Glanyravon Park lay, as we have said, in the parish of which Mr Jonathan
Prothero was vicar, but as the parish and park were large, the house was
three or four miles from the church; and it was on account of this
distance of Glanyravon and its dependencies from church and school, that
Miss Gwynne had induced her father to build the school-house, of which
mention has been already made, since there was a large school in the
village for such children as were within its reach. She would have had
him build a small church also, and endow it, to remove all excuse, as
she said, from the chapel-goers; but this was an undertaking too mighty
for him. However, the school flourished wonderfully, both on week days
and Sundays, and Miss Gwynne always filled every corner of an omnibus in
which the servants went to church with such of the children as could not
walk so far. Miss Hall was an admirable assistant to the school-mistress
during the week; and Gladys, with Mrs Prothero's permission, undertook
the Sunday duty for the mistress, in order that she might have a holiday
on that day. Miss Gwynne also attended, but she was too impatient and
imperious to be a good teacher, much as she wished to be one.
Miss Gwynne had great ideas of doing good; grand schemes that she tried
to carry out, but in which she often failed. Nevertheless, she did a
great deal of good in her own peculiar way.
She had been reading of the 'harvest homes' that they were endeavouring
to revive in England, and had induced her father to have one in the
park. Happily, the day fixed for this general rejoicing was during Mrs
Prothero's convalescence, and before Rowland's return to London, so that
most of the members of the Prothero family could be present. They also
yielded to Miss Gwynne's ready assistance in such preparations as she
made, and were the instruments in surprising her and her father by some
tasteful decorations in their honour, unknown to them. Owen and Gladys
worked very hard at floral and evergreen mottoes for the tent, whilst
Rowland gave his advice as he sat with his mother, and tried to amuse
her during the tedium of her recovery.
A few hours before the general gathering, a messenger arrived at the
Park in great haste, bearing a note to Miss Gwynne, containing the
information that the vicar had sprained his ankle just as he was going
to set out for Glanyravon, and was unable to move. There was another
note for Rowland, which was to be carried on to the farm, requesting him
to supply his uncle's place.
Miss Gwynne was greatly annoyed; wished that the vicar would not go
wandering about after old stones, as she was sure he had done; knew that
Rowland would never be able to manage and was very sorry she had
attempted the treat at all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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