It would have been
ungenerous to Lady Lufton to make much of Lucy's virtue at this
present moment, but unjust to Lucy to make nothing of it.
"And she is actually with Mrs. Crawley now?" asked Lady Lufton.
"Oh, yes; Mark left her there yesterday afternoon."
"And the four children are all here in the house?"
"Not exactly in the house--that is, not as yet. We have arranged a
sort of quarantine hospital over the coach-house."
"What, where Stubbs lives?"
"Yes; Stubbs and his wife have come into the house, and the children
are to remain up there till the doctor says that there is no danger
of infection. I have not even seen my visitors myself as yet," said
Mrs. Robarts with a slight laugh.
"Dear me!" said Lady Lufton. "I declare you have been very prompt.
And so Miss Robarts is over there! I should have thought Mr. Crawley
would have made a difficulty about the children."
"Well, he did; but they kidnapped them--that is, Lucy and Mark did.
The dean gave me such an account of it. Lucy brought them out by twos
and packed them in the pony-carriage, and then Mark drove off at a
gallop while Mr. Crawley stood calling to them in the road. The dean
was there at the time and saw it all."
"That Miss Lucy of yours seems to be a very determined young lady
when she takes a thing into her head," said Lady Lufton, now sitting
down for the first time.
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