Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 128.djvu/437

Rh , while the litter producing his parcel of Indian toys at once achieved a temporary popularity. But the children became so noisy in their raptures at the spectacle of the Benares bricks and lacquered elephants opened to their delighted view, that their mamma was unable to endure their presence any longer, and they were ordered back to the nursery, whither their uncle followed them, while the ladies remained to settle the important question whether beer or its equivalent should be included among the attractions to be offered to the candidate for the vacant appointment.

The children being so well occupied with their new toys as no longer to notice the stranger, Yorke soon beat a retreat to the drawing-room, and the opening of the hall-door shortly afterwards announced the arrival of the master of the house, who came in at once to greet him.

"Welcome to our humble home," said the proprietor, shaking hands with him again; "I am sure we are all very proud and very delighted to receive you among us. Excuse my not having been here to meet you, but the minister must be about his work, you know, instant in season. Have you seen Rebecca yet? Up-stairs, I suppose: yes, the nurse is in the house; the affair may come off at any moment, you know. It is quite an unexpected thing, to be sure, after having been married to my last poor dear wife for so many years without having any family, to find the little people coming upon me so fast, and it is a great responsibility placed on us."

Mr. Morgan made this observation as though regarding the arrival of his young family much as a gardener might view the sudden appearance of a crop of mushrooms on his lawn — a phenomenon, as it were, for which he was in no way responsible. "However," he added, "all these things are ordered for the best. But your sister will come down to dinner, I hope. Dear me, it is close on the time! I will just go and wash my hands, and join you directly."

Mrs. Morgan descended to the drawing-room shortly afterwards, leaning on her mother's arm, and then the servant announced dinner.

"We are quite alone, you see," said the vicar as they sat down; "we should have liked to ask a few friends to meet you, but of course that is impossible just now. Rebecca, my love, I hope you will be able to make a good dinner. How are all the children? I have really seen nothing of them to-day, I have been so busy."

There was plenty to be told of the children's doings, to which their father gave as much of his attention as could be spared from the serious business of the meal; for if the vicar did not eat luncheon he made up for it at dinner, encouraging his wife by example as well as precept. The meal was good and well served, although a parlour-maid was the only attendant. And Mr. Morgan seemed anxious to play the host well, but somehow the party was not a lively one. He was evidently accustomed to be looked up to and made much of, in his own house as well as out of doors; and although disposed to give the first place to his wife just at present, in view of her interesting situation, he did not fit well into the second place. Rebecca had lost for the time the energy needed for playing up to her husband's self-love, her brother could not come quickly into the allusions to parish politics and infantine joys and sorrows which made up the conversation, and Mrs. Yorke was evidently oppressed by her son-in-law's presence, while the latter, although treating her with outward respect, extended at the most a sort of condescending tolerance to the good lady's remarks, as if anything she might say was not worth serious attention. In fact, Mr. Morgan could hardly be said to listen when either of the ladies spoke; and as Rebecca's share of the conversation was limited pretty much to saying across the table at intervals, "Dearest Arthur!" accompanying the remark with a languid smile, there was not indeed very much to listen to.

"Ah yes," said Mr. Morgan, waking up from one of his little fits of absence, when the wine had been placed on the table after dinner; "Rebecca, my dear, will you take a glass of port wine' before you go? No? Are you quite sure it would not do you good? It is no good asking you, ma'am, I know," he continued to his mother-in-law, helping himself at the same time, and passing the bottles to Yorke. "Are you going to have the children in this evening, my dear? Better let them play in the garden a bit, I should think, the evening is so fine. The colonel and I will join you, I daresay, before the little folks are in bed;" and the ladies, taking the hint, withdrew.

"What sort of men have you in the ministry in India?" said Mr. Morgan presently, filling his glass again and holding it up to the light.

Yorke replied that he supposed they had their faults very much like other people,