Armine was reading with Percy Stagg, and a party
of School Board pupil-teachers, whom that youth had brought him, as
very anxious for the religious instruction they knew not how to
obtain. Jock had taken the Friar's Bible Class of young men, and
Allen had, as a great favour, undertaken to sit with Dr. and Mrs.
Lucas till he could look in on them. So that Esther and Lina were
the sole occupants of the drawing-room when Captain Evelyn rang at
the door, knowing very well that he was only permitted up stairs an
hour later in time for a cup of tea before evensong. He did look
into Allen's sitting-room as a matter of form, but finding it empty,
and hearing a buzz of voices elsewhere, he took licence to go
upstairs, and there he found Esther telling her little sister such
histories of Arundel Society engravings as she could comprehend.
Lina sprang to him at once; Esther coloured, and began to account for
the rest of the family. "I hear," said Cecil, as low tones came
through the closed doors of the back drawing-room, "they work as hard
here as my sister does!"
"I think my aunt has almost done," said Essie, with a shy doubt
whether she ought to stay. "Come, Lina, I must get you ready for
tea."
"No, no," said Cecil, "don't go! You need not be as much afraid of
me as that first time I walked in, and thought I had got into a
strange house.
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