Lily bent her bonnet into shape, and pulled down her frock,
while Florence laughed, patted her cheek, and asked what she had been
doing.
'Helping Redgie to chop turnips,' was the answer.
Afraid of some further exposure, Emily hastily sent her away to be
made fit to be seen, and Lady Rotherwood went on caressing Ada and
talking of something else. Emily had no opportunity of explaining
that this was not Phyllis's usual condition, and she was afraid that
Lady Rotherwood would never believe that it was accidental. She was
much annoyed, especially as the catastrophe only served to divert Mr.
Mohun and Claude. Of all the family William and Adeline alone took
her view of the case. Ada lectured Phyllis on her 'naughtiness,' and
plumed herself on her aunt's evident preference, but William was not
equally sympathetic. He was indeed as fastidious as Emily herself,
and as much annoyed by such misadventures; but he maintained that she
was to blame for them, saying that the state of things was not such
as it should be, and that the exposure might be advantageous if it
put her on her guard in future.
It appeared as if poor Phyllis was to be punished for the vexation
which she had caused, for in the course of her adventures with
Reginald she caught a cold, which threatened to prevent her from
being of the party on Twelfth-Day.
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