IN THE OFFICE
Joan summoned Polly Myatt, and the girl with ready good nature
agreed to help Cissie Averill with the boy during the day whilst
Joan was at her work. The patient had to be made clean, with
gentle care and caution; he was placed in Joan's room, as there
was none other available; and she surrendered her own bed, and
had one extemporised for herself on a sofa that was brought up
from the parlour.
Then she made ready to go to the doctor.
"Has my sister come in?" she asked, suddenly noticing that she
was still absent.
"She went up to town to change a novel at the library, and to
buy some lace," said Cissie. "But—I found this scrap of paper in
the grate. I did not know what it was and opened it, and found it
is a note from Charlie Mangin—asking her to go to meet him at
the office at half-past seven—as he has something particular to
say. I don't think she ought to go."
Joan's heart stood still for a moment. She had hoped that the
manager's pursuit of Sibyll had been stopped by her interference
in the matter of the pantomime tickets, but clearly she had
failed. What could she do to protect her sister, if Sibyll was so
inconsiderate herself as to suffer communications to pass between
them? She who had been most tenacious of being esteemed a lady, was ready to fling aside all the prudence and dignity that went to make up ladylike conduct.
However, she quickly recovered herself, looked at her watch, and found that there was time for her to summon the medical man, and then to reach the office, on her way back, before her sister was due there.
Sibyll assuredly would not think of complying with Mr. Mangin's request, and keeping the appointment. She had been flattered by his attention, and by the assumption of deference, such as sufficed with her to disarm suspicion.
There were periods at which, when the work pressed, the
manager had to be at his office till late; and such was the case
at present.
It was whispered in the bank that Mr. Mangin was paying his
addresses to Miss Fenning, the daughter of the proprietor, and it
was supposed that he built his hopes of being taken into
partnership in the firm on his bringing the suit to a successful
termination.
If this were so, then what was the meaning of his pursuit of
Sibyll? Joan recognised, with a sister's pride, that Sibyll was
very pretty, and this prettiness was enhanced rather than
obscured by the costume adopted by the potters. Moreover, Sibyll
could be very engaging in her manner. She did not usually trouble
to ingratiate herself with those of her own sex; even from early
childhood she had laid herself out to attract the admiration of
men, and always with a success that had encouraged her in this
course. To draw upon herself the observation of men, to be
flattered and made much of, had finally become with her a
necessity of existence. She had fallen from her social elevation; but as a change of skies does not change men's minds, neither does an altered condition of life alter the mood.
The advent of Sibyl! in the pot factory had certainly provoked
some heart-burning among the girls, for she had drawn the young
men about her—but she disdained the "hands," and gave them no
encouragement, though not repelling them. The notice of the
manager, however, had been accepted greedily, as a homage that
was her due.
Joan had not supposed that her sister would so far forget
herself as to allow him to propose an appointment; and she could
not think that Sibyll would be so lost to all sense of propriety
as to accept one when sent to her.
Anyhow, it behoved her to forestall the chance of such a
thing.
That Sibyll could care for the man, a man objectionable in
many ways, she did not believe.
Unhappily, Sibyll had been made a great deal of by her father, and had been humoured in every way, and not corrected when supercilious or disobedient to her governess and discourteous to visitors—when these latter were of her own sex. Having been allowed to follow her own bent in times past, it was not easy to control her now, and Joan felt that she would have a task as difficult as it was delicate, to maintain Sibyll upright on the slippery ground she elected to tread.