Philippa

by Mrs. Molesworth

which must have belonged to him. They travelledpart of the way in our train--in the carriage I was in--second-class,but I didn't see any valet."

  There was a touch of curiosity in her tone, which rather surprised andpossibly disappointed the housekeeper.

  "The Mr Gresham I alluded to," she said, somewhat stiffly, "has beenstaying here some time. The young gentleman who came down to-day is MrMichael, his cousin. You must excuse me, my dear, if I remind you notto speak of your lady as Mrs Headfort, but as Mrs Marmaduke," she wenton. "She is, of course, Mrs Headfort next to my lady, but still--"

  "Certainly," interrupted Philippa, heartily, "I will be careful aboutit. Thank you for reminding me, Mrs Shepton. And indeed," shecontinued, "I should be very much obliged to you if you will tell me--memyself--of anything you think I require advice about. I am not veryexperienced, as you can see;" and in her own mind she thought, "this isan excellent precaution to take. It will prevent any gossip about mewhich might not otherwise come to my ears. For I am sure this goodwoman is thoroughly to be trusted. And if the Mr Gresham here reallyproves to be the one I met at Dorriford, I must be doubly on the alert.It is really too strange a coincidence."

  Philippa's last words quite gained Mrs Shepton's heart, and made herslight sensation of disapproval of the young girl's apparent lapse intogossip concerning any of the visitors at Wyverston disappear. Her eyeshad the kindliest light in them as she replied:

  "It will please me very much indeed, my dear, if you will look upon mewhile you're here as if I were in a mother's place to you; and now, Idaresay, I had better take you to your room--the sooner you take yourthings off the better, as the dressing-gong will be sounding soon. Takecare," as Philippa wavered a little on first getting up; "are you sovery short-sighted?"

  "Oh, no," said Philippa, "I wear spectacles as a precaution;" the truthbeing that her unaccustomedness to the glasses, and the reflection ofthe firelight upon them, had dazzled her a little.

  "Oh," said Mrs Shepton, tranquilly. "It is best to err on the safeside if your eyes are at all weakly. But I should have been sorry ifyou had really feeble sight, it stands so much in a maid's way."

  So saying, she opened the door of the room and led the way along thepassage to a staircase at the farther end.

  CHAPTER SEVEN.

  A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT.

  In all large country-houses of a certain importance, there is more orless resemblance in the internal aspect of things. And this Philippafelt conscious of as she followed Mrs Shepton up-stairs--acrosslandings, down passages, and up-stairs again.

  "I could fancy myself back at Dorriford," she said to herself, withmingled sensations. "It is barely a week since I left it. What _would_Maida Lermont think if she could see me now? What would I have thoughtmyself, if I had had a vision of the present state of things? YetDorriford is as different as possible from this place--all bright andfresh there, and this old house seems to _breathe_ stiffness andformality. I am sure Evey will be frightened if they put her into oneof the state bedrooms. I do hope my room won't be far from hers."

  She was learning prudence, however, and said nothing till surer of herground. And her reticence was rewarded. For just as, with some dismay,she caught sight of another staircase, evidently leading to some veryupper regions indeed, the housekeeper stopped short, turning down asmall and almost dark passage on the floor where they were.

  "Our own maidservants' rooms are up that staircase," said thehousekeeper, "and also two or three for visitors' ladies' maids. Butthere is a little room close beside Mrs Marmaduke's, which my ladythought would be best for you. It opens into her dressing-room byanother door--this is therefore a sort of back-way to her rooms. Myladies thought she might feel strange, this being her first visit, andwith her not being very strong, as I understand."

  The good woman did not add that the suggestion had in great measureemanated from herself, however readily it had been adopted by hermistress.

  "Oh, I _am_ glad, said Philippa, eagerly. I don't mind anything as longas I am near her," for as Mrs Shepton opened the door of the smallapartment intended for Mrs Marmaduke Headfort's maid, she murmuredsomething, almost in a tone of apology, about its very restricted size.

  The housekeeper glanced at her with kindly approval, not unmixed,however, perhaps, with a little amusement. Philippa had spokenimpulsively and more in her own character than she realised.

  "How devoted she is to her lady," thought the elder woman. "She will belaughed at for it, I daresay, by other servants, and perhaps it may bewell for her not to express it quite so warmly. But it reflects crediton them both. Mrs Marmaduke must be a sweet young lady. It will bevery nice if my ladies take a fancy to her, and then some day, perhaps,we shall be having the dear little boy here."

  For the premature death of the two sons of the house, and the failure ofan heir to Wyverston, had been felt scarcely less acutely by theattached old servants than by the Headforts themselves. And MrsShepton had been full of eager interest in the overtures at last, thoughsomewhat tardily made, to her master's cousin, now the next insuccession.

  Philippa's modest luggage was already standing unstrapped in her room.It was evident that all the arrangements at Wyverston were punctual andorderly.

  "Through here are Mrs Marmaduke's rooms," said Mrs Shepton. "Idaresay you will have time to get some unpacking done before she comesup to dress. And you must be sure to tell me of anything she wants, oranything not quite to her mind. There are two bells, you see," and shewent on to explain where they rang to; "it is just as well to have oneto up-stairs, even though you are close at hand. For this part of thehouse is rather shut out from the rest, as you see; it is a sort oflittle wing apart, and there is another to match it on the north side.My lady chose these south rooms, as so much warmer."

  They were very good rooms, rendered more cheerful than they wouldotherwise have been by bright fires. For as Philippa had anticipated,they were very stately and somewhat gloomy.

  "I am quite certain Evey would have been awfully afraid of sleeping herealone," she thought, but aloud she thanked the housekeeper for all hercare and consideration.

  "And where shall I go, when Mrs Marmaduke is dressed and gone down todinner?" she inquired, half timidly.

  Mrs Shepton considered. She felt quite a motherly interest in PhillisRay.

  "You will be busy for some time arranging all your lady's things," shesaid. "I will send up to fetch you in time for supper; it would bepleasanter for you than coming down to the room by yourself."

  "The room?" Philippa repeated, in some perplexity.

  "Our room, of course, I mean," said the housekeeper, smiling. "Supperis at half-past nine. Our second-housemaid is a very nice girl, ratheryoung, perhaps, for the post, but a superior girl in many ways. Hername is Bell--Isabella Bell, a curious first name to choose, isn't it?The head-housemaid is quite an elderly woman, who has been here for manyyears. My ladies think very highly of her, and,"--with the slightesttouch of hesitation--"she expects to be treated very respectfully by theyounger ones."

  Philippa laughed slightly.

  "Thank you for warning me, Mrs Shepton," she said.

  As she spoke she was already taking off her bonnet and cloak, and againthe housekeeper felt approval of her evident alertness.

  "I will leave you now," she said; "you will need all your time to getthings ready," and so saying, she went away.

  As soon as she had the room to herself, Philippa sat down on the littlebed with a deep sigh of relief.

  "How nice it is to be myself again, even for a moment," she thought."How shall I ever be able to endure the not being it for a whole week ormore? But how thankful I am that the housekeeper is such a nice, goodwoman; how _very_ thankful! At the worst, at the very worst, if anyreally terrible complications arise, I almost think I might confide inher; I am sure she has nice feelings in every way."

  This was something to fall back upon, and indeed she required it; forthe realisation of the presence in the house,
of a man whom she wasalmost sure was the same as the "silent Mr Gresham" whom she had met atDorriford, was undoubtedly appalling.

  "I mustn't frighten Evey about it," she considered, "but I must find outabout him from her without betraying why. His being here and havingseen me before, might not, after all, have mattered much; he saw solittle of me, and when we were walking about the garden I could scarcelyget him to speak. I wonder if he thought me very young? _I_ noticedhim, as anybody must have done, because he is so extremely good-looking!But _the_ thing that frightens me is the stupid way in which I drew theother Mr Gresham's attention upon me in the train. One could not haveinvented