At this moment Aunt Maria's voice called from the drawing-room end of the conservatory. "Will you give us a little music, Maria? Mr. Clerke has come after all, and Bowles has brought in the tea." CHAPTER XXIX THE FUTURE LADY DAMER--POLLY HAS A SECRET--UNDER THE MULBERRY-TREE Polly came into the house, as she always did, like a sunbeam. Mrs. Bundle, who was getting old, and apt to be depressed in spirits from time to time, always revived when "Miss Mary" paid us a visit. A general look of welcome greeted her appearance in church on Sunday. My father made no secret of his pleasure in her society. I think she was in the secret of her sister's engagement, and Maria looked comforted by her coming. Our meals were now quite merry. We had plenty of family gossip, and news of the neighbourhood to chat over. "So Lady Damer that is to be is coming to the Towers," Maria announced at breakfast, on the authority of a letter she was reading. "Leo is coming here to shoot, isn't he, Regie?" "We expect him every day," said I; "but I never knew he was engaged. Who is it?" "Well, it's not an announced engagement," said Maria, "but everybody says it is to be. She is an heiress, and her father was an old friend of his guardian's. And, by-the-bye, Regie, her sister is coming too, and will do beautifully for you. She is co-heiress, you know. They're really very rich, and your one is lovely." "I'm sure I'm very much obliged to you," said I, "and we are to dine at the Towers next week, so I shall see the heiresses. But suppose I take a fancy to the wrong one?" "You can't have her," said Maria, laughing. "I tell you she is for Leo, and she is very clever and strong-minded, which is just what he wants--a wife who can take care of him." "Oh, deliver me from a strong-minded lady!" I cried. "Damer is quite welcome to her." "Your one isn't a bit strong-minded," said Maria. "She is very pretty, but has no will of her own at all. She leans completely on Frances; I don't know what she'll do when she marries, for they have been orphans since they were quite children, and have never lived apart for a week." At this point Polly broke in with even more warmth and directness of speech than usual, "Frances Chislett is the most superior girl I ever knew. Men always laugh at strong-minded women; but I'm sure I don't know why. I can't think how any human being with duties and responsibilities can be either more useful or more agreeable for being weak-minded." And this was all that Polly contributed to our nonsensical conversation about the heiresses. After she came I forsook the society of Maria. I knew now that she only wanted to talk to me about the Rector and the parish. Besides, though Maria was strongly interested in Dacrefield for Clerke's sake, she knew much less of it than Polly, with whom I revisited numberless haunts of our childhood, the barns and stables, the fernery, the "Pulpit" and the "Pew."