mrs. wallis and her children always breakfasted by themselves in the sitting-room in the east wing, for sir jasper did not, as a rule, rise till after ten o'clock. the meal was generally enlivened by the young folks' chatter; and on the morning subsequent to eric's introduction to the members of the crumleigh cricket club, there was so much discuss, and everyone was in such excellent spirits—joy included—that the conversation never flagged.
"celia and i are going to drive to t— this morning to do some shopping," mrs. wallis remarked, after eric had informed them of few of the many plans he intended to carry out subsequent to lawrence puttenham's arrival. "uncle jasper gave orders last night for the carriage to be ready at ten o'clock. you would like to come with us, joy?"
"i would rather stay at home with eric, if you don't mind, mother," joy responded "i don't much care for shopping, and i shall see all celia's new clothes afterwards."
"what are you going to have, celia?" eric inquired.
"uncle jasper said mother was to buy me whatever i wanted," celia answered, sedately. "lulu told me there is to be a grand flower-show at t—, whilst i am staying with her, so i suppose i shall want a new frock for that," and she cast an anxious glance at her mother as she spoke.
"yes," mrs. wallis agreed; "since you are going visiting, i should like you to look as nice as possible, though i do not want you to be so gaily dressed as lulu tillotson, who, poor girl, has no one to guide her taste. joy need not accompany us if she would rather remain at home with eric."
so mrs. wallis and celia started on their shopping expedition alone. it was a very dusty drive to t— on that hot august morning, but celia enjoyed it, for she always felt particularly important when she was being driven out in sir jasper's handsome carriage, drawn by the sleek, bay horses, which were so well known in the district. she sat perfectly upright by her mother's side, and no one looking at the pretty, neatly attired girl, would have guessed that her mind was so full of vanity as it actually was. she glanced neither to the right nor to the left, yet as the carriage passed through the main street of the town, she was conscious that many pedestrians turned their heads to stare at the fine equipage, and remark upon its occupants, and her heart beat with exultation. then, when she followed her mother into the draper's shop, where their purchases were to be made, she was deeply gratified by the attention they commanded, and by the anxiety of the proprietor that their wants should be supplied to their satisfaction.
"i expect he thinks we're very rich," celia reflected, proudly.
she was a little disappointed that her mother turned aside the coloured silks and muslins, and selected a soft, white material to be made into a frock to be worn at the flower show, but she was more satisfied when mrs. wallis bought her a couple of bright blouses, and was delighted when a white hat was purchased to go with the white frock. on the whole she did not disapprove of her mother's selections.
after they came out of the drapery establishment, they walked along the street for a short distance, and looked into some of the shop windows, presently pausing before a jeweller's.
"oh, how i should like a new brooch," celia said, earnestly. "oh, mother, look at some of these! are they not lovely? don't you think you might buy me one?" she asked, coaxingly.
"you do not want a new brooch, my dear. you have the little gold one, like joy's, which i gave you last christmas."
"the pin is out, mother."
"it can easily be put in again. that is a matter that will only cost a few coppers to rectify."
"but i should so like to have a brooch with stones in it," celia sighed. "the one i saved my money to buy is quite unfit to wear because several of the brilliants have come out."
"i never liked it," mrs. wallis said, decidedly, "but as you bought it with your own money i did not say anything against it; i confess, though, i am not sorry to hear it is unwearable. showy jewellery, in my opinion, ought never to be worn by young girls."
celia did not pursue the subject, but she could not help thinking her mother might have gratified her desire, and she was very discontented.
"it is not as though it was her money," the little girl mused, "it is uncle jasper's, and he gave it to her to spend for me. i am sure he would not mind if she bought me a new brooch. the one she gave me at christmas is all very well in its way, but it's so plain, no one notices it, i am sure."
"are you not pleased with our purchases?" mrs. wallis asked, in a slightly reproachful tone, as they were being driven home, observing celia's overcast countenance, and guessing the cause. "uncle jasper has been most generous, and you ought to be very grateful to him. what is the meaning of your discontented face?"
"i did not know i was looking discontented," celia answered, rather ashamed of herself, "and indeed i am very pleased all the pretty things we have bought, but—but—"
"there is always something to mar your contentment, my dear," mrs. wallis said, seriously, as her daughter left her sentence unfinished. "do you remember my saying to you once just before we left our home, that i questioned if you possessed all the luxuries wealth can provide, whether you would be satisfied even then? i think the same now. you were never so well off in your life as you are at the present time, but you appear no happier than you were in our little home at a—. dear celia, you will never be happy until you find peace in christ, and are content to give your life to him."
celia made no answer, and her mother proceeded:
"most people would deem you a very fortunate girl. your desire to visit your friend is to be gratified, and uncle jasper is providing you with pretty new clothes, and you are dissatisfied because i refused to buy you a gaudy brooch. i really am ashamed of you!"
"lulu has such a lot of jewellery," celia murmured.
"yes, i know she has. she wears so much that it quite spoils her appearance. i have no desire to see a daughter of mine decked out so showily as lulu."
mrs. wallis looked a little uneasy. she had not wished celia to visit the tillotsons; but sir jasper had overruled her objections, and she could give no adequate reason for refusing the lawyer's invitation, for she had, in fact, grown to like lulu, having discovered that her frivolities were mostly on the surface, and that at heart she was really good-natured, in spite of the selfishness which was the result of her bringing up rather than her natural disposition.
"in a way i wish joy was going with you," mrs. wallis continued, "but she pleaded so hard to be allowed to remain at the moat house now eric is at home. those two are devoted to each other."
celia assented absently, her mind evidently far away. her mother watching her, wondered what she was thinking about. the discontented expression had gone from the girl's face, and she looked as placid and sweet-tempered as she usually did. presently she said:
"you mustn't think me ungrateful, mother, for i'm not really; only i was a wee bit disappointed that you wouldn't buy me a new brooch. i daresay you were right, and it was wrong of me to mind. i won't think any more about it."
"that's right, my dear," mrs. wallis responded. "i think you ought to trust to me to know what is suitable for you to wear, and what is not."
"oh, yes!" celia assented, raising her blue eyes to her mother's face with a confiding smile.
at that moment she was ready to acknowledge herself in the wrong; but later, when she reconsidered the matter, she still thought it had been very unkind of her mother not to gratify her wish for a new brooch.
"i have no ornaments worth mentioning," she mused, "and lulu has so many. lulu's father does not object to her wearing as much jewellery as she pleases. mother is very strict with me. i wonder what uncle jasper would say if i told him mother would not buy me a new brooch? he would say she was right, i expect; he would not go against her."
celia was standing in front of the dressing-table in her bedroom brushing her hair, preparatory to going downstairs to dinner, as she mused thus. she had reached this point in her reflections when joy entered the room. the younger sister was looking remarkably well. she had spent the morning much to her liking, and her face, which was not a little sunburnt, glowed with health and exercise; whilst her expression was bright and happy. celia wondered how she could look so contented when she knew herself to be in sir jasper's black books. it had troubled her that joy should suffer on her account, though she had not the courage to speak openly, and right the wrong her silence had wrought.
"what did you buy?" joy asked; "a lot of pretty clothes, i suppose?"
"yes," celia assented, and she forthwith gave an account of the purchases, the other listening with polite interest. "and where have you been all the morning?" she inquired.
"as soon as you and mother had gone, eric and i started to take wag for a walk, and as we were passing home vale we saw miss pring at work in her garden, so we thought we'd go in and talk to her for a bit. by the way, celia, she's going to exhibit onions at the t— flower show. vegetables and fruit are to be shown as well as flowers. she says she shall certainly go to the show, so probably you'll see her there."
"probably," celia replied, determining to keep out of miss pring's way if possible. "going to exhibit onions, is she?"
"yes, i saw them—such monsters! i should think they will be sure to get the first prize. well, we stayed longer than we intended at home vale because miss mary came out when she saw us in the garden with her aunt, and then mr. cole happened to be passing, and he came in, and somehow the time simply flew. when eric looked at his watch it was nearly one o'clock, so we had to hurry home at a great rate."
"so you have actually spent the whole morning at home vale!" celia exclaimed in astonishment. "what did you talk about?"
"oh, heaps of things," joy returned, vaguely. "i told miss pring you were going to stay with lulu tillotson, and she said she hoped you'd enjoy your visit. do you know, i don't think she dislikes lulu."
"why should she?"
"oh, there's no reason why she should; but lulu is always complaining that miss pring tries to snub her—that's because she laughs at her for being so fond of dress, i suppose. you haven't been to home vale once during the holidays, celia; miss mary remarked it, and i thought she seemed rather hurt."
"hurt?" echoed celia, raising her eyebrows inquiringly.
"yes. i think she expected you would call to see her. i said i had no doubt but that you would before you went to t—. i thought you liked miss mary?"
"so i do; but one doesn't want to see one's governess in the holidays. there's the dinner bell! you'd better hurry, joy, or uncle jasper will be cross."
"i'll be down in a minute," joy answered, and she was as good as her word.
after dinner it was sir jasper's custom to shut himself up in the library and indulge a nap in his favourite arm chair. to-day celia followed him there, and thanked him very prettily for his kindness and generosity to herself in giving her mother the wherewithal to supply her wants for her forthcoming visit to t—. the girl had the happy knack of saying the right thing in the right place, and her words on this occasion were well chosen. sir jasper laid his hand very kindly on her golden head; and there was real affection in his sharp eyes as he answered, with an indulgent smile:
"you deserve some new clothes to set off your pretty looks, my dear, for you have proved yourself as good as you are pretty by your gentleness and kindness to a grumpy old man. i shall miss my little companion, and shall look forward with pleasure to her return. no more thanks, if you please! i don't like them."
after she had closed the library door behind her celia ran swiftly upstairs, and shut herself into her bedroom. her cheeks were suffused with burning blushes, born of the sudden sense of shame with which sir jasper's words— "you have proved yourself as good as you are pretty" —had filled her soul. she felt that she was not good, though she tried to appear so; she realized her conduct towards her sister had been wrong and cowardly in the extreme; she knew she had deceived sir jasper by pretending to like his society, and that even the sweet temper and desire to please which people admired in her disposition took their roots in selfishness.
for a few minutes celia's self-complacency was in the background, and she saw the defects in herself; but the wish to be different was not very strong with her; slowly the sense of shame passed away, and a feeling of exultation that sir jasper had formed such a favourable opinion of her took its place. she glanced at her reflection in the looking-glass on the dressing-table, and a pleased smile curved her lips. to be told that she was as good as she was pretty was pleasant flattery indeed!
