The Last Chronicle of Barset [294]
present moment.'
'What! Mr Crawley's daughter?' said Mr Oriel, showing plainly by his voice that the tidings had much surprised him.
'Yes; Mr Crawley's daughter.'
'Oh, indeed. I did not know that you were on those terms with the family.'
'We have known them for the last seven or eight years,' said Mark; 'and though I should be giving a false notion if I were to say that I myself have known them intimately--for Crawley is a man whom it is quite impossible to know intimately--yet the womankind at Framley have known them. My sister stayed with them over at Hogglestock for some time.'
'What; Lady Lufton?'
'Yes; my sister Lucy. It was just before her marriage. There was a lot of trouble, and the Crawleys were all ill, and she went to nurse them. And then the old lady took them up, and altogether there came to be a sort of feeling that they were to be regarded as friends. They are always in trouble, and now in this special trouble the women between them have thought it best to have the girl over at Framley. Of course I had a kind of feeling about this commission; but as I knew that it would make no difference with me I did not think it necessary to put my veto upon the visit.' Mr Oriel said nothing further, but Mark Robarts was aware that Mr Oriel did not quite approve of the visit.
That morning old Lady Lufton herself had come across to the parsonage with the express view of bidding all the party to come across to the hall to dine. 'You can tell Mr Oriel, Fanny, with Lucy's compliments, how delighted she will be to see him.' Old Lady Lufton always spoke of her daughter-in-law as the mistress of the house. 'If you think he is particular, you know, we will send a note across.' Mrs Robarts said that she supposed Mr Oriel would not be particular, but, looking at Grace, made some faint excuse. 'You must come, my dear,' said Lady Lufton. 'Lucy wishes it particularly.' Mrs Robarts did not know how to say that she would not come; and so the matter stood--when Mrs Robarts was called upon to leave the room for a moment, and Lady Lufton and Grace were left alone.
'Dear Lady Lufton,' said Grace, getting up suddenly from her chair; 'will you do me a favour--a great favour?' She spoke with an energy which quite surprised the old lady, and caused her almost to start from her seat.
'I don't like making promises,' said Lady Lufton; 'but anything I can do with propriety, I will.'
'You can do this. Pray let me stay here today. You don't understand how I feel about going out while papa is in this way. I know how kind and how good you all are; and when dear Mrs Robarts asked me here, and mamma said that I had better come, I could not refuse. But indeed, indeed I had rather not go out to a dinner-party.'
'It is not a party, my dear girl,' said Lady Lufton, with the kindest voice which she knew how to assume. 'And you must remember that my daughter-in-law regards you as so very old a friend! You remember, of course, when she was staying at Hogglestock?'
'Indeed I do. I remember it well.'
'And therefore you should not regard it as going out. There will be nobody there but ourselves and the people from this house.'
'But it will be going out, Lady Lufton; and I do hope you will let me stay here. You cannot think how I feel it. Of course I cannot go without something like dressing--and--and--. In poor papa's state I feel that I ought not to do anything that looks like gaiety. I ought never to forget it;--not for a moment.'
There was a tear in Lady Lufton's eye as she said--'My dear, you shan't come. You and Fanny shall stop and dine here by yourselves. The gentlemen shall come.'
'Do let Mrs Robarts go, please,' said Grace.
'I won't do anything of the kind,' said Lady Lufton. Then, when Mrs Robarts returned to the room, her ladyship explained it all in two words. 'Whilst you have been away, my dear, Grace has begged off, and therefore we have decided that Mr Oriel and Mr Robarts shall come without you.'
'I am so sorry, Mrs Robarts,' said Grace.
'Pooh, pooh,' said Lady Lufton. 'Fanny and
'What! Mr Crawley's daughter?' said Mr Oriel, showing plainly by his voice that the tidings had much surprised him.
'Yes; Mr Crawley's daughter.'
'Oh, indeed. I did not know that you were on those terms with the family.'
'We have known them for the last seven or eight years,' said Mark; 'and though I should be giving a false notion if I were to say that I myself have known them intimately--for Crawley is a man whom it is quite impossible to know intimately--yet the womankind at Framley have known them. My sister stayed with them over at Hogglestock for some time.'
'What; Lady Lufton?'
'Yes; my sister Lucy. It was just before her marriage. There was a lot of trouble, and the Crawleys were all ill, and she went to nurse them. And then the old lady took them up, and altogether there came to be a sort of feeling that they were to be regarded as friends. They are always in trouble, and now in this special trouble the women between them have thought it best to have the girl over at Framley. Of course I had a kind of feeling about this commission; but as I knew that it would make no difference with me I did not think it necessary to put my veto upon the visit.' Mr Oriel said nothing further, but Mark Robarts was aware that Mr Oriel did not quite approve of the visit.
That morning old Lady Lufton herself had come across to the parsonage with the express view of bidding all the party to come across to the hall to dine. 'You can tell Mr Oriel, Fanny, with Lucy's compliments, how delighted she will be to see him.' Old Lady Lufton always spoke of her daughter-in-law as the mistress of the house. 'If you think he is particular, you know, we will send a note across.' Mrs Robarts said that she supposed Mr Oriel would not be particular, but, looking at Grace, made some faint excuse. 'You must come, my dear,' said Lady Lufton. 'Lucy wishes it particularly.' Mrs Robarts did not know how to say that she would not come; and so the matter stood--when Mrs Robarts was called upon to leave the room for a moment, and Lady Lufton and Grace were left alone.
'Dear Lady Lufton,' said Grace, getting up suddenly from her chair; 'will you do me a favour--a great favour?' She spoke with an energy which quite surprised the old lady, and caused her almost to start from her seat.
'I don't like making promises,' said Lady Lufton; 'but anything I can do with propriety, I will.'
'You can do this. Pray let me stay here today. You don't understand how I feel about going out while papa is in this way. I know how kind and how good you all are; and when dear Mrs Robarts asked me here, and mamma said that I had better come, I could not refuse. But indeed, indeed I had rather not go out to a dinner-party.'
'It is not a party, my dear girl,' said Lady Lufton, with the kindest voice which she knew how to assume. 'And you must remember that my daughter-in-law regards you as so very old a friend! You remember, of course, when she was staying at Hogglestock?'
'Indeed I do. I remember it well.'
'And therefore you should not regard it as going out. There will be nobody there but ourselves and the people from this house.'
'But it will be going out, Lady Lufton; and I do hope you will let me stay here. You cannot think how I feel it. Of course I cannot go without something like dressing--and--and--. In poor papa's state I feel that I ought not to do anything that looks like gaiety. I ought never to forget it;--not for a moment.'
There was a tear in Lady Lufton's eye as she said--'My dear, you shan't come. You and Fanny shall stop and dine here by yourselves. The gentlemen shall come.'
'Do let Mrs Robarts go, please,' said Grace.
'I won't do anything of the kind,' said Lady Lufton. Then, when Mrs Robarts returned to the room, her ladyship explained it all in two words. 'Whilst you have been away, my dear, Grace has begged off, and therefore we have decided that Mr Oriel and Mr Robarts shall come without you.'
'I am so sorry, Mrs Robarts,' said Grace.
'Pooh, pooh,' said Lady Lufton. 'Fanny and