eyes."