Part 6

It was very early in the morning before the girl bade a last good-bye to her rich friends, for the poor ones had gradually melted away about eleven o'clock, the next day's toil having to be thought of. Lady Dove had long before, happily, excused herself, pleading great weariness after such a hard day's work, and the atmosphere cleared in consequence. Toney seized her uncle and made him dance till he called for mercy, and even Mrs. Faber was not let off, partners being provided for her. Mr. Faber never danced, but waited on everybody or discussed clerical questions with Mr. Hales.

Now at last all were gone, and Toney was alone in her simple room. Even Trick was fast asleep as she knelt to say her prayers and returned thanks to the Giver of all her pleasure. The excitement had taken away her sleepiness, so before putting out her light she opened the little book Mr. Hales had given her, and at the beginning read the story of how Brother Bernard, of Quintavelle, was converted by St. Francis, whilst this latter was still a secular. Bernard wished to find out whether the young and once worldly Francis was really a saint, so he asked him to sup and lodge with him, and prepared a bed in his own room for the young man. Both pretended to sleep. Bernard snoring loudly, and St. Francis hearing this, rose from his bed and began praying very earnestly till morning, saying only, "My God, my God." But Bernard was watching him all the time, and was so much touched that he determined to change his life. In the morning he said to St. Francis that he would leave the world and follow him, but St. Francis said they must first ask counsel how to find the Path of Perfection. So they went to the Bishop's house, and begged him to open the Bible three times and see what text he found. The first was, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and follow Me; "and the second was, "Take nothing for your journey, neither staves nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; "and the last was, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

Bernard, being very rich, went out and sold all that he had, and with great joy he gave all his possessions to the poor.

At this point Toney's eyes began to blink, so she closed the book and put it under her pillow with a smile on her lips, murmuring, "'The Path of Perfection.' Isn't that beautiful? Why can't we be like that now? I know Pups would have liked this little book, and the 'Path of Perfection,' ever so much."

Then Toney fell asleep and dreamt that St. Francis came to ask her for _all_ her money, and that she refused it to him, saying, "You really won't know what to buy for English people, because you have only had to do with the nice, dirty Italian organ-grinders, who can live on almost nothing."

It was quite late when the house party reassembled, and Toney was the only one who showed no signs of fatigue.

She found a big pile of letters on the table. From henceforth her simple, easy life would be a thing of the past; but at present, with the unbounded confidence of youth, she faced the problem bravely.

"Is there anything further I can advise you about, Miss Whitburn?" said Mr. Staines, "for I shall be going back to London very shortly."

"Yes, please, I want some last words with you, I think we had better have a telephone between us. It will save a lot of letters. Aunt Dove, you have forgiven us, haven't you?" asked Toney. "But you are rewarded by the gratitude of the people. They just thought your house a lovely museum."

"It's a great pity to put ideas into poor people's heads," answered Lady Dove. "I hope this party will last their life-time."

"Miss Grossman was done up I suppose; it's very tiresome of her, she sent word she must stay in bed to-day. If it's influenza of course I don't want her near me."

"I do not think the poor envy luxury," said Mr. Faber thoughtfully, "they sometimes envy the certainty of our meals."

"Education creates needs," said Mr. Staines, "but I once knew a man who was perfectly happy if he had five shillings in his pocket, though he had no idea where the next would come from."

"Pups was like that," exclaimed Toney, "so it shows money isn't happiness. Aunt Dove, don't you think 'Brother Angel' would be a good name for Mr. Faber? He was one of the followers of St. Francis. He thought nothing at all about money. I read a lovely story in my new book about him when I was brushing my hair."

"How ridiculous you are, Antonia--I suppose you must go this morning, Mr. Faber, as I often tell Mr. Hales, a clergyman is nothing if he is not among his people."

Mr. Faber was still smiling over Toney's last speech and did not even notice the _sous entendu_ of her ladyship's remark.

"I am afraid I must return, but I am sure Anne would stay and take Miss Grossman's place for a day or two, if it is the least convenience to you, Lady Dove."

This was just what Lady Dove did want, but she did not wish to show gratitude.

"Oh, I daresay you could not get your meals without her."

Mrs. Faber did not allow her deep disappointment to be seen. Henry was always sacrificing himself, she must follow his example. Only Toney noted the sad look in her eyes.

"Indeed our old Martha is far more necessary to my husband than I am. She cooks beautifully."

"She must be rather wasted at your Vicarage. However, of course, Anne Faber, if you like an extra holiday pray stay. Toney will be of no use this week, and if Miss Grossman does not get better she must go home."

"Certainly I will stay," and she smiled across to Toney, who nodded her satisfaction.

"You all covered yourselves with glory I can tell you. Bully! wasn't it?"

"Antonia!" exclaimed Aunt Dove.

"Well, so it was, but when you want to forsake the world and become one of St. Francis' brethren, uncle, I'm sure he'll take you. He told one of the rich young men who offered themselves, to 'serve the brethren,' and I know you did that yesterday, so you were in the path of perfection. Isn't that an awfully nice name?"

"I don't think that sort of life would suit me," said Sir Evas smiling. "Well, I shall go and meet your secretary this morning, Toney, whilst you talk to Mr. Staines."

Toney led the way to her new sitting-room which did not feel half so homely to her as the little sitting-room at the top of the house, but she would not let her uncle see this. Mr. Staines sat down, and Toney dropped into a chair and put her elbows on the writing table, after she had thrown down a heap of letters.

"Ouf! Look at those, Mr. Staines; to think they will come every morning."

"The new secretary will sift these for you, Miss Whitburn."

"Poor fellow! Well, what I want to say is this. Have you made it quite right about Aunt Dove's money? Will two thousand a year make a difference to her?"

"Yes, a very handsome gift."

"I can't cost her that in food, can I? though I have a good appetite."

"She does not really need it."

"But I want you to arrange about the capital and give it to her entirely."

"Is that wise? Lady Dove might die and----"

Toney had on her resolute air.

"I am quite sure I want that: Uncle Evas would have it if she died, and it will be off my mind. My General would like it, I think. Ouf! that will be some of it disposed of, won't it?"

Mr. Staines smiled. This was not the usual tone of his rich clients.

"That's all now, Mr. Staines, and I want your firm well paid for all your trouble, so that I shan't mind bothering you."

"About your will, Miss Whitburn, you must send me instructions as soon as possible, you see you have the whole control, and it is not right to leave anything uncertain."

"Of course---- You mean I might have a fit or break my head. My will is soon arranged, I'll leave the whole to Uncle Evas, and tell him what to do with it in case that happens, but it's only in case, for I have other ideas."

"Of course, and you must want time to think it over. I'll draw up this simple will and get it signed before I go."

"Uncle Evas says you are an awfully honourable lawyer. I'm so glad because Pups always said it was best to avoid the man of law. However, Pups' money was so wingy that he never needed a man to tie it up."

"He little guessed his daughter would be so amply provided for," said Mr. Staines beaming with real delight, which the handling of money always gave him, even though it was that of his clients and not his own.

"No, indeed. He was always make believing about King Arthur, and now I mean to study 'The Little Flowers of St. Francis,' and 'The Path of Perfection.' St. Francis was awfully simple about money, you know. Now we have done, haven't we? Here is my will. 'I give everything I have got to Sir Evas Dove, of Aldersfield House. Antonia Whitburn.' That won't waste the time of your clerks. You quite frightened me when you sent me the General's will The clerks must have racked their brains to find odd and useless words. Thank you a thousand times. I'll call the Fabers to sign it, but it's only in case of accidents. I've got lots more notions, and Uncle Evas doesn't want money. He's really quite nice about it, only he has to give in accounts."

"To give in accounts?"

"Yes, to Aunt Dove. She holds the purse-strings, uncle says, and there's a little breeze if he exceeds."

Mr. Staines thought he had better draw a veil over this part of the conversation, and very soon Toney's temporary will was signed and deposited in Mr. Staines' pocket, who thought as he journeyed back, "I never met such an extraordinary girl in all my life."

But it does not harm even a lawyer to think for a few minutes that money is not the aim of all mankind!

It was wonderful how soon Mrs. Faber reverted to the habits of her long bondage--though now she knew it was only an interlude--for Toney found her writing notes and doing flowers and being bullied by Lady Dove, just as if the beautiful reality of her wedded happiness did not exist. Mr. Faber had jogged off home in his pony carriage, Toney promising to bring back his dearest Anne as soon as Miss Grossman was able to return to public life. Toney watched him disappearing down the park as she stood alone on the steps of Aldersfield House, and as she looked at the lovely trees now turning every shade of gold, orange, and red, the Past and the Future appeared to her as two dream figures; the Past was a small, poorly clad beggar, and the Future a big, rich giant, but the beggar had a smile on his face and looked oh, so very happy, whilst the rich giant knitted his brows and looked down sadly on the ground.

"No, no," cried the girl, "the giant is blind and he doesn't see that he has only to give away all those gold brocaded clothes, and then he would be happy! He shan't be sorrowful, I won't let him!"

A little cold nose at that moment thrust itself into Toney's hand as it hung at her side, and a joyful bark brought her back to reality. She seized her beloved mongrel in her arms, whereupon he licked her face and showed that he understood her mood.

"Oh, Trick! Trick! we won't wear gold braid on our jackets and we won't let it make us feel sad. St. Francis said it was tremendously wrong to be sad, and so you are a real saint, Trick. You never are sad except when you have had a gnaw at new heels and have to be punished. We're getting old together, Trick; I'm twenty-one and I feel as if I were much, much older, or I should have done so if St. Francis hadn't come and given me such nice talks. He was just awfully fond of animals, Trick, so he must have been a very, very good man, but he loved his fellow-creatures best of all, so now you and I have both to seek and to find the 'Path of Perfection.'"

*CHAPTER XI.*

*THE NEW SECRETARY.*

Toney had set apart two of her new rooms for the secretary, and she looked round to see that all was comfortable before his arrival. A big knee-hole writing table was so placed that it could look over the park, and there was an easy chair and even a box of cigars for his comfort.

"He'll feel very strange at first," she thought, "and I expect he'll hate messing about this work all day as much as I should if I had to be a private secretary. Gracious stars! What a heap of writing money brings with it. There's a mountain of letters already for him. I must learn to drive the motor-car and then I'll take out tired workers, that will be nice! if only I can get time for it all. Life is beautiful, isn't it, Trick?" Trick wagged his tail and assented, then hearing the carriage wheels they both flew into the hall to receive the new secretary. Jim was driving the waggonette, and Sir Evas and the young man were inside, and Toney's quick eyes caught sight of her new tall pale secretary. Sir Evas was half smiling as he introduced her.

"Here's Mr. Plantagenet Russell, Toney---- Ehem---- Miss Whitburn. I hope you won't be overwhelmed with the work expected of you."

"There's piles already," exclaimed Toney, holding out her hand, "but you are to do them just when you like. The paper-basket will be the best place for half of them. Uncle Evas has told you all my sins I expect. Mr. Diggings, will you show Mr. Russell to his room. Lady Dove isn't visible till lunch time."

"Thanks," said Mr. Plantagenet Russell slowly; he wore an eye-glass in the right eye, and slightly raised the left eyebrow. So this was the great heiress he had come to work for, he had expected somebody very different. He was not at all pleased with life in general. He had been brought up in the lap of luxury, when suddenly, just when he was half-way through his college career, his father, a lawyer, died. Then it was discovered that he had swindled his clients, and that his wife and his only son were penniless. His mother's brother had given shelter to both, and after trying several clerkships, Mr. Plantagenet Russell had by chance heard of this post, and much to his surprise had obtained it. Plantagenet had thought this would be a far easier life than mere clerkships. The heiress was, of course, to be beautiful, and he could take life in the leisurely fashion which he deemed to be consistent with his early bringing up. The disgrace incurred by his father's defalcation weighed heavily on Plantagenet Russell, but he hoped this fact was but little known, and he himself was perfectly trustworthy as far as money was concerned. Here again life had been very unfair to him, and now he felt taken in because the heiress was so unlike his expectations, her very movements denoted a youthful energy which might prove most inconvenient, and which was not at all consistent with riches. In Plantagenet's mind to be poor when you had once been rich, was a disgrace very ill deserved.

Lunch time brought the members of Aldersfield together, and Plantagenet's spirits rose when Sir Evas introduced him to Lady Dove. Here was a lady of high degree who knew her own position. He bowed low and with great deference, and Lady Dove immediately took a liking to him. She saw that this young man recognised that she was Lady Dove, of Aldersfield House, and she had heard he had once been rich.

"I am glad you are coming to assist my niece, Mr. Russell, with the many duties wealth should entail upon her. You will, I hope, help her to carry out these duties as she has had very little experience. Of course those born to wealth know how hardly the duties of it press upon the conscientious mind." She looked sympathetically at him, and Plantagenet Russell was comforted.

"I shall endeavour to follow your wishes in all things, Lady Dove," said the secretary with another bow. Lady Dove smiled upon him. A young man who deferred to her wishes warmed her heart, "so unlike that stuck-up, conceited Lewis Waycott," she mentally said.

"I am sure your presence here will be a real satisfaction to my niece" (since her accession of fortune Toney had been usually spoken of as "my niece"), "and she will benefit greatly by having you here. Do have some of that pheasant, I daresay you will like a little shooting. Sir Evas is so glad of a companion when he goes out with his gun. Our preserves are really most satisfactory this year."

Both the lady and the young man were mightily pleased, one by being able to offer and the other to accept the slaughter of aristocratic birds. Sir Evas listened with an amused smile and Toney exclaimed,

"I wish one could decide if it is right to kill birds and fishes. St. Francis wouldn't have shot a pheasant I'm sure, though there's nothing about pheasants in my new book; but St. Anthony really preached to the fishes at Rimini because the heretics wouldn't listen to him."

"Salmon?" inquired Sir Evas.

"All sizes and kinds, and they held up their heads above the water and stood to attention, all according to their height, and then he preached an awfully jolly little sermon, and reminded them how nice it was to have fins and to be able to go where they liked."

"It's only a legend, dear," said Mrs. Faber, smiling.

"And how did they take it?" asked Sir Evas, hoping the new secretary was not listening.

"They opened their mouths and bowed their heads and St. Anthony was awfully pleased, and said the fishes were better than the heretics."

"They made less noise evidently. I hope the heretics were impressed."

"Yes, they were, and were converted by it."

Plantagenet Russell at this moment behaved like the fishes, for he opened his mouth as if to remonstrate with Toney but thought better of it. His heart sank within him. This heiress' brain was evidently deranged, and however on earth should he deal with her? Thank heaven he had Lady Dove to fall back upon. She was the real thing. Sir Evas quickly changed the conversation.

"I hear the new motor-car is coming this afternoon, and that you and Jim are both dying to take lessons in driving."

"Yes, I thought we ought. It will save time, but I can't do away with my beloved Colon. It's not half a full stop, Mr. Russell, it's short for Colonist--he'll do for the dog-cart as well as for riding; but you must learn to drive the motor, too, uncle. You mustn't be behind the times! The excitement will keep you young."

"I consider motor-cars are a vulgar ostentation of money. In old days county families did not air their poverty or their wealth," said Lady Dove.

"Wasn't that a sort of pretending anyway?" said Toney meditatively.

"'Noblesse oblige' is a motto only one class can really understand," retorted Lady Dove, looking sympathetically at Plantagenet Russell. She concluded he was of _her_ class and would understand.

"No class was ever made that would fit you, Toney," said Sir Evas laughing.

"By the way, if you are going in a horrid machine, Antonia, I wish you would go to the Towers. Lady Southbourne has sent us a note asking us to come to tea to-day, and I am quite too tired. Her son is there."

"All right, Aunt Dove, I'll go! Mr. Russell had better wait and see if I can bring myself home safely before trying the motor. Chum, dear, I think Brother Angel wouldn't like you to go either, but we shall soon be back."

"I can't spare Anne Faber to-day," said Lady Dove decidedly. "You forget I am alone."

When Mr. Russell was established in his room, which to his disgust Toney called "his office," and left to his first pile of letters and the cigars, all went to the hall door to inspect the new motorcar, which was Toney's first big purchase for herself. It had been ordered some time ago, and was very well planned. It could make a comfortable omnibus as well as an open carriage. A professional chauffeur had come to instruct the mistress and her groom, and off they sped to the Towers, the big county house some eight miles away. But on going through the village Toney found her car turned into a Juggernaut, all the people flew out of the cottages shouting their welcome, Toney stopped the car and let them all examine the monster as it was the first they had seen at such close quarters; then some of the children had to be taken a little drive till the chauffeur objected to it as waste of time, and Toney had to move on.

"When I can drive myself you shall have fine rides," she said, "besides it's an awfully good way of teaching geography," and amid the shouts of delight the heiress drove off, feeling warm within.

"It's like champagne, isn't it, Jim?"

Jim grinned and touched his hat and said, "Yes, miss," not knowing the least what was like champagne, but of course it was like champagne if Miss Toney said so.

When they arrived at the Towers, she told Jim and the chauffeur to exercise round the park, and prepared to pay her first call alone. She did not feel shy, that was not in her nature, but she shook her head as she followed the stiff footman.

"It's all that basket of Gwyddnen Garanhir," she thought; "but I think it works too well when it works at all: still, I had less bother when I was only a poor relation. Oh dear, there's another man-servant; what is the use of being thrown from one to the other like a bale. A good day's digging with the Kanakas would do these men good."

But now Toney found herself in a big drawing-room full of pretty things, very unlike Aldersfield where solid comfort reigned supreme. Lady Southbourne was making lace for a bazaar, to save herself giving money. Her son, a very bright young fellow, who had been charming at the ball, was now sunk in the depth of an armchair chatting to his mother. Oddly enough, their talk had been of Toney, and both looked rather guilty when she entered.

"How very kind of you, Miss Whitburn, to come and have an early cup of tea with us. It's such a long way. Did you drive?"

"I came in the new motor-car, and I only drove a little way as the chauffeur says I give it the jumps, but I shall soon learn. It will be so useful for people who want things in a hurry, and it will save the horses."

"Of course. Lord Southbourne talks of getting one, but I don't know when. We must congratulate you on your party very much."

"It was the best that I ever saw," said the Hon. Edward Lang; "I am glad you have come to talk it over with us. But you will ruin the bumpkins."

"Oh, no, you see they were all our own personal friends. Even uncle, who has a bad memory, has nearly learnt up all the children."

"Good heavens!" said Edward, "you don't mean to say you expect us--to----"

"But you feel ever so much less stupid if you know the names of the piccaninnies of your own people. I think I've got a talent for genealogies. It was much harder to know the Kanakas from each other because of the colour of their faces, but possible too."

"The contrast must be depressing," said Edward, and his mother joined in:

"Lord Southbourne declares you are helping on Socialism; but then we county people are getting poorer, and such windfalls as yours don't happen every day," and Lady Southbourne laughed.

"By Jove, they don't!" echoed Edward.

Then they chatted happily about the various episodes of the party, and Toney had no time to feel out of her element, so that she had really enjoyed herself when she remembered the waiting chauffeurs.

"Oh, there's Jim and the grand gentleman from London waiting. I'm going to make my groom a chauffeur, as he will do all he is told. Those stuck-up reefed-in men are rather tyrants."

"We are all tyrannized over by our servants," said Lady Southbourne with a smile.

"Wouldn't suit me," said Toney emphatically. "Aunt Dove's head gardener is a tyrant, and there are ructions between them. They go out to battle, but he _always_ wins!"

"So does mother's head gentleman," said Edward laughing; "but man is the superior creature."

"I think co-operation is best. St. Francis never lauded it over his brothers."

"St. Francis!" said Lady Southbourne interrogatively, not being at all learned in saints.