Rachel did not much like this, but it was so prettily and playfully said
that the pleasing impression was quite predominant; and when Rachel took
leave, it was with a sense of vexation that a person whom she had begun
to esteem should be hard upon this bright engaging sister. Yet it might
be well if Fanny took note of the admission that he could be irritable
as well as stern, and sometimes mistaken in his judgments. What would
the Colonel say to all this? The Colonel--here he was coming back again
into her imagination. Another symptom!
The brother left the field entirely to his sister for the present; he
was a good deal occupied after his leave, and other officers being away,
he was detained at Avoncester, and meantime Bessie Keith took all hearts
by storm with her gay good humour and eager sympathy. By the end of the
first morning she had been to the stable with a swarm of boys, patted,
and learnt the names of all the ponies; she was on the warmest terms
with the young spaniel, that, to the Curtises' vexation, one of the
officers had given Conrade, and which was always getting into the
way; she had won Alison by telling her of Mr. Clare's recollections of
Ermine's remarkable beauty and intelligence, and charmed Ermine herself
by his kind messages and her own sunshiny brightness; she had delighted
Mrs. Curtis and Grace by appreciating their views and their flowers;
she had discussed hymnals and chants with Mr. Touchett, and promised her
services; she had given a brilliant object lesson at Mrs. Kelland's, and
received one herself in lace-making; and had proved herself, to Rachel's
satisfaction, equally practical and well-read. All the outer world was
asking, "Have you seen the young lady with Lady Temple?"
Nothing came amiss to her, from the antiquity of man to Stephana's first
words; and whether she taught Grace new stitches, played cricket with
Conrade, made boats for Cyril, prattled with Lady Temple, or studied
with Rachel, all was done with grace, zest, and sympathy peculiarly
her own. Two practisings at the school removed the leaden drawl, and
lessened the twang of the choir; and Mr. Touchett looked quite exalted,
while even Rachel owned that she had hardly believed her ears.
Rachel and she constituted themselves particular friends, and Grace kept
almost aloof in the fear of disturbing them. She had many friends, and
this was the first, except Ermine Williams, to whom Rachel had taken,
since a favourite companion of her youth had disappointed her by a
foolish marriage. Bessie's confidences had a vigour in them that even
Rachel's half-way meetings could not check, and then the sharp, clever
things she would say, in accordance with Rachel's views, were more
sympathetic than anything she had met with. It was another new charm to
life.