For a coach and six to draw up before the door of a country house was then an event which scarcely occurred so often as once a year. It was no great wonder, therefore, if old Rebecca looked almost dazed as she opened the door to so large a party. "We are going home, Rebecca!" cried Edith's bright, familiar voice. "How fares my Aunt?" "Eh, you don't mean it's you, mine own dear child?" cried the old servant lovingly. "And your Ladyship belike! Well, here is a blessed even! It'll do the mistress all the good in the world. Well, she's very middling, my dear--very middling indeed: but I think 'tis rather weariness than any true malady, and that'll flee afore the sight of you like snow afore the warm sun. Well, there's a smart few of you!--all the better, my dear, all the better!" "You can hang one or two of us up in a tree, if you can't find us room," said Aubrey as he sprang from his saddle. "There's room enough for such good stuff, and plenty to spare," answered old Rebecca. "If you was some folks, now, I might be glad to have the spare chambers full of somewhat else--I might! Come in, every one of you!" "We'll help you to make ready, all we can," said Rachel, as she trudged after Rebecca to the kitchen. "Ay, we will," echoed Charity. Warmer and tenderer yet was the welcome in the Credence Chamber, where Aunt Joyce lay on her couch, looking as though not a day had passed since she bade them farewell. She greeted each of them lovingly until Aubrey came to her. Then she said, playfully yet meaningly,--"Who is this?" "Aunt Joyce," replied Aubrey, as he bent down to kiss her, "shall I say, `A penitent fool?'" "Nay, my lad," was the firm answer. "A fool is never a penitent, nor a penitent a fool. The fool hath been: let the penitent abide." "This is our dear, kind friend, Mr Marshall, Joyce," said Lady Louvaine. "He is so good as to come with us, and be our chaplain at Selwick: and here is his daughter." "I think Mrs Joyce can guess," said the clergyman, "that the true meaning of those words is that her Lady ship hath been so good as to allow of the same, to our much comfort." "Very like you are neither of you over bad," said Aunt Joyce with her kindly yet rather sarcastic smile. "I am glad to see you, Mr Marshall; hitherto we have known each other but on paper. Is this your daughter? Why, my maid, you have a look of the dearest and blessedest woman of all your kin--dear old Cousin Bess, that we so loved. May God make you like her in the heart, no less than the face!" "Indeed, Mistress, I would say Amen, with all mine heart," answered Agnes, with a flush of pleasure. There was a long discussion the next day upon ways and means, which ended in the decision that Aubrey and Hans, Faith and Temperance, with the two maids, should go forward to Selwick after a few days' rest, to get things in order; Lady Louvaine, Edith, Lettice, Agnes, and Mr Marshall, remaining at Minster Lovel for some weeks.