But Mrs Robarts was in a great flurry when she was told of this by her husband on his return from the dinner. Mrs Crawley had found an opportunity of telling the story of Major Grantly's love to Mrs Robarts before she had sent her daughter to Framley, knowing that the families were intimate, and thinking it right that there should be some precaution.
'I wonder whether he will come up here,' Mrs Robarts had said.
'Probably not,' said the vicar. 'He said he was going home early.'
'I hope he will not come--for Grace's sake,' said Mrs Robarts. She hesitated whether she should tell her husband. She always did tell him everything. But on this occasion she thought she had no right to do so, and she kept the secret. 'Don't do anything to bring him up, dear.'
'You needn't be afraid. He won't come,' said the vicar. On the following morning, as soon as Mr Oriel was gone, Mr Robarts went out--about his parish he would probably have called it; but in half-an-hour he might have been seen strolling about the Court stable-yard with Lord Lufton. 'Where is Grantly?' asked the vicar. 'Idon't know where he is,' said his lordship. 'He has sloped off somewhere.' The major had sloped off to the parsonage, well knowing in what nest his dove was lying hid; and he and the vicar had passed each other. The major had gone out the front gate, and the vicar had gone in at the stable entrance.
The two clergymen had hardly taken their departure when Major Grantly knocked at the parsonage door. He had come so early that Mrs Robarts had taken no precautions--even had there been any precautions which she would have thought it right to take. Grace was in the act of coming down the stairs, not having heard the knock at the door, and thus she found her lover in the hall. He had asked, of course, for Mrs Robarts, and thus they two entered the drawing-room together. They had not had time to speak when the servant opened the drawing-room door to announce the visitor. There had been no word spoken between Mrs Robarts and Grace about Major Grantly, but the mother had told the daughter of what she had said to Mrs Robarts.
'Grace,' said the major, 'I am so glad I found you!' Then he turned to Mrs Robarts with his open hand. 'You won't take it uncivil of me if Isay that my visit is not entirely to yourself? I think I may take upon myself to say that I and Miss Crawley are old friends. May I not?'
Grace could not answer a word. 'Mrs Crawley told me that you had known her at Silverbridge,' said Mrs Robarts, driven to say something, but feeling that she was blundering.
'I came over to Framley yesterday because I heard that she was here. Am I wrong to come up here to see her?'
'I think that she must answer that for herself, Major Grantly.'
'Am I wrong, Grace?' Grace thought that he was the finest gentleman and the noblest lover that had ever shown his devotion to a woman, and was stirred by a might resolve that if it ever should be in her power to reward him after any fashion, she would pour out the reward with a very full hand indeed. But what was she to say on the present moment? 'Am Iwrong, Grace?' he said, repeating his question with so much emphasis, that she was positively driven to answer it.
'I do not think you are wrong at all. How can I say you are wrong when you are so good? If I could be your servant I would serve you. But I can be nothing to you, because of papa's disgrace. Dear Mrs Robarts, Icannot stay. You must answer him for me.' And having thus made her speech she escaped from the room.
It may suffice to say further now that the major did not see Grace again during his visit to Framley.
