Modern Broods | Page 9

Clipstone, which was nearer than either of the
others.
"There is a lovely little chapel there, beautifully fitted up by Lord
Rotherwood and Sir Jasper Merrifield, for the hamlet," she said.
"How far?" asked Mrs. Best.
"About a mile and a half across the fields; further by the road. You will
find your bicycles available when you know the way."
"Don't we go to Rockstone?" asked Paulina. "I am sure there is a really
satisfactory church there."
"St. Kenelm's, do you mean? That is not so near as St. Andrew's
Church, but that is very satisfactory, and I go to one or other of them on
week-days. It is too late to come back on these spring Sundays."
"I should not like to live among so many churches," said Mrs. Best,
"and so far from them all!"
"You love your old parish church, like a faithful old churchwoman,"
said Magdalen. "Well, you see, I am faithful enough to go to my parish
in the morning, but I think we may be discursive afterwards. There is a
Sunday school in which I was waiting to offer help till our party was
made up."
Magdalen had looked twice for a responding smile, first from Agatha,
and then from Paulina, but none was awakened. The girls clustered
together in the bedroom, and the word "Goody" passed between them.
"Tempered by respect for my Lord and Sir Jasper," added Agatha.
"And avoiding St. Kenelm's because it is the real correct church," said
Paulina.
"Oh, yes!" cried Vera. "Mr. Hubert Delrio went to see it in case Eccles
and Beamster should have an order. We must go there."
"Of course," said Paulina, with a sympathetic nod.
"But," said Agatha, "there will be an embargo on all acquaintance
except the grandees at Clipstone."
"I shall never drop old friends," cried Vera. "I am a rock of crystal as
regards them, whatever swells may require, if they burst themselves
like the frog and the ox."
"Well done, crystal rock; but suppose the old friends slide off and drop
you?" laughed Agatha.
Vera tossed her head; and Thekla ran in to say that Sister was ready.

The walk was shorter and pleasanter than that in the morning, over
moorland, but with a good road; but all Magdalen discovered on the
walk was that though the girls had attended botanical classes, they did
not recognise spear-wort when they saw it, and Agatha thought the old
catalogue fashions of botany were quite exploded. This was a sentiment,
and it gave hopes of something like an argument and a conversation,
but they were at that moment overtaken by the neighbouring farmer's
wife, who wanted to give Miss Prescott some information about a
setting of eggs, which she did at some length, and with a rapid
utterance of dialect that amused, while it puzzled, Magdalen, and her
inquiries and comments were decided to be "thoroughly good-wife" by
all save Thekla, who hailed the possible ownership of a hen and
chicken as almost equal to that of a bicycle.
Magdalen further discovered that Thekla's name in common use was
"Tickle," or else "Tick-tick"; Paulina was, of course, Paula or Polly;
Vera had her old baby title of Flapsy, which somehow suited her
restless nervous motions, and Agatha had become Nag. Well, it was the
fashion of the day, though not a pretty one; but Magdalen recollected,
with some pain, her father's pleasure in the selection of saintly names
for his little daughters, and she wondered how he would have liked to
hear them thus transmuted. There had been something bordering on
sentiment in her father's character, and something in Paulina's
expression made her hope to see it repeated by inheritance. She saw the
countenance brighten out of the morning's antagonistic air when they
entered the little chapel at Clipstone, and saw the altar adorned and
carefully decked with white narcissus and golden daffodils.
The little chapel was old and plain, very small, but reverently cared for.
There was no choir, but the chairs of those who could sing were placed
near the harmonium, which was played by one of the young ladies from
the large gabled house to which the chapel was attached, and the
singing had the refined tones that belong to the music of cultivated
people. The congregation was evidently of poor folks from the hamlet,
dependants of the great house, and the family itself, a grey-haired,
fine-looking general, a tall dark-eyed lady, a tall youth, a schoolboy,
and four girls--one of whom was musician, and the other presided over
the school children. The service was reverent, the catechising good and
effective, the sermon brief, and summing up in a spiritual and

devotional manner; Magdalen was happy, and trusted that Paulina was
so likewise.
She expected to hear some commendation as they walked