those
creepers, with which she hoped in a year or two to shut out the sight of
the railway. "The Virginian creeper would be the best," said the
Rector's wife; and they went in to calculate the expenses of bringing Mr
Wentworth before Dr Lushington. Miss Dora, at very nearly the same
moment, was confiding to her sister Cecilia, under vows of secrecy, the
terrible sight she had seen from the summer-house window. They went to
bed with very sad hearts in consequence, both these good women. In the
mean time, leaving all these gathering clouds behind him, leaving his
reputation and his work to be discussed and quarrelled over as they
might, the Perpetual Curate rushed through the night, his heart aching
with trouble and anxiety, to help, if he could--and if not, at least to
stand by--Gerald, in this unknown crisis of his brother's life.

CHAPTER XI.

Miss Dora Wentworth rose very unrefreshed next morning from her
disturbed slumbers. It was hard to sit at breakfast with Leonora, and
not betray to her the new anxiety; and the troubled sister ran into a
countless number of digressions, which would have inevitably betrayed
her had not Miss Leonora been at the moment otherwise occupied. She
had her little budget of letters as usual, and some of them were more
than ordinarily interesting. She too had a favourite district, which
was in London, and where also a great work was going on; and her
missionary, and her Scripture-readers, and her colporteur were all in
a wonderful state of excitement about a new gin-palace which was being
fitted out and decorated in the highest style of art on the borders of
their especial domain. They were moving heaven and earth to prevent
this temple of Satan from being licensed; and some of them were so
very certain of the Divine acquiescence in their measures, that they
announced the success of their exertions to be a test of the
faithfulness of God; which Miss Leonora read out to her sisters as an
instance of very touching and beautiful faith. Miss Wentworth,
perhaps, was not so clear on that subject. During the course of her
silent life, she had prayed for various things which it had not been
God's pleasure to grant; and just now she, too, was very anxious about
Frank, who seemed to be in a bad way; so she rather shook her head
gently, though she did not contravene the statement, and concluded
with sadness that the government of the earth might still go on as
usual, and God's goodness remai