Chapter IV: A Visit to Fairleigh

WHEN Nellie's train steamed into the station at Shellford, she caught sight of her grandmamma's little pony carriage waiting outside, and before she had time to open the door, a young lady came up to it, and said pleasantly, "Are you Miss Arundel?"

"Yes," said Nellie, gathering her packages together and quickly alighting, "grandmamma said you would meet me."

When they were seated in the little carriage, Nellie felt somewhat shy, for the young girl who sat beside her was quite a stranger to her, though she had heard a good deal of her.

Hope Elliot was one of a large family. She had a sister and a brother older than herself, and a number younger. Within the last three years she had lost her father, and the family had moved from Exeter, and had settled in Shellford, in order to live more economically.

Hope's eldest sister was married, and lived in London, whither also her brother was gone, and was doing well in business.

The second sister, Maude, was now her mother's right hand, and it had come to pass that Hope had become "a right hand" to Mrs. Arundel, at Fairleigh.

Soon after Mrs. Elliot had come to live at Shellford, Mrs. Arundel had found out all about her; and, ever ready to shed a little sunshine into lives that seemed to be dark, she called on the desolate widow, and invited some of her young people to come up and enjoy her garden.

Mrs. Elliot could not but be struck by the beautiful old lady, and responded most gladly to the invitation. An intimacy soon sprang up, and Mrs. Arundel and Aunt Ruth found an interest in the large family, while they on their part felt that life was not so utterly blank, now they knew the inmates of Fairleigh, and could look forward to visits and errands there.

About Christmas, when Nellie had been visiting Christina in London, Mrs. Arundel's maid, who had been with her for many years, broke her leg, and became unable to wait upon her mistress. Hope Elliot happened to call upon Mrs. Arundel on the day of the accident, and finding at what a loss the dear old lady would be without her attendant, she asked if she might come for a few days and help them.

Mrs. Arundel had looked up in her face in sudden astonishment, and when she met the candid eyes, had taken her hand and given it a warm squeeze. "Thank you, my dear," she had said simply, and with grave courtesy, "I know you mean what you say, and I shall be very glad to have you."

So Hope had taken up her abode at Fairleigh, and had never left it since for many hours; and thus it came to pass that she was sitting by Nellie, driving her home from the station on that beautiful May day.

"I cannot think how you knew me," said Nellie, for the sake of saying something.

Hope laughed. "We have not so many bright young ladies stop here that I should be likely to mistake. You seemed ready to get out."

"Of course I was; I forgot that."

Hope was silent; and in a few minutes they turned in at the gate of Fairleigh, and passed under the tender green trees of the little avenue that led up to the house.

The sound of the wheels brought the maid to the door, and Nellie was quickly led into the old-fashioned hall.

In an instant, her grandmamma's two hands were placed on her two shoulders, and she received the warmest of kisses, and the most loving of welcomes.

"My dear," said her grandmamma, holding her hand close, and leading her into the drawing room, "you are like a bit of your father to me; I am so glad to see you."

Nellie smiled brightly in answer, and then asked for "Aunt Ruth."

"She is pretty well to-day, my dear, and perhaps will be able—"

They all turned; for entering at the moment, with almost noiseless step, was Nellie's invalid aunt.

"I have just come to give you one kiss, darling, and to ask you how you have travelled, and how they all are at home?"

"Oh, very nicely, thank you, dear auntie! And I have had a very good journey. It is so sweet to be at dear Fairleigh again."

"You must be tired," answered her aunt, "and so our dear Hope will take you upstairs. Hope is quite like a grandchild here, and is a great comfort to us."

"How lovely everything smells!" exclaimed Nellie, as she entered the fresh country bedroom, with its snowy curtains, pretty chintzes, and dainty little ornaments.

Hope looked surprised. "Does it? I thought every place smelt alike."

"Oh no," said Nellie. "Fairleigh smells like no other place in the world. It is the freshness, and the flowers, and the absence of smoke and dust, I suppose, so different from London."

"Ah! I have never been to London."

"It is nothing to be regretted," said the little London lady, who was as tired of it as she could be.

Hope smiled. "You must tell me all about it, Miss Arundel."

"Please call me Nellie; I feel you a sort of cousin, you know; and we shall have to get used to each other," she added, looking up shyly.

"Very well," said Hope; "and now I shall leave you to get ready for tea, which I am sure you must be wanting; it is such a tedious journey. You know your way down?"

"Oh yes; I shall not be very long."

When Hope closed the door, and Nellie was alone, she sat down by the dressing-table, and looked round her. What a gulf lay between the beginning of this day and the end. Her sympathies and thoughts this morning were all centered in her busy home. Now everything was strange, and her grandmamma, Aunt Ruth, Fairleigh, and Hope Elliot, filled her mind.

She got up again and went to the window. It looked over a piece of the kitchen garden, kept in beautiful order, then beyond was the field where her grandmamma's cows were feeding, and beyond that, the greenest of hedges, some fine old elms, and a piece of fiat, well-wooded country, which Nellie loved inexpressibly.

The other window looked over a part of the flower garden, divided from the orchard by a splendid yew hedge. As she looked at the orchard, Nellie held her breath, and a strange feeling came over her. It was one mass of blossom; snowy cherry-trees, green and white pear, and rosy apple-trees mingled their branches together in such wonderful luxuriance that Nellie stood entranced.

With a deep-drawn sigh, she turned at last to take off her things, and feared Hope would think she had been a long time.

When she descended to the drawing room, her grandmamma rose, and taking her arm, to which she gave a loving pressure, led the way into the dining-room, while Hope followed.

"You still pour out tea, grandmamma?" said Nellie, as they seated themselves.

"Yes, my dear," answered Mrs. Arundel, emphatically; "and you will find it is very nice tea, and our old-fashioned bread and butter just the same as ever."

When tea was over, Mrs. Arundel asked Hope to ring the bell for prayers; after which they all went into the drawing room, and Mrs. Arundel took up a book of travels she was reading, while the two girls brought their work and listened to her pleasant voice.

When she retired, which she did rather early, Hope and Nellie were left together to make the best of each other.

They were both rather shy, and the conversation was not as lively as Nellie wished she could have made it.

"Shall we go into the garden?" asked Hope.

Nellie willingly assented; so they stepped through the glass-door on to the shady lawn.

"Here is our favourite place," said Hope, leading the way to a small sheltered seat under the spreading branches of an elm.

Nellie did not need telling, and they sat down, and under the influence of the peaceful evening began to feel more at home.

"They will miss you very much," said Hope.

"I am afraid they will; but mamma wished me so much to come."

"Yes, it is always right for the busy one to get a change," said Hope.

"I suppose so," answered Nellie doubtfully.

"That was partly why my mamma was so pleased for me to come here," resumed Hope. "I was so busy at home all day long, and my next sister had not much opportunity to do what she would otherwise have been willing to do."

"You like it, I suppose?" said Nellie, smiling.

"Very much indeed. I love dear Mrs. Arundel so much; and so I do 'Aunt Ruth,' as she allows me to call her."

"Do you often go home?"

"Two or three times a week I run down and say, 'How do you do?' to mamma; but my sister Maude laughingly tells me to keep to my own ground!"

"You have plenty of sisters and brothers, haven't you?"

"Yes," answered Hope; "but we get along very well. Mamma is very good to us, and tries to forget her own sorrows to cheer us."

"That is so like mothers," said Nellie.

"Some mothers," answered Hope. "But here is Maude coming across the lawn to welcome you; so you will see some of us to-night, and some to-morrow, and next week we expect our brother Wilmot down from London to spend his holiday; then you will have seen all but one."