A few days after she had given the promise to Luke, Mrs. Stone called. Rachel had rather begun to dread her calls, for though she was always loyal to Luke, and had more than once proved herself to be a good friend, if there was any complaint to be made by the parishioners, Mrs. Stone was always the one to be asked to make it known to the Vicar and his wife. People knew that she was on intimate terms with them, and felt that she was the best person to plead their cause. By now Rachel had become conscious of this, and as Mrs. Stone sat down and began to enquire about Mrs. Greville and to ask after the baby, Luke's wife felt confident from the rather uneasy expression of her face, that the real cause of her call was yet to be made known. It was not long before she learnt what it was. "I want to know," said Mrs. Stone as she rose to go, "if it would be possible for you to come more regularly to the working party?" "I am almost afraid I really can't manage that," said Rachel. "I have about as much as I can do." "Well you won't mind me having asked you, I know," said Mrs. Stone. "I thought it was only kind to let you know that people are complaining a little." "Complaining of what?" said Rachel rather sharply. "I don't like to hurt you. But they say that now Mrs. Greville is laid aside there seems no lady head of the parish. I think that it would do a lot of good if you could just manage that monthly engagement. Even if you only came for an hour." "I wonder how many of those people realise what it is to have an incompetent servant and a baby to look after," said Rachel. She felt indignant. "I was not engaged to act the part of a curate. When I married I promised to love, cherish, and obey my husband. I didn't promise to do all the parish work that other women ought to be doing." Mrs. Stone had never seen Rachel anything but calm and bright: and was much distressed at the result of her advice. "My dear, I am so sorry to have pained you," she said. "Of course we ought not to expect the impossible from you." Rachel, overwrought and very remorseful, burst into tears. "I ought not to have said that. I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "Only just now I feel as if I couldn't do a thing more. Please forget it. The fact is," she added, "I have to say a dozen times a day, 'Lord I am oppressed. Undertake for me.' But it was very very wrong of me. I will certainly come if I possibly can. Of course for Luke's sake I ought not let it be said that there is no head of the parish, and I really love that kind of work." Mrs. Stone went home flushed and distressed. She saw that Rachel was just on the verge of a breakdown, and blamed herself for not doing more to take the heavy burden of the parish off her shoulders. [Illustration] CHAPTER XXI. THE BISHOP LOOKS INTO THE KITCHEN.