Chapter 18

CONTRAST.

"Lady Theobald will put a stop to it," was the general remark. "It will
certainly not occur again."

This was said upon the evening of the first gathering upon Miss Belinda's
grass-plat, and at the same time it was prophesied that Mr. Francis
Barold would soon go away.

But neither of the prophecies proved true. Mr. Francis Barold did _not_
return to London; and, strange to say, Lucia was seen again and again
playing croquet with Octavia Bassett, and was even known to spend
evenings with her.

Perhaps it might be that an appeal made by Miss Belinda to her ladyship
had caused her to allow of these things. Miss Belinda had, in fact, made
a private call upon my lady, to lay her case before her.

"I feel so very timid about every thing," she said, almost with tears,
"and so fearful of trusting myself, that I really find it quite a trial.
The dear child has such a kind heart--I assure you she has a kind heart,
dear Lady Theobald,--and is so innocent of any intention to do wrong--I
am sure she is innocent,--that it seems cruel to judge her severely. If
she had had the benefit of such training as dear Lucia's. I am convinced
that her conduct would have been most exemplary. She sees herself that
she has faults: I am sure she does. She said to me only last night, in
that odd way of hers,--she had been sitting, evidently thinking deeply,
for some minutes,--and she said, 'I wonder if I shouldn't be nicer if I
were more like Lucia Gaston.' You see what turn her mind must have taken.
She admires Lucia so much."

"Yesterday evening at dinner," said Lady Theobald severely, "Lucia
informed me that _she_ admired your niece. The feeling seems to be
mutual."

Miss Belinda colored, and brightened visibly.

"Did she, indeed?" she exclaimed. "How pleased Octavia will be to hear
it! Did she, indeed?" Then, warned by a chilliness, and lack of response,
in her ladyship's manner, she modified her delight, and became apologetic
again. "These young people are more--are less critical than we are," she
sighed. "Octavia's great prettiness"--

"I think," Lady Theobald interposed, "that Lucia has been taught to feel
that the body is corruptible, and subject to decay, and that mere beauty
is of small moment."

Miss Belinda sighed again.

"That is very true," she admitted deprecatingly; "very true indeed."

"It is to be hoped that Octavia's stay in Slowbridge will prove
beneficial to her," said her ladyship in her most judicial manner. "The
atmosphere is wholly unlike that which has surrounded her during her
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