by thoughts of worldly advancement!”
“No, no, I promise you I will not!” Kitty said. “But— but what were your vernal hopes, dear Fish?”
“Alas!” sighed Miss Fishguard. “His situation was inferior, and although I must always hold to the belief that his character was respectable, I could not but acquiesce in my dear father’s decision that it might not be.” She met Miss Charing’s enquiring gaze, and sank her head, saying in a stricken under-voice: “He was the apothecary’s assistant. He was a very handsome young man, my dear, and looked quite the gentleman. I can see him now, putting up the pills which poor papa was forced to take to alleviate the pangs of indigestion. But of course it would not do!”
“Of course not,” said Kitty, over-awed by the mental vision of Miss Fishguard in the throes of love for an apothecary’s assistant.
“For my revered papa, as I need scarcely remind you,” said Miss Fishguard, “was, like Mr. Rattray, in Holy Orders.”
This name aroused Kitty from her reverie, and she said with a good deal of feeling: “Do not speak to me of Hugh, I beg of you! Only fancy, Fish! He would have me believe he offered for me out of pity !”
Miss Fishguard, who was at once afraid of the Rector and resentful of his efforts to prevail upon Mr. Penicuik to replace her with a governess able to instruct Kitty in the Italian tongue, clicked her tongue, and shook her head, saying that she feared Mr. Rattray was guilty of dissimulation. “I do not know how it is, my love,” she said impressively, “but although he is excessively handsome I can never bring myself to trust him! His manners are reserved, and although I am sure I hope he may be a man of rectitude, one cannot but reflect that instances have been known when outward piety has served but as a cloak for—well, consider Schedoni, dearest Kitty!”
But the thought of a comparison’s being drawn between Hugh Rattray and the villainous monk in Mrs. Radclyffe’s popular romance set Kitty off into such a fit of giggling that Miss Fishguard became offended, and was with difficulty mollified. Indeed, only her desire to discover what circumstance it had been that had impelled Mr. Standen so suddenly to declare himself kept her seated still beside Kitty’s bed. Feeling that she could not improve upon the words she had spoken in the Saloon, for the benefit of her other suitors, Kitty repeated them. Miss Fishguard was at once affected by the thought of the pangs endured by Freddy while concealing his hopeless passion for Miss Charing. She was put so much in mind of all her favourite heroes that for several minutes she forgot what she could not but consider to be the superior claims of Mr. Westruther. But these presently recurred to her memory, and she ventured to enquire whether tidings had yet been received of this gentleman.
“Dear me, no!” replied Kitty airily. “I assure you, I do not expect to see him at Arnside on this occasion!”
Miss Fishguard sighed. “How often one may be deceived in one’s fellow-creatures!” she observed. “When Mr. Penicuik was so obliging as to make known to me his intentions, I must own it was Mr. Jack whom I expected to see at Arnside, ahead of all!”
“ I had no such expectation!” said Kitty. “Nor had I the smallest wish to see him here.”
Miss Fishguard looked timidly at her, for she sounded rather fierce. Encountering a dangerous sparkle in those big eyes, which met hers full, she said doubtfully: “I have sometimes wondered, my love . . .”
“You have wondered what, dear Fish?” prompted Kitty, with deceptive sweetness.
“Only that—Such a very handsome man, and of the first style of elegance! Air and address everything that they should be!” faltered Miss Fishguard. “And one cannot but recollect that it is he who has been most often at Arnside, after all!”
“Certainly, for he is quite Uncle Matthew’s favourite!” responded Kitty swiftly. “As for the rest,
“No, no, I promise you I will not!” Kitty said. “But— but what were your vernal hopes, dear Fish?”
“Alas!” sighed Miss Fishguard. “His situation was inferior, and although I must always hold to the belief that his character was respectable, I could not but acquiesce in my dear father’s decision that it might not be.” She met Miss Charing’s enquiring gaze, and sank her head, saying in a stricken under-voice: “He was the apothecary’s assistant. He was a very handsome young man, my dear, and looked quite the gentleman. I can see him now, putting up the pills which poor papa was forced to take to alleviate the pangs of indigestion. But of course it would not do!”
“Of course not,” said Kitty, over-awed by the mental vision of Miss Fishguard in the throes of love for an apothecary’s assistant.
“For my revered papa, as I need scarcely remind you,” said Miss Fishguard, “was, like Mr. Rattray, in Holy Orders.”
This name aroused Kitty from her reverie, and she said with a good deal of feeling: “Do not speak to me of Hugh, I beg of you! Only fancy, Fish! He would have me believe he offered for me out of pity !”
Miss Fishguard, who was at once afraid of the Rector and resentful of his efforts to prevail upon Mr. Penicuik to replace her with a governess able to instruct Kitty in the Italian tongue, clicked her tongue, and shook her head, saying that she feared Mr. Rattray was guilty of dissimulation. “I do not know how it is, my love,” she said impressively, “but although he is excessively handsome I can never bring myself to trust him! His manners are reserved, and although I am sure I hope he may be a man of rectitude, one cannot but reflect that instances have been known when outward piety has served but as a cloak for—well, consider Schedoni, dearest Kitty!”
But the thought of a comparison’s being drawn between Hugh Rattray and the villainous monk in Mrs. Radclyffe’s popular romance set Kitty off into such a fit of giggling that Miss Fishguard became offended, and was with difficulty mollified. Indeed, only her desire to discover what circumstance it had been that had impelled Mr. Standen so suddenly to declare himself kept her seated still beside Kitty’s bed. Feeling that she could not improve upon the words she had spoken in the Saloon, for the benefit of her other suitors, Kitty repeated them. Miss Fishguard was at once affected by the thought of the pangs endured by Freddy while concealing his hopeless passion for Miss Charing. She was put so much in mind of all her favourite heroes that for several minutes she forgot what she could not but consider to be the superior claims of Mr. Westruther. But these presently recurred to her memory, and she ventured to enquire whether tidings had yet been received of this gentleman.
“Dear me, no!” replied Kitty airily. “I assure you, I do not expect to see him at Arnside on this occasion!”
Miss Fishguard sighed. “How often one may be deceived in one’s fellow-creatures!” she observed. “When Mr. Penicuik was so obliging as to make known to me his intentions, I must own it was Mr. Jack whom I expected to see at Arnside, ahead of all!”
“ I had no such expectation!” said Kitty. “Nor had I the smallest wish to see him here.”
Miss Fishguard looked timidly at her, for she sounded rather fierce. Encountering a dangerous sparkle in those big eyes, which met hers full, she said doubtfully: “I have sometimes wondered, my love . . .”
“You have wondered what, dear Fish?” prompted Kitty, with deceptive sweetness.
“Only that—Such a very handsome man, and of the first style of elegance! Air and address everything that they should be!” faltered Miss Fishguard. “And one cannot but recollect that it is he who has been most often at Arnside, after all!”
“Certainly, for he is quite Uncle Matthew’s favourite!” responded Kitty swiftly. “As for the rest,
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