She was spared, however, to walk to church the next morning with her husband, Lucy showing them the way, and being quiet and agreeable when repressed by Mr. Ferrars’s presence.  After church, Mr. Dusautoy overtook them to inquire after Mrs. Kendal, and to make a kind proposal of exchanging Sunday duty.  He undertook to drive the ponies home on the morrow, begged for credentials for the clerk, and messages for Willie and Mary, and seemed highly pleased with the prospect of the holiday, as he called it, only entreating that Mrs. Ferrars would be so kind as to look in on ‘Fanny,’ if Mrs. Kendal could spare her.

‘I thought,’ said Winifred to her husband, ’that you would rather have exchanged a Sunday when Albinia is better able to enjoy you?’

’That may yet be, but poor Kendal is so much depressed, that I do not like to leave him.’

‘I have no patience with him!’ cried Winifred; ’he does not seem to take the slightest pleasure in his baby, and he will hardly let poor Albinia do so either!  Do you know, Maurice, it is as bad as I ever feared it would be.  No, don’t stop me, I must have it out.  I always said he had no business to victimize her, and I am sure of it now!  I believe this gloom of his has broken down her own dear sunny spirits!  There she is—­so unlike herself—­so anxious and fidgety about her baby—­will hardly take any one’s word for his being as healthy and stout a child as I ever saw!  And then, every other moment, she is restless about that boy—­always asking where he is, or what he is doing.  I don’t see how she is ever to get well, while it goes on in this way!  Mr. Kendal told me that Gilbert had been worrying and distressing her; and as to those girls, the eldest of them is intolerable with her airs, and the youngest—­I asked her if she liked babies, and she growled, “No.”  Lucy said Gilbert was waiting in the passage for news of mamma, and she grunted, “All sham!” and that’s the whole I have heard of her!  He is bad enough in himself, but with such a train!  My poor Albinia!  If they are not the death of her, it will be lucky!’

‘Well done, Winifred!’

‘But, Maurice,’ said his impetuous wife, in a curiously altered tone, ‘are not you very unhappy about Albinia?’

‘I shall leave you to find that out for me.’

‘Then you are not?’

’I think Kendal thoroughly values and appreciates her, and is very uncomfortable without her.’

’I suppose so.  People do miss a maid-of-all-work.  I should not so much mind it, if she had been only his slave, but to be so to all those disagreeable children of his too!  And with so little effect.  Why can’t he send them all to school?’

‘Propose that to Albinia.’

’She did want the boy to go somewhere.  I should not care where, so it were out of her way.  What creatures they must be for her to have produced no more effect on them!’

’Poor Albinia!  I am afraid it is a hard task:  but these are still early days, and we see things at a disadvantage.  We shall be able to judge whether there be really too great a strain on her spirits, and if so, I would talk to Kendal.’