The Keepers of the People

693One night she met Lady Hammersmith, who, drawing her apart, said to her with her awful solemnity, “I have no trust in Mr. Falcon’s loftiness of ideal. But let it be your task to broaden the lives of your Eastern sisters on the higher plane. Remember that we in England look to you.”

694Ralph Falcon was very busy making preparations for his return, buying arms and tools, and arranging for their storing in a steamer he had chartered to carry them, so that he had found no time to fulfil the promise he had made Lady Lisdor to set about improving the lot of Althea.

695Althea, indeed, was in a sad case. She had been threatened with the loss of Alrasch if she should disobey her mother’s bidding, and stir out of the house before the end of the week of punishment. She had, however, secured a latch-key, and spent from five to eight every morning in the Park. It left her very sleepy for the rest of the day; and sooner or later during the morning lesson she would fall asleep, casting a slur on Miss Blayne’s power of interesting which that worthy lady resented bitterly. Her new friend the poet had got so far the better of his sense of corruption as to seek her out again; and she found him waiting for her one morning, sober, cleaner, and in every way more unhappy, by the side of the Serpentine. He watched her feed the ducks with a dejected air; and had very little to say to her, only muttering very quickly at whiles, “Beautiful child! Beautiful child! Beautiful child!”

696His eyes never left her face; and just before she was returning home he drew an envelope from his pocket, and gave it to her. She found in it a set of verses, and after reading them slowly, she said, “Thank you very much. I don’t understand them quite; only enough to see that they are very nice.”

697He came with her to the door of the house, and as she bade him goodbye he asked her if she would be in the Park next morning, and his face brightened when she told him that she would. She read the verses two or three times at home, and asked Miss Blayne the meaning of some of the phrases, acquiring an increased contempt for that excellent person from her answers. From that morning she found the poet always awaiting her, and as he grew more used to early rising he was brighter and readier with his talk. Every morning he brought her new verses, and at her shy asking explained to her the meaning of phrases beyond her understanding.