eric had not gone far beyond the grounds of the moat house when he encountered mr. cole, the vicar of crumleigh, who drew up, and addressed him with a smiling: "good evening."
"good evening," eric responded. he recognised the vicar, having seen him at church on the preceding sunday, when he had been favourably impressed by his kindly, open countenance, and general appearance of manliness. "isn't it jolly after the storm? you were in shelter?"
"yes, fortunately. i found refuge in a labourers' cottage. i was bound for the moat house when the storm overtook me. we are well met, for it was you i wanted to see."
"really?" eric cried in surprise, a pleased and flattered expression crossing his face. "then, you know who i am?"
"you are eric wallis, if i mistake not?"
"yes. and you are mr. cole, the vicar of crumleigh."
"having made ourselves known to each other, suppose we shake hands," the vicar suggested with a smile.
they accordingly did so. their eyes were about on a level, for eric was tall for his age, and the vicar, though broad-shouldered and athletic, barely reached the middle-height.
"i wonder what you want of me," eric remarked, not a little curiously. "how did you find out my name? who told you about me?"
the vicar laughed at the perplexity in the boy's tone, and replied: "miss pring told me about you, and it was from her i learnt your name. i have met your mother on several occasions, but though she mentioned her son, she did not say much concerning him. i hear you are a great cricketer, and a first-rate hand at wicket-keeping. well, we have a cricket club at crumleigh, and i want you to join it, and give the members—farm lads they are mostly—a few lessons in the noble game. will you?"
"of course i will!" eric answered, flushing with pleasure.
"thank you. i am sure sir jasper will raise no objection to your giving me your help; he is a subscriber to the crumleigh cricket club, but, perhaps i had better go on and speak to him about it. are you going far?"
"no, only to meet my mother, who has been spending the afternoon at home vale."
"then i will proceed alone, and hear what sir jasper has to say."
the vicar nodded, and went on, whilst eric hurried forward, meeting his mother at the next turn in the road. he had started from the moat house vastly indignant with sir jasper, but he had had time to cool down, so instead of pouring into mrs. wallis' ears the tale of joy's wrongs to begin with, he first of all informed her that he had seen mr. cole, who wanted him to join the crumleigh cricket club.
"that would be rather nice for you, would it not?" she asked, herself pleased with the idea. "you were saying only last night how much you would enjoy a good game of cricket. this club is composed of village lads, i suppose?"
"yes. mr. cole had heard about my wicket-keeping, mother."
"had he? i wonder who told him. i don't think i did."
"it was miss pring, i believe."
"oh, very likely. how fresh and beautiful the country looks after the storm! and what a storm it was!"
"celia made herself ridiculous as usual. and, oh, mother, uncle jasper was so disagreeable at tea-time!"
"was he? how?" mrs. wallis inquired, anxiously.
eric explained all that had taken place; his mother looking grave and concerned as she listened.
"i wish i had remained at home this afternoon," she said, uneasily. "poor joy! my dear little girl! it was too bad—" she checked herself suddenly, and continued: "i cannot imagine why uncle jasper should be so unjust to her. she took his unkind remark very quietly, you say?"
"yes, but celia began to howl at once, and that seemed quite to upset him! i cannot think why he's so fond of celia, unless it's because she always agrees with what he says, and dances attendance upon him."
"celia is very sweet-tempered, and desirous of pleasing, and she is wonderfully patient with uncle jasper."
"that's what i can't understand, mother. she never used to put herself out of the way for anyone. oh, i'm not running out against her; but she was never half so obliging, really, as joy—at least, not to me. poor joy! it must be dreadfully hard to be treated so unjustly."
mrs. wallis agreed with her son, though she did not say so. arrived at the moat house they ascertained that sir jasper was perfectly willing for eric to join the crumleigh cricket club, and it was there and then arranged that the boy was to take tea at the vicarage on the following afternoon, and in the evening was to make the acquaintance of the village cricketers.
mrs. wallis, as soon as mr. cole had taken his departure, and she had answered the questions sir jasper had put to her concerning the inmates of home vale, hurried upstairs to the east wing in search of her daughters. she found them in the sitting-room. joy, with her elbows on the table and her head between her hands, was apparently deeply engrossed with a book whilst celia was engaged in rearranging the trimming on a hat. to look at the two quiet figures no one would have imagined that there had been a stormy scene between them. such had been the case, however for joy had spoken hard, bitter words to her sister, which celia had listened to silently though with many tears.
joy did not raise her head as her mother entered the room, but celia looked up from her work, and smiled a welcome, saying in her usual level tones, for she had quite recovered her equanimity: "we were so glad to know you were safe indoors during that dreadful storm, mother. how are miss pring and miss mary?"
"very well," mrs. wallis answered "joy, come with me to my room. i want you for a few minutes."
"yes, mother," was the response in a subdued voice, as joy closed her book, and rising, followed mrs. wallis into the adjoining apartment.
"shut the door, my dear."
joy did so, and waited for what was to follow. mrs. wallis took off her bonnet and cloak, and put them away; then she turned to her little daughter, and, laying her hands lightly upon her shoulders, examined her downcast countenance with anxious, loving eyes. joy had not been crying, but she looked very sad, though her mouth was set in hard, defiant lines.
"eric has been telling me all that took place at tea-time," mrs. wallis said, gravely. "i am so sorry for you, my dear. it must have been very hard to have been unable to right yourself."
joy's big, grey eyes flashed, and for a moment she was undecided whether or not she should tell her mother of celia's cowardly silence; but even now she felt she could not justify herself at her sister's expense.
"uncle jasper is a cruel, wicked, old man!" she cried, passionately. "i wish we had never come to the moat house, that i do! we were happier at home!" —and bursting into tears, she flung her arms around her mother's neck, and sobbed out all her grief. "why should uncle jasper treat me like this?" she demanded, when she was more composed; "why should he not believe my word?"
"i cannot understand it, joy," mrs. wallis replied, greatly distressed herself; "it is as much a mystery to me as to you; but do have patience, my dear, and depend upon it uncle jasper will find out he has formed a very false estimate of your character. you have a clear conscience, and you know 'a good conscience is able to bear very much, and is very cheerful in adversities.' if you are accused wrongfully, remember there is one who knows the truth, therefore do not grieve. you have a cross to carry, it has come to you through no fault of your own, and it is a particularly heavy one for you to bear because it is an accusation of insincerity, and that is an evil trait which you do not possess. but take up this cross like a christian, little daughter, don't let it sour your temper, or fill your mind with resentful thoughts."
"oh, mother, how can i help being resentful against uncle jasper, who is so cruelly unjust? i did try to keep my temper at tea-time; but if you had seen the way he looked at me, you would have felt angry, too. eric stood up for me, though, but i am afraid uncle jasper did not like his doing so."
"i hardly think uncle jasper would blame your brother for that. by the way, eric is going to join the crumleigh cricket club; he met mr. cole this evening, and it has all been arranged. i believe the members of the club play in one of uncle jasper's fields near the village; we shall be able to go and watch them. eric is to coach them."
"oh, is he?" joy cried, her face brightening. "he will like that. i know the cricket field, it's close to the vicarage, and i've often noticed mr. cole there playing with a lot of boys. oh, it will be great fun to go and watch them!" joy was delighted on her brother's account. she forgot her troubles in thinking of his pleasure, and went off in search of him, whilst mrs. wallis returned to the sitting-room to celia, to whom she imparted the news concerning eric.
"eric is going to join the village cricket club!" celia exclaimed. "why, i thought the members were all common boys. i saw them playing in a field near the vicarage the other day, and they were such a queer looking lot, with hobnail boots, and corduroy trousers, and—"
the girl paused suddenly, as she caught the look of displeasure on her mother's face. she flushed, and did not finish her sentence.
"the club is comprised of village lads, i believe," mrs. wallis said, quietly, "common boys as you term them, who work in the fields, wear coarse clothing, and speak a broad dialect. are you afraid that your brother will copy them?"
"oh, no, but—"
"you would ignore all those who are not well-to-do, or educated, i suppose? oh, celia, if you had your own way what a narrow life you would lead! i do not like to hear you talk of people as common; to my mind to do so is a sign of vulgarity. don't do it again."
"i will not," celia answered, in a subdued tone, "i spoke without thinking. i daresay it will be very nice for eric to have a game of cricket now and then. does uncle jasper know about it, mother? does he wish eric to join the club?"
"yes. by the way, celia, i am so distressed to hear how uncle jasper spoke to joy at tea."
"it was very unkind of him," celia replied, the ready tears filling her eyes; "but he promised he wouldn't speak to her like it again."
"i am glad of that. don't cry, my dear. uncle jasper will find out he has misjudged your sister one of these days."
this speech had anything but a comforting effect on celia. her mother was touched by her very real distress, and continued kindly:
"i know how fond my little daughters are of each other, but you mustn't take this matter so much to heart. i have been talking to joy, and i believe she will try to be patient with uncle jasper, and not resent the fact of his injustice. come, dry your eyes. you have cried enough to-day."
"i have such a bad headache!" celia sighed.
"come, then, we will go out on the terrace, and the fresh air will do your head good. i hear joy and eric's voices, i think. yes, and that's joy's laugh. dear child, she is recovering her spirits."
the remainder of the evening till supper-time, mrs. wallis and her children spent out-of-doors. sir jasper did not join them, for he was afraid to venture out after the rain; but he sat close inside the dining-room window, and watched joy and eric, who were playing with the spaniel puppy, whilst celia and her mother strolled up and down the terrace. he noticed the traces of tears still on celia's cheeks, and thought she had been grieving on her sister's account; then when he turned his eyes upon that sister, and saw how much she was enjoying her romp with her brother and the dog, he told himself that she was a shallow little thing, and that his sarcastic remark had made no lasting impression upon her; wherein he was greatly mistaken, for his words had cut like a knife, and had sunk deeply into joy's tender heart.
