CHAPTER I
To be frank with you Mr Diamond I dont believe Dr Bodkin understands my sons genius
I beg your pardon madam you said your sons——
Genius sir the bent of his genius Algys is not a mechanical mind
Mrs Errington slightly tossed her head as she uttered the word mechanical
Mr Diamond said Oh and then sat silent
The room was very quiet The autumn day was fading and the mingling of twilight and firelight and the stillness of the scene were conducive to mute meditation It was a long low room with an uneven floor a whitewashed ceiling crossed by heavy beams and one large bow window It was furnished with the spindlelegged chairs and tables in use in the last century A crimson drugget covered the floor and in front of the hearth lay a rug made of scraps of black and coloured cloth neatly sewn together in a pattern Over the high wooden mantelpiece hung on one side a faded watercolour sketch of a gentleman with powdered hair and on the other an oval miniature of much later date which represented a fair florid young lady with large languid blue eyes and a red mouth somewhat too fulllipped Notwithstanding the years which had elapsed since the miniature was painted it was still sufficiently like Mrs Errington to be recognised for her portrait There was an old harpsichord in the room and a few books on hanging shelves But the only handsome or costly object to be seen were some delicate blue and white china cups and saucers which glistened from an oaken cornercupboard and a large workbox of tortoiseshell inlaid with motherofpearl lined with amber satin and fitted with all the implements of needlework in richlychased silver The box like the china cupboard stood wide open to display its contents and was evidently a subject of pride to its possessor It was entirely incongruous with the rest of the furniture which although decent and serviceable was very plain and rather scanty
Nevertheless the room looked snug and homelike The coalfire burnt with a deep glowing light a small copper kettle was singing cheerily on the hob teathings were laid on a table in front of the fire and a fitful moaning wind that rattled now and then against the antique casement enhanced the comfort of the scene by its suggestion of forlorn chilliness without
But however the influences of the time and place might incline Mr Diamond to silence they had no such effect on Mrs Errington
After a short pause during which she seemed to be awaiting some remark from her companion she observed once more No I do not think the doctor understands Algys genius And that is why I was anxious to ask your advice on this proposition of Mr Filthorpes
But madam why should you suppose me likely to understand Algernon better than Dr Bodkin does
Oh because——In the first place you are younger nearer Algys own age
Ah There is a wide gap though between his eighteen and my eightandtwenty—a wider gap than the mere ten years would necessarily make in all cases."
Mrs Errington glanced at the speaker and thought in the maternal pride of her heart that there was indeed a wide difference between her joyous handsome Algernon and Matthew Diamond second master at the Whitford Grammar School and she thought too that the difference was all to her sons advantage Mr Diamond was a gravelooking young man with a spare strong figure and a face which in repose was neither handsome nor ugly His cleanshaven chin and upper lip were firmly cut and he had a pair of keen grey eyes But such as it was it was a face which most persons who saw it often fell into a habit of watching It raised an indefinite expectation You were instinctively aware of something latent beneath its habitual expression of seriousness and reserve What the something might be was variously guessed at according to the temperament of the observer
Then there is another reason why I wished to consult you pursued Mrs Errington I have a great opinion of your judgment from what Algy tells me I assure you Algy thinks an immense deal of your talents Mr Diamond You must not think I flatter you
No replied Mr Diamond very quietly I do not think you flatter me
And therefore I have told you the state of the case quite openly And I would not have you hesitate to give your advice from any fear of disagreeing with my opinion
Mr Diamond leaned his elbow on the table and his face on his hand which he held so as to hide his mouth—an habitual posture with him—and looked gravely at Mrs Errington
I trust continued the lady that I am superior to the weakness of requiring blind acquiescence from people
Mrs Errington spoke in a mellow measured voice and had a soft smiling cast of countenance Both these were frequently contradicted in a startling manner by the words she uttered for in truth the worthy ladys soul and body were no more like each other than a peachstone is like a peach Her velvety softness was not affected but it was merely external and the real woman was nothing less than tender Sensitive persons did not fare very well with Mrs Errington who withal had the reputation of being an exceedingly goodnatured woman
If you think my advice worth having—— said Mr Diamond
I do really Now pray dont be shy of speaking out interrupted the lady reassuringly
I must tell you that I think your cousins offer is much too good to be refused and opens a prospect which many young men would envy
You advise us to accept it
Yes
Why then Mr Diamond I dont believe you understand Algy one bit better than the doctor does exclaimed Mrs Errington leaning back in her chair and folding her large white hands together in a resigned manner
I warned you you know that I might not answered Mr Diamond composedly
A prospect which many young men would envy Well perhaps many young men yes I daresay But for Algy Do but think of it Mr Diamond to sit all day on a high stool in a musty office You must own that for a young fellow of my sons spirit the idea is not alluring
Oh if the question be merely for Algernon to choose some method of passing his time which shall be alluring——
Mrs Errington drew herself up a little No said she that is certainly not the question Mr Diamond At the same time before embracing Mr Filthorpes offer I thought it only reasonable to ask myself May we not do better Can we not do better
I begin to perceive thought Matthew Diamond within himself that Mrs Erringtons meaning when she asks advice is pretty much like that of most of her neighbours Having already made up her mind how to act she would like to be told that her decision is the best and wisest conceivable He said nothing however but bowed his head a little to show that he was giving attention to the ladys discourse
We have an alternative you must know said Mrs Errington turning her eyes languidly on Mr Diamond but not moving her head from its comfortable restingplace against the back of her wellcushioned armchair We are not bound hand and foot to this Bristol merchant By the way you spoke of him as my cousin——
I beg your pardon is he not so
No not mine My poor husbands with a glance at the portrait over the mantelpiece None of my family ever had the remotest connection with commerce
Ha The good fortune was all on the side of the Erringtons
This time Mrs Errington turned her head so as to look full at her interlocutor There met her view the same calm forehead the same steady eyes the same sheltering hand gently stroking the upper lip which she had looked upon a minute before
My good sir she answered in a tone of patient explanation my own family the Ancrams were people of the very first quality in Warwickshire My grandfather never stirred out without his coach and four
Ah
Oh yes Algys prospects in life ought to be very very different from what they are Of course he ought to go to the university but I cannot afford to send him there I make no secret of my circumstances College is out of the question for him poor boy unless he entered himself as a whatdoyoucallit A sort of pauper a sizar And I suppose you would hardly advise him to do that
No I should by no means advise it I was a sizar myself
Really Ah well then you know what it is And I am quite sure it would never suit Algys spirits
I am quite sure it would not
Mrs Erringtons good opinion of the tutors judgment which had been considerably shaken began to revive
I see you know something of his character said she smiling Well then the case stands thus Algy is turned eighteen he has had the best education I could give him—indeed my chief motive for settling in this obscure little hole when I was left a widow was the fact that Dr Bodkin who was an old acquaintance of my husband was head of the Grammar School here and I knew I could give my boy the education of a gentleman—up to a certain point—at small expense He has had this offer from the Bristol man and he has had another offer of a very different sort from my side of the house
Indeed
Oh yes perhaps if I had began by stating that circumstance you might have modified your advice eh Mr Diamond This was said in a tone of mild raillery
Why answered Mr Diamond slowly I must own that my advice usually does depend somewhat on my knowledge of the circumstances of the case under consideration
Now thats candid—and I love candour as I told you The fact is Lord Seely married an Ancram
There was a pause Mrs Errington looked inquiringly at her companion You have heard of Lord Seely she said
I have seen his name in the newspapers in the days when I used to read newspapers
He is a most distinguished nobleman
Another pause
Well continued Mrs Errington condescendingly I cannot expect all that to interest you Mr Diamond Perhaps there may be a little family partiality in my estimate of Lord Seely However be that as it may he married an Ancram She was of the younger branch my fathers second cousin When Algy first began to turn his thoughts towards a diplomatic career——
Eh
A diplomatic——Oh didnt you know Yes he has had serious thoughts of it for some time
Algernon
Certainly And in confidence Mr Diamond I think it would suit him admirably I fancy it is what his genius is best adapted for Well when I perceived this bent in him I made—indirectly—application to Lady Seely and she returned—also indirectly—a most gracious answer She should be happy to receive Mr Algernon Ancram Errington whenever she was in town
Is that all
All
All that you have to tell me to modify—and so on
That would lead to more dont you see Lord Seely has enormous influence and I dont know anyone better able to push the fortunes of a young man like Algy
But has he promised anything definite
He could hardly do that seeing that as yet he knows nothing of my son whatever My dear Mr Diamond when you know as much of the world as I do you will see that it does not do to rush at things in a hurry You must give people time Especially a man like Lord Seely who of course cannot be expected to—to——
Do you mean that you seriously contemplate dropping the substance of Filthorpe for this shadow of Seely
Mr Diamond What very extraordinary expressions
Mr Diamond took his hand from his mouth clasped both hands on his knee and sat looking into the fire as abstractedly as if there had been no other person within sight or sound of him
Mrs Errington apparently taking it for granted that his attitude was one of profound attention to herself proceeded flowingly to justify her decision for it evidently was a decision—to decline the Bristol merchants offer of employment and a home for her son Besides Algys genius there were other objections Mr Filthorpe had a vulgar wife and a vulgar daughter Of course they must be vulgar That was clear And who could say that they might not endeavour to entangle Algy in some promise or engagement to marry the daughter Nay it was very certain that they would make such an endeavour Possibly—probably—that was old Filthorpes real object in inviting his young relative to accept a place in his countinghouse Indeed they might confidently consider that it was so Of course Algy would be a bait to these people And as to Lord Seely Mr Diamond did not know how should he seeing that he had been little more than a twelvemonth in Whitford and out of that time had scarcely ever had an hours converse with her that she Mrs Errington was a person rather apt to hide and diminish than unduly blazon forth her family glories And she was moreover scrupulous to a fault in the accuracy of all her statements Nevertheless she must say that there was perhaps no nobleman in England whose patronage would have more weight than his lordships and whether or not the brilliancy of Algys parts and the charm of his manners would be likely to captivate a man of Lord Seelys taste and cultivation that she left to the sense and candour of any one who knew and could appreciate her son
Mr Diamond uttered an odd smothered kind of sound
Eh said Mrs Errington mellifluously
There was no answer
Hulloa cried a blithe voice as the door was suddenly thrown open Why youre all in the dark here
Dear me exclaimed Mr Diamond jumping to his feet and then sitting down again I believe—Im afraid I was almost asleep
CHAPTER II
Algernon Errington came gaily into the dim room bringing with him a gust of fresh cold air His first act was to stir the fire which sent up a flickering blaze The light played upon the teatable and the two persons who sat at it and also of course illuminated the new comers face and form which were such as to justify much of his mothers pride in his appearance He was of middle height with a singularly elegant figure and finelyshaped hands and feet His smooth blooming face was perhaps somewhat too girlishlooking but there was nothing effeminate in his bearing All his movements were springy and elastic His blue eyes—less large but more bright than his mothers—were full of vivacity and a smile of mischievous merriment played round his mouth
Mr Diamond he exclaimed as soon as he perceived who was the other occupant of the room besides his mother
Youre late said the tutor pulling from his waistcoatpocket a large silver watch and examining the clumsy black figures on its face by the firelight
Why said Algernon I had no idea you were here I thought my mother had sent word to ask you to put off our reading this evening You promised to write a note mother Didnt you send it
It appeared that Mrs Errington had not sent a note had not even written one had forgotten all about it Her mind was so full of other things And then when Mr Diamond appeared she did not explain at once that Algernon would probably not come home in time for his lesson because she wanted to have a little conversation with Mr Diamond And they began to talk and the time slipped away besides she knew that Mr Diamond had nothing to do of an evening so it was not of much consequence was it
Algernon winced at this speech and cast a quick furtive look at his tutor who however might have been deaf for any sign he gave of having heard it He rose from his chair and addressing Mrs Errington declared with his usual brevity that as no work was to be done he must forthwith wish her Good evening
Now no nonsense said Mrs Errington Youll do nothing of the kind Stay and have a cup of tea with us for once in a way
Thank you no I never—it is not my habit——
Not your habit to be sociable I know that and it is a great pity What would you be doing at home Only poring over books until you got a headache A little cheerful society would do you all the good in the world You were all but dropping asleep just now and no wonder Im sure after teaching all day in a close school full of boys buzzing like so many bluebottles one would feel as stupid as an owl oneself
Perhaps I am peculiarly susceptible to stupefying influences said Mr Diamond with a rueful shake of the head And as he spoke there played round his mouth the faint flicker of a smile
Now put your hat down and take your seat cried Mrs Errington authoritatively
I am very sorry to seem ungrateful but——
I had asked little Rhoda to come up after tea and keep me company thinking I should be alone But you wont mind Rhoda She knows her place
Mr Diamond paused in the act of buttoning his coat across his breast You are very kind he murmured
There sit down and I will undertake to give you a cup of excellent tea I hope you know good tea when you get it There are some people who couldnt tell my fine Pekoe from sloeleaves Algy bring me the kettle
And Mrs Errington betook herself to the business of making tea To her it seemed perfectly natural—almost a matter of course—that Matthew Diamond should stay since she was kind enough to press it But Algernon who knew his tutor better could not refrain from expressing a little surprise at his yielding
Why mother said he as he poured the boiling water into the teapot you may consider yourself singled out for high distinction Mr Diamond has consented at your request to stay after having said he would go I dont believe theres another lady in Whitford who has been so honoured
If Algernon had not been peering through the clouds of steam to ascertain whether the teapot were full or not he would have perceived an unwonted flush mount in Matthew Diamonds face up to the roots of his hair and then slowly fade away
And how did you find the doctor and all of them asked Mrs Errington of her son when they were all seated at the teatable
Oh the doctors all right He only came in for a few minutes after morning school
What did he say to you Algy
Oh I dont know something about not altogether neglecting my studies now I had left school whatever path in life I chose He always says that sort of thing you know answered Algernon carelessly
And Mrs Bodkin
Oh shes all right too
And Minnie
Oh shes all—no she was not quite so well as usual I think Mrs Bodkin said she had had a bad attack of pain in the night But Minnie didnt mention it She never likes to be condoled with and pitied you know So of course I didnt say anything Its so unpleasant to have to keep noticing peoples health
Poor thing said Mrs Errington What a misfortune for that girl to be a helpless invalid for the rest of her life
Is her disorder incurable asked Mr Diamond
Oh quite I believe Spine you know An accident And they say that when a child she was such an active creature
Her brain is active enough now observed Mr Diamond musingly with his eyes fixed on the fire I dont know a keener quicker intellect
What Minnie Bodkin exclaimed Algernon pausing in the demolition of a stout pile of sliced bread and butter I should think so Shes as clever as a man I mean he added reading and answering his tutors satiricallyraised eyebrows as rapidly as though he were replying to an articulate observation I mean—of course I know shes a deuced deal cleverer than lots of men But I mean that Minnie Bodkin is clever after a manly fashion Not a bit Missish By Jove I wish I knew as much Greek as she does
I do not at all approve of bluestockings in general said Mrs Errington but in her case poor thing one must make allowances
I think shes pretty announced Algernon condescendingly
She would be if she didnt look so sickly No complexion said Mrs Errington intently observing her own florid face unnaturally elongated in the bowl of a spoon
Dont you think her pretty sir asked Algernon turning to Mr Diamond
A great deal more than pretty
You dont go there very often I think said Mrs Errington interrogatively
No madam
Well now you really ought I know you would be welcome The doctor has more than once told me so And Mrs Bodkin is so very affable Im sure you need not hesitate about going there
Algernon jumped up to replenish the teapot with an unnecessary amount of bustle and began to rattle out a volley of lively nonsense with the view of diverting his mothers attention from the subject of Mr Diamonds neglect of the Bodkin family He dreaded some rejoinder on the part of the tutor which should offend his mother beyond forgiveness He had had experience of some of Matthew Diamonds blunt speeches of which Dr Bodkin himself was supposed to be in some awe It was clearly no business of Mrs Erringtons where Mr Diamond chose to bestow his visits neither could she in any degree be aware what reasons he might have for his conduct And the worst of it is hes quite capable of telling my mother so if she goes too far reflected Algernon So he chatted and laughed as if from overflowing good spirits until the peril was past This young gentleman was so quick and flexible and had so buoyant a temperament that he was reputed more careless and thoughtless than was altogether the case His mind moved rapidly and he had an instinctive habit of uttering the result of its calculations in the most impulsive way imaginable You could not tell by observing Algernons manner whether he were giving you his first thought or his second
When the meal was over Mrs Errington rang to have the table cleared A little prim servantmaid in a coarse clean apron and bib appeared at the sound of the bell and began to gather the teathings together Algernon sat down at the old harpsichord and after playing a few chords commenced singing softly in a pleasant tenor voice some fragments of sentimental ballads in vogue at that day Does the reader ask and when was that day He must content himself with the information that it was within a year or two of the year 1830 Mr Diamond walked to the window and holding aside the blind stood looking out at the dark sky
All at once when the servant opened the door to go out there came up from the lower part of the house the sound of singing slow longdrawn rather tuneless singing of a few voices male and female
Oh dear oh dear oh dear exclaimed Mrs Errington Oh dear me Sarah how is this
Algernon made a comical face of disgust and put his hands to his ears
It be as Mr Powells ha come back mum said Sarah with much gravity
Really Really said Mrs Errington in the tone of one protesting against an utterly unjustifiable offence
Come back Where has he been asked Algernon carelessly
On is rounds please sir
I do wish Mr Powell would choose some other time for his performances cried Mrs Errington when the servant had left the room Now Thursday—on Thursday for instance we are going to a whist party at the Bodkins and then he might squall out his psalms and shout and rave without annoying anybody
Hed only annoy the neighbours said Algernon and that wouldnt matter
He was smiling with a sort of contemptuous amusement and touching random notes here and there on the harpsichord with one finger
There will be no getting Rhoda upstairs tonight said Mrs Errington Poor little thing shes in for a whole evening of psalmsinging
Algernon rose from the instrument with a clouded brow His face wore the petulant look of a spoiled child whose will has been unexpectedly crossed
Deuce take Mr Powell and all Welsh Methodists like him said he
My dear Algy No no I cannot approve of that though Mr Powell is a Dissenter Besides such language in my presence is not respectful
Beg pardon maam said Algernon laughing And with the laughter the cloud cleared from his brow Clouds never rested there long
Will you have a game of cribbage with me Mr Diamond This naughty boy will scarcely ever play with me Or if you prefer it dummy whist——
No whist for me interposed Algernon decisively It is such a botheration And I play so atrociously that it would be cruel to ask Mr Diamond to sit down with me
With that he returned to the harpsichord and began singing softly to himself in snatches
Cribbage then said Mrs Errington in her mellow measured tones
Mr Diamond let fall the blind from his hand so roughly that the wooden roller rattled against the wainscot and advanced to the table where Mrs Errington was already setting forth the cards and cribbageboard He sat down without a word cut the cards as she directed shuffled dealt and played in a moody sort of silent manner which however did not affect Mrs Erringtons nerves at all
Meanwhile there went on beneath Algernons lovesongs and the few utterances of the players which the game necessitated a kind of accompanying bourdon of voices from downstairs Sometimes one single voice would rise in passionate tones almost as if in wrath Then came singing again which softened by distance had a wild wailing character of ineffable melancholy Algernon paused in his fitful playing and singing as though unwilling to be in dissonance with those longdrawn sounds Mrs Errington calmly continued to exclaim Fifteen six and two for his heels without regard to anything but her game
When the rubber was at an end Mr Diamond rose to take his leave
He lingered a little in doing so He lingered in taking up his hat and in buttoning his coat across his breast
Have you not anything warmer to put on said Mrs Errington Dear me it is very wrong to go out of this snug room into the air—and the wind has got up too—with no more wrap than you have been sitting in here by the fire Algy lend him your greatcoat
Thank you no Good night said the tutor and walked off without further ceremony
He still lingered however in descending the stairs and yet more in passing the door of a parlour whence came a murmur of voices Finally he let himself out at the streetdoor and encountering a bleak gust of wind set off down the silent street at a round pace
What a fool you are Matthew was his mental ejaculation as he strode along with his head bent down and his gloveless hands plunged deep into his pockets
CHAPTER III
Mrs Errington had lodged in Mr Maxfields house ever since she first came to Whitford Jonathan Maxfield commonly called Old Max kept a general shop in that town The shop was underneath Mrs Erringtons sittingroom and the great bow window of which mention has been made jutted out beyond the shop front and overhung the street The house was old and larger than it appeared from the street running back some distance There was a private entrance—a point much insisted upon by Mr Maxfields sisterinlaw and housekeeper in letting the lodgings to Mrs Errington—and a long passage divided the shop entirely from the dwelling rooms on the groundfloor
Old Max was reported to be somewhat of a miser which report he rather encouraged than the reverse finding that it had its conveniences and to have amassed a large sum of money for one in his position in life
Old Max Whitford people would say Why old Max could buy up half the town Old Max might retire tomorrow Old Max has no need ever to stand behind a counter again
Old Max however continued to stand behind his counter day after day as he had done for the last thirty or forty years and would serve a child with a pennyworth of gingerbread or a rich mans cook with stores of bacon and flour in an impartially crabbed manner
He was a grey man grey from head to foot He had grey hair closely cropped twinkling grey eyes and a grey stubble on his shaven chin He usually wore a suit of coarse grey clothes with black calico sleeves tied on at the elbow But even these had an irongrey hue from being more or less dusted with flour as indeed were all his garments and even his face
When Mrs Errington first came to live in Whitford Jonathan Maxfield was a widower for the second time He had two sons by his first wife and by his second one daughter whose birth cost her mothers life The sister of his first wife had kept house for him ever since his second widowhood This woman Betty Grimshaw by name had been servant in a great family and at her masters death had received a legacy which together with her own savings had sufficed to purchase a small annuity She had been able to lay by the greater part of her annuity since she had lived in Whitford and announced her intention of bequeathing her savings to her nephew James Maxfields second son The elder son had married a farmers daughter with some money and turned farmer himself within a few miles of Whitford Thus the family living at home on the autumn night on which our story opens consisted of Jonathan Maxfield Betty Grimshaw his sisterinlaw his son James and his daughter Rhoda
The sound of the streetdoor closing violently behind Mr Diamond startled this family party assembled in the parlour together with Mr David Powell Methodist preacher
They were all seated at a table on which lay hymnbooks and a large bible Old Maxfield sat nearest to the fire in his grey suit just as he appeared in his shop except that the black calico sleeves had been removed from his coat He had a harsh face a harsh voice and a harsh manner So much could be observed by any who exchanged ten words with him
Next to him on his left hand sat his son James a tall sicklylooking young man of sixandtwenty He had a stoop in the shoulders a pale face with high cheekbones eyes deeply set light eyebrows which grew in thick irregular tufts and hair of a reddish flaxen colour There was a certain family likeness between him and his aunt Mrs Grimshaw as she was called in Whitford despite her spinsterhood She too was tall bony and hardfeatured with a face which looked as if it had been painted and varnished and reminded one in its colour and texture of those hollow wooden pears full of tiny playthings which used to be—and probably still are—sold at country fairs and in toyshops of a humble kind
The preacher sat next to Betty Grimshaw He seemed to belong to a different order of beings from the three persons already described
A striking face this—dark and full of fire He had sharplycut handsome features and eyes that seemed to blaze with inward light when he spoke earnestly His ravenblack hair was worn long and fell straight on to his collar But although this made his aspect strange it could not render it either vulgar or ludicrous The black locks set off his pale dark face as in a frame of ebony He was young and seemed vigorous though rather with nervous energy than muscular strength
The last person in the group was Rhoda Maxfield—little Rhoda as Mrs Errington had called her But the epithet had been used to express rather her social insignificance than her physical proportions Rhoda was in fact rather tall She was about nineteen years old but scarcely looked her age She had a broad and beautiful brow on which the rich chestnut hair was smoothly parted a sensitive mouth not oversmall and bright hazel eyes which looked out on the world with an open gaze that was at once timid and confiding Her skin was of remarkable delicacy with a faint flush on the cheeks which came and went frequently
And yet Rhoda Maxfield was not much admired among her own compeers There was something in her face which did not please the taste of the vulgar And although if you had asked Whitford persons Is not Rhoda Maxfield wonderfully pretty most of those so addressed would have answered Yes Rhoda is a pretty girl yet the assent would probably have been cold and uncertain
Rhoda at nineteen years old had never been known to have a sweetheart And this fact militated against the popular appreciation of her beauty for a very cursory observation of the world will suffice to show that on the score of good looks as on most other subjects public opinion is apt to find nothing successful but success
What a wind there must be to make the door bang like that exclaimed Betty Grimshaw when the loud sound above recorded reached her ears
Who went out asked James
I suppose it would be that Mr Diamond the schoolmaster replied his aunt
They both spoke in a subdued voice and cast furtive glances at Mr Maxfield as though fearful of being reprehended for interrupting the evening devotions but as they spoke he closed his hymnbook and drew his chair away from the table towards the fireside Upon this signal Betty Grimshaw rose and bustled out of the room declaring that she must see about getting the supper for that that little Sarah could never be trusted to see to the roasted potatoes alone There was a suspicious alacrity in Bettys departure suggestive that she experienced some sense of relief at the breakingup of the devotions James soon sauntered out of the room after his aunt Mr Powell rose
Good night said he holding out his hand to the old man
Nay wont you stay and eat with us Brother Powell The supper will be ready directly
Mr Powell shook his head You know I never eat supper he said smiling
Well well perhaps youre in the right responded old Max very readily
And I am not clear continued the preacher but that it would be better for you to leave off the habit
Me Oh no I need it for my healths sake
But would it not suit your health better to take your supper early Say at six oclock or so so that you should not go to bed with a full stomach
No it wouldnt answered the old man crabbedly
David Powell stood meditating with his hand to his chin I am not clear about it he murmured But Maxfield either did not hear or chose to ignore the words
Father may I go upstairs to Mrs Errington asked Rhoda softly I dont want any supper
The old man grunted out an inarticulate sound and seemed to hesitate Go upstairs to Mrs Errington he said answering his daughter but looking sideways at the preacher Lets see you promised didnt you
Yes you gave me leave and I promised before—before we knew that Mr Powell would come tonight
Rhoda was gifted with a sweet voice by nature and she spoke with a purer accent and expressed herself with greater propriety than the other members of her family Mrs Errington had amused herself with teaching the motherless girl who had been a lonely shy little child when their acquaintance first began And Rhoda was a quick and apt scholar
Well—a promise—I cant have you break your word Dont you stay late mind Not one minute after ten oclock do you mind Rhoda
Rhoda with a bright smile of pleasure on her face promised to obey and left the room with a step which it cost her an effort to make as staid as she knew would be approved by her father and Mr Powell When she got outside the door they heard her run along the passage as light and as swift as a greyhound
Maxfield turned to Mr Powell with a little constrained apologetic air and began expatiating on Mrs Erringtons fondness for Rhoda and how kind she had always been to the girl and how he thought it a duty almost to let the good widowed lady have as much of Rhodas company as she could give her without neglecting duties
Betty Grimshaw is a worthy woman he observed drily but no companion for my Rhoda Rhoda features her mother and has her mothers nature very much
Mr Powell still stood in the same meditative attitude with his hand to his chin
This Mrs Errington is unconverted he said without raising his eyes
Oh Rhoda wont take much harm from that
Much harm The dark lustrous eyes were upraised now and fixed searchingly on the old man
Well it wont do her any harm the latter answered testily I know Rhoda and I have her welfare at heart as I suppose youll believe I dont know who should have if it isnt me
Brother Maxfield said the preacher earnestly are you sure that you have a clear leading in this matter Have you prayed for one
Maxfield shifted in his chair and made no answer
Oh consider what you do in trusting that tender soul among worldlings I do not say that these are wicked people in a carnal sense but are they such as can edify or strengthen a young girl like Rhoda who is still in a seeking state and has not yet that blessed assurance which we all supplicate for her
I have laid the matter before the Lord said Maxfield almost sullenly
Powell was silent for a minute standing with his hands forcibly clasped together as though to control them from vehement action and when next he spoke his voice had a tone in it which told of a strong effort of will to keep it in subdued monotony
Then have you thought of it said he there is the young man Algernon
What of Algernon cried Maxfield turning sharply to face the preacher
He is fair to look upon and specious and has those graces and talents which the world accounts lovely May there not be a snare here for Rhoda She who is so alive to all beauty and graciousness in Gods world and in Gods creatures—may it not be very perilous for her to be thrown unguardedly into the society of this youth
Maxfield looked into the fire instead of at Powell as he said What has been putting this into your head
I have had a call to say it to you for some time past Before I went away this summer it was on my mind I sinned in resisting the call for—for reasons which matter to no one but myself I sinned in putting any human reasons above my Masters service
It may be as you would have done better to resist speaking now said Maxfield slowly It may be as it was rather a temptation than a leading from Heaven made you speak at all
Powell started back as if he had been struck The blood rushed into his face and then suddenly receding left him paler than before But he answered after a moment in a low sweet voice and without a trace of anger You cannot mistrust me more than I mistrusted myself But I have wrestled and prayed and I am assured that I have spoken this thing with a single heart
Well well well it may be as you say said Maxfield a shade less harshly than he had spoken before But you have neither wife nor daughter nor sister and you cannot understand these matters as well as I do who am more than double your years and have had the guidance of this young maid from a baby upward
Nay answered Powell humbly it is not my own wisdom I am uttering God forbid that I should set up my carnal judgment against a man of your years
Thats very well said—very rightly said exclaimed Maxfield nodding twice or thrice
Aye but I must speak when my conscience bids me I dare not resist that admonition for any human respect
Why to be sure But do you think yours is the only conscience to be listened to I tell you I follow mine young man And you can ask any of our brethren here in Whitford who have known me for the last thirty or forty years whether I have gone far astray
Powell sighed wearily I have released my soul he said
And just hearken pursued old Maxfield in a lowered voice dont say a word of this sort to Rhoda—nay dont interrupt me Ive listened to your say now let me have mine—because you might be putting something into her thoughts that wouldnt have come there of itself. And keep a discreet tongue before Betty and James Least said soonest mended And Ill tell you something more If—observe I say if—I saw that Rhodas heart was strongly set upon anything anything as wasnt wrong in itself, I should be very loath to thwart her
David Powell turned a startled attentive face on the old man who proceeded with a sort of dogged monotony of voice and manner Christian charity teaches us theres good folks in all communions of believers And theres different ranks and different orders in the world some has one thing and some has another Some has fine family and great connections among the rulers of the land Others has the goods of this world earned by honesty and diligence and frugality and these three bring a blessing Some is fitted to be gentlefolks by nature let em be born where they will Others like my sisterinlaw Betty is born to serve We are all the Lords creatures and we are in his hand but as clay in the hands of the potter But theres different kinds of clay you know This kind is good for making coarse delf and that kind is fit for fine porcelain Well just keep these words as have passed between you and me to ourselves if you please And now I I think we may drop the subject
May the Lord give you his counsel said Powell in a broken voice
Amen I have had my share of wisdom and have walked pretty straight for the last half century thanks be to Him observed old Max drily
If it were His good pleasure how gladly would I cease for evermore from speaking to you on this theme But it matters nothing what I desire or shrink from I must deliver my Masters message when it is borne in upon me to do so
And with a solemnly uttered blessing on the household the preacher departed
The master of the house sat thinking alone by his fireside He began by thinking that he had a little overencouraged David Powell Maxfield considered praise from himself to be very encouraging and calculated to uplift the heart When Powell had first come among the Whitford Methodists old Max had taken him by the hand and had declared him to be the most awakening preacher they had had for many years He was never tired of vaunting Powells zeal and diligence and eloquence Backsliders were brought again into the right way sinners were awakened believers were refreshed under his ministry The fame of Powells preaching drew many unwonted auditors to the little chapel and of those who came at first merely from curiosity many were moved by his words to join the Wesleyan Connection On all this Jonathan Maxfield looked with great satisfaction The young man had been truly a burning and a shining light
But now—might it not be that the preachers heart had become puffed up with spiritual pride Was he not unduly exalting himself when he assumed a tone of censorship towards such a pillar of the community as Jonathan Maxfield The old man had been for many years accustomed to much deference alike from preachers and congregation The exhortations and admonitions which were doubtless needful for his neighbours were entirely out of place when addressed to himself His piety and probity were established on a rock And the Lord had moreover seen fit to gift him with so large a share of the wisdom of the serpent as had enabled him to hold his own and to thrive in the midst of worldlings A dull fire of indignation against David Powell began to smoulder in the old mans heart as he pondered these things
Other thoughts too more or less disquieting passed through his brain He thought of Rhodas mother—of that second wife whom he a man past middlelife had married for her fair young face and gentle ways much to Betty Grimshaws disgust and the surprise of most people He looked back on the long dusty dreary road of his life and in the whole landscape the only spot on which the sun seemed to shine was that brief year of his second marriage Not that he had been or that he now was an unhappy man His life had satisfactions in it of a sober sombre kind He did not grow soft or sentimental in reviewing the past He was accustomed to the chill grey atmosphere in which he lived But he had felt warm sunlight once and remembered it And he had a notion—inarticulate indeed and vague—that Rhoda needed more light and warmth in her life than was necessary for his own existence or for Jamess or Betty Grimshaws or in fact for most peoples There was no amount of hardness he could not be guilty of to most people and indeed he was hard enough to himself but for Rhoda there was a soft place in his heart
Nevertheless there were many hopes fears speculations and reflections connected with Rhoda just now which had anything but a softening effect on Mr Maxfields demeanour insomuch that Betty and James coming in presently to supper found the head of the family in so crabbed a temper that they were glad to hurry through the meal in silence and slink off to bed
CHAPTER IV
Mention has been made of a whistparty at Dr Bodkins to which Mrs Errington announced her intention of going It took place on the Thursday after that evening on which Mrs Errington was first introduced to the reader that is to say on the second night following
Whistparties were almost the only social entertainment ever given amongst the genteel persons in Whitford The Rev Cyrus Bodkin DD liked his rubber so did Robert Smith Esq MRCS and Mr Dockett the attorney and Miss Chubb and one or two more cronies who were frequently seen at the doctors green cardtables
The Bodkins lived in a gloomy stone house adjoining the grammarschool of which indeed it formed part The house was approached by a gravelled courtyard surrounded by high stone walls The garden at the back ran sloping down to a broad green meadow which in turn was bounded by the little river Whit all overhung with willows and covered by a floating mass of broad waterlily leaves just opposite the doctors garden gate
In the full summer time the view from the back of the house was pretty and pastoral enough But in autumn and winter the meadow was a swamp whose vivid green looked poisonous—as indeed it was exhaling ague and rheumatism from its plashy surface—and a white brooding mist trailed itself morning and evening along the sluggish Whit like a fallen cloud condemned by some angry prince of the air to crawl serpentlike on earth instead of soaring and sailing in the empyrean
Such fancies never came into Doctor Bodkins head however nor into his wifes either—good anxious unselfish sad little woman Into his daughter Minnies brain all sorts of wild fantastic notions would intrude as she lay on her sofa looking out upon the garden and the river and the meadow and the gnarled old willows and the flying scud in the sky but she very seldom spoke of her fancies to any one She spoke of other matters though freely enough She had many visitors who came and sat around her couch or beside the loungingchair on which on her good days she reclined She was better acquainted with the news of Whitford than most of the people who could use their limbs to go abroad and see what was passing She was interested in the progress of the boys at the grammarschool and knew the names and a good deal about the characters of every one of them She would chat and laugh and joke by the hour with the frequenters of her fathers house but of herself—of her own thoughts feelings and fancies—Minnie Bodkin said no word to them Nor did she in truth ever speak much on that subject all her life And there were days—black days in the calendar of her poor anxious little mother—when Minnie would remain shut into her room refusing to see or speak with anyone and suffering much pain of body with a proud stoicism which rejected sympathy like a wall of granite
There is no suggestion of granite about her now however as she lies propped up by crimson cushions on a sofa in her fathers drawingroom The room is bright and warm despite the white kraken of mist that is coiled around the outer walls of the house Waxlights shine in tall oldfashioned silver candlesticks on the mantelpiece and on the centre table and on a pianoforte beside which stands a canterbury full of musicbooks A great fire blazes in the grate and makes its immediate neighbourhood too hot for the comfort of most people But Minnie is apt to be chilly and loves the heat Some delicate ferns and hothouse plants adorn a stand between the windows They are rather a rare luxury in Whitford but Minnie loves flowers and always has some choice ones about her A still rarer luxury hangs on the wall opposite to her sofa in the shape of a very fine copy—on a reduced scale—of Raphaels Madonna di San Sisto Minnie had fallen in love with a print from that famous picture long ago and the copy was procured for her at considerable pains and expense The furniture of the room is of crimson and dark oak Minnie delights in rich colours and picturesque combinations In a word there is not an inch of the apartment from floor to ceiling in the arrangement of which Minnies tastes have not been consulted and in which traces of Minnies influence are not plainly to be seen by those who know that household
Minnie has a face which if you saw it represented in timedarkened oil colours and framed on the walls of a picturegallery you would pronounce strikingly beautiful Such faces are sometimes seen in flesh and blood and strange to say do by no means excite the same enthusiasm in ordinary beholders who for the most part like the picturesque in a picture and nowhere else and who to paraphrase what was said of Voltaires intellect admire chiefly those women who have more than other young ladies the prettiness which all young ladies have
Minnies face is pale and rather sallow Her skin is not transparent but fine in texture like fine vellum and it seldom changes its hue from emotion When it does it grows darkred or deadlywhite Pleasing blushes or pallors are never seen on it She has dark thick hair worn short and brushed away from a high smooth rounded forehead in which shine a pair of bright brown eyes under finelyarched eyebrows But the beauty of the face lies in the perfection of its outlines brow cheeks and chin are alike delicately moulded her mouth—although the lips are too pale—is almost faultless as are the white small teeth she shows when she smiles There is an indefinable air of sickness and suffering over this beautiful face and dark traces beneath the eyes and a pathetic weary look in them sometimes but when she speaks or smiles you forget all that
There are people in this world whose intellects remind one of lamps too scantily supplied with oil The little feeble flame in them burns and flickers certainly but it is but a dull sort of dead light after all Now Minnie Bodkins spiritlamp if the phrase may be permitted illumined everything it shone upon and there were some persons who found it a great deal too dazzling to be pleasant
It is not at all too bright at this moment for Algernon Errington who seated close beside her couch is giving her sotto voce a humorous imitation of the psalmsinging in old Maxs parlour and describing with great relish his mothers cool suggestion that the family prayers should be put off until she should be absent at a whistparty
Poor dear mother says Algernon smiling she cant forget that she is an Ancram and sometimes comes out with one of her grande dame speeches as if she were addressing my grandfathers Warwickshire tenantry forty years ago At which simple candid words Minnie shoots out a queer keen glance at the young fellow from under her eyelids
And the Methodist preacher—what is he like she asks Whitford is or was a little inclined to go crazed about him I dont know whether the enthusiasm is burning itself out as such fires of straw will do but a few weeks ago I heard that the little Wesleyan chapel was crowded to overflowing whenever he preached and that once or twice when he addressed the people out of doors on Whit Meadow there was such a multitude as never was seen there before I was quite curious to see the man who could so move our sluggish Whitfordians
Algernon had taken up a sheet of notepaper and a pen from Minnies letterwriting table whilst she was speaking Look here he says heres the preacher And he holds out the paper on which he has drawn with a few rapid strokes a caricature of David Powell
Minnie looks at it with raised eyebrows
Oh says she is he like that I am disappointed This is the common conventional longhaired Methodist that one sees in every comic print
And in truth Algernons portrait is not a good likeness even for a caricature He had drawn a lank hooknosed man with long black hair expressed by two blots of ink falling on either side of his face
He wears his hair just like that says Algy contemplating his own work with a good deal of satisfaction
The card playing has not yet begun Mrs Bodkin small thin with a questioning sharp little nose and a chin which narrows off too suddenly and an odd resemblance altogether to a little melancholy fox is presiding at a teatable Besides tea and coffee it is furnished with substantial cakes of many various kinds Whitford people for the most part dine early so that they are ready for solid food again by about eight oclock and will probably sustain nature once more with sandwiches and mulled wine before they sleep
It is not a large party There is Mrs Errington majestic in a dyed silk and a real lace cap the latter a relic of the better days she is fond of reverting to Miss Chubb a stout spinster with a languishing fat face as round as a full moon and little rings of hair gummed down all over her forehead and halfway down her plump cheeks Mr Smith the surgeon blackeyed redfaced and smiling the Rev Peter Warlock curate of St Chads a serious ghoullike young man who rends great bits out of his muffin with his teeth in a way to make you shudder if you happen to be nervous or fanciful Mr Dockett the attorney and his wife each dressed in black each with a huge double chin and smothered voice and altogether comically like one another.
On the hearthrug with his back to the fire and his coffeecup in his hand stands Dr Bodkin He is short and thick He has an air of command He looks at the world in general as if it were liable to an imposition of ever so many hundred lines of Latin poetry and as if he were ready to enforce the penalty at brief notice He is not a hard man at heart but nature has made him conceited and habit has made him a tyrant The boys kotoo to him in the school and his wife bends submissively to his will at home There is only one person in the world who habitually opposes and sets aside his assumption of infallibility and that person—his daughter Minnie—he loves and fears He tramples on most other people in the firm persuasion that it is for their good He is bald largefaced with a long upperlip which he shoots out into a funnel shape when he talks He is an honest man in his calling has a fair share of routine learning and imparts it laboriously to the boys under his tuition
Presently the people seem to slacken in eating and drinking Another cup of tea Mrs Errington Wont you try any of that pound cake Mr Warlock NB He has eaten three muffins unassisted but they do not prosper with him He has a hungry glare Mrs Dockett No Mrs Bodkin looks round and lifts her meek foxy little nose interrogatively at each member of the circle No one will eat or drink more The doctor prepares to make up the tables
The cardtables are always set out in an inner drawingroom adjoining that in which our friends are taking tea Dr Bodkin hates to hear any noise when he is at his rubber so there are thick curtains before the door of communication between the two rooms and the door is shut and the curtains drawn whenever Minnie desires to have music on whist evenings
The sound of the piano penetrates to the cardplayers nevertheless But Mrs Bodkin declares that she can never hear a note when she is in the little drawingroom with the door shut and the curtains drawn And although the doctor wears a frown on his bald forehead and is more than ordinarily severe on his partner whenever the piano begins to sound during a game yet he never takes any step to have the instrument silenced
The players file off in the wake of the host There is a quartet at the doctors table At another Mrs Dockett Mrs Warlock and Mr Smith play dummy Algernon Errington hates cards and—naturally—doesnt play The Rev Peter Warlock also hates cards but is wanted to make up the rubber and—naturally—plays Mrs Bodkin hovers between the two rooms and Minnie and Algernon are left almost têteàtête
And so you really really think of going to London says Minnie gravely
To seek my fortune answers Algernon with a smile Turn again Errington—I dont know why that shouldnt be rung out on Bow Bells You see my name has the same number of syllables as Whittington I declare that is a good omen
Whittington made himself useful to the cook and took care of his kitten I wonder what you will do Algy to deserve fortune
Do you think fortune favours the deserving They paint her as a woman cries Master Algernon with a saucy grimace
Algy I like you We are old chums Have you considered this step Have you any reasonable prospect of making your way if you refuse the Bristol mans proposition
Minnie seldom speaks so earnestly as she is speaking now still seldomer volunteers any inquiry into other peoples affairs Algernon is sensible of the distinction, and flattered by it He forthwith proceeds to lay his hopes and plans before her that is to say he talks a great deal with astonishing candour and fluency and says wonderfully little His mother is so anxious these Seeleys are her people It would vex the dear old lady so terribly if he were to prefer the Bristol side of the house Though perhaps that would be selfishly speaking the right policy
Ah I see exclaims Minnie sinking back among her cushions when he has done speaking
Byandby one or two more guests drop in young Pawkins of Pudcombe Hall some six miles from Whitford LieutenantColonel Whistler on halfpay with his two nieces Rose and Violet McDougall and with them Alethea Dockett who is still a dayboarder at a girls school in Whitford and has been spending the afternoon with the Misses McDougall The latter young ladies never play whist Little Ally Dockett sometimes takes a hand if need be and acquits herself not discreditably but sixteen rushes in where twoandthirty fears to tread Rose and Violet are on the doubtful borderland of life and keep up a brisk skirmishing warfare with their enemy Time They would not give that wily old traitor the triumph of putting themselves at a whisttable for—for anything short of a bonâ fide offer of marriage with a good settlement
All those guests Minnie receives very graciously with a sort of royal condescension She is quite unconscious that the Misses McDougall of whose intelligence she has truth to say a disdainful estimate are alive to the fact that she thinks them fools and that they take a good deal of credit to themselves for bearing with her airs poor thing But then she is so afflicted
Oh Minnie whats that Do let me see Is it one of your caricatures you wicked thing cries Rose darting on the portrait of David Powell
Its better drawn than Minnie can do says Violet with an air of having evidence wrung from her on oath
It may be that and yet not very good answers Minnie carelessly Mr Errington has been trying to give me an idea of some one Ive never seen and probably never shall see
Its the Methodist preacher by Jove says young Pawkins with his glass in his eye I heard him and saw him last summer on Whit Meadow
Colonel Whistler after holding the paper out at the utmost stretch of his arm solemnly puts on a pair of gold spectacles and examines it
Monstrous good he pronounces Very well Errington Thats just the cut of that kind of fellow
Have you seen him colonel asks Minnie
No—no I cant say I have seen him Dont like these irregular practitioners Miss Minnie But I know the sort of fellow Thats just the cut of em
I wish I could draw Miss Bodkin says a voice behind Minnie at the head of the sofa I would show you a better likeness of the man than that
Minnie puts her thin white hand over her shoulder to the new comer whom she cannot see Mr Diamond she exclaims very softly
How can you tell
I know your voice
CHAPTER V
The little group round Minnies sofa dispersed as Mr Diamond came forward He was barely known by sight to most of them and merely bowed gravely and shyly without speaking
Whos that asked Colonel Whistler in a loud whisper of his eldest niece Eh oh ah second master—yes yes yes to be sure And the gallant gentleman walked off to the cardroom and joined the party at Mrs Docketts table where there was a vacant place It must be owned that the colonels appearance was by no means rapturously hailed there He was a notoriously bad player Fate however allotted him as a partner to Mr Warlock Mrs Dockett and Mr Smith exchanged glances of satisfaction and the gloom on Mr Warlocks brow perceptibly deepened as the colonel polite smiling and eager for the fray took his seat opposite to that clerical victim
Algy give Mr Diamond your chair said Miss Bodkin It was in this imperious manner that she occasionally addressed her young friend In her eyes he was still a schoolboy And then she was four years his senior and had been a young woman grown when he was still playing marbles and munching toffy
Algy by no means considered himself a schoolboy but he had excellent tact and temper He rose directly shook hands with his tutor and then standing opposite to Minnie put his knuckles to his forehead after the fashion in vogue amongst rustic children by way of salute and said meekly Yesm pleasem
Minnie laughed You dont mind do you Algernon she said looking up at him
Not at all Miss Bodkin You have merely cast another blight over my young existence I am growing to look like the reverend Peter in consequence of your illusage Dont you perceive a ghastly hue upon my brow No Ah well you would if you had any feeling Here let me put this cushion better for you Will that do
Capitally thanks And look here Algy I cant bear any music tonight so will you get mamma to set the McDougalls down to a round game And play yourself theres a good boy
Oh Minnie you ought to have been Mrs Nero There never was such a tyrant Well Pawkins and I must make ourselves agreeable I suppose For England home and beauty—here goes And Algernon speedily had the two Miss McDougalls and Mr Pawkins and Alethea Dockett engaged in a game of vingtetun—played in a very infantine manner by the firstnamed ladies and with a good deal of businesslike gravity by little Alethea who liked to win
Mr Diamond looked at the group with his hand over his mouth after his habit
Isnt he a nice fellow asked Minnie watching Mr Diamonds face curiously
Errington
Of course
Very
But now tell me—do sit down here I want to talk to you You come so seldom I wonder why you came tonight
I chanced to meet Mrs Bodkin in the street and she asked me so pressingly—she is so good
Minnies face wore a pained look It is a pity mamma should have teased you she said in a low voice
Matthew Diamond took no notice of the words Perhaps he did not hear them I am not fit to go to evening parties he continued The very waxlights dazzle me I feel like a bat or an owl
Too wise for your company that means
How can you say so No I assure you I was compared to an owl the other evening by a lady and I felt the justice of the comparison
By a lady What lady
Mr Diamond smiled a little amused smile at the authoritative tone of the question Minnie did not see it She was leaning her elbow on a cushion and had her face turned towards Mr Diamond but her eyes which usually looked out open and unabashed were half veiled by their lids
The lady was Mrs Errington answered the tutor after a moments pause
She called you an owl That eagle Well she has this aquiline quality I believe she could stare the sun himself out of countenance
You were asking me to tell you—— said Mr Diamond
To tell me—— Oh yes about the Methodist preacher That caricature is not like him you say
Not at all It is a vulgar conception of the man
And the man is not vulgar I am glad of that Tell me about him
Matthew Diamond had heard the preacher more than once The first time had been by chance on Whit Meadow The other times were in the crowded close Wesleyan chapel into which he had penetrated at the cost of a good deal of personal inconvenience so greatly had Powells eloquence impressed him
The man is like a flame of fire he said It is wonderful He must be like Garrick according to the descriptions I have heard And then this fellow is so handsome—wild and orientallooking I always long to clap a turban on his head and a great flowing robe over his shoulders
Minnie listened eagerly with parted lips to all that Diamond would tell her of the preacher
That is for his manner she said at length Now as to the matter
Mr Diamond paused The man is an enthusiast you know he answered gravely
But as to his doctrine Give me some idea of the kind of thing he says
Not now
Yes now This moment
Excuse me I cannot enter into the subject now
Minnie raises her brown eyes to his steelgrey ones and then drops her own quickly
Will you ever she asks meekly
Perhaps I dont know
Miss Bodkin is not accustomed to be answered with such unceremonious curtness but perhaps on account of its novelty Mr Diamonds blunt disregard of her requests in that house Minnies requests have the weight of commands does not ruffle her She bears it with the most perfect sweetness and proceeds to discourse of other things
Dont you think it a pity she says that Algernon Errington should have refused his cousins offer
A great pity—for him
Ah you think Mr Filthorpe of Bristol is not to be condoled with on the occasion
Mr Diamonds firmly closed lips remain immovable
Minnie looks at him wistfully and then says suddenly Do you know I like Algy very much There is something so bright and winning and gay about him I have known him so long—ever since he came here as a small child in a frock And papa knew his father Dr Errington He was a very clever man a brilliant talker and greatly sought after in society Algy inherits all that And he has—what they say his father had not—a temper that is almost perfect thoroughly sound and sweet I wish you liked him
Who tells you that I do not like him You are mistaken in fancying so I think Errington one of the most winning fellows I ever knew in my life
Yyes but you dont think so well of him as I do
Perhaps that is hardly to be expected And pardon me Miss Bodkin but you dont know——
I know nothing about your thoughts on the subject interrupts Minnie quickly and with a bright mischievous glance Forgive my interrupting you but when I am to have a cold showerbath I like to pull the string myself Now its over
You think me a terrible bear says Diamond looking down on her beautiful animated face
Ah take care If I know nothing about your thoughts how do you pretend to guess mine Besides I am not so zoological in my choice of epithets as your friend Mrs Errington Papa nearly quarrelled with that lady on the subject of Algys going away But you know it is not all Mrs Erringtons fault Algy chooses to try his fortune under the auspices of Lord Seely—I can see that plainly enough And what Algy chooses his mother chooses He has been terribly spoiled
It is a great misfortune——
To be spoiled
For him to have lost his father when he was a child Otherwise he might not have been so pampered though fathers spoil their children sometimes
Mine spoils me I think But then there is an excuse after all for spoiling me
My dear Miss Bodkin you cannot suppose that I had any such meaning
You Oh no You are honest you never speak in innuendoes But it is true you know My father and mother have spoiled me Poor father and mother I am but a miserable frail little craft for them to have ventured so much love and devotion in
It was not in mortal man—not even in mortal man whose heart was filled with a passion for another woman—to refrain from a tender glance and a soft tone in answer to Minnies pathetic little plaint Her beauty and her intellect might be resisted her helplessness and acknowledgment of peculiar affliction could not be
Ah said Matthew Diamond who would not embark all their freight of affection in such a venture as the hope that you would love them again I think your parents are paid
It has been said that Mr Diamonds calm grave face raised an indefinite expectation in the beholder When he said those words to Minnie Bodkin you would have thought if you had been watching him that you had found the key of the puzzle and that an ineffable tenderness was the secret that lay hid beneath that grave mask The stern mouth smiled the stern eyes beamed the straight brows were lifted in a compassionate curve Minnie had never seen his face with that look on it and the change in it gave her a curious pang half of pain half of pleasure Strong conflicting feelings battled in her She was strung to a high pitch of excitement and her eyes brightened and her pulse beat quicker—all for a look a smile a beam of the eye from this staid quiet schoolmaster What do we know of the thought in our neighbours brain of the thrill that makes his heart flutter We do not care for this airbubble How can he It is yonder beautiful transparent ball all radiant with prismatic colours that we expend our breath upon Up it goes—up up up—look No our stupid neighbour is watching his own airy sphere which is not nearly so beautiful and which, we know will burst presently
The game of vingtetun comes to an end Almost at the same moment the whistplayers break up and come trooping into the drawingroom trooping and talking rather noisily to say the truth as though to indemnify themselves for the silence which Doctor Bodkin insists upon during the classic game Mrs Bodkin bustles up to her daughter hopes she is not tired thinks she looks a little fagged wonders why she did not have any music as she generally likes Rose McDougalls Scotch ballads supposes Mr Diamond preferred not to play as she sees he has been sitting out and trusts he has not been bored
But of all the people present Mrs Bodkin alone guesses that Minnie has enjoyed her evening and why And with her mothers and womans instinct she knows that Minnies pleasure would have been spoiled by guessing that it had been guessed For the rest this small anxiousfaced woman cares but little She would tear your feelings to mincemeat to feed the fancies of her daughter as ruthlessly as any maternal vixen would slay a chicken for her cubs although for herself no hare is milder or more timid
The Misses McDougall are in good spirits They have won and they have had the two young men all to themselves for Ally Dockett in short frocks doesnt count Also Minnie Bodkin has kept aloof That bright lamp of hers is not favourable to such twinkling little rushlights as Rose and Violet are able to display But this evening they have not been quenched by a superior luminary and are quite radiant and cheerful Dr Bodkin too is contented in his lofty manner for there has been no music and he has enjoyed his rubber in peace Colonel Whistler has lost but the stakes are always modest at Dr Bodkins table and he doesnt mind it Over the feelings of the Rev Peter Warlock it will perhaps be best to draw a veil The reverend gentleman stalks in and sits down in a corner whence he can stare at Minnie unobserved It is the only comfort he enjoys throughout the evening And for this he thinks it worth while to submit to the peine forte et dure of playing whist with Colonel Whistler for his partner
Mrs Errington sails towards Minnies sofa and suddenly stops short and opens her eyes very wide
Mr Diamond who is the object of her gaze rises and bows Good evening madam he says unable to repress a smile at her manifest astonishment on beholding him there
Why how do you do Mr Diamond Dear me I little expected to see you this evening Dear Minnie how are you now Well this is a surprise
Then as Mr Diamond moves away Mrs Errington takes his chair beside Minnie and says to her confidentially—Now I hope Minnie you wont owe me a grudge for it but I must confess that if it hadnt been for me you wouldnt have had that gentleman to entertain this evening
What on earth do you mean cries Minnie with scant ceremony and flashes an impatient glance at the ladys soft smiling selfsatisfied visage
My dear I advised him to come here a little oftener I think he felt diffident you know and all that Poor man he is rather dull although Algy is always crying up his talents But it really is kind to bring him forward a little I asked him to tea the other night You see he must feel it a good deal when people are affable and so on for—here her voice sank to a whisper—he told me himself that he had been a sizar
With all which benevolent remarks Miss Bodkin is of course highly delighted She does not forget them either for after the negus has been drunk and the sandwiches eaten and the company has departed she says to her father Papa was Mr Diamond a sizar
I dont know child Very likely None the worse for that if he were
The worse No returns Minnie with a superb smile
Who says he was
Mrs Errington
Pooh Ten to one it isnt true then She has her good points poor woman but the Ancrams are all liars every one of them Greatest liars in all the Midland Counties It runs in the family like gout
It does not seem likely certainly that Mr Diamond should have confided the circumstance to Mrs Errington observed Minnie thoughtfully
Confided No I never knew a man less likely to confide anything to anybody
However after all it is a thing which all the world might know isnt it papa
Dr Bodkin was not interested in the question He gave a great loud yawn and declared it was time for Minnie to go to bed
It doesnt follow that Im sleepy because you yawn papa she said saucily
You are tired though puss I see it in your face Go to bed Mrs Bodkin get Minnie off to rest
He bent to kiss his daughter and bid her good night
Say God bless me papa she whispered drawing his head down and kissing his forehead
Dont I always say it God bless you my darling
There were tears in Minnies eyes as she turned her head away among her cushions But nobody saw them She talked to the maid who undressed her about Mr Powell the Methodist preacher and asked her if she had heard him and what the folks said about him in the town
No Miss Minnie Ive never heard him and I know master wouldnt think it right for any of us to be going to a dissenting chapel But I do think as theres some good to be got there miss For my brother Richard him that lives groom at Pudcombe Hall—he went and got—got conversion I think they call it at Mr Powells And since then hes never touched a drop of liquor nor a bad word never comes out of his mouth And he says hes quite happy and comfortable in his mind miss
Is he How I envy him
CHAPTER VI
It is exceedingly disagreeable to find that a scheme you have set your head on or a prospect which smiles before you is displeasing to the persons who surround you It gives a cold shock to the glow of anticipation
Algernon did not perhaps care to sympathise very keenly with other folks pleasure but he certainly desired that they should be pleased with what pleased him which is not quite the same thing
His mother informed him—perhaps with a dash of the Ancram colouring although we have seen how unjustly the worthy lady was suspected of falsehood by Dr Bodkin on a late occasion—that Mr Diamond disapproved of his refusing Mr Filthorpes offer and of his resolve to go to London Dr Bodkin Algernon knew did not approve it neither did Minnie although she had never said so in words How unpleasantly chilly people were to be sure
Mrs Errington did not like Mr Diamond She mistrusted him His silence and gravity his odd sarcastic smiles and taciturn politeness made her uneasy Despite the patronising way in which she had spoken of him to Minnie Bodkin in her heart she thought the young man to be horribly presuming
Im sure he doesnt appreciate you at all Algy she declared winding up a list of Mr Diamonds defects and misdemeanours with this culminating accusation
Algy had a shrewd notion that Mr Diamonds appreciation of himself was likely to be a just one and he was a little vexed and discomfited that his tutor had given him no word of praise behind his back Mrs Errington saw that she had made an impression and began to heighten and embellish her statements accordingly But my dear boy said she how can we expect him to recognise talents like yours—gentlemanly talents so to speak The man himself is a mere plodder Why he was a sizar at college
Algy felt himself to be a very generous fellow for continuing to stand up for old Diamond as he phrased it
Well maam plenty of great men have been poor scholars Dean Swift was a sizar
And Dean Swift died in a madhouse So you see Algy
Mrs Errington plumed herself a good deal upon this retort and returned to the attack upon Mr Diamond with fresh vigour being one of those persons whose mode of warfare is elephantine and who never content with merely killing their enemy must ponderously stamp and mash every semblance of humanity out of him
Algernon did not like all this His vanity was—at least during this period of his life—a great deal more vulnerable than his mothers And she although she doated on him would say unpleasant things indignantly repeat mortifying remarks which had been made and in a hundred ways unconsciously wound the sensitive love of approbation which was one of Algernons tenderest not to say weakest points
It was all very disagreeable But it was not the worst he had to look forward to There was one person who would be so cast down so despairing at the news of his going away that—that—it would be quite painful for a fellow to witness such grief And yet it could not be expected—it could never have been expected—that he should stay in Whitford all his life He must point that out to Rhoda
Poor Rhoda
For ten years that is to say for more than half her life Algernon Errington had been an idol a hero to her From the first day when peeping from behind the parlour door she had beheld the strangers enter—Mrs Errington majestic in a huge hat and plume such as young readers may have seen in obsolete fashion books the mode was so absurd fifty years ago and had none of that simple elegance which distinguishes your costume my dear young lady and Algy a lovely fair child in a black velvet suit and falling collar—from that moment the boy had been a radiant apparition in her imagination How small and poor and shabby she felt as she peeped out of the parlour at that beautiful blooming mother and son Not poor and shabby in a milliners sense of the word but literally of no account or beauty or value in the world little shy motherless thing She had an intense delight in beauty this Whitford grocers daughter And all her little life the craving for beauty in her had been starved not wilfully but because the very conception of such food as would wholesomely have fed it was wanting in the people with whom she lived
That was a great day when she first by chance attracted Mrs Erringtons notice She was too timid and too simple to scheme for that end as many children would have done although she tremblingly desired it What a surprisingly splendid sight was the tortoiseshell workbox full of amber satin and silver What a delightful revelation the sound of the old harpsichord touched by Mrs Erringtons plump white fingers What a perennial source of wonder and admiration were that ladys accomplishments and condescension and kind soft voice
As to Algernon there never was such a clever and brilliant little boy At eight years old he could sing little songs to his mothers accompaniment in the sweetest piping voice He could recite little verses He even drew quite so that you could tell—or Rhoda could—his trees houses and men from one another.
In all the stories his mother told about the greatness of her family and in all the descriptions she gave of her ancestral home in Warwickshire Rhodas imagination put in the boy as the central figure of the piece She could see him in the great hall hung round with armour although she knew that he had never been in the family mansion in his life in the grand drawingroom with its purple carpet and gilt furniture above all in the long portrait gallery of which Rhoda was never tired of hearing Heaven knows how she innocently and Mrs Errington exercising her hereditary talent embellished and transformed the old brick house in its deer park or what enchanted landscapes the child at all events conjured up among the gentle slopes and tufted woods of Warwickshire
Even the period of hobbledehoydom fatal to beauty to grace almost to civilised humanity in most schoolboys Algernon passed through triumphantly He had a great sense of humour and fastidious pampered habits of mind and body which enabled him to look down with more or less disdain—a goodhumoured disdain always Algy was never bitter—upon the obstreperous youth at the Whitford Grammar School
One fight he had He was forced into it by circumstances against his will Not that he was a coward but he had a greater and more candidly expressed regard for the ease and comfort of his body than his schoolfellows conceived to be compatible with pluck However our young friend if less stoical was a great deal cleverer than the majority of his peers and perceiving that the moment had arrived when he must either fight or lose caste altogether he frankly accepted the former alternative He fought a boy bigger and heavier than himself got beaten not severely but fairly well beaten and bore his defeat—in the dialect of his compeers took his licking—admirably He was quite as popular afterwards as if he had thrashed his adversary who was a loutish boy the cock of the school as to strength Had he bruised his way to the perilous glory of being cock of the school himself it would have behoved him to maintain it against all comers which is an anxious and harassing position Algy had not vanquished the victor but he had taken his licking like a trump and on the whole may be said to have achieved his reputation at the smallest cost possible under the circumstances
His mother and Rhoda almost shrieked at beholding his bruised cheek and bleeding lip when he came home one halfholiday from the field of battle Algy laughed as well as his swollen features would let him and calmed their feminine apprehensions Nor would he accept his fond parents enthusiastic praise of his heroism mingled with denunciations of that murderous young ruffian Master Mannit
Pooh maam said the hero its all brutal and low enough We bumped and thumped each other as awkwardly as possible I fought because I was obliged And I didnt like it and I shant fight again if I can help it It is so stupid
The young fellows great charm was to be unaffected Even his finegentlemanism sat quite easily on him and was displayed with the frankest good humour Some one reproached him once with being more nice than wise We cant all be wise but we neednt be nasty returned Algy with quaint gravity His temper was as Minnie Bodkin had said nearly perfect He had a singular knack of disarming anger or hostility You could not laugh Algernon out of any course he had set his heart upon—a rare kind of strength at his age—but it was ten to one he would laugh you into agreeing with him Every one of his little gifts and accomplishments was worth twice as much in him as it would have been in clumsier hands
If you had a heartache I do not think that you would have found Algys companionship altogether soothing Sorrow is apt to feel the very sunshine cruelly bright and cheerful But if you were merry and wanted society or bored and wanted amusement or dull and wanted exhilarating no better companion could be desired
He was genial with his equals affable to his inferiors modest towards his superiors—and had not a grain of veneration in his whole composition
At seventeen years old Algernon left the Grammar School But he continued to read with Mr Diamond for nearly a twelvemonth My son is studying the classics with Mr Diamond Mrs Errington would say I cant send my boy to the University where all his forefathers distinguished themselves But he has had the education of a gentleman
It was a very desultory kind of reading at the best and it was interrupted by the long Midsummer holidays during which Mr Diamond went away from Whitford no one knew exactly whither And during these same holidays Mrs Errington who said she required change of air had taken lodgings in a little quiet Welsh village and obtained Mr Maxfields permission to have Rhoda with her
That was a time of joy for the girl It did not at all detract from Rhodas happiness that she was required to wait hand and foot on Mrs Errington to bring her her breakfast in bed to trim her caps to mend her stockings to iron out scraps of fine lace and muslin to walk with her when she was minded to stroll into the village to order the dinner to make the pudding—a culinary operation too delicate for the fingers of the rustic with whom they lodged—to listen to her patroness when it pleased her to talk and to play interminable games of cribbage with her when she was tired of talking All these things were a labour of love to Rhoda And Mrs Errington was kind to the girl in her own way
And above all was not Algy there Those were happy days in the Welsh village On the long delicious summer afternoons when Mrs Errington was asleep after dinner Rhoda would sit out of doors with her sewing on a bench under the parlour window so as to be within call of her patroness and Algy would lounge beside her with a book or make short excursions to get her wild flowers which he would toss into her lap laughing at her ecstasy of gratitude Oh Algy she would cry Oh how good of you How lovely they are The words written down are not eloquent but Rhodas looks and tones made them so
They are not half so lovely Algy would answer as properly educated garden flowers nor so sweet either But I know you like that sort of herbage
Rhoda never forgot those days How should she forget them—since it was at this period that Algernon first discovered that he was in love with her Perhaps he might never have made the discovery if they had all stayed at Whitford There he saw her as he had seen her since her childhood surrounded by coarse common people and living their life more or less It is not every one who can be expected to recognise your diamond if you set it in lead Rhoda was always sweet always gentle always pretty but she formed part and parcel of old Maxs establishment When the boy and girl were quite small she used to help him with his lessons her one years seniority made a greater difference between them then than it did later and had always been used to do him sisterly service in a hundred ways And all this was by no means favourable to the young gentlemans falling in love with her
But at Llanryddan Rhoda appeared under quite a different aspect She looked prettier than ever before Algernon thought And perhaps she really was so for there is no such cosmetic for the complexion as happiness Apart from her vulgar relations and treated as a lady by the few strangers with whom they came in contact it was surprising to find how good her manners were and how much natural grace she possessed Mrs Errington had taught her what may be termed the technicalities of polite behaviour From her own heart and native sensibility she had learnt the essentials The people in the village turned their heads to admire her as she walked modestly along Who could help admiring her Algernon decided that there was not one among the young ladies of Whitford who could compare with Rhoda She is ten times as pretty as those rawboned McDougalls and twenty times as well bred as Alethea Dockett and ever so much cleverer than Miss Pawkins he reflected Minnie Bodkin never came into his head in the list of damsels with whom Rhoda could be compared Minnie occupied a place apart quite removed from any idea of lovemaking
Dear Little Rhoda How fond she was of him
Altogether Rhoda appeared in a new light and the new light became her mightily Yes Algy was certainly in love with her he acknowledged to himself There was no scene no declaration It all came to pass very gradually In Rhoda the sense of this love stole on as subtly as the dawn Before she had begun to watch the glowing streaks of rosecolour it was daylight And then how warm and golden it grew in her little world How the birds chirped and fluttered and the flowers breathed sweet breath and a thousand diamond drops stood on the humblest blades of grass
If she had been nine years old instead of nearly nineteen she could scarcely have given less heed to the worldly aspects of the situation
Algernon perhaps more consciously set aside considerations of the future He was but a boy however and he always had a great gift of enjoying the present moment and sending Janusheaded Care that looks forward and backward to the deuce As yet there was no Lord Seely on his horizon no London society no diplomatic career The latter indeed was but an Ancramism of his mothers when she spoke of it to Mr Diamond and Algy at that time had never entertained the idea of it
So these two young persons sat side by side on the bench outside the Welsh cottage and were as happy as the midsummer days were long
But long as the midsummer days were they passed Then came the time for going back to Whitford The day before their return home Rhoda received a shock of pain—the first but not the last which she ever felt from this love of hers—at these words said carelessly but in a low voice by Algy as he lounged at her side watching the sunset
Rhoda darling you must not say a word to any one about—about you and me you know
Not say a word What had she to say And to whom No Algy she answered in a faint little voice and began to meditate The idea had been presented to her for the first time that it was her duty or Algys duty to drag their secret from its home in Fairyland and subject it to the eyes and tongues of mortals But being once there the idea stayed in her mind and would not be banished Her father—Mrs Errington—what would they say if they knew that—that she had dared to love Algernon The future began to look terribly hard to her The glittering mist which had hidden it was drawn away like a gauze curtain How could she not have seen it all before Would any one believe for evermore that she had been such a child such a fool so selfishly absorbed in her pleasant daydreams as not to calculate the cost of it for one moment until now
Oh Algy the poor child broke out lifting a pale face and startled eyes to his if we could only go on for ever as we are If it would be always summer and we two could stay in this village and never go back or see any of the people again—except father she added hastily And a pang of remorse smote her as her conscience told her that the father who loved her so well and was so good to her whatever he might be to others was not at all necessary to the happiness of her existence henceforward
Dont lets be miserable now at all events returned Algernon cheerfully Look at that purple bar of cloud on the gold I wonder if I could paint that I wish I had my colourbox here The pencil sketches are so dreary after all that colour
Rhoda had no doubt that Algernon could paint that or anything else he applied his brush to After a while she said with her heart beating violently and the colour coming and going in her cheeks Dont you think it would be wrong deceitful—to—if we—not to tell—— Poor Rhoda could not frame her sentence and was obliged to leave it unfinished
Deceitful Am I generally deceitful Rhoda Oh I say dont cry theres a pet Dont my darling I cant bear to see you sorry But look here Rhoda dear Im so young yet that it wouldnt do to talk about being in love or anything of that sort Though I know I shall never change they would declare I didnt know my own mind and would make a joke of it—this shot told with Rhoda who shrank from ridicule as a sensitive plant shrinks from the north wind—and bother my—our lives out Cant you see old Grimgriffins great front teeth grinning at us
It was in these terms that Algy was wont to allude to that respectable spinster Miss Elizabeth Grimshaw
Rhoda knew that Algy wished and expected her to smile when he said that and she tried to please him but the smile would not come Her lip quivered and tears began to gather in her eyes again She would have sobbed outright if she had tried to speak The more she thought the sadder and more frightened she grew Ridicule was painful but that was not the worst Her father Mrs Errington She lay awake half the night terrifying herself with imaginations of their wrath
Algy found an opportunity the next morning to whisper to her a few words Dont look so melancholy Rhoda Theyll wonder at Whitford whats the matter if you go back with such a wan face And as to what you said about deceit why we shant pretend not to love each other Look here we must have patience I shall always love you darling and Im sure to get my own way with my mother in the long run I always do
So then there would be obstacles to contend with on Mrs Erringtons part and Algy acknowledged that there would Of course she had known before that it must be so But Algy had declared that he would always love her that was the one comforting thought to which she clung Rhoda had grown from a child to a woman since yesterday Algy was only older by fourandtwenty hours
After their return to Whitford came Mr Filthorpes letter Then his mothers application to Lady Seely brought about by an old acquaintance of Mrs Errington who lived in London and kept up an intermittent correspondence with her Both these events were talked over in Rhodas presence Indeed the girl filled the part towards Mrs Errington that the confidant enacts towards the prima donna in an Italian opera Mrs Errington was always singing scenas to her which so far as Rhodas share in them went might just as well have been uttered in the shape of a soliloquy But the lady was used to her confidant and liked to have her near to take her hand in the impressive passages and to walk up the stage with her during the symphony
So Rhoda heard Algernons prospects canvassed In her heart she longed that he should accept Mr Filthorpes offer It would keep him nearer to her in every sense She had few opportunities of talking with him alone now—far fewer than at dear Llanryddan but she was able to say a few words privately to him one afternoon the very afternoon of Dr Bodkins whistparty and she timidly hinted that if Algy went to Bristol instead of to London amongst all those great folks she would not feel that she had lost him so completely
My dear child exclaimed Algy whose outlook on life had a good deal changed during the last three months how can you talk so Fancy me on Filthorpes office stool
London is such a long way off Algy murmured the girl plaintively And then amongst all those grand people lords and ladies you—you may grow different
Upon my word my dear Rhoda your appreciation of me is highly flattering For my part it seems to me more likely that I should grow different in the society of Bristol tradesmen than amongst my own kith and kin—people like myself and my parents in education and manners I am a gentleman Rhoda Lord Seely is not more
Rhoda shrank back abashed before this magnificent young gentleman Such a flourish was very unusual in Algernon But the Ancram strain in him had been asserting itself lately He was sorry when he saw the poor girls hurt look and downcast eyes from which the big tears were silently falling one by one He took her in his arms and kissed her pale cheeks and brought a blush on to them and an April smile to her lips and called her his own dear pretty Rhoda whom he could never never forget
Perhaps it would be best to forget me Algy she faltered And although his loving words and flatteries and caresses were inexpressibly sweet to her the pain remained at her heart
She never again ventured to say a word to him about his plans She would listen meekly and admiringly to his vivid pictures of all the fine things he was to do in the future pictures in which her figure appeared—like the donor of a great altarpiece full of splendid saints and goldencrowned angels—kneeling in one corner And she would sit in silent anguish whilst Mrs Errington expatiated on her sons prospects wherein of late a great alliance played a large part But she could not rouse herself to elation or enthusiasm This mattered little to Mrs Errington who only required her confidante to stand tolerably still with her back to the audience But it worried Algernon to see Rhodas sad downcast face irresponsive to any of his bright anticipations It must be owned that the young fellows position was not entirely pleasant Yet his admirable temper and spirits scarcely flagged He was never cross except now and then just a very little to his mother And if no one else in the world less deserved his illhumour at least no one else in the world was so absolutely certain to forgive him for it
CHAPTER VII
Parliament was to meet early in February It seemed strange that that fact should have any interest for Rhoda Maxfield nevertheless so it was Algernon was to go to London but it was no use to be there unless Lord Seely our cousin were there also and my lord our cousin would not be in town before the meeting of parliament Thus the assembling of the peers and commons of this realm at Westminster was an event on which poor Rhodas thoughts were bent pretty often in the course of the twentyfour hours
Mrs Errington announced to the whole Maxfield family that Algernon was going away from Whitford and accompanied the announcement with florid descriptions of the glory that awaited her son in the highest Ancram style of embellishment
Well said old Max after listening awhile and will this lord get Mr Algernon a place
Mrs Errington could not answer this question very definitely The future was vague though splendid But of course Algy would distinguish himself That was a matter of course Perhaps he might begin as Lord Seelys private secretary
A sekketary Humph I dont think much o that grunted Mr Maxfield
My dear man you dont understand these things How should you Many noblemens sons would only be too delighted to get the position of private secretary to Lord Seely A man of such distinction Hand and glove with the sovereign
Maxfield did not altogether dislike to hear his lodger hold forth in this fashion He had a certain pleasure in contemplating the future grandeur of Mr Algernon whose ears he had boxed years ago on the occasion of finding him enacting the battle of Waterloo with a couple of schoolfellows in the warehouse behind the shop and attacking a Hougoumont of teachests and flourbarrels so briskly as to threaten their entire demolition
Maxfield was weaving speculations in connection with the young man of so wild and fanciful a nature as would have astonished his most familiar friends could they have peeped into the brain inside his grizzled old head
But this rosecoloured condition of things did not last
One afternoon Mrs Errington looked into his little sittingroom on her way upstairs and finding him with an accountbook in which he was not making but reading entries she stepped in and began to chat if any speech so laboriously condescending as hers to Mr Maxfield may be thus designated Her theme of course was her son and her sons prospects
Thatll be all very fine for Mr Algernon to be sure said old Max slowly after some time but—itll cost money
Not so much as you think for Low persons who feel themselves in a false position no doubt find it necessary to make a show But a real gentleman can afford to be simple
But I take it hell have to afford other things besides being simple Hell have to afford clothes and lodging and maybe food You arent rich
Mrs Errington admitted the fact
Algernon ought to find a wife with a bit o money said the old man looking straight and hard into the ladys eyes Those round orbs sustained the gaze as unflinchingly as if they had been made of blue china
It is not at all a bad idea Mrs Errington said graciously
But then he wouldnt just take the first ugly woman as had a fortn
Oh dear no
No nor yet an old un
Good gracious man of course not
Young pretty good and a bit o money Thats about his mark eh
Mrs Errington shook her head pathetically She ought to have birth too she said But the woman takes her husbands rank unless she added correcting herself and with much emphasis unless she happens to be the better born of the two
Oh she does eh The woman takes her husbands rank Ah well thats scriptral I have never troubled my head about these vain worldly distinctions but that is scriptral
Mrs Errington was not there to discuss her landlords opinions or to listen to them but he served as well as another to be the recipient of her talk about Algernon which accordingly she resumed and indulged in everhigher flights of boasting Her mendacity like George Withers muse
As it made wing so it made power
The fact is there is more than one young lady on whom my connections in London have cast their eye for Algy Miss Pickleham only daughter of the great drysalter who is such an eminent member of Parliament Blanche Fitzsnowdon Judge Whitelambs lovely niece one of MajorGeneral Indigos charming girls all of them perfect specimens of the Eastern style of beauty—their mother was an Indian princess and enormously wealthy But I am in no hurry for my boy to bind himself in an engagement it hampers a young mans career
Career broke out old Max who had listened to all this and much more with an increasingly dismayed and lowering expression of countenance Why whats his career to be Hes been brought up to do nothing It ud be his only chance to get hold of a wife with a bit o money Then he might act the gentleman at his ease and maybe his fine friends ud help him when they found he didnt want it But as for career—its my opinion as hell never earn his salt
And with that the old man marched across the passage into the shop taking no further notice of his lodger and she heard him slam the little halfdoor giving access to the storehouse with such force as to set the jingling bell on it tinkling for full five minutes
Mrs Errington was so surprised by this sally that she stood staring after him for some time before she was able to collect herself sufficiently to walk majestically upstairs
Maxfields temper becomes more and more extraordinary she said to her son with an air of great solemnity The man really forgets himself altogether Do you suppose that he drinks Algy or is he do you think a little touched She put her finger to her forehead Really I should not wonder There has been a great deal of preaching and screeching lately since this Powell came and you know they do say that these Ranters and Methodists sometimes go raving mad at their fieldmeetings and lovefeasts You need not laugh my dear boy I have often heard your father say that nothing was more contagious than that sort of hysterical excitement And your father was a physician and certainly knew his profession if he didnt know the world poor man
Was old Max hysterical maam asked Algernon his whole face lighted up with mischievous amusement And the notion so tickled him that he burst out laughing at intervals as it recurred to him all the rest of the day
Betty Grimshaw and Sarah the servantmaid and James helping his father to serve in the shop and the customers who came to buy all suffered from the unusual exacerbation of Maxfields temper for some time after that conversation of his with Mrs Errington
It increased also the resentful feeling which had been growing in his mind towards David Powell The young mans tone of rebuke in speaking of Rhodas associating with the Erringtons had taken Maxfield by surprise at the time and he had not he afterwards thought been sufficiently trenchant in his manner of putting down the presumptuous reprover He blew up his wrath until it burned hot within him and the more so inasmuch as he could give no vent to it in direct terms To question and admonish was the acknowledged duty of a Methodist preacher Conference made no exceptions in favour even of so select a vessel as Jonathan Maxfield But Maxfield thought nevertheless that Powell ought to have had modesty and discernment to make the exception himself
No inquisitor—no priest sitting like a mysterious Eastern idol in the inviolate shrine of the confessional—ever exercised a more tremendous power over the human conscience than was laid in the hands of the Methodist preacher or leader according to Wesleys original conception of his functions But besides the essential difference between the Romish and Methodist systems that the latter could bring no physical force to bear on the refractory there was this important point to be noted namely that the inquisitor might be subjected to inquisition by his flock The priest might be made to come forth from the confessionalbox and answer to a pressing catechism before all the congregation In the bandmeetings and select societies each individual bound himself to answer the most searching questions concerning his state sins and temptations It was a mutual inquisition to which of course those who took part in it voluntarily submitted themselves
But the spiritual power wielded by the chiefs was very great as their own subordination to the conference was very complete Its pernicious effects were however greatly kept in check by the system of itinerancy which required the preachers to move frequently from place to place
There are few human virtues or weaknesses to which on one side or the other Methodism in its primitive manifestations did not appeal Benevolence selfsacrifice fervent piety temperance charity were all called into play by its teachings But so also were spiritual pride narrowmindedness fanaticism gloom and pharisaical selfrighteousness Only to the slothful and such as loved their ease above all things early Methodism had no seductions to offer
Jonathan Maxfields father and grandfather had been disciples of John Wesley The grandfather was born in 1710 seven years before Wesley and had been among the great preachers earliest adherents in Bristol
Traditions of John Wesleys sayings and doings were cherished and handed down in the family They claimed kindred with Thomas Maxfield Wesleys first preacher and conveniently forgot or ignored—as greater families have done—those parts of their kinsmans career which ran counter to the present course of their creed and conduct For Thomas Maxfield seceded from Wesley but the grandfather and father of Jonathan continued true to Methodism all their lives They married within the society as was strictly enjoined at the first conference and assisted the spread of its tenets throughout their part of the West of England
In the third generation however the original fire of Methodism had nearly burnt itself out and a few charred sticks remained to attest the brightness that had been Never perhaps in the case of the Maxfields—a crampnatured harsh breed—had the fire become a hearthglow to warm their homes with It had rather been like the crackling of thorns under a pot The dryest and sharpest will flare for a while
Old Max nevertheless looked upon himself as an exemplary Methodist He made no mental analyses of himself or of his neighbours He merely took cognisance of facts as they appeared to him through the distorting medium of his prejudices temper ignorance and the habits of a lifetime When he did or said disagreeable things he prided himself on doing his duty And his selfapproval was never troubled by the reflection that he did not altogether dislike a little bitter flavour in his daily life as some persons prefer their wine rough
But to do and say disagreeable things because it is your duty is a very different matter from accepting or listening to disagreeable things because it is somebody elses duty to do and say them It was not to be expected that Jonathan Maxfield should meekly endure rebuke from a young man like David Powell
And now crept in the exasperating suspicion that the young man might have been right in his warning Maxfield watched his daughter with more anxiety than he had ever felt about her in his life looking to see symptoms of dejection at Algernons approaching departure He did not know that she had been aware of it before it was announced to himself
One day her father said to her abruptly Rhoda youre looking very pale and out o sorts Your eyes are heavy they were swollen with crying and your face is the colour of a turnip I think I shall send you off to Duckwell for a bit of a change
Duckwell Farm was owned by Seth Maxfields eldest son
I dont want a change indeed father said the girl looking up quickly and eagerly I had a headache this morning but it is quite gone now Thats what made me look so pale
From that time forward she exerted herself to appear cheerful and to shake off the dull pain at the heart which weighed her down until her father began to persuade himself that he had been mistaken and overanxious She always declared herself to be quite well and free from care And I know she would not tell me a lie thought the old man
Alas she had learned to lie in her words and her manner She had for the first time in her life a motive for concealment and she used the natural armour of the weak—duplicity
Rhoda had been good hitherto because her nature was gentle and her impulses affectionate She had no strong religious fervour but she lived blamelessly and prayed reverently and was docile and humbleminded She had never professed to have attained that sudden and complete regeneration of spirit which is the prime glory of Methodism But then many good persons lived and died without attaining assurance Whenever Rhoda thought on the subject—which to say the truth was not often for her nature though sweet and pure was not capable of much spiritual aspiration and was altogether incapable of fervent selfsearching and fiery enthusiasm—she hoped with simple faith that she should be saved if she did nothing wicked
Her father and David Powell would have pointed out to her that her doing or leaving undone could have no influence on the matter But their words bore small fruit in her mind Her fathers religious teaching had the dryness of an accustomed formality to her ears It had been poured into them before she had sense to comprehend it and had grown to be nearly meaningless like the everyday salutation we exchange a hundred times without expecting or thinking of the answer
David Powell was certainly neither dry nor formal but he frightened her She shut her understanding against the disturbing influence of his words as she would have pressed her fingers into her pretty ears to keep out the thunder And then her dream of love had come and filled her life
In most of us it wonderfully alters the focus of the mind's eye with its glamour that dream To Rhoda it seemed the one thing beautiful and desirable And—to say all the truth—the pain of mind which she felt other than that connected with her lovers going away and which she attributed to remorse for the little deceptions and concealments she practised was occasioned almost entirely by the latent dread lest the time should come when she should sit lonely looking at the cold ashes of Algys burntout love For she did mistrust his constancy although no power would have forced the confession from her This blind obstinate clinging to the beloved was perhaps the only form in which selfesteem ever strongly manifested itself in that soft timid nature
There was one person who watched Rhoda more understandingly than her father did and who had more serious apprehensions on her account David Powell knew as did nearly all Whitford by this time that young Errington was going away and he clearly saw that the change in Rhoda was connected with that departure He marked her pallor her absence of mind her fits of silence broken by forced bursts of assumed cheerfulness Her feigning did not deceive him
Albeit of almost equally narrow education with Jonathan Maxfield Powell had gained in his frequent changes of place and contact with many strange people a wider knowledge of the world than the Whitford tradesman possessed He perceived how unlikely it was that people like the Erringtons should seriously contemplate allying themselves by marriage with old Max but that was not the worst To the preachers mind the girls position was in the highest degree perilous for he conceived that what would be accounted by the world the happiest possible solution to such a love as Rhodas would involve nothing less than the putting in jeopardy her eternal welfare He could not look forward with any hope to a union between Rhoda and such a one as Algernon Errington
The son is a shallowhearted fickle youth with the vanity of a boy and the selfishness of a man the mother a mere worldling living in decent godlessness
Such was David Powells judgment He reflected long and earnestly What was his calling—his business in life To save souls He had no concern with anything else He must seek out and help not only those who needed him but those who most needed him
All conventional rules of conduct all restraining considerations of a merely social or worldly kind were as threads of gossamer to this man whensoever they opposed the higher commands which he believed to have been laid upon him
Jonathan Maxfield was falling away from godliness He too evidently was willing to give up his daughter into the tents of the heathen The pomps and vanities of this wicked world had taken hold of the old man Satan had ensnared and bribed him with the bait of worldly ambition From Jonathan there was no real help to be expected
In the little garretchamber where he lodged in the house of a widow—one of the most devout of the Methodist congregation—the preacher rose from his knees one midnight and took from his breast the little worn pocketBible which he always carried A bright cold moon shone in at the uncurtained window but its beams did not suffice to enable him to read the small print of his Bible He had no candle but he struck a light with a match and by its brief flare read these words on which his finger had fallen as he opened the book
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is
To whom hast thou uttered words and whose spirit came from thee
He had drawn a lot and this was the answer The leading was clear He would speak openly with Rhoda himself He would pray and wrestle he would argue and exhort He would awaken her spirit lulled to sleep by the sweet voice of the tempter
It would truly be little less than a miracle should he succeed by the mere force of his earnest eloquence in persuading a young girl like Rhoda to renounce her first love
But then David Powell believed in miracles
CHAPTER VIII
All that she had heard of the Methodist preacher had taken strong hold of Minnie Bodkins imagination Mr Diamonds description of him especially delighted her It was in piquant contrast with her previous notions about Methodists who were associated in her mind with ludicrous images This man must be something entirely different—picturesque and interesting
But there was a deeper feeling in her mind than the mere curiosity to see a remarkable person Minnie was not happy and her unhappiness was not solely due to the fact of her bodily infirmities She often felt a yearning for a higher spiritual support and comfort than she had ever derived from her fathers teachings She passed in review the congregation of the parish church most of whom were known to her and she asked herself what good result in their lives or characters was produced by their weekly churchgoing Was Mrs Errington more truthful Miss Chubb less vain Mr Warlock less gloomy her father for Minnie in the pride of her keen intellect spared no one less arrogant and overbearing she herself more patient gentle hopeful and happy than if the old bell of St Chads were silent and the wormeaten old doors shut and the dusty old pulpit voiceless for evermore Yet there were said to be people on whom religion had a vital influence She wished she could know such She could judge she thought by seeing and conversing with them whether or not there were any reality in their professions Minnie seldom doubted the sufficiency of her own acumen and penetration
No she was not happy And might it not be that this Methodist man had the secret of peace of mind Was there in truth a physician who could minister to a suffering spirit She thought of Powell with the feeling half of shame half of credulity with which an invalid hankers after a quack medicine
Minnie had been taught to look upon Dissenters in general as quacks and upon Methodists as archquacks Dr Bodkin professed himself a staunch Churchman and a hater of cant He considered that Protestantism and the right of private judgment had justly reached their extreme limits in the Church of England as by law established He detested enthusiasm as a dangerous and disturbing element in human affairs and he viewed with especial indignation the pretensions of unlearned persons to preach and proselytise Although he had no leaning to Romanism he would rather have admitted a Jesuit into his house than a Methodist Indeed he sometimes defined the latter to be the Jesuit of dissent—only as he would take care to point out a Jesuit without learning culture or authority
I can listen to a gentleman although I may not agree with him the Doctor would say albeit in truth he had no great gift of listening to anyone who opposed his opinions but am I to be hectored and lectured by the cobbler and the tinker
Minnie had no taste for being hectored or lectured but it seemed to her that what the cobbler and tinker said was more important than the fact that it was they who said it She thought and pondered and wondered about the Methodist preacher and about her chance of ever seeing or hearing more of him until a thought darted into her mind like an arrow Little Rhoda She was a Methodist born and bred and knew this preacher and——Minnie would send for little Rhoda
When she announced this resolution to her mother Mrs Bodkin found several difficulties in the way of its fulfilment
What do you want with her Minnie
I want to see her Mrs Errington talks so much of her I remember her coming here with a message once when she was a child I recollect only a little fair face and shy eyes under a coalscuttle straw bonnet Dont you mamma And I want to talk to her about several things added Minnie with resolute truthfulness
Oh dear me What will your papa say
I dont see how papa can object to my asking this nice little thing to come to me for an afternoon when he doesnt mind your boring yourself to death with Goody Barton whose snufftaking would try the nerves of a rhinoceros nor forbid my inviting the little Jobsons who are unpleasant to look upon and stupid beyond the wildest flights of imagination He lets me have any one I like
Yes but you teach the little Jobsons the alphabet my dear And that is a charitable work
And Rhoda will amuse me and Im sure that is a charitable work
Minnie would get her own way of course She always did
That same evening Minnie said to her father with her frank bright smile Papa may I not ask Rhoda Maxfield to take tea with me some afternoon
Rhoda what
Little Maxfield the grocers daughter papa said Minnie boldly
Mrs Bodkin bent nervously over her knitting
What on earth for Why do you want to associate with such folks Have you not plenty of friends without——
No papa But I dont ask her because Im in want of friends
Oh Minnie said Mrs Bodkin in the quick low tones she habitually spoke in Im sure nobody has more friends than you have Everybody is so glad to come to you always
Youre my friend mamma And papa is my friend Never mind the rest I want to have little Maxfield to tea Minnie laughed at herself the moment after she had said the words in the tone of a spoiled child
Dr Bodkin crossed and uncrossed his legs kicked a footstool out of the way and then got up and stood before the fire
If you want amusement isnt there Miss Chubb or the McDougalls or—or plenty more said he shooting out his upper lip and frowning uneasily
Now papa can you say in conscience that you find Miss Chubb and the McDougalls perennially amusing Then with a sudden change of tone Besides you know the other people are playing their parts in life and strutting about hither and thither on the stage and they find it all more or less interesting But I—I am like a child at a peepshow I can but look on and I sometimes long for a change in the scene and the puppets
The doctor began to poke the fire violently Laura said he addressing his wife that last tea you got is good for nothing They brought me a cup just now in the study that was absolutely undrinkable Is it Smiths tea Well try Maxfields You can have some ordered when the message is sent for the girl to come here
In this way the doctor gave his permission
The next day Minnie despatched her maid Jane with the following note to Mr Maxfield—
Will Mr Maxfield allow his daughter Rhoda to spend the afternoon with Miss Bodkin Miss Bodkin is an invalid and cannot often leave her room and it would give her great pleasure to see Rhoda The maid shall wait and accompany Rhoda if Mr Maxfield permits and Miss Bodkin undertakes to have her sent safely home again in the evening
Old Max was scarcely more surprised than gratified on reading this invitation He stood behind his counter holding the pink perfumed note between his floury finger and thumb and turning over the contents of it in his mind whilst his son James served the maid with some tea
Miss Minnie was a muchlookedupto personage in Whitford And here was Miss Minnie inviting Rhoda just as though she had been a lady and sending her own maid for her This would be Algys doing the old man decided Algy had more sense than his mother Algy knew that Rhoda was fit to go anywhere and could hold her own with the best The young fellow was very thick with Dr Bodkins family and had no doubt talked to Miss Minnie about Rhoda All sorts of ideas thronged into old Maxs head which nevertheless looked as obstinately idealess a one as could well be imagined as he stood conning the pink note with his grey eyebrows knotted together and his heavy underlip pursed up Perhaps not the feeblest element in his feeling of exultation was the sense of triumph over David Powell Powell might approve or disapprove but anyway he would see that he was wrong in supposing the Erringtons did not think Rhoda good enough for them If they introduced her about among their friends that meant a good deal eh brother David And that the invitation came by means of the Erringtons Maxfield felt more and more convinced the more he thought of it So many years had passed and Miss Minnie had taken no notice of Rhoda Why should she now Maxfield was at no loss to find the answer Maybe old Mrs Errington had talked for talks sake more than she meant Maybe her boasting was in order to drive a hard bargain when Algy should come forward and offer to make Rhoda a lady
The Erringtons friends were going little by little to make acquaintance with Rhoda in view of the promotion that awaited her Well Rhoda could stand the test Rhoda was quite different from the likes of him
He called his sisterinlaw out of the kitchen and in a few hurried words told her of the invitation and bade her tell Rhoda to get ready without delay He cut Betty Grimshaw short in her exclamations and inquiries Ive no time to talk to you now he said The maid is waiting Bid Rhoda clothe herself in her best garments
What her Sunday frock Jonathan exclaimed Betty in shrill surprise
Sh woman answered Maxfield and gripped her wrist fiercely He did not want that family detail to come to the ears of Miss Bodkins maid
Rhoda was completely bewildered by the invitation and by the breathless haste with which Betty announced it to her and hurried her preparations But I dont want to go murmured Rhoda plaintively At the same time she suffered her clothes to be huddled on to her in Aunt Bettys rough fashion
Ah tell that to your parent my dear I have the mark of his fingers on my wrist at this moment he was in such a taking and so—so uncumboundable This latter was a word of Bettys own invention and she frequently employed it with an air of great relish
The idea of going amongst strangers was more terrible to Rhoda than can easily be conceived by those who have never lived so secluded a life as hers had been Had she been able to say a word to Algernon she thought she should have derived a little comfort and support from him But he and his mother were both from home
All the way from her own house to Dr Bodkins Rhoda uttered no word except to ask Jane timidly if she were sure Miss Minnie would be alone—quite alone
The gloomy courtyard and the stone entrance hall of the house struck her with awe The old manservant who opened the door seemed to look severely on her She followed Jane with a beating heart up the wide staircase whose thick carpet muffled her footsteps mysteriously and then through a drawingroom full of furniture all covered with grey holland There was the glitter of gilt pictureframes on the walls and the shining of a great mirror and of a large dark polished pianoforte at one end of the room And there was a mingled smell of flowers and cedarwood and altogether the impression made upon Rhodas senses as she passed through the apartment was one of perfume and silence and vague splendour She had no time even if she had had selfpossession to examine the details of what seemed to her so grand for she was led across a passage and into a room opposite to the drawingroom and found herself in Miss Bodkins presence
The room was Minnies bedroom but it did not look like a sleeping chamber Rhoda thought To be sure a little whitecurtained bed stood in one corner but all the toilet apparatus was hidden by a curtain which hung across a recess and there were bookshelves full of books and flowers on a stand and a writingtable On one side of the fireplace in which a bright fire blazed there was a curious sort of long chair and in it dressed in a loose crimson robe of soft woollen stuff reclined Minnie Bodkin
Rhoda was as has been said extremely sensitive to beauty and Minnies whole aspect struck her with admiration The picturesque richcoloured robe the delicate white hands relieved upon it the graceful languor of Minnies attitude and the air of refinement in the young lady and her surroundings were all intensely appreciated by poor little Rhoda who stood dumb and blushing before her hostess
Minnie on her part was a good deal taken by surprise She welcomed Rhoda with her sweetest smile and thanked her for coming and made her sit down by the fire opposite to herself and when they were alone together she talked on for some time with a sort of careless goodnature which little by little succeeded in setting Rhoda somewhat at her ease But careless as Minnies manner was she was scrutinising the other girls looks and ways very keenly
She is absolutely lovely thought Minnie And so graceful and—and—ladylike Yes positively that is the word She is as shy as a fawn but no more awkward than one It is not what I expected
Perhaps Minnie could scarcely have said what it was that she had expected Probably a quiet prettylooking wellbehaved young person like her maid Jane Rhoda was something very different and the young lady was charmed with her new protégée Only she was obliged to admit before the afternoon was over that she had failed in the main object for which she had invited Rhoda to visit her There was no clear and vivid account of Powell his teaching or his preaching to be got from Rhoda
Rhoda could not remember exactly what Mr Powell said Rhoda could not say what it was which made all the people cry and grow so excited at his preaching Rhoda cried herself sometimes but that was when he talked very pitifully about poor people and little children and things like that Sometimes too she felt frightened at his preaching but she supposed she was frightened because she had not got assurance Many of the congregation had assurance Yes oh yes the people said Mr Powell was a wonderful man and the most awakening preacher who had been in Whitford for fifty years
Minnie looked at the simple serious face and marked the childlike demureness of manner with which Rhoda declared Mr Powell to be an awakening preacher I dont think he has awakened you to any very startling extent thought Minnie This girl seems to have received no strong influence from him
That was in a great measure the fact but also Rhoda was held back from speaking freely by the conviction that her Methodist phraseology would sound strange and perhaps absurd in the young ladys ears Moreover it did not help to put her at her ease that she felt sundry uneasy pricks of conscience for not bearing testimony with more fervour She knew that David Powell would have had her improve the occasion to the uttermost But how could she run the risk of being disagreeable to Miss Minnie who was so kind to her
That was the form in which Rhoda mentally put the case The truth was hers was not one of those natures to which the invisible ever becomes more real and important than the visible It was incomparably more necessary to her happiness to be in agreeable and smooth relations with the people around her than to feel herself in higher spiritual communion with unseen powers
When Minnie at length reluctantly desisted from questioning her on the subject of Powell and her chapelgoing and her religious feelings she was surprised to find how the girls frigid constrained manner thawed and how her tongue was loosened
She chatted freely enough about her visit to Llanryddan in the summer and about Duckwell Farm where her halfbrother Seth lived and above all about Mrs Errington Mrs Errington had been so good to her and had taught her and talked to her and did Miss Minnie know what a change it was for a lady like Mrs Errington to live in such a poor place as theirs For although she had the best rooms of course it was very poor compared with the castle she was brought up in About Algernon she said very little but it slipped out that she was in the habit of being present when Mr Diamond came to read with the young gentleman and then Miss Minnie was very much interested in hearing what Mr Diamond said to his pupil and how Rhoda liked Mr Diamond and what she thought of him And when it appeared that Rhoda had thought very little about him at all but considered him a very clever learned gentleman—perhaps a little stiff and grave but not at all unkind—Miss Minnie smiled to herself and said He is a little stiff and grave Rhoda Not the kind of person to attract one very much eh
And then tea was brought and Rhoda sipped hers out of a delicate porcelain cup like those which Mrs Errington had in her corner cupboard And there were some delicious cakes which Rhoda was quite natural enough to own she liked very much And then Mrs Bodkin came in and sat down beside her daughter and finally at Minnies request she took Rhoda into the drawingroom and played to her on the grand piano
Rhoda likes music she says mamma But she has never heard a good instrument Do play her a bit of Mozart
I am no great performer my dear said Mrs Bodkin opening the piano but I keep up my playing on my daughters account She is not strong enough to play for herself
Minnie had her chair wheeled into the drawingroom in order as she whispered to her mother to enjoy Rhodas face when she should hear the music
Rhoda sat by and listened in a trance of delight while Mrs Bodkin made the keys of the instrument delicately sound a minuet of Mozart and then give forth more volume of tone in The Heavens are telling This was different indeed from the tinkling old harpsichord at home The music transported her When it ceased she was breathing quickly and her eyes were full of tears Oh how beautiful she faltered out
Why child you are a capital audience said Mrs Bodkin smiling kindly
Then it was time to go home She was made to promise that she would come again and see Minnie whenever her father would let her She left Dr Bodkins house in a very different frame of mind from that in which she had entered it Yet she was as silent on her way home as she had been in the afternoon
How happy gentlefolks must be who always can have music and flowers and talk in such soft voices and are so polite in their manners and so dainty in their persons She could not help contrasting the coarse rough ways at home with the smoothness and softness of the life she had had a glimpse of at Dr Bodkins She tried to hold fast in her memory the pleasant sights and sounds of the day
In this mood halfenjoying halfregretful she arrived at her fathers house to find the little parlour full of people—besides her own family and Powell there were two or three neighbours who joined in the exercises—and a prayermeeting just culminating in a longdrawn hymn bawled out with more zeal than sweetness by the little assembly
CHAPTER IX
Rhoda stood with her hand on the parlourdoor for a minute or so Little Sarah the servantmaid who had admitted her into the house and had left the parlour in order to do so—for all the Maxfield household was held bound to join in these weekly prayermeetings—told her that the hymn would be over directly Rhoda felt shy of entering into the midst of the people assembled and of encountering the questions and expressions of surprise which her unprecedented absence from the evenings devotions would certainly occasion
Presently the singing ceased Rhoda ran as quickly and noiselessly as she could along the passage and halfway up the stairs From her post there she heard the neighbours go away and the streetdoor close heavily behind them Now she might venture to slip down Everyone was gone The house was quite still She ran into the parlour and found herself face to face with David Powell
Her Aunt Betty was piling the hymnbooks in their place on the little table where they stood There was no one else in the room
Wheres father asked Rhoda hastily Then she recollected herself and bade Mr Powell Good evening He returned her salutation with his usual gentleness but with more than his usual gravity
Oh exclaimed Betty Grimshaw looking round from the books Its you is it Rhoda Your father is gone with Mr Gladwish to his house for a bit They have some business together Hell be back by supper
It very seldom happened that Maxfield left his house after dark Still such a thing had occurred once or twice Mr Gladwish the shoemaker was a steward of the Methodist society and Maxfield not unfrequently had occasion to confer with him Their business this evening was not so pressing but that it might have been deferred But Maxfield did not choose to give Powell an opportunity of private conversation with himself at that time he wanted to see his way clearer before he took the decided step of openly putting himself into opposition with the practice of his brethren and the advice of the preacher and he knew Powell well enough to be sure that evasions would not avail with him Therefore he had gone out as soon as the prayers were at an end
I must see to the supper said Betty and bustled off without another word Nothing would have kept her in Mr Powells society but the masterful influence of her brotherinlaw She escaped to her haven of refuge the kitchen where the moral atmosphere was not too rarefied for the comfortable breathing of ordinary folks
David Powell and Rhoda were left alone together Rhoda made a little halftimid halfimpatient movement of her shoulders She wished Powell gone more heartily than she had ever done before in the course of her acquaintance with him
Powell stood with his hands clasped and his eyes cast down in deep meditation
At length Rhoda took courage to murmur a word or two about going to take her cloak off Aunt Betty would be back presently If Mr Powell didnt mind for a minute or two——She was gliding towards the door when his voice stopped her
Tarry a little Rhoda said the preacher looking up at her with his lustrous earnest eyes I have something on my soul to say to you
Rhodas eyes fell before his as they habitually did now She felt as though he could read her heart and she had something to hide in it She did not seat herself but stood with one hand on the wooden mantelshelf looking into the fire In her other hand she held her straw bonnet by its violet ribbon and her waving brown hair shone in the firelight
What is it Mr Powell she asked
She spoke sharply and her tones smote painfully on her hearer He did not understand that the sharpness in it was born of fear
Rhoda he began my spirit has been much exercised on your behalf
He paused but she did not speak only bent her head a little lower as she stood leaning in the same attitude
Rhoda I fear your soul is unawakened You are sweet and gentle as a dove or a lamb is gentle but you have not the root of the matter as a Christian hath it The fabric is built on sand Fair as it is a breath may overthrow it There is but one sure foundation whereon to lay our lives and yours is not set upon it
I—I—try to be good stammered Rhoda in whom the consciousness of much truth in what Powell was saying struggled with something like indignation at being thus reproved with the sense of a painful shock from this jarring discord coming to close the harmonious impressions of her pleasant day and with an inarticulate dread of what was yet in store for her I say my prayers and—and I dont think Im so very wicked Mr Powell No one else thinks I am but you
Oh Rhoda Oh my child His voice grew tender as sad music and as he went on speaking all trace of diffidence and hesitation fell away and only the sincere purpose of the man shone in him clear as sunlight My heart yearns with compassion over you Are those the words of a believing and repentant sinner You try You say your prayers You are not so wicked Rhoda behold I have an urgent message for you which you must hear
She started and looked round at him He read her thought No earthly message Rhoda and from no earthly being Ah child the eager look dies out of your eyes Rhoda do you ever think how much God loveth us How much he loveth you poor perishing little bird fluttering blindly in the outer darkness of the world—that darkness which comprehended not the light from the beginning
Rhodas tears were now dropping fast Her lip trembled as she repeated once more I try—I do try to be good with an almost peevish emphasis
Nay Rhoda I must speak In His hand all instruments are alike good and serviceable He has chosen me even me to call you to Him However much you may despise the Messenger the message is sure and of unspeakable comfort
Oh Mr Powell I dont despise you Indeed I dont I know you mean—I know you are good But I dont think theres any such great harm in going to see a—a young lady who is too ill to go out Im sure she is a very good young lady Im sure I do try to be good
That was the sum of Rhodas eloquence She held fast by those few words in a helpless way which was at once piteous and irritating
Are you speaking in sincerity from the very bottom of your heart asked Powell with the invincible patient gentleness which is born of a strong will No Rhoda you know you are not There is harm in following our own inclinations rather than the voice of the spirit within us There is harm in clinging to works—to anything we can do There is harm in neglecting the service of our Master to pleasure any human being
I did forget that it was prayermeeting night admitted Rhoda more humbly than before Her natural sweetness of temper was regaining the ascendant in proportion as her dread of what might be the subject of Powells reproving admonition decreased She could bear to be told that it was wrong to visit Minnie Bodkin She should not like to be told so and she should refuse to believe it but she could bear it and she began to believe that this visit was held to be the head and front of her offending Powells next words undeceived her and startled her back into a paroxysm of mistrust and agitation
But it is not of your absence from prayer tonight that I would speak now You are entangling yourself in a snare You are laying up stores of sorrow for yourself and others You are listening to the sweet voice of temptation and giving your conscience into the hand of the ungodly to ruin and deface He made a little gesture towards the room overhead with his hand as he said that Rhoda was giving her conscience into the hands of the ungodly
I dont know what you mean Mr Powell And I—I dont think its charitable to speak so of a person—of persons that you know nothing of
She was entirely taken off her guard Her head felt as if it were whirling round and the words she uttered seemed to come out of her mouth without her will Between fear and anger she trembled like a leaf in the wind She would have fled out of the room but her strength failed her Her heart was beating so fast that she could scarcely breathe Her distress pained Powell to the heart pained him so much as to dismay him with a vivid glimpse of the temptation that continually lay in wait for him to spare her and soothe her and cease from his painful probing of her conscience Oh there is a bone of the old man in me yet he thought remorsefully Lord Lord strengthen me or I fall
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is
The remembrance of the lot he had drawn came into his mind as an answer to his mental prayer It was natural that the words should recur to him vividly at that moment but he accepted their recurrence as an undoubted inspiration from Heaven The belief in such direct and immediate communications was a vital part of his faith and to have destroyed it would in great part have paralysed the impetuous energy and quenched the burning enthusiasm which carried away his hearers and communicated something of his own exaltation to the most torpid spirits
He murmured a few words of fervent thanksgiving for the clear leading which had been vouchsafed to him and without an instants hesitation addressed the tearful trembling girl beside him Listen to me Rhoda If it be good for your souls sake that I lay bare my heart before you and suffer sore in the doing of it shall I shrink God forbid By His help I will plentifully declare the thing as it is I have watched you and your feelings have not been hid from me No nor your fears and sorrows and hopes and struggles I have read them all so plainly that I must believe the Lord has given me a special insight in your case that I may call you unto Him with power You are suffering Rhoda and sorry but you have not thrown your burden upon the Lord You have set up His creature as an idol in your soul and have bowed down and worshipped it And you fancy poor unwary lamb that such love as yours was never before felt by mortal and that never did mortal so entirely deserve it And you say in your heart Lo this man talks of what he knows not It is easy for him Well—I tell you Rhoda that I too have a heart for human love I have eyes to see what is fair and lovely and fancies and desires and passions I love—there is a maiden whom I love above all Gods creatures But by His grace I have overcome that love in so far as it perilled the higher love and the higher duty which I owe to my father in Heaven I have wrestled sore God knoweth And He hath helped me as He always will help those who rely not on their own strength but on His
Rhoda was hurried out of herself carried away by the rush of his eloquence in whose powerful spell the mere words bore but a small part Eyes voice and gesture expressed the most absolute selfforgetting enthusiasm The contagion of his burning sincerity drew a sincere utterance from his hearer
But you talk as if it were a crime Does anyone call you wicked and godless because you have human feelings I never should call you so And I believe we were meant to love
To love Ah yes Rhoda To love for evermore and in a measure we can but faintly conceive here below The young maiden I love is still dearer to me than any other human being—it may be that even the angels in Heaven know what it is to love one blessed spirit above the rest—but her soul is more precious to me than her beauty or her sweet ways or her happiness on earth Oh Rhoda look upward Yet a little while and the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest and there cometh peace unspeakable This earthly love is but a fleeting show Can you say that you connect it with your hope of Heaven and your faith in God Does he whom you love reverence the things you have been taught to hold sacred Is he awakened to a sense of sin No no A thousand times no Rhoda for his sake—for the sake of that darkened soul if not for your own—yield not to the temptation which makes you untrue in word and deed and chills your worship and weighs down the wings of your spirit Tell this beloved one that although he were the very lifeblood of your heart yet if he seek not salvation you will cast him from you
Rhoda had sunk down halfcrouching halfkneeling with her arms upon a chair and her face bowed down upon her hands She was crying bitterly but silently but at the preachers last words she moved her shoulders like one in pain and uttered a little inarticulate sound
Powell bent forward listening eagerly I speak not as one without understanding he said after an instants pause I plentifully declare the thing as it is and as I know it Your love—— Rhoda your little twinkling flame compared to the passionate nature in me is as the faint light of a taper to a raging fire—as a trickling waterbrook to the deep dreadful sea Child child you know not the power of the Lord His voice has said to my unquiet soul Be still and it obeys Him Shall He not speak peace to your purer clearer spirit also Shall He not carry you as a lamb in His bosom Now—it may be even now as I speak to you that His angels are about you moving your heart towards Him Rhoda Rhoda will you grieve those messengers of mercy Will you turn away from that unspeakable love
The girl suddenly lifted her face It was a tearstained wistfully imploring face and yet it wore a singular expression of timid obstinacy She was struggling to ward off the impression his words were making on her She was unwilling and afraid to yield to it
But when she looked up and saw his countenance so pale so earnest without one trace of anger or impatience or any feeling save profoundest pity and sweetness and sorrow her heart melted The right chord was touched She could not be moved by compassion for herself but she was penetrated by sorrow for him
In an impulse of pitying sympathy she exclaimed Oh dont be so sorry for me Mr Powell I will try I will do what you say if——
The door opened and her father stood in the room Rhoda sprang from her knees rushed past him and out at the open door
Man man what have you done cried Powell wringing his hands Then he sat down and hid his face
Jonathan Maxfield stood looking at him with a heavy frown We must have no more o this he said harshly
CHAPTER X
The time which elapsed between Rhodas first visit to Minnie Bodkin and the beginning of February—February which was to carry Algernon Errington away to the great metropolis—was a vexed and stormy one for the Maxfield household
Jonathan Maxfield had come to a downright quarrel with the preacher—or to something as near to a quarrel as can be attained where the violence and vituperation are all on one side—and had ordered Powell out of his house This was a serious step and was sure to be searchingly canvassed Maxfield absented himself from the next classmeeting on the plea of illhealth There was a general knowledge in the class and throughout the Society that there had been a breach and many members began to take sides rather warmly
Maxfield was not a personally popular man but he had considerable influence amongst his fellow Wesleyans the influence of wealth and a strong will and the long habit of being a leading personage David Powell on the other hand was not heartily liked by many of the congregation
The Whitford Methodists had slid into a sleepy comfortable state of mind in their obscure little corner They acquired no new members and lost no old ones Even the welldevised machinery of Methodism so calculated to enforce movement and quicken attention had grown somewhat rusty in Whitford Frequent change of preachers is a powerful spur to sluggish hearers but even this—among the fundamental peculiarities of Methodism—was very seldom applied to the Whitfordians Circumstances and their own apathy had brought it to pass that two elderly preachers—steady jogtrot old roadsters—had alternately succeeded each other in exhorting and preaching to this quiet flock for several years There was besides Nick Green foreman to Mr Gladwish the shoemaker who enjoyed the rank of local preacher for a time but who finally seceded from the main body and drew with him halfadozen or so of the more zealous or excitable worshippers who subscribed to hire a room over a corndealers storehouse in Lady Lane and by the stentorian vehemence of this Sunday devotion there speedily acquired the title of Ranters
Into this sleepy comfortable Whitford society David Powell had burst with his startling energy and fiery eloquence and it was impossible to be sleepy and comfortable any longer No one likes to be suddenly roused from a doze and Powell had awakened Whitford as with the sound of a trumpet Yet after the effects of the first start and shock had subsided the Methodists began to take pride in the attention which their preacher attracted Their little chapel was crowded His fieldpreaching drew throngs of people from all the country side Instead of being merely an obscure little knot of Dissenters about whom no outsider troubled himself they felt themselves to be objects of general observation Old men who had heard Wesley preach half a century ago declared that this Welshman had inherited the mantle of their founder
But then came by no slow or doubtful degrees the discovery that David Powell had inherited more than the traditional eloquence of John Wesley and that like that wonderful man he spared neither himself nor others in the service of his Master
He set up a standard of conduct which dismayed many even of the leading Methodists who did not share that exaltation of spirit which supported Powell in his disdain of earthly comforts And the awful sincerity of his character was found by many to be absolutely intolerable
He made a strong effort to revive the early morning services which had quite fallen into desuetude at Whitford What Go to pray in the cold little meetinghouse at five oclock on a winters morning There was scarcely one of the congregation whose health would allow of such a proceeding
Then his matterof-fact interpretations of much of the Gospel teaching was excessively startling He would coolly expect you to deprive yourself not only of superfluities but of necessaries—such for instance as three meals of fleshmeat a day which are clearly indispensable for health—in order to give to the poor
It must be owned that he practised his own precepts in this respect and that he literally gave away all he had beyond the trifling sum which was needful to clothe him with decency and to feed him in a manner which the Whitfordians considered reprehensibly inadequate Such asceticism savoured almost of monkery It was really wrong At least it was to be hoped that it was wrong otherwise——
So the awakening preacher by no means had all his flock on his side when they suspected him to be in opposition to old Max
Jonathans mind had been as he expressed it greatly exercised respecting his daughter He was drawn different ways by contending impulses
To speak to Rhoda openly to send her to Duckwell out of Algernons way to let things go on as they were going for was not Rhodas reception by the Bodkins manifestly a preliminary step to her permanent rise in the social scale to talk openly to Algernon and demand his intentions all these plans presented themselves to his mind in turn and each in turn appeared the most desirable
Jonathan was not an irresolute man in general because he never doubted his own perfect competency to deal with circumstances as they arose in his life But now he felt his ignorance He did not understand the ways of gentlefolks He might injure his daughter by his attempt to serve her And although he had fits of self-assertion during which he made much of the value of his own money and of Rhodas merits all did not avail to free his spirit from the subjection it was in to gentlefolks
Again he was urged not to seem to distrust the Erringtons by a strong feeling of opposition to Powell Powell had warned him against letting Rhoda associate with them Powell had even gone so far as to reprehend him for having done so To prove Powell wholly wrong and presumptuous and himself wholly right and sagacious was a very powerful motive with Maxfield
Then too the one soft place in his heart contributed no less than the abovementioned feelings to make him pause before coming to a decisive explanation with the Erringtons which might—yes he could not help seeing that it might—result in a total breach between his family and them and this increased his hesitation as to the line of conduct he should pursue For the conviction had been growing on him daily that Rhodas happiness was seriously involved and Rhodas happiness was a tremendously high stake to play
The discussion between himself and Powell did not trouble Maxfield so much The world—his little world as important to him as other little worlds are to the titled or the rich or the fashionable or the famous—supposed him to be greatly chagrined and exercised in spirit on this account And people sympathised with him or blamed him according to their prejudices their passions or—sometimes—their convictions But the truth was old Max cared little about being at odds with the preacher or with the congregation or with both
He had been an important personage among the Whitford Methodists all through the old comfortable days of sleepy concord And was he now to become a less important personage in these new times of awakening Better war than an ignominious peace
Nay there came at last to be a talk of expelling him from the Methodist Society unless he would confess his fault towards the preacher and amend it Maxfield had no lack of partisans in Whitford as has been stated but then there was the superintendent In those days the superintendent or as some oldfashioned Methodists continued to call him in the original Wesleyan phrase the assistant of the circuit in which Whitford was situated was a man of great zeal and sincere enthusiasm
For those unacquainted with the mechanism of Methodism it may be well briefly to state what were this persons functions
Long before John Wesleys death the whole country was divided into circuits in which the itinerant preachers made their rounds and of each circuit the whole spiritual and temporal business—so far as they were connected with the aims and interests of Methodism—was under the regulation of the assistant afterwards styled the superintendent whose office it was to admit or expel members take lists of the society at Easter hold quarterly meetings visit the classes quarterly preside at the lovefeasts and so forth
The period for the superintendents next visit to Whitford was rapidly approaching Maxfield weighed the matter and tried to forecast the result of a formal reference of the disagreement between himself and Powell to this mans judgment Had this superintendent Mr John Bateson by name been a Whitford man one of the old comfortable narrowminded tradesmen over whom old Max had exercised supremacy in things Methodistical for years Maxfield would have felt no doubt but that the matter would have ended in an unctuous admonition to Powell to moderate his unseemly excess of zeal and in the establishment of himself more firmly than ever in his place as leader of the congregation
But Mr Bateson could not be relied on to take this sensible view He was one of the newfangled upsetting meddling sort and would doubtless declare David Powell to have been performing his bounden duty in being instant in season and out of season
So that thought Jonathan I should not be master in my own house
And if he included in the notion of being master in his own house the power of shutting out his fellow Methodists—preacher and all—from the knowledge of his most private family affairs the conclusion was a pretty just one Moreover it was one to which the very constitution of Methodism pointed à priori But old Maxfield had never in his life been brought into collision with any one who carried out his principles to their legitimate and logical results as did David Powell
Maxfields creed was a thing to take out and air and acknowledge at chapel and prayermeetings and fieldpreachings and such like occasions whilst his practice was—well it certainly was not too bright or good for human natures daily food
David Powells uncompromising interpretation of certain precepts was intolerable to many besides Maxfield But the majority of the Whitford Methodists looked forward to Powells removal to another sphere of action His stay among them had already been longer than was usual with the itinerant preachers but it was understood to have been specially prolonged in consequence of the abundant fruits brought forth by his ministration in Whitford Still he would go sooner or later and then there would be a relaxation of the strong tension in which mens minds and consciences had been strained by the strange influence of this preacher
But old Maxfield thought it very probable that before leaving Whitford the preacher might compass his Maxfields expulsion from the Methodist body
Then he took a great resolution
One Sunday Jonathan James and Rhoda Maxfield together with Elizabeth Grimshaw were seen at the morning service in the abbey church of St Chads and again in the afternoon
Dr Bodkin himself stared down from his pulpit at the Methodist family Those of the congregation to whom they were known by sight—and these were the great majority—found their devotions quite disturbed by this unexpected addition to their number
The Maxfields kept their eyes on their prayerbooks and outwardly took no heed of the attention they excited Old Jonathan and his son James looked pretty much as usual Rhoda trembled and blushed and looked painfully shy whenever the forms of the service required her to rise so as to bring her face above the pew those were the days of pews and within easy range of the curious eyes of the congregation
But Betty Grimshaw held her head aloft and uttered the responses in a loud voice and without glancing at her book as one to whom the Church of England service was entirely familiar Betty was heartily delighted with the family conversion from the errors of Methodism and supported her brotherinlaw in it with great warmth Her Methodism had in truth been a mere piece of conformity for peace and quietness sake as she avowed with much candour And she was fond of saying that she had been bred up to the Church by which phrase it must not be understood that Betty intended to convey to her hearers that she had entered on an ecclesiastical career
If the sensation created in the abbey church by the Maxfields appearance there was great the surprise and excitement caused by their absence from the Methodist chapel was still greater By the afternoon of that same Sunday it was known to all the Wesleyans that old Max with his family had been seen at St Chads No one deemed it strange that the whole family should have seceded in a body from their own place of worship It appeared quite natural to all his old acquaintances that whither Jonathan Maxfield went his son and his daughter and his sisterinlaw should follow him It is probable that had he turned Jew or Mohammedan they would equally have taken it for granted that his conversion involved that of the rest of his family which opinion was certainly complimentary to old Maxs force of character
And such force of character as consists in pursuing ones own way singlemindedly old Max undoubtedly possessed A good solid belief in oneself tempered by an inability to see more than one side of a question will cleave its way through the world like a wedge We have seen however that into Maxfields mind a doubt of himself on one subject had entered And as doubt will do it weakened his action very considerably as regarded that subject but on all other matters he was himself and perhaps infused an extra amount of obstinacy and selfassertion into his behaviour as though to counterbalance the one weak point
Towards his old coreligionists he showed himself inflexible Mr Bateson the superintendent duly arrived but Jonathan refused to see him and walked out of his shop when the superintendent walked into it Maxfield was grimly triumphant and kept out of the reach of any expression of displeasure from Mr Bateson if displeasure he felt
His defection was undoubtedly a blow to the Methodist community in Whitford And much indignation not loud but deep was aroused in consequence against Powell who was looked upon as the prime cause of it What if the preacher did possess awakening eloquence and burning zeal to save sinners Here was Jonathan Maxfield a warm man a respectable and a thriving man an ancient pillar of the Society lost to it beyond recall by Powells means
And by whom did Powell seek to replace such a man as old Max By Richard Gibbs the groom—brother of Minnie Bodkins maid—who had hitherto enjoyed a reputation for unmitigated blackguardism by Sam Smith the cobbler once drunken now drunken no longer by stray vagrants who were converted at his fieldpreaching and by the poorest poor and wretchedest wretched generally
And the worst of it was that one could not openly find fault with all this David Powell would with mild yet fervent earnestness quote some New Testament text which stopped ones mouth if it didnt change ones opinion As if the words ought to be interpreted in that literal way Well he would go away before long that was some comfort
The period during which this rift in the Methodist community was widening was a time of peculiar pleasantness to some of our Whitford acquaintance Of these was Minnie Bodkin By degrees the habit had established itself among a few of her friends of meeting every Saturday afternoon in Dr Bodkins drawingroom
Mr Diamond usually made one at these meetings Saturday was a halfholiday at the Grammar School and he was thus at leisure He had grown more sociable of late and Mrs Errington was convinced that this change was entirely owing to her advice There was Algernon whose sparkling spirits made him invaluable There was Mrs Errington who was made welcome as other mothers sometimes are in right of the merits of her offspring There was Miss Chubb very often There was the Reverend Peter Warlock nearly always And of all people in the world there would often be seen Rhoda Maxfield modestly ensconced behind Minnies couch or half hidden by the voluminous folds of Mrs Erringtons gown
No sooner had Mrs Errington heard of Rhodas first visit to Dr Bodkins house than she took all the credit of the invitation to herself She decided that it must certainly be due to her report of Rhoda And—partly because she really wished to be kind to the girl partly because it seemed pretty clear that Minnie was resolved to have her own way about seeing more of her new protégée and Mrs Errington was minded that this should come to pass with her cooperation so as to retain her post of first patroness—the good lady fostered the intimacy by all means in her power The Italians have a proverb to the effect that there are persons who will take credit to themselves for the sunshine in July Mrs Errington would complacently have assumed the merit of the whole solar system
Now at these Saturdays there grew and strengthened themselves many conflicting feelings and hopes and illusions It was a game at cross purposes to which none of the players held the key except Algernon
That young gentlemans perceptions unclouded and uncoloured by strong feeling were pretty clear and accurate However the period of his departure was fast approaching and after me the deluge might be taken to epitomise his sentiments in view of possible complications which threatened to arise among his own intimate circle of friends To whatever degree the time might seem to be out of joint Algy would never torment himself with the fancy that he was born to set it right If there is to be a mess I am better out of it was his ingenuous reflection
Meanwhile whatever thoughts might be flitting about under his bright curls nothing save the most winning goodhumour the most insouciant hilarity ever peeped for an instant out of his frank shining eyes And the weeks went by and February was at hand
CHAPTER XI
In how few cases would the power to see oursels as ithers see us be other than a very malevolent and wicked fairylike gift And perhaps the discovery of the real reasons why our friends like us would not be the least mortifying part of the revelation
Now the Bodkins liked Miss Chubb But they did not like her for her manners her knowledge of the usages of polite society her highly respectable clerical connections or the little gummeddown curls on her forehead on all of which Miss Chubb prided herself
Dr Bodkin liked her principally because she was an old acquaintance It pleased him to see various people and to do and say various things daily often for no better reason than that he had seen the same people and done and said the same things yesterday and throughout a long backwardreaching chain of yesterdays Mrs Bodkin liked her because she was goodnatured and neither strongminded nor strongwilled enough to domineer over her Minnie liked her because she found her peculiarities very amusing
Miss Chubb has the veriest ragbag of a mind said Minnie and pulls out of it every now and then unexpected scraps of ignorance as other folks display bits of knowledge, in the oddest way She could often endure to listen to Miss Chubbs chatter when the talk of wiser people irritated her nerves And Minnie would speak with Miss Chubb on many subjects more unreservedly than she did with any other of her acquaintances
What Minnie Bodkin can find in that affected old maid to have her so much with her when she is so reserved and standoffish to—to quite superior persons and nearer her own age I am at a loss to understand Violet McDougall would say tossing her thin spiral ringlets And Rose the bitterer of the two would make answer raspingly Why Miss Chubb toadies her my dear Thats the secret Poor Minnie Of course one wishes to make every allowance for her afflicted state but there are limits Miss Chubb is almost a fool and that suits poor dear Minnies domineering spirit
Unconscious of these and similar comments Minnie and Miss Chubb continued to be very good friends
There sat Miss Chubb in Dr Bodkins drawingroom one Saturday about noon her round face beaming and her fat fingers covered with huge oldfashioned rings busily engaged in some brightcoloured worsted work She had come early and was to have luncheon with Mrs Bodkin and Minnie and was a good deal elated by the privilege although she did her best to repress any ebullition of her good spirits and to assume the languishing air which she chose to consider peculiarly genteel
Minnie and Miss Chubb were alone Mrs Bodkin was busy Mrs Bodkin was nearly always busy She superintended the machinery of her household very effectively But she was one of those persons whose labours meet with scant recognition Dr Bodkin had a vague idea that his wife liked to be fussing about in kitchen and storeroom and that she did a great deal more than was necessary but then you see it amused her He very much liked order punctuality economy and good cookery and since it amused Laura to supply him with these the combination was at once fortunate and satisfactory
My dear Minnie said Miss Chubb raising her eyes to the ceiling with a languishing glance which would have been more effective had it not been invariably accompanied by an odd wrinkling up of the nose did you ever in all your days hear of anything so extraordinary as the appearance of those Methodist people at church on Sunday
It was strange
Strange My dear love it was amazing But it ought to be a matter of congratulation to us all to see Dissenters embracing the canons of the Church And the Methodists especially are such dreadful people I believe they think nothing of foaming at the mouth and going into convulsions in the open chapel I wonder if those Maxfields felt anything of the kind on Sunday It would have been a terrible thing my dear if they had had to be carried out on stretchers or anything of that sort What would Mr Bodkin have said
I dont think theres any fear of papas sermons throwing anybody into convulsions
Of course not my dear child Pray dont imagine that I hinted at such a thing No no Mr Bodkin is ever gentlemanlike ever soothing and composing in the pulpit But people you know who have been used to convulsions—they really might not be able to leave them off all at once You may smile my dear Minnie but I assure you that such things have been known to become quite chronic And once a thing gets to be chronic——
Miss Chubb left her sentence unfinished as she often did but remained with an expressive countenance which suggested horrible results from things getting to be chronic
It seems an odd caprice of Fate said Minnie who had been pursuing her own reflections that no sooner do I make Rhoda Maxfields acquaintance for the sole reason that she is a Methodist than she and her family turn into orthodox church people
People will say you converted her my dear
I daresay they will as it isnt true
Now I wonder who did convert them
If you care to know I think I can tell you that the real reason why Maxfield left the Wesleyans was a quarrel he had with their preacher My maid Jane has a brother who belongs to the Society and he gave her an account of the matter
Dear dear You dont say so Of course the preacher is furious Those kind of Ranters are very violent sometimes I remember when I was quite a girl a man on a tub who used to scream and use the most dreadful language So much so that poor papa forbade our going within earshot of him
No David Powell is not furious I am told that he astonished some of the more bigoted of his flock by reminding them that they ought to have charity enough to believe that a man may worship acceptably in any Christian community
Did he really Now that positively was very proper of the man and very right Quite right indeed
So that I think we may assume that he is on the road to Heaven Methodist though he be
Oh Minnie
Does that shock you Miss Chubb
Well my dear yes it does rather My family has been connected with the Church for generations And—one doesnt like to hear Dr Bodkins daughter talk of being sure that a Dissenter is on the road to Heaven
Minnie lay back on her sofa and looked at Miss Chubb complacently bending over her knitting Gradually the look of amused scorn on Minnies face softened into melancholy thoughtfulness She wondered how David Powell would have met such an observation as Miss Chubbs He had to deal with even narrower and more ignorant minds than hers What method did he take to touch them To Minnie it all seemed very hopeless so long as men and women continued to be such as those she saw around her And yet this preacher did move them very powerfully If she could but meet him face to face and have speech with him
There was one person to whom she was strongly impelled to detail her perplexities and to express her fluctuating feelings and opinions on more momentous subjects than she had ever yet spoken with him upon But there were a hundred little counter impulses pulling against this strong one and holding it in check
Miss Chubbs voice broke in upon her meditations by uttering loudly the name that was in Minnies mind
My dear I think its quite a case with Mr Diamond
Minnies heart gave a great bound and the deep burning blush which was so rare and meant so much with her covered her face from brow to chin Miss Chubbs eyes were fixed on her knitting When after a short pause she raised them to seek some response Minnie was quite pale again She met Miss Chubbs gaze with bright steady eyes a thought more wide open than usual
How do you mean a case she asked carelessly
I mean my dear a case of falling or having fallen in love
The white lids drooped a little over the beautiful eyes and a look partly of pleasure partly of fluttered surprise swept over Minnies face as the breeze sweeps over a cornfield touching it with shifting lights and shadows
What nonsense she said in a little uncertain voice unlike her usual clear tones
Now my dear Minnie I must beg to differ I might give up my judgment to you on a point of—of— Miss Chubb hesitated a long time here for she found it extremely difficult to think of any subject on which she didnt know best—on a point of the dead languages for instance But on this point I maintain that I have a certain penetration and coodoyl And I say that it is a case with Mr Diamond and little Rhoda—at least on his side And of course she would be ready to jump out of her skin for joy only I dont think the idea has entered into her head as yet How should it in her station Of course—— But as to him—— If I ever read a human countenance in my life he admires her—oh over head and ears To see him staring at her from behind your sofa when she sits by Mrs Errington—— No no my dear depend upon it I am correct And I dont know but what it might do very well because although educated Mr Diamond is a man of no birth And the girl is pretty and will have all old Maxs savings So that really——
Thus and much more in the same disjointed fashion Miss Chubb
Minnie felt like one who is conscious of having swallowed a deadly but slow poison For the present there is no pain only a horrible watchful apprehension of the moment when the pain shall begin
Some faculties of her mind seemed curiously numb But the active part of it accepted the truth of what had been said unhesitatingly
Miss Chubb paused at last breathless
You look fagged Minnie she said Have I tired you Mrs Bodkin will scold me if I have
No you have not tired me But I think I will go and be quiet in my own room Tell mamma I dont want any lunch Please ring for Jane
Mrs Bodkin came into the room in her quick noiseless way She had heard the bell Minnie reiterated her wish to be wheeled into her own room and left quiet She spoke briefly and peremptorily and her desire was promptly complied with
I never cross her or talk to her much when she is not feeling well whispered Mrs Bodkin to Miss Chubb thereby checking a lively stream of suggestions regrets and inquiries which the spinster was beginning to pour forth in her most girlish manner
There my darling said her mother preparing to close the door of Minnies room softly If any of the Saturday people come I shall say you are not well enough to see them today
No cried Minnie with sharp decisiveness I wish to come into the drawingroom byandby Dont send them away It will be Algys last Saturday I mean to come into the drawingroom
CHAPTER XII
Minnie during the hours quiet solitude which was hers before the Saturday guests began to arrive got her thoughts into some clear order and began to look things in the face She did not look far ahead merely kept her attention fixed on that which the next few hours might hold for her She pictured to herself what she would say and even how she would look Cost what it might no trace of her real feelings should appear Her heart might bleed but none should see the wound She could not yet tell herself how deep the hurt was She would not look at it would not probe it Not yet That should be afterwards perhaps in the long dim hours of her sleepless night Not yet
She put on her panoply of pride and braced up her nerves to a pitch of strained excitement And then after all the effort seemed to have been wasted There was no fight to be fought no struggle to be made The social atmosphere among her visitors that Saturday afternoon was as mildly relaxing as the breath of a misty woodland landscape in autumn and Minnie felt her Spartan mood melting beneath it
Whether it were due to the influence of Dr Bodkins presence the doctor usually spent the Saturday halfholiday in his study preparing the morrows sermon or it may be occasionally reading the newspaper or even taking a nap—or whether it were the shadow of Algernons approaching departure the fact was that the little company appeared depressed and attuned to melancholy
Rhoda Maxfield was not there She had privately told Algy that she could not bear to be present among his friends on that last Saturday They will be saying Goodbye to you and—and all that said the girl with quivering lips And I know I should burst out crying before them all Whereupon Algy had eagerly commended her prudent resolution to stay at home
No other of the accustomed frequenters of the Bodkins drawingroom was absent The doctors was the only unusual presence in the little assembly He stood in his favourite attitude on the hearth and surveyed the company as if they had been a class called up for examination Mr Diamond sat beside Miss Bodkins sofa and was perhaps a thought more grave and silent than usual
Minnie lay with halfclosed eyes on her sofa and felt almost ashamed of the proud resolutions she had been making It seemed very natural to be silently miserable No one appeared to expect her to be anything else If she had even begun to cry as Miss Chubb did when Algernon went to the piano and sang Auld Lang Syne it would have excited no wondering remark
Pathos was not Algys forte in general but circumstances gave a resistless effect to his song The tears ran down Miss Chubbs cheeks so copiously as to imperil the little gummed curls that adorned her face Even the Reverend Peter Warlock who was a little jealous of Algys high place in Miss Bodkins good graces exhibited considerable feeling on this occasion and joined in the chorus For au—auld la—ang syne my friends with his deep bass voice which had a hollow tone like the sound of the wind in the belfry of St Chads
Here Mrs Erringtons massive placidity became useful She broke the painful pause which ensued upon the last note of the song by asking Dr Bodkin in a sonorous voice if he happened to be acquainted with Lord Seelys remarkably brilliant pamphlet on the dogtax
No replied the doctor shaking his head slowly and emphatically as who should say that he challenged society to convict him of any such acquaintance
It did not at all matter to Mrs Errington whether he had or had not read the pamphlet in question the existence of which indeed had only come to her own knowledge that morning by the chance inspection of an old newspaper that had been hunted out to wrap some of Algys belongings in What the good lady had at heart was the introduction of Lord Seelys name in whose praise she forthwith began a flowing discourse
This brought Miss Chubb figuratively speaking to her legs She always a little resented Mrs Erringtons aristocratic pretensions and was accustomed to oppose to them the fashionable reminiscences of her sole London season which had been passed in an outwardly smokeblackened and inwardly timetarnished house in Manchester Square whereof the upper floors had been hired furnished for a term by the Right Reverend the Bishop of Plumbunn And the bishops lady had chaperoned Miss Chubb to such gaieties as seemed not objectionable to the episcopal mind As the rosescent of youth still clung to the dry and faded memories of that time Miss Chubb always recurred to them with pleasure
Having first carefully wiped away her tears by the method of pressing her handkerchief to her eyes and cheeks as one presses blottingpaper to wet ink so as not to disturb the curls Miss Chubb plunged with happy flexibility of mood into the midst of a rout at Lady Tubvilles nor paused until she had minutely described five of the dresses worn on that occasion including her own and the bishopesss from shoe to headdress
Mrs Errington came in ponderously Tubville I dont know the name It isnt in Debrett
And the supper pursued Miss Chubb ignoring Debrett Such refinement together with such luxury— It was a banquet for Lucretius
What what exclaimed the doctor in his sharp scholastic key He had been conversing in a low voice with Mr Warlock but the Latin name caught his ear
I am speaking of a supper Dr Bodkin at the house of a leader of tong I never shall forget it Although I didnt eat much of it to be sure Just a sip of champagne and a taste of—of—What do you call that delightful thing with the French name that they give at ball suppers Vo—vo—What is it
Volauvent suggested Algy at a venture
Ah volovoo Yes you will excuse my correcting you Algernon but that is the French pronunciation Just one taste of volovoo was all that I partook of but the elegance—the plate the exotic bouquets and the absolute paraphernalia of waxlights It was a scene for young Romance to gloat on
But what had Lucretius to do with it persisted the doctor
Miss Chubb looked up and shook her forefinger archly
Now Dr Bodkin I will not be catechised you cant give me an imposition you know And as to Lucretius beyond the fact that he was a Roman emperor who ate and drank a great deal I honestly own that I know very little about him
This time the doctor was effectually silenced He stood with his eyes rolling from Mr Diamond to the curate and from the curate to Algy as though mutely protesting against the utterance of such things under the very roof of the grammar school But he said not a syllable
Mr Diamond had looked at Minnie with an amused smile expecting to meet an answering glance of amusement at Miss Chubbs speech But the fringed eyelids hung heavily over the beautiful dark eyes which were wont to meet his own with such quick sympathy Mr Diamond felt a little shock of disappointment Without giving himself much account of the matter he had come to consider Miss Bodkin and himself as the only two persons in the little coterie who had an intellectual point of view in common on many topics The circumstance that Miss Bodkin was a very beautiful and interesting woman certainly added a flattering charm to this communion of minds He had almost grown to look upon her attention and sympathy as peculiarly his own—things to which he had a right And the unsmiling listless face which now met his gaze gave him the same blank feeling that we experience on finding a wellknown window accustomed to present gay flowers to the passersby all at once grown deathlike with a downdrawn ghastly blind
Mr Diamond looked at Minnie again and was struck with the expression of suffering on her face He knew she disliked being condoled with about her health so he said gently I think Erringtons departure is depressing us all Even Miss Bodkin looks dull
Minnie lifted her eyelids now and her wan look of suffering was rather enhanced by the view of those bright wistful eyes
I think Errington is an enviable fellow continued Mr Diamond
So do I He is going away
Thats a hard saying for us who are to remain behind Miss Bodkin But I meant—and I think you know that I meant—he is enviable because he will be so much regretted
I dont know that he will be so much regretted
Surely——Why one fair lady has even been shedding tears
Oh Miss Chubb Yes but that proves very little The good soul is always overstocked with sentiment and will use any friend as a wastepipe to get rid of her superfluous emotion
Well I should have made no doubt that you would be sorry Miss Bodkin
Sorry Yes I am sorry That is to say I shall miss Algernon He is so clever and bright and gay and—different from all our Whitford mortals But for himself I think one ought to be glad Papa says and you say and I say myself that his journey to London on such slender encouragement is a wildgoose chase But after all why not Wild geese must be better to chase than tame ones
Not so easy to catch nor so well worth the catching though said Mr Diamond smiling
I said nothing about catching The hunting is the sport If a good fat goose had been all that was wanted Mr Filthorpe of Bristol offered him that and even I believe ready roasted But—if I were a man I think I would rather hunt down my wild goose for myself
You had better not let Errington hear your theory about the pleasures of wildgoose hunting
Because he is apt enough for the sport already
N—not precisely But he would take advantage of your phrase to characterise any hunting which it suited him to undertake and thus give an air of impulse and romance to perhaps a very prosaic ambition very deliberately pursued
I wonder why—— said Minnie and then stopped suddenly
Yes You wonder why
No I wonder no longer I think I understand
Miss Bodkin is pleased to be oracular said Mr Diamond with a careless smile and then he moved away towards the piano where Mrs Bodkin was playing a quaint sonata of Clementi and stood listening with a composed attentive face Nevertheless he felt some curiosity about the scope of Minnies unfinished sentence
The sentence if finished would have run thus I wonder why you are so hard on Algernon But with the utterance of the first words an explanation of Diamonds severe judgment darted into her mind Might he not have some feeling of jealousy towards Algernon Miss Chubbs words were lighting up many things Probably the good little woman had never in her life before said anything of such illuminating power Yes Diamond must be jealous Algernon had unrivalled opportunities of attracting pretty Rhodas attention Nay had he not attracted it already Minnie recalled little words little looks little blushes which seemed to point to the real nature of Rhodas feelings for Algernon Rhoda did not—no she surely did not—care for Matthew Diamond Minnie had a momentary elation of heart as she thus assured herself and at the same time she felt an impulse of scorn for the girl who could disregard the love of such a man as though it were a valueless trifle But then did Rhoda know did Rhoda guess And then Minnie suddenly checking her eager mental questioning in midcareer turned her fiery scorn against herself for her pitiful weakness
As she lay there so graceful and outwardly tranquil whilst the studied passionless turns and phrases of old Clementi trickled from the keys she had hot fits of raging wounded pride and cold shudders of deadly depression The numb listlessness which had shielded her at the beginning of the afternoon had disappeared during her short conversation with Diamond She was sensitive now to a thousand stinging thoughts
What a fool she had been What a poor blind fool She tried to remember all the details of the past days Did others see what Miss Chubb had seen in Diamonds face And had she—Minnie Bodkin who prided herself on her keen observation her cleverness and her power of reading motives—had she been the only one to miss this obvious fact She had been deluding herself with the thought that Matthew Diamond came and sat beside her couch and talked and smiled for her sake Poor fool Why did not his frequent visits date from the time when Rhodas visits had begun too It was all clear enough now so clear that the self-delusion which had blinded her seemed to have been little short of madness As if it were possible that a man should waste his love on me she thought bitterly
At that moment she caught Mr Warlocks eyes mournfully fixed upon her His gaze irritated her unendurably Am I so pitiable a spectacle she asked herself Is my folly written on my face that that idiot stares at me in wonder and compassion
Minnie gave him one of her haughtiest and coldest glances and then turned away her head
Poor Mr Warlock It must be owned that there are strange cruel pangs unjustly inflicted and suffered in this world by the most civilised persons
The little party broke up sooner than usual The dispirited tone with which it had begun continued to the end Algernon made his farewells to Miss Chubb Mr Warlock Mr Diamond and Dr Bodkin But to Minnie he whispered I will run in once more on Monday to say Goodbye to your mother and to you if I may
The rest departed almost simultaneously Matthew Diamond lingered an instant at the door of the drawingroom to say to Mrs Bodkin I hope this is not to be the last of our pleasant Saturdays although we are losing Errington
It was an unusual sort of speech from the reserved shy tutor who carried his proud dread of being thought officious or intrusive to such a point that Minnie was wont to say laughingly that Mr Diamonds diffidence was haughtier than anyone elses disdain
Mrs Bodkin smiled well pleased Oh I hope not indeed she said in her quick low accents Minnie Do you hear what Mr Diamond is saying
Minnie did not answer She thought how happy this wish of his to keep up our pleasant Saturdays would have made her yesterday
CHAPTER XIII
The manifestations of maternal vanity are apt to appear monotonous to the indifferent spectator but in Mrs Errington such manifestations were at least not open to that reproach Beethoven himself never surpassed her in the power of producing variations on one simple theme And this surprising fertility of hers prevented her from being a mere commonplace bore She never told a story twice alike There was always an element of unexpectedness in her conversation albeit the groundwork and foundation of it varied but little In the overflowing gratification of her heart at Algernons prospects and under the excitement of his imminent departure she would fain have bestowed some of her eloquence even on old Max with whom her relations had been decidedly cool since the outbreak of rude temper on his part which has been recorded But old Max continued to be surly and taciturn for a while he had been bitterly mortified by Mrs Erringtons talk about the marriage her son would be able to make whenever it should please him to select a wife
But then after that had come Miss Bodkins frequent invitations to Rhoda which had greatly mollified the old man And presently it appeared as if Mrs Errington had forgotten all about General Indigos daughters and the heiress of the eminent drysalter At all events she said no more on the subject of those ladies And old Max gradually and not slowly recurred to his former persuasion that the Erringtons would be very glad to secure Rhodas hand for Algernon being well aware that her money would balance her birth and connections True the young man had as yet said nothing explicit But of course he would feel it necessary to have some settled prospect before asking permission to engage himself formally to Rhoda
He is connected with the great ones of the earth to be sure reflected Mr Maxfield with some exultation And he is a comely young chap to look upon and full of all kinds of booklearning and accomplishments—talks foreign tongues and sings and plays upon instruments and draws pictures
An uneasy thought crossed his mind at this point that David Powell would consider these things as leading to reprehensible frivolity and worldliness and that moreover most of his Maxfields old friends would agree with the preacher in so deeming It was not to be expected that the thoughts and habits of a lifetime could be so eradicated from old Maxs mind by the mere fact of going to worship at St Chads as to leave his conscience absolutely free on these and similar points But the ultimate effect of such inward feelings was always to embitter the old man against Powell and to make him clutch eagerly at any circumstance which should tend to prove that Powell had been wrong and himself right in their differing views of the Erringtons intentions He was inexpressibly loath to consider himself mistaken Indeed for him to be mistaken seemed to argue a general dislocation and turning topsyturvy of things and a terrible unchaining of the powers of darkness If after walking all his life in the paths of wisdom and prosperity he were to find himself suddenly astray and blundering on a point which nearly concerned the only tender feelings of his nature such a phenomenon must clearly be due to the direct interposition of Satan However as he stood one evening in his storehouse tying up a great parcel of sugar in blue paper Jonathan Maxfield was feeling neither discontented nor selfdistrustful Mrs Errington had just been speaking to Rhoda in his presence and had said
Well little one you have quite made a conquest of Mrs Bodkin as well as Miss Minnie She was praising you up to me the other day She particularly remarked your nice manners and attributed them to my influence——
Im sure maam if there is anything nice in my manners it was you who taught it to me Rhoda had said simply Upon which Mrs Errington had been very gracious and without at all disclaiming the credit of Rhodas nice manners had mellifluously assured Mr Maxfield that his little girl was wonderfully teachable and had become a general favourite amongst her Mrs Erringtons friends
Now all this had seemed to Maxfield to be of good augury and an additional testimony—if any such were needed—to his own sagacity and prudent behaviour
Itll come right as I foresaw thought he triumphantly Another man might have been over hasty and spoiled matters like a fool But not me
Some one pushed the halfdoor between the shop and the storehouse and set the bell jingling Maxfield looked up and saw Algernon Errington bright smiling and debonair as usual
The ordinary expression of old Maxs face was not winning and now as he looked up with his grey eyebrows drawn into a shaggy frown and his jaws clenched so as to hold the end of a string which he had just drawn into a knot round the parcel of sugar he presented a countenance illcalculated to reassure a stranger or invite his confidence But Algy was not a stranger and did not intend to bestow any confidence so he came forward with the graceful selfpossession which sat so well on him and said How are you Mr Maxfield I have not seen you for ever so long
It doesnt seem very long ago to me since we spoke together returned old Max tugging at the string of his parcel
You know Im off tomorrow Mr Maxfield
The old man shot a hard keen glance at him from beneath the shaggy eyebrows and nodded
I go by the early coach in the morning so I must say all my farewells today
Maxfield gave a sound like a grunt and nodded again
Its a wonderful piece of luck Lord Seelys taking me up so isnt it
Ah if he means to do anything for you in earnest So far as I can learn his taking you up hasnt cost him much yet
Algernon laughed frankly Not a bit of it Mr Maxfield he cried And after all why should he do anything that would cost him much for a poor devil like me No the beauty of it is that he can do great things for me which shall cost him nothing He is hand and glove with the present ministry and a regular bigwig at court and all that sort of thing The fact of my having good blood in my veins and being called Ancram Errington is no merit of mine of course—just an accident but its a deuced lucky accident I daresay Lord Seely is a stupid old hunks but then he is Lord Seely you see I dont mind saying all this to you Mr Maxfield because you know the world and you and I are old friends
It was certainly rather hard on Lord Seely to be spoken of as a stupid old hunks by this lively young gentleman who knew little more of him than of his greatgrandfather deceased a century ago But his lordship did not hear the artless little speech so it did not annoy him whereas old Max did hear it and it gratified him considerably for several reasons It gratified him to be addressed confidentially as one who knew the world it gratified him to be called an old friend by this relation of the great Lord Seely And oddly enough whilst he was mentally bowing down before the aristocratic magnificence of that nobleman it gratified him to be told that the bowing down was being performed to a stupid old hunks altogether devoid of that wisdom which had been so largely bestowed on himself the Whitford grocer
Pleasant and unaffected as was the young fellows manner to his landlord there was a nonchalance about it which conveyed that he was quite aware of the social distance between them And this assumption of superiority—never coarse or ponderous like his mothers but worn with the airiest lightness—was far from displeasing to old Max The more of a gentleman born and bred Algernon Errington showed himself to be the higher would Rhodas position be if—but old Max had almost discarded that form of presenting the future to his own mind and was apt to say to himself when Rhoda marries young Errington And then the solid advantages of the position were so far at least on old Maxs side Wealth and wisdom made a powerful combination he reflected And he was not at all afraid of being borne down or overwhelmed by any amount of gentility Nevertheless his spirit was in some subjection to this patrician youth who sat opposite to him on a teachest swinging his legs so affably
There was a pause At length Maxfield said And how long do you think o being away Or are you going to say goodbye to Whitford for evermore
Indeed I hope not
Oh Then there is some folks here as you would care to see again said Maxfield slowly beginning to tie up another parcel with sedulous care and not raising his eyes from it
Of course there are I—I should think you must know that Mr Maxfield But I want to put myself in a better position with the world before I can—before I come back to the people I most care for
Very good But its like to be some time first Im afraid
As to seeing dear old Whitford again you know I mean to run down here in the summer or at least early in the autumn when Parliament rises
Oh you do
To be sure And then I hope to—to settle several things
Ah
To a man of your experience Mr Maxfield I neednt say how important it is for me to go to Lord Seely ready and willing to undertake any employment he may offer me
Ah
I mean of course that I should be absolutely free and unfettered and ready to—to—to avail myself of opportunities You see that of course
Maxfield looked sage and nodded But he also looked a little glum The conversation had not taken the turn he expected
Once let me get something definite—a Government post you know such as my cousin could get for me as easily as you could take an apprentice—and then I may please myself I may consider myself on the first round of the ladder And there wont be the same necessity for deferring to this person and that person But I dont know why Im saying all this to you Mr Maxfield You understand the whole matter better than I do By Jove I wish Id some of your ballast in my noddle Im such a featherheaded fellow
You are young Algernon you are young returned old Max from whose brow the frown had cleared away entirely I have had a special gift of wisdom vouchsafed to me for many years past It has been I believe a peculiar grace and it is the Lords doing thanks be I am not easy deceived
I shouldnt like to try it on thats all I know exclaimed Algernon pleasantly smiling and nodding his head
Albeit there is some as mistrust my judgment young and raw men without much gift of clearheadedness and puffed up with spiritual pride
Are there really said Algernon feeling somewhat at a loss what to say
Yes there are I should like such to be convinced of error It would be a wholesome lesson
Not a doubt of it
I should like such to know—for their own souls sake and to teach em Christian humility—as you and I quite understand each other my young friend and as all is clear between us
Algernon had a constitutional dislike to clear understandings except such as were limited to his clear understanding of other people So he broke in at this point with one of his impulsive speeches about his prospects and his conviction of Mr Maxfields wisdom and his regrets at leaving Whitford and his settled purpose to come back at the end of the summer and have a look at the dear old place and the one or two persons in it who were still dearer to him And he contrived—contrived indeed is too coldblooded and Machiavelian a word to express Algys rapid mental process—to convey to old Max the idea that he was on the high road to fortune that he had a warm and constant attachment to a certain person whom it was needless to name seeing that the certain person could be no other than his playmate pretty Rhoda and that Mr Jonathan Maxfield was so sagacious and keensighted a personage as to require no wordy explanations such as might have been needful for feebler intelligences And then Algy said with a rueful sort of candour and arching those fair childlike eyebrows of his I say Mr Maxfield I shall be awfully short of cash just at first
The two hands of Jonathan Maxfield which had been laid open and palm downwards on the counter before him as he listened instinctively doubled themselves into fists He put them one on the top of the other and rested his chin on them
I dont bother my mother about it poor dear soul because I know she has done all she can already Of course if I were to hint anything to my cousin—to Lord Seely you know—I might get helped directly But I dont want to begin with that exactly
Hm It ud be a test of how much he really does mean though
Yes but you know what you said about Lord Seelys doing great things for me which shall cost him nothing And I felt how true your view was directly By George if I want any advice between now and next August I shall be tempted to write and ask you for it
Maxfield gave a little rasping cough
Of course I know the manners and customs of highbred people well enough A fellow who comes of an old family like mine seems to suck all that in with his mothers milk somehow But thats a mere surface knowledge after all And some circumstance might turn up in which I should want a more solid judgment to help my own
Maxfield coughed again a little less raspingly One of his doubledup hands unclasped itself, and he began to pass it across his stubbly chin
Bytheby—what an ass I was not to think of that before—would you mind lending me twenty pounds till August Mr Maxfield
I—Im not given to lending Algernon nor to borrowing either I thank the Lord
Borrowing No youre one of the lucky folks of this world who can grant favours instead of asking them But it really is of small consequence after all Ill manage somehow if you have any objection I believe I have a nabob of a godfather General Indigo as yellow as a guinea and as rich as a Jew My mother was talking of him the other day and perhaps it would be better to ask such a little favour of ones own people Ill look up the nabob Mr Maxfield
It must not be supposed that Algy in bringing out the name of General Indigo had any thought of the three lovely Miss Indigos in his mind He was quite unconscious of the existence of those young ladies if indeed they were not entirely the figments of Mrs Erringtons fertile fancy Algy had laid no deep plans He was simply quick at seizing opportunity The opportunity had presented itself of dazzling old Max with his nabob godfather and of—perhaps—inducing the stingy old fellow to lend him what he wanted by dint of conveying that he did not want it particularly Algy had availed himself of the opportunity and the shot had told very effectually
Old Max never swore Had he been one of the common and profane crowd of worldlings it may be that some imprecation on General Indigo would have issued from his lips for the mention of that name made him very angry But old Max had a settled conviction of the probable consignment to perdition of the rich nabob—who was doubtless a purseproud tyrannous godless old fellow—which far surpassed in its comforting power the ephemeral satisfaction of an oath He struck his clenched hand on the counter and said testily You have not heard what I had it in my mind to say You are too rash young man and broke in on my discourse before it was finished
I beg pardon Did I
I say that I am not given to lending nor to borrowing and it is most true But I have not said that I will refuse to assist you This is a special case and must be judged of specially as between you and me
Why of course I would rather be obliged to you than to the general who is a stranger to me in fact though he is my godfather
Theres nearer ties than godfathers Algernon
Algernon burst into a peal of genuine laughter Why yes said he wiping his eyes I hope so
Old Max did not move a muscle of his face What was the sum you named he asked solemnly
Oh I dont know—twenty or thirty pounds would do Something just to keep me going until my mothers next quarters money comes in
I will lend you twenty pounds Algernon for which you will write me an acknowledgment
Certainly
Being under age your receipt is valueless in law But I wish to have it as between you and me
Of course as between you and me
Maxfield unlocked a strongbox let into the wall Algernon—who had often gazed at the outside of it rather wistfully—peeped into it with some eagerness when it was opened but its contents were chiefly papers and a huge ledger There was however in one corner a wellstuffed black leather pocketbook from which old Max slowly extracted a crisp fresh Bank of England note for twenty pounds
Im sure Im ever so much obliged to you Mr Maxfield said Algernon taking the note He spoke without any overeagerness but the gleam of boyish delight in his eyes would not be suppressed
And now come into the parlour with me and write the acknowledgment
I say Mr Maxfield said Algernon when the receipt had been duly written and signed you wont say anything to my mother about this
Do you mean to keep it a secret asked the old man sharply
Oh of course I dont mind all the world knowing as far as Im concerned But the dear old lady might worry herself at not being able to do more for me Let it be just simply as between you and me said Algernon repeating Maxfields words but truth to say without attaching any very definite meaning to them The old man pursed up his mouth and nodded
Aye aye he said as between you and me Algernon as between you and me
Upon my word that formula of old Maxs seems to be a kind of open sesame to purses and strongboxes and chequebooks As between you and me I wonder if it would answer with Lord Seely Whod have thought of old Max doing the handsome thing Well its all right enough I do mean to stick to little Rhoda especially since her father seems to hint his approbation so very plainly But it wouldnt do to bind myself just now—for her sake poor little pet As between you and me What a character the old fellow is I wish hed made it fifty while he was about it
Such was Algernons mental soliloquy as he walked jauntily down the street with his hand in his pocket and the crisp banknote between his finger and thumb
CHAPTER XIV
David Powell sat in his garret chamber The fast waning light of a February afternoon fell on him as he sat close to the lattice in the sloping roof He had placed himself there to be able to read the small print of his pocketbible But the light was already too dim for that It was dusk in the garret The strip of grey cloud visible from the window was beginning to turn red at its lower edge as the sun sank It was the angry flaring red which is often seen at the close of a cold and cloudy day and had no suggestion of genial warmth in its deep flush Such a snowladen crimsonbordered wrack of fleecy cloud as Powells eyes rested on might have hung over a Lapland waste There was no fire in the room nor any means of making one It was bitterly cold The preachers face looked white and bloodless as if it were frozen But he sat still staring out at the red sunset light on the strip of sky within his view From his seat on an old chest which he had drawn close under the window he could see nothing but the sky Not one of the roofs or chimneys of Whitford was visible to him A black wavering line moved slowly across his field of vision It was a flight of rooks on their way home to the tall leafless elmtrees in Pudcombe Park Nothing else moved except the red flare creeping upward by slow and imperceptible degrees
Suddenly the little Bible fell from Powells numbed right hand on to the carpetless floor and with a start he turned his head and looked around him By contrast with the wintry light without the garret appeared quite dark to him and it was not until after a few seconds that his eye became sufficiently accustomed to its gloom to perceive the book lying almost at his feet He picked it up and began to chafe his numbed fingers rising at the same time and walking up and down the room
His thoughts had been straying idly as he sat at the window with his eyes fixed on the sky They had gone back to the days of his boyhood and in memory he had seen the wild Welsh valley where he was born and heard the bleat of sheep from the hills as he had listened to it many a summer morning sitting ragged and barefoot on the turf And with these recollections the image of Rhoda Maxfield was strangely mingled appearing and disappearing like a face in a dream Indeed he had been dreaming openeyed in his solitude unconscious of the cold and the gathering dusk
Now such aimless vagrant wanderings of the fancy were considered reprehensible by earnest Methodists and by none were they more strongly disapproved of than by David Powell himself His life was guided as nearly as might be in conformity with the rules laid down by John Wesley himself for the helpers as his first laypreachers were called And among these rules diligence—unflagging unfaltering—diligence and the strenuous employment of every minute so that no fragment of time should be wasted were emphatically insisted upon Powell had ceased to read when the daylight waned and remained in his place by the window intending to devote a few minutes of the twilight to the rigid selfexamination which was his daily habit And instead behold his mind had strayed and wandered in idle recollections and unsanctified imaginings
Presently he began to mutter to himself as he paced up and down the chill bare room
What have I to do with these things he said aloud when I should be about my Masters business Where is the comfortable assurance of old days—the bright light which used to shine within my soul turning its darkness to noonday I have lost my first love1 I have fallen from grace and the enemy finds a ready entrance for any idle thoughts he wills to put into my mind And yet—have I not striven Have I not searched my own heart with sincerity
All at once stopping short in his walk across the garret floor he threw himself on his knees beside the bed and burying his face in his hands began to pray aloud The sound of his own voice rising ever higher as his supplications grew more fervent hid from his ears the noise of a tap at the door which was repeated twice or thrice At length the person who had knocked pushed the door gently open a little way and called him by his name Mr Powell Mr Powell
Who calls me asked the preacher lifting his head but not rising at once from his knees
Its me sir Mrs Thimbleby I have made you a cup of herb tea accordin to the directions in the Primitive Physic2 and there is a handful of fire in the kitchen grate whilst here it is downright freezing Dear dear Mr Powell I cant think it right for you to set for hours up here by yourself in the cold
The good widow—a gentle loquacious woman with mild eyes and a humble manner—had advanced into the room by this time and stood holding up a lighted candle in one hand whilst with the other she drew her scanty black shawl closer round her shoulders
I will come Mrs Thimbleby answered Powell Do you go downstairs and I will follow you forthwith
Well it is a miracle of the Lord if he dont catch his death of cold muttered the widow as she redescended the steep narrow staircase But there he is a select vessel if ever there was one and a burning and a shining light And I suppose the Lord will take care of His own in His own way
Mrs Thimbleby sat down by her own cleanswept hearth in which a small fire was burning brightly The little kitchen was wonderfully clean Not a speck of rust marked the bright pewter and tin vessels that hung over the dresser Not an atom of dust lay on any visible object in the place There was no sound to be heard save the ticking of the old eightday clock and now and then the dropping of a coal on to the hearth As soon as she heard her lodgers step on the stairs Mrs Thimbleby bestirred herself to pour out the herb tea of which she had spoken
I wish it was China tea Mr Powell she said when he entered the kitchen But you wont take that so I know its no good to offer it to you Else I have a cup here as is really good and came out of my new lodgers pot
You do not surely take of what is not your own cried Powell looking quickly round at her
Lord forbid sir No but the gentleman drinks a sight of tea And last evening he would have some fresh made and I say to him—Mrs Thimblebys narrative style was chiefly remarkable for its simplification of the English syntax by means of omitting all past tenses and thus getting rid of any difficulty attendant on the conjugation of irregular verbs—I say Wont you have none of that last as was made for breakfast as is beautiful tea and only wants warming up again But he refuse and then I ask him if I may use it myself seeing I look on it as a sin to waste anything and he only just look up from his book and nod his head and say Do what you like with it maam and wave his hand as much as to say I may go He is not much of a one to talk but he paid the first week punctual and is as quiet as quiet and—there he is I hear his key in the door
A quick firm step came along the passage and Matthew Diamond appeared at the door of the kitchen Will you be good enough to give me a light he said addressing the landlady Then he saw David Powell standing near the fire and looked at him curiously Powell did not turn nor seem to observe the new comer His head was bent down and the firelight partially illumined his profile which was presented to anyone standing at the door Mr Diamond silently formed the word Preacher with his lips at the same time nodding towards Powell and raising his eyebrows interrogatively Mrs Thimbleby answered aloud with alacrity well pleased to begin a conversation with her taciturn lodger
Yes sir it is our preacher Mr Powell as is one of our shiningest lights and an awakening caller of sinners to repentance Youve maybe heard him preach sir A many of the unconverted—ahem—a many as does not belong to the connexion has come to hear him in Whitford Wesleyan Chapel and on Whit Meadow And we have had seasons of abundant blessing and refreshment
Powell had turned round at the beginning of Mrs Thimblebys speech and was looking earnestly at Mr Diamond The latter who had seen the preacher only in the full tide of his eloquence and the excitement of addressing a crowded audience was struck by the change in the face now before him It was much thinner haggard and deadly pale There were lines round the mouth which expressed anxiety and suffering and the eyes were sunk in their orbits and startlingly bright Diamond was in fact startled out of his usual silent reserve by the glance which met his own and exclaimed impulsively Im afraid you are ill Mr Powell
No returned the other at once and without hesitation I have no bodily ailment I have seen you at the house of Jonathan Maxfield have I not
Yes I have been in the habit of going there to read with a young gentleman My name is Diamond—Matthew Diamond
I know it answered Powell I should like if you are willing to say a few words to you privately
Diamond was a good deal surprised and a little displeased at this proposition He had been interested in the Methodist preacher and the thought had more than once crossed his mind that he should like to see more of the man whose whole personality was so striking and uncommon But Mr Diamond had felt his wish just as he might have wished to have Paganini with his violin all to himself for an evening or to learn vivâ voce from Edmund Kean how he produced his great effects To be the object and subject of a private sermon from this Methodist enthusiast for Diamond could conceive no other reason for the preachers desiring an interview with him than zeal for converting was however a different matter and Diamond had half a mind to decline the private communication He was a man peculiarly averse to outspokenness about his own feelings Nor was he given to be frank and diffusive on topics of mere intellectual speculation although occasionally he could exchange thoughts on such matters with a congenial mind But he knew well enough that with the Methodists in general an excited state of feeling which might do duty for conviction was the aim and end of their teaching and preaching
This man is ignorant and enthusiastic and will make himself absurd and me uncomfortable and I shall have to offend him which I dont wish to do thought Mr Diamond standing stiff and grave with the candle in his hand But once more the sight of Powells haggard suffering face and bright wistful eyes touched him and once more the resolute Matthew Diamond suffered himself to be swayed by an impulse of sympathy with this man
Oh said he well you can come into my sittingroom
The invitation was not very graciously given but Powell did not seem to heed that at all Mrs Thimbleby stood in admiring astonishment as her two lodgers left the kitchen together
The two young men so strangely contrasted in all outward circumstances entered the small parlour which served as diningroom sittingroom and study to Matthew Diamond and seated themselves at a table almost covered with books one corner of which had been cleared to admit of a little teatray being placed upon it
Will you share my tea Mr Powell asked Diamond as he filled a cup with the strong brown liquid
No I thank you for proffering it to me but I do not drink tea
I am sorry for that for I am afraid I have no other refreshment to offer you I dont indulge in wine or spirits
Diamond threw into his manner a certain determined commonplaceness as though to quench any tendency to excitement or exaltation which might show itself in the preacher Although he would have expressed it in different terms Matthew Diamond had at the bottom of his mind a feeling akin to that in Miss Chubbs when she declared her dread of the Maxfield family going into convulsions in the parish church of St Chad
I will take a cup of tea myself if you have no objection said Diamond suiting the action to the word and stretching out his legs so as to bring them within reach of the warmth from the fire Wont you draw nearer to the hearth Mr Powell
Powell sat looking fixedly into the fire with an abstracted air His hands were joined loosely and rested on his knees The firelight shone on his wan clearlycut face but seemed to be absorbed and quenched in the blackness of his hair which hung down in two straight, thick locks behind his ears He did not accept Mr Diamonds invitation to draw nearer to the warm hearth but after a pause turned his face to his companion and said It is on behalf of the young maiden Rhoda Maxfield that I would speak with you sir
He could scarcely have said anything more thoroughly unexpected and disconcerting to Matthew Diamond The latter did not start or stare or make any strong demonstration of surprise but he could not help a sudden flush mounting to his face much to his annoyance
About Miss Rhoda Maxfield he returned coldly I do not understand what concern either you or I can have with any private conversation about that young lady
My concern with Rhoda is that of one who has had it laid upon him to lead a tender soul out of the darkness into the light and who suddenly finds himself divided from that precious charge even at the moment when he hoped the goal was reached Her father has left our Society and has thus carried Rhoda away from the reach of my exhortations
By Jove thought Diamond to himself as he turned his keen grey eyes on the preacher this is a specimen of spiritual conceit on a colossal scale Then he said aloud You must console yourself with the hope that the exhortations she will hear in the parish church will differ from your own rather in manner than matter Mr Powell There really are some very decent people among the congregation of St Chads
Nay answered Powell with simple gentleness do you think I doubt it It has been the boast of Methodism that it receives into its bosom all denominations of Christians without distinction The Churchman and the Dissenter the Presbyterian and the Independent are alike welcome to us and are free alike to follow their own method of worship In the words of John Wesley himself one condition and one only is required—a real desire to save their souls Where this is it is enough they desire no more They lay stress upon nothing else They ask only Is thy heart herein as my heart If it be give me thy hand
Methodism has changed somewhat since the days of John Wesley said Diamond drily
Not Methodism but perhaps—Methodists But it was not of Methodism that I had it on my mind to speak to you now
Diamond controlled his face and his attitude to express civil indifference but—his pulse was quickened and he hid his mouth with his hand Powell went on I have turned the matter in my mind many ways And I have sought for guidance on it with much wrestling of the spirit But I had not received a clear leading until this evening When I saw you standing in the doorway it was borne in upon me that you could be an instrument of help in this matter And the leading was the more assured to me because that today having opened my Bible after due supplication mine eyes fell at once on the words I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eyes seeth thee Now these words were dark to me until just now when you seemed to appear as the explanation and interpretation thereof
Diamond could not but acknowledge to himself that all the scriptural phraseology and the technicalities of sectarianism which he found merely grotesque or disgusting in men of common vulgar natures came from this mans lips with as much ease and propriety as if he had been a Hebrew of old time uttering his native idiom Indeed the impression of there being something oriental about David Powell which Diamond had received on first seeing him was deepened on further acquaintance This blackhaired Welshman was picturesque and poetic despite his threadbare cloth suit made in the ungraceful mode of the day and impressive despite his equally threadbare phrases It is possible to make a wonderful difference in the effect both of clothes and words by putting something earnest and unaffected inside them
What is the help you seek And how can I help you asked Diamond with grave directness
You are acquainted with the daughter of the principal of the grammar school here——
Miss Bodkin
Yes Do you think that if you carried to her a request that I might be permitted to see and speak with her she would admit me
I—I dont know answered Diamond greatly taken aback
There was a pause Each man was busy with his own thoughts Rhoda is beyond my reach now said Powell at length I can neither see nor speak with her Nor do I know of any of those who see her familiarly who would be likely to influence her for good except Miss Bodkin I am told that she is a lady of much ability and power of mind and I hear moreover of her doing many acts of charity and kindness You know her well do you not
I know her Yes
Would you consent to carry such a request from me
Diamond hesitated Why not prefer the request yourself he said If you have any good reason for desiring an interview with Miss Bodkin I believe she would grant it
I had thought of doing so I had thought even of writing all that I have to say But for many reasons I believe it would be more profitable for me to see her face to face I am no penman I am indeed as you perceive a man very ignorant in the worlds learning and the worlds ways
Diamond suspected a covert boast under this humble speech and answered in his coolest tones The first is a disadvantage—or an advantage as you choose to consider it—which you share with a good many of your brethren Mr Powell As to the latter kind of ignorance—Methodists are generally thought to have worldly wisdom enough for their needs
Powell bent his head I would fain have more learning he said in a low voice but only as a means not as an end—not as an end
But said Diamond in a constrained voice it seems to me hardly worth while to trouble Miss Bodkin by asking for an interview on any such grounds Since you are charitable enough to believe that Miss Maxfields spiritual welfare is not imperilled by going to St Chads I dont see what need there is for you to be uneasy about her
I am uneasy but not for the reasons you suppose Rhoda is very guileless and I would shield her from peril
Diamond looked at the preacher sternly I dont understand you he said And to say the truth Mr Powell I disapprove of meddling in other peoples affairs Miss Maxfield is a young lady for whom I have the very highest respect
For the first time a flame of quick anger flashed from Powells dark eyes as he answered Your high respect would teach you to stand aside and let the innocent maiden pine under a delusion which might spoil her life and peril her soul mine prompts me to step forward and awaken her to the truth never heeding what figure I make in the matter
The sudden passion in the mans face and figure was like a material illumination Diamond had grown pale and looked at him attentively and in silence
Do you think proceeded Powell his thin hands working nervously and his eyes blazing that I do not understand how pure a creature she is—how innocent confiding and devoid of all suspicion of guile Yea and even therefore the more in need of warning But because I am a man still young in years and neither the maidens brother nor any kin to her I must stand silent and withhold my help lest the world should say I am transgressing its rules and bid me mind my own affairs or deride me for a fanatical fool Do you think I do not foresee all this or do you think that foreseeing it I heed it I have broken harder bonds than that I have fought with strong impulses to which such motives are as cobwebs—— Then with a sudden check and change of tone which a grain of affectation would have sufficed to render ludicrous but which in its simplicity was almost touching he added in a low voice I ask pardon for my vehemence I speak too much of myself I have had some suffering in this matter and am not always able to control my words I have had strange visitings of the old Adam of late It is only by much striving after grace and by strong wrestling in prayer that I have not wandered utterly from the right way
He had risen from his chair at the beginning of his speech and now sank down again on it wearily with drooping head
Matthew Diamond sat and looked at him still with the same earnest attention but blended now with a look of compassion He was thinking to himself what must be the force of enthusiastic faith which could so subdue the fiery nature of this man and how he must suffer in the conflict Presently he said aloud I am ready to admit Mr Powell that you are actuated by conscientious motives I am sure that you are But your conscience cannot be a rule for all the rest of the world Mine may counsel me differently you know
Oh sir we are neither of us left to our own guidance thanks be to God There is a sure counsellor that can never fail us I have searched diligently and I have received a clear leading which I cannot mistrust I do not feel free to tell you more particularly the grounds of my anxiety respecting Rhoda Maxfield But I do assure you with all sincerity and solemnity that I have her welfare wholly at heart and that I would not injure her by the least shadow of blame in the opinion of any human being
There was silence for some minutes Diamond leant his head on his hand and reflected Then at length he said Look here Mr Powell I believe if you had pitched on anyone else in all Whitford to speak to about Miss Rhoda Maxfield I should have declined to assist you But Miss Bodkin is so superior in sense and goodness to most other folks here that I am sure whatever you may say to her confidentially will be sacred And then she may be able to set you right if you are wrong She has the womans tact and insight which we lack And besides she is fond of Rhoda He coloured a little as he said the name and dropped his voice
You confirm all that I have heard of this lady She is abundantly blessed with good gifts
Well then Mr Powell I will write to Miss Bodkin tomorrow telling her merely that you desire to speak with her and entreat her good offices on behalf of one who needs them
Powell sprang up from his seat eagerly I thank you sir from a full heart he said You are doing a good action Farewell
Diamond held out his hand which the preacher grasped in his own The two hands were as strongly contrasted as the owners of them Diamonds was broad muscular and yet smooth—a strong young hand full of latent power Powells was slender nervous showing the corded veins and with long emaciated fingers It too indicated force but force of a different kind The one hand might have driven a plough or written out a mathematical problem the other might have wielded a scimitar in the service of the Prophet or held up a crucifix in the midst of persecuting savages As they stood for a second thus hand in hand Powells mouth broke into a wonderfully sweet and radiant smile and he said You see sir I was right to have faith in my counsellor You have helped me
Diamond sat musing late that night and was roused by the cold to find his fire gone out and his watch marking halfpast twelve oclock I wonder he thought to himself if Powell has any foundation for his hints and if any scoundrel is playing false with her If there be I should like to shoot him like a dog
CHAPTER XV
Minnie and her father had been having a discussion about David Powell and the discussion had heated Dr Bodkin and spoiled his half hour after dinner which was wont to be the pleasantest half hour of his day For Dr Bodkin did not sit over his wine alone When there were no guests his wife and Minnie remained at the black shining board—in those days the tablecloth was removed for the dessert and the polish of the mahogany beneath it was a matter of pride with notable housekeepers like Mrs Bodkin—and his wife poured out his allowance of port and peeled his walnuts for him and his daughter chatted with him and coaxed him and sometimes contradicted him a little and there would be no more school until tomorrow morning and altogether the doctor was accustomed to enjoy himself But on this occasion the poor gentleman was vexed and disturbed
Its a parcel of stuff and nonsense said the doctor jerking his legs under the table
That remains to be proved papa If the man has anything of consequence to say I shall soon discover it
Anything of consequence to say Fudge He is coming begging perhaps——
I dont believe that papa Nor I think do you in your heart returned Minnie with a little smile at one side of her mouth
But the doctor was too much disturbed to smile Why shouldnt he come begging It wont be his modesty that will stand in his way I daresay Or perhaps he wants to convert you as these fellows are pleased to call it
Nobody seems to be afraid of our wanting to convert him said Minnie
I dont like the sort of thing I dont like that people should have it to say that my daughter is honoured with the confidences of a parcel of ranting canting cobblers
But papa would it not—I am speaking in sober sincerity and because I really do want your serious answer—dont you think it would be wrong to be deterred from helping anyone with a kind word or a kind deed by the fear of people saying this or that
Helping a fiddlestick cried Dr Bodkin magisterially but incoherently
Minnies face fell It had been paler than usual of late and she had been suffering and feeble She never lamented aloud nor was importunate nor even showed weakness of temper but her father who loved her very tenderly understood the chill look of disappointment well enough and it was more than he had strength to bear
Of course the man can come and say his say he added jerking his legs again impatiently under the sheltering mahogany especially as you say he is going away from Whitford directly
Yes but there is no guarantee that he will not come back again I cannot promise you that on his behalf
This unflinching straightforwardness of Minnies was a fertile source of trouble between her father and herself
It was certainly rather hard on the doctor to be forced to surrender absolutely without any of those pleasant pretences which are equivalent to the honours of war Fortunately—we are limiting ourselves to the doctors point of view—fortunately at this moment his eye fell on Mrs Bodkin who made exquisitely nervous by any collision between the two great forces that ruled her life was pushing the decanter of port backwards and forwards on the slippery table quite unconscious of that mechanical movement
Laura what the——mischief are you about Do you think I want my wine shaken up like a dose of physic
This kind of diversion of the vials of the doctors wrath on to his wifes devoted head was no uncommon finale to any altercation in which the reverend gentleman happened not to be getting altogether the best of it
I think said Mrs Bodkin speaking very quickly and in a low tone as was her wont that very likely Mr Powell wants to interest Minnie on behalf of Richard Gibbs
And who pray if I may venture to inquire is Richard Gibbs asked the doctor in his most awful grammarschool manner and with a sarcastic severity in his eye as he uttered the name Gibbs and looked at Mrs Bodkin as though he expected her to be very much ashamed of herself
Brother of Jane our maid He is a groom at Pudcombe Hall and a Wesleyan Mr Powell may want to recommend him or get him a place
What is the fellow going to leave Pudcombe Hall then
Not that I know of exactly But it struck me it might be about Richard Gibbs that he wanted to speak because Gibbs is a Wesleyan you know
I suppose he wants to meddle and make himself of consequence in some way Egotism and conceit—rampant conceit—are the mainsprings that move such fellows as this Powell
The doctor rose majestically from the table and walked towards the door There he paused and turning round said to his wife May I request Laura that somebody shall take care that I get a cup of hot tea sent to me in the study I dont think it is much to request that my tea shall not be brought to me in a tepid state
Mrs Bodkin had a great gift of holding her tongue on occasions She held it now and the doctor left the room with dignity
That evening Minnie wrote the following note—
My dear Mr Diamond—I shall be able to see Mr Powell at one oclock tomorrow Should that hour not suit his convenience perhaps he will do me the favour to let me know
Yours very truly
M Bodkin
It was the first time she had ever written to Mr Diamond The temptation to make her letter longer than was absolutely needful had been resisted But the consciousness that the temptation had existed and been overcome was present to Minnies mind and she curled her lip in selfscorn as she thought If I wrote him whole pages it would only bore him He would prefer one line written in Rhodas schoolgirl hand out of Rhodas schoolgirl head to the best wit I could give him aye or to the best wit of a wittier woman than I Then suddenly she tore the note she had just written across threw it into the fire and watched it blaze and smoulder into blackness I will ask you to write a line for me mamma she said when Mrs Bodkin reentered the drawingroom after having sent in the doctors cup of tea to the study
To whom Minnie
To Mr Diamond Please say that I will receive Mr Powell at one oclock tomorrow if that suits him
I daresay it is really about Richard Gibbs said Mrs Bodkin as she sealed her note
It was not without a slight feeling of nervousness that Minnie Bodkin the next day heard Janes announcement Mr Powell is below Miss Mistress wishes to know if you would see him in your own room
Minnie gave orders that the preacher should be shown upstairs and Jane ushered him in very respectfully Dr Bodkins old manservant took no pains to hide his disgust at the reception of such a guest and declared in the servants hall that the sight of one of them longhaired canting Methodys fairly turned his stomach But Jane remembering her brother Richards reformation was less militant in her orthodoxy and expressed the opinion that Mr Powell was a very good man for all his long hair—a revolutionary sentiment which was naturally received with incredulity and contempt
Minnie looked up eagerly when the preacher entered the room and scanned him with a rapid glance as she asked him to be seated I am a poor feeble creature Mr Powell she said who cannot move about at my own will So you will forgive my bringing you up here will you not
Powell on his part looked at the young lady with a steady searching gaze Minnie was accustomed to be looked at admiringly affectionately deferentially curiously pityingly which she liked least of all—sometimes spitefully But she had never been looked at as David Powell was looking at her now that is as if his spirit were scrutinising her spirit altogether regardless of the form which housed it
I thank you gratefully for letting me have speech of you he said and his voice as he said it charmed Minnies sensitive and fastidious ear
Do you know Mr Powell that for some time past I have had the wish to make your acquaintance But circumstances seemed to make it unlikely that I ever should do so
Yes it was very unlikely humanly speaking But I have no doubt that our meeting has been brought about in direct answer to prayer
Minnie was at a loss what to say It was almost as startling to hear a man profess such a belief on a weekday and in a quiet matterof-fact tone as it would have been to find Madame Malibran conducting all her conversation in recitative or to hear Mr Dockett begin his sentences with a whereas
You wish to speak to me on behalf of some one Mr Diamond tells me said Minnie after a slight hesitation
Yes you have been kind and gracious to a young girl beneath you in worldly station named Rhoda Maxfield
Rhoda Is it of her you wish to speak cried Minnie in great surprise She felt a strange sick pang of jealousy It was for Rhodas sake then that Mr Diamond had begged her to receive Powell
You are kindly disposed towards the maiden said Powell anxiously for Minnies change of countenance had not escaped him For her life Minnie could not cordially have said yes at that moment
I—Rhoda is a very good girl I believe what would you have me do for her
I would have you dissuade her from resting her hopes—I speak now merely of earthly hopes and earthly prudence—on the attachment of one who is unstable vain and worldlyminded
What do you mean I—I do not understand stammered Minnie with fastbeating heart
May I speak to you in full confidence If you tell me I may do so I shall trust you utterly
What is this matter to me Why do you come to me about it
Because I have been told by those whose words I believe that you are gifted with a clear and strong judgment as well as with all qualities that win love
You are mistaken I am not gifted with the qualities that win love said Minnie bitterly Then she asked abruptly Did Mr Diamond advise you to speak to me about Rhoda
Nay it was I who had recourse to his intercession to get speech of you
But he knows your errand
In part he knows it But I was not free to say to him all that I would fain say to you
Minnies face had a hard set look Well she said after a short silence I cannot refuse to hear you But I warn you that I do not believe I can do any good in the matter
That will be overruled as the Lord wills
Then David Powell proceeded to set forth his fears and anxieties about Rhoda more fully and clearly than he had done to Diamond He declared his conviction that the girl was deceived by false hopes and was fretting and pining because every now and then misgivings assailed her which she could not confess to any one and because that her conscience was uneasy The maiden is very guileless and tendernatured said Powell softly
Dont you think you a little exaggerate her tenderness Mr Powell Persons capable of strong feelings themselves are apt to attribute all sorts of sentiments to very woodenhearted creatures
He looked at her earnestly and shook his head
Rhoda always seems to me to be rather phlegmatic very gentle and pretty of course But do you know I should not be afraid of her breaking her heart
There was a hard tone in Minnies voice and a hard expression about her mouth which hurt and disappointed the preacher He had expected some warmth of sympathy some word of affection for Rhoda
You do not know her he said sadly
And then Mr Powell Algernon Errington——you know I suppose that Mr Errington is a great friend of mine
I will not willingly say aught to offend you nor to offend against Christian courtesy But there are higher duties—more solemn promptings—that must not be resisted
Oh I am not offended But let me ask you what right have we to assume that Mr Errington has ever deceived Rhoda or has ever thought of her otherwise than as the friend and playmate of his childhood
I am convinced that he has led her to believe he means some day to marry her I cannot resist that conviction
Marry her Why Mr Powell the thing is absurd on the face of it A boy of nineteen and in Algernons position—why any person of common sense would understand that such an idea could not be looked at seriously
Powell made himself some silent reproaches for his want of faith This lady might not be soft and sweet but she had evidently the clear judgment which he sought for to help Rhoda And yet he had been discouraged and had almost distrusted his leading because of a little coldness of manner He answered Minnie eagerly
It is true I well know that what you say is true but will you tell Rhoda this Will you plentifully declare to her the thing as it is
Rhoda has her father to advise her if she needs advice
Nay her father is no adviser for her in this matter He is an ignorant man He does not understand the ways of the world—at least not of that world in which the Erringtons hold a place—and he is prejudiced and stiffnecked
There was a short silence Then Minnie said
I do not see how I can interfere I should in fact be taking an unjustifiable liberty and—Mr Errington is going away They will both forget all about this boyandgirl nonsense if people have the wisdom to let it alone
Rhoda will not forget she will brood silently over her secret feelings and her thoughts will be diverted from higher things She will fall away into outer darkness Oh think a word in season how good it is Consider that you may save a perishing soul by speaking that word I have prayed that I might leave behind me in this place the assurance that this lamb should not be utterly lost out of the fold
Powell had risen to his feet in his excitement and walked away from Minnie towards the window with his head bent and his hands clasping his forehead Minnie felt something like repulsion and the sort of shame which an honest and proud nature feels at any suspicion of histrionism in one whom it has hitherto respected Surely the man was exaggerating—consciously exaggerating—his feeling on this matter But then Powell turned and came back towards her and she saw his face clearly in the full sunlight and instantly her suspicion vanished That face was wan and haggard with suffering and there was a strange brilliancy in the eyes almost like the brightness of latent tears The tears sprang sympathetically to her own eyes as she looked at him It was impossible to resist the pathos of that face There was a strange appealing expression in it as of a suffering of which the sufferer was only halfconscious that went straight to Minnies heart
Mr Powell I am so truly sorry to see you distressed I wish—I really do wish—that I could do anything for you
For me Oh not for me But stretch out your hands to this poor maiden and say words of counsel to her and of kindness as one woman may say them to another I have borne the burden of that young soul I have had it laid upon me to wrestle strongly for her in prayer I have—have been assailed with manifold troubles and temptations concerning her But I am clear now I speak with a single mind and as desiring her higher welfare from the depths of my heart
Good Heaven thought Minnie what a tragic thing it is to see men pouring out all the treasures of their love on a thing like this girl For something in Powells face and voice had pierced her mind with a lightningswift conviction that he loved Rhoda Maxfield Minnie would have died rather than utter such a speech aloud The ridicule which among sophisticated persons slinks on the heels of all stronglyexpressed emotion was too present to her mind and too disgusting to her pride for her to have risked the utterance of such a speech even to her mother But there in her mind the words were Good Heaven how tragic it is And she acknowledged to herself at the same time that Powells lack of sophistication and intensity of fervour raised him into a sphere wherein ridicule had no place
I will do what I can Mr Powell said Minnie after a pause looking with unspeakable pity at his thin pallid face But do not trust too much to my influence
I do trust to it because it will be strengthened and supported by my prayers
Then when he had said farewell and was about to go away she was suddenly moved by a mixture of feelings and as it were almost against her will to say to him How good it would be for you to see Rhoda as she is A shallow sweet poor little nature as incapable of appreciating your love as a wren or a ladybird I like Rhoda and I am a poor shallow creature in many ways myself But I do recognise things higher than myself when I see them
David Powells face grew crimson with a hot dark flush and for an instant he grasped the back of a chair near him like a man who reels in drunkenness Then he said You are very keen to see the truth You have seen it Rhoda is dear to me as no woman ever has been dear or will be again Once I thought this love was a snare to me Now—unless in moments of temptation by the enemy—I know that it is an instrument in Gods hands It has given me strength to pray courage to ask you for your help
But you suffer cried Minnie looking at him with knit earnest brows Why should you suffer for one who does not care for you It is not just
Who dare ask for justice I have received mercy—abundant overflowing mercy—and shall I not render mercy in my poor degree But in truth he added in a low voice and with a smile which Minnie thought the most strangely sweet she had ever seen—in truth I cannot claim that merit I can no more help desiring to do good to Rhoda than I can help drawing my breath Of others I may say It is my duty to assist this man to counsel that one to endure some hard treatment for the sake of this other in order that I may lead them to Christ But with Rhoda there is no sense of sacrifice I believe that the Lord has appointed me to bring her to Him If my feet be cut and bleeding by the way I cannot heed it
Would you be glad to see Rhoda married to Algernon Errington if he were to become a religious earnest man—such a man as your conscientious judgment must approve asked Minnie
And the minute the words had passed her lips she repented having said them they seemed so needlessly cruel such a ruthless probing of a tender quivering soul It was as if the devil had put the words into my mouth said she afterwards to herself
But Powell answered very quietly I have thought of that often But I ask myself such questions no longer I hold my Fathers hand even as a little child and whither that hand leads me I shall go safely It is not for me to tempt the wrath of the Lord by vain surmises and putting a case Yea though He slay me yet will I trust Him
You will come back to Whitford will you not asked Minnie
If I may But I know not when That is not given me to decide At present I feel my conscience in bonds of obedience to the Society
Perhaps we may never meet again in this world Minnie as she said the words was conscious of a strong fellowfeeling for this man so far removed from her in external circumstances
May God bless you he said almost in a whisper
Minnie held out her hand As he took it lightly in his own for an instant he pointed upward with the other hand and then turned and went away in silence
When Dr Bodkin said a word or two to Minnie that evening as to her interview with the ranting canting cobbler she was very reticent and brief in her answers But on her father shrugging his shoulders disparagingly and observing It is a good thing that this firebrand is taking his departure from Whitford Ive been hearing all sorts of things about him today It seems the fellow even set the Methodists by the ears among themselves she exclaimed hotly I do declare most solemnly that this man gives me a more vivid idea of a saint upon earth—a stumbling striving suffering saint—than anything I ever saw or read
CHAPTER XVI
Arrived in London with an influential patron ready to receive him and twenty pounds in his pocket over and above the sum his mother had contrived to spare out of her quarters income Algernon Errington considered himself to be a very lucky fellow He had good health good spirits good looks and a disposition to make the most of them untrammelled by shyness or scruples
He did feel a little nervous as he drove the day after his arrival in town to Lord Seelys house but by no means painfully so He was undeniably anxious to make a good impression But his experience so far led him to assume almost with certainty that he should succeed in doing so
The hackneycoach stopped at the door of a grimylooking mansion in Mayfair but it was a stately mansion withal In reply to Algernons inquiry whether Lord Seely was at home a solemn servant said that his lordship was at home but was usually engaged at that hour Will you carry in my card to him said Algernon Mr Ancram Errington
Algy felt that he had made a false move in coming without any previous announcement and in dismissing his cab when he was shown into a little closet off the hall lined with dingy books and containing only two hard horsehair chairs to await the servants return There was something a little flat and ignominious in this his first appearance in the Seely house waiting like a dun or an errandboy with the possibility of having to walk out again without having been admitted to the light of my lords countenance However within a reasonable time the solemn footman returned and asked him to walk upstairs as my lady would receive him although my lord was for the present engaged
Algernon followed the man up a softlycarpeted staircase and through one or two handsome drawingrooms—a little dim from the narrowness of the street and the heaviness of the curtains—into a small cosy boudoir There was a good fire on the hearth and in an easychair on one side of it sat a fat lady with a fat lapdog on her knees The lady as soon as she saw Algernon waved a jewelled hand to keep him off and said in a mellow pleasant voice which reminded him of his mothers How dye do Dont shake hands nor come too near because Fido dont like it and he bites strangers if he sees them touch me Sit down
Algernon had made a very agile backward movement on the announcement of Fidos infirmity of temper but he bowed smiled and seated himself at a respectful distance opposite to my lady Lady Seelys appearance certainly justified Mrs Erringtons frequent assertion that there was a strong family likeness throughout all branches of the Ancram stock for she bore a considerable resemblance to Mrs Errington herself and a still stronger resemblance to a miniature of Mrs Erringtons grandfather which Algy had often seen My lady was some ten years older than Mrs Errington She wore a blonde wig and was rouged But her wig and her rouge belonged to the candid and ingenuous species of embellishment Each proclaimed aloud as it were I am wig I am paint with scarcely an attempt at deception
So youve come to town said my lady fumbling for her eyeglass with one hand while with the other she patted and soothed the growling Fido Having found the eyeglass she looked steadily through it at Algernon who bore the scrutiny with a goodhumoured smile and a little blush which became him very well
Youre very nicelooking indeed said my lady
Algy could not find a suitable reply to this speech so he only smiled still more and made a halfjesting little bow
Let me see pursued Lady Seely still holding her glass to her eyes what is our exact relationship You are a relation of mine you know
I am glad to say I have that honour
I dont suppose you know much of the family genealogy said my lady who prided herself on her own accurate knowledge of such matters My grandfather and your mothers grandfather were brothers Your mothers grandfather was the elder brother He had a very pretty estate in Warwickshire and squandered it all in less than twelve years I dont suppose your mothers father had a penny to bless himself with when he came of age
I daresay not maam
My grandfather did better He went to India when he was seventeen and came back when he was seventy with a pot of money Ah if my father hadnt been the youngest of five brothers I should have been a rich woman
Your ladyships grandfather was General Cloudesley Ancram who distinguished himself at the siege of Khallaka said Algernon
Lady Seely nodded approvingly Ah your mother has taught you that has she she said And what was your father Wasnt he an apothecary
Algernons face showed no trace of annoyance except a little increase of colour in his blooming young cheeks as he answered The fact is Lady Seely that my poor father was an enthusiast about science He would study medicine instead of going into the Church and availing himself of the family interest The consequence was that he died a poor MD instead of a rich DD—or even who knows a bishop
La said my lady shortly Then after a minutes pause she added Then I suppose youre not very rich hey
I am as poor maam as my grandfather Montagu Ancram of whom your ladyship was saying just now that he had not a penny to bless himself with when he came of age returned Algernon laughing
Well you seem to take it very easy said my lady And once more she looked at him through her eyeglass And what made you come to town all the way from whatdyecallit Have you got anything to do
N—nothing definite exactly said Algernon
Hm Quiet Fido
I ventured to hope that Lord Seely—that perhaps my lord—might——
Oh dear you mustnt run away with that idea exclaimed her ladyship There aint the least chance of my lord being able to do anything for you Hes torn to pieces by people wanting places and all sorts of things
I was about to say that I ventured to hope that my lord would kindly give me some advice said Algernon As he said it his heart was like lead He had not of course expected to be at once made Secretary of State or even to pop immediately into a clerkship at the Foreign Office He had put the matter very soberly and moderately before his own mind as he thought He had told himself that a word of encouragement from his high and mighty cousin should be thankfully received and that he would neither be pushing nor impatient accepting a very small beginning cheerfully But it had never occurred to him to prepare himself for an absolute flat refusal of all assistance My ladys tone was one of complete decision And it was in vain he reflected that my lady might be speaking more harshly and decisively than she had any warrant for doing being led to that course by the necessity of protecting herself and her husband against importunity None the less was his heart very heavy within him And he really deserved some credit for gallantry in bearing up against the blow
Advice said my lady echoing his word Oh well that aint so difficult What are you fit for
Perhaps I am scarcely the best judge of that am I returned Algernon with that childlike raising of the eyebrows which gave so winning an expression to his face
Perhaps not but what do you think
Well I—I believe I could fill the post of secretary or——What I should like he went on in a sudden burst of candour and looking deprecatingly at Lady Seely like a child asking for sugarplums would be to get attached to one of our foreign legations
I daresay But thats easier said than done And as to being a secretary its precious hard work I can tell you if youre paid for it and of course no post would suit you that didnt pay
I shouldnt mind hard work
You wouldnt be much of an Ancram if you liked it I can tell you I know that much Well and how long do you mean to stay in town
That is quite uncertain
You must come and see me again before you go and be introduced to Lord Seely
Oh indeed I hope so
Come and see her again before he went What would his mother say what would his Whitford friends say if they could hear that speech Nevertheless he answered very cheerfully
Oh indeed I hope so And interpreting my ladys words as a dismissal rose to go
Youre really uncommonly nicelooking said Lady Seely observing his straight slight figure and his neatlyshod feet as he stood before her Oh you neednt look shamefaced about it Its no merit of yours but its a great thing let me tell you for a young fellow without a penny to have an agreeable appearance How old are you
Twenty said Algernon anticipating his birthday by two months
Do you know I think Fido will like you said my lady who observed the fact that her favourite had neither barked nor growled when Algernon rose from his chair Im sure I hope he will he is so unpleasant when he takes a dislike to people
Algernon thought so too but he merely said Oh we shall be great friends I daresay I always get on with dogs
Ah but Fido is peculiar You cant coax him and he gets so much to eat that you cant bribe him If he likes you he likes you—voilà tout Bytheway do you understand French
Yes pretty fairly I like it
Do you But as to your accent—Im afraid that cannot be much to boast of English provincial French is always so very dreadful
Well I dont know said Algernon with perfect good humour for he believed himself to be on safe ground here but the old Duc de Villegagnon an émigré who was my master used to say that I did not pronounce the words of my little French songs so badly
Bless the boy Can you sing French songs Do sit down then at the piano and let me hear one Never mind Fido Her ladyship had set her favourite on the floor and he was sniffing at Algernons legs He dont dislike music except a brass band Sit down now
Algernon obeyed seated himself at the pianoforte and began to run his fingers over the keys He found the instrument a good deal out of tune but began after a minutes pause a forgotten chansonette from Le Petit Chaperon Rouge He sang with taste and spirit though little voice and his French accent proved to be so surprisingly good as to elicit unqualified approbation from Lady Seely
Why I declare thats charming she cried clapping her hands How on earth did you pick up all that in—whatsitsname Do look here my lord heres young Ancram come up from that place in the West of England and he can play the piano and sing French songs delightfully
Algernon jumped up in a little flurry and turning round found himself face to face with his magnificent relative Lord Seely
Now it must be owned that magnificent was not quite the epithet that could justly be applied to Lord Seelys personal appearance He was a small delicatelymade man with a small delicatelyfeatured face and sharp restless dark eyes His grey hair stood up in two tufts one above each ear and the top of his head was bald shining and yellowish like old ivory Eh said he Oh Mr—a—a how dye do Then he shook hands with Algernon and courteously motioning him to resume his seat threw himself into a chair by the hearth opposite to his wife He stretched out his short legs to their utmost possible length before him and leant his head back wearily
Tired my lord asked his wife
Why yes a little Dictating letters is a fatiguing business Mr—a—a—
Errington my lord Ancram Errington
Oh to be sure Im very glad to see you very glad indeed Yes yes Mr Errington You are a cousin of my ladys Of course Very glad
And Lord Seely got up and shook hands once more with Algernon whose identity he had evidently only just recognised But although tardy the peers greeting was more than civil it was kind and Algernons gratitude was in direct proportion to the chill disappointment he had felt at Lady Seelys discouraging words
Thank you sir he said pressing the small thin white hand that was proffered to him And Algys way of saying Thank you sir was admirable and would have made the fortune of a young actor on the stage for in saying it he had sufficient real emotion to make the simulated emotion quite touching—as an actor should have
My lord sat down again wearily Bush has been with me again about that emigration scheme of his he said to his wife Upon my honour I dont know a more trying person than Bush When he had thus spoken he cast his eyes once more upon Algernon who said in the most artless impulsive way in the world Its a poorspirited kind of thing no doubt but really when one sees what a hard time of it statesmen have one cant help feeling sometimes that it is pleasant to be nobody
Now the word statesman applied to Lord Seely was scarcely more correct than the word magnificent applied to his outer man The fact was that Lord Seely had been from his youth upward ambitious of political distinction and had indeed filled a subordinate post in the Cabinet some twenty years previous to the day on which Algernon first made his acquaintance But he had been a mere cypher there and the worst of it was that he had been conscious of being a cypher He had not strength of character or ability to dominate other men and he had too much intelligence to flatter himself that he succeeded where success had eluded his pursuit Stupider men had done better for themselves in the world than Valentine Sackville Strong Lord Seely and had gained more solid slices of success than he Perhaps there is nothing more detrimental to the achievement of ascendancy over others than that intermittent kind of intellect which is easily blown into a flame by vanity but is as easily cooled down again by the chilly suggestions of common sense The vanity which should be able to maintain itself always at white heat would be a triumphant thing The common sense which never flared up to an enthusiastic temperature would be a safe thing But the alternation of the two was felt to be uncomfortable and disconcerting by all who had much to do with Lord Seely He continued however to keep up a semblance of political life He had many personal friends in the present ministry and there were one or two men who were rather specially hostile to him among the Opposition; of which latter he was very proud liking to speak of his enemies in the House He spoke pretty frequently from his place among the peers but nobody paid him any particular attention And he wrote and printed at his own expense a considerable number of political pamphlets but nobody read them That however may have been due to the combination against his lordship which existed among the writers for the public press who never he complained reported his speeches in extenso and with few exceptions ignored his pamphlets altogether
Howbeit the word statesman struck pleasantly upon the little noblemans ear and he bestowed a more attentive glance on Algernon than he had hitherto honoured him with and asked in his abrupt tones like a series of muffled barks Going to be long in town Mr Ancram
Ive just been asking him interposed my lady He dont know for certain But—— And here she whispered in her husbands ear
Oh I hope so said the latter aloud My lady and I hope that you will do us the favour to dine with us tomorrow—eh Oh I beg your pardon Belinda I thought you said tomorrow—on Thursday next We shall probably be alone but I hope you will not mind that
I shall take it as a great favour my lord said Algernon whose spirits had been steadily rising ever since the successful performance of his French song
You know Mr Ancram—I mean Mr Errington—is a cousin of mine my lord so he wont expect to be treated with ceremony
Algernon felt as if he could have flown downstairs when after this most gracious speech he took leave of his august relatives But he walked very soberly instead down the staircase and past the solemn servants in the hall with as much nonchalance as if he had been accustomed to the service of powdered lackeys from his babyhood
He seems an intelligent gentlemanlike young fellow said my lord to my lady
Oh hes as sharp as a weasel and uncommonly nicelooking And he sings French songs ever so much better than that theatre man that the Duchess made such a fuss about He has the trick of drawing the long bow which all the Warwickshire Ancrams were famous for Oh theres no doubt about his belonging to the real breed He told me a cockandabull story about his fathers devotion to science I believe his father was a little apothecary in Birmingham But I dont know that that much matters said my lady to my lord
CHAPTER XVII
Algernon was elated by the success of his song and by Lady Seelys full acknowledgment of his cousinship and he left the mansion in Mayfair in very good spirits as has been said But when he got back to his inn—a private hotel in a dingy street behind Oxford Street—he began to feel a recurrence of the disappointment which had oppressed him when Lady Seely had declared so emphatically that my lord could do nothing for him in the way of getting him a place What was to be done It was all very well for his mother to say that with his talents and appearance he must and would make his way to a high position but just and reasonable as it would be that his talents and appearance should give him success he began to fear that they might not altogether avail to do so He thought of Mr Filthorpe—that substance, which Mr Diamond had said they were deserting for the shadow of Seely—and of the thousands of pounds which the Bristol merchant possessed Truly a stool in a countinghouse was not the post which Algernon coveted And he candidly told himself that he should not be able to fill it effectively But still there would have been at least as good a chance of fascinating Mr Filthorpe as of fascinating Lord Seely and the lookedfor result of the fascination in either case was to be absolution from the necessity of doing any disagreeable work whatever And moreover Mr Filthorpe at all events would have supplied board and lodging and a small salary whilst he was undergoing the progress of being fascinated
Algernon looked thoughtful and anxious for full a quarter of an hour as he pondered these things But then he fell into a fit of laughter at the recollection of Lady Seely and Fido There is something very absurd about that old woman said he to himself She is so impudent And why wear a wig at all if a wig is to be such a one as hers A turban or a skullcap would do just as well to cover her head with But then they wouldnt be half so funny Fido is something like his mistress—nearly as fat and with the same style of profile
Then he set himself to draw a caricature representing Fido attired after the fashion of Lady Seely and became quite cheerful and buoyant over it
In the interval between the day of his visit to the Seelys and the Thursday on which he was to dine with them Algernon made one or two calls and delivered a couple of letters of introduction with which his Whitford friends had furnished him One was from Dr Bodkin to an oldfashioned solicitor who was reputed to be rich but who lived in a very quiet way in a very quiet square and gave very quiet little dinners to a select few who could appreciate a really fine glass of port The other letter was to a sister of young Mr Pawkins of Pudcombe Hall married to the chief clerk of the Admiralty who lived in a fashionable neighbourhood and gave parties as fashionable as her visitinglist permitted and by no means desired any special connoisseurship in wine on the part of her guests
On the occasion of his first calls Algernon found neither Mr Leadbeater the solicitor nor Mrs MachynStubbs that was the name of young Pawkinss sister at home So he left his letters and cards and wandered about the streets in a rather forlorn way for although it was his first visit to London it was not possible for him to get much enjoyment out of the metropolis all alone To him every place even London appeared in the light of a stage or background whereon that supremely interesting personage himself might figure to more or less advantage Now London is a big theatre And although a big theatre full of spectators may be very exhilarating to the object of public attention who performs in it a big theatre practically barren of spectators—for of course the only real spectators are the spectators who look at us—is apt to oppress the mind with a sense of desertion So he was very glad when Thursday evening came and he found himself once more within the hall door of Lord Seelys house
My lord was in the drawingroom alone standing on the hearthrug He shook hands very kindly with Algernon and bade him come near to the fire and warm himself for the evening was cold
And what have you been doing with yourself Mr Errington asked Lord Seely
I have been chiefly employed today in losing myself and asking my way answered Algernon laughing And then he began an account of his adventures and absolutely surprised himself by the amount of fun and sparkle he contrived to elicit from the narration of circumstances which had been in fact dull and commonplace enough
My lord was greatly amused and once even laughed out loud at Algernons imitation of an Irish applewoman who had misdirected him with the best intentions and much calling down of blessings on his handsome face in return for a silver sixpence
Capital said my lord nodding his head up and down
The sixpence was badly invested though observed Algernon for she sent me about three miles out of my way
Ah but the blarney You forget the blessing and the blarney Surely they were worth the money eh
No my lord not to me I cant afford expensive luxuries
Lady Seely when she entered the room gorgeous in peagreen satin which singularly set off the somewhat pronounced tone of her rouge found Algy and my lord laughing together very merrily and as she gave her hand to her young relative demanded to be informed what the joke was
Now it has been said that Algernon was possessed of wonderfully rapid powers of perception, and by sundry signs so slight that they would have entirely escaped most observers this clever young gentleman perceived that my lady was not altogether delighted at finding her husband and himself on such easy and pleasant terms together In fact my lady with all her blunt careless jollity of manner and pleasant mellow voice was apt to be both jealous and suspicious She was jealous of her ascendancy over Lord Seely who was said by the illnatured to be completely under his wifes thumb and she was suspicious of most strangers—especially of strangers who might be expected to want anything of his lordship And she usually assumed that such persons would endeavour to come over that nobleman when he was apart from his wifes protecting influence She had a general theory that men might be humbugged into anything and a particular experience that Lord Seely despite his stiff carriage and abrupt manner was in truth far softernatured than she was herself
That young scamp has been coming over Valentine with his jokes and his flummery said my lady to herself Hes an Ancram every inch of him
At that very moment Algernon was mentally declaring that the conquest of my lady would after all be a more difficult matter than that of my lord but that by some means or other the conquest must be made if any good was to come to him from the Seely connection And a stream of easy chat flowed over these underlying intentions and hid them except that here and there perhaps a bubble or an eddy told of rough places out of sight
After some ten minutes of desultory talk my lady was obliged to own to herself that the young scamp had a wonderfully good manner Without a trace of servility he was respectful conveying with perfect tact exactly the sort of homage that was graceful and becoming from a youth like himself to persons of the Seelys age and position Neither did he commit the error of becoming familiar in response to Lady Seelys tone of familiarity a pitfall which had before now entrapped the unwary For my lady whom Nature had created vulgar—having possibly in the hurry of business mistaken one kind of clay for another and put some low persons mind into the fine porcelain of an undoubted Ancram—was fond of asserting her position in the world by a rough unceremoniousness in the first place and a very wideeyed arrogance in the second place if such unceremoniousness chanced to be reciprocated by unauthorised persons
Do we wait for any one Belinda asked Lord Seely
The Dormers are coming Theyre such great musicians you know And I want Lady Harriet to hear this boy sing And then there may be Jack Price very likely
Very likely said my lord raising his eyebrows and stiffening his back Doesnt Mr Price do us the honour of saying positively whether he will come or not
Oh you know what Jack Price is He says hell come and nine times out of ten he dont come and then the tenth time he comes and people have to put up with him
My lord cleared his throat significantly as who should say that he at all events did not feel inclined to put up with this system of tithes in the fulfilment of Mr Jack Prices promises
If he comes said Lady Seely addressing Algernon youll have to walk into dinner by yourself Ive only got one young lady and if Jack comes he must have her
Where is Castalia asked my lord
Oh I suppose shes dressing Castalia is always the slowest creature at her toilet I ever knew
Algernon had read up the family genealogy in the Peerage under his mothers instructions sufficiently to be aware that Lord and Lady Seely were childless having lost their only son in a boating accident years ago Castalia then could not be a daughter of the house Who was she A young lady who was evidently at present living with the Seelys whom they called by her Christian name and who was habitually a long time at her toilet Algernon felt a little agreeable excitement and curiosity on the subject of the tardy Castalia
The door was thrown open Here she comes thought Algernon settling his cravat as he threw a quick side glance at a mirror
General and Lady Harriet Dormer announced the servant
There entered a tall elegant woman leaning on the arm of a short stout benevolentlooking man in spectacles To these personages Algernon was duly presented being introduced much to his gratification by Lady Seely as A young cousin of mine Mr Ancram Errington who has just come to town Then having made his bow to General Dormer who smiled and shook hands with him Algernon stood opposite to the graceful Lady Harriet and was talked to very kindly and pleasantly and felt extremely content with himself and his surroundings Nevertheless he watched with some impatience for the appearance of Castalia and forgot his usual selfpossession so far as to turn his head and break off in the middle of a sentence he was uttering to Lady Harriet when he heard the door open again But once more he was disappointed for this time dinner was announced and Lord Seely offered his arm to Lady Harriet and led the way out of the room
No Jack said Lady Seely as she passed out before Algernon And no Castalia said my lord over his shoulder in a tone of vexation
Algernon followed his seniors alone but just as he got out on to the staircase there appeared a lady leisurely descending from an upper floor at whom Lord Seely looked up reproachfully
Late late Castalia said he and shook his head solemnly
Oh no Uncle Valentine just in time replied the lady
Castalia take Ancrams arm and do let us get to dinner before the soup is cold said Lady Seely Give your arm to Miss Kilfinane and come along And her ladyships peagreen satin swept downstairs after Lady Harriets sober purple draperies Algernon bowed and offered his arm to the lady beside him she placed her hand on it almost without looking at him and they entered the diningroom without having exchanged a word
The diningroom was better lighted than the staircase and Algernon took an early opportunity of looking at his companion She was not very young being in fact nearly thirty but looking older Neither was she handsome She was very thin sallow and sicklylooking with a small round face not wrinkled but crumpled as it were into queer fretful lines Her eyes were bright and wellshaped but deeply sunken and she had a great deal of thick palebrown hair worn in huge bows and festoons on the top of her head according to the extreme of the mode of that day Her dress displayed more than it was judicious to display in an æsthetic point of view of very lean shoulders and was of a bright soft pink hue that would have been trying to the most blooming complexion Altogether the Honourable Castalia Kilfinanes appearance was disappointing and her manner was not so attractive as to make up for lack of beauty Her face expressed a mixture of querulousness and hauteur and she spoke in a languid drawl with strange peevish inflections
You and I ought to be some sort of relations to each other oughtnt we said Algernon having taken in all the above particulars in a series of rapid observations
Why returned the lady without raising her eyes from her soupplate
Because you are Lady Seelys niece and I am her cousin
Who says that I am Lady Seelys niece
I thought stammered Algernon—I fancied—you called Lord Seely Uncle Valentine
Even his equanimity and a certain glow of complacency he felt at finding himself where he was were a little disturbed by Miss Castalias freezing manner
I am Lord Seelys niece returned she
Then after a little pause having finished her soup she leaned back in her chair and stared at Algernon who pretended—not quite successfully—to be unconscious of her scrutiny Apparently the result of it was favourable to Algernon for the ladys manner thawed perceptibly and she began to talk to him She had evidently heard of him from Lady Seely and understood the exact degree of his relationship to that great lady
Did you ever meet the Dormers before asked Miss Kilfinane
Never How should I You know I am the merest country mouse I never was in London in my life until last Friday
Oh but the Dormers dont live in town Indeed they are here very seldom You might have met them their place is in the West of England
Algernon after a rapid balancing of pros and cons resolved to be absolutely candid With his brightest smile and most arched eyebrows he began to give Miss Kilfinane an almost unvarnished description of his life at Whitford Almost unvarnished but it is no more easy to tell the simple truth only occasionally than it is to stand quite upright only occasionally Mind and muscles will fall back to their habitual posture So that it may be doubted whether Miss Kilfinane received an accurate notion of the precise degree of poverty and obscurity in which the young man who was speaking to her had hitherto lived
And so said she you have come to London to——
To seek my fortune said Algernon merrily It is the proper and correct beginning to a story And I think I have had a piece of good luck at the very outset by way of a good omen
Miss Kilfinane opened her eyes interrogatively but said nothing
I think it was a piece of luck for me continued Algernon emboldened by having secured the scornful ladys attention and perhaps a little also by the wine he had drunk a great piece of good luck that Mr Jack Price whoever he may be did not turn up this evening
Why
Because if he had I should not have been allowed the honour of bringing you in to dinner
Oh yes I should have had to go in with Jack I suppose answered the lady with a little smile
Please Miss Kilfinane who is Jack Price I do so want to know
Jack Price is Lord Mullingars son
But what is he And why do people want to have him so much that they put up with his disappointing them nine times out of ten
As to what he is—well he was in the Guards and he gave that up Then they got him a place somewhere—in Africa or South America or somewhere—and he gave that up Then he got the notion that he would be a farmer in Canada and went out with an axe to cut down the trees and a plough to plough the ground afterwards and he gave that up Now he does nothing particular
And has he found his vocation at last
I dont know Im sure said Miss Kilfinane languidly Her power of perceiving a joke was very limited
Thanks Now I know all about Mr Price except—except why everybody wants to invite him
That I really cannot tell you
Then you dont share the general enthusiasm about him
I dont know that there is any general enthusiasm Only of course—dont you know how it is—people have got into the way of putting up with him and letting him do as he likes
Hes a very fortunate young man I should say
Young man Miss Kilfinane laughed a hard little laugh Why Jack Price is ever so old
Ever so old is he echoed Algernon genuinely surprised
He must be turned forty said the fair Castalia rising in obedience to a look from Lady Seely And if she had been but fifteen herself she could not have said it with a more infantine air
After the ladies had withdrawn Algernon had to sit for about twenty minutes in the shade as it were silent and listening with modesty and discretion to the conversation of his seniors Had they talked politics Algernon would have been able to throw in a word or two but Lord Seely and his guest talked not of principles or party but of persons The persons talked of were such as Lord Seely conceived to be useful or hostile to his party and he discussed their conduct and criticised the tactics of ministers in regard to them with much warmth But unfortunately Algernon neither knew nor could pretend to know anything about these individuals so he sipped his wine and looked at the family portraits which hung round the room in silence
My lord made a kind of apology to him as they were going upstairs to the drawingroom
Im afraid you were bored Mr Errington I am sorry for your sake that Mr Price did not honour us with his company You would have found him much more amusing than us old fogies
Algernon knew when Lord Seely talked of Mr Price not having honoured them with his company that my lord was indignant against that gentleman I have no doubt Mr Price is a very agreeable person said he but I did not regret him my lord I thought it a great privilege to be allowed to listen to you
Later in the evening Algy overheard Lord Seely say to General Dormer Hes a remarkably intelligent young fellow I assure you
He has a capital manner returned the general There is something very taking about him indeed
Oh yes manner yes a very good manner—but theres more judgment more solidity about him than appears on the surface
Meanwhile Algernon went on flourishingly and ingratiated himself with every one He steered his way with admirable tact past various perils such as must inevitably threaten one who aims at universal popularity Lady Harriet was delighted with his singing and Lady Harriets expressed approbation pleased Lady Seely for the Dormers were considered to be great musical connoisseurs and their judgment had considerable weight among their own set Their own set further supposed that the verdict of the Dormers was important to professional artists a delusion which the givers of secondrate concerts who depended on Lady Harriet to get rid of many sevenandsixpenny tickets during the season were at no pains to disturb Then Algernon took the precaution to keep away from Lord Seely and to devote himself to my lady during the remainder of the evening This behaviour had so good an effect that she called him Ancram and bade him go and talk to Castalia who was sitting alone on a distant ottoman with a distinctly sour expression of countenance
How did you get on with Castalia at dinner asked my lady
Miss Kilfinane was very kind to me maam
Was she Well she dont make herself agreeable to everybody so consider yourself honoured Castalias a very clever girl She can draw make wax flowers and play the piano beautifully
Can she really Will she play tonight
Im sure I dont know Go and ask her
May I
Yes be off
Miss Kilfinane did not move or raise her eyes when Algernon went and stood before her
I have come with a petition he said after a little pause
Have you
Yes will you play tonight
No
Oh thats very cruel I wish you would
I dont like playing before the Dormers They set up for being such connoisseurs and I hate that kind of thing
I am sure you can have no reason to fear their criticism
I dont want to have my performance picked to pieces in that knowing sort of way I play for my own amusement and I dont want to be criticised and applauded and patronised
But how can people help applauding when you play Lady Seely says you play exquisitely
Did she tell you to ask me to play
Not exactly But she said I might ask you
At this moment General Dormer came up and said with his most benevolent smile Wont you give us a little music Miss Kilfinane Some Beethoven now I see a volume of his sonatas on the piano
I hate Beethoven returned Miss Kilfinane
Hate Beethoven No no you dont Its quite impossible A pianist like you Oh no Miss Kilfinane it is out of the question
Yes I do I hate all classical music and the sort of stuff that people talk about it
The general smiled again shook his head shrugged his shoulders and walked away
Miss Kilfinane you are ferociously cruel said Algernon under his breath as General Dormer turned his back on them The little fear he had had of Castalias chilly manner and ungracious tongue had quite vanished Algernon was not apt to be in awe of anyone and he certainly was not in awe of Castalia Kilfinane Why did you tell the general that you hated Beethoven he went on saucily Im quite sure you dont hate Beethoven
I hate all the kind of professional jargon which the Dormers affect about music Music is all very well but it isnt our business any more than tailoring or millinery is our business To hear the Dormers talk you would think it the most important matter in the world to decide whether this fiddler is better than that fiddler or what is the right time to play a fugue of Bachs in
Im such an ignoramus that Im afraid I dont even know with any precision what a fugue of Bachs is said Algernon ingenuously He thought he had learned to understand Miss Castalia Nevertheless when later in the evening Lady Harriet asked him in her pretty silver tones And do you too hate classical music Mr Errington he professed the most unbounded love and reverence for the great masters I have had few opportunities of hearing fine music Lady Harriet said he but it is the thing I have longed for all my life Whereupon Lady Harriet much pleased at the prospect of such a disciple invited him to go to her house every Saturday morning when he would hear some of the best performers in London execute some of the best music I only ask real listeners said Lady Harriet We are just a few musiclovers who take the thing very much au sérieux
On the whole when Algernon thought over his evening sitting over the fire in his bedroom at the inn he acknowledged to himself that he had been successful Lady Seely is the toughest customer though What a fishwife she looks beside that elegant Lady Harriet But she can put on airs of a great lady too when she likes Its a very fine line that divides dignity from impudence Take her wig off wash her face and clothe her in a short cotton gown with a white apron and how many people would know that Belinda Lady Seely had ever been anything but a cook or the landlady of a publichouse Well I think I am cleverer than any of em And after all thats a great point With which comfortable reflection Algernon Ancram Errington went to bed and to sleep
CHAPTER XVIII
On the day following the dinner at Lord Seelys Algernon received a card importing that Mrs MachynStubbs would be at home that evening
Of the lady he knew nothing except that she was an elder sister of young Pawkins of Pudcombe Hall and that her family who were people of consideration in Whitford and its neighbourhood thought Jemima to have made a good match in marrying Mr MachynStubbs In giving him the letter of introduction Orlando Pawkins had let fall a word or two as to the position his sister held in London society
I cant send anybody and everybody to the MachynStubbses said young Pawkins In their position it wouldnt be fair to inflict our bucolic magnates on them But Im sure Jemima will be very glad to make your acquaintance old fellow
Algernon was quite free from arrogance He would have been well enough contented to dine with Mr MachynStubbs had that gentleman been a grocer or a cheesemonger And in that case he would probably have derived a good deal of amusement from any little vulgarities which might have marked the manners of his host and would have entertained his genteeler friends by a humorous imitation of the same But he was not in the least overawed by the prospect of meeting Mrs MachynStubbs and was quite aware that he probably owed his introduction to her to young Pawkinss knowledge of the fact that he was Lady Seelys relation
Algernon betook himself to the house of Mrs MachynStubbs in the fashionable neighbourhood before mentioned about halfpast ten oclock and found the small receptionrooms already fuller than was agreeable Mrs MachynStubbs received him very graciously She was a pretty woman with a smooth fair face and light hair and she was dressed with as much good taste as was compatible with the extreme of the prevailing fashion She smiled a good deal and was quite destitute of any sense of humour
So glad to see you Mr Errington said she when Algernon had made his bow You and Orlando are great friends are you not You must let me make you acquainted with my husband Then she handed Algernon over to a stout redfaced whitehaired gentleman much older than herself who shook hands with him said How dye do and How long have you been in town and then appeared to consider that he had done all that could be expected of him in the way of conversation
I suppose you dont know many people here Mr Errington said Mrs MachynStubbs seeing that Algernon was standing silent in the shadow of her husband
Not any You know I have never been in London before
Havent you really But perhaps we may have some mutual acquaintances notwithstanding Let me see who is here said the lady looking round her rooms
Are you acquainted with the Dormers Mrs MachynStubbs
The Dormers Let me see——
General and Lady Harriet Dormer
Oh no I dont think I am Of course I must have met them In the course of the season sooner or later one meets everybody
Do you know Miss Kilfinane
Miss Kilfinane I—I cant recall at this moment——
She is a sort of connection of mine not a relation for she is Lord Seelys niece not my ladys
Oh to be sure You are a cousin of Lady Seely Yes yes I had forgotten But Orlando did mention it
In truth the fact of Algernons relationship to Lady Seely was the only one concerning him which had dwelt in Mrs MachynStubbss memory Presently she resumed
I should like to introduce you to a great friend of ours—the most delightful creature I hope he will come tonight but he is very difficult to catch He is a son of Lord Mullingar
What Jack Price
Oh you know him do you
Only by reputation He was to have dined at Lord Seelys last night when I was there But he didnt show
Oh I know hes dreadfully uncertain But I must say however that he is generally very good about coming to me Its quite wonderful Im sure I dont know why I am so favoured
Then Algernon was presented to a rather awful dowager with two stiff daughters to whom he talked as well as he could and the nicest looking of whom he took into the tearoom where there was a great crush and where people trod on each others toes and poked their elbows into each others ribs to procure a cup of haycoloured tea and a biscuit that had seen better days
Upon my word thought Algernon if this is London society I think Whitford society better fun But then he reflected that Mrs MachynStubbs was not a real leader of fashionable society She was not quite a rose herself although she lived near enough to the roses for their scent to cling more or less faintly about her garments He was not bored for his quick powers of perception, and lively appreciation of the ludicrous enabled him to gather considerable amusement from the scene Especially did he feel amused and in his element when on an allusion to his cousinship to Lady Seely thrown out in the airiest most haphazard way the awful dowager and the stiff daughters unbent and became as gracious as temperament in the one case and painfully tight stays in the other permitted
Hes a very agreeable person your young friend Mr Ancram Errington said the dowager later on in the evening to Mrs MachynStubbs
Oh yes hes very nice indeed He is a great favourite with my people He half lives at our place I believe when Orlando is at home
Indeed He is—a—a—connected with the Seelys I believe in some way
Second cousin Lady Seely was an Ancram—Warwickshire Ancrams you know returned Mrs MachynStubbs who knew her Peerage nearly by heart Whereupon the dowager went back to her daughter by whose side having nothing else to do Algernon was still sitting and told him that she should be happy to see him at her house in Portland Place any Friday afternoon between four and six oclock during the season
Presently when the company was giving forth a greater amount and louder degree of talk than had hitherto been the case—for Herr Doppeldaun had just sat down to the grand piano—Algernons quick eyes perceived a movement near the door of the principal drawingroom and saw Mrs MachynStubbs advance with extended hand and more eagerness than she had thrown into her reception of most of the company to greet a gentleman who entered with a kind of plunge tripping over a bearskin rug that lay before the door and dropping his hat
He was a short broadchested man with a bald forehead and a fringe of curly chestnut hair round his head He was evidently extremely nearsighted and wore a glass in one eye the effort of keeping which in its place occasioned an odd contortion of his facial muscles He was rubicund and looked like a man who might grow to be very stout later in life At present he was only rather stout and was braced and strapped and tightened so as to make the best of his figure His dress was the dress of a dandy of that day and he wore a fragrant hothouse flower in his buttonhole
That must be Jack Price thought Algernon he scarcely knew why and the next moment he got away from the dowager and her daughters and sauntered towards the door
Oh here is Mr Errington said Mrs MachynStubbs looking round at him as he made his way through the crowd Do let me introduce you to Mr Price This is Mr Ancram Errington a great friend of my brother Orlando You have met Orlando I think
Oh indeed I have said Mr Jack Price in a rich sweet voice and with a very decidedly marked brogue Orlando is one of my dearest friends Delightful fellow what Orlandos friend must be my friend if he will what
The little interrogation at the end of the sentence meant nothing but was a mere trick The use of it with a soft rising inflection of Mr Jack Prices very musical voice had once upon a time been pronounced to be captivating by an enthusiastic Irish lady But he had not fallen into the habit of using it from any idea that it was captivating nor had he desisted from it since all projects of captivation had departed from his mind
I was to have met you at dinner last night Mr Price said Algernon shaking his proffered hand
Last night I was—where is it I was last night Oh at the Blazonvilles Yes of course what Why didnt you come then Mr Errington The Duke would have been delighted—perfectly charmed to see you
Well that may be doubtful seeing that I cannot flatter myself that his Grace is even aware of my existence said Algernon looking at Mr Price with twinkling eyes and his mouth twitching with the effort to avoid a broad grin
Jack Price looked back at him puzzled and smiling Eh How was it then what Was it—it wasnt me was it
Algernon laughed outright
Ah now Mr—Mr—my dear fellow where was it that you were to have met me
My cousin Lady Seely was hoping for the pleasure of your company Mr Price She was under the impression that you had promised to dine with her
Jack Price fell back a step and gave himself a sounding slap on the forehead Good gracious goodness he exclaimed You dont mean to say that
I do indeed
Ah now upon my honour I am the most unfortunate fellow under the sun I dont know how the deuce it is that these kind of misfortunes are always happening to me What will I say to Lady Seely Shell never speak to me any more I suppose what
You should keep a little book and note down your engagements Mr Price said Mrs MachynStubbs as she walked away to some other guest
Mr Price gave Algernon a comical look halfrueful halfamused I dont quite see myself with the little book entering all my engagements said he I daresay youve heard already from Lady Seely of my sins and shortcomings
At all events I have heard this that whatever may be your sins and shortcomings they are always forgiven
I am afraid I bear an awfully bad character my dear Mr——
Errington Ancram Errington
To be sure Ah I know your name well enough But names are among the things that slip my memory It is a serious misfortune what
Then the two began to chat together And when the crowd began to diminish and the rattle of carriages grew more frequent down in the street beneath the drawingroom windows Jack Price proposed to Algernon to go and sup with him at his club They walked away together arminarm and as they left Mrs MachynStubbss doorstep Mr Price assured his new acquaintance that that lady was the nicest creature in the world and one of his dearest friends and that he could take upon himself to assert that Mrs MachynStubbs would be only too delighted to receive him Algernon at any time and as often as he liked It will give her real pleasure now what said Jack Price with quite a glow of hospitality on behalf of Mrs MachynStubbs Then they went to Mr Prices club It was neither a political club nor a fashionable club nor a grand club but a club that was widely miscellaneous and decidedly jolly Algernon before he returned to his lodging that night had come to the opinion that London was after all a great deal better fun than Whitford And Jack Price when he called upon Lady Seely the next day to make his peace with her declared that young Errington was really now the most delightful and dearest boy in the world and that he was quite certain that the young fellow was most warmly attached to Lord and Lady Seely
All this was agreeable enough and Algernon would have been content to go on in the same way to the end of the London season had it been possible But careless as he was about money he was not careless about the luxuries which money supplies Certainly if tradesmen and landlords could only be induced to give unlimited credit Algernon would have had none the less pleasure in availing himself of their wares because he had not paid for them in coin of the realm But as to doing without or even limiting himself to an inferior quality and restricted quantity that was a matter about which he was not at all indifferent He was received on a familiar footing in the Seelys house and his reception there opened to him many other houses in which it was more or less agreeable and flattering to be received Among the MachynStubbses of London society he was looked upon as quite a desirable guest and received a good deal of petting which he took with the best grace in the world And all this was as has been said pleasant enough But as weeks went on Algernons money began to run short and he soon beheld the dismal prospect ahead—and not very far ahead—of his last sovereign And he was in debt
As to being in debt that had nothing in it appalling to our young mans imagination What frightened him was the conviction that he should not be permitted to go on being in debt Other people owed money and seemed to enjoy life none the less Mr Jack Price for instance had an allowance from his father on which no one pretended to expect him to live And he appeared very comfortable and contented in the midst of a rolling sea of debt which sometimes ebbed a little and sometimes flowed alarmingly high but which during the last ten years or so he had managed to keep pretty fairly at the same level But then Mr Price was the Honourable John Patrick Price the Earl of Mullingars son—a younger son it was true and neither Lord Mullingar nor Lord Mullingars heir was likely to have the means or the inclination to fish him out of the rolling sea aforesaid At the most they would throw him a plank now and then just to keep him afloat Still there was something to be got out of Jack Price by a Westend tradesman who knew his business Something was to be got in the way of money and perhaps something more in the way of connection Upon the whole it may be supposed that the Westend tradesmen understood what they were about when they went on supplying the Honourable John Patrick Price with all sorts of comforts and luxuries season after season
But with Algernon the case was widely different and he knew it He had ventured to speak to Lord Seely about his prospects and to ask that noblemans advice But Lord Seely had not seemed able to offer any advice which it was practicable to follow Indeed how should he have done so seeing that he was ignorant of most of the material facts of the case He knew in a general way that young Ancram Algernon had come to be called so in the Seely household was poor but between Lord Seelys conception of the sort of poverty which might pinch a wellborn young gentleman who always appeared in the neatestfitting shoes and freshest of gloves and the reality of Algernons finances there was a wide discrepancy Algernon had indeed talked freely and with much appearance of frankness about his life in Whitford but it may be doubted whether Lord Seely or his wife either—although she doubtless came nearer to the truth in her imaginings on the subject—at all realised such facts as that Mrs Errington had no maid to attend on her that her lodgings cost her eighteen shillings a week and that the smell of cheese from the shop below was occasionally a source of discomfort in her only sittingroom
With Lord Seely Algernon had made himself a great favourite and the proof of it was that my lord actually thought about him when he was absent and one day said to his wife I wish Belinda that we could do something for Ancram
Do something for him I think we do a great deal for him He has the run of the house and I introduce him right and left And he is always asked to sing when we have people
That latter looks rather like his doing something for us I think
Not at all Its a great advantage for a young fellow in his position to be brought forward and allowed to show off his little gifts in that way
He is wasting his time I wish we could get him something to do
I am sure you have plenty of claims on you that come before him
I—I did speak to the Duke of Blazonville about him the other day said my lord with the slightest hesitation in the world
The Duke of Blazonville was in the cabinet and had been a colleague of Lord Seelys years ago
What on earth made you do that Valentine You know very well that the next thing the duke has to give I particularly want for Reginald
Oh but what I should ask for young Ancram would be something at which your nephew Reginald would probably——
Turn up his nose
Something which Reginald would not care about taking
Reginald wouldnt go abroad except to Italy Nor indeed anywhere in Italy but to Naples
Exactly Whether the duke would consider that he was particularly serving the interests of diplomacy by sending Reginald to Naples I dont know But at all events Ancram could not interfere with that project
Serving—— Nonsense The duke would do it to oblige me As to Ancram I have latterly had a kind of plan in my head about Ancram
About a place for him
Well yes a place if you like to call it so What do you say to his coming abroad with us in the autumn
Eh Coming abroad with us
Of course we should have to pay all his expenses But I think he would be amusing and perhaps useful He talks French very well and is lively and goodtempered
I have no doubt he would be a most charming travelling companion——
I dont know about that But I should take him out of kindness and to do him a service
But I dont see of what use such a plan would be to him Belinda
Well Ive an idea in my head I tell you I have kept my eyes open and I fancy I see a chance for Ancram
You are very mysterious my dear said Lord Seely with a little shrug
Well least said soonest mended I shall be mysterious a little longer And meanwhile I think we might make him the offer to take him to Switzerland with us since you have no objection
I have no objection certainly
I think I shall mention it to him then And if I were you I wouldnt bother the duke about him just yet
But what is this notion of yours Belinda
The exclamation rose to my ladys lips How inquisitive men are but she suppressed it It was the kind of speech which particularly angered Lord Seely who much disliked being lumped in with his fellowcreatures on the ground of common qualities Even a compliment so framed that my lord was supposed to share it with a number of other persons would have displeased him So my lady said Well now Valentine youll begin to laugh at me very likely but I believe Im right I think Castalia is very well inclined to like this young fellow And she might do worse
Castalia Like him Why you dont mean——
Yes I do returned my lady nodding her head Thats just what I do mean Im sure the other evening she became quite sentimental about him
Good heavens Belinda But the idea is preposterous
Yes I knew youd say so at first Thats why I didnt want to say anything about it just yet awhile
But allow me to say that if you had any such idea in your head it was only proper that it should be mentioned to me
Well I have mentioned it
Lord Seely clasped his hands behind his back and walked up and down the room in a stiff abrupt kind of march At length he stopped opposite to her ladyship who was assiduously soothing Fido Fido having for some occult reason become violently exasperated by his masters walking about the room
Why in the first place——do send that brute away said his lordship sharply
There hes quiet now Good Fido Good boy Mustnt bark and growl at master Yes you were saying——
I was saying that in the first place Castalia must be ten years older than this boy
About that I should say But if they dont mind that I dont see what it matters to us
And he has not any means nor any prospect of earning any that I can see
Why for that matter Castalia hasnt a shilling in the world you know We have to find her in everything and so has your sister Julia when Castalia goes to stay with her And if these two could set their horses together—could in a word make a match of it—why you might do something to provide for the two together dont you see Killing two birds with one stone
Very much like killing two birds indeed What are they to live on
If Ancram makes up to Castalia you must get him a place Something modest of course I dont see that they can either of them expect a grand thing
Putting all other considerations aside said my lord drawing himself up it would be a very odd sort of match for Castalia Kilfinane
Come his birth is as good as hers any way If his father was an apothecary her mother was a poor curates daughter
Rectors daughter Belinda Dr Vyse was a learned man and the rector of his parish
Oh well it all comes to the same thing And as to an odd sort of match why perhaps an odd match is better than none at all You know Castalias no beauty She dont grow younger and shell be unbearable in her temper if once she thinks shes booked for an old maid
Poor Lord Seely was much disquieted He had a kindly feeling for his orphan niece which would have ripened into affection if Miss Castalias character had been a little less repellent And he really liked Algernon Errington so much that the notion of his marrying Castalia appeared to him in the light of a sacrifice even although he held his own opinion as to the comparative goodness of the Ancram and Kilfinane blood But nevertheless such was Lady Seelys force of character that many days had not elapsed before his lordship was silenced if not convinced on the subject And the invitation to go to Switzerland was given to Algernon and accepted
CHAPTER XIX
As the spring advanced letters from Algernon Errington arrived rather frequently at Whitford His mother had ample scope for the exercise of her peculiar talent in boasting about the reception Algy had met with from her great relations in town the fine society he frequented and the prospect of still greater distinctions in store for him One or two troublesome persons to be sure would ask for details and inquire whether Lord Seely meant to get Algy a place and what tangible benefits he had it in contemplation to bestow on him But to all such prosy plodding individuals Mrs Errington presented a perspective of vague magnificence which sometimes awed and generally silenced them
The big square letters on Bath post paper directed in Algernons clear graceful handwriting and bearing my Lord Seelys frank in the form of a blotchy sprawling autograph in one corner were however palpable facts and Mrs Errington made the most of them It was seldom that she had not one of them in her pocket She would pull them out sometimes as though in mere absence of mind sometimes avowedly of set purpose but in either case she failed not to make them the occasion for an almost endless variety of prospective and retrospective boasting
It must be owned that Algernons letters were delightful They were written with such a freshness of observation such a sense of enjoyment such a keen appreciation of fun—tempered always by a wonderful knack of keeping his own figure in a favourable light—that passages from them were read aloud and quoted at Whitford teaparties with a most enlivening effect
Those letters are written pro bono publico Minnie Bodkin observed confidentially to her mother No human being would address such communications to Mrs Errington for her sole perusal
Well I dont know Minnie Surely it is natural enough that he should write long letters to his mother even without expecting her to read them aloud to people
Very natural but not just such letters as he does write I think
Minnie suppressed any further expression of her own shrewdness Her confidence in herself had been rudely shaken and she made keen motiveprobing speeches much seldomer than formerly And she could not but agree in the general verdict that Algernons letters were very amusing Miss Chubb was delighted with them although they were the occasion of one or two tough struggles for supremacy in the knowledge of fashionable life between herself and Mrs Errington But Miss Chubb was really goodnatured and Mrs Errington was unshakeably selfsatisfied so that no serious breach resulted from these combats
Dormer—Lady Harriet Dormer Miss Chubb would say musingly I think I must have met her when I was staying with Mrs Figgins and the Bishop of Plumbunn And the Dormers place is not so very far from Whitford you know I believe I have heard papa speak of his acquaintance with some of the family
Oh no Mrs Errington would reply not likely you should have ever met Lady Harriet at Mrs Figginss She is the Earl of Grandcourts daughter and Lord Grandcourt had the reputation of being the proudest nobleman in England
Well my dear Mrs Errington the spinster would retort bridling and tossing her head sideways that could be no reason why his daughter should not have visited the bishop A dignitary of the Church you know And as to family—I can assure you the Figginses were most aristocratically connected
Besides Miss Chubb Lady Harriet must have been in the nursery in those days Shes only sixandthirty You can see her age in the Peerage
This was a kind of blow that usually silenced poor Miss Chubb who was sensitive on the score of her age But on the whole she was not displeased at the opportunity of airing her reminiscences of London and she did not always get the worst of it in her encounters with Mrs Errington
Mrs Errington had one listener who at all events was never tired of hearing Algys letters read and reread and whose interest in all they contained was vivid and inexhaustible Rhoda bestowed an amount of eager attention on the brilliant epistles bearing Lord Seelys frank which even Mrs Errington considered adequate to their merits
Often—not quite always—there would be a little message How are all the good Maxfields Say I asked Or sometimes Give my love to Rhoda Mrs Errington took Algernons sending his love to Rhoda much as she would have taken his bidding her stroke the kitten for him She did not guess how it set the poor girls heart beating It was only natural that Rhodas face should flush with pleasure at being so kindly and condescendingly remembered Still less could the worthy lady understand the effect of her careless words on Mr Maxfield Once she said in his presence Have you any message for Mr Algernon Rhoda She had recently taken to speaking of her son as Mr Algernon a circumstance which had not escaped Rhodas sensitive observation You know he always sends you his love
Oh my young gentleman has not forgotten Rhoda then said old Maxfield without raising his eyes from the ledger he was examining
Algernon never forgets Indeed none of the Ancrams ever forget An almost royal memory has always been a characteristic of our race With which magnificent speech Mrs Errington made an impressive exit from the back shop
Old Max knew enough to be aware that the tenacity even of a royal memory had not always been found equal to retaining such trifles as a debt of twenty pounds But so long as Algy remembered his Rhoda he was welcome to let the money slip Indeed if Algy behaved properly to Rhoda there should be no question of repayment Twenty pounds or two hundred would be well bestowed in securing Rhodas happiness and making a lady of her Nevertheless old Max kept the acknowledgment of the debt safely locked up and looked at it now and then with some inward satisfaction Algernon was coming back to revisit Whitford in the summer and then something definite should be settled
Meanwhile Maxfield took some pains to have Rhoda treated with more consideration than had hitherto been bestowed on her He astonished Betty Grimshaw by sharply reproving her for sending Rhoda into the shop on some errand Rice he exclaimed testily in answer to his sisterinlaws explanation If you want rice you must fetch it for yourself The shop is no place for Rhoda and I will not have her come there Then he began to display a quite unprecedented liberality in providing Rhodas clothes The girl whose ideas about her own dress were of the humblest and who had thought a dovecoloured merino gown as good a garment as she was ever likely to possess was told to buy herself a silk gown A good un Nothing flimsy and poor said old Max A good solid silk gown that will wear and last And—you had better ask Mrs Errington to go with you to buy it She will understand what is fitting better than your aunt Betty I wish you to have proper and becoming raiment Rhoda You are not a child now And you go amongst gentlefolks at Dr Bodkins house And I would not have you seem out of place there by reason of unsuitable attire
Rhoda was delighted to be allowed to gratify her natural taste for colour and adornment and she shortly afterwards appeared in so elegant a dress that Betty Grimshaw was moved to say to her brotherinlaw Why Jonathan Ill declare if our Rhoda dont look as genteel as ere a one o the young ladies I see Why youre making quite a lady of her Jonathan
Me make a lady of her growled old Max It isnt me nor you nor yet a smart gown as can do that But the Lord has done it The Lord has given Rhoda the natur of a lady if ever I see a lady in my life and I mean her to be treated like one Rhodas none o your sort of clay Betty Grimshaw Shes fine porcelain is Rhoda I suppose youve nothing to say against the childs silk gown
Nay not I Jonathan Shes welcome to wear silk or satin either if you like to pay for it And indeed Im uncommon pleased to see a bit of bright colour and be let to put a flower in my bonnet Im sure weve had enough of them Methodist ways Dismal and dull enough they were Jonathan But you cant say as I ever grumbled or went agin you Anything for peace and quietness sake is my way But I do like church best having been bred to it And I always did in my heart even when you and David Powell would be preaching up the Wesleyans I never said anything as you know Jonathan But I kept my own way of thinking all the same And Im only glad youve come round to it yourself at last
This was bitter to Jonathan Maxfield But he had had once or twice to endure similar speeches from his sisterinlaw since his defection from Methodism His autocratic power in his own family was wielded as strictly as ever but his assumption of infallibility had been fatally damaged To get his own way was still within his power but it would be vain henceforward to expect those around him to acknowledge—even with their lips—that his way must of necessity be the best way
At the beginning of April there came to Whitford the announcement that Algernon had received and accepted an invitation to accompany the Seelys abroad in the late summer and that therefore his visit to dear old Whitford was indefinitely postponed This announcement would have angered and disquieted old Max beyond measure had it not been that Algernon took the precaution to write him a letter which arrived in Whitford by the same post as that which brought to Mrs Errington the news of his projected journey to the Continent It was a very neat letter Some persons might have called it a cunning letter At any rate it soothed old Maxs anxious suspicions if it did not absolutely destroy them I believe my good friend wrote Algernon that you will quite approve the step I am taking in accompanying Lord and Lady Seely to Switzerland They have no son and I think I may say that they have come to look upon me almost as a child of the house I remember all the good advice you gave me before I left Whitford And when I was hesitating about accepting my lords invitation I thought of what you would have said and made up my mind to resist the strong temptation of coming back to dear old Whitford this summer Then in a postscript he added As to that little private transaction between us I must ask you kindly to have patience with me yet awhile I try to be careful but living here is expensive and I am put to it to pay my way You will not mention the matter to my mother I know And perhaps it would be well to say nothing to her about this letter May I send my love to Rhoda
In justification of this last sentence it must be said that Algernon was quite innocent of Lady Seelys project regarding himself and Castalia and that there were times when he thought with some warmth of feeling of the summer days in Llanryddan and told himself that there was not one of the girls whom he met in society who surpassed Rhoda Maxfield in the delicate freshness of her beauty or equalled her in natural grace and sweetness
Algernon had really excellent taste
A CHARMING FELLOW
BY FRANCES ELEANOR TROLLOPE
AUTHOR OF AUNT MARGARETS TROUBLE MABELS PROGRESS ETC ETC
In Three Volumes
VOL II
London
CHAPMAN AND HALL 193 PICCADILLY
1876
CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS
CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
A CHARMING FELLOW
CHAPTER I
So you are to come to Switzerland with us next month Ancram said Miss Kilfinane She was seated at the piano in Lady Seelys drawingroom and Algernon was leaning on the instrument and idly turning over a portfolio of music
Yes I hope your serene highness has no objection to that arrangement
It would be of no use my objecting I suppose
Of none whatever But it would be unpleasant
Oh you would still go then whether I liked it or not
Im afraid the temptation to travel about Europe in your company would be too strong for me
How silly you are Ancram said Miss Kilfinane looking up half shyly half tenderly But she met no answering look from Algernon He had just come upon a song that he wanted to try and was drawing it out from under a heap of others in the portfolio
Look here Castalia he said I wish you would play through this accompaniment for me I cant manage it
It will be seen that Algernon had become familiar enough with Miss Kilfinane to call her by her Christianname And moreover he addressed her in a little tone of authority as being quite sure she would do what he asked her
This she said taking the song from his hand Why do you want to sing this dull thing I think Glück is so dreary And besides it isnt your style at all
Isnt it What is my style I wonder
Oh light lively things are your style
At the bottom of his mind perhaps Algernon thought so too But it is often very unpleasant to hear our own secret convictions uttered by other people and he did not like to be told that he could not sing anything more solid than a French chansonette
Lady Harriet particularly wishes me to try this thing of Glücks at her house next Saturday he said
Miss Kilfinane threw down the song pettishly Oh Lady Harriet she exclaimed I might have known it was her suggestion She is so full of nonsense about her classical composers I think she makes a fool of you Ancram I know it will be a failure if you attempt that song
Thank you very much Miss Kilfinane And now having spoken your mind on the subject will you kindly play the accompaniment
Algernon picked up the piece of music smoothed it with his hand placed it on the desk of the piano and made a little mocking bow to Castalia His serenity and good humour seemed to irritate her Im sick of Lady Harriet she said querulously and with a shrug of the shoulders The action and the words were so plainly indicative of ill temper that Lady Seely who waddled into the drawingroom at that moment asked loudly What are you two quarrelling about eh
Oh what a shocking idea my lady Were not quarrelling at all answered Algernon raising his eyebrows and smiling with closed lips He rarely showed his teeth when he smiled which circumstance gave his mouth an expression of finesse and delicate irony that was peculiar and—coupled with the candidlyarched brows—attractive
Well it takes two to make a quarrel certainly returned my lady But Castalia was scolding you at all events Werent you now Castalia
Castalia deigned not to reply but tossed her head and began to run her fingers over the keys of the piano
The fact is Lady Seely said Algernon that Castalia is so convinced that I shall make a mess of this aria—which Lady Harriet Dormer has asked me to sing for her next Saturday—that she declines to play the accompaniment of it for me
Well you ought to be immensely flattered young jackanapes She wouldnt care a straw about some peoples failures would you Castalia Would you mind now if Jack Price were to sing a song and make an awful mess of it eh
As to that it seems to me that Jack Price makes an awful mess of most things he does replied Castalia
Ah exactly So one mess more or less dont matter But in the case of our Admirable Crichton here it is different
I think he is getting awfully spoiled said Castalia a little less crossly And there was absolutely a blush upon her sallow cheek
And thats the reason you snub him is it You see Ancram its all for your good if Castalia is a little hard on you
Miss Kilfinane rose and left the room saying that she must dress for her drive
I think Castalia is harder on Lady Harriet than on me said Algernon when Castalia was gone
Ah Hm Castalia has lots of good points but—I daresay you have noticed it—she is given to being a little bit jealous when she cares about people Now you show a decided liking for Lady Harriets society and you crack up her grace and her elegance and her taste and all that And sometimes I think poor Cassy dont quite like it dont you know
What on earth can it matter to her cried Algernon He knew that Castalia was no favourite with my lady and he flattered himself that he was becoming a favourite with her So he spoke with a little halfcontemptuous smile and a shrug of impatience when he asked What on earth can it matter to her
But my lady did not smile She threw her head back and looked at Algernon from under her halfclosed eyelids
Its my opinion young man that it matters a good deal to Castalia she said more than it would have mattered to me when I was a young lady I can tell you But theres no accounting for tastes
Then Lady Seely also left the room having first bidden Algernon to come and dine with her the next day
Algernon was dumfoundered
Not that he had not perceived the scornful Castalias partiality for his charming self not that her submission to his wishes or even his whims and her jealous anxiety to keep him by her side whenever there appeared to be danger of his leaving it for the company of a younger or more attractive woman had escaped his observation But Algernon was not fatuous enough to consider himself a ladykiller His native good taste would alone have prevented him from having any such pretension It was ridiculous and it involved almost of necessity some affectation And Algernon never was affected He accepted Castalias marked preference as the most natural thing in the world He had been used to be petted and preferred all his life But it truly had not entered into his head that the preference meant anything more than that Castalia found him amusing and clever and goodlooking and that she liked to keep so attractive a personage to herself as much as possible For Algernon had noted the Honourable Castalias little grudging jealousies and he knew as well as anybody that she did not like to hear him praise Lady Harriet for whom indeed she had long entertained a smouldering sort of dislike But that she should have anything like a tender sentiment for himself and still more that Lady Seely should see and approve it—for my ladys words and manner implied no less—was a very astonishing idea indeed
So astonishing was it that after a while he came to the conclusion that the idea was erroneous He turned Lady Seelys words in his mind this way and that and tried to look at them from all points of view and—as words will do when too curiously scrutinised—they gradually seemed to take another and a different meaning from the first obvious one which had struck him
The old woman was only giving me a hint not to annoy Miss Kilfinane not to excite her peevish temper or exasperate her envy
But this solution would not quite do either Lady Seely is not too fond of Castalia he said to himself Besides I never knew her particularly anxious to spare anyones feelings What the deuce did she mean I wonder
Algernon continued to wonder at intervals all the rest of the afternoon His mind was still busy with the same subject when he came upon Jack Price seated in the readingroom of the club to which he had introduced Algernon at the beginning of his London career and of which Algernon had since become a member It was now full summer time The window was wide open and the Honourable John Patrick was lounging in a chair near it with a newspaper spread out on his knees and his eyes fixed on a watercart that was besprinkling the dusty street outside He looked very idle and a little melancholy as he sat there by himself and he welcomed Algernon with even more than his usual effusion asking him what he was going to do with himself and offering to walk part of the way towards his lodgings with him when he was told that Algernon must betake himself homeward The offer was a measure of Mr Prices previous weariness of spirit for in general he professed to dislike walking
And how long is it since you saw our friend Mrs MachynStubbs asked Jack Price of Algernon as they strolled along arminarm on the shady side of the way
Oh—Im afraid its rather a long time said Algernon carelessly
Ah now thats bad my dear boy You shouldnt neglect people you know And our dear Mrs MachynStubbs is exceedingly pleasant
As to neglecting her—I dont know that I have neglected her—particularly What more could I do than call and leave my card
Call again You wouldnt leave off going to Lady Seelys because you happened not to find her at home once in a way
Lady Seely is my relation
Hm Well would you cut Lady Harriet Dormer for the same reason
Cut her But my dear Mr Price you mustnt suppose that I have cut Mrs MachynStubbs
Come now my dear fellow Im a great deal older than you are and Ill take the liberty of giving you a bit of advice Never offend people who mean to be civil merely because they dont happen to amuse you What the deuce we cant live for amusement in this life
The moralising might be good but the moralist was Algernon thought badly fitted with his part He was tempted to retort on his new mentor but he did not retort He merely said quietly
Has Mrs MachynStubbs been complaining of me then
Well the truth is she has—in an indirect kind of way you know—what
Ill go and see her this evening Today is Thursday isnt it She has one of her At homes this evening
Jack Price looked at the young man admiringly Youre an uncommonly sensible fellow said he I give you my honour I never knew a fellow of your years take advice so well By Jove I wish I had had your common sense when I was your age Its too late for me to do any good now you know what And in fact with a solemn lowering of his musical Irish voice I split myself on the very rock Im now warning you off I never was polite And if any one told me to go to the right sure it was a thousand to one that Id instantly bolt to the left And shaking his head with a sad regretful gesture Jack Price parted from Algernon at the corner of the street
Mrs MachynStubbs received the truant very graciously that evening She knew that during his absence from her parties he had been admitted into society to which even her fashionable self could not hope to penetrate But though this might be a reason for a little genteel sneering at him behind his back it was none whatever Mrs MachynStubbs considered for giving him a cool reception when he did grace her house with his presence She said to several of her guests one after the other We have young Ancram Errington here tonight Hes so glad to come to us poor fellow for my peoples place is his second home down in the West of England And then the Seelys think it nice of us to take notice of him dont you know He is a relation of Lady Seelys and is quite in that set—the Dormers and all those people Ah you dont know them They say he is to marry Castalia Kilfinane But we havent spoken about it yet out of our own little circle Her father was Viscount Kauldkail and married Lord Seelys youngest sister and so on and so on with a set smile and no expression whatever on her smooth fair face
To Algernon himself she showed herself politely inquisitive on the subject of his engagement to Castalia and startled him considerably by saying when she found herself close to him for a few minutes near a doorway
And are we really to congratulate you Mr Errington
If you please madam answered Algernon with a bright amused smile and an easy bow but I should like to know—if it be not indiscreet—on what special subject I am indeed to be congratulated on finding myself here But then you are hardly likely to be the person to do it
At that moment Algernon was wedged into a corner behind a fat old gentleman who was vainly struggling to extricate himself from the crowd in front by making a series of short plunges forward the rebound of which sent him back on to Algernons toes with some violence It was very hot and a young lady was singing out of tune in the adjoining room her voice floating over the murmur of conversation occasionally in a wailing longdrawn note Altogether it might have been suspected by some persons that Mr Ancram Errington was laughing at his hostess when he spoke of his position at that time as being one which called for congratulation But Mrs MachynStubbs was the sort of woman who completely baffled irony by a serene incapability of perceiving it And she would sooner suspect you of maligning her hating her or insulting her than of laughing at her To this immunity from all sense of the ridiculous she owed her chief social successes for there are occasions when some obtuseness of the faculties is useful Mrs MachynStubbs tapped Algernons arm lightly with her fan as she answered Now Mr Errington thats all very well with the outside world but you shouldnt make mysteries with us I look upon you almost as a brother of Orlandos I do indeed
Youre very kind indeed and Im immensely obliged to you but upon my word I dont know what you mean by my making mysteries
Oh well if you choose to keep your own counsel of course you can do so I will say no more Upon which Mrs MachynStubbs proceeded to say a great deal more and ended by plainly giving Algernon to understand that the rumour of his engagement to Miss Castalia Kilfinane had been pretty widely circulated during the last four or five weeks
Oh Mrs MachynStubbs said Algernon laughing you surely never believe more than a hundredth part of what you hear Theres Mr Price looking for me I promised to walk home with him it is such a lovely night Thank you no not any tea Are you ever at home about four oclock I shall take my chance of finding you Good night
Algernon was greatly puzzled How and whence had the report of his engagement to Castalia originated He would have been less puzzled if not less surprised had he known that the report had come in the first place from Lady Seely herself who had let fall little words and hints well understanding how they would grow and spread He had not committed himself in his answer to Mrs MachynStubbs He had replied to her in such a manner as to leave the truth or falsehood of the report she had mentioned an open question He felt the consciousness of this to be a satisfaction Some persons might say Well but since the report was false why not say so But Algernon always and as it were instinctively took refuge in the vague A clear statement to which he should appear to be bound would have irked him like a tight shoe and naturally so since he was conscious that he should flexibly conform himself to circumstances as they might arise and not stick with stubborn stupidity to any predetermined course of conduct which might prove to be inconvenient
After saying Good night to his hostess he elbowed his way out of the crowded rooms and went downstairs side by side with Jack Price The latter knew everybody present or thought he did And as when he did happen to make a mistake and to greet enthusiastically some total stranger whom he had never seen in his life before he never acknowledged it but persisted in declaring that he remembered the individual in question perfectly although the name the name my dear sir or madam has quite escaped my wretched memory his progress towards Mrs MachynStubbss hall door was considerably impeded by the nods smiles and shakes of the hand which he scattered broadcast
Theres Deepville said he to Algernon as they passed a tall dark thinfaced man with a stern jaw and a haughty carriage of the head Dont you know Deepville Ah then you should You should really The most delightful lovable charming fellow Hed be enchanted to make your acquaintance Errington quite enchanted I can answer for him Theres nothing in the world would give him greater pleasure what
Algernon was by this time pretty well accustomed to Jack Prices habit of answering for the ready ecstasies of all his acquaintances with regard to each other and merely replied that he dared to say Sir Lancelot Deepville was a very agreeable person
And hows the fair Castalia asked Jack when they were out in the street
I believe she is quite well I saw her this morning
Oh I suppose you did exclaimed Jack Price with a little smile which Algernon thought was to be interpreted by Mrs MachynStubbss recent revelations But the next minute Jack added very unexpectedly I had some idea at one time that Deepville was making up to her But it came to nothing Shes a nice creature is Castalia Kilfinane a very nice creature
Algernon could not help smiling at this disinterested praise
Im afraid she does not always behave quite nicely to you Mr Price he said And he said it with a little air of apology and proprietorship which he would not have assumed yesterday
Oh youre quite mistaken my dear boy shes as nice as possible with me I like Castalia Kilfinane Theres a great deal of good about her and shes well educated and clever in her way—not showy you know what—but—oh a nice creature Theres a sort of bitter twang about her you know that I like immensely
Oh well cried Algernon laughing outright if you have a liking for bitters indeed——
Ah but she doesnt mean it Its just a little flavour—a little soupçon Oh upon my word I think Miss Kilfinane a thoroughly nice creature It was a pity about Deepville now eh what
I wonder that you never thought of trying your fortune in that quarter yourself Mr Price said Algernon looking at him curiously as they passed within the glare of a streetlamp
Is it me Ah now I thought everybody knew that I wasnt a marrying man Besides there never was the least probability that Miss Kilfinane would have had me—none in the world Sure shed never think of looking at a bald old bachelor like myself what
Algernon did not feel called on to pursue the subject But he had a conviction that Jack Price would not under any circumstances have given Miss Kilfinane the chance of accepting him
The allusion however seemed to have touched some longsilent chord of feeling in Jack and set it vibrating As they sat at supper together Jack reverted to the sage mentorlike tone he had assumed that morning giving Algernon much sound advice of a worldly nature and holding up his own case as a warning to all young men who liked to bolt to the left when they were told to go to the right and presenting himself in the unusual light of a gloomy and disappointed person and when a couple of tumblers of hot punch smoked on the table Jack grew tender and sentimental
Ah my dear Errington he said I wish ye may never know what it is to be a lonely old bachelor
Lonely Why youre the most popular man in London outandout
Popular And what good does that do me If I were dead tomorrow whod care do you think Although that doesnt seem to me to be such a hard case as people say Sure I dont want anyone to cry when Im dead but Id like em to care for me a little while Im living If Id been my own elder brother now or if Id taken advantage of my opportunities and made a good fortune as I might have done——But twas one scrape after another I put my foot into I did and said whatever came uppermost And youll find my dear boy that its the foolish things that mostly do come uppermost
Its lucky that amongst other foolish things an imprudent marriage never rose to the surface said Algernon
Oh but it did Oh devil a doubt about it The combined influence of memory and hot punch brought out Jacks musical brogue with unusual emphasis Only there I couldnt carry out my foolish intentions It wasnt the will that was wanting my dear boy
Providence looked after you on that occasion
Providence or—or the other thing Oh I could tell you a lovestory only youd be laughing at me
Indeed I would not laugh
On my honour I dont know why you shouldnt I often enough have laughed at myself She was the sweetest gentlest most delicate little creature—Snowdrop I used to call her And as for goodness she was steeped in it You felt goodness in the air wherever she was just as you smell perfume all about when the hawthorns blossom in May Ah now to think of me talking in that way and my head as smooth as a billiardball
And—and how was it Did your people interfere to prevent the match
My people Faith theyd have screeched to be heard from here to there if Id made her the Honourable Mrs Jack Price and contaminated the blood of the Prices of Mullingar Did ye ever hear that my greatgrandfather was a whisky distiller Bedad he was then And I believe he manufactured good liquor rest his soul But I shouldnt have cared for that as ye may believe But they got hold of her and told her that I was a roving unsteady sort of fellow and that was true enough And—and she married somebody else The man she took wasnt as goodlooking as I was in those days However theres no accounting for these things you know Its fate what destiny And she told me in the pretty silver voice of hers like a robin on a bough that I had better forget her and marry a lady in my own station and live happy ever after Mary said I if I dont marry you Ill marry no woman gentle or simple She didnt believe me And I dont know that I quite believed myself But so it turned out you see what And so I was saved from a mésalliance and from having maybe to bring up a numerous family on nothing a year and the blood of the Prices of Mullingar is in a fine state of preservation and Mary never became the Honourable Mrs Jack Price Honourable—bedad its the Honourable Jack Price shed have made of me if shed taken me an honourabler Jack than Ive been without her Im afraid Dye know Errington I believe on my soul that if I had married Mary and gone off with her to Canada and built a loghouse and looked after my pigs and my ploughs Id have been a happy man But there it is a man never knows what is really best for him until its too late Well hope there are compensations to come what Of all the dreary cutthroat bluedevilish syllables in the English language I believe those words too late are the ugliest They make a fellow feel as if he was being strangled So mind your ps and qs my boy and dont throw away your chances whilst youve got em
And thus ended Jack Prices sermon on worldly wisdom
CHAPTER II
Minnie Bodkin had loyally tried to keep the promise she had given to the Methodist preacher respecting Rhoda Maxfield but in so trying she had encountered many obstacles In the first place Rhoda with all her gentleness was not frank and she opposed a passive resistance to all Minnies efforts to win her confidence on the subject of Algernon
It is like poking a little frightened animal out of its hole trying to get anything from her said Minnie impatiently
Not that Rhodas reticence was wholly due to timidity She knew instinctively that she was to be warned against giving her heart to Algernon Errington that she should hear him blamed or at least that the unreasonableness of trusting in his promises or taking his boyish lovemaking in serious earnest would be safely set forth by Miss Bodkin Rhoda had not perceived any of the wise things which might be said against her attachment to Algernon in the beginning but now she thought she perceived them all And she was resolved with a sort of timid obstinacy not to listen to them
Im sure Algys fond of me And even if he has changed—the supposition brought tears into her eyes as the words framed themselves in her mind—I dont want to have him spoken unkindly of
But in truth latterly her hopes had been outweighing her fears In most of his letters to his mother Algernon had spoken of her and had sent her his love He was making friends and looking forward hopefully to getting some definite position Even her father spoke well of Algernon now—said how clever he was and what grand acquaintance he was making and how sure he would be to succeed And once or twice her father had dropped a word which had set Rhodas heart beating and made the colour rush into her face for it seemed as if the old man had some idea of her love for Algy and approved it All these circumstances together made Minnies task of mentor a rather hopeless one
And then Minnie herself although as has been said loyally anxious to fulfil her promise to David Powell began to think that he had overrated the importance of interfering with Rhodas lovestory if lovestory it were Powell lived in a state of exalted and perhaps overstrained feeling and attributed his own earnestness to slighter natures Of course on the side of worldly wisdom there was much to be said against Rhodas fancying herself engaged to Algernon Errington There was much to be said and yet Minnie did not feel quite sure that the idea was so preposterous as Powell had appeared to think it True Mrs Errington was vain and worldly and ambitious for her son True Algernon was volatile selfish and little more than twenty years of age But still there was one solid fact to be taken into account which Minnie thought might be made to outweigh all the obstacles to a marriage between the two young people—the solid fact namely of old Maxfields money
If Algernon married a wife with a good dower and if the wife were as pretty as graceful and as wellmannered as Rhoda I do not suppose that anybody would concern himself particularly with her pedigree thought Minnie And even if any one did that difficulty would not be insuperable for I have no knowledge of Mrs Errington if within three months of the wedding she had not invented a genealogy only second to her own for her sons wife and persuaded herself of its genuineness into the bargain
As to those other convictions which would have made such a marriage horrible to David Powell even had it been made with the hearty approval of all the godless world Minnie did not share them She did not believe that Rhodas character had any spiritual depth and she thought it likely enough that she would be able to make Algernon happy and to be happy as his wife Algy is not base or cruel or vicious she said to herself He has merely the faults of a spoiled child A woman with more earnestness than Rhoda has would weary him and a wiser woman might in the long run be wearied by him She is pretty and sufficiently intelligent to make a good audience and so humbleminded that she would never be exacting but would gratefully accept any scraps of kindness and affection which Algy might feel inclined to bestow on her And that would react upon him and make him bestow bigger scraps for the pleasure of being adored for his generosity
And there were times when she felt very angry with Rhoda—Rhoda who turned away from the better to choose the worse and who was coldly insensible to the fact that Matthew Diamond was in love with her Nay had she been cognisant of the fact she would Minnie felt sure have shrank away from the grave clever gentleman who as it was could win nothing warmer from her than a sort of submissive endurance of his presence and a humble acknowledgment that he was very kind to take notice of an ignorant little thing like her
It was with strangely mingled feelings that Minnie watching day by day from her sofa or easychair perceived the girls utter indifference to Diamond How much would Minnie have given for one of those rare sweet smiles to beam upon her which were wasted on Rhodas pretty shy downcast face How happy it would have made her to hear those clear incisive tones lowered into soft indistinctness for her ears as they so often were for Rhodas who would look timid and tired and answer Yes sir and No sir until Minnies nervous sympathy with Diamonds disappointment and irritation against him for being disappointed grew almost beyond her own control
One May evening when the cuckoo was sending his voice across the purling Whit from distant Pudcombe Woods and the hyacinths in Minnies special flowerstand were pouring out their silent evensong in waves of perfume five persons were sitting in Mrs Bodkins drawingroom the windows of which looked towards the west They were listening to the cuckoo and smelling the sweet breath of the hyacinths and gazing at the rosy sky and dropping now and then a soft word which seemed to enhance the sweetness and the silence of the room The five persons were Minnie Bodkin Rhoda Maxfield Matthew Diamond Mr Warlock the curate of St Chads and Miss Chubb The latter was embroidering something in Berlin wools as usual but the peace of the place and of the hour seemed to have fallen on her as on the rest and she sat with her work in her lap looking across the stand of hyacinths very still and quiet
The Reverend Peter also sat looking silently across the hyacinths but it was at the owner Minnies cheek rested on her thin white hand and her lustrous eyes had a faraway look in them as they gazed out towards Pudcombe Woods where the cuckoo was calling his poetloved syllables with a sweet clear tone that seemed to have gathered all the spirit of the spring into one woodland voice
Rhoda sat beside the window and was sewing very gently and noiselessly but seemingly intent upon her work and unconscious that the eyes of Mr Diamond—who was seated close to Minnies chair—were fixed upon her and that in some vague way he was attributing to her the perfume of the flowers and the melancholysweet note of the bird and the melted rubies of the western sky
What a sunset said Miss Chubb breaking the silence But she spoke almost in a whisper and her voice did not startle any ear Mr Warlock habituated to suppress his feelings and adapt his words to those of his company answered after a little pause Lovely indeed It is an evening to awaken the sensibilities of a feeling heart
It makes me think of Manchester Square We had some hyacinths in pots too I remember when I was staying with the Bishop of Plumbunn
Miss Chubbs odd association of ideas was merely due to the fact that her thoughts were flying back to the rosegarden of youth
Do you not like to hear the cuckoo Miss Bodkin said Diamond softly speaking almost in her ear She started and turned her head towards him
Yes no I like it although it makes me sad I like it because it makes me sad perhaps
All sights and sounds and scents seem to me to be combined this evening into something sweeter than words can say
It is a fine evening and the cuckoo is calling from Pudcombe Woods and my hyacinths are of a very good sort It seems to me that words can manage to say that much with distinctness
What a pity thought Diamond that head overshadows heart in this attractive woman She is too keen too cool too critical A woman without softness and sentiment is an unpleasant phenomenon And I think she has grown harder in her manner than she used to be Then the reflection crossed his mind that her health had been more frail and uncertain than usual of late and that she bore much physical suffering with high courage and the little prick of resentment he had begun to feel was at once mollified He answered aloud with a slow smile Why yes words may manage to say all that I wonder if I may ask you a question It is one I have long wished to ask
You may certainly
There are questions that should not be asked
I will trust you not to ask any such
Now when she looks and speaks like that she is adorable thought Diamond meeting the soft light of Minnies lovely pathetic eyes which fell immediately before his own I wish I might have you for a friend Miss Bodkin he said
I think you have your wish I thought you knew you had it
Ah yes you are always good and kind and—and—but you—I will make a clean breast of it and pay you the compliment of telling you the truth I have thought latterly that you were hardly so cordial so frank in your kindness to me as you once were It would matter nothing to me in another person but in you a little shade of manner matters a great deal I dont believe there is another human being to whom I would say so much For I am—as perhaps you know—a man little given to thrust myself where I am not welcome
You are about the proudest and most distant person I ever knew and require to be very obviously implored before you condescend to easy friendship with anyone
Minnie laughed as she spoke a little low rippling laugh which she ended with a forced cough to hide the sob in her throat
No not proud You misjudge me but it is true that I dread almost more than anything else being deemed intrusive
If that fear has prevented you from putting the question to which you have so long desired an answer pray ask it forthwith
I think it has almost answered itself said Diamond bending over her and turning his chair so as to cut her and himself off still more from the others I was going to ask you if I had unwittingly offended you in any way or if my frequent presence here were for any reason irksome to you It might well be so And if you would say so candidly believe me I should feel not the smallest resentment Sorrow I should feel I cant deny it but I should not cease to regard you as I have always regarded you from the beginning of our acquaintance How highly that is I have not the gift to tell nor do you love the direct broadlyspoken praise that sounds like flattery be it ever so sincere
No please dont praise me said Minnie huskily She was shadowed by his figure as he sat beside her and so he did not see the tears that quivered in her eyes After a second or two during which she had passed her handkerchief quickly almost stealthily across her face she said But your question you say has answered itself
I hope so I hope I may believe that there is nothing wrong between us
Nothing
I have not offended you in any way
No
Nor unwittingly hurt you I daresay I am awkward and abrupt sometimes
Pray believe that I have nothing in the world to blame you for
Thank you I know you speak sincerely Your friendship is very precious to me
She answered nothing but hesitatingly put out her hand which he grasped for an instant and would have raised to his lips but that she drew it suddenly away murmuring something about her cushions being awry and trying tremblingly to rearrange them
He moved the cushions that supported her shoulders with a tender careful touch and placed them so that her posture in the loungingchair might be easier She clasped her hands together and laid her head back wearily
You dont know how precious your friendship is to me he went on lowering his voice still more I never had a sister But I have often thought how sweet the companionship of a sister must be I am very much alone in the world and if I dared I would speak to you with fraternal confidence
Pray speak so answered Minnie almost in a whisper I should like—to be—of some comfort to you
There was a silence It was scarcely broken by Miss Chubbs murmured remark to Mr Warlock that the moon was beginning to make a ring of light behind the poplar trees on the other side of the Whit like the halo round the head of a saint The twilight deepened Rhodas fingers ceased to ply the needle but she remained at the window looking over at the moonlit poplars while Miss Chubbs voice softly droned out some rambling speech which jarred no more on the quietude of the hour than did the ripple of the river
You have been so good to her said Diamond suddenly under cover of this murmur and then paused for a moment as if awaiting a reply Minnie did not speak Presently he went on You know her and understand her better than any of the people here
I think every one likes Rhoda said Minnie at length
Yes Diamond answered eagerly Yes do they not But it requires the delicate tact of a refined woman to overcome her shyness I never saw so timid a creature Has it not struck you as strange that she should have come out from that vulgar home so entirely free from vulgarity
Rhoda has great natural refinement
You appreciate her thoroughly And then the repulsive and ludicrous side of Methodism has not touched her at all It is marvellous to me to see her so perfect in grace and sweetness
I do not think that Methodism has ever taken deep hold on Rhoda
And yet it is strange that it should be so She was exposed to the influence of David Powell And although he has fine qualities he is ignorant and fanatical
His ignorance and fanaticism are mere spots on the sun cried Minnie And now as she spoke her voice was stronger and she raised her head from the cushion In his presence the Scripture phrase A burning and a shining light kept recurring to me How poor and dark ones little selfish self seems beside him
Diamond slightly raised his eyebrows as he answered Powell has undoubtedly very genuine enthusiasm and fervour But he might be a dangerous guide to undisciplined minds
He would sacrifice himself he does sacrifice himself for undisciplined and ungrateful minds with whom I own my egotism could not bear so patiently
But it was not of Powell that Matthew Diamond wished to speak now Under the softening influences of the twilight and the unaccustomed charm of pouring out the fulness of his heart to such a confidante as Minnie he could talk of nothing but Rhoda
Perhaps I am a fool to keep singeing my wings he said It may be all in vain But dont you believe that a strong and genuine love is almost sure to win a womans heart provided the womans heart is free to be won
Perhaps—provided——
And you do not think hers is free
How can I answer you
I know that Powell thought there was some one trifling with her affections It was on that subject that he begged for the interview with you I have never asked any questions about that interview but I have guessed since from many little signs and tokens that the person he had in his mind was young Errington
Yes
Then the matter cannot be serious He was little more than a boy when he left Whitford
But Rhoda was turned nineteen when Algernon went away
Diamond started eagerly forward with his hand on the arm of the chair and fixing his eyes anxiously on her face said
Minnie tell me the truth Do you think she cares for him
It was the first time he had ever addressed Minnie by her Christianname and she marked the fact with a chilly feeling at the heart You ask for the truth she said sadly Yes I do think so
Diamond leant his head on his hand for a minute in silence Then he raised his face again and answered Thank you for answering with sincerity But I knew you would do no otherwise This feeling for Algernon must be half made up of childish memories I cannot believe it is an earnest sentiment that will endure
Nothing endures
If I know myself at all my love will endure I am a resolute man and do not much regard external obstacles The only essential point is can she ever be brought to care for me
There was a pause
Do you think she might—some day
Is that the only essential point
Yes to me it is so I do believe that it would be for her happiness to care for me rather than for that selfish young fellow
And—for your happiness——
Oh of that I am not doubtful at all
Theres the moon above the poplar trees cried Miss Chubb And as she spoke a silver beam stole into the room and lighted one or two faces leaving the others in shadow Amongst the faces so illuminated was Minnie Bodkins Did you ever see anything so beautiful as Minnies countenance in the moonlight whispered Miss Chubb to the curate She looks like a spirit
Poor Mr Warlock sighed He had been envying Diamond his long confidential conversation with the doctors daughter She is always beautiful he replied But I think she looks unusually sad tonight
Thats the moon my dear sir Bless you it always gives a pensive expression to the eyes always And Miss Chubb cast her own eyes upwards towards the sky as she spoke
Dear me you have no lamp here said a voice which though mellow and musical in quality was too loud and out of harmony with the twilight mood of the occupants of the drawingroom to be pleasant
Is not that silver lamp aloft there sufficient Mrs Errington asked Diamond
Oh good evening Mr Diamond returned Mrs Errington with perhaps an extra tone of condescension for she thought in her heart that the tutor was a little spoiled in Whitford society I can hardly make out whos who Oh theres Miss Chubb and Mr Warlock and—oh is that you Rhoda Well Minnie I left your mamma giving the doctor his tea in the study and she sent me upstairs And if you have no objection I should like the lamp lit for I am going to read you a letter from Algy
CHAPTER III
Now isnt that charming said Mrs Errington finishing a paragraph descriptive of some brilliant evening party at which Algernon had been present and looking round triumphantly at her audience
Very indeed said Minnie who had been specially appealed to
Quite a graphic picture of the bow mong said Miss Chubb I know all about that sort of society so I can answer for the correctness of Algys description
Miss Chubb had the discretion to lower her voice as she made the latter remark so that no one heard it save Mr Warlock and thus Mrs Errington was not challenged to contradiction
How well Algernon writes observed Mr Diamond He has the trick of the thing so neatly and puts out what he has to say so effectively I wonder he has never thought of turning his pen to profit
My son sir has other views returned Mrs Errington loftily But as to what you are pleased to call the trick of the thing I can assure you that literary talent is hereditary in our family I dont know my dear Minnie whether you have happened to hear me mention it but my great uncle by the mothers side was a most distinguished author
Really
What did he write asked Miss Chubb with much distinctness But Mrs Errington took no heed of the question And my own fathers letters were considered models of style she continued A large number of them are I believe still preserved in the family archives at Ancram Park
How did they come there asked Miss Chubb Unless he wrote letters to himself they must have been scattered about here and there
They were collected after his death Miss Chubb You may not be aware perhaps that it is not an unfrequent custom to collect the correspondence of eminent men It was done in the case of Walpole And—Mr Diamond will correct me if I am wrong—in that of the celebrated Persian gentleman whose letters are so well known Mirza was the name I think
Miss Chubb felt herself on unsafe ground here and did not venture farther
Well at all events Algernon appears to be getting on admirably in London said the Reverend Peter pacifically
Minnie threw him an approving glance for his goodnatured words dispelled a little cloud on Miss Chubbs brow and brought down Mrs Errington from her high horse to the level of friendly sympathies Oh he is getting on wonderfully dear fellow said she
Im sure we are all glad to hear of Algys doing well and being happy He is such a nice genial unaffected creature And never gave himself any airs said Miss Chubb with a sidelong toss of her head and a little unnecessary emphasis
Oh no my dear That sort of vulgar pretension is not found among folks who come of a real good ancient stock replied Mrs Errington with superb complacency
And we are not to have the pleasure of seeing Algernon back among us this summer said Mr Warlock In general he shrank from much conversation with Mrs Errington whom he found somewhat overwhelming but he would have nerved himself to greater efforts than talking to that thickskinned lady for the sake of a kind look from Minnie Bodkin
Oh impossible Quite out of the question He is sorry of course And I am sorry But it would be cruel in him to desert poor dear Seely when he is so anxious to have him with him all the summer
Is there anything the matter with Lord Seely asked Minnie
N—no my dear Nothing but a little overwork The mental strain of a man in his position is very severe and he depends so on Algy And so does dear Lady Seely I ought almost to feel jealous They say openly that they look on him quite as a son
Its a pity they havent a daughter isnt it said Miss Chubb
Mrs Errington did not catch the force of the hint She answered placidly They have an adopted daughter a niece of my lords who is almost always with them
Oh indeed said Diamond quickly I had not heard that
Mrs Errington bestowed a stolid chinablue stare on him before replying I daresay not sir
The fact was that Mrs Errington had not known it herself until quite recently for Algernon either mistrusting his mothers prudence—or for some other reason—had passed lightly over Castalias name in his letters and for some time had not even mentioned that she was an inmate of Lord Seelys house In his latter letters he had spoken of Miss Kilfinane but in terms purposely chosen to check as far as possible any matchmaking flights of fancy which his mother might indulge in with reference to that lady
I am not sure my dear proceeded Mrs Errington turning to Minnie whether I have happened to mention it to you but Castalia—the Honourable Castalia Kilfinane only daughter of Lord Kauldkail—is staying with the dear Seelys But as she is rather sickly and not very young she cannot of course be to them what Algy is
Oh Not very young said Miss Chubb in a tone of disappointment
Well not very young comparatively speaking Miss Chubb She might be considered young compared with you and me I daresay
Fortunately perhaps for the preservation of peace much imperilled by this last speech of Mrs Erringtons Dr Bodkin and his wife here entered the drawingroom Although it was May and the temperature was mild for the season a good fire blazed in the grate and on the rug in front of it Dr Bodkin after saluting the assembled company took up his accustomed station Diamond rose and stood leaning on the mantelshelf near to his chief an action which Mrs Errington viewed with disfavour as indicating on the part of the second master at the Grammar School a too great ease and absence of due subjection in the presence of his superiors and the Reverend Peter and Miss Chubb drew their chairs nearer to the fireplace thus bringing the scattered members of the party into a more sociable circle The doctor was understood to object to his society being broken up into groups of two or three and to prefer general conversation which indeed afforded better opportunities for haranguing and for looking at the company as a class brought up for examination and if needful correction according to the doctors habit of mind Only Rhoda remained at her window apart from the others and Dr Bodkin seeing her there called to her to come nearer
What little Primrose said the doctor kindly Dont stay there looking at the moon She is chillier and not so cosy as the coal fire Draw the curtain and shut her out and come nearer to us all
Rhoda obeyed blushing deeply as she advanced within the range of the lamplight and looking so pretty and timid that the doctor began smilingly to murmur into Diamonds ear something about Hinnuleo similis non sine vano burarum et siluæ metu
The doctors prejudice against Rhoda had long been overcome and she had grown to be a pet of his in so far as so awful a personage as the doctor was capable of petting any one To this result the conversion to orthodoxy of the Maxfield family may have contributed But possibly Rhodas regular attendance at St Chads might have been inefficacious to win the doctors favour good churchman though he was without some assistance from her blooming complexion soft hazel eyes and graceful winning manners
The girl came forward bashfully into the circle around the fire and nestled herself down on a low seat between Mrs Errington and Mrs Bodkin A month ago her place in that drawingroom would have been beside Minnies chair But lately by some subtle instinct Rhoda had a little shrunk from her former intimacy with the young lady She was sensitive enough to feel the existence of some unexpressed disapproval of herself in Minnies mind
We have been hearing a letter of Algernons papa said Minnie
Have you have you
Mrs Errington has been kind enough to read it to us
The doctor left his post of vantage on the hearthrug for an instant went to his daughter and bending down kissed her on the forehead Pretty well this evening my darling said he Minnie caught her fathers hand as he was moving away again and pressed it to her lips Thank God for you and mother she whispered Minnie was not given to demonstrations of tenderness having been rather accustomed like most idolised children to accept her parents anxious affection as she accepted her daily bread—that is to say as a matter of course But there was something in her heart now which made her keenly alive to the preciousness of that abounding and unselfish devotion
I think it is quite touching to see that father and daughter together said Miss Chubb confidentially to her neighbour the curate So severe a man as the doctor is in general Quite the churchman Combined with the scholastic dignitary you know And yet with Minnie as gentle as a woman
As to Mr Warlock the tears were in his eyes and he unaffectedly wiped them away answering Miss Chubb only by a nod
And what said the doctor when he had resumed his usual place and his usual manner what is the news from our young friend Algernon
Mrs Errington began to recapitulate some of the items in her sons last letter—the lords and ladies gay whose society he frequented the brilliant compliments that were paid him by word and deed and the immense success which his talents and attractions met with everywhere
Yes and Algernon is kindly received by other sorts and conditions of men besides the aristocracy of this realm said Minnie with a little ironical smile He has shone in evening receptions at Mrs MachynStubbss and sipped lawyer Leadbeaters portwine with appreciative gusto
He has to be civil to people you know my dear said Mrs Errington smoothly It wouldnt do to neglect—a—a—persons who mean to be attentive merely because they are not quite in our own set
I trust not indeed madam exclaimed the doctor with protruding lips and frowning brow It would be exceedingly impolitic in Algernon to turn away from proffered kindness But I will not put the matter on that ground I should be sorry to think that a youth who has been—I may say—formed and brought up under my tuition could be capable of ignoble and ungentlemanlike behaviour
Mrs Bodkin glanced a little apprehensively at Mrs Errington after this explosion of the doctors But that descendant of all the Ancrams had not the slightest idea of being offended She was smiling with much complacency and answered mellifluously to the doctors thunder Thank you Dr Bodkin Now that is so nice in you to appreciate Algy as you do He is and ever was like his ancestors before him the soul of gentlemanliness
Algernon was always most popular Im sure said Miss Chubb He was a favourite with everybody Such lively manners And at home with all classes
Yes said Diamond in a low voice Superis Deorum gratus et imis
Now what may that mean asked Miss Chubb who had quick ears
The words were applied to a mythological personage of very flexible talents madam replied Diamond
Oh mythological Well I never went very far into mythology Now its a singular circumstance which has often struck me and perhaps some of you learned gentlemen may be able to explain it that none of the studies in ology ever seemed to have much attraction for me whereas the ographies always interested me very much There was geography now I used to know the names of all the European rivers when I was quite a child And orthography and biography We had a translation of Plutos Lives at the rectory and I was uncommonly fond of them But as to the ologies I frankly own that I know nothing about them
The effect of this speech of Miss Chubbs was much heightened by the mute commentary of Dr Bodkins face during its utterance When she came to Plutos Lives the scholastic eyes rolled round on Mr Diamond and the curate with an expression of such helpless indignation that the former was driven to blow his nose with violence in order to smother an explosion of laughter And even Mr Warlocks sombre brow relaxed and he ventured to steal a smiling glance at Minnie
But Minnie did not return the glance She had shaded her eyes with her hand and was leaning back in her chair unheeding the conversation that was going on around her
But now really you know there must be some reason for these things if philosophers could only find it out pursued Miss Chubb cheerfully Mustnt there Minnie
Eh I beg your pardon
Oh you naughty absent girl You have not heard a word Ive been saying I was merely remarking that——
But at this point Dr Bodkins patience suddenly snapped He found himself unable silently to endure a recapitulation of Miss Chubbs views as to the comparative attractions of the ologies and the ographies and he abruptly demanded of his wife in the magisterial tones which had often struck awe into the hearts of the lowest form Laura are we not to have our rubber before midnight Pray make up the table in the next room There are—let me see—Mrs Errington Miss Chubb you will take a hand Laura We are just a quartet And the doctor giving his arm to Mrs Errington marched off to the whisttable
On this occasion Mr Warlock escaped being obliged to play Indeed the curates assistance at whist was only called into requisition when a second table besides the doctors had to be made up for although Dr Bodkin cooperated very comfortably with his curate in all church matters he found himself not altogether able to do so at the green table the Reverend Peters notions of whist being confused and elementary To be sure Mrs Bodkin was not a much better player than the curate but then she offered the compensating advantage of enduring an unlimited amount of scolding—whether as partner or adversary—without resenting it
So Diamond and Warlock and Minnie and Rhoda remained in the big drawingroom when their elders had left it Minnie had the lamp shaded and the curtains opened so that the full clear light of the climbing moon poured freely into the room Warlock timidly drew near to Miss Bodkins chair and ventured to say a word or two now and then to which he received answers so kind and gracious that the poor fellows heart swelled with gratitude and perhaps with hope for hope is very cunning and stealthy and hides herself under all sorts of unlikely feelings
Minnie had grown much more gentle and patient with the awkward plain rather dull curate of late She listened to his talk and replied to it And all the while she was taking eager cognisance with eye and ear of the two who sat side by side near the window Diamond bending down to speak softly to Rhoda and the girls delicate face white and spritelike in the moonlight turning now and then towards her companion with a pretty languid gesture Once or twice Rhoda laughed at something Diamond said to her Her laugh was perhaps a little suggestive of silliness but it was low and musical and rippling and it was not too frequent
Minnie sat with her hands clasped in her lap and when she was carried to her own room that night Jane exclaimed as she removed her young mistresss ornaments Goodness Miss Minnie what have you done to yourself Why that diamond ring you wear has made a desperate mark in your finger It looks as if it had been driven right into the flesh as hard as could be
Minnie held up her thin white hand to the light and looked at it strangely
Ah said she I must have pressed and twisted the ring about unconsciously I was thinking of something else
CHAPTER IV
Time passed or seemed to pass with unusual gentleness over Whitford If some of our acquaintances there had suddenly been called upon to mention the changes that had taken place within two years they would perhaps have said at first that there had been none But changes there had been nevertheless and by a few dwellers in the little town they had been keenly felt
The second summer vacation after that happy holiday time which Rhoda had passed with the Erringtons at Llanryddan arrived A hot July winged with thunderclouds brooded over the meadows by the Whit The shadow of Pudcombe Woods was pleasant in the sultry afternoons and the cattle stood for hours kneedeep in dark pools overhung by drooping boughs The great schoolroom at the Grammar School resounded no more with the tread of young feet or the murmur of young voices It was empty and silent and dusty and an overgrown spider had thrown his grey tapestry right across the oriel window so that it was painted warp and woof with brave purple and ruby blazonries from the old stained glass
Dr Bodkin and his family were away at a seaside place in the South of England Mr Diamond had gone on a solitary excursion afoot Even Pudcombe Hall was deserted although young Pawkins was expected to return thither later in the season for the shooting Rhoda Maxfield had been sent to her halfbrother Seth at Duckwell Farm to get strong and sunburned and as she was allowed to be by herself almost as much as she wished—Mrs Seth Maxfield being a bustling active woman who would not have thought of suspending or modifying her daily avocations for the sake of entertaining any visitor whatever—Rhoda spent her time not unhappily in a sort of continuous daydream sitting with a book of poetry under a hedge in the hayfield or wandering with her little nephew Seth Maxfield the younger in Pudcombe Woods which were near her brothers farm She liked looking back better than looking forward perhaps and enacted in her imagination many a scene that had occurred at dear Llanryddan over and over again But still there were many times when she indulged in hopeful anticipations as to Algys return He had come back to London after his foreign travel and had spent another brilliant season under the patronage of his great relations And then a rumour had reached Whitford that Lord Seely had at length obtained the promise of a good post for him and that he might be expected to revisit Whitford in the autumn at latest Mrs Errington had been invited to a country house of Lord Seelys in Westmoreland to meet her son and had set out on her visit in high spirits Rhoda was thus cut off from hearing frequently of Algernon through his mother but she looked forward to seeing them together in September Rhoda missed her friend and patroness but she missed her less at Duckwell than she would have done in the dull house in the High Street
On the whole she was not unhappy during those sultry summer weeks Modest and humbleminded as she was she had come to understand that she was considered pretty and pleasing by the ladies and gentlemen whose acquaintance she had made No caressing words no flattering epithets no pet names had been bestowed upon her by her fathers old friends and companions She was just simply Rhoda Maxfield to them never Primrose or Pretty one or Rhoda dear and the Methodists however blind to her attractive qualities had displayed considerable vigilance in pointing out her backsliding and exhorting her to make every effort to become convinced of sin Certainly the society of ladies and gentlemen was infinitely more agreeable
Then too there had dawned on her some idea that Mr Diamond felt a warm admiration for her—perhaps something even warmer than admiration Miss Chubb who delighted to foster any amatory sentiments which she might observe in the young persons around her and was fond of saying with a languishing droop of her plump rubicund goodhumoured countenance that she would not for the world see other young hearts blighted by early disappointment as hers had been had dropped several hints to that effect sufficiently broad to be understood even by the bashful Rhoda And a little to her own surprise Rhoda had felt something like gratification in consequence Mr Diamond was such a very clever gentleman Although he wasnt rich yet everybody thought a great deal of him Even Dr Bodkin decidedly the most awful embodiment of authority whom Rhoda had ever yet known treated Mr Diamond with consideration And Miss Minnie was his intimate friend Rhoda had not the least idea of ever reciprocating Mr Diamonds sentiments But she could not help feeling that the existence of those sentiments increased her own importance in the world And she had a lurking idea that it might if known to Algy increase her importance in his eyes also
As to Mr Diamonds part in the matter Rhoda to say truth concerned herself very little with that Partly from a humble estimate of herself and partly from that maiden incapacity for conceiving the fire and force of a masculine passion which often makes girls pass for cruel who are only childish she never had thought of Mr Diamond as seriously suffering for her sake But yet she was less cold and repellent to him than she had once been It is difficult not to thaw somewhat in the presence of one whose words and looks make a genial atmosphere for that sensitive plant—youthful vanity
Rhodas wardrobe which by this time had become considerable in quantity and tasteful in quality was a great source of amusement to her She delighted to trim and stitch and alter and busy her fingers with the manufacture of brightcoloured bows of ribbon and dainty muslin frills Mrs Seth looked contemptuous at what she called Rhodas finery and told her she would never do for a farmers wife if she spent so much time over a parcel of frippery Seth Maxfield shook his head gravely and hoped that Rhoda was not given up utterly to worldliness and vanity but feared that she had learnt no good at St Chads church but had greatly backslided since the days of her attendance at chapel
For the Seth Maxfields still belonged to the Wesleyan connexion and disapproved of the change that had taken place among the family at Whitford Not that Seth was a deeply religious man But his fathers desertion of the Wesleyans appeared to him in the light of a party defection It was ratting and ratting as Seth thought without the excuse of a bribe
Look how well father has prospered he would say to his wife Hes as warm a man is father as ere a one in Whitford And the Church folks bought their tea and sugar of him all the same when he belonged to the Society But I dont believe the Society will spend their money with him now as they did So thats so much clean lost Im not so strict as some myself nor I dont see the use of it But I do think a man ought to stick to what hes been brought up to Specially when its had the manifest blessing of Providence If the Lord was so well satisfied with father being a Wesleyan I think father might ha been satisfied too
Still there had been no quarrel between the Whitford Maxfields and those of Duckwell They came together so seldom that opportunities for quarrelling were rare And Seth had too great a respect for such manifestations of Providential approbation as had been vouchsafed to his father to be willing to break entirely with the old man So when old Max proposed to send Rhoda to the farm for a few weeks he paying a weekly stipend for her board his son and his sons wife had at once agreed to the proposition. And as they were not persons who brought their religious theories into the practical service of daily life Rhodas conscience was not disturbed by having a high and stern standard of duty held up for her attainment at every moment
The Wesleyan preacher at that time in the district was a frequent guest at Duckwell Farm And in the long summer evenings one or two neighbours would occasionally drop in to the cool stoneflagged parlour where brother Jackson would read a chapter and offer up a prayer And afterwards there would be smoking of pipes and drinking of homebrewed by the men while Mrs Seth and Rhoda would sit on a bench in the appleorchard near to the open window of the parlour and sew and talk or listen to the conversation from within as they pleased
Rhoda perceived quickly enough that the Duckwell Farm species of Methodism was very different from the Methodism of David Powell Mr Jackson never said anything to frighten her He talked indeed of sin and of the dangers that beset sinners but he never spoke as if they were real to him—as if he heard and saw all the terrible things he discoursed of so glibly Then Mr Jackson was Rhoda thought a somewhat greedy eater He did not smoke it was true but he took a good share of Seths strong ale and was not above indulging in gossip—perhaps to please himself perhaps to please Mrs Seth Maxfield
Rhoda drew a comparison in her own mind between brother Jackson and the stately rector of St Chads and felt much satisfaction at the contrast between them How much nicer it was to be a member of a Church of England congregation where one heard Dr Bodkin or Mr Warlock speak a not too long discourse in correct English and with that refined accent which Rhodas ear had learned to prize and where the mellow old organ made a quivering atmosphere of music that seemed to mingle with the light from the painted windows than to sit on a deal bench in a whitewashed chapel and painfully keep oneself broad awake whilst brother Jackson or brother Hinks bawled out a series of disjointed sentences beginning with Oh and displaying a plentiful lack of aspirates
On the whole perhaps her stay at Duckwell Farm was a potent agent in confirming Rhoda in orthodox views of religion
Generally as she sat beside Mrs Seth in the parlour or on the bench outside the window Rhoda withdrew her attention from the talk of brother Jackson and the others She could think her own thoughts and dream her own dreams whilst she was knitting a stocking or hemming a pinafore for little Seth But sometimes a name was mentioned at these meetings that she could not hear with indifference It was the name of David Powell
The tone in which he was spoken of now was very opposite to the chorus of praise which had accompanied every mention of him among the Whitford Methodists two years ago There were rumours that he had defied the authority of Conference and intended to secede from the Society He was said to have been preaching strange doctrine in the remote parts of Wales and to have caused and encouraged extravagant manifestations such as were known to have prevailed at the preachings of Berridge and Hickes seventy or eighty years ago and earlier still at the first openair sermons of John Wesley himself at Bristol Brother Jackson shook his head and pursed up his lips at the rumours He had never much approved of Powell and Seth Maxfield had distinctly disapproved of him Seth had been brought up in the old sleepy days when members of the Society in Whitford were comfortably undisturbed by the voice of an awakening preacher He had resented the fuss that had been made about David Powell He had been still more annoyed by his fathers secession which he attributed to Powells over zeal and presumption And he by his own example encouraged a hostile and critical tone in speaking of the preacher
There was indeed but one voice raised in his defence in the parlour at Duckwell Farm This was the voice of Richard Gibbs the head groom at Pudcombe Hall who sometimes came over to Duckwell to join in the prayermeetings there Although Richard Gibbs was but a servant he was a trusted and valued one and he was received by the farmer and his wife with considerable civility Richard knew his place as Mrs Seth said and was not one of them as if you give em an inch theyll take an ell And then he had a considerable knowledge of farriery and had more than once given good advice to Farmer Maxfield respecting the treatment of sick horses and cattle Seth was fond of repeating that he himself was not so strict as some finding indeed that a reputation for strictness in a Methodistical sense put him at a disadvantage with his fellow farmers on marketdays But whenever Richard Gibbs was spoken of he would add to this general disclaimer of peculiar piety on his own part Not mind you but what theres some as conversion does a wonderful deal for to this day thanks be Why theres Dicky Gibbs headgroom at Pudcombe Hall Talk of blasphemers—well Dicky was a blasphemer And now his lips are as pure from evil speaking as my little maids there And hes the only man I ever knew as had to do with horses that wouldnt tell you a lie At first I believe there was some at the Hall—I name no names—didnt like Dickys plain truths There was a carriagehorse to be sold and Dicky spoke out and told this and that and young master couldnt get his price But in the long run it answers Oh Im not against a fervent conversion nor yet against conviction of sin—for some
So Richard Gibbs sat many a summer evening in the flagged parlour at Duckwell Farm and his melancholy cleanshaven lanternjawed face was a familiar spectacle at prayermeetings there
I have been much grieved and exercised in spirit on behalf of brother Powell said Mr Jackson in his thick voice
The expounding and the prayers were over Seth had lighted his pipe so had Roger Heath the baker from Pudcombe village A great cool jug of ale stood on the table and the setting sun sent his rays into the room tempered by a screen of jessamine and vine leaves that hung down outside the window
Ah And reason too said Seth gruffly Hes been getting further and further out of the right furrow this many a day
They do say observed sourfaced Roger Heath that theres dreadful scenes with them poor Welsh at his fieldpreachings Men and women stricken down like bullocks and screechings and convulsions like as if they was all possessed with the devil
Lauk cried Mrs Seth eagerly Why how is that then
Rhoda listening outside behind the screen of vine leaves at the open window could not repress a shudder at the thought that had David Powell shown this new power of his a year or two ago she herself might have been among the convulsed who bore testimony to his terrible influence
How is that Mrs Maxfield returned Richard Gibbs Why how can it be except by abounding grace
Nay Mr Gibbs but how dreadful it seems dont it Just think of falling down in a fit in the open field
Just think of living and dying unawakened to sin Is not that a hundred thousand times more dreadful
I hope it dont need to roll about like Bedlamites to be awakened to a sense of sin Mr Gibbs cried Seth Maxfield
The Lord forbid ejaculated brother Jackson
A likely tale added Mrs Seth cheerfully
Im against all such doings said Roger Heath shaking his head
But if it be the Lords doing sir remonstrated Richard Gibbs speaking slowly and with an anxious lacklustre gaze at the whitewashed ceiling as though counsel might be read there And Ive heard tell that John Wesley did the same at his fieldpreachings
Brother Jackson hastily wiped his mouth after a deep draught of ale before replying That was in the beginning when such things may have been needful But now I fear they only bring scandal upon us and strengthen scoffers
I tell you what it is said Seth taking the pipe from his mouth and waving it up and down to emphasise his words its my opinion as David Powells not quite—not quite right in his head
Taint the first time that thought has crossed my mind said the baker who had once upon a time been uneasy under the yoke of Powells stern views as to weights and measures
Of course pursued Seth argumentatively weve got to draw a line Religion is one thing and rampaging is another From the first when Powell began rampaging I mistrusted what it would come to
The human brain is a very delicate and mysterious organ said brother Jackson
Ah ejaculated Heath with an air of profundity as of one the extent of whose acquaintance with the human brain was not easily to be set forth in words you may well say so sir There youre right indeed brother Jackson
Why there it is cried Seth And Powell he overtaxed the human brain Its like flying in the face of Providence almost to want to go so much beyond your neighbours Why hed fast till he wellnigh starved himself
But he gave all he spared from his own stomach to the poor put in Gibbs looking sad and perplexed
I call all that rampaging returned Seth with a touch of his fathers obstinacy
Dr Evans read out an account of these doings in Wales from a newspaper in Mr Barker the chemists shop in Whitford last Saturday said Heath I heard it And Dr Evans said it was catching and that suchlike excitement was dangerous for you never know where it might end And Dr Evans is of a Welsh family himself he added bringing out this clause as though it strikingly illustrated or elucidated the topic under discussion
Mrs Seth drew her little boy close to her and covered his curly poll with her large maternal hand as though to protect the little human brain within from all danger Mercy me she said I hope Powell wont come into these parts any more I should be frightened to go to chapel or to let the children go either
Oh you need not be alarmed Mrs Maxfield said brother Jackson with a superior smile
Nay but if it is catching Mr Jackson persisted the anxious mother
Tut lass It isnt like measles said her husband
The ale being by this time exhausted and the pipes smoked out brother Jackson rose to depart and the baker went away with him Seth Maxfield detained Gibbs for a few minutes to ask his advice about a favourite carthorse
Well Mr Gibbs said the housewife when the conference being over he bade her Good evening and when are your folks coming back to the Hall
Not just yet maam Young master is gone to Westmoreland I hear to a wedding at some noblemans house there Hell be back at Pudcombe for the shooting
A wedding eh said Mrs Seth with eager feminine interest in the topic Not his own wedding I suppose
Oh no maam Tis some friend of his I believe that he knew at Whitford Erringham I think the name is—a young gentleman thats going to marry the noblemans niece The housekeeper at the Hall was telling some of my fellowservants about it the other day But Im ill at remembering the chat I hear And tis unprofitable work too Good evening maam Farewell Seth stooping down to pat the little ones curly head May the Lord bless and keep you
Mrs Seth stood out in the appleorchard with two of her children clinging to her skirts and held up her hand to shade her eyes as she watched the departing figure of Richard Gibbs moving across the meadow in the rosy evening light Then she turned to the wooden bench where Rhoda was sitting huddled together with her work lying in her lap You didnt come in to prayers Rhoda said her sisterinlaw But however you can hear it all just as well outside as in If it wasnt for civility to Mr Jackson Id liefer stay out here these fine summer evenings myself And I was thinking—why child what a white face youve got Like a sheet of white paper for all the world And your hands are quite cold though its been downright sultry Mercy me dont go and get sick on our hands Rhoda What will your father say Come youd best get to bed and Ill make you a hot posset myself
Rhoda passively followed her sisterinlaw to the fresh lavenderscented chamber which she occupied and she consented to go to bed at once Her head ached she said but she declined the hot posset and only asked to be left quiet
Theres always some bother with girls of that delicate sort said Mrs Seth to her husband when she went downstairs again Rhodas mother was just such another looked as if you might blow her away I cant think whatever made your father marry her Not but Rhodas a nicetempered girl enough and very patient with the children But do you know Seth Im afraid shes got a chill or something sitting out in the orchard so late
What makes you think so
Well she had a queer scared kind of look on her face
Nonsense Catching cold dont make people look scared
Something makes her look scared I tell you Its either shes sickening for some fever or else shes seen a ghost
CHAPTER V
From Mrs Errington to Mrs Bodkin
Long Fells Westmoreland July 26th 18—
Dear Mrs Bodkin—Amid the tumult of feelings which have recently agitated me I yet cannot neglect to write to my good friends in Whitford and participate my emotions with those who have ever valued and appreciated my darling boy at this most important moment of his life It may perhaps surprise but will I am sure gratify you to learn that Algernon is to be married on this day week to the Honourable Castalia Caroline Kilfinane only daughter of the late Baron Kauldkail of Kauldkail who is though not a relation yet a connection of our own being the niece of our dear cousininlaw Lord Seely To say that all my proudest maternal aspirations are gratified by such a match is feebly to express what I feel Birth with me the first consideration dear Mrs Bodkin for I make no pretences with you and confess that I should have deplored Algernons mating below himself in that respect elegance accomplishments and a devoted attachment to my son—these are Castalias merits in my eyes You will forgive me for having said nothing of this projected alliance until the last moment The young people did not wish it to be talked about They had a romantic fancy to have the wedding as quiet as possible amid the rural beauties of this most lovely scenery and thus escape the necessity for inviting the crowds of distinguished friends and connections on both sides of the house who would have had to be present had the marriage taken place in London That would have made it too pompous an affair to satisfy the taste of our Castalia who is sensitive refinement itself. The dear Seelys are only too indulgent to the least wish of Algernons and they at once agreed to keep the secret What poor Lord and Lady Seely will do when Algy leaves them I assure you I cannot imagine It really grieves me to contemplate how they will miss him But of course I cannot but rejoice selfishly to know that I shall have my dear children so near me For you may perhaps have heard the news Lord Seely has by his immense influence in the highest quarters procured dear Algy an appointment And as good fortune will have it the appointment brings him back to Whitford among his dear and early friends He is to be appointed to the very arduous and responsible position of postmaster there But important as this situation is it is yet only to be considered a steppingstone to further advancement Lord Seely wants Algy in town which is indeed his proper sphere And the result of some new ministerial combinations which are expected in certain quarters will there is no doubt put him in the very foremost rank of rising young diplomatists But I must not say more even to you dear Mrs Bodkin for these are State secrets which should be sacredly respected
This is a most lovely spot and the house combines the simple elegance of a cottage ornée with the luxurious refinement that befits the residence of a peer like Lord Seely It is not of course fitted up with the same magnificence as his town mansion or even as his ancestral place in Rutlandshire but it is full of charms to the cultivated spirit and our dear young people are revelling in its romantic quietude There are very few guests in the house By a kind thought of Algys which I am sure you will appreciate Orlando Pawkins is to be best man at the wedding The young man is naturally gratified by the distinction, and our noble relatives have received him with that affability which marks the truly high bred There is also an Irish gentleman the Honourable John Patrick Price who arrived last evening in order to be present at the ceremony He is one of the most celebrated wits in town and belongs to an Irish family of immense antiquity Castalia will have none of her own intimate young friends for bridesmaids To make a choice of one or two might have seemed invidious and to have eight or ten bridesmaids would have made the wedding too ostentatious for her taste Therefore she will be attended at the altar by the two daughters of the village clergyman—simple modest girls who adore her The bride and bridegroom will leave us after the breakfast to pass their honeymoon at the Lakes I shall return forthwith to Whitford in order to make preparations for their reception Lady Seely presses me to remain with her for a time after the wedding but I am impatient to return to my dear Whitford friends and share my happiness with them
Farewell dear Mrs Bodkin Give my love to Minnie who I hope has benefited by the seabreezes and best regards to the doctor Believe me your very attached friend
Sophia Augusta Errington
PS Do you happen to know whether Barker the chemist has that cottage in the Bristol Road still to let It might suit my dear children at least for a while
From Miss Kilfinane to her cousin Lady Louisa Marston
Long Fells 29th July
My dear Louisa—I answer your last letter at once for if I delay writing I may not have time to do so at all There are still a thousand things to be thought of and my maid and I have to do it all for you know what Aunt Seely is She wont stir a finger to help anybody Uncle Seely is very kind but he has no say in the matter nor as far as that goes in any matter in his own house
You ask about the wedding It will be very scrubby thanks to my ladys stinginess She would have it take place in this outoftheway country house which they scarcely ever come to in order to save the expense of a handsome breakfast There will be nobody invited but the parson and the apothecary I suppose I hate Long Fells It is the most inconvenient house in the world I do believe and so out of repair that my maid declares the rain comes through the roof on to her bed
Ancrams mother arrived last week She was half inclined to be huffy at first when we told her our news because she had been kept in the dark till the last moment But she has got over her sulks now and makes the best of it I can see now that Ancram was right in keeping our engagement secret from her as long as possible She would have been a dreadful worry and told everybody She is wonderfully like Lady Seely in the face only much better looking and has a fine natural colour that makes my ladys cheeks look as if they had been done by a house painter
Ancram has invited an old Whitford acquaintance of his to be his best man at the wedding He says that as we are going to live there for a time at least it would never do to offend all the people of the place by taking no notice of them It would be like going into a hornets nest And the young man in question has been civil to Ancram in his schoolboy days He is a certain Mr Pawkins who lives at a place with the delightful name of Pudcombe Hall He is not so bad as I expected and is quiet and goodnatured If all the Whitfordians turn out as well as he I shall be agreeably surprised But I fear they are a strange set of provincial bumpkins However we shall not have to remain amongst them long for Uncle Val has privately promised to move heaven and earth to get Ancram a better position You know he is to be postmaster at Whitford Only think of it It would be absurd if it were not such a downright shame And I more than suspect my lady of having hurried Uncle Val into accepting it for Ancram I suppose she thinks anything is good enough for us
I wish you could see Ancram He is very handsome and even more elegant than handsome And his manners are admitted on all hands to be charming It is monstrous to think of burying his talents in a poky little hole like Whitford But there is this to be said if he hadnt got this postmastership we could not have been married at all For he is poor And you know what my great fortune is I do think it is too bad that people of our condition should ever be allowed to be so horribly poor The Government ought to do something for us
Uncle Val has made me a handsome present of money to help to furnish our house Im sure this is quite unknown to my lady So dont say anything about it among your people at home or it may come round to Lady Ss ears and poor Uncle Val would get scolded Give my love to Aunt Julia and my cousins I hope to see you all next season in town for Ancram and I have quite made up our minds not to stick in that nasty little provincial hole all the year round Mrs Errington is to go back there directly after the wedding to see about a house for us and get things ready Of course if theres anything that I dont like I can alter it myself when I arrive
Goodbye dear Louisa Dont forget your affectionate cousin who signs herself perhaps for the last time
C C Kilfinane
From Orlando Pawkins to his sister Mrs MachynStubbs
Long Fells Westmoreland Monday evening
My dear Jemima—I am sorry that you and Humphrey should have felt hurt and thought I was making mysteries But I assure you I was quite taken by surprise when I got Erringtons letter telling me about his wedding and inclosing Lord Seelys invitation to me to come here I knew nothing about it before I give you my word
You ask me to write you full details of the affair and I am sure I would if I could But I dont know any more than the rest of the world I dont think much of Long Fells The land is poor and the house almost tumbling to pieces Lord Seely is uncommonly polite but I dont much like my lady And she has a beast of a lapdog that snaps at everybody Errington is the same as ever only he looks so much older in these two years Any one would take him to be five or six and twenty at least As to the bride she dont take much notice of me so I havent got very well acquainted with her I ride about the country nearly all day long Lord Seely has provided me with a pretty decent mount I shall be glad when the wedding is over and I can get away for its precious dull here Even your friend Jack Price seems moped and out of sorts and goes about singing The heart that once truly loves never forgets or something like that enough to give a fellow the blue devils
I asked about what you wanted to know about the wedding dresses but I couldnt make out much from the answers I got Miss Kilfinane is to wear a white silk gown trimmed with something or other that has a French name Perhaps you can guess what it is The bridesmaids are fat freckled girls the daughters of the parson I think I have now given you all the particulars I can
I wish you and Humphrey would come down to Pudcombe in September Tell him I can give him some fairish shooting and will do all I can to make you both comfortable Believe me
Your affectionate brother O P
CHAPTER VI
It was the evening before the wedding In a low long room that was dark with black oak panelling and gloomy moreover by reason of the smallness of the ivyframed casement at one end which alone admitted the daylight into it Lord Seely sat before the hearth
Although it was August there was a fire There were few evenings of the year when a fire was not agreeable at Long Fells and one was certainly agreeable on this especial evening The day had been rainy The whole house seemed dark and damp A few logs that had been laid on the top of the coal fire sputtered and smoked drearily My lord sat in a large highbacked chair which nearly hid his diminutive figure from view except on the side of the fireplace His head was sunk on his breast his hands were plunged deep into his pockets his legs were stretched out towards the hearth his whole attitude was undignified It was such an attitude as few of his friends or acquaintances had ever seen him in for it was nearly impossible for Lord Seely to be unconscious or careless of the effect he was producing in the presence of an observer
He was now absorbed in thought and was allowing his outer man to express the nature of his musings They were not pleasant musings as any spectator would at once have pronounced who should have seen his posture and his pursed mouth and his eyebrows knitted anxiously under the bald yellow forehead The entrance even of a footman into the room would have produced an instant change in Lord Seelys demeanour But no footman was there to see his lordship sunk in a brown study
At length he raised his head and glanced out of the window It had ceased to rain but the drops were still trickling down the windowpanes from the points of the ivy leaves and it was already so dark that the firelight began to throw fantastic shadows from the quaint old furniture and to shine with a dull red glow on the polished oak panels Lord Seely rang the bell
Has Mr Errington returned he asked of the servant who appeared in answer to the summons
Not yet my lord
Tell them to beg Mr Errington with my compliments to do me the favour to step here before he dresses for dinner
Yes my lord
Dont light that lamp or stay yes you may light it Put the shade over it and place it behind me Draw the curtains across the window Take care that my message is given to Mr Errington directly he comes home
The servant withdrew And Lord Seely when he was left alone began to walk up and down the room with his hands behind him Thus Algernon found him when in about ten minutes he appeared rosy and fresh from his ride
I must apologise for my muddy condition he cried gaily Pawkins and I rode over to Applethwaite to get something for Castalia that was found wanting at the last moment And I am splashed to the eyebrows But I thought it best to come just as I was as your lordships message was pressing
Thank you I am much obliged to you Ancram It is not in truth that there is any such immediate hurry for what I have to say that it might not have waited an hour or so but I thought it likely that we might not have so good an opportunity of speaking alone together
Lord Seely seated himself once more in the highbacked chair but in a very different attitude from his former one He was upright majestic with one hand in his breast and the other reclining on the arm of his chair But on his face might be read by one who knew it well traces of trouble and of being ill at ease Algernon read my lords countenance well enough He stood leaning easily on the mantelshelf tapping his splashed boot with his ridingwhip and looking down on Lord Seely with an air of quiet expectation
I have been having a serious conversation with Castalia said my lord after a preliminary clearing of his throat
Algernon said smilingly I hope you have not found it necessary to scold her my lord The phrase Having a serious conversation with any one always suggests to my mind the administering of a reprimand
No Ancram No I have not found it necessary to scold Castalia I am very much attached to her and very anxious for her happiness She is the child of my favourite sister
The old mans voice was not so firm as usual when he said this and he looked up at Algernon with an appealing look
Algernon could be pleasant genial even affectionate in his manner—but never tender That was more than he could compass by any movement of imitative sympathy He had never even been able so to simulate tenderness as to succeed in singing a pathetic song Perhaps he had learned that it was useless to make the attempt At all events he did not now attempt to exhibit any answering tenderness to Lord Seelys look and tone of unwonted feeling in speaking of his dead sisters child His reply was hard clear and cheerful as the chirp of a canary bird
I know you have always been extremely good to Castalia my lord We are both of us very sensible of your kindness and very much obliged by it
No no said my lord waving his hand No no no Castalia owes me nothing She has been to me almost as my own daughter There can be no talk of obligations between her and me
Then he paused for what appeared to be a long time In the silence of the room the damp logs hissed like whispering voices
Ancram Lord Seely said at length Castalia is very much attached to you
I assure you my lord I am very grateful to her
Ahem Castalias is not an expansive nature She was perhaps too much repressed and chilled in childhood by living with uncongenial persons But she is responsive to kindness and it develops her best qualities I will frankly own that I am very anxious about her future You will not owe me a grudge for saying that much Ancram
I never owe grudges my lord But I trust you have no doubt of my behaving with kindness to Castalia
No Ancram No I hope not I believe not
I am glad of that because—the doubt would come rather too late to be of much use would it not
Algernon spoke with his old bright smile but two things were observable throughout this interview Firstly that Algernon though still perfectly respectful no longer addressed his senior with the winning cordial deference of manner which had so captivated Lord Seely in the beginning of their acquaintance Secondly that Lord Seely appeared conscious of some reason in the young mans mind for dissatisfaction and to be desirous of deprecating that dissatisfaction
At the same time there seemed to be in Lord Seely an undercurrent of feeling struggling for expression He had the air of a man who knowing himself to have right and reason on his side in the main yet is aware of a tender point in his case which an unscrupulous adversary will not hesitate to touch and which he nervously shrinks from having touched He winced at Algernons last words and answered rather hotly It would be too late Your insinuation is a just one If I had any misgivings I ought to have expressed them and acted on them before But the fact is that this—the final arrangement of this marriage—took me in a great measure by surprise
So it did me my lord
Lord Seely had been gazing moodily at the fire He now suddenly raised his eyes and looked searchingly at Algernon The young mans face wore an expression of candid amusement His arched eyebrows were lifted and he was smiling as unconcernedly as if the subject in hand touched himself no jot
I give you my word he continued lightly that when Lady Seely first spoke to me about it I was—oh astonished is no word to express what I felt
A dark red flush came into Lord Seelys withered cheeks and mounted to his forehead He dropped his eyes and moved uneasily on his chair passing one hand through the tuft of grey hair that stood up above his ear Algernon went on with an almost boyish frankness of manner
Of course you know I should hardly have ventured to aspire to such an idea quite unassisted And I believe I said something or other to my lady—very stumblingly I have no doubt for I remember feeling very much bewildered I said some word about my being a poor devil with nothing in the world to offer to a lady in Miss Kilfinanes position—except of course my undying devotion Only one cannot live altogether on that But Lady Seely was very sanguine and saw no difficulties She said it could be managed And she was right you see Where theres a will theres a way And I am really to be married to Castalia tomorrow It seems too good to be true
Lord Seely rose and faced the young man and as he did so his lordship looked really dignified for the sincere feeling within him had for once obliterated his habitual uneasy selfconsciousness
Ancram he said I am afraid from what Castalia tells me that you are greatly dissatisfied with the position I have been able to procure for you
Oh my lord Castalia ought not to have said so If she can content herself in it for a time how can I venture to complain
I am sorry to find continued Lord Seely that your circumstances are more seriously embarrassed than I thought
Are they my lord I profess I dont know how to disembarrass them
You are in debt——
I had the honour of avowing as much to your lordship when my marriage was first discussed as you doubtless remember
Yes and you named a sum which I——
Which your lordship was kind enough to pay Certainly
But it now appears that that sum did not cover the whole of your liabilities Ancram Castalia tells me that you have been annoyed by applications for money quite recently
Algernon smiled and put his head on one side as if trying to recall a halfforgotten fact Well said he at length upon my word I have forgotten the exact sum which I did name to your lordship but I have no doubt it was correct at the time The worst of it is that my debts have this unfortunate peculiarity—they wont stay paid
It is a great pity Ancram for a young man to get into the habit of thinking lightly of debt It is in fact continued his lordship growing graver and graver as he spoke a fatal habit of mind
My dear lord I dont think lightly of it by any means But really—is it not best to accept the inevitable with some cheerfulness
The inevitable Ancram
Yes my lord in my position debt was inevitable I could not be a member of your family circle a frequent inmate of your house doing the things you did going where you went without incurring some expense
It was no want of tact which made Algernon speak thus plainly and coarsely He did not fail as his mother might have done to perceive that his words pained and mortified his hearer He would by no means have aimed such a shaft at Lady Seely knowing that nature had protected her feelings with a hide of some toughness and knowing moreover that my lady would unhesitatingly have flung back some verbal missile at least equally rough and heavy But my lord was at once more vulnerable and more scrupulous And although Algernon was the last person in the world to be guilty of gratuitous cruelty yet if one is to fight one had best use the most effective weapons and take advantage of any chink in the enemys armour to drive ones javelin home
I regret said Lord Seely with a little catching of the breath like a man who has received a cold douche I deplore that your intimacy with my family should have led you into a false position
Not at all my lord My position in your family has been a very pleasant one
I ought perhaps—it was my duty—to have inquired more particularly into your means and to have ascertained whether they sufficed for the life you were leading in London You were very young and without experience I—I reproach myself Ancram
Dont do that my lord There is really no need Im sure nobody is the worse for the few pounds I owe at this moment not even my tailor who has cheated me handsomely doing me the honour to treat me as one of your lordships own class
Lord Seely bent down his grey head and meditated with a pained and anxious face Then he looked up and said
You know Ancram that I am not a rich man for one in my station
Algernon bowed gracefully
Had I been so I should have made a settlement upon Castalia but although I have no daughters of my own to provide for with a little sigh yet my property is very strictly tied up There are claims on it too of various sorts—— Lady Seely screws all she can out of him for that nephew of hers was Algys mental comment And in brief I am not in a position to command any large sums of ready money I believe I said as much to you before
Algernon bowed again and smiled
Well I repeat it now in order to impress on you the fact that neither you nor Castalia must look to me for pecuniary help in the future
Oh my lord——
I do not say that Castalia might not have a right to ask such help of me but I merely assure you that it will be out of my power to grant it You perhaps scarcely realise how poor a man may be who has a fairly large rentroll
I think I have begun to realise it my lord
Lord Seely looked quickly into the young mans face but it was smiling and inscrutable
Well he resumed I will only add that for this once and presuming your present debts are not heavy——
Oh dear no A trifle
I will discharge them if you will let me have the amount accurately I have a great repugnance to the thought of Castalia—and you—beginning your married life in debt
A thousand thanks It will be better for us to start fair
I hope Ancram that you will use every endeavour to live clearly within your means and to make the best of your circumstances The fact is this marriage has been hurried on——
Algernon did not answer in words but he gave an expressive shrug and smile which said as plainly as possible I have not hurried it on
Lord Seely coloured deeply and seemed to shrink bodily as if he had received a blow He went on hastily and with less than his usual selfpossession I—I have felt rather than perceived a—a little touch of bitterness in your manner lately There there we will not quibble about the word If not bitter you have not been at all events in the frame of mind I wished and hoped to find you in You are young and youth is apt to be a little unreasonable in its expectations I own—I admit—that your worldly position will not be—a—exactly brilliant But I assure you that in these days there are many gentlemen of good abilities and industry who would be glad of it
Oh I am fully aware of my good fortune my lord Besides you know this is only a steppingstone
Yes we—we hope so But Ancram—and this is what I had in my mind to say to you frankly—dont neglect or despise the present employment in looking forward to something better
By no means
For your own sake—your own sake I earnestly advise you not to give way to a feeling of discontent
Do I look discontented Upon my word your lordship is doing me singular injustice
There is a smiling discontent as well as a frowning discontent and I dont know but that it is the worst of the two
Algernon laughed outright
Well said he you must own that it is a little difficult to give satisfaction
His light smooth tone jarred disagreeably on Lord Seely If the latter had thought to make any impression on the young man to draw from him any outburst of feeling he had signally failed Algernons words could not be objected to but the tone in which they were uttered was completely nonchalant His nonchalance increased in proportion to Lord Seelys earnestness A year ago Algernon would have brought his manner into harmony with my lords mood He would have been grave attentive eager to show his appreciation of my lords kindness and his value for my lords advice But now there was some malice in his smiling goodhumour a little cruelty in the brightness of his unruffled serenity He was genuinely tickled at seeing the pompous little nobleman embarrassed in speaking to him Algernon Errington and he enjoyed what comedy there might be in the situation none the less because his patron suffered
In truth Algernon was discontented His was not a gnawing black sort of discontent He neither grew lean nor yellow nor morose but his irony was sometimes flavoured with acidity and instead of being easily tolerant of such follies as zeal enthusiasm or fervent reverence he was now apt to speak of them with a disdainful superiority And he had too an air of having washed his hands of any concern with his own career of laying the responsibility on Destiny or whomsoever it might concern of awaiting with sarcastic patience the next turn of the wheel—as if life were neither a battle nor a march but a gigantic game of rougeetnoir with terrible odds in favour of the bank
Lord Seely was no match for this youth of twoandtwenty Lord Seely had intended to impress him deeply to read him a lecture in which Olympian severity should be tempered by mercy to convince him by dignified and condescending methods of his great good fortune in having secured the hand of Castalia Kilfinane of Kauldkail and of his great unreasonableness not to say presumption in not accepting that boon on bended knee instead of grumbling at being made postmaster of Whitford But in order to make an impression it does not suffice to have tools only the surface to be impressed must also exist and be adapted to the operation How impress the bright cool shining liquid bosom of a lake for instance Oar and keel pebble and arrow wind and current are alike powerless to make a furrow that shall last
Lord Seely laboured under the disadvantage in this crisis of feeling for other persons with some keenness a circumstance which frittered away his power considerably and made him vacillating Algernons capacities for feeling were on this occasion steadily concentrated on himself and this gave his behaviour a solid consistency which was felt even beneath the surfacelightness of his manner
I hope said Lord Seely rather sadly than solemnly—I do most earnestly hope Ancram that you will be happy in this marriage
Your lordship is very good I assure you I feel your goodness
He said it as if he had been accepting an invitation to dinner
And—and that you will do your best to make Castalia happy
You may rely on my doing my best
There are discrepancies perhaps—disparities—but but those marriages are not always the happiest in which the external circumstances on both sides seem to be best matched You are young You are untrammelled You have no irrevocable past behind you to regret I do not see—no I do not see why with mutual regard and respect you should not make a good life of it
These are the most lugubrious nuptial felicitations that ever were offered to a bridegroom I should fancy thought Algernon And he had some difficulty in keeping his countenance so vividly did he feel the ludicrous aspect of his lordships wellmeant effort at impressing him
I should feel some sense of responsibility if—if things were not to turn out as brightly as we hope—and believe—and believe they will turn out
Oh dont distress yourself about that my lord cried Algernon He had very nearly said dont apologise There is the dressingbell he added with alacrity taking his hat up from the table If your lordship has no further commands I think I——
Yes go Ancram I will not detain you longer Remember said Lord Seely taking the young mans hand between both his own and speaking in a tremulous voice remember Ancram that I wish to serve you My intention all along has been to do my best for you You have been a very pleasant inmate in my home Ancram be good to Castalia For good or for evil you are her fate now No one can come between you Be good to her
My dear lord I beg you to believe that I will make Castalias happiness the study of my life And—oh I have no doubt we shall get on capitally With your interest it cant be long before we get into a better berth I know youll do your best for us for Castalias sake oh and mine too I am happy to believe Yes certainly I really am in such a state of mud that I believe my very hair is splashed It will take me all the time there remains for dressing to get myself presentably clean positively Au revoir my lord And thank you very very much
With his jauntiest step and brightest smile Algernon left the room
Lord Seely returned to his chair before the hearth resumed his moody musing attitude and sat there alone with his head sunk on his breast until they called him to dinner
CHAPTER VII
In the first week of August Mrs Errington returned to Whitford She had got over her annoyance at not having been intrusted sooner with the news of Algernons engagement to Miss Kilfinane By dint of telling her friends so she had at last persuaded herself that she had been in the secret all along and if she felt any other mortifications and disappointments connected with her sons marriage she kept them to herself But it is probable that she did not keenly feel any such She was not sensitive and she did believe that by connecting himself so nearly with Lord Seelys family Algernon was advancing his prospects of success in the world These sources of comfort combined with an excellent digestion and the perennial gratification of contemplating her own claims to distinction as contrasted with those of her neighbours kept the worthy lady in good spirits and she returned to Whitford in a kind of full blow of cheerfulness and importance
Her reception there at the outset was however far from being what she had looked forward to She had written to Rhoda announcing the day and hour of her arrival and requesting that James Maxfield should meet her at the Blue Bell inn where the coach stopped with a fly for the conveyance of herself and her luggage to her old quarters Mrs Errington had not previously written to Rhoda from Westmoreland but she had forwarded to her at different times two copies of the Applethwaite Advertiser In one of these journals a preliminary announcement of Algernons marriage had appeared under the heading of Alliance in High Life In the second there was an account of the wedding and the breakfast and the rejoicings in the village of Long Fells which did much credit to the imaginative powers of the writer According to the Applethwaite Advertiser the ceremony had been imposing the breakfast sumptuous and the village demonstrations enthusiastic
Mrs Errington had bought twenty copies of the newspaper for distribution among her friends and she pleased herself with thinking how grateful the Maxfields would be to her for sending them the papers with the interesting paragraphs marked in red ink She also looked forward with much complacency to having Rhoda for a listener to all her narrations about the wedding and life at Long Fells and the great people whom she had met there Rhoda was such a capital listener And then besides and beyond all that Mrs Errington was fond of Rhoda and had more motherly warmth of feeling for her than she had as yet attained to for her new daughterinlaw
Mrs Erringtons head was stretched out of the coachwindow as the vehicle clattered up the archway of the Blue Bell inn It was about seven oclock on a fine August evening and there was ample light enough for the traveller to distinguish all the familiar features of the streets through which she passed James will be standing in the innyard ready to receive me she thought and I suppose the fly will be waiting at the corner by the bookingoffice I wonder whether the driver will be the lame old man or young Simmons She was still debating this question when the coach turned sharply round under the archway and stopped in the great rambling yard of the oldfashioned Blue Bell inn
Mrs Errington got down unassisted James Maxfield was not there She looked round in bewilderment standing hot dusty and tired in the yard where after a bustling waiter had tripped up to her to ask if she wanted a room and tripped away again no one took any heed of her
A fly was not to be had in Whitford at a moments notice After waiting for some ten minutes Mrs Errington found there was nothing for it but to walk to her lodgings She left her luggage in the coachoffice to be called for and set out carrying a rather heavy handbag and hurrying through the streets at a pace much quicker than her usual dignified rate of moving She wished not to be seen and recognised by any passing acquaintance under circumstances so unfavourable to an impressive or triumphant demeanour
Arrived at Jonathan Maxfields house the aspect of things was not much improved Betty Grimshaw opened the door and stared in surprise on seeing Mrs Errington She had not been expected Mr Maxfield was over at Duckwell at his sons farm James was busy in the storehouse And as for Rhoda she was away on a visit to Miss Bodkin at the seaside and had been for some weeks A letter Oh if a letter had come for Rhoda her father would have sent it on to her It was a two days post from where she was to Whitford And the newspapers Betty did not know She had not seen them Her brotherinlaw had had them she supposed Yes she had heard that Mr Algernon was married or going to be married The servants from Pudcombe Hall had spoken of it when they came into the shop Jonathan had not said anything on the subject as far as she knew Mrs Errington knew what Jonathan was He never was given to much conversation And it was Bettys opinion delivered very frankly that Jonathan grew crustier and closer as he got older But wouldnt Mrs Errington like a cup of tea Betty would have the kettle boiling in a few minutes
Mrs Errington felt rather forlorn as she entered her old sittingroom and looked around her It was trim and neat indeed and spotlessly clean but it had the chill repellent look of an uninhabited apartment The corner cupboard was locked and its treasure of old china hidden from view Algernons books were gone from the shelf above the piano A white cloth was spread over the sofa and the hearthrug was turned upside down displaying a grey lining instead of the gaycoloured scraps of cloth
She missed Rhoda She had become accustomed to Algernons absence from the familiar room but Rhodas absence made a blank in it that was depressing And perhaps Mrs Errington herself was surprised to find how dreary the place looked without the girls gentle face and modest figure She gladly accepted Betty Grimshaws invitation to take her tea downstairs in the comfortable bright kitchen instead of alone in the melancholy gentility of her own sittingroom Betty was as woodenfaced and grim and rigid in her aspect as ever But she was not unfriendly towards her old lodger And moreover she was entirely respectful in her manner holding it as a fixed article of her faith that gentlefolks born were intended by Providence to be treated with deference and desiring to show that she herself had been trained to becoming behaviour under the roof of a person of quality
It was little more than nine oclock when Mrs Errington rose to go to bed being tired with her journey As she did so she said Mrs Grimshaw will you get James to send a handcart for my luggage in good time tomorrow
Oh your luggage returned Betty Well do you think it is worth while to send for it if youre not going to stay
Mrs Errington was so much astonished by this speech that she sat down again on the chair she had just quitted Then after a minutes pause her mind which did not move very rapidly arrived at what she supposed to be the explanation of Bettys words Oh I see she said you took it for granted that on my sons marriage I should leave you and join him But it is not so my good soul My daughterinlaw has implored me to live with them but I have refused It is better for the young people to be by themselves and I prefer my own independence also No my good Mrs Grimshaw I shall remain in my old quarters until Mr Algernon leaves Whitford for good And perhaps even then I may not give you up altogether who knows
Betty hesitated for an instant before replying Then Jonathan has not said anything to you about giving up the rooms
Good gracious no I have not heard from Mr Maxfield at all
I suppose he didnt expect you back quite so soon And—there Im sure I wont take upon myself to speak for him I shouldnt have got on with my brotherinlaw all these years if I hadnt made it a rule to try for peace and quietness and never interfere
But Mrs Errington persisting in her demand that Betty should explain herself more fully the latter at length confessed that during the past two or three weeks Jonathan Maxfield had declared his intention of getting rid of his lodger and of not letting the first floor of his house again Your sittingroom is to be kept as a kind of a drawingroom for Rhoda as I understand Jonathan said she
A drawingroom for Rhoda Mrs Errington could not believe her senses Why what is Mr Maxfield thinking of she exclaimed
Oh you dont know what a fuss Jonathan has been making lately about Rhoda Before you went away you know maam as he had begun to spend a deal of money on her clothes And since then more and more its been all his talk as Rhoda was to be a lady The notion has got stuck fast in his head and wild horses wouldnt drag it out
Mrs Errington rose very majestically I much fear she said I much fear that I am responsible for this delusion of your brotherinlaw I have a little spoiled the girl and taken too much notice of her I regret it now But really Rhoda is such a sweet creature that I dont know that I have been so very much to blame either It is true I have introduced her to my friends and brought her forward a little beyond her station but I little thought a man of Mr Maxfields common sense would have been so utterly led away by kindlymeant patronage
Well I dont know as its so much that maam returned Betty in a matterof-fact tone as it is that Jonathan has latterly been thinking a deal about his money And he knows money will do great things——
Money can never confer gentle birth my good creature
No for sure maam Thats what I say myself I know my catechism and I was brought up to respect my superiors But you see Jonathans heart is greatly set on his riches Hes a welloff man is my brotherinlaw more so than many folks think Hes been a close man all his life And for that matter hes close enough now in some things and screws me down in the housekeeping pretty tight But for Rhoda he seems to grudge nothing and wants her to make a show and a splash almost—if you can fancy such a thing of Jonathan But theres no saying how men will turn out not even the old ones Im sure I often and often thank my stars Ive kept single—no offence to you maam
Mrs Errington went to bed in a bewildered frame of mind Tired as she was the news she had heard kept her awake for some time Leave her lodgings Leave old Maxs house which had been her home for so many years It was incredible And indeed before long she had made up her mind to resist old Maxs intention of turning her out I shall give him a good talking to tomorrow she said to herself Stupid old man He really must not be allowed to make himself so absurd And then Mrs Errington fell asleep
But the next day old Max did not return to be talked to nor the day after that James Maxfield went over to Duckwell and came back bringing a formal notice to Mrs Errington to quit the lodgings signed by his father
What does this mean James asked Mrs Errington with much emphasis and wideopen eyes James did not know what it meant He did not apparently much care either He had never been on very friendly terms with the Erringtons having indeed come but seldom in contact with them during all the time they had lived under the same roof with him and had perhaps been a little jealous in his sullen silent way of their petting of Rhoda At all events on the present occasion he was not communicative nor very civil He had performed his fathers behests and he knew nothing more His father was not coming back home just yet And James volunteered the opinion that he didnt mean to come back until Mrs Errington should be gone
All this was strange and disagreeable But Mrs Errington was not of an irritable or anxious temperament And her selfcomplacency was of too solid a kind to be much affected even by ruder rubs than any which could be given by James Maxfields uncouth bluntness I shall take no notice whatever of this she said with serene dignity When your father comes back I shall talk to him Meanwhile I have a great many important things to do
The good lady did in truth begin at once to busy herself in seeking a house for Algernon and getting it furnished There was but a month to make all arrangements in and all Mrs Erringtons friends who could by any possibility be pressed into the service were required to assist her The Docketts Rose and Violet McDougall Mrs Smith the surgeons wife and even Miss Chubb were sent hither and thither asked to write notes to make inquiries to have interviews with landlords and to take as much trouble and make as much fuss as possible in the task of getting ready an abode for Mr and the Honourable Mrs Algernon Errington
A house was found without much difficulty It was a small isolated cottage on the outskirts of the town with a garden behind it which ran down to the meadows bordering the Whit and was the very house belonging to Barker the chemist of which Mrs Errington had written to her friend Mrs Bodkin
It was really a very humble dwelling But the rent of it was quite as large as Algernon would be able to afford Mrs Errington said I prefer a small place for them If they took a more pretentious house they would be expected to entertain And you know my dear sir or madam as the case might be that there is a great mixture in Whitford society and that would not suit my daughterinlaw, of course You perceive that dont you And then the person so addressed might flatter him or herself with the idea of belonging to the unmixed portion of society
Indeed this terrible accusation of being mixed was one which Mrs Errington was rather fond of bringing against the social gatherings in Whitford And she had once been greatly offended and a good deal puzzled by Mr Diamonds asking her what objection there could be to that and challenging her to point out any good thing on earth from a bowl of punch upwards which was not mixed But however this might be no one believed at all that the mixture in Whitford society was the real reason for young Erringtons inhabiting so small a house They knew perfectly well that if Algernons means had been larger his house would have been larger also
And yet Mrs Erringtons flourish was not without its effect on some persons They in their turn repeated her lamentations on the mixture to such of their acquaintances as did not happen to be also her acquaintances And as there were very few individuals in Whitford either so eccentric or so courageous as Mr Diamond this mysterious mixture was generally acknowledged with shrugs and headshakings to be a very great evil indeed
At the end of about a fortnight old Max one day reappeared in his own house and marched upstairs to Mrs Erringtons sittingroom
Well maam said he without any preliminary greeting whatsoever I suppose you understood the written notice to quit that I sent you But as my son James informs me that you dont seem to be taking any steps in consequence of it Ive come to say that you will have to remove out of my abode on the twentyseventh of this month and not a day later So you can act according to your judgment in finding another place to dwell in
Mrs Errington was inspecting the contents of a packingcase which had been sent from London by Lady Seely It contained as her ladyship said some odds and ends that would be useful to the young couple The only article of any value in the whole collection was a porcelain vase which had long stood in obscurity on a sidetable in Lord Seelys study and would not be missed thence Lady Seely at all events would not miss it as she seldom entered the room and therefore she had generously added it to the odds and ends
Mrs Errington looked up a little flushed with the exertion of stooping over the packingcase and confronted Mr Maxfield Her round red fullmoon face contrasted in a lively manner with the old mans grey lank harsh visage The years as they passed did not improve old Maxs appearance And as soon as she beheld him Mrs Errington was convinced of the justice of Betty Grimshaws remark that her brotherinlaw seemed to have grown closer and crustier than ever of late
Why Mr Maxfield said the lady condescendingly how do you do I have been wanting to see you Come sit down and let us talk matters over
Old Max stood in the doorway glaring at her I dont know maam as theres any matters I want to talk over with you he returned You had better understand that I mean what I say Youll find it more convenient to believe me at once and to act accordin
Do you mean to say that you intend to turn me out Mr Maxfield
I have given you a legal notice to quit maam You neednt call it turning you out unless you like
He had begun to move away when Mrs Errington exclaimed But I really dont comprehend this at all What will Rhoda think of it
Maxfield stopped hesitatingly with his hand on the banisters at the top of the landing Rhoda said he gruffly Oh Rhoda has nothing to say to it one way or tother
But I want to have something to say to her I assure you it was a great disappointment to me not to find Rhoda here on my return Im very fond of her and shall continue to be so as long as she merits it It is not her fault poor girl if—other people forget themselves
Maxfield took his hand off the banisters and turned round Since youre so fond of Rhoda he said with a queer expression on his sour old face youll be glad to know where she is and the company shes in
I know that she is at the seaside with my friends Mrs and Miss Bodkin
She is at the seaside with her friends Mrs and Miss Bodkin Miss Minnie is a real lady and she understands how to treat Rhoda and knows that the Lord has made a lady of Rhoda by natur
Mrs Errington stared in utter astonishment The suspicion began to form and strengthen itself in her mind that the old man was positively out of his senses If so his insanity had taken an extremely unpleasant turn for her
I really was not prepared for being turned out of my lodgings after all these years she said reverting to the point that most nearly touched herself
Ive not been prepared for a many things as have happened after all these years But Im ready to meet em when they come
Well but now Mr Maxfield let us see if we cannot make an arrangement If you have any different views about the rent I——
The rent What do you think your bit of a rent matters to me I want the rooms for the use of my daughter Miss Maxfield and theres an end of it
Oh he certainly cannot be in his right senses to address me in this manner thought Mrs Errington
Maxfield went on I see youve got a box of rubbish there littering about the place I give you warning not to unpack any more here for out everything ll have to go on the twentyseventh of this month as sure as my names Jonathan Maxfield
Mr Maxfield You are certainly forgetting yourself Rubbish indeed These are a few—a very few—of the valuable wedding presents sent to my son and daughter by Lady Seely
Old Max made a grating sound which was intended for a laugh although his bushy grey eyebrows were drawn together in a heavy frown the while Then he suddenly burst out in a kind of cold fury Pooh he cried Presents Valuable presents You dont deceive anybody by that Look here—if the old carpet or any of the furniture in this room would be of any assistance to you you can take it Ill give it to you—a free gift The place is going to be done up and new furnished for Miss Maxfield Furnished handsome fit for a young lady of property Fit for a young lady that will have a sum o money on the day she marries—if Im pleased with her choice—as ll make some folks mouths water It wont be reckoned by twenties nor yet by hundreds wont Miss Maxfields fortin You can take the old carpet and mahogany table and the highbacked chairs and put em among your valuable presents Theyre too oldfashioned for Miss Maxfields drawingroom And with a repetition of the grating laugh old Max tramped heavily downstairs and was heard to bang the door of his own parlour
Mrs Errington sat motionless for nearly a quarter of an hour staring at the open door Mad she exclaimed at length drawing a long breath Quite mad But I wonder if there is any truth in what he says about Rhodas money Dear me why shell be quite a catch
CHAPTER VIII
Meanwhile Rhoda at Duckwell Farm supposed herself to be too unhappy to care much for anything She did not have a fever nor fall into a consumption nor waste away visibly but she passed hours crying alone in her own room or sitting idlehanded whilst her thoughts languidly retraced the past or strove to picture what sort of a lady Algernons wife might be Headaches pallid cheeks and red eyes resulted from these solitary hours Mrs Seth Maxfield wondered what had come to the girl having no suspicion that young Erringtons marriage could be more to Rhoda than an interesting subject for gossip
Old Jonathan went over to Duckwell immediately after receiving the first newspaper sent by Mrs Errington from Westmoreland
The announcement of the intended wedding had taken him wholly by surprise It would be hard to say whether wrath or amazement predominated in his mind on first reading the paragraph which Mrs Errington had so complacently marked with red ink But it is not at all hard to say which feeling predominated within an hour after having read it
According to old Maxs judgment there was not one extenuating circumstance in Algernons behaviour not one plea to be urged on his behalf Utter vindictive anger filled the old mans soul as he read He had been deceived played upon laughed at by this boy That was the first and perhaps the most venomous of his mortifications But many other stinging thoughts rankled in his mind David Powell had been right That was almost unendurable As to Rhoda old Max could not in the mood he was then in contemplate her being bowed down by grief and disappointment He would have her raise her head and revenge herself on her faithless lover He would have her successful admired and prosperous He would have her trample on Algernons pride and poverty with all the insolence of wealth Even his beloved money so hardly earned so eagerly hoarded seemed to him for the first time in his life to be of small account in comparison with a sentiment
He took his Bible and gloated over menaces of vengeance and threats of destruction Future condemnation was no doubt in store for Algernon Errington But that was too vague and too distant a prospect to appease old Maxs stomach for revenge He wanted to see his enemy in the dust and that his enemy should be seen there by others In the midst of his reading he suddenly recollected the acknowledgment he held of Algernons debt to him and jumped up and ran to his strongbox to feast his eyes on it It seemed almost like a clear leading from on High that the IOU should come into his head just then old Max thought He was not the first nor the worst man who has wrested Scripture into the service of his own angry passions
Then he sent to order a gig from the Blue Bell and set out for Duckwell Farm
I hope your father isnt sickening for any disease or going to get a stroke or something said Betty Grimshaw to her nephew James But I never see anybodys face such a colour out of their coffin Its a greeny grey thats what it is And he was frowning like thunder
But Jonathan Maxfields disorder was not of the body He arrived at Duckwell unexpectedly but his arrival did not cause any particular surprise He had business transactions to discuss with his son Seth to whom he had advanced money on mortgage And then there was Rhoda staying at the farm and of course her father would like to see Rhoda
Rhoda was called from her own room and came down pale and nervous She dreaded meeting her father Did he or did he not know the news from Westmoreland It had only come to Duckwell Farm by means of Mr Pawkinss servants It might possibly not yet have reached Whitford
On his side old Max took care to say nothing about the Applethwaite Advertiser He had destroyed that journal before leaving home placing it in the heart of the kitchen fire and holding it there with the poker until the remains of it fluttered up the chimney in black impalpable fragments
But old Max had brought another document in his pocket which had been placed in his hand just as he was starting in the gig It was a letter directed to Miss Rhoda Maxfield High Street Whitford And this he pulled out almost immediately on seeing Rhoda A glance at her face sufficed to show him that she was unhappy and dispirited She has heard it he thought And something like an anathema upon Algernon followed the thought in his mind
The old mans countenance was not so clearly read by his daughter indeed she hardly raised her eyes to his but received his kiss in silence
Im afraid father youll not find Rhodas looks doing us credit said Mrs Seth Why or wherefore I dont know but these last days she has been as peaky as can be
Its the heat maybe said old Max shortly and withdrew his own and Mrs Seths attention from the girl as she read the letter he handed to her Rhoda was grateful for this forbearance on her fathers part although it fluttered her too a little as proving that he was aware of the cause of her dejection and anxious to shield it from observation
The letter was from Minnie Bodkin She had written it almost immediately on hearing of Algernons intended marriage It invited Rhoda if her father would consent to visit the Bodkins during the remainder of their stay at the seaside There was no word of allusion to the Erringtons in the letter Minnie only said Mamma and I remember that your cheeks had lost their roses somewhat when we left Whitford And we think that a breath of seabreeze may blow them back again It is some time since you had complete change of air Tell Mr Maxfield we will take good care of you And in a postscript Mrs Bodkin had added in her small running hand Do come my dear We shall be very glad to have you Dr Bodkin bids me send you his love
It had been no slight effort of self-conquest which had made Minnie Bodkin send for Rhoda to stay with her at the seaside and had enabled her to endure the girls daily presence and to stand her friend in word and deed throughout the weeks which succeeded the announcement of Algernons marriage
To be kind to Rhoda at a distance would have been pleasant enough Minnie would willingly nay gladly have served the girl in any way which should not have necessitated frequent personal communion with her But she told herself unflinchingly that if she really meant to keep her promise to David Powell she must do so at some cost of self-sacrifice The only efficacious thing she could do for Rhoda was to take her away from Whitford scenes and Whitford people for a time to take her out of the reach of gossiping tongues and unsympathising eyes and to give her the support of a friendly presence when she should be obliged to face Whitford once more This would be efficacious help to Rhoda and Minnie resolved to give it to her But it was a task to which she felt considerable repugnance There was an invisible barrier between herself and pretty gentle winning Rhoda Maxfield
It is curious to consider of how small importance to most of us actions are as compared with motives And perhaps nothing contributes more to hasty accusations of ingratitude than forgetfulness of this truth We are more affected by what people mean than by what they say and by what they feel than by what they do Only when meaning and feeling harmoniously inform the dry husk of words and deeds can we bring our hearts to receive the latter thankfully however kind they may sound or seem to uninterested spectators The egotism of most of us is too exacting to permit of our judging our friends behaviour from any abstract point of view and to be done good to for somebody elses sake or even for the sake of a lofty principle seldom excites very lively satisfaction
Thus Rhoda reproached herself for the unaccountable coldness with which she received Miss Bodkins kindness having only a dim consciousness that Miss Bodkins kindness was prompted by motives excellent indeed but which had little to do with personal sympathy with herself
She silently handed the letter to her father and turned away to the window Mrs Seth bustled out of the room saying that she must get ready a snack of something for Mr Maxfield after his drive and the father and daughter were left alone together
Jonathan Maxfields face brightened wonderfully as he read Minnies gracious words A glow of pleasure came over his hard features But it was not a very agreeable sort of pleasure to behold being considerably mingled with malicious triumph Here was a welltimed circumstance indeed What could Powell or such as Powell say now Let the Erringtons behave as they might it was clear henceforward that Rhoda had not been received amongst gentlefolks solely on their account His girl was liked and made much of for her own sake
Well said he this is a very pretty letter of Miss Minnies very pretty indeed He did not allow his voice to express his exultation but spoke in his usual harsh grumbling tones
Yes answered Rhoda tremulously it is very kind of Miss Minnie and of dear Mrs Bodkin wonderfully kind But I—I dont think I want to go father
Not want to go Nonsense Thats mere idle nonsense Of course you will go I shall take you down by the coach myself
Oh thank you father but—I really dont want change I dont care about going to the seaside
The old man turned upon her almost savagely I say you shall go You must go Are you to creep into a hole like a sick beast of the field and hide yourself from all eyes There there he added in a gentler tone drawing her towards him as he saw the tears begin to gather in her eyes I am not chiding you Rhoda But it will be good for you to accept this call from your kind friends It will be good for mind and body You will be quiet there among fresh scenes and fresh faces And you will return to Whitford in the company of these gentlefolks who it is clear are minded to stand your friends under all circumstances Seths wife is a worthy woman but she is not a companion for you Rhoda
One phrase of this speech did seem to offer a glimpse of consolation to Rhoda the promise namely of quiet and fresh scenes where she and her belongings were utterly unknown But her father did not know that Minnie Bodkin understood her little lovestory from first to last and that Minnie Bodkins presence and companionship might not be calculated to pour the waters of oblivion into her heart Still she reflected a day must come when she would have to face Miss Minnie and all the other Whitford people who knew her There was no chance of her dying at once and being taken away from it all And Rhodas teaching had made her shrink from the thought of desiring death as from something vaguely wicked On the whole it might be the best thing for her to go to the Bodkins She would better have liked to continue her solitary rambles in Pudcombe Woods or the meadows at Duckwell only that now the pain awaited her every evening at the farm of hearing Algernons marriage discussed and speculated on She could not shut out the topic On the whole then it might be the best thing she could do to get away from Whitford gossip for a time
These considerations Rhoda brought before her own mind not with any idea that they could avail to decide her line of conduct but by way of reconciling herself to the line of conduct she should be compelled to take It never entered her head that any resistance would be possible when once her father had said You must go
Very well father she answered meekly after a short pause
The Bodkins invitation was duly communicated to Seth and his wife And it was arranged that Rhoda should start from the farm without returning to Whitford at all as a cross road could be reached from Duckwell where the coach would stop to pick up passengers If theres any garments you require beyond those you have here your aunt Betty shall send them over by the carrier tomorrow said Mr Maxfield
Mrs Seth protested not without a spice of malice that Rhoda could not possibly want any more clothes for that she was rigged out already fit for a princess Nevertheless there did arrive from Whitford several fresh additions to Rhodas wardrobe inclosed in a brandnew black trunk studded with brassheaded nails and with the initials R M traced out in the same shining materials on the lid
Your fathers wellnigh softheaded about that girl said Mrs Seth to her husband as they stood watching the father and daughter drive away together
Hm grunted Seth
His wife went on We may make up our minds as our little ones will never be a penny the better for your fathers money Im as sure as sure itll all go to Rhoda
As to his will you may be right returned Seth But I have good hopes that father will cancel that mortgage he holds on the home farm If he does that we mustnt growl too much Tis a good lump o money And it would come a deal handier to me if I could have the land free now than if I waited for fathers death Hes tough is father And the Lord knows I dont wish him dead neither
In this way Rhoda Maxfield went down to the seaside place where the Bodkins were staying spent about three weeks with them there and returned in their company to Whitford to find Mrs Errington no longer an inmate of her fathers house the old sittingroom decorated and refurnished very smartly and all the circle with whom she had become acquainted at Dr Bodkins on the tiptoe of expectation to behold the Honourable Mrs Algernon Errington whose arrival was looked forward to with an amount of interest only understood by those who have ever lived an unoccupied life in a remote provincial town
CHAPTER IX
We have already been present at more than one social gathering at Dr Bodkins house But these entertainments have been of an informal character and the guests at them all persons in the habit of meeting each other very frequently On Mr and Mrs Algernon Erringtons arrival in Whitford after their marriage Dr and Mrs Bodkin issued cards for an evening party and invited the leading personages of their acquaintance to meet the bride and bridegroom
Mrs Errington was in high delight She appreciated this attention from her old friends very highly Castalia it was true looked discontented and disdainful about the whole affair and demanded to know why she must be dragged out to these peoples stupid parties before she had had time to turn round in her own house But then as Mrs Errington reflected Castalia did not understand Whitford society The fact is my dear said her motherinlaw with suavity it may be all a very trumpery business in your eyes and after the circles you have moved in but I assure you it is considered a very desirable thing here to have the entrée to Dr Bodkins And then they scarcely ever entertain on a showy scale nothing but a few friends tea and cake your rubber and a tray afterwards But for this occasion I hear there are great preparations going on They wont dance because Minnie cant stand the vibration But there will be quite a large gathering Of course my dear it is not what I was accustomed to at Ancram Park But they are most kind wellmeaning people And Minnie is highly accomplished even learned I believe
I hate bluestockings returned Mrs Algernon with a shrug
Oh but Minnie is not the least blue in her manners Indeed her knowing Greek has ever been a mystery to me for I assure you she is extremely handsome and has I think the finest pair of eyes I ever saw in my life But I suppose it is accounted for by her affliction poor thing
Castalia had darted a quick suspicious glance at her husband on hearing of Minnies beauty but relapsed into languid indifference when she was told that Miss Bodkin was a confirmed invalid suffering from disease of the spine
In other circles Mrs Errington was by no means so cool and condescending in speaking of the doctors projected party The check administered to her exultation by Castalias chilly indifference only caused a fuller ebullition of it in other directions She overwhelmed her new landlady by the magnitude and magnificence of her Ancramisms—I have already asked permission to use the phrase in these pages—and was looked up to by that simple soul as a very exalted personage for the new landlady was no other than the widow Thimbleby
Mrs Errington occupied the two rooms on the firstfloor above Mr Diamonds parlours The place was smaller and poorer altogether than Maxfields house although it did not yield to it in cleanliness Here was Mrs Erringtons old blue china set forth on a sidetable in the little oblong drawingroom and her workbox with its amber satin and silver implements and the faded miniatures hung over the mantelpiece Also there was a square of substantial if somewhat faded carpet in the middle of Mrs Thimblebys threadbare drugget a mahogany table and a roomy comfortable easychair all of which we have seen before
In a word Mrs Errington had taken advantage of old Maxs somewhat rash offer and had carried away with her such articles of furniture out of her old quarters as she fancied might be useful
Mrs Errington took some credit to herself for her magnanimity in so doing I could not refuse the poor man she said to Mrs Thimbleby I have lived many years in his house and although he was led away by mistaken ambition to want his drawingroom for his own use and certainly did cause me great inconvenience at a moment when I was up to my eyes in important business yet I could not refuse to accept his little peaceoffering A lady does not quarrel with that sort of person you know And poor old man I believe he was dreadfully cut up at my going away when it came to the point and would have given anything to keep me But I said No Mr Maxfield that is impossible I have made other arrangements and in short I cannot be troubled any more about this matter But to show that I bear no malice and that I shall not withdraw my countenance from your daughter I am willing to accept the trifles you press upon me He was a good deal touched by my taking the things poor foolish misguided old man
Well it was real Christian of you maam said simple Mrs Thimbleby
The day of the party at Dr Bodkins arrived and there was as intense an excitement connected with its advent as if it were to bring a county ball or even a royal drawingroom Whether a satin train lappets and feathers be intrinsically more important and worthy objects of anxiety than a white muslin frock and artificial roses I do not presume to decide Only I can unhesitatingly assert that the Misses Rose and Violet McDougall could not have given their female attendant more trouble about the preparation and putting on of the latter adornments—which formed their simple and elegant attire on this occasion—if they had been duchesses and their gowns cloth of gold
Miss Chubb too contemplated her new dress of a light blue colour laid out upon her bed with great interest and satisfaction And when her toilet for the evening was completed she had more little gummed rings of hair on her cheeks and forehead than had ever before been beheld there at one time
The company began to assemble in Dr Bodkins drawingrooms about halfpast eight oclock There were all our old acquaintances—Mr Smith the surgeon and his wife Mr and Mrs Dockett with Miss Alethea now promoted to long dresses and grownup youngladyhood There was Orlando Pawkins Mr Warlock the curate and Colonel Whistler with his charming nieces Miss Chubb had dined with the Bodkins in the middle of the day and after being of great assistance to the mistress of the house in the preparation of her suppertable had returned to her own home to dress and consequently arrived upon the festive scene rather later than would otherwise have been the case But she was not the last guest to arrive Mr Diamond came in after her and so did one or two families from the neighbourhood of Whitford County people Miss Chubb said in a loud whisper to Rose McDougall who replied snappishly Of course We know them very well Have visited them for years
This is a brilliant scene said goodnatured Miss Chubb turning to Mr Warlock whom Fate had thrown into her neighbourhood Mr Warlock agreed with her that it was very brilliant and indeed Dr Bodkins drawingrooms well lighted with wax candles and with abundance of hothouse flowers tastefully arranged and relieved against the rich crimson and oak furniture were exceedingly cheerful pleasant and picturesque There was an air of comfort and good taste about the rooms—a habitable homelike air—not always to be found in more splendid dwellings
On her crimson loungingchair reclined Minnie Bodkin Her dress was of heavy creamwhite silk with gold ornaments She wore nothing in her abundant dark hair and her pale face seemed to many who looked upon it that evening to be more lovely than ever Her lips had a tinge of red in them and her eyes were full of lustre There was a suppressed excitement about her looks and manner which lighted up her perfectlymoulded features with a strange beauty that struck all observers Even the McDougalls could not but admit that Minnie looked very striking but added that she was a little too theatrically got up didnt you think so That was poor Minnies failing All for effect And added Rose she has a good foil in that little pink and white creature who sits in the corner beside her chair and never moves I suppose she is told to do it But the idea of dressing that chit up in a violet silk gown fit for a married woman And she has no figure to carry it off I really think it rather a strong measure on the Bodkins part to ask us all to meet a girl of such very low origin on equal terms But there it is you see Poor dear Minnie delights in doing startling things unlike other people And of course her parents refuse her nothing
Miss Roses opinion of Rhoda Maxfields insignificant appearance was not however shared by many persons present Several young gentlemen and more than one old gentleman vied with each other in offering her cups of tea and paying her various little attentions according to their opportunities Even old Colonel Whistler when he thought himself unobserved by his nieces sidled up to pretty Rhoda Maxfield and was heard to say to one of the county gentlemen Shes the prettiest girl Ive seen this many a day by George And I know a pretty girl when I see one sir or used to once upon a time
To Rhoda all the strangers who spoke and looked so kindly were merely troublesome Her colour went and came her heart beat with anxiety She started nervously every time the door opened She could think only of Algernon and Algernons wife She made a silent and very earnest prayer that she might be strengthened to sit still and quiet when they should appear for she had had serious apprehensions lest she should be irresistibly impelled to start up and run away as soon as she saw them
It was in vain that young Mr Pawkins hovered near her inviting her to accept his arm into the tearoom it was in vain that old Colonel Whistler softened his martinet voice to ask her with paternal tenderness how she had enjoyed her stay at the seaside and to say that if one might judge by her looks she had derived great benefit from the change of air In the words of the song All men else seemed to her like shadows She was in a dream with the consciousness of an impending awakening which she half longed for half dreaded
Two persons watched over her and covered the mistakes she made in her nervous trepidation Matthew Diamond and Minnie Bodkin exerted themselves to shield her from importunate observation and to give her time to recover her selfpossession if that might be possible Diamond was in good spirits He could wait he could be patient he could be silent now with a good heart Algernons marriage had opened a bright vista of hope before him and perhaps he had never felt so disposed to condone and excuse his old pupils faults and failings as at the present moment Minnie is a good creature he thought with a momentary grateful diversion of his attention from Rhoda to keep my timid birdie so carefully under her wing She might do it with a little more softness of manner But we cannot change peoples natures
Meanwhile Minnie reclined in her chair watching his tender lingering looks at Rhoda and his complete indifference to everyone else with a heartache which might have excused even less softness of manner than Diamond thought she displayed towards the girl beside her
At length a little commotion and movement among the persons standing near the door announced a new arrival Rhoda felt sick and grasped the back of Minnies chair so hard that her little glove was split by the force of the pressure But that horrible sensation passed away in a few seconds And then looking up with renewed powers of seeing and hearing she perceived that Mrs Errington had made her entrance alone and was holding forth in her mellow voice to Dr and Mrs Bodkin and a knot of other persons in the centre of the room
Mrs Errington was radiant She nodded and smiled to one and another with an almost royal suavity and condescension She was attired in a rich dovecoloured silk gown Lord Seelys gift to her at her sons wedding and wore rosecoloured ribbons in her lace cap and looked altogether as handsome and happy a matron of her years as you would easily find in a long summers day
I have sent back the carriage for them dear Mrs Bodkin she was saying when Rhoda gained selfpossession enough to take account of her words Naughty Castalia was not ready So I said My dear children I shall go on without you and put in an appearance for one member of the family at least So here I am And my boy and girl will be here directly And how is dear Minnie—How dye do Colonel—Good evening Miss Chubb—Ah Alethea Papa and mamma quite well—Oh there she is How are you my dear Minnie But I need not ask for I never saw you looking so well
By this time Mrs Errington had arrived at Minnies chair and stooped to kiss her Almost at the same moment she caught sight of Rhoda who shrank back a little flushed and trembling Mrs Errington thought she very well understood the cause of this and thought to herself Poor child she is ashamed of her fathers behaviour
What my pretty Rhoda she said aloud And drawing the girl to her kissed her warmly Im very glad to see you again child continued Mrs Errington I began to fancy we were not to meet any more You must come and see me and spend a long day I suppose that wont be against the laws of the Medes and Persians eh
The familiar voice the familiar looks the kind manner of her old friend helped to put Rhoda at her ease The fact too that Mrs Errington had no suspicion of her feelings was calming Mrs Errington was not apt to suspect people of any feeling but gratification when she was talking to them
In the full glow of her satisfaction Mrs Errington even condescended to be gracious to Matthew Diamond who came forward to offer his congratulations Why yes Mr Diamond said the good lady it is indeed a marriage after my own heart And I do not think I am blinded by the partiality of a mother when I say the brides family are quite as gratified at the alliance as I am Do you know that one of Mrs Algernons relatives is the Duke of Mackelpie and Brose A distant relative it is true But these Scotch clans you know call cousins to the twentieth degree His Grace sent Castalia a beautiful wedding present a cairngorm set in solid silver So characteristic you know and so distinguished No vulgar finery Oh the Broses and the Kauldkails have been connected from time immemorial
Then Colonel Whistler came up and joined the circle round Mrs Erringtons chair and Miss Chubb whose curiosity generally got the better of her dignity when it came to a struggle between the two To them sauntered up Alethea Dockett on the arm of Mr Pawkins The latter finding it impossible to draw Rhoda into conversation had philosophically transferred his attentions to the smiling blackeyed Miss Alethea much to the disgust and scorn of the McDougalls
Mrs Errington soon had a numerous audience around her chair and she improved the occasion by indulging in such flourishes as fairly staggered her hearers Her account of the brides trousseau was almost oriental in the splendour and boldness of its imagery And Matthew Diamond began to believe that with very small encouragement she might be led on to endow her daughterinlaw with the rocs egg which even Aladdin could not compass the possession of when a diversion took place
Algernon Errington appeared close behind Miss Chubb and said almost in her ear and in his old jaunty way Well is this the way you cut an old friend Oh Miss Chubb I couldnt have believed it of you
The little spinster turned round quite fluttered with both her fat little hands extended Algy she cried But I beg pardon I ought not to call you by that familiar name now I suppose
By what name then I hope you dont mean to cut me in earnest
Then there was a general handshaking and exchange of greetings among the group Rhoda was still in her old place behind Minnies chair and was invisible at first to one coming to the circle from the other end of the room as Algernon had done But in a minute he saw her and for once his selfpossession temporarily forsook him
If he had walked into the sittingroom at old Maxs and seen Rhoda there in her accustomed place by his mothers knee with the accustomed needlework in her hand and dressed in the accustomed grey stuff frock he might have accosted her with tolerable coolness and aplomb The old associations which might have unnerved some softhearted persons would have strengthened Algernon by vividly recalling his own habitual ascendancy and superiority over his former love But instead of the Rhoda he had been used to see here was a lovely young lady elegantly even richly dressed received among the chief personages of her little world evidently on equal terms and looking as gracefully in her right place there as the best of them
Algernon stood for a second staring pointblank at her unable to move or to speak His embarrassment gave her courage Not less to her own surprise than to that of the two who were watching her so keenly she rose from her chair and held out her hand with the little torn glove on it saying in a soft voice that was scarcely at all unsteady How do you do Mr Errington
Algernon shook her proffered hand and murmured something about having scarcely recognised her Then someone else began to speak to him and he turned away as Rhoda resumed her seat trembling from head to foot
So the dreaded meeting was over Let her see him again as often as she might no second interview could be looked forward to with the same anxious apprehension as the first She had seen Algernon once more She had spoken to him and touched his hand
It seemed very strange that no outward thing should have changed when such a moving drama had been going on within her heart But not one of the faces around her showed any consciousness that they had witnessed a scene from the old old story that the clasp of those two young hands had meant at once Hail and Farewell—farewell to the sweet foolish dream to the innocent tenderness of youth and maiden to the soft thrilling sense of loves presence that was wont to fill so many hours of life with a diffused sweetness like the perfume of hidden flowers
No the world seemed to go on much as usual The McDougalls came flouncing up close beside her to tell Minnie that they had just been introduced to the Honourable Mrs Errington and a very young gentleman one of Dr Bodkins senior scholars asked Rhoda if she had had any tea yet and begged to recommend the poundcake from his own personal experience
Go with Mr Ingleby said Minnie authoritatively I put Miss Maxfield under your charge Ingleby and shall hold you responsible for her being properly attended to in the tearoom
The lad colouring with pleasure led off the unresisting Rhoda All her force of will all her courage seemed to have been expended in the effort of greeting Algernon She simply obeyed Miss Bodkin with listless docility But on reaching the tearoom she was conscious that her friend had done wisely and kindly in sending her away for there were but two persons there One was Mr Dockett who was as inveterate a teadrinker as Doctor Johnson and the other was the Reverend Peter Warlock hovering hungrily near the cakebasket Neither of these gentlemen took any special notice of her and she was able to sit quiet and unobserved Her cavalier conscientiously endeavoured to fulfil Miss Minnies injunctions but was greatly disappointed by the indifference which Rhoda manifested to the poundcake However he endeavoured to make up for her shortcomings by devouring such a quantity of that confection himself as startled even Dr Bodkins old footman accustomed to the appetites of many a generation of schoolboys
But all this time where was the bride The party was given especially in her honour and to omit her from any description of it would be an unpardonable solecism
The Honourable Mrs Algernon Ancram Errington sat on a sofa in the principal drawingroom with a discontented expression of countenance superciliously surveying the company through her eyeglass and asking where Algernon was if he were absent from her side for five minutes Castalia was looking in better health than when we first had the honour of making her acquaintance She had grown a trifle stouter—or less lean Her sojourn in Westmoreland had been more favourable to her looks than the fatigues of a London season which under other circumstances she would have been undergoing Happiness is said to be a great beautifier And it was to be supposed that Castalia having married the man of her heart was happy But yet the fretful creases had not vanished from her face and there was even a more suspicious watchfulness in her bright deeplyset eyes than formerly
Perhaps it may be well to record a few of the various verdicts passed on the brides manners and appearance by our Whitford friends after that first evening Possibly an impartial judgment may be formed from them but it will be seen that opinions were strongly conflicting
Said Dr Bodkin to his wife What can the boy have been thinking of to marry that woman A sickly faded fretfullooking person nearly ten years his senior I can forgive a generous mistake but not a mean one If he had run away with Ally Dockett from her boardingschool it would no doubt have been a misfortune but—I dont know that one would have loved him much the less
Oh doctor
I am not counselling young gentlemen to run away with young ladies from boardingschools my dear But—Im afraid this has been a marriage wholly of interest and ambition on his side Ah I hoped better things of Errington And the doctor went on shaking his head for full a minute
Said Mrs Smith to Mrs Dockett What do you think of the bride Said Mrs Dockett to Mrs Smith A stuckup unpleasant little thing And I do wish somebody would tell her to keep her gown on her shoulders I assure you if I were to see my Ally half undressed in that fashion I should box her ears And Ally has a very pretty pair of shoulders though I say it She is not a bag of bones like Mrs Algernon at all events
Said Miss Chubb to her old woman servant Well the Honourable Mrs Algernon Errington is very distangy looking Martha Thats a French word that means—means out of the common aristocratic you know Very distangy certainly But she lacks sentiment in my opinion And her outline is very sharp Martha I prefer a rounder contour both of face and figure Some of the ladies found fault with her because of her low dress But that—as I happen to know—is quite the custom with our upper classes in town Mrs Figginss—wife of the Bishop of Plumbunn you know Martha—Mrs Figginss sister who married Sir William Wick of the Honourable Company of Tallow Chandlers I believe—thats a kind of City society for dining sumptuously Martha you mustnt suppose it has anything to do with selling tallow candles Well Lady Wick sat down to dinner in low every day of her life
Mr Diamond and young Pawkins walked a little way together from the doctors house to the Blue Bell inn The master of Pudcombe Hall on attempting to resume his acquaintance with the bride had been received with scant courtesy But this was not so much because Castalia intended to be specially uncivil to him as because at that moment it happened unfortunately that she saw her husband in a distant part of the room talking to Minnie Bodkin with an air of animation
By Jove cried the ingenuous Pawkins I dont envy Errington His wife looks so uncommon illtempered and turns up her honourable nose at everybody
She does not turn up her nose at him returned Diamond And Errington will not be over sensitive on behalf of his friends
Oh well But shes so crabbed somehow One expects a bride to have some kind of softness in her manners and—hang it all theres not a particle of romance about her
My dear fellow if there is in the United Kingdom a young man of threeandtwenty who can comfortably dispense with romance in his wife our friend Errington is that young man
Oh well I know Erringtons a very clever fellow and all that and perhaps Im a fool But I—I shouldnt like my wife to be quite so cool and cutting in her manners thats all
Neither should I And perhaps Im a fool
Shouldnt you now Orlando was encouraged by this admission on Diamonds part further to express his opinion that it was all very fine to stick Honourable before your name but that for his part he considered little Miss Maxfield to look fifty times more like a lady than Mrs Algernon And as for good looks there was of course no comparison And though Miss Maxfield was too shy and quiet yet if you offered her any little civility she thanked you in such a sweet way that a fellow felt as if he could do anything for her whereas some women stare at a fellow enough to turn a fellow into stone
But the Misses McDougall were enthusiastic in their praises of Algernons wife They performed a sort of Carmen Amœbœum after this fashion
Rose That sweet creature the Honourable Mrs Algernon I cant get her out of my head
Violet Dear thing What highbred manners And did she tell you that we are positively related The Mackelpies you know call cousins with us There was the branch that went off from the elder line of Brose—c c c
Rose Oh yes one feels at home directly with people of ones own class How lucky Algernon has been to get such a wife instead of some chit of a girl who would have had no weight in society
Violet Yes but shes quite young enough Rose
Rose Oh dear me of course But I meant that Algernon has shown his sense in not selecting a breadandbutter Miss I own I detest schoolgirls
Violet She asked us to go and see her Do you know I think we were the only girls in the room she seemed to take to at all Even Minnie Bodkin now—she was very cool I thought to Minnie
Rose My dear child how often have I told you that the people here have quite a mistaken estimate of Minnie Bodkin They have just spoiled her Her airs are really ludicrous But directly a person of superior birth comes to the place you see how it is Perhaps youll believe me another time I do think you were half inclined to fall down and worship Minnie yourself
Violet Oh no not that But she is very clever you know And in spite of her affliction I thought she looked wonderfully handsome tonight
Rose Sharply Pshaw She was dressed up like an actress I saw the look Mrs Algernon gave her How beautifully Mrs Algernon had her hair done
Violet And did you notice that little flounce at the bottom of her dress——c c
Both Almost together Isnt she charming uncle
Very answered Colonel Whistler twirling his moustaches Then the gallant gentleman as he took his bedcandle was heard to mutter something which sounded like d——d skinny
CHAPTER X
Love in a cottage is a timehonoured phrase which changes its significance considerably according to the lips that utter it To some persons Love in a cottage would be suggestive of dreary obscurity privation cold mutton and one maidofallwork To others it might mean a villa with its lawn running down to the Thames a basketphaeton and pair of ponies and the modest simplicity of footmen without powder To another class of minds again Love in a cottage might stand for a comprehensive hieroglyph of honest affection sufficiently robust to live and thrive even on a diet of cold mutton and warmblooded enough to defy the nip of povertys east winds
Lady Seely had joked in her cheerful candid way with her nieceinlaw about her establishment in life and had said Well Castalia youll have love in a cottage at all events Some people are worse off And at your age you know quite between ourselves you must think yourself lucky to get a husband at all
Miss Kilfinane had made some retort to the effect that she did not intend to remain all her life in a cottage with or without love and that if Lord Seely could do nothing for Ancram she Castalia had other connections who might be more influential
But in truth Castalia did think that she could be quite content to live with Algernon Errington under a thatched roof having only a conventional and artificial conception of such a dwelling derived chiefly from lithographed drawingcopies It was not of course that Castalia Kilfinane did not know that thatched hovels are frequently comfortless illventilated the noted haunt of earwigs and limited in the accommodation necessary for a genteel family But such knowledge was packed away in some quite different department of her mind from that which habitually contemplated her own personal existence present and future Wiser folks than Castalia are apt to anticipate exceptions to general laws in their own favour
Castalia was undoubtedly in love with Algernon That is to say she would have liked better to be his wife in poverty and obscurity than to accept a title and a handsome settlement from any other man whom she had ever seen although she would probably have taken the latter had the chance been offered to her
Nor is that bringing so hard an accusation against her as may at first sight appear She would have liked best to be Algernons wife but for penniless Castalia Kilfinane to marry a poor man when she might have had a rich one would have required her to disregard some of the strongest and most vital convictions of the persons among whom she lived Let their words be what they might their deeds irrefragably proved that they held poverty to be the one fatal unforgiven sin which so covered any multitude of virtues as utterly to hide and overwhelm them You could no more expect Castalia to be impervious to this creed than you could expect a sapling to draw its nourishment from a distant soil rather than from the earth immediately around its roots To be sure there have been vigorous young trees that would strike out tough branching fibres to an incredible distance in search of the food that was best for them Such human plants are rare and poor narrowminded illeducated Castalia was not of them
Had she been much beloved it is possible that she might have ripened into sweetness under that celestial sunshine But it was not destined to be hers
In some natures the giving even of unrequited love is beautifying to the character But I think that in such cases the beauty is due to that pathetic compassion which blends with all love of a high nature for a lower one Do you think that all the Griseldas believe in their lords wisdom and justice Do you fancy that the fathers of prodigal sons do not oftentimes perceive the young vagabonds sins and shortcomings with a terrible perspicuity that pierces the poor fond heart like sharp steel Do you not know that Cordelia saw more quickly and certainly than the sneering sycophant courtiers every weakness and vanity of the rash choleric old king But there are hearts in which such knowledge is transmuted not into bitter resentment but into a yearning angelic pity Only in order to feel this pity we must rise to some point above the erring one Now poor Castalia had been so repressed by low ambition and the petty influences of a poverty ever at odds with appearances that the naturally weak wings of her spirit seemed to have lost all power of soaring
The earliest days Mrs Algernon Errington spent in her new home were passed in making a series of disagreeable discoveries The first discovery was that a sixroomed brick cottage is practically a far less commodious dwelling than any she had hitherto lived in The walls of Ivy Lodge that was the name of the little house which had not a twig of greenery to soften its bare red face appeared so slight that she fancied her conversation could be overheard by the passersby in the road The rooms were so small that her dress seemed to fill them to overflowing although those were not the days of crinolines and long trains The little staircase was narrow and steep The kitchen was so close to the living rooms that at dinnertime the whole house seemed to exhale a smell of roast mutton The stowing away of her wardrobe taxed to the utmost the ingenuity of her maid And the few articles of furniture which Lady Seely had raked out from disused sittingrooms appeared almost as Brobdingnagian in Ivy Lodge as real tables and chairs would seem beside the furniture of a dolls house
A second discovery—made very quickly after her arrival in Whitford—was still more unpleasant It was this that a fine Londonbred ladysmaid is an inconvenient and unmanageable servant to introduce into a small humble household Poor Castalia couldnt think what had come to Slater And Slater went about with a thunderous brow and sulky mouth conveying by her manner a sort of contemptuous compassion for her mistress and a contempt by no means compassionate for everybody else in the house
The stout Whitford servantofallwork offended her beyond forgiveness on the very first day of their acquaintance by bluntly remarking that wellcooked bacon and cabbage was a goodenough dinner for anybody and that if Mrs Slater had seed as many hungry folks as she Polly had she would say her grace and fallto with a thankful heart instead of turning up her nose and picking at good wholesome victuals with a fork Moreover Polly was not in the least awestricken by Mrs Slaters black silk gown or the gold watch she wore at her belt She observed cheerfully that suchlike fine toggery was all very well at church or chapel and for her part she always had and always would put a bit of a flower in her bonnet on Sundays and them mississes as didnt like it must get some one else to serve em But when she was about her work she liked to be dressed in working clothes And a servant as wanted to bring secondhand parlour manners into the kitchen seemed to her a poor cretur—neither fish flesh fowl nor good redherring
All which indignities Slater visited on her mistress finding it impossible to disconcert or repress Polly who only laughed heartily at her genteelest flights
But these things were not the worst The worst was that Algernon showed very plainly a disinclination to sympathise with his wifes annoyance and his intention of withdrawing himself from all domestic troubles as if he considered them to be clearly no concern of his Mrs Errington indeed would have come to the rescue of her daughterinlaw but neither of Mrs Algernons servants were disposed to submit to Mrs Erringtons authority And the good lady was no more inclined than her son to take trouble and expose herself to unpleasantness for any one elses sake
Castalia and her motherinlaw did not grow more attached to each other the more intimate their acquaintance became They had one sentiment in common—namely love for Algernon But this sentiment did not tend to unite them Indeed—putting the rivalry of lovers out of the question of course—it would be a mistake to conclude that because A and B both love C therefore A and B must love each other Mrs Errington thought that Castalia worried Algernon by complaints Castalia thought that Mrs Errington was often a thorn in her sons side by reason of her indulgence in the opposite feelings that is to say oversanguine and boastful prognostications
My dear Algy his mother would say there is not the least doubt that you have a brilliant career before you Your talents were appreciated by the highest in the land directly you became known to them It is impossible that you should be left here in the shade No no Whitford wont hold you long Of that I am certain
To which Castalia would reply that Whitford ought never to have held him at all that the post he filled there was absurdly beneath his standing and abilities and that Lord Seely would never have dreamt of offering Ancram such a position if it had not been for my lady who is the most selfish domineering woman in the world
Im sorry to have to say it Mrs Errington since she is your relation And you neednt suppose that she cares any the more for Ancram because hes her faraway cousin At most she only looks upon him as a kind of poor relation that ought to put up with anything And shes always abusing her own family She said to Uncle Val in my presence that the Ancrams could never be satisfied do what you would for them so he might as well make up his mind to that first as last She told me to my face the week before I was married that Ancram and I ought to go down on our knees in thankfulness to her for having got us a decent living That was pretty impudent from her to a Kilfinane I think
Algernon laughed with impartial goodhumour at his mothers rosecoloured visions and his wifes gloomier views but the good humour was a little cynical and his eyes had lost their old sparkle of enjoyment or at least it shone there far less frequently than formerly
As to his business—his superintendence of the correspondence by letter between Whitford and the rest of the civilised world—that it must be owned seemed to sit lightly on the new postmaster There was an elderly clerk in the office named Gibbs He was uncle to Miss Bodkins maid Jane and her brother the converted groom and was himself a member of the Wesleyan Society Mr Gibbs had been employed many years in the Whitford Postoffice and understood the routine of its business very well Algernon relied on Mr Gibbs he said and made himself very pleasant in his dealings with that functionary What was the use he asked of disturbing and harassing a tried servant by a too restless supervision He thought it best if you trusted your subordinates at all to trust them thoroughly
And certainly Mr Gibbs was very thoroughly trusted so much so indeed that all the trouble and responsibility of the officework appeared to be shifted on to his shoulders Yet Mr Gibbs seemed not to be discontented with this state of things Possibly he looked forward to promotion Algernons wife and mother freely gave it to be understood in the town that Whitford was not destined long to have the honour of retaining Mr Ancram Errington Mr Gibbs did the work and perhaps he hoped eventually to receive the pay Why should he not step into the vacant place of postmaster when his chief should be translated to a higher sphere
I daresay that in these times of general reform of competitive examinations and official purity no such state of things could be possible as existed in the Whitford Postoffice forty odd years ago I have only faithfully to record the events of my story and to express my humble willingness to believe that nowadays nous avons changé tout cela I must however be allowed distinctly to assert and unflinchingly to maintain that Algernon took no pains to acquire any knowledge of his business and that nevertheless the postal communications between Whitford and the rest of the world appeared to go on much as they had gone on during the reign of his predecessor
Mr Gibbs was a close quiet man grave and sparing of speech He had known something of the Erringtons for many years having been a crony of old Maxfields once upon a time Mr Gibbs remembered seeing Algernons smiling rosy face and light figure flitting through the long passage at old Maxs in his schoolboy days He remembered having once or twice met the majestic Mrs Errington in the doorway and could recollect quite well how the tinkling sound of the harpsichord and Algys fresh young voice used to penetrate into the back parlour on prayermeeting nights and fill the pauses between Brother Jacksons nasal dronings or Brother Powells passionate supplications Mr Gibbs had not then conceived a favourable idea of the Erringtons looking on them as worldly and unconverted persons of whom Jonathan Maxfield would do well to purge his house But Mr Gibbs kept his official life and his private life very perfectly asunder and he allowed no sectarian prejudices to make him rusty and unmanageable in his relations with the new postmaster
Then Mr Gibbs was not altogether proof against the charm of Algys manner Once upon a time Algy had been pleasant to all the world for the sheer pleasure of pleasing Years in their natural course had a little hardened the ductility of his compliant manners—a little roughened the smoothness of his once almost flawless temper But disappointment and the—to Algernon—almost unendurable sense that he stood lower in his friends admiration I do not say estimation than formerly had changed him more rapidly than the mere course of time would have done Still when Mr Ancram Errington strongly desired to attract persuade or fascinate there were few persons who could resist him He found it worth while to fascinate Mr Gibbs desiring not only that his clerk should carry his burden for him but should carry it so cheerfully and smilingly as to make him feel comfortable and complacent at having made the transfer
I have said that disappointment had changed Algernon He was disappointed in his marriage It was not that he had been a victim to any romantic illusions as regarded his wife He had had his little loveromance some time ago had it and tasted it and enjoyed it as a child enjoys a fairy tale feeling that it belongs to quite another realm from the everyday world of nursery dinners Latin grammars and torn pinafores and not in the least expecting to see Fanfreluche fly down the chimney into the schoolroom or to find Cinderellas glass slipper on the stairs as he goes up to bed Romances that touch the fancy only and in which the heart has no share are easily put off and on Algernon had wilfully laid his romance aside and did not regret it Castalias lack of charm and sweetness and sympathy would not greatly have troubled him—did he not know it all beforehand—had she been able to help him into a brilliant position and to cause him to be received and caressed by her noble relatives and the delightful world of fashionable society It was not that she failed to put any sunlight into his days and to fill his home with a sweet atmosphere of love and trust Algy would willingly enough have dispensed with that sort of sunshine if he could but have had plenty of wax candles and fine crystal lustres for them to sparkle in Give him a handsome suite of drawingrooms filled with the rich odours of pastille and potpourri and Algy would make no sickly lamentations over the absence of any sweet atmosphere such as I have written of above Only put his attractive figure into a suitable frame and he would be sure to receive praise and sympathy enough and to have a pleasant life of it
No he could not accuse himself of having been the victim of any sentimental illusion in marrying Castalia And yet he had been cheated He had bestowed himself without receiving the due quid pro quo In a word he began to fear that it had not been worth his while to marry the Honourable Miss Kilfinane And sometimes the thought darted like a twinge of pain through the young mans mind—might it not have been worth his while to marry someone else
Someone else was talked of as an heiress Someone else was said by the gossips to be so good a match that she might have her pick of the town—aye and a good chance among the county people But Algernon smothered down all vain and harassing speculations founded on an if it had been Neither did he by any means hopelessly resign himself to his present position nor despair of obtaining a better one He persisted in looking on his employment as merely provisional and temporary so that in fact the worse things became in his Whitford life the less he would do to mend them taking every fresh disgust and annoyance as a new reason why—according to any rationally conceivable theory of events—he must speedily be removed to a region in which a gentleman of his capacities for refined enjoyment might be free to exercise them untrammelled by vulgar cares
CHAPTER XI
It was true that Mrs Algernon Errington had distinguished the Misses McDougall by her notice above all the other ladies whom she met at Dr Bodkins The rest had by no means found favour in her eyes Minnie Bodkin she decidedly disapproved of Ally Dockett was a little blackeyed fat flirting thing The elder ladies were frumps or frights or bores Rhoda Maxfield she had scarcely seen On the evening of the Bodkins party Rhoda as we know had kept herself studiously in the background
Mrs Errington intended to present Rhoda to her daughterinlaw as her own especial pet and protégée but a favourable moment for fulfilling this intention did not offer itself Rhoda had not distinctly expressed any unwillingness to be taken to Ivy Lodge and it could never enter into Mrs Erringtons head to guess that she felt such unwillingness But in some way the project seemed to be eluded so that Castalia had been some weeks in Whitford without making the acquaintance of Miss Maxfield as she began to be called even by some of those to whom she had been Old Maxs little Rhoda all her life
Castalia indeed troubled her head very little about Rhoda under whatever style or title she might be mentioned We may be sure that Algernon never spoke to his wife of the old days at the Maxfields indeed he eschewed all allusion to that name as much as possible Castalia knew from Mrs Errington that there had been a young girl in the house where she had lodged the daughter of the grocer who was her landlord but being pretty well accustomed to Mrs Erringtons highlycoloured descriptions of things and people she had paid no attention to that ladys praises of Rhodas intelligence good looks and pretty manners
No Castalia troubled not her head about Rhoda But she was troubled about Minnie Bodkin of whom she became bitterly jealous She did not suppose to be sure that her husband had ever made love to Miss Bodkin but she was constantly tormented by the suspicion that Algernon was admiring Minnie and comparing her beauty wit and accomplishments with those of his wife to the disadvantage of the latter Not that she Castalia admired her Far from it But—she was just the sort of person to be taking with men She had such a forward confident showy way with her
Some speech of this sort being uttered in the presence of the Misses McDougall was seized upon and echoed and reechoed and made much of by those young ladies who pounced on poor Minnie and tore her to pieces with great skill and gusto Violet indeed made a feeble protest now and then on behalf of her friend but how was she to oppose her sister and that sweet Mrs Algernon And then in conscience and candour she could not but admit that poor dear Minnie had many and glaring faults
In fact Rose and Violet McDougall were installed as toadies in ordinary to Castalia They were her dearest friends they called her by her Christianname they flattered her weaknesses and encouraged her worst traits not we may charitably believe with the full consciousness of what they were doing For her part Castalia soon got into the habit of liking to have these ladies about her They performed many little offices which saved her trouble they were devoted to her interests and brought her news of the doings of the opposite faction For there was an opposite faction or Castalia persuaded herself that there was The Bodkins were ranged in it in her jealous fancy and so were the Docketts and one or two more of Algernons old friends Miss Chubb she considered to hover as yet on neutral ground As to the unmarried men—young Pawkins Mr Diamond and the curate of St Chads—they were not much taken into account in this species of subterranean warfare carried on with an arsenal of sneers stares slights hints coolnesses bridlings envy hatred malice and all uncharitableness
I have said that the warfare was subterranean occult as it were Had the enemy been actuated by similar feelings to those of Castalia and her party hostilities must have blazed up openly But most of them did not even know that they were being assailed Among these unconscious ones were Dr and Mrs Bodkin Minnie had at times a suspicion that Algys wife disliked her But then the manners of Algys wife were not genial or gracious to anyone and Minnie could not but feel a certain compassion for her which extinguished resentment at her sour words and ways
With the rest of the Whitford society the bride did not enter into intimate or even amicable relations She offended most of the worthy matrons who called on her by merely returning her card and not even asking to be admitted to see them As to offering any entertainment in return for the hospitalities that were offered to her during the first weeks that she dwelt in Whitford that Castalia said was out of the question How could more than two persons sit at table in her little diningroom And how was it possible to receive company in Ivy Lodge
But Whitford was not quite of her opinion in this matter It was true her rooms were small but were they smaller than Mrs Joness who gave three teaparties every year and received her friends in detachments Why was Ivy Lodge less adapted for festive purposes than Dr Smiths house in the High Street—a queer ancient crooked nook of a dwelling squeezed in between two larger neighbours with a number of tiny dark rooms like closets in which nevertheless some of the best crumpets and teacakes known to that community not to mention little lobster suppers in the season had been consumed by the Smiths friends with much satisfaction As Mrs Dockett observed it was not so much what you gave as the spirit you gave it in that mattered And she was not ashamed not she to recall the time in the beginning of Mr Docketts career when she had with her own hands prepared a welsh rabbit and a jorum of spiced ale for a little party of friends having nothing better to offer them for supper In a word it was Whitfords creed that even the most indigestible food freely bestowed might bless him that gave and him that received and that if the Algernon Erringtons did not offer anyone so much as a cup of tea in their house the real reason was to be sought in the ladys proud reserve and a general state of feeling which Mrs Dockett described as stuckupishness
Castalia was unaccustomed to walking and disliked that exercise Riding was out of her power no saddlehorse that would carry a lady being kept for hire in Whitford and the jingling old fly from the Blue Bell inn was employed to carry her to such houses as she deigned to visit at Her motherinlaws lodging was not very frequently honoured by her presence The stairs frightened her she said they were like a ladder Mrs Thimblebys oblong drawingroom was a horrible little den She had had no idea that ladies and gentlemen ever lived in such places In truth Castalias anticipations of the Erringtons domestic life at Whitford had by no means prepared her for the reality Ancram had told her he was poor certainly Poor Yes but Jack Price was poor also And Jack Prices valet was far better lodged than her motherinlaw However occasionally the jingling fly did draw up before the widow Thimblebys door and Castalia was seen to alight from it with a discontented expression of countenance and to pick her way with raised skirts over the cleanly sanded doorstep
One day when she entered the oblong drawingroom Castalia perceived that Mrs Errington was not there but instead of her there was a young lady sitting at work by the window who lifted a lovely blushing face as Castalia entered the room and stammered out in evident embarrassment that Mrs Errington would be there in a few minutes and meanwhile would not the lady take a seat
I am Mrs Ancram Errington said Castalia looking curiously at the girl
Yes I know I—I saw you at Dr Bodkins I am spending the day with Mrs Errington She is very kind to me
Algernons wife seated herself in the easychair and leisurely surveyed the young woman before her Her first thought was How well shes dressed her second She seems very bashful and timid quite afraid of me And this second thought was not displeasing to Mrs Algernon for in general she had not been treated by the provincial bumpkins as she called them with all the deference and submission due to her rank
The girls hands were nervously occupied with some needlework The flush had faded from her face and left it delicately pale except a faint rosetint in the cheeks Her shining brown hair waved in soft curls on to her neck Mrs Algernon sat looking at her and critically observing the becoming hue of her green silk gown the taste and richness of a gold brooch at her throat the whiteness of the shapely hand that was tremulously plying the needle All at once a guess came into her mind and she asked suddenly
Is your name Maxfield
Yes Rhoda Maxfield returned the girl blushing more deeply and painfully than before
Why I have heard of you exclaimed Mrs Algernon You must come and see me
Rhoda was so alarmed at the pitch of agitation to which she was brought by this speech that she made a violent effort to control it and answered with more calmness than she had hitherto displayed
Mrs Errington has spoken once or twice of bringing me to your house but—I did not like to intrude And besides——
Oh Mrs Errington brings all sorts of tiresome people to see me she may as well bring a nice person for once in a way
Castalia was meaning to be very gracious
Yes I mean—but then—my father might not like me to come and see you blurted out Rhoda with a sort of quiet desperation
Mrs Algernon opened her eyes very wide
Why for goodness sake Oh he had some quarrel or other with Mrs Errington hadnt he Never mind that must be all forgotten or he wouldnt let you come here I believe the truth is that Mrs Errington meant slyly to keep you to herself and I shant stand that
Indeed Castalia more than half believed this to be the case And partly from a sheer spirit of opposition to her motherinlaw—partly from the suspicious jealousy of her nature that led her to do those things which she fancied others cunningly wished to prevent her from doing—she began to think she would patronise Rhoda and enlist her into her own faction Besides Rhoda was sweetvoiced submissive humble Certainly she would be a pleasanter sort of pet and tame animal to encourage about the house than Rose McDougall who with all her devotion claimed a quid pro quo for her services and dwelt on her kinship with the daughter of Lord Kauldkail and talked of their mutual ancestry to an extent that Castalia had begun to consider a bore
At this moment Mrs Errington bustled into the room holding a small roll of yellow lace in her hand I have found it Rhoda she cried This little bit is nearly the same pattern as the trimming on the cap and if we join the frilling—— Here she perceived Mrs Algernons presence and stopped her speech with an exclamation of surprise Good gracious is that you Castalia How long have you been here This is an unexpected pleasure Now you can give us your advice about the trimming of my cap which Rhoda has undertaken for me
Castalia did not rise from the easychair but turned her cheek to receive the elder ladys kiss Rhoda gathered up her work and moved to go away
Dont run away Rhoda cried Mrs Errington We have no secrets to talk have we Castalia You know my little friend Rhoda do you not She is a great pet of mine
Oh I will go and sit in your bedroom if I may muttered Rhoda hurriedly I—I dont like to be in your way And with a little confused courtesy to Mrs Algernon she slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her
She is such a shy little thing exclaimed Mrs Errington
Well returned Castalia it is a comfort to meet with any Whitford person that knows her place They are the most presumptuous set of creatures in general that I ever came across
Oh Rhoda Maxfields manners are never at fault I assure you I formed her myself with considerable care and pains
She seems to make herself useful too observed Castalia with a languid sneer
That she does indeed my dear Most useful Her taste and skill in any little matter of needlework are quite extraordinary Poor child she is so delighted to do anything for me She is devotedly attached to me and very grateful Her father really did behave abominably and she feels it very much and wishes to make up for it No doubt the old man repents of his folly and illhumour now but of course I can have nothing more to say to him However I willingly allow the girl to do any little thing she can She has just been trimming this cap for me most exquisitely
Castalia thought more and more that it would be worth her while to patronise Rhoda
I shall go to old Maxfield myself and get him to let her come to my house said she as she took leave of her motherinlaw and slowly made her way down Mrs Thimblebys ladderlike staircase holding fast to the banisters with one hand and not lifting one of her feet from a step until the other was firmly planted beside it
On returning home that evening Rhoda was greatly startled by her fathers words Well Miss Maxfield heres a honourable missis been begging for the pleasure of your company
Rhoda turned pale and red and said something in too low a tone to meet her fathers ear
Oh yes the old man went on the Honourable Mrs Algernon Ancram Errington has been here if you please Well I wish that young man joy of his bargain Our little Sally is ten times as wellfavoured Your Aunt Betty saw her first and says she Is Mr Maxfield at home
I answered that your father was engaged in business said Betty Grimshaw taking up the narration
You should ha said I was serving in the shop observed old Max doggedly and would sell her fine ladyship a pennorth of gingerbread if shed a mind and could find the penny
Nay Jonathan how could I have said that to the lady Says she I wish to say a word to him So I showed her into your drawingroom Rhoda and called your father and——
And there she sat interrupted the old man with unwonted eagerness in his face and his voice in a far better place than any she has of her own if all accounts are true looking about her as curious as a ferret I walked in in my calico sleeves and my apron——
He wouldnt take them off put in Betty parenthetically
No I wouldnt And she told me she was come to ask my leave to have my daughter Rhoda at her house Of course youll let her come she says for you let her go to Mrs Erringtons and to Mrs Bodkins Why as to that says I Im rather particlar where Miss Maxfield visits You should have seen her stare She looked fairly astounded
Oh father
Did I not speak the truth I am particlar where you visit I told her plainly that you was in a very different position from the rest of the family I am a plain tradesman said I I have my own place and my own influence and I have been marvellously upholden in my walk of light But my daughter Rhoda is a lady of the Lords own making and must be treated as such And she has plenty of this worlds gear for my endeavours have been abundantly blessed
Oh father
Oh father repeated the old man impatiently What did I say amiss I tell you the woman was cowed by me I am in subjection to none of their principalities and powers The upshot was that I promised you should go and take tea with her tomorrow evening
Rhoda was greatly surprised by this announcement which was totally unexpected Oh father she exclaimed in a trembling voice why did you say I should go
Why For various sufficient reasons Let that be enough for you
The truth was that Castalia had more than hinted her suspicion that her motherinlaw selfishly endeavoured to keep Rhoda under her own influence and to prevent her visiting elsewhere And to thwart Mrs Errington would alone have been a powerful incentive with old Max But a far stronger motive with him was that he longed with keen malice that Algernon should be forced painfully to contrast the love he had been false to with the wife he had gained He would have Algernon see Rhoda rich and welldressed and courted If Rhoda would but have flaunted her prosperity in Algernons face there was scarcely any sum of money her father would have grudged for the pleasure of witnessing that spectacle But although it was hopeless to expect Rhoda to display any spirit of vengeance on her own behalf yet she might be made the halfunconscious instrument of a retribution that should gall and mortify Algernon to the quick That Rhoda herself might suffer in the process was an idea to which if it occurred to him he would give no harbourage
Rhoda sat silent until her aunt had left the room to prepare the supper according to her habit Then she rose and going close up to her father took his hand and looked imploringly into his face Father she said dont make me go there I—I cant bear it
You cant bear it burst out old Maxfield He scowled with a frown of terrible malignity But Rhoda well knew that his wrath was not directed against her She stood trembling and pale before him whilst he spoke more harsh and bitter words against all the family of the Erringtons than she had ever heard him utter on that score He dropped too for the first time in her hearing a hint that he had some power over Algernon and would use it to his detriment Rhoda mustered courage to ask him for an explanation of those words But he merely answered No matter It is no matter It is not the money I shall not get it nor do I greatly heed it But I can put him to shame publicly if I am so minded
The poor child began to perceive that any display of wounded feeling on her part of reluctance to meet Algernon and his wife of being in any degree crushed and dispirited would inflame her fathers wrath against that family And although she had only the vaguest notions as to what he could or could not do to spite them she had a hundred reasons for wishing to mitigate his animosity
So with the gentle cunning that belonged to her nature at once timid and persistent she began to unsay what she had said and to try to efface the impression which her first refusal had made upon her father
I—I have been thinking that you are right father in saying it will be best for me to go to Ivy Lodge You know Mrs Errington has always been good to me and it would please her perhaps And—and after all why should I be afraid of going there
Afraid of going there echoed old Max with sternlyset jaw and puckered brow Why indeed should you be afraid Theres some as have reason to be afraid but not my daughter—not Miss Maxfield Afraid
Perhaps people might think it strange if I did not go
People What people
Well no matter for that But if you father think it well that I should go——
You shall go in a carriage from the Blue Bell inn And Sally shall accompany you and bring you back And see that you are properly attired I would have you wear your best garments You shall not be shamed before that yellowfaced woman I dont believe she has a better gown to her back than the one I bought you to wear at Dr Bodkins
Rhoda waived the point for the moment but after a while she was able to persuade her father that her grey merino gown with a lace frill at her throat was a more suitable garment in which to spend the evening at Ivy Lodge than the rich violet silk he recommended for the purpose Real ladies she urged timidly did not wear their smartest clothes on such occasions And old Max reluctantly accepted her dictum on this point But nothing could shake him from his resolve that Rhoda should be conveyed to Mrs Algernon Erringtons door in a hired carriage So with a sigh she yielded devoutly wishing that a pelting shower of rain or even a thunderstorm might arrive the next evening to serve as an excuse for her appearing at Ivy Lodge in such unwonted state
CHAPTER XII
No Jupiter rainy or thunderous lent his assistance to account for the extraordinary phenomenon of Rhoda Maxfields driving up to the gardengate of Ivy Lodge instead of arriving there on foot On the contrary it was a fine autumn evening with a serene sky where the sunset tints still lingered
Rhoda alighted hurriedly from the carriage and walked up the few feet of gravel path between the garden fence and the house with a beating heart You can go away now Sally she said being very anxious to dismiss the Blue Bell equipage before the door should be opened But Sally was not in such a hurry Her master had told her that she was to wait and see Miss Rhoda safe into the house and then she might come back in the carriage as far as the Blue Bell And Sally was not averse to have her new promotion to the dignity of riding in a coach witnessed by Mrs Algernon Erringtons Polly with whom she had a slight acquaintance So Miss Maxfields equipage was seen by the servant who opened the door and stared at from the front parlour window by two pairs of eyes belonging respectively to Miss Chubb and Mrs Errington
You can go into the parlour miss said Polly Master and missis are still at dinner But the old ladys in there and Miss Chubb
That they should be still at dinner at halfpast six oclock in the evening seemed a strange circumstance to Rhoda and was one that she had not reckoned on But she supposed it was according to the customs of the high folks Mrs Algernon had been used to live among The innovation was not accepted so meekly by most of the Whitfordians whom indeed it seemed to irritate in a greater degree than more serious offences But it is true of most of us that we are never more angry than when we are unable to explain the reasons for our anger
I am afraid Im too early said Rhoda when she had entered the parlour and greeted her old friends but father said he thought it was the right time to come
Mr and Mrs Ancram Errington dine late my dear Castalia has not yet got broken of the habits of her own class as I have had to be Indeed she will probably never need to relinquish them But it is no matter Rhoda You can make yourself comfortable here with us for half an hour or so Miss Chubb called in to see me at my place and I brought her down here with me I knew Mrs Ancram Errington would be happy to see her if she dropped in in an informal way
I never can get used to the name of Ancram instead of Algernon said the spinster raising her round red face from her woolwork It isnt half so pretty Nine times out of ten I call your son Algy plump and plain Im very sorry if its improper but I cant help it
Mrs Errington smiled with an air of lofty toleration Not at all improper she said Algernon is the last creature in the world to be distant towards an old friend But as to the name of Ancram why it was from the first his appellation among the Seelys And Castalia always calls him so You see Ancram was a familiar name in the circles she lived in like Howard or Seymour or any of the great old family names you know It came naturally to her
Well I should think that ones husbands Christianname would come natural to one even if it were only plain Tom Dick or Harry
He didnt begin by being her husband my dear
Rhoda had nestled herself down in a corner behind a small table and was turning over an album and one or two illustrated annuals She hoped that the discussion as to Algernons name would effectually divert the attention of the two elder ladies from the unprecedented fact that she had been brought to Ivy Lodge in a carriage But she was not to be let off altogether Miss Chubb folding up her work declared that it was growing too dark to distinguish the colours and observed I was standing by the window to catch the last daylight when you drove up Rhoda I couldnt think who it was arriving in such style
That was the Blue Bell fly you were in Rhoda said Mrs Errington I believe it to be the same vehicle that my daughterinlaw uses occasionally She complains of it sadly But I tell her she cannot expect to find her Aunt Seelys luxurious wellhung carriages in a little provincial place like this
Miss Chubb was about to make what she considered a severe retort but she stifled it down Mrs Erringtons airs were very provoking to be sure but there were reasons why Miss Chubb was more inclined to bear with her now than formerly If it pleased this widowed mother to soften her disappointments about Algys career and Algys wife it began to be considered in Whitford that both would prove to be failures by an extra flourish or two why should any one put her——No said Miss Chubb to herself as the question was halfframed in her mind that is not the right word certainly I defy the world to put Mrs Errington out of conceit with herself But why should one snub and snap at the poor woman
Indeed Miss Chubb never snapped and rarely attempted to snub She had a fund of benevolence hidden under a heap of frothy vanities and absurdities like the solid cake at the bottom of a trifle
Well said she smiling goodtemperedly Im sure Rhoda doesnt quarrel with the Blue Bell fly do you Rhoda
I shouldnt have wished to use it myself but father said It is rather a long way and father thought——
Oh my dear there is no need to excuse yourself or to look shy on the subject We should all of us be glad enough of a coach to ride in now and then if we could afford it Im sure I should and I dont mind saying so
Mrs Errington did not approve of the coach quite so unreservedly She observed with some solemnity that she was no friend to extravagance and that above all things persons ought to guard against ostentation or a thrusting of themselves into positions unsuited to that station in life to which it had pleased Providence to call them And in conclusion she announced her intention of availing herself of the circumstance that Rhoda had a carriage at her disposal for the evening to drive back with her as far as Mrs Thimblebys door—which said she is only a street and a half away from your house Rhoda and it will not make any difference to your father in point of expense
Castalia found her three guests chatting in the twilight or rather she found Mrs Errington holding forth in her rich pleasant voice whilst the others listened and threw in a word or two now and then just sufficient to show that they were attending to the good ladys harangue In Rhodas case indeed this appearance of attention was fallacious for although she said Yes and No and Indeed at due intervals her thoughts were wandering back to old days which seemed suddenly to have receded into a fardistant past
Castalia shook hands languidly with Miss Chubb and condescendingly with Rhoda Im very glad youve come she said to the latter which was a speech of unusual warmth for her And it had the merit moreover of being true Castalia was not given to falsehood in her speech She was too supercilious to care much what impression she made on people in general and if they bored her she took no pains to conceal the fact Weariness of spirit and discontent had begun to assail her once more They were old enemies Her marriage had banished them for a time but they gathered again like clouds which a transient gleam of wintry sunshine has temporarily dispersed and shadowed her life with an increasing gloom This young Rhoda Maxfield offered some chance of brightness and novelty She was certainly different from the rest of the Whitford world and the pursuit of her society had been beset with some little difficulties that gave it zest
A lamp was brought into the room and then Castalia sat down beside Rhoda unceremoniously leaving the other ladies to entertain each other as best they might She examined her guests dress the quality of the lace frill at her throat the arrangement of her chestnut curls the delicate little gold chain that shone upon the pearlgrey gown the neatlyembroidered letters R M worked on a corner of the handkerchief that lay in her lap with as much unreserve and coolness as though Rhoda had been some daintilyfurred rabbit or any other pet animal On her part Rhoda took cognisance of every detail in Castalias appearance attire and manner she marked every inflection of her voice and every turn of her haughty languid head And perhaps her scrutiny was the keener and more complete of the two notwithstanding that it was made with timidlyveiled eyes and downcast head
What an odd man your father is said the Honourable Mrs Ancram Errington by way of opening the conversation
Rhoda found it impossible to reply to this observation She coloured and twisted her gold chain round her fingers and was silent But it did not seem that Mrs Ancram Errington expected or wished for a reply She went on with scarcely a pause I thought at first he would refuse to let you come here But he gave his consent at last I was quite amused with his odd way of doing it though He must be quite a character Hes very rich isnt he
I dont know maam stammered Rhoda
Well he says so himself or at least he informed me that you were or would be which comes to the same thing And dont call me maam It makes me feel a hundred years old You and I must be great friends
Where is Algernon asked Mrs Errington from the other side of the room
He will come presently when he has finished his wine Do you know we found that stuff from the Blue Bell that you recommended us to try quite undrinkable Ancram was obliged to get Jack Price to send him down a case of claret from his own winemerchant in town
Most extraordinary exclaimed Mrs Errington and began to recapitulate all the occasions on which the wine supplied to her from the Blue Bell inn had been pronounced excellent by the first connoisseurs But Castalia made small pretence of listening to or believing her statements Indeed I am sorry to say that obstinate incredulity was this young womans habitual tone of mind with regard to almost every word that her motherinlaw uttered whereby the Honourable Mrs Castalia occasionally fell into mistakes
Could you not try Dr Bodkins winemerchant suggested Miss Chubb I am no judge myself but I feel sure that the doctor would not put bad wine on his table
Oh I dont know I dont suppose there is any firstrate wine to be got in this place Ancram prefers dealing with the London man
And then Castalia dismissed the subject with an expressive shrug Who are your chief friends here she asked of Rhoda who had sat with her eyes fixed on a smart illustrated volume scarcely seeing it and feeling a confused sort of pain and mortification at the tone in which the younger Mrs Errington treated the elder
My chief friends
Yes you must know a great many people You have lived here all your life have you not
Yes but—father never cared that I should make many acquaintances out of doors
You were Methodists were you not I remember Ancram telling me of the psalmsinging that used to go on downstairs He can imitate it wonderfully Do tell me about how you lived and what you did I never knew any Methodists nor any people who kept a shop
The naïve curiosity with which this was said might have moved some minds to mirth and others to indignation In Rhoda it produced only confusion and distress and such an access of shyness as made her for a few moments literally dumb She murmured at length some unintelligible sentences of which Im sure I dont know were the only words that Castalia could make out She did not on this account desist from her inquiries but threw them into the more particular form of a catechism as Were you let to read anything except the Bible on Sundays I suppose you never went to a ball in your life How did you learn to do your own hair Do the Methodist preachers really rant and shriek as much as people say
Algernon coming quietly into the room beheld his wife and Rhoda seated side by side on a sofa behind the little Pembroke table and engaged apparently in confidential conversation They were so near together and Castalia was bending down so low to hear Rhodas faintlyuttered answers as to give an air of intimacy to the group
He lingered in the doorway looking at them until Miss Chubb crying Oh there you are sir called the attention of the others to him when he advanced and shook hands with Rhoda whose fingers were icy cold as he touched them with his warm white exquisitelycaredfor hand Then he bent to kiss his mother and seated himself between her and his old friend Miss Chubb in a low chair stretching out his legs and leaning back his head as he contemplated the neatlyshod feet that were carelessly crossed in front of him
You did not expect to see Rhoda did you my dear boy said Mrs Errington
Yes I believe Castalia said something about having asked her It is a new freak of Castalias I think she had better have left it alone The old man is highly impracticable and is just one of those persons whom it is prudent to keep at arms length
I think so too assented Mrs Errington emphatically Indeed I almost wonder at his letting his daughter come here
Algernon quite wondered at it But he said nothing
Of course pursued Mrs Errington letting her come to me is a very different matter
Why asked Miss Chubb bluntly
Because my dear the girl herself is so devotedly attached to me that I believe she would fret herself into an illness if she were forbidden to see me occasionally And I believe old Maxfield is fond of his child in his way and would not wish to grieve her But of course Rhoda can have no particular desire to visit Castalia Indeed I have offered to bring her more than once and she has not availed herself of the opportunity
Old Max is ambitious for his daughter they say observed Miss Chubb and likes to get her into genteel company Perhaps he thinks she will find a husband out of her own sphere Im told that old Max is quite rich and that she will have all his money But I think Rhoda is pretty enough to get well married even without a fortune
Then when Mrs Errington moved away to speak to her daughterinlaw Miss Chubb whispered slily to Algernon You were a little bit smitten with our pretty Rhoda once upon a time sir werent you Oh its no use your protesting and looking so unconscious La dear me well it was very natural Calflove of course But Ill tell you between you and me who is smitten with her and pretty seriously too—and thats Mr Diamond
Diamond
Well you neednt look so astonished Hes a young man for all his grave ways and she is a pretty girl And upon my word I think it might do capitally
You look tired Algernon said Mrs Errington to her son a little later in the evening It must have been a very marked expression of fatigue which could have attracted the good ladys attention in any other human being
Oh Ive been bored and worried at that confounded postoffice
What a shame cried Mrs Errington Positively some representation ought to be made to Government about it
Oh its disgusting said Castalia with a shrug of her lean shoulders and in the fretful drawl which conveyed the idea that she would be actively angry if any sublunary matters could be important enough to overcome her habitual languor
I dont remember hearing that Mr Cooper found the work so hard said Miss Chubb innocently Mr Cooper had been the Whitford postmaster next before Algernon
It isnt the work Miss Chubb said Algernon a little ashamed of the amount of sympathy and compassion his words had evoked That is to say it is not the quantity of the work but the kind of it that bores one Cooper I believe was a steady jogtrot old fellow who did his daily task like a horse in a mill But I cant take to it so comfortably It is as if you with your taste for elegant needlework were set to hem dusters all day long Algernon laughed in his old frank way as he made the comparison
Well I shouldnt like that certainly But after all dusters are very useful things And then you see I do the fancy work to amuse myself but I should be paid for the dusters and that makes a difference
Paid screamed Castalia Why you dont imagine that Ancrams twopenny salary can pay him Good gracious it seems to me scarcely enough to buy food with Its quite horrible to think how poor we are
Come said Algernon I dont think this conversation is particularly lively or entertaining Suppose we change the subject There is Rho—Miss Maxfield looking as if she expected to see us all expire of inanition on the spot
And in truth Rhoda was gazing from one to the other with a pale distressed face and a look of surprise and compassion in her soft brown eyes
Mrs Errington did not approve of her daughterinlaws unscrupulous confession of poverty Castalia lacked the Ancram gift of embellishing disadvantageous circumstances And the elder lady took occasion to remark to Miss Chubb that everything was comparative and that means which might appear ample to persons of inferior rank were very trivial and inadequate in the eyes of the Honourable Mrs Ancram Errington She has been her uncles pet for many years My lord denied her nothing And I neednt tell you my dear Miss Chubb that the emoluments of Algernons official post are by no means the whole and sole income of our young couple here There are private resources—here Mrs Errington waved her hands majestically as though to indicate the ample nature of the resources—which to many persons would seem positive affluence But Castalias measure is a high one I scold her sometimes I assure you My dear child I say to her look at me Bred amidst the feudal splendours of Ancram Park I have accommodated myself to very different scenes and very different associates for of course my dear soul although I have a great regard for my Whitford friends and am very sensible of their kind feelings for me yet as a mere matter of fact, it would be absurd to pretend that the society I now move in is equal in point of rank to that which surrounded my girlish years And then Castalias perhaps partial estimate of her husbands talents you know she has witnessed the impression they made in the most brilliant circles of the Metropolis makes her impatient of his present position For myself feeling sure as I do that this postoffice business is merely temporary I can look at matters with more philosophy
Ouf panted Miss Chubb and began to fan herself with her pockethandkerchief
Anything the matter Miss Chubb asked Algernon raising his eyebrows and looking at her with a smile
Nothing particular Algy I find it a little oppressive thats all
This little room is so stuffy with more than two or three people in it said Castalia
Ill do my part towards making it less stuffy said Miss Chubb jumping up and beginning to shake hands all round I daresay my old Martha is there I told her to come for me at nine oclock Oh never mind thank you in answer to Castalias suggestion that she should stay and have a cup of coffee which would be brought in presently Never mind the coffee I have no doubt I shall find a bit of supper ready at home And with that she departed
I hope it wasnt too severe that hit about the supper said the good little woman to herself as she trotted homeward accompanied by the faithful Martha But really—offering one a cup of coffee at nine oclock at night And as to Mrs Errington I am sorry for her and can make allowances for her but she did so go beyond all bounds tonight that if I had not come away when I did I think I should have choked
Is the little woman affronted at anything asked Algernon of his wife when Miss Chubbs footsteps had ceased to be heard pattering down the gravel path outside the house
Eh What little woman Oh the Chubb No I dont know I suppose not
No no not at all said Mrs Errington decisively But you know her ways of old She has no savoir faire A good little creature poor soul Oh bytheway Castalia you know the patterns for autumn mantles you asked me to look at Well I went into Ravell and Sarsnets yesterday and they told me—— And then the worthy matron and her daughterinlaw entered into an earnest discussion in an undertone the common interest in autumn mantles supplying that touch of nature" which made them kin more effectually than the matrimonial alliance that united their families
Im afraid you must have had a very dull evening said the master of the house looking down on Rhoda as he stood near her leaning with his back against the tiny mantelshelf
No thank you
Im afraid you must There was no amusement for you at all
My evenings are not generally very amusing I daresay you who have been accustomed to such different things would find them very dull
This was not the humble simple childlike Rhoda whom he had parted from two years ago It was not that she had now no humility or simplicity but the humility was mingled with dignity the simplicity with an easier grace Rhoda was more selfpossessed at this moment than she had been all the evening before The weakest creatures are not without some means of self-defence and if she be but purehearted the most inexperienced girl in the world can put on an armour of maiden pride over her hurt feelings that has been known to puzzle even very intelligent individuals of the opposite sex and has perhaps given rise to one or two of the numerous impassioned complaints that have been uttered from time to time as to the inscrutable duplicity of women In like manner if a man scalds his finger or gets a bullet in his flesh he endeavours to bear the pain without screaming
So little Rhoda Maxfield sat there with a placid face talking to her old love turning over the leaves of a picturebook and scarcely looking at him as she talked
Now if Algernon had been consulted beforehand as to what line of conduct he would wish Rhoda to adopt when they should meet he would doubtless have said Let us meet pleasantly and frankly as old friends and behave as if all our old lovemaking had been the mere amusement of our childhood And yet somehow it a little disconcerted him to see her so calm
You—dont you—dont you go out much in the evening he said feeling to his own surprise considerably at a loss what to say
Go out much in the evening No indeed where should I go to Rhoda actually gave a little laugh as she answered him
Oh I thought my mother mentioned that you were a good deal at the Bodkins
Yes I go to see Miss Minnie sometimes They are all very good to me
And my mother says too that you are growing quite a bluestocking You have lessons in French and music and I dont know what besides
Father can afford to have me taught now and so I have begun to learn a few of the things that girls are taught when they are little children if they happen to be the children of gentlefolks answered Rhoda with considerable spirit
Im sure there is no reason why you should not learn them
I hope not But of course I am clumsy and shall never succeed so well as if I had begun earlier I am getting very old you know
Oh very old indeed Your birthday I remember falls—— he checked himself with a sudden recollection of the last birthday he had spent with Rhoda and of the bunch of late roses he had been at the pains to procure for her on that occasion from the gardener at Pudcombe Hall And on the whole he felt positively relieved when Slater came to announce with her chronic air of resentful gentility that Miss Maxfields young woman was waiting for her in the hall
And are you off too mother he asked
Yes my dear Algernon I am going to drive home with Rhoda
Drive Oh so you are indulging in the extravagance of a fly madam I am glad of it though you did give me a lecture on the subject of economy only last week
You know that I always do and always did disapprove of extravagance Algernon A genteel economy is compatible with the highest breeding But—the fact is that Rhoda has a coach to go home in and Im about to take advantage of it
There was something in the situation which Algernon felt to be embarrassing as he gave his arm to his mother to lead her to the carriage But Mrs Errington had at least one quality of a great lady—she was not easily disconcerted She marched majestically down the garden path entered the vehicle which old Maxs money was to pay for with an air of proprietorship and invited Rhoda to take her place beside her with a most condescending wave of the hand
You must come again soon Castalia had said to her new acquaintance when they bade each other Good night
But Algernon did not support his wifes invitation by a single word though he smiled very persistently as he stood bareheaded in the moonlight watching his mother and Rhoda drive away
CHAPTER XIII
The accounts which had reached Whitford from Wales of the wonderful effects produced by David Powells preaching there sufficed to cause a good deal of excitement among the lower classes in the little town when it was reported that Powell would revisit it and would preach on Whit Meadow and also in the room used by the Ranters in Lady Lane
The Wesleyan Methodists in Whitford now felt themselves at liberty to allow their smouldering animosity against Powell to break forth openly for he had seceded from the Society Some said he had been expelled from it but this was not true although there was little doubt that at the next Conference his conduct and doctrine would have been severely reprehended and probably he would have been required publicly to recant them on pain of expulsion Should this be the case those who knew David Powell had little difficulty in prophesying the issue However all speculations as to his probable behaviour under the reproof of Conference were rendered vain by the preachers voluntarily withdrawing himself from the bonds of the Society as he phrased it
Then broke forth the hostile sentiments of the Whitford Wesleyans against this rash and innovating preacher Unfavourable opinions of him which had been concealed or only dimly expressed were now declared openly He was an Antinomian he had fallen away from the doctrines of Assurance and Christian Perfection he had brought scandal on large bodies of sober serious persons by encouraging wild and extravagant manifestations among his hearers his exhortations were calculated to do harm inasmuch as he preached a doctrine of asceticism and selfrenunciation which if followed would have the most inconvenient consequences That some of these accusations—as for example, that of Antinomianism and that of too extreme selfmortification—were somewhat incompatible with each other was no impediment to their being heaped simultaneously on David Powell The strongest disapprobation of his sayings and doings was expressed by that select body of citizens who attended at the little Wesleyan chapel And yet there was perhaps less bitterness in this open opposition to him than had been felt towards him during the last days of his ministration in Whitford So long as David Powell was their preacher approved—or at least not disapproved—by Conference a struggle went on in some minds to reconcile his teaching with their practice which was an irritating and unsatisfactory state of things since the struggle in most cases was not so much to modify their practice in order to bring it into harmony with his precepts as ingeniously to interpret his precepts so that they should not too flagrantly accuse their practice But now that it was competent to the stanchest Methodist to reject Powells authority altogether these unprofitable efforts ceased and with them a good deal of resentment
The chorus of openlyexpressed hostility to the preacher which I have said made itself heard in Whitford arose in a great measure from the common delight in declaring where some circumstances unforeseen by the world in general comes to pass that we perceived all along how matters would go and knew our neighbour to be a very different fellow from what you took him to be
Here old Max was triumphant and it must be owned with more reason than many of his acquaintances He had openly quarrelled with this fanatical Welshman long before the main body of the Whitford Wesleyans had ventured to repudiate him
One humble friend was faithful to the preacher The widow Thimbleby maintained in the teeth of all opposition that though Mr Powell might be a little mistaken here and there on points of doctrine—she was an ignorant woman and couldnt judge of these things—yet his practice came very near perfection and that the only human being to whom he ever showed severity intolerance and lack of love was himself Mrs Thimbleby was not strong in controversy It was not difficult to push her to her last resort—namely crying silently behind her apron But there was some tough fibre of loyalty in the meek creature which made it impossible for her to belie her conscience by deserting David Powell The cold attic at the top of her little house was prepared for his reception as soon as it was known that he was about to revisit Whitford and Mrs Thimbleby went to the loft over the corndealers storehouse in Lady Lane one Sunday evening to beg that Nick Green would let Mr Powell know whenever he should arrive that his old quarters were waiting for him and that she would take it as a personal unkindness if he did not consent to occupy them She could not help talking of the preacher to her grand lodger Mrs Errington of whom she was considerably in awe The poor womans heart was full at the thought of seeing him again And not even Mrs Erringtons lofty severity regarding all dissenters and ignorant persons who flew in the face of Providence and attempted to teach their betters could entirely stifle her expressions of anxiety as to Mr Powells health her hopes that he took a little more care of himself than he formerly did and her anecdotes of his angelic charity and goodness towards the poor and needy and suffering
I should advise you on no account to go and hear this man preach said Mrs Errington to her landlady Terrible scenes have taken place in Wales and very likely something of the kind may happen here You are very weak my poor soul You have no force of character You would be sure to catch any excitement that was going And how should you like pray to be brought home from Lady Lane on a stretcher
But even this alarming suggestion did not deter Mrs Thimbleby from haunting the Ranters meetingroom and leaving message after message with Nick Green to be sure and tell Mr Powell to come up to her house the very minute he arrived Nick Green knew no more than the widow the day and hour of the preachers arrival All he could say was that Powell had applied to him and to his coreligionists for leave to preach in the room—little more than a loft—which they rented of the corndealer in Lady Lane Powell had been refused permission to speak in the Wesleyan chapel to which his eloquence had formerly attracted such crowds of listeners Whit Meadow would indeed be probably open to him but the year was drawing on apace autumn would soon give place to winter and at all events in the evening it would be vain to hope for a large number of listeners in the open air
Open air echoed Mrs Thimbleby raising her hands and eyes why Mr Green he ought never to think of preaching in the open air at this season and him so delicate
Nay sister Thimbleby responded Nick Green a powerful blackmuzzled fellow with a pair of lungs like a blacksmiths bellows we may not put our hand to the plough and turn back We are all of us called upon to give ourselves body and soul in the Lords service And manys the night after my days work was over that Ive exhorted here in this very room and poured out the Word for two and three hours at a stretch until the sweat ran down my face like water and the brethren were fairly worn out But yet I have been marvellously strengthened I doubt not that Brother Powell will be so too especially now that he has given up dead words and the errors of the Society and thrown off the yoke of the law
Dear I hope so answered Mrs Thimbleby tremulously but I do wish he would try a hot posset of a night just before going to bed
The good woman was beginning to walk away up Lady Lane somewhat disconsolately for she reflected that if Nick Green measured Mr Powells strength by his own he would surely not spare it and that the preacher needed rather a curb than a spur to his selfforgetting exertions when she almost ran against a man who was coming in the opposite direction They were not twenty paces from the door of the corndealers storehouse and a lamp that burnt above it shed sufficient light for her to recognise the face of the very person who was in her thoughts
Mr Powell she exclaimed in a joyful tone Thanks be to the Lord that I have met you Was you going to look for Mr Green He is just putting the lights out and coming away I left a message with him for you sir but now I can give it you myself You will come up with me to my house now wont you Everything is ready and has been these three days You wouldnt think of going anywhere else in Whitford but to my house would you Mr Powell
She ran on thus eagerly because she saw or fancied she saw symptoms of opposition to her plan in Powells face He hesitated My good friend said he your Christian kindness is very precious to me but I am not clear that I should do right in becoming an inmate of your house
Oh but I am Mr Powell quite clear Why it would be a real unkindness to refuse me
It is not a matter to be settled thus lightly answered Powell although at the same time he turned and walked a few paces by the widows side I had thought that I might sleep for tonight at least in our friends meetingroom
What in the loft there Lord ha mercy Mr Powell Tis cold and draughty and theres nothing in it but a few wooden benches and the rats run about as bold as can be directly the lights is put out Why t would be a tempting of Providence Mr Powell
I am not dainty about my accommodation as you know and I could sleep there without payment
Without payment Why you might pay pretty dear for it in health if not in money And for that matter I shouldnt think of asking a penny of rent for my attic as long as ever you choose to stay in it Then with an instinctive knowledge of the sort of plea that might be likely to prevail with him she added As for being dainty about your accommodation why I know you never were so and I hope you havent altered for indeed the attic is sadly uncomfortable I think theres worse draughts from the window than ever And it would be a benefit to me to get the room aired and occkypied for only last week I had a most respectable young man a journeyman painter to look at it and he say Mrs Thimbleby we shant disagree about the rent he say but I do wish the room had been slept in latterly for Ive a fear as its damp he say and that thats the reason you dont use it yourself nor havent let it But I tell him the only reason why I didnt use the room was as you might be expected back any day and I couldnt let you find your place taken And he say if he could be satisfied of that he may take it after next month when you would likely be gone again So you see as you would be doing me a service Mr Powell not to say a pleasure
Whether David Powell implicitly believed the good creatures argument to be derived from fact may be doubtful but he suffered himself to be persuaded to accompany her to his old lodgings and they begged Nick Green who presently overtook them to send one of his lads to the coachoffice to bring to Mrs Thimblebys the small battered valise which constituted all Powells luggage
I would have gone to fetch it myself said the preacher apologetically but in truth I am so exceedingly weary that I doubt whether my strength would avail to carry even that slender burden the distance from the coachoffice to your house
When he was seated beside Mrs Thimblebys clean kitchen hearth on which burned a fire of unwontedly generous proportions—the widow declared that as she grew older she found it necessary to her health to have a glow of warmth in her kitchen these chilly autumn nights—when the preacher was thus seated I say and when the red and yellow firelight illuminated his face fully it was very evident that he was indeed exceeding weary weary and worn and wan with hollow temples eyes that blazed feverishly and a hue of startling pallor overspreading his whole countenance For a few minutes whilst his good hostess moved about hither and thither in the little kitchen preparing some tea and slicing some bacon to be presently fried for his refection Powell sat looking straight before him with a curious expression in his widelyopened eyes something like that of a sleepwalker They were evidently seeing nothing of the physical realities around them and yet they unmistakably expressed the attentive recognition by the mind of some image painted on their wondrous spheres The true round mirror of the wizard is that magic ball of sight for on its sensitive surface live and move a thousand airy phantoms besides the reflection of all that peoples this tangible earth we dwell on Powells lips began to move rapidly although no sound came from them He seemed to be addressing a creature visible to him alone on which his straining gaze was fixed But suddenly his face changed and was troubled as a still pool is troubled by a ripple that breaks its clearly glazed reflection into fantastic fragments In another moment he passed his thin hand several times with a strong pressure over his brows shut and opened his eyes like a dreamer awakened drew his pocket Bible from his breast and began to read with an air of resolute attention
Will you ask a blessing Mr Powell said the widow timidly
He looked up A comfortable meal was spread on the white deal table before him Mrs Thimbleby sat opposite to him in her old chair with the patchwork cushions the fire shone the household cat purred drowsily the old clock clicked off the moments as they flowed past—tick tack tick tack Then there came a jar a burr of wheels and springs and the tinkle of silvertoned metal striking nine In a few moments the ancient belfry of St Chads began to send forth its mellow chimes Far and wide they sounded—over the town and the flatmeadow country—through the darkness Powell sat still and silent listening to the bells until they had done chiming
How well I know those voices he said I used to lie awake and listen to them here in the old attic when my soul was wrestling with a mighty temptation when my heart was smitten and withered like grass so that I forgot to eat my bread The sound of them is sweet to the fleshly ears of the body but to the ears of the spirit they can say marvellous things They have been the instruments to bring me many a message of counsel as they came singing and buzzing in my brain
The widow Thimbleby sat looking at the preacher as he spoke with an expression of puzzled admiration blended with anxiety
Oh for certain the Lord has set a sign on you she exclaimed He would have us to know that you are a chosen vessel and He has given you the gifts of the spirit in marvellous abundance But dear Mr Powell I doubt He does not mean you to neglect the fleshly tabernacle neither for as I say to myself He could ha made us all soul and no body if such had been His blessed will
We thank Thee O Father most merciful Amen said Powell bending over the table
Amen repeated Mrs Thimbleby And now pray do fall to and eat something for Im sure you need it
It is strange but though I have fasted since five oclock this morning I feel no hunger
Mercy me fasting since five oclock this morning Why for sure thats the very reason you cant eat Your stomach is too weak Dear dear dear but you must make an effort to swallow something sir Drink a sup of tea
Powell complied with her entreaty although he expressed some misgiving as to the righteousness of his partaking of so luxurious a beverage And then he ate a few mouthfuls of food but evidently without appetite But seeing his good friends uneasiness on his behalf he said with the rare smile which so brightened his countenance
Do not be so concerned for me There is no need Although I have not much replenished the carnal man today yet have I been abundantly refreshed and comforted I tarried in a small town on the borders of this county at midday and I found that my ministrations there in the spring season had borne fruit Many who had been reclaimed from evil courses came about me and we gave thanks with much uplifting of the heart And although I had suffered somewhat from faintness before arriving at that place yet no sooner were these chosen persons got about me and I began to pray and praise than I felt stronger and more able for exertion than I have many a time felt after a long nights rest and an abundant meal
Poor Mrs Thimblebys mind was divided and exercised as she herself would have said between her reverent faith in Powells being supported by the supernal powers and her rooted conviction regarding the virtues of a hot posset Was it for her a poor ignorant woman presumptuously to supplement as it were the protection of Providence and to insist on the saintly preachers drinking her posset Yet on the other hand arose her own powerful argument that the Lord might have dispensed with our bodies altogether had it so pleased him and that therefore mankind being provided with those appendages it was but reasonable to conclude they were meant to be taken some care of At length the widows mental debatings resulted in a resolution to make the hot posset and carry it up to the preachers bedside without consulting him on the subject—For said she to herself if I persuade him to swallow it out of kindness to me therell be no sin in the matter Or at least if there is it will be my sin and not his and that is not of so much consequence
In this spirit of true feminine devotion she acted and having coaxed Powell to swallow the cordial mixture—as a mother might coax a sick child—she had the satisfaction of seeing him fall into a deep slumber he being in truth exhausted by fatigue excitement and lack of nourishment
CHAPTER XIV
Among the first persons to hear of David Powells return to Whitford and his intention of preaching there was Miss Bodkin As the spectators see more of the play than the actors so Minnie from her couch or her loungingchair witnessed many a scene in its entirety which those who performed it were only conscious of in a fragmentary manner The news of the little town was brought to her through many various channels Her infirmity seemed to set her in a place apart and many a one was willing to play the part of Chorus for her behoof and interpret the drama after his or her own fashion
Minnies maid Jane Gibbs Mrs Errington and Mr Diamond had all given her the news about Mr Powell and all in different keys and with such variations of detail as universally attend contemporaneous vivâ voce transmissions
Jane Gibbs had a strong feeling of respect and gratitude towards the preacher for his having converted her brother And being herself a member of the Church of England she looked upon his secession from the main body of the Methodists with great leniency She dared to say that Mr Powell would do as much good in Lady Lane as he had done in the Wesleyan Chapel And seeing that whether you called em Wesleyans or Ranters or Baptists or Quakers or Calvinists they were all Dissenters it could not so much matter whether they disagreed among each other or not
Mrs Errington without entering into that question considered herself peculiarly aggrieved by the circumstance that Powell had come to lodge in the same house with her I am doomed it seems to be a victim to that man said she to Minnie Bodkin At Maxfields house I was frequently disturbed by his hymns and his preachments and even now it appears I am not to escape from him He absorbs Mrs Thimblebys attention to a ludicrous extent If you will credit the fact my dear Minnie only yesterday morning my egg was sent up at breakfast greatly overboiled and when I remonstrated with Mrs Thimbleby on this piece of negligence what excuse do you suppose she made She answered that she was very sorry but she had been getting ready a little snack—that was her expression—for Mr Powell after his early preaching and it had slipped her memory that my breakfastegg was still in the saucepan I have no doubt the man stuffs and crams himself at her cost All these dissenting preachers do my dear
Whereunto Minnie answered gravely that it was a great comfort to Church people to reflect that moderation in eating and drinking was entirely confined to the orthodox clergy
Mr Diamond again took a different and more sympathising view of the poor preacher But even he was very far from entertaining the same exalted admiration for Powells character as was felt by Minnie Matthew Diamond had an Englishmans ingrained antipathy to the uncontrolled display of feeling from which Powells Welsh blood by no means revolted Diamond could never divest himself of a lurking notion that no man would publicly exhibit deep emotion if he could help it and consequently he looked on all such exhibitions as rather pitiable manifestations of infirmity or else as mere claptrap and playacting Of the latter it was impossible to suspect Powell Diamond had the touchstone of truthfulness within himself and it sufficed to convince him that the preacher however wild and mistaken was sincere Yes he said to Miss Bodkin there can be no doubt that the mans soul is as clear from guile as an infants But it is a pity he cannot suppress the outbursts of enthusiasm which exhaust him so much
He does not wish to suppress them answered Minnie He looks on them as a means specially vouchsafed to him for moving others and—to use his own words—saving souls Some sober sensible persons remind me when they speak of David Powell of a covey of barndoor fowls complacently staring up at a lark and exclaiming Poor creature how unpleasant it must be for it to have to soar and gyrate in that giddy fashion and making that shrill noise all the time too How it must envy us our constitutions
I suppose I am one of the barndoor fowls Miss Bodkin
Well—perhaps Or rather you have lived among them until it seems to you that higherflying creatures have something a little ridiculous about them And you forcibly restrain any upward tendencies of wing—at least in the presence of your mates of the barndoor
I am flattered to be credited with some upward tendencies at any rate But Miss Bodkin to drop metaphor in which I cannot attempt to compete with you I must be allowed to maintain that Powells outbursts of excitement are neither good for himself nor others They are morbid and not the healthy expression of a healthy nature like the larks singing and soaring
You have seen Powell since his return How does he seem to be in health
In bodily health not perhaps so much amiss although he is greatly emaciated and startlingly pale But his mind is in a strange state
He was always enthusiastic
He is enthusiastic for others but as regards himself his mind is a prey to overwhelming gloom I see a great change for the worse in him in that respect
Minnie felt a strong desire to see the preacher again She compassionated him from her heart and thought she might be able to administer some comfort to him as regarded Rhoda Maxfield There were days when Minnie was able to walk from one room to another with the assistance of a crutched stick and it occurred to her that if Mrs Thimbleby would allow her house to be made the place of meeting she might see and speak with Powell there more privately and with less danger of exciting gossiping remark than elsewhere Minnie had once or twice latterly driven to the widow Thimblebys house to see Mrs Errington or leave a message for her although she had never mounted to her sittingroom For the ladderlike staircase which was an imaginary difficulty in the way of Castalias visits to her motherinlaw was a very real obstacle to Minnie Bodkin
The project of seeing Powell in this way took possession of her mind She sent a note to Mrs Thimbleby by her maid Jane asking at what hour Mr Powell was most likely to be in the house and saying that she should like to come there and say a few words to him about a person in whose welfare he was interested
The widow saw nothing very singular in this She knew that Powell had been to see Miss Bodkin before he left Whitford And it was quite in accordance with the known characters of the Methodist preacher and the rectors daughter that they should meet and combine on the common ground of charity For sure Mr Powell have recommended some poor afflicted person to the young lady and she have assisted em whosoever they may be thought Mrs Thimbleby And she begs me not to mention her coming to anybody For sure and certain shes not one o them as boasts of their good deeds No no like our blessed Mr Powell she dont let her left hand know what her right hand doeth I wonder if shes under conviction Such a good charitable lady it seems as if she must belong to the elect But there all our good works are filthy rags I spose the best on us But I cant help thinking as Miss Bodkins works must be more pleasing to the Lord than Brother Jacksons as lives among the Wesleyans on the fat of the land and dont do much in return except condemning all those folks as isnt Wesleyans Lord forgive me if Im wrong
Mrs Thimbleby returned a verbal message to Miss Bodkin as the latter had desired her to do Mrs Thimblebys duty and the most likely time would be between four and five oclock in the afternoon and she would be sure to obey Miss Bodkins instructions And Im ever so much obliged to her for excusing me writing my dear said the widow to Jane for my hands is so stiff and rough with hard work as holding a pen seems to be a great difficulty Id far rather mop out my back yard any day than write the receipt for the lodgers rent And tis but a smudgy business when alls done
On the following day Dr Bodkins sober green carriage drawn by a stout soberpaced horse was seen standing at Mrs Thimblebys door It was a few minutes after four oclock in the afternoon The street was very quiet There was scarcely a passerby to be seen from one end of it to the other when Jane and the old manservant assisted Miss Bodkin to alight from the carriage and supported her into the clean flagged room on the ground floor which served Mrs Thimbleby for parlour kitchen and dininghall all in one The coachman had orders to return and fetch his young mistress at six oclock Will you give me houseroom so long Mrs Thimbleby asked Minnie with a sweet smile which so captivated the good woman that she stood staring at her visitor in a kind of rapture unable to reply for a minute or two
Minnie was placed in Mrs Thimblebys own highbacked chair with the clean patchworkcovered cushions piled behind her A horsehair footstool borrowed for the purpose from Mr Diamonds parlour was under her feet And she declared that she found herself as comfortable as in her own loungingchair at home
You see miss I couldnt say to the minute when Mr Powell would be back but between four and five he generally do come in and I make him swallow a cup of herb tea or something And I will not deny that I sometimes puts a pinch of China tea in But he dont know This is but a poor place miss added the widow glancing round but so long as you can make yourself content to stay in it so long you will be welcome as the flowers in May if twas to be for a twelvemonth
Then Minnie praised the brilliant cleanliness of the little kitchen took notice of the cat that rubbed its velvet head confidingly against her hand and asked Mrs Thimbleby how she prospered in her lodgingletting
The widow was loquacious in her mild slow way and she was pleased at this opportunity for a little harmless gossip It was a propensity which received frequent checks from those around her Mr Diamond was too taciturn too grave too much absorbed in his books to give any heed to his landladys conversation beyond listening to the few particulars of his weekly expenses which she insisted on explaining to him Mrs Errington on the other hand was not at all taciturn but she desired to have the talk chiefly to herself She loved to harangue Mrs Thimbleby on a variety of subjects and to place in vivid colours before her the inadequacy of all her domestic arrangements to satisfy a lady of Mrs Erringtons quality As to gossiping with David Powell Mrs Thimbleby would as soon have thought of attempting to gossip with the sculptured figure of a saint which stood in a niche at one side of the portal of St Chads So the good woman finding Miss Bodkin more compliant and affable than the two firstnamed of her lodgers and nearer to the level of common humanity than the last indulged herself with an outpouring of chat as the two sat waiting for Powells return
Minnie listened to her at first with but a drowsy kind of attention Her own thoughts were wandering away from the present time and place And for a while the quiet of the room where the gathering twilight seemed to bring a deeper hush was only broken by the monotonous murmur of the widows voice But byandby Mrs Thimbleby spoke words which effectually aroused Minnies attention
There was she said a deal of talk in Whitford about young Mr Errington He was such a very nicespoken gentleman and most people seemed to like him so much But yet he had enemies in the town Folks said he was extravagant And his wife gave herself such airs as there was no bearing with em she not paying ready money but almost expecting tradespeople to be satisfied with the honour of serving her Poor lady she wasnt used to be pinched for money herself and knew no better most likely But many Whitford shopkeepers grumbled as Mr Errington got goods on credit from them and yet sent orders to London with ready money for expensive articles and it didnt seem fair There was no use saying anything to old Mrs Errington about the matter because though she was no doubt a very goodhearted lady she was rather high And if you mentioned to her as Mr Gladwish the shoemaker said unpleasant things about her sons bill why she would tell you that her grandfather drove four horses to his coach and that Mr Algernons wifes uncle was a great nobleman up in London as paid his butler a bigger salary than all Gladwish could earn in a year And if such sayings got abroad they would not be soothing to the feelings of a respectable shoemaker would they now Not to say that they wouldnt help to pay Gladwishs bill nor yet the fly bill at the Blue Bell nor yet the bill for young madam at Ravell and Sarsnets nor yet the bill at the fishmonger and poulterers as she Mrs Thimbleby was credibly informed that Ivy Lodge consumed the best of everything and at a great rate In the beginning tradespeople believed all that was said about young Mr and Mrs Erringtons fine friends and fine prospects and seemed inclined to trust em to any amount But latterly there had growed up a feeling against em And—if Miss Bodkin wouldnt think it a liberty in her to ask her not to mention it again seeing it was but a guess on her part—she would go so far as to say that she believed an enemy was at work and that enemy old Jonathan Maxfield Why or wherefore old Max should be so set against young Mr Algernon as he had known him from a little child she could not say But there was rumours about that young Errington owed old Max money And old Max was that near and fond of his pelf as nothing was so likely to make him mad against any one as losing money by em and old Max was a harsh man and a bitter where he took a dislike Only see how he had persecuted Mr Powell And though he let his daughter go to Ivy Lodge—and they did say young Mrs Errington had taken quite a fancy to the girl—yet that didnt prevent old Max sneering and snarling and saying all manner of sharp words against the Erringtons And old Max was a man of substance, and his words had weight in the town And you see miss said Mrs Thimbleby in conclusion young Mr and Mrs Errington are gentlefolks and they dont hear whats said in Whitford and they may think things are all right when theyre all wrong Of course I daresay they have great friends and good prospects miss And very likely they could settle everything tomorrow if they thought fit Only the tale here is that not a tradesman in the place has seen the colour of their money and they deny theirselves nothing and the lady so high in her manners and altogether there is a feeling against em miss And as I know youre a old friend and a kind friend Im sure and not one as takes pleasure in the troubles of their neighbours I thought I would mention it to you in case you should like to say a word to the young lady and gentleman privatelike A word from you would have a deal of weight And I do assure you miss tis of no use trying to speak to old Mrs Errington for shell only go on about her grandfathers coachandfour and between you and me miss there is some as takes it amiss
All this pained and surprised Minnie She understood at once how Castalias ungracious manner was resented in the little town and set down a great deal of the hostility which the widow had described to the score of the Honourable Mrs Algernons personal unpopularity
Still there must be something seriously wrong at Ivy Lodge Debt was a Slough of Despond into which such a one as Algernon Errington would easily put his foot from sheer thoughtlessness and the habit of refusing himself no gratification within his reach But he might not find it so easy to extricate himself A word of warning might possibly do good At least it could do no harm beyond drawing forth some languid impertinence from Castalia And Minnie would not for an instant weigh that chance against the hope of doing some good to her old friend Algy
Besides in truth she had as has been said an undefined feeling of compassion for Castalia herself which rendered her singularly forbearing towards the latters manifestations of fretful jealousy or haughty dislike In the first days of his return to Whitford Algernon had many a time shot one of his quick questioning glances at Minnie when his wife uttered some coolly insolent speech directed at rather than to the rectors daughter But instead of the keen sarcasm or scornful irony which he had expected Minnie had nine times out of ten replied with a quiet matterof-fact observation calculated to extinguish anything like a war of words At first Algernon had attributed such forbearance on the part of the brilliant highspirited Minnie entirely to her strong regard for himself But this flattering illusion did not last long He soon perceived that Minnie regarded his wife with pity and that she refrained from using the keen weapons of her wit against Castalia much as a nurse might refrain from scolding or arguing with a sick child
Now this discovery was not pleasant to Algernon If any sympathy were to be expended on the inmates of Ivy Lodge he was persuaded that much the larger share of it ought to be given to himself If there were troubles if there were mortifications if there was disappointment—who suffered from them as he did And by whom were they so unmerited He was not far sometimes from resenting any show of compassion for Castalia as a direct injury to himself After having sacrificed himself by making a marriage so inadequate to his deserts it was a little too much to hear his wife pitied for the contrast between her past and present position
And yet by a queer strain of inconsistency running through the warp and woof of his character he would often boast of Castalias aristocratic antecedents and ask with a smile and a shrug how the deuce his wife could be expected to stand the petty privations and discomforts of Whitford after having lived all her life in a sphere as remote from such things as the planet Saturn from the earth
Minnie partly saw partly guessed these movements of Algernons mind But she judged him with leniency and put a kind interpretation on his words and ways whenever such an interpretation was possible At all events if a word in season could be useful to him she would not refrain from speaking that word
This young woman had latterly passed into regions of thought and feeling from which much of her old life with its old pains and pleasures and aims seemed shrunken into insignificance One solid good she was able to grasp and to enjoy the satisfaction of serving her fellowcreatures All else grew poor and paltry as the years rolled by
Not that Minnie had attained to any saintlike heights of self-abnegation not that she did not still desire and admire many sublunary things But she had got a hurt that had stricken down her pride She bore an ache in her heart for which selfculture and all the activities and aspirations of her bright intellect afforded no balm
But she did not grow sour and selfish in her grief The example of the poor unlettered Methodist preacher whom in former days she would have thought the unlikeliest of human beings to teach her any profitable lesson had roused the noblest part of her nature to emulation David Powell had started from a lofty theory to a life of beautiful deeds Minnie Bodkin vaguely groping after a theory had seized on practical benevolence as a means to climb to some higher ideal
In morals as in thought the Deductive and Inductive stand like the ladders of Jacobs dream reaching from heaven to earth from earth to heaven and the angels of the Lord descend and ascend them continually
Minnie was roused from a reverie by the entrance of the preachers tall figure into the kitchen where the fire was now beginning to throw ruddy lights and fantastic shadows on to the whitewashed walls
Dont be startled Mr Powell she said in her clear sweet tones It is I—Minnie Bodkin I thought I should like to see you and to say a few words to you quietly
Powell advanced and took her outstretched hand reverently in his hand The blessing of our Father in Heaven be on you lady he said Your kind face is very welcome to me
CHAPTER XV
Mrs Thimbleby set a cup full of hot tea and a slice of bread on the table and glided out of the kitchen in a humble noiseless way as if she feared lest the mere sound of her footsteps should be deemed importunate
You have something to say to me asked Powell still standing opposite to Minnies chair
Yes but first you must take some food Please to sit down there at the table
Powell shook his head Food disgusts me he said I do not need it
That will pain your kind landlady said Minnie gently She has been so careful to get this refreshment ready for you
Powell sat down I would not pain the good soul for any earthly consideration he answered But if the burthen be laid on me I must pain her
Come Mr Powell no injunction can be laid on you to starve yourself and grow ill and be unable to fulfil your duties
After an instants hesitation he swallowed some tea and began to break off small fragments of the bread which he soaked in the liquid and ate slowly
Minnie watched him attentively The widow had lighted a candle which standing on the high mantelshelf shed down its pale rays on the preachers head and face the rest of his person being in shadow Now and again as he lifted a morsel of bread to his lips one thin long hand yellowwhite as old ivory came within the circle of light His whole countenance appeared to Minnie to have undergone a change since she had seen him last The features were sharper the skin more sallow the lines around the mouth deeper But the greatest change was in the expression of the eyes They were wonderfully lustrous but not with the soft mild lustre which formerly shone in them They looked startlingly large and prominent and at times seemed literally to blaze with an inward fire
He is ill and feverish thought Minnie And then as she continued to watch him there came over his face an expression so infinitely piteous that the sympathetic tears sprang into her eyes when she saw it It was a pathetic questioning bewildered look like that of a little child that has lost its way and is frightened
When he had eaten a few mouthfuls he asked Who told you that you would find me here
Oh it was not difficult to discover your whereabouts in Whitford Mr Powell answered Minnie smiling with an effort to seem cheerful and at ease Your coming has been spoken of in our little town for weeks past
Has it so Has it so That is a good hearing There must be souls ripe for conviction—anxious inquiring souls
There was a pause Minnie had expected him to speak of their last interview But as he made no allusion to it she opened the subject herself
You remember Mr Powell before you went away from Whitford giving me a charge—a trust to fulfil for you
He looked at her inquiringly but did not answer
There was a young member of your flock whose welfare you had greatly at heart And you thought that I might be able to help her and show her some kindness I—I have honestly tried to keep the promise I then made to you persisted Minnie on whom Powells strange silence was producing an unpleasant impression She could not understand it I fancied that you might still feel some anxiety about Rhodas welfare——
At the sound of that name Powell seemed moved as if by an electric shock The change in his face was as distinct although as momentary as the change made in a dark bank of cloud by a flicker of summer lightning
You know of course continued Minnie that the person whose influence you feared is married And I assure you that so far as my attentive judgment goes Rhodas peace of mind has not been fatally troubled She fretted for a while but is now rapidly regaining her cheerfulness She even visits rather frequently at Mr Erringtons house having it seems become a favourite with his wife
David Powells head had sunk down on to his breast He held one hand across his eyes resting his elbow on the table and neither moving nor looking up But it was evident that he was listening Minnie went on to speak of Rhodas improvement She had always been pretty but her beauty was now very striking She had profited by the opportunities of instruction which her father afforded her She was caressed by the worthiest people in her little world
Minnie went bravely on—nerved by the sight of that bowed figure and emaciated hand hiding the eyes—speaking the praises of the girl who had sent many a pang of jealousy into her heart—a jealousy none the less torturing because she knew it to be unreasonable He could never have thought of wretched crippled me if there had been no Rhoda Maxfield in the world she had told herself a hundred times But she tried to fancy that the withering up of the secret romance of her life would have been less hard to bear had the sacrifice been made in favour of a higher nobler woman than simple shallow slighthearted Rhoda Maxfield
Nevertheless she spoke Rhodas praises now ungrudgingly Nay more she believed Powell to be capable of the highest selfsacrifice she believed that he would welcome a prospect of happiness and security for Rhoda even though it should shut the door for ever on any lingering hopes he might retain of winning her So bracing herself to a strong effort—which seemed to strain not only the nerves but the very muscles of her fragile frame as she sat almost upright grasping the arms of her chair with both hands—she added And as I know you have that rare gift of love which can rejoice in looking at a happiness it may never share I will say to you in confidence that I believe Rhoda is honourably sought in marriage by a good man—a man who—it is not needful to speak at length of him—indeed her throat was dry and her courage desperately at bay—but he is a good highminded man one who will value and respect his wife one who admires and loves Rhoda very fervently
It was magnanimously said The words as she uttered them sounded the knell of her own youth and hope in her ears
We believe that a beloved one is dead We have kissed the cold lips We have kissed the unresponsive hand Yes the beloved one is dead We surely believe it
But no The deathbell sounds beating with chill heavy fingers on our very heartstrings and then we awake to a sudden confirmation of our grief The bell sings its loud monotone over rooftree and gravestone piercing through the murmur of busy life in streets and homes and then we know that we had not hitherto believed that in some nook and secret fold of heart or brain a wild formless hope had been lurking that all was not really over Only the implacable mental clang carries conviction with its vibrations into the broad daylight and the common air and the tears gush out as if our sorrow were born anew
Even so felt Minnie Bodkin when she had put her secret thought into words The speaking of the words could not hasten their fulfilment But yet it seemed to her as if in saying them she had signed some bond—had formally renounced even the solace of a passing fancy that might flit fairybright into the dimness of her life had given up the object of her silent passion by a covenant that was none the less stringent because its utterance was simple and commonplace She was silent breathing quickly and lying back against the cushions after the short speech that had cost her so much
Powell remained quite still for a few seconds Then suddenly removing the screening hand the almost intolerable lustre of his eyes broke upon the startled woman opposite to him as he said with a strange smile She is safe She is happy for Time and Eternity She has been ransomed with a price
I knew that you would allow no selfish feeling to sway you returned Minnie after an instants pause I was right in feeling sure that you would generously consider her happiness before your own
But yet she was not satisfied with the result of her wellmeant attempt to free Powells mind from the anxiety concerning Rhoda which she believed to have been preying on it There was something strangely unexpected in his manner of receiving it Presently Powell looked at her again with a sad sweet smile The wild blaze had gone out of his eyes They were soft and steady as they rested on her now
You are a just and benevolent woman he said You have been faithful You came hither with the charitable wish to comfort me I am not ungrateful But the old trouble has long been dead I did wrestle with a mighty temptation on her account My heart burnt very hot within me the fleshy heart full of deceit and desperately wicked But that human passion fell away like a garment shrivelled and consumed by the great fire of the wrath of God that put it out as the sun puts out the flame of a taper at noonday Neither he went on speaking rather to himself than to Minnie am I concerned for that young soul No it is safe It has been ransomed I have had answer to prayer and heard voices that brought me sure tidings in the dimness of the early morning but these things are hard to be understood Sometimes even yet the old foolish yearning of the heart seems to awake and stir blindly within me When you named that name—no lips had uttered it to my ears for many months—there seemed to run a swift echo of it through all the secret places of my soul But I heard as though one dead should hear the beat of a familiar footfall above his grave
The dusk of evening the low thrilling tones of the preachers voice the terrible pallor of his face with its great glittering eyes shining in the feeble rays of the candle contributed not less than the strangeness of his words to oppress Minnie with a sensation of nervous dread She was not afraid of David Powell nor of anything that she could see or touch But vague terrors seemed to be floating in the air
She started as her eye was caught by a deep mysterious shadow on the wall The fire had burnt low and shed only a dull red glow upon the hearth The ticking of the old clock appeared to grow louder with every beat and to utter some ominous warning in an unknown tongue
All at once a sound of voices and footsteps in the passage broke the spell The fire cast only commonplace and comprehensible shadows The clock ticked with its ordinary indifferent tone The preachers pale face ceased to float in a mystical light against the dark background of the curtainless window The everyday world entered in at the kitchen door in the shape of Mr Diamond and Rhoda Maxfield
Of the four persons thus unexpectedly assembled Minnie was the first to speak
What Rhoda she cried in a quiet voice which revealed much less surprise than she felt What brought you here at this hour
As she spoke she glanced anxiously at Powell uneasy as to the effect on him of Rhodas sudden appearance But he remained curiously impassible looking at those present as if they were objects dimly seen afar off
I was coming to drink tea with Mrs Errington Mr Diamond overtook me and Sally in the street I saw your carriage at the door and looked in here hoping that I should find both you and Mrs Errington in this room because I know you do not go upstairs
Thus spoke Rhoda in a soft tremulous little voice and with downcast eyes Diamond came and shook hands with Minnie He pressed the hand she gave him with unusual warmth and emphasis His eyes were bright and there was a glow of pleasure on his face He believed that his suit was prospering and he wished to convey some hint of his hopeful anticipations to his sympathising friend Miss Bodkin Then he turned to Powell and touched him on the shoulder How are you tonight he asked in a friendly tone not without a kind of superior pity I am glad to see that you have been refreshing the inner man Our friend is too careless of his health Miss Bodkin He fasts too long and too often
Powell smiled slightly but neither looked at him nor answered him Going straight to Rhoda he laid his hand on her bright chestnut hair from which the bonnet she wore had fallen backwards and looked at her solemnly Rhoda turned pale and gazed back at him as if fascinated Neither of the others spoke or moved
It is true then said Powell after a pause and the low tones of his voice sounded like soft music I have passed through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and between me and the dwellers under the light of the sun there is a great gulf fixed
He released the bright young head on which his hand had rested and made as if he would move away Then pausing he said I frightened you long ago—in the other life Fear no more Rhoda Maxfield Be no more disquieted by night or by day Many are called but few are chosen yet you are among the chosen He smiled upon her very sadly and calmly and went slowly away without looking round
As soon as he was gone Rhoda burst into tears Diamond made an eager step forward as if to take her hand then stopped irresolutely and looked anxiously at Minnie She is so sensitive he said half aloud Minnie was as white as the preacher and her eyes were full of tears which however she checked from falling by a strong effort of her will I must go she said Rhoda tells me my carriage is here Will you kindly call my servants He obeyed her first making his formal little bow a sign under the circumstances that he was not quite in sympathy with his friend who showed so little sympathy herself for that sensitiveness which so moved him However when assisted by Jane Miss Bodkin had made her way to the door Mr Diamond stood there bareheaded to help her into the carriage She put her hand for an instant on his proffered arm as she got into the vehicle Rhoda came running out after her Good night Miss Minnie she cried
Minnie leant back and seemed neither to see nor hear her But in an instant she was moved by a generous impulse to put her head out of the window and say kindly Good night Rhoda Come and see me soon
As the carriage began to move away she saw Diamond tenderly drawing Rhodas shawl round her shoulders and trying to lead her in from the chill of the evening air
CHAPTER XVI
Well you may say as you please Mr Jackson but twas a sight I shall never forget and one I dont expect to see the like of on this side of eternity said Richard Gibbs
No nor dont wish to I should think put in Seth Maxfield
Anyway it was a wonderful manifestation remarked Mr Gladwish musingly
There was a little knot of Wesleyans assembled in the house of Mr Gladwish the shoemaker Since Jonathan Maxfields defection he might be considered the leading member of the Methodist congregation And a weekly prayermeeting was held at his house on Monday evenings as it had formerly been held in old Maxs back parlour
On the present occasion the assembly was more numerous than usual Besides the accustomed cronies and Mr Jackson the preacher there were also Seth Maxfield who had come into Whitford on some farm business on the previous Saturday Richard Gibbs and the widow Thimbleby The latter was an old acquaintance of Mrs Gladwish and much patronised by that matron although of late Mrs Thimbleby had been under some cloud of displeasure among the stricter Methodists on account of her fidelity to David Powell
There had not been to say the truth any very fervent or lengthy religious exercises that evening After a brief discourse by Brother Jackson and the singing of a hymn the company had by mutual agreement understood but not expressed fallen into a discussion of the topic which was at that time in the minds and mouths of most Whitford persons high and low—namely David Powells preachings and the phenomena attendant thereon
Anyhow repeated Mr Gladwish after a short silence it was a wonderful manifestation
You may well say so sir assented Richard Gibbs emphatically
Humph grunted out Brother Jackson pursing up his thick lips and folding his fat hands before him I misdoubt whether the enemy be not mixed up somehow or other with these manifestations I dont say they are wholly his doing But—my brethren Satan is very wily and is continually going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it even as in the days of Job
Thats very true said Mrs Gladwish with an air of responsible corroboration She was a lighthaired palefaced woman with a slatternly figure and a sharp inquisitive nose and her quiet persistency in crossquestioning made her a little formidable to some of her neighbours
When I see a thorntree bring forth figs or a thistle grapes I will believe that such things as I witnessed yesterday on Whit Meadow are the work of Satan—not before rejoined Gibbs
Amen said Mrs Thimbleby tremulously Oh indeed sir—I hope you dont consider it presumption in me—but I must say I do think Mr Gibbs is right It was the working of the Lords spirit and no other
What was the working of the Lords spirit asked a harsh voice that made the women start and caused every head in the room to be turned towards the door There stood Jonathan Maxfield rather more bowed in the shoulders than when we first made his acquaintance but otherwise little changed
He was welcomed by Gladwish with a marked show of respect The breach made between old Max and his former associates by his departure from the Methodist Society had been soon healed in many instances Gladwish had condoned it long ago and owing to various circumstances—among them the fact that Seth Maxfield and his wife remained among the Wesleyans—the intercourse between the two families had been almost uninterrupted There was truly no cordial interchange of hospitalities nor much that could be called companionship but the strong bond of habit on both sides and on Gladwishs the sense of his neighbours growing wealth and importance served to keep the two men as close together as they ever had been
Ive come to say a word to Seth if it may be without putting you out said old Maxfield with a sidelong nod of the head that was intended as a general salute to the company
Mr and Mrs Gladwish protested that no one would be in the least put out by Mr Maxfields presence but that they were all on the contrary pleased to see him Then while the father and son said a few words to each other in a low tone the others conversed among themselves rather loudly by way of politely expressing that they did not wish to overhear any private conversation
Thats all then Seth said old Max turning away from his son I knew I should find you here and I thought I would mention about them freeholds before it slipped my memory And—life is uncertain—I have put a clause in my will about em this very evening Putting off has never been my plan neither with the affairs of this world or the next
There was something in the mention of a clause in old Maxs will which had a powerful attraction for the imagination of most persons present Brother Jackson made a motion with his mouth as though he were tasting some pleasant savour Mrs Gladwish thought of her tribe of growing children and their rapid consumption of food clothing and doctors stuff and she sighed Two or three of the regular attendants at the prayermeeting fixed their eyes with lively interest on Jonathan Maxfield and one whispered to another that Seth had gotten a good bit o cash with his wife and would have more from his father Twas always the way money makes money Though rightly considered it was but dross and dust and riches were an awful snare And then they obsequiously made way for the rich grocer to take a seat in their circle moved perhaps by compassion for the imminent peril to his soul which he was incurring from the possession of freehold property
Well Ill sit down for half an hour said Jonathan in his dry way and took a chair near the table accordingly In fact he was well pleased enough to find himself once more among his old associates and if any embarrassment belonged to the relations between himself and Brother Jackson his former pastor it was certain that old Max did not feel it When a man has a profound conviction of his own wisdom supported on a firm basis of bankers books and solid investments such intangible sentimentalities have no power to constrain them Mr Jackson perhaps felt some little difficulty in becomingly adjusting his manner to the situation being troubled between the desire of asserting his dignity in the eyes of his flock and his natural reluctance to affront a man of Jonathan Maxfields weight in the world But he speedily hit on the assumption of an unctuous charity and toleration as being the kind of demeanour best calculated for the circumstances And perhaps he did not judge amiss Im sure said he with a pious smile it is a real joy to the hearts of the faithful and a good example to the unregenerate to see believers dwelling together in unity however much they may be compelled to differ on some points for conscience sake
What was it as some one was saying just now about the working of the Lords spirit asked Maxfield cutting short Brother Jacksons verbal flow of milk and honey
There was a little hesitation among those present as to who should answer this question To answer it involved the utterance of a name which was known to be unpleasing in Mr Maxfields ears Mrs Thimbleby shrank into the background she had a special dread of old Jonathans stern hard face and manner Richard Gibbs at length answered simply We were speaking Mr Maxfield of David Powells preaching in Lady Lane and on Whit Meadow
Maxfield pressed his lips together and made an inarticulate sound which might be taken to express contempt or disapprobation or merely an acknowledgment of Gibbss information
My I should like to have been there exclaimed Mrs Gladwish
Well now said Seth Maxfield my wife would walk twenty mile to keep out of the way of it She was quite scared at all the accounts we heard
But what did you hear And what did happen after all asked Mrs Gladwish I wish you would give us an account of it Mr Gibbs
It is hard to give an account of such thing to them as wasnt present maam But there was a great outpouring of grace
Brother Jackson groaned slightly then coughed and shook his head
I never saw such a beautiful evening for the time of year put in one of Gladwishs apprentices a consumptivelooking lad with bright dreamy eyes And all the folks standing in the sunset and the river shining and the leaves red and yellow on the branches—it was a wonderful sight
It was a wonderful sight ejaculated Gibbs There was the biggest multitude I ever saw assembled in Whit Meadow There must have been thousands of people There were among them scoffers and ungodly men and seekers after the truth and some that were already awakened Then women and children they came gathering together more and more from the north and the south and the east and the west And there in the midst raised up on a high bench so that he might be seen of all stood David Powell His face was as white as snow and his black hair hung down on either side of it
I thought of John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness said the apprentice softly
I couldnt get to stand very near to him continued Gibbs and I thought I should catch but little of his discourse But when he began to speak though his voice was low at first after a while it rose and grew every moment fuller and stronger
Yes said the brighteyed apprentice it was like listening to the organpipes of St Chads just that kind of tremble in it that seems to run all through your body
The man always had a goodish voice said Brother Jackson But that is a carnal gift Tis the use we put our voices to that is allimportant my dear friends
He began by prayer said Gibbs speaking slowly and with the abstracted air of a man who is not so much endeavouring to give others a vivid narration as to recall accurately to his own mind the things of which he is speaking Yes he began with prayer He prayed for us all there present with wonderful fervour
What did he say asked Mrs Gladwish
Nay I cannot repeat the exact words
Cant you remember Joel persisted his mistress addressing the young apprentice
The lad blushed up but more apparently from eagerness and excitement than bashfulness as he answered Not the very words maam I cant remember But it was a prayer that had wings like and it lifted you up right away into the heavens When he left off I felt as if I had been dropped straight down on to Whit Meadow out of a cloud of glory
Well theres no harm in all that Brother Jackson said Gladwish looking round
Harm echoed Gibbs Why Mr Gladwish if you could but have seen the faces of the people And then presently he began to call sinners to repentance with such power as I never witnessed—no not when he was preaching in our chapel two years ago He spoke of wrath and judgment until the whole field was full of the sound of crying and groaning But he seemed continually strengthened and went on until first one fell and then another They dropped down just like dead when the arrows of conviction entered their souls And the cries of some of them were awful to hear Then there was weeping and a kind of hard breathing and panting from breasts oppressed with the weight of sin and then mixed with those sounds the rejoicing aloud of believers and those who received assurance But through all the preachers voice rose above the tumult and it seemed to me almost a manifest miracle that he should be able to make himself heard so clearly
Aye said Joel it was like a ship on the top of the stormy waves now high now low but always above the raging waters
There was a short silence Those present looked first at each other and then at old Max who sat motionless and grim with his elbow on the table and his chin resting on his clenched hand
And did you really see any of the poor creeturs as was took asked Mrs Gladwish of the widow Thimbleby
Took maam
Took with fits or whatever it was
Oh yes I see several There was a fine freshcoloured young man which is a butcher out Duckwell way—Mr Sethll likely know him—and he dropped down just like a bullock And then he stamped and struggled and grew an awful dark red colour in the face and tore up the grass with his hands such was the power of conviction And at last he lay like a log and twas an hour or more before he come to But when he did he had got peace and his burthen was taken away thanks be
And there was a girl too very poor and sicklylooking said Joel And when the power of the Lord came upon her she went into a kind of trance Her eyes were open but she saw nothing Tears were falling down her cheeks but they were tears of joy for she kept on saying How Thou hast loved sinners over and over again And there was such a smile on her face When we go to Heaven I expect we shall see the angels smile like that
And the man himself—the preacher—did he seem filled with joy and peace asked Jackson covertly malicious
Why that is the strange thing returned Richard Gibbs with frank simplicity Although he was doing this great work and witnessing the mercies of the Lord descend on the people like manna yet Mr Powell had such a look of deep sorrow on his face as I never saw It was a kind of a fixed hopeless look He said I speak to you out of a dark dungeon but you are in the light Give thanks and rejoice and hasten to make your calling and election sure Those who dwell in the blackness of the shadow could tell you terrible things
Mrs Thimbleby wiped away a tear with the corner of her shabby black shawl Ah she sighed it do seem a hard dispensation and a strange one as him who brings glad tidings to so many shouldnt get peace himself And a more angelic creetur in his kindness to the afflicted never walked this earth Yet hes amost always bowed down with heaviness of spirit It do seem strange
Jonathan Maxfield struck the table with his fist so hard that the candlesticks standing on it rocked Strange he cried it would be strange indeed to see anything else Why this is the work of the enemy as plain as possible Dont tell me Look at all the years Ive been a member of Christian congregations in Whitford—whether in chapel or church it is no matter—and tell me if ever there was known such ravings and fits and Bedlam doings And yet I suppose there were souls saved in my time too I say that Satan is busy among you puffing up one and another with sperritual pride
Lord forgive you ejaculated Richard Gibbs in a tone of such genuine pity and conviction as startled the rest
Lord forgive me sir echoed old Max turning slowly round upon the speaker and glaring at him from under his grey eyebrows
There was an awestricken silence
Our good friend Richard Gibbs meant no offence Mr Maxfield said Jackson looking everywhere except into Gibbss face
I say cried Maxfield addressing the rest of the company and entirely ignoring the rash delinquent Gibbs that these things are a snare and a delusion and the work of the devil And when them of more wisdom and experience than me comes forward to speak on the matter I shall be glad to show forth my reasons
Why but Brother Maxfield I dont know now I dont feel so sure said Gladwish on whom the accounts of Powells preaching had produced a considerable effect There have been cases you know in the early times of Methodism and John Wesley himself you know was ready to believe in the workings of grace as manifested in similar ways
Dont tell me of your David Powells returned old Max declining to discuss the subject on wide or general grounds but doggedly confining himself to the particulars immediately before him Dont tell me of a man as is blown out with pride and vain glory like a balloon Did I or did I not say moren two years ago that David Powell was getting puffed up with presumptuousness
There was a low murmur of assent Brother Jackson closed his eyes and uttered a deep longdrawn Aaah like a man reluctantly admitting a painful truth
Did I or did I not say to many members of the Society This man is dangerous He has fallen from grace He is hankering after newfangled doctrine and is ramping with redhot overbearingness
Yon did sir answered a stout broadfaced man named Blogg who looked like a farmer but was a linendraper in a small way of business You said so frequently I remember your very words and can testify to em
This speech appeared to produce a considerable effect Mrs Thimbleby began to cry and not having an apron at hand threw the corner of her shawl over her face
Did I or did I not say that if things went on at this kind of rate I should withdraw from the Society And did I or did I not withdraw from it accordin
Sir said Mr Blogg I saw you with my own eyes acoming out of the parish church of St Chads at ten minutes to one oclock in the afternoon of the Sunday next following your utterance of them identical expressions and cannot deny or evade the truth but must declare it to the best of my ability with no regard to any human respects but for the ease and liberation of my conscience as a sincere though humble professor
There was a general feeling that in some conclusive though mysterious way the linendraper had brought a crushing weight of evidence to bear against David Powell and even the preachers best friends would find it difficult to defend him after that
Old Max looked round triumphantly and proceeded to follow up the impression thus made And then Im to be told said he that the lunatic doings on Whit Meadow are the work of Heavenly powers eh Come Gladwish—youre a man as has read theologies and controversies and are acquainted with the history of Wesleyan Methodism as well as most members in Whitford—I should like to know what arguments you have to advance against plain facts—facts known to us all and testified to by Robert Blogg linendraper now present and for many years a respected classleader in this town
Well but we have plain facts to bring forward too said Richard Gibbs with anxious earnestness
I ask you Gladwish what arguments you have to bring forward repeated Maxfield determinedly repressing any outward sign of having heard the presumptuous Gibbs
If this be not Satans doing I have no knowledge of the words of the devil and I suppose I shall hardly be told that after regular attendance in a congregation of Wesleyan Methodists for fifty odd years man and boy But continued the old man after a short silence which none of those present ventured to break theres no knowing truly These are newfangled days I cannot say but what I may live to hear it declared that I know nothing of Satan nor cannot discern his works when I see them
Nay father said Seth Maxfield speaking now for the first time in deprecation of so serious a charge against the newfangled days on which Whitford had fallen Nay no man will say that nor yet think it But my notion is, that it may neither be Heaven nor tother place that has much to do with these kind of fits and screechings I believe it to be just as Dr Evans said—and he a Welshman himself youll remember—when he first heard of these doings of David Powell in Wales Says he Its a epidemic says the doctor A catching kind of nervous disease neither more nor less And you may any of you get it if you go to hear and see the others Though forewarned is forearmed in such cases says the doctor And the better you understand the real natur of the disorder the safer youll be from it
Seth was of a materialistic and practical turn of mind and he offered this hypothesis as an explanation which had approved itself to his own judgment not because he thoroughly comprehended Dr Evanss statements but rather because of the inherent repugnance of his mind to accept a supernatural theory about any phenomenon when a natural theory might be substituted for it and also as a neutral ground of conciliation whereon the opposing celestial and diabolic partisans might meet half way But it speedily appeared that he had miscalculated in so doing Neither the friends nor the opponents of David Powell would for an instant admit any such rationalistic suggestion It was scouted on all hands And Seth who had no gift of controversy speedily found himself reduced to silence
Well said he quietly when he and his father rose to go away think what you please but I know that if one of my reapers was to fall down in the field that way let him be praying or cursing I should consider it a hospital case
Good night Gladwish said old Max Good night Mrs Gladwish I am glad for the sake of all the decent sober godly members of the Society as this firebrand had left it before things came to this pass And I only wish youd all had the gift of clearsightedness to see through him long ago and cut yourselves off from him as I did
Richard Gibbs advanced towards the old man with outstretched hand I hope Mr Maxfield he said humbly that youll not think I meant any offence to you just now But I was so full of conviction and you know we can but speak the truth to the best of our power I hope you nor any other Christian man will be in wrath with me because we dont see things just alike I know Mr Powell is always for making peace for he says we many a time fancy were fighting the Lords battles when in truth we are only desiring victory for our own pride Anyway I know he would bid me ask pardon for a hasty word if any offence had come by it And so I hope youll shake hands
Jonathan Maxfield took no notice of the proffered hand neither did he make any answer directly But as he reached the door he turned round and said Well Mr Jackson you have your work cut out for you with some of your flock I doubt Like to like I expect that ranting Welshman will draw some away from decent chapelgoing But them as admires such doings are best got rid of and that speedily With that he walked off
I think Maxfield was rather hard on poor Dicky Gibbs said Mr Gladwish to his spouse when they were alone together He might ha shook hands Dicky came forward in a real Christian spirit Maxfield was very hard in his wrath
Well returned the virtuous matron I cant so much wonder Having the Lords forgiveness called down on his head in that way And I dont know Gladwish as we should like it ourselves
CHAPTER XVII
Minnie Bodkin had not dismissed from her mind the rumours about Algernon Errington which she had heard from the widow Thimbleby After some consideration she resolved to speak to him directly on the subject and decided on the manner of doing so
I will not try to speak to him in the presence of other people she thought He would wriggle off and slip through my fingers if he found the conversation had any tendency to become disagreeable And then too it might be difficult to speak to him without interruption
This latter consideration had reference to Minnies observation of Mrs Algernon who never saw her husband engaged in conversation with Miss Bodkin without unceremoniously thrusting herself between them
The result of Minnies deliberations was the sending of the following note to the Whitford Postoffice—
My dear Algernon—I want to say a word to you quietly Can you come to me on your way home this afternoon I will be ready to receive you at any hour between four and six Dont disappoint your old friend
M B
At a few minutes before five that evening Mr Ancram Errington presented himself at Dr Bodkins house and was shown up to Minnies room
It was one of Minnies good days She was seated in her loungingchair by the fire but she was not altogether reclining in it—merely leaning a little back against the cushions A small writingtable stood in front of her It was covered with papers—amongst them a copy of the local newspaper—and she had evidently been busily occupied When Algernon entered she held out her hand with a smile of welcome This is very good she exclaimed I was not sure that I should succeed in tearing your postmastership away from the multifarious duties——
Algernon winced and held up his hand Dont Minnie he cried For mercys sake let me forget all that for half an hour
Oh reassure yourself most overworked of public servants It is not about the conveyance of his Majestys mails that I am going to talk to you
Upon my word I am infinitely relieved to hear it
And indeed his countenance brightened at once and he took a chair opposite to Minnie with all his old nonchalant gaiety
How you hate your office said Minnie looking at him curiously More even than your native laziness—which I know to be considerable—would seem to account for
Not at all There is no difficulty in accounting for my distaste for the whole business There can be no difficulty It is the simplest most obvious thing in the world
Dont things go smoothly Have you any special troubles or difficulties in the office Algernon
Special troubles My dear Minnie what on earth are you driving at
I am driving at nothing more than the simple sense of my words implies she answered with a marked shade of surprise in her countenance I mean just what I say Is your work going pretty smoothly Have you any complaints Does your clerk do well
Oh Gibbs Capitally capitally Old Obadiah is a firstrate fellow Did you know his name was Obadiah Absurd name isnt it Oh yes hes all right I trust him entirely—blindly He has the whole thing in his hands He might do anything he liked in the office I have every confidence in Gibbs But now Minnie let us have done with the subject If you had as much of it as I have you would understand——Come dismiss the bugaboo or I shall think you have entrapped me here to talk to me about the postoffice And I warn you I dont think I should be able to stand that even from you
How absurdly you are exaggerating Algy said Minnie shaking her head at him and yet smiling a little at the same time But be at peace I have nothing to say on the subject of the Whitford postoffice My discourse will chiefly concern the Whitford postmaster and——No Dont be so ridiculous not in his official capacity either
Oh Well in his private character I should think it impossible to find a more delightful topic of conversation than that interesting and accomplished individual returned Errington laughing and settling himself comfortably in his chair
I hope it may prove so Tell me first how is Mrs Algernon Ancram Errington
Why Castalia is not very well I think although I dont know what is the matter She grows thinner and thinner and sallower and sallower Entre nous Minnie she frets and chafes against our life here She has not the gift of looking on the bright side of things She is rather peevish by nature Its a little trying sometimes coming on the back of all the other botherations Ha There passing his hand quickly across his forehead let us say no more on that subject either And now to return to the interesting topic—the delightful and accomplished—eh What have you to say to me
Minnie seized on the opportunity which chance had afforded her to introduce the matter she wished to speak about
Do you think your wife is annoyed by the importunities of tradespeople Algy That would be enough to fret her and sour her temper
Importunities of tradespeople Good gracious no And besides I dont think Castalia would allow the importunities of tradespeople to disturb her much I should fancy that a Bourbon princess could scarcely look on such folks from a more magnificent elevation than poor Castalia does But Que voulezvous She was brought up in that sort of hauteur
I quite believe in your wifes disregard for the feelings of the tradespeople answered Minnie drily But this is a question of her own feelings you see Come Algernon may I take the privilege of our old friendship and speak to you quite frankly
Pray do my dear Minnie You know I always loved frankness
He looked the picture of candour as he turned his bright blue eyes on his friend
Well then to begin with a question Do you not owe money to several persons in Whitford
My dear Minnie dont look so solemn for mercys sake Owe money Why I suppose everybody owes money A few pounds would cover all my debts I assure you I am never troubled on the subject
I am glad to hear it But—will you forgive the liberty I am taking for the sake of my motive and give me carte blanche to be as impertinent as I please
With all my heart he answered unhesitatingly
Thanks Algy Then to proceed without circumlocution I am afraid that since neither you nor your wife are accustomed to domestic economy you may possibly be spending more money than is quite prudent without being aware of it You say you are not disturbed by your debts but Algy I hear things on this subject which are never likely to reach your ears or not until it is too late for the knowledge of them to serve you And I have reason to think that there is a good deal of unpleasant feeling among the Whitford tradespeople about you and yours
You will excuse me for observing that the Whitford tradespeople always have been within my recollection a set of pigheaded prejudicial ignoramuses and that I see no reason to apprehend any speedy improvement in the intelligence of that highly respectable body
Dont laugh Algernon The matter is serious You have not been troubled yet you say But the trouble may begin at any moment and I should wish you to be prepared to meet it You may have bills sent in which——
Bills Oh as to that theres no lack of them already I must acknowledge the great alacrity and punctuality with which the mercantile classes of this town send in their weekly accounts Oh dear yes I have a considerable collection of those interesting documents so many in fact that the other day when Castalia was complaining of the shabbiness of the paperhangings in our diningroom I proposed to her to cover the walls with the tradesmens bills It would be novel economical and moral a kind of memento mori—a deaths head at the feast Fancy seeing your butchers bill glaring down above the roast mutton every day and the greengrocers To account delivered restraining the spoon that might otherwise too lavishly dispense the contents of the vegetable dishes
Algy Algy
Upon my honour Minnie I made the suggestion But Castalia looked as grave as a judge She didnt see it at all The fact is poor Cassys sense of humour is merely rudimentary
Minnie joined her hands together on the table and thus supported she leant a little forward and looked searchingly at the young man
Algernon she said with slow deliberation I begin to be afraid that the case is worse than I thought
What do you mean he asked almost roughly and with a sudden change of colour
I mean that you really are in difficult waters How has it come to pass that the weekly accounts have accumulated in this way
He laughed a little forced laugh but he looked relieved too
The process is simple They keep sending em in
And then it is said—forgive me if I appear intrusive—that you gave orders for wine and such things out of Whitford And that does not incline the people of the place to be patient
Well by Jove exclaimed Algernon throwing himself back in his chair and thrusting his hands into his pockets that is the most absurd—the most irrational—the most preposterous reason for being angry with me They grumble when I run up a bill with them and they are affronted when I dont
Does your wife understand—or—or control the household expenditure
Bless you no She has not the very vaguest ideas of anything of the kind When she had an allowance from her uncle for her dress my lord used to have to come down every now and then with a supplementary sum of money to get her out of debt
He spoke with an air of perfectly easy amusement and without a trace of anxiety unless perhaps an accustomed ear might have detected some constraint in his voice
But could she not be made to understand Why not give her some hints on domestic economy It should be done kindly of course And surely her own good sense——
Algernon pursed up his mouth and raised his eyebrows
She considers herself an unexampled victim as it is I think lessons on domestic economy would about put the finishing stroke to the internal felicity of Ivy Lodge
Minnie looked pained They were trenching here on ground on which she had no intention of venturing farther It formed no part of her plan to be drawn into a discussion respecting the defects and shortcomings of Algernons wife She was silent
Algernon got up from his chair and came and stood before Minnie taking both her hands in his
My dear girl he said I cannot tell you how much I feel your kindness and friendship But now pray dont look so terribly like the tragic muse I assure you there is no need as far as we are concerned Castalia is perhaps a little extravagant but after all what does it amount to A few pounds would cover all I owe The whole of our budget is a mere bagatelle The fact is you have attached too much importance to the chatter of these thickheaded boobies They hate us I suppose because Castalias uncle is a peer of the realm and because we dine late and because we prefer claret to Double X—or for some equally excellent and conclusive reasons
I dont know that they hate you Algy returned Minnie but not with an air of very perfect conviction And after all it is scarcely a proof of personal malignity to wish to be paid ones bill
Algernon laughed quite genuinely Oh yes it is he cried A proof of the direst malignity What worse can they do
Well Algernon I cannot presume to push my sermonisings on you any farther You will give me credit at least for having ventured to make them from a singleminded wish to be of some service to you
My dear Minnie you are the best fellow in the world You remember I used to call you so in my saucy schoolboy days and when your majesty condescended to permit my impertinences And to show you how thoroughly I appreciate your friendship I dont mind telling you that when I am removed from this d—— delightful berth that I now occupy I shall have to get Uncle Seely to help us out a little But I feel no scruple about that Something is due to me I ought never to have been placed here at all Well no matter It was a mistake My lord sees it now and he is setting to work in earnest for me in other quarters I have every reason to believe that I shall get very pretty promotion before long It isnt my business to go about proclaiming this to the butchers and bakers is it And between you and me Miss Bodkin your dear Whitfordians are as great rogues as the tradesmen in town and vastly less pleasant to deal with They make us pay an enormous percentage for the trifling credit we take So let em wait and be——paid Dear Minnie I assure you I shall not forget your affectionate kindness
He bent down over her as he said the last words still holding her hands A change in Minnies face made him look round and when he did so he saw his wife standing just within the room behind him
Minnie was inexpressibly vexed with herself to feel a hot flush covering her face She knew it would be misconstrued and that made her colour the more Mrs Algernon Errington was the first to speak
I beg your pardon Miss Bodkin she said I didnt know that you were so particularly engaged
What the deuce brought you here asked her husband with a not altogether successful assumption of thinking the whole trio including himself completely at their ease
There was no one in the drawingroom nor in the study continued Castalia still addressing Minnie so I thought I would come direct to your room I see now that I ought not to have taken that liberty
Well frankly I dont think you ought my dear said her husband lightly
Minnie was sorely tempted to say so too But she felt that any show of anger on her part would but increase the unpleasantness of the situation and a quarrel with Algernons wife under such circumstances would have been equally revolting to her pride and her taste so she held out her hand to Castalia with grave courtesy and said I have to apologise on my side for having taken the privilege of old friendship to sermonise your husband a little He will tell you what I have ventured to speak to him about I hope you will forgive me
Castalia appeared not to see the proffered hand She stood quite still near the door as she answered Oh I daresay it is all quite right I dont suppose Ancram will tell me anything about it I am not in his secrets
This is no secret Mrs Errington at all events not from you
Oh I dont know But I daresay it doesnt matter
Through all the languid insolence of her manner there was discernible so much real pain of mind that Minnie once more checked a severe speech and answered gently You will judge of that Of course Algernon will discuss the subject of our conversation with you
Mrs Algernon Errington scarcely condescended to return Minnies parting salutation but walked away saying to her husband over her shoulder I am going to drive home It is nearly dinnertime I suppose you are coming But dont let me interfere with your arrangements
Interfere with a fiddlestick cried Algernon in the quick testy tone that was the nearest approach to loss of temper Minnie had ever seen in him Then he added after an instant with a short laugh I dont know why Im supposed not to include dinner in my arrangements today of all days in the year
And then the husband and wife went away together and entered the fly that awaited them before Dr Bodkins door
How did you know where to find me asked Algernon suddenly after a silent drive of some ten minutes
Oh I knew you had a rendezvous
I had no rendezvous You could not know it
Couldnt I I tell you I saw that creatures letter Dear Algernon What right has she to write to you like that
And Castalia burst into angry tears
Algernon turned upon her eagerly
Saw her letter Where How
I——they told me——it was at the office
You went to the office And you saw Minnies letter
I——its no use scolding me or pretending to be injured I know who is injured of us two
I suppose I must have left the note lying open on the table of my office said Algernon speaking very distinctly and not looking at his wife
Yes that must be it I——I——I tore it up You will find the fragments on the floor if you think them worth preserving
What a goose you are Castalia exclaimed her husband leaning back in the carriage and closing his eyes
Now the fact was that Algernon distinctly remembered having placed Minnies note in a drawer of a little secretaire which he kept habitually locked and of which the key was at that moment in his waistcoat pocket And the discovery that his wife had in some way or other obtained access to the said secretaire gave him for reasons known only to himself abundant food for conjecture and reflection during the rest of the drive home
A CHARMING FELLOW
BY FRANCES ELEANOR TROLLOPE
AUTHOR OF AUNT MARGARETS TROUBLE MABELS PROGRESS ETC ETC
In Three Volumes
VOL III
London
CHAPMAN AND HALL 193 PICCADILLY
1876
CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS
CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXIII
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXV
A CHARMING FELLOW
CHAPTER I
There was a scene that evening at Ivy Lodge—not the less a scene in that it was conducted on genteel methods Mrs Algernon Errington inflicted on her husband during dinner a recapitulation of all her wrongs and injuries which could be covertly hinted at She would not broadly speak out her meaning before the servants The phrase shaped itself thus in her mind from old habit But in truth the servants were represented by one plumpfaced damsel in a yellow print gown into which her person seemed to have been inserted in the same way that bran is inserted into the cover of a pincushion She seemed to have been stuffed into it by means of considerable force and with less reference to the natural shape of her body than to the arbitrary outlines of the case made for it by a Whitford dressmaker
This girl ministered to her master and mistress during dinner pouring water and wine changing knives and plates handing vegetables and not unfrequently dropping a spoon or a sprinkling of hot gravy into the laps of her employers She had succeeded to Slater who resigned her post after a trial of some six weeks duration Castalia in despair at this desertion had written to Lady Seely to send her a maid from London forthwith But to this application she received a reply to the effect that my lady could not undertake to find any one who would suit her niece and that her ladyship thought Castalia had much better make up her mind to do without a regular ladysmaid and take some humbler attendant who would make herself generally useful
I always knew Slater wouldnt stay with you wrote Lady Seely and you wont get any woman of that kind to stay You cant afford to keep one Your uncle is fairly well but poor Fido gives me a great deal of unhappiness He eats nothing
Not by any means from conviction or submission to the imperious advice of Lady Seely but under the yoke of stern necessity Castalia had consented to try a young woman of the neighbourhood highly recommended And this abigail in her tight yellow gown was the cause of Mrs Algernons reticence during dinner The poor lady might however have spared herself this restraint if its object were to keep her servants in the dark as to domestic disagreements for no sooner had Lydia that was the abigails name reached the kitchen than she and Polly the cook began a discussion of Mr and Mrs Algernon Erringtons private affairs which displayed a surprising knowledge of very minute details and an almost equally surprising power of piecing evidence together
When Lydia was gone Algernon lit a cigar and drew up his chair to the fireside where he sat silent staring at his elegantlyslippered feet on the fender Castalia rose fidgeted about the room walked to the door stopped turned back and standing directly opposite to Algernon said querulously Do you mean to remain here
For the present yes out of consideration for you You dislike me to smoke in the drawingroom do you not
Why should you smoke at all
Algernon raised his eyebrows shrugged his shoulders crossed one leg over the other and made no answer His wife went away and sitting down alone on a corner of the sofa in her little drawingroom cried bitterly for a long time
She was made to raise her tearstained face by feeling a hand passed gently over her hair She looked up and found her husband standing beside her Whats the matter little woman he asked in a halfcoaxing halfbantering tone like one speaking to a naughty child too young to be seriously reproved or argued with
Now although Castalia was haughty by education and insolent by temper she had very little real pride and no dignity in her character To be noticed and caressed by Algernon was to her a sufficient compensation for almost any indignity There was but one passion of her nature which had any chance of resisting his personal influence and that passion had never yet been fully aroused although frequently irritated Her jealousy was like a young tiger that had never yet tasted blood
Whats the matter little woman repeated Algernon seating himself beside her and putting his arm round her waist She shrugged her shoulders fretfully but at the same time nestled herself nearer to his side She loved him and it put her at an immense disadvantage with him
Dont you mean to vouchsafe me an answer Mrs Algernon Ancram Errington
Oh I daresay youre very sorry that I am Mrs Errington I have no doubt you repent
Really And is that what you were crying for
No reply
It looks rather as if you repented madam
Oh you know I dont unless you like other people better than you like me
Other people dont cry in my company
No because they dont care for you And because theyre——theyre nasty artful minxes
Hear hear A charming definition Castalia you are really impayable sometimes How my lord would enjoy that speech of yours
No he wouldnt Uncle Val would never enjoy what vexed me My lady might nasty disagreeable old thing
There I can agree with you A vulgar kind of woman—though she is my bloodrelation—thoroughly coarse in the grain But now that we have relieved our feelings and spoken our minds on that score suppose we converse rationally
I dont want to converse rationally
Why not
Because that means that you are going to scold me
Well—that might be highly rational certainly only I never do it
Well but youll manage to make out that Im in the wrong and youre in the right somehow or other
Cassy I want you to write a letter
A letter Whom do you want me to write to
Her tears were completely dried and she looked up at him with a faint smile on her countenance which however looked rueful enough with red nose and swollen eyes
You must write to my lord and get him to help us with a little money
Her face fell
Ask Uncle Val for money again Ancram It is such a short time since he sent me some
And tomorrow at this hour it will be such a short time since you had your dinner Nevertheless I suppose you will want another dinner
I—I dont think Uncle Val can afford it Ancram
Leave that to him Afford it Pshaw
Algernon made the little sharp ejaculation in a tone expressive of the most impatient contempt
But do we really—is it absolutely necessary for us to beg of my uncle again
Not at all Do just as you please answered her husband rising and walking away from the sofa to a distant chair
Castalias eyes followed him piteously
But what can I say she asked What excuse can I make I hate to worry Uncle Val It isnt as if he had more money than he knew what to do with And if Lady Seely knew about his helping us she would lead him such a life
Do as you please It would be a thousand pities to worry your uncle Let all the worry fall on me
He took up a book and threw himself back in his chair as if he had dismissed the subject
I dont know what to do exclaimed Castalia with fretful helplessness At length after sitting silent for some time twisting her handkerchief backwards and forwards in her fingers she got up and crossed the room to her husbands chair
Ancram she said softly
Eh I beg your pardon looking up with an appearance of great abstraction as if the perusal of his book had absorbed all his attention
I wish to do what will please you I only care to please you in the world But—cant you explain to me a little better why I must write to Uncle Val
Explain Of course he would He desired nothing better He had brought her to a point at which encouragement was needed not coldness And with the singular flexibility that belonged to him he was able immediately to plunge into an animated statement of his present situation which sufficed to persuade his hearer that no course of conduct could be so desirable so prudent—nay so praiseworthy as the course he had suggested
To be sure the details were vague but the general impression was vivid enough If Algernons pictures were a little inaccurate in drawing they were at least always admirably coloured And the general impression was this that there never had been a person of such brilliant abilities and charming qualities as Algernon Ancram Errington so unjustly consigned to obscurity and poverty And no contributions to his comfort luxury or wellbeing were too much to expect and claim from the world in general and his wifes relations in particular Common honesty—common decency almost—would compel Lord Seely to make all the amends in his power for having placed Algernon in the Whitford Postoffice And there was an insinuation very skilfully and delicately mixed with all the seemingly unstudied and spontaneous outpourings of Algys conjugal confidence—an insinuation which affected the flavour of the whole as an accomplished cook will contrive to mingle garlic in a ragoût never coarsely obtrusive and yet distinctly perceptible—to the effect that the hand of Miss Castalia Kilfinane had been somewhat officiously thrust upon her charming husband and that the family owed him no little gratitude for having been kind enough to accept it
Poor Castalia had an uneasy feeling at the end of his fluent discourse that Algernon had been a victim to her great relations and in some dim way to herself But the garlic was so admirably blended with the whole mass that it was impossible for her to pick it out or resent it or do anything but declare her willingness to help her husband by any means in her power
Why my dear girl it is as much for your sake as for mine And as to the necessity for it I must tell you what Minnie Bodkin said to me today Minnie is an excellent creature full of friendly feeling—a little too conceited and fond of lecturing Castalias face brightened but much must be excused to an afflicted invalid who never meets her fellowcreatures on equal terms
Castalia looked almost happy But she said As to her affliction it seems to me that she has been growing much stronger lately
Yes I am glad to think so too But let the best happen that can be hoped—let the disease that has kept her helpless on her couch all these years be overcome—still she must always be so lame as to make her an object of pity
Poor thing I daresay it does warp her mind a good deal What did she say to you
Algernon recapitulated a part of Minnies warnings but gave them such a turn as to make it appear that the greatest wrath and impatience of the Whitford tradesmen were directed against his wife They have a narrow kind of provincial prejudice against you Cassy on account of your being a London fine lady Me they know and in their great condescension are pleased to approve of
Oh everybody likes you better than me of course answered Castalia simply But I dont care for that if you will only like me better than anybody
The genuine devotion with which this was said would have touched most men It might have touched Algernon had he not been too much engrossed in mentally composing the rough draft of Castalias letter to her uncle and putting his not inconsiderable powers of plausible persuasion to the task of making it appear that his wifes personal extravagance was the chief cause of their need for ready money
Dont tell him that I even know of your writing My lord will be more willing to come down handsomely if he thinks its for you only Cassy said Algernon as he drew up his wifes writingtable for her placed a chair opened her inkstand and performed several little acts of attention with a really charming grace and gallantry
So Castalia writing almost literally what her husband dictated—although he kept saying at every sentence My dear child you ought to know best how to address your uncle Well I really dont know but I think you might put it thus and so forth—completed an appeal to Lord Seely to anticipate by nearly a quarter the allowance he continued to make her for her dress out of his private purse and if possible to increase its amount
One such appeal had already been made and responded to by a gift of money It had been made immediately after the arrival of the newlymarried couple in Whitford on the ground of the unforeseen expenses attendant on installing themselves in their new habitation In answering it Lord Seely had written kindly but with evident disapproval of the step that had been taken I cannot Castalia he said bid you keep anything secret from your husband and yet I can scarcely help saying that I wish he did not know of the cheque I inclose I fear he is disposed to be reckless in money matters and nothing encourages such a disposition more than the idea that aid can be had from friends for the asking Ancram will recollect a serious conversation I had with him the evening before your marriage and I can only now reiterate what I then assured him of—that it will be impossible for me to repeat the assistance I gave him on that occasion
What assistance was that Ancram asked Castalia who knew not a word of the matter
Oh I believe my lord made me the munificent present of two pair of breeches and an old coat and waistcoat or so
Made you a present of an old coat and breeches What on earth do you mean
I mean that he paid a twopenny outstanding tailors bill for me And he writes now as if he had conferred the most overwhelming obligation
The fact was that Lord Seely had discharged a great number of Algernons debts all of them as his lordship imagined But there was clearly no need of troubling Castalia with these details
When the letter was finished and sealed Castalia still sat musingly tracing unmeaning figures with the point of her pen on the blottingbook At length she said with some hesitation Ancram how is it that we spend so much money I dont think I am very extravagant
So much money Good Heavens Castalia—but you really have no conception of these things Our whole income and twice our income is a miserable pittance The Dormers pay their butler more
She was again silent for a little while Then she said Isnt there anything we could do without
Her husband looked at her in astonishment It was a quite unexpected suggestion on Castalias part Could you be kind enough to point out anything he asked drily She looked somewhat cast down by his tone but answered Theres that last case of wine from town—the Rhine wine Dont you think we might send it back unopened and do with a bottle of sherry now and then from the Blue Bell Your mother finds that very good
Pshaw with the accustomed sharp impatient contempt My mother knows no more about wine than a baby To drink bad wine is absolutely to poison oneself I cant do it and I dont mean to let you do it either And when one knows that it is only a question of a few months more or less and that directly I get a better berth these greedy rascals will be paid their extortionate bills in full—positively Castalia it seems to me childish to talk in that way
It was the same with one or two other suggestions of retrenchment she ventured to make Algernon showed conclusively conclusively enough to satisfy his hearer at all events that it would not do—that it would be absolutely imprudent on their part to make any open retrenchment All these sharks would come round them at once if they smelt poverty I know these gentry better than you do Castalia said he There is no way of getting on with them except by not being in a hurry to pay them Nothing spoils tradespeople so much as any overalacrity of that kind They immediately conclude that you cant do without them
Oh theyre disgustingly impudent creatures these Whitford tradespeople There is no doubt in the world about that said Castalia in perfect good faith Only I thought you seemed to be made uneasy by what Miss Bodkin said to you on the subject
To be sure But my dear girl your method would never answer I do want money very badly And I do hope and expect—as I think I have some right to do—that my lord will assist us without delay and without making one of his intolerable prosy preachments on the occasion And we must have a few pounds to go on with and stop the mouths of these rapacious rascals But no retrenchment Castalia No Blue Bell sherry Good Heavens it makes one bilious to think of it I really cannot sacrifice my digestion to advance the commercial prosperity of Whitford And when one considers it why should we destroy our peace of mind by worrying ourselves Lord Seely has got us into this scrape and Lord Seely must get us out of it Voilà tout
After that the rest of the evening was spent very harmoniously Algernon could not repress two or three prodigious yawns but he politely concealed them And when Castalia went to her pianoforte he woke up at the conclusion of an intricate fantasia quite in time to thank her for the performance and to praise its brilliancy In a word so agreeable an evening Castalia told herself she had not passed for many weeks although it had certainly begun in an unpromising way So softened was she indeed by this gleam of happiness that several times she was on the point of making a confession to her husband and entreating his forgiveness But she could not bear to risk bringing a cloud over the light of his countenance which was the only sunshine in her life Ancram would be so angry was a thought that checked back words which were on her lips a dozen times And since the matter is all over and he need never know anything about it I may as well hold my tongue
It needed however no confession on Castalias part to convince Algernon that she had opened his secretaire and taken Minnie Bodkins letter thence instead of having found it lying open on his table as she had said For on the next morning when he entered his private room at the office his first action was to try the little secretaire which was unlocked He then remembered that after having secured that repository of his private papers he had reopened it to throw Minnies note into a drawer of it and having been called away at that moment must have forgotten to relock it
Damnably provoking muttered Algernon to himself as he stood looking at the little cabinet with gloomy anxious brows Then having first bolted the door of his room he made a thorough search throughout the secretaire Nothing disturbed She probably flew off to Dr Bodkins house directly after reading Minnies note and that lay in the little empty drawer right in front It would be the first she opened
Then he sat down in a mighty comfortable armchair which was placed in front of an officiallooking desk and meditated so deeply that he forgot to unbolt the door and was roused by Mr Gibbs tapping at it and desiring to speak with him on business
CHAPTER II
Mr Gibbss errand was not a pleasant one He came to speak to his chief of complaints that had reached the office as to lost and missing letters The most serious case was that of a man living in the neighbourhood of Duckwell who complained that a money letter had never reached him although it had been posted in Bristol three weeks back Some inquiries had previously been made but without result And now the Duckwell man declared he would make a fine fuss and bring the matter before the very highest authorities if his letter were not forthcoming
What does the bumpkin mean Gibbs asked Algernon impatiently tapping with his fingers on the desk before him
Im afraid hell give us a deal of bother sir returned Mr Gibbs slowly And I cant understand what has come of the letter Its very awkward
Very awkward for him if he really has lost his money But I should not be surprised to learn that it never was posted at all
Humph I dont know He swears that the sender at Bristol can prove that it was posted
And why the deuce do people go on sending banknotes by post without the least care or precaution One must have been connected with a postoffice in order fully to appreciate the imbecility of ones fellowcreatures
I dont know that it was banknotes sir It may have been a cheque
Oh depend upon it it was whatever was stupidest to send and most calculated to give trouble if it was sent that is to say If it was sent
I cant call to mind such a thing happening for twenty years back not in this office But lately there seems to be no end to things going wrong
Well dont distress yourself about it Gibbs I have full reliance on you in every way
Oh no sir It is unpleasant but I dont know that I specially need distress myself about it
Only because you have had the uncontrolled management of the office Gibbs And it is too bad when one has worked so conscientiously as you have to be worried by blundering bumpkins I assure you Gibbs I am constantly singing your praises to Lord Seely I tell him frankly that if it were not for you I dont know in the least how I should fulfil my onerous duties here When Im removed from this place the powers that be wont have far to look for my successor
This was the most explicit word that had yet fallen from Mr Errington on the subject of his subordinates promotion And it decidedly gratified Mr Obadiah Gibbs Nevertheless that steady individual was not so elated by the prospect held out to him as to dismiss from his mind the business he had come to speak about It is the most unaccountable thing said he Three or four cases of the kind within two months And up to that time no office in the kingdom bore a better character than Whitford I hope the thing may be cleared up But it is next to impossible to trace a stolen letter The Duckwell man—Heath his name is Roger Heath—says he is determined to complain to the PostmasterGeneral I suppose we shall be having the surveyor coming to look after us You see it isnt like a solitary case Thats the worst of it Theres what you may term an accumulation sir
Whilst Mr Gibbs poured forth his troubled mind in these and many more slow sentences Algernon rose took his hat brushed it lightly with his glove put it on and was evidently about to depart Gibbs ventured to lay his hand on his coatsleeve to detain him The clerk was not satisfied that the matter should be dismissed so lightly It might not be possible to do anything truly but in common with a great many other people Mr Obadiah Gibbs felt that where efficacious action was impracticable it was all the more desirable to mark the gravity of an unpleasant circumstance by copious talking of it Life would become in some sort too frivolous and easy if when a matter clearly could not be remedied every one agreed to say no more about it A vast deal of sage eloquence would thus be choked and dammed up And Mr Gibbs for his special part was conscious of having some reputation amongst his fellow Wesleyans for a gift of utterance
I really dont know sir what to say to Roger Heath he persisted
Oh—tell him inquiries will be made in the proper quarters
That sir has been said already He has been here twice or thrice
Then tell him to go to the devil said Algernon sharply jerking his arm away from the clerks grasp and walking off
The pious and respectable Mr Gibbs shook his head disapprovingly at this profane speech and went back to his stool in the outer office with a lowering brow
Algernon walked along the High Street and turned down a narrow lane leading towards the river and past one corner of the Grammar School The boys were just coming out of school with the usual shrill babble and rush A party of Dr Bodkins private scholars were on their way to Whit Meadow
Good day Ingleby said Algernon addressing the eldest of them the same lad who had been Rhodas squire in the tearoom on the night of Mrs Algernon Erringtons début in Whitford society Where are you off to
Were going to have a row Ive got a boat and were going up the river as far as Duckwell Reach We have leave from the doctor Deuce of a job to get it though
Why
Oh because hes nervous about the river thinks it dangerous and all that
Well you know Ingleby said a younger boy with much eagerness lots of people have been drowned in that bit of the river between here and Duckwell Reach
Lots of people Gammon
Well two since Ive been here
Oh I daresay Well if you funk it you neednt come Theres plenty without you
You know I dont funk it for myself Ingleby I can swim
Yes my friend You wouldnt get into my boat if you couldnt Im on honour with the doctor to take none but swimmers said Ingleby turning to Algernon and of course that settles the matter But for my part I should have thought anybody but the quite small boys might walk out of the Whit if they tumbled into it Oh no You do our noble river injustice You are not a Whitfordian or you would know better than that There are some very ugly places between here and Duckwell Reach places where I wouldnt give much for your chance of getting out if once you fell in swimmer though you are Goodbye A pleasant row to you
The boys pursued their way to the boat and Algernon turning off at right angles when he reached the bottom of the lane got into Whit Meadow through a turnstile at the foot of the Grammar School playground
There was a footpath through the meadow and some fields beyond which made a pleasant walk enough in fine summer weather and was then a good deal frequented But at this season it was damp muddy and lonely The day was fine but the ground had been saturated by previous rains and that part of the meadow nearest to the margin of the river was almost a swamp The path continued to skirt the Whit for some miles running in the direction of Duckwell and as Algernon walked along it he saw the windings of the river shining in the sun and presently there appeared on it the boat full of schoolboys One of them wore a scarlet cap and thus made a bright spot of colour in the landscape The sound of their young voices was carried across the water to Algernons ears
He stood for a minute or so at the gate of his own garden which ran down behind the house to the river path and watched them The thought crossed his mind that if any accident should occur to the boat at that spot there would be little chance of assistance reaching it quickly Ivy Lodge was the last house on that side of the river between Whitford and Duckwell Reach And on the willowfringed shore opposite not a living creature was to be seen except some cattle grazing in the plashy fields
The whole scene—the vivid green of the marsh grass the grey willows the boat with its wet oars flashing at regular intervals the redcapped boy and the sound of the fresh shrill laughter of the crew all fixed themselves on his mind with that vividness of impression which trivial external things so often make upon a brain labouring with some inward trouble
CHAPTER III
What a state your boots are in exclaimed Castalia pausing at the foot of the stairs which she happened to be descending as her husband entered the house And why did you come by the back way
I was worried and did not wish to meet people and be chattered to I thought the meadowpath would be quiet and so it was
Quiet Yes but how horribly muddy Do change your wet boots at once Ancram
There was little need for her to insist on this proceeding Algernon hastened to his room pulled off his wet boots and desired that they should be thrown away
They can be dried and cleaned sir said plumpfaced Lydia aghast at this order
My good girl you may do what you please with them I shall never wear them again Slight boots of that sort that have once been wet through become shapeless dont you understand Take them away
When the master of the house descended to the drawingroom he found a paper squarely folded in the shape of a letter lying in a conspicuous position on the centre table It was Mr Gladwish the shoemakers bill accompanied by an urgent request for immediate payment
More wallpaper Cassy said her husband flinging himself on the sofa
Do you know Lydia tells me the man was quite insolent said Castalia What can be done with such people They dont seem to me to have the least idea who we are
Oh confound the brutes Dont let us talk about them
But Castalia continued to talk about them in a strain of mingled wonder and disgust She did not cease until dinner was announced and Algernon was by that time so thoroughly wearied by his conjugal têteàtête that he even received with something like satisfaction the announcement that Castalia expected the Misses Rose and Violet McDougall to pass the evening at Ivy Lodge
I daresay your mother will come too said Castalia and bring Rhoda Maxfield with her I asked her
Rhoda Why on earth do you invite that little Maxfield
What is your objection to her Ancram
Oh I have no objection to her in the world But I should not have thought she was precisely the sort of person to suit you
Thats exactly what Miss Bodkin says Miss Bodkin tried to keep Rhoda apart from me I am perfectly sure And I cant fathom her motive And now you say the same sort of thing However I always notice that you echo her words But I dont intend to be guided by Miss Bodkins likes and dislikes I havent the same opinion of Miss Bodkins wisdom that the people have here and I shall choose my friends for myself Its quite absurd the fuss that is made in this place about Miss Bodkin absolutely sickening Rose McDougall is the only person of the whole set who seems to keep her senses on the subject
Rose McDougall will never lose her senses from admiration of another woman returned Algernon And then the colloquy was broken up by the arrival of the Misses McDougall clogged and cloaked and attended by their maidservant After having exchanged greetings with these ladies Algernon withdrew murmuring something about going to smoke his cigar
Youll not be long Ancram shall you said his wife in a complaining tone But he disappeared from the room without replying to her
Im so dreadfully afraid that I drive your husband away when I come here my dear said Rose McDougall with a spiteful glance at Algernons retreating figure
Good gracious no He doesnt think of minding you at all
Oh I daresay he does not mind me does not think me of importance enough to be taken any notice of But I cannot help observing that he always keeps out of the way as much as possible when I am spending an evening here
Nonsense said Castalia tranquilly continuing to string steel beads on to red silk for the manufacture of a purse
You might as well say that it is I who drive Mr Errington away Rose put in Violet
Not at all returned her sister with sudden sharpness Thats quite a different matter
I dont see why Rose
The true answer to this remark in the elder Miss McDougalls mind would have been You are so utterly insignificant compared with me that you are effaced in my company and are neither liked nor disliked on your own merits But she could not quite say that so she merely repeated with increased sharpness Thats a very different matter
Rose McDougall was one of those persons who prefer animosity to indifference That any one should simply not care about her was a suggestion so intolerable that she was wont to declare of persons who did not show any special desire for her society that they hated her She was sure Mr A detested the sight of her and Miss B was her bitter enemy But perhaps in Algernons case she had more reason for declaring he disliked her than in many others He did in truth object to the sort of influence she exercised over Castalia He knew that Castalia was insatiably curious about even the most trifling details of his past life in Whitford and he knew that Miss McDougall was very capable of misrepresenting—even of innocently misrepresenting—many circumstances and persons in such a way as to irritate Castalias easilyaroused jealousy and Castalias easilyaroused jealousy was an element of discomfort in his daily life In a word there had arisen since his marriage a smouldering sort of hostility between him and Rose McDougall But he was far from conceiving the acrid nature of her feelings towards him For his part he laughed at her a little in a playful way and contradicted her and above all he did not permit her to bore him by exacting any attention from him which he was disinclined to pay But there was no bitterness in all that None in the world
Only he did not reckon on the bitterness excited in Miss Roses breast by being laughed at and neglected The graceful and charming way in which the laughter and neglect were accomplished by no means mollified the sting of them a point which graceful and charming persons would do well sometimes to consider but to which they are often singularly blind
And what have you been doing with yourself all day Castalia dear asked Violet with a great display of affection
Oh—what can one do with oneself in this horrid hole
To be sure responded Violet But she responded rather uncertainly To her Whitford seemed by no means a horrid hole She had been content enough to live there for many years—ever since her uncle had brought her and her sister from Scotland in their mourning clothes and received his orphan nieces into his home
Dont speak of it my dear exclaimed Rose on whom the reminiscences of the years spent in Whitford wrought by no means a softening effect What possessed Uncle James to stick himself down in this place of all places I cannot conjecture He might as well have buried us girls alive at once
Oh well I suppose you have had time enough to get used to it said Castalia coolly Violet will you ring the bell It is close to you Thank you—Lydia when the girl appeared where is your master
In the diningroom maam
What is he doing
Smoking and reading maam
Go and ask him to come here with my love
How the woman worrits him She doesnt leave him a minutes peace was Lydias comment to the cook on this embassy
She worrits everybody in her slow crawley kind o way but Im sorry for her sometimes too Its a trying thing to care more for a persons little finger than a person cares for your whole body and soul returned Polly who had a kind of broad goodnature and candour But Lydia felt no sympathy with her mistress and maintained that it was all her own fault then What did she be always nagging at him for—having that pitiless contempt for other womens mistakes in the management of their husbands which is not uncommon with her sex
Some such thoughts as Lydias probably passed through the minds of the Misses McDougall but of course that was not the time or place to express them They exerted themselves to entertain their hostess with a variety of Whitford gossip while Castalia—her attention divided between the purse she was making and the drawingroom door at which she hoped to see her husband presently appear—merely threw in a languid interjection now and then as her contribution to the conversation
At length she rose and flung the crimson and steel purse down on the table
Do you want anything dear asked the obliging Violet with officious alacrity
No I shant be long gone Sit still Violet
Shes gone to implore her husband to honour us with a little of his society whispered Rose when Castalia had shut the door Im certain of it More fool she
The sisters sat silent for a few minutes Then they heard the door of the diningroom open as though Castalia were coming back and the sound of voices Rose was seated nearest to the door which was separated from that of the little diningroom opposite by a very narrow passage and she distinctly heard Algernon say Pooh The old girl doesnt want me And again Says I hate her Nonsense I look on her with the veneration due to her years and virtues And then Castalia said Well she cant help her years Besides thats not the question You ought to come for my sake Its very unkind of you Ancram After that there was a lower murmur of speech as though the speakers had changed their places in the room and Rose was able to distinguish no more
When Mrs Algernon Errington returned to the drawingroom she found Violet in her old seat near the pianoforte but Rose had shifted her position and was standing near the window
What are you doing there Rose Enjoying the prospect asked Castalia The shutters were not closed but as the night was very dark there certainly did not seem to be any inducement to look out of the window
Cant you persuade your husband to come dear Im so sorry said Rose turning round and her sister looked up quickly at the sound of her voice which to Violets accustomed ear betrayed in its inflections suppressed anger Her face too was crimson and her little light blue eyes sparkled with unusual brightness
Castalia however noticed none of these things Oh hell come presently she said He really was finishing a cigar I told him that you were offended with him and——
I offended with your husband Oh dear no Why on earth should I be You ought not to have said that Castalia
Well you thought he was offended with you or something of the sort Its all the same returned Castalia with her air of weary indifference And he says its nonsense
My dear I am only sorry on your account that he wont come Really to myself it matters very little very little indeed What a pity that you have not some one to amuse him We are none of us clever enough that is clear
Oh you are quite mistaken if you think Ancram cares particularly for clever women said Castalia whose thoughts instantly reverted to Minnie Bodkin Even Miss Bodkin whom everybody declares to be such a wonder of talent bores him sometimes I can tell you Of course he has known her from his childhood and all that but he said to me only yesterday that she was conceited and too fond of preaching So you see I daresay poor thing she fancies all the time that she is enchanting him by her wisdom
Dear me said Violet timidly and with a sort of strangled sigh I think that as a rule gentlemen dont like any kind of women except pretty women Though to be sure Minnie is handsome enough if it wasnt for her affliction
Oh I wasnt thinking of Minnie said Rose viciously twitching at her sewing thread I meant it was a pity there was no one here who was clever enough and who thought it worth while to play off pretty airs and graces for Mr Erringtons amusement Thats the kind of cleverness that attracts men And your husband my dear was always remarkably fond of flirting
Violet opened her eyes in astonishment and from her place a little behind Castalia made a warning grimace to her sister but Rose only responded by a defiant toss of the head Castalias attention was now effectually aroused and although she still spoke in the querulous drawl that was natural to her or had become so from long habit it was with a countenance earnestly addressed to her interlocutor instead of as hitherto with carelessly averted eyes I never heard any one say before that Ancram was fond of flirting she said
I should have thought it was not necessary to hear it You might see it for yourself unless indeed he is very sly about it in your presence He he he
See it for myself Why—theres nobody here for him to flirt with
This naïve ignoring of any pretensions on the part of her present guests to be eligible for the purposes of flirtation was not lost on Rose
Not many who would flirt with a married man No I hope and believe not But there are many kinds of flirtation you know Theres the soft and sentimental the shy sweet sixteen style—little Miss Maxfields style for instance
Rhoda
Yes that is her name I believe I have never been intimate with the young person myself Uncle James has always been very particular as to whom we associated with However since you have taken her up my dear I suppose she may be considered visitable
We have met her at Dr Bodkins you know Rose put in Violet who was looking and listening with a distressed expression of face
Oh yes I believe Minnie asked her there at first to please Algernon Minnie can be goodnatured in that sort of way But I dont know that it was very judicious
Why should you suppose it was to please my husband that Rhoda was invited to the Bodkins asked Castalia I dont see that at all The girl might have been asked to please Miss Bodkin I daresay she had heard of her from Mrs Errington Mrs Errington is always raving about her
Rose smiled with tightlyclosed lips and nodded To be sure Poor dear Mrs Errington—I mean no disrespect to your motherinlaw Castalia who is really a superior woman only in some things she is as blind as a bat
Castalias sallow face was paler than ever Her nostrils were dilated as if she had been running fast You never told me a word of this before she said
My dear creature said Rose looking full at Castalia for the first time why what was there to tell The subject was led to by chance now and I had not the least idea that you did not know all Algys old lovestories Everybody here—except I suppose poor dear Mrs Errington—knew of the boyandgirl nonsense between him and that little thing But of course it never was serious That was out of the question
I dont believe it said Castalia suddenly
Well I daresay the thing was exaggerated as so often happens For my part I never could see what there was in the girl to make so many people admire her A certain freshness perhaps and some men do think a great deal of that pinkandwhite sort of insipidity
At all events Ancram does not care about her now said Castalia speaking in broken sentences and twisting her watchchain nervously backwards and forwards in her fingers
Oh of course not I daresay he never did care about her in earnest But that sort of philandering is a little dangerous isnt it
He does not like me to ask her to the house even
Doesnt he
No he has said so more or less plainly several times He said so this very evening
Did he indeed Well I really am glad to hear it I scarcely gave Algy—Mr Errington—credit for so much—prudence
Mrs Errington and Miss Maxfield announced Lydia at the door of the drawingroom
CHAPTER IV
Mrs Errington advanced towards her daughterinlaw with her habitual serene stateliness and Rhoda followed her modestly looking very pretty in a new dress the delicate hue of which set off her fair complexion to great advantage Castalia received them much as usual that is to say without displaying any emotion whatever But when Mrs Errington took her daughterinlaws hand she exclaimed Good gracious Castalia how cold you are A perfect frog And yet this little room of yours is very warm oppressively warm to one coming from without
We find the temperature so comfortable here said Violet Dear Castalia always has her rooms deliciously warm we think
Perhaps Violet you are chilly by nature Some constitutions are so For myself I have a wonderful circulation But it is hereditary All my branch of the Ancrams were renowned for it I dont know my dear Castalia whether my cousin Lady Seely has the same peculiarity
I dont know Im sure
With us it was a wellknown thing among the Faculty for miles around Ancram Park Our extremities were never cold nor had we ever red noses I believe a red nose was absolutely unknown in our family No doubt that was part of the same thing perfect circulation of the blood
With that Mrs Errington sat down tolerably near the fire and made herself comfortable Where is my dear boy she asked after a little while Not at that dreadful office I hope and trust
He is at home replied Castalia slowly I asked him to come into the drawingroom and he said he would byandby
Oh I daresay he will come now dear said Rose McDougall without raising her eyes from her sewing
Well my dear said Mrs Errington to her daughterinlaw and if he does come now you must not be jealous
The two sisters glanced at the good lady in quick surprise and then at Rhoda Rhoda was looking for the hundredth time at a book of prints It was her usual evenings occupation at Ivy Lodge Mrs Errington proceeded placid smiling and condescending as ever You must not be jealous Castalia if he does come directly he learns that his mother is here To be sure a wife ranks first I have always acknowledged that and indeed insisted on it I am sure it was my own case with poor dear Dr Errington who would never have dreamed of putting any human being into competition with me Still allowances must be made for the very peculiar and devoted attachment Algy has always felt for me He is and ever was an Ancram to the core And this kind of—one may say romantic—affection for their mothers has always distinguished the scions of our house from time immemorial Good evening my dear Algy I find our dear Castalia looking a little worn and ill and I tell her she keeps her rooms too hot What do you say
Algernon had sauntered into the room during his mothers harangue delivered in the full mellow voice that belonged to her and now bent to kiss the worthy ladys cheek as he greeted her It was a cool firm rosy cheek Indeed Mrs Erringtons freshness and bloom were in singular opposition to Castalias sallow haggardness and made the elder lady look doubly buxom and buoyant by the force of contrast
Youre flourishing at all events chère madame said Algernon looking at his mother with unfeigned satisfaction It was a relief to him to see a contented smiling comfortable countenance Nevertheless although agreeable to look upon Mrs Errington was apt to become a little wearisome in point of conversation and her dutiful son cast his eyes round the circle in search of a pleasant seat wherein to bestow himself But his glance met no response Rose McDougall had drawn near his wife and after very stiffly returning his bow had ceased to take any notice of him markedly avoiding his eye and keeping silence after he had spoken Violet was divided between listening to the elder Mrs Errington and watching her sister Castalia was more lazy more silent more indifferent than usual Algernon was as unaccustomed as a spoiled child to be taken no notice of He to stand among those women as a person of secondary importance not greeted not flattered not smiled upon
He looked across the group round the fire to Rhoda who happened to raise her eyes at that moment and being taken by surprise at meeting his dropped them hastily with a vivid blush Rhodas blushes were as unmeaning as the smiles of an infant The most trivial cause made her change colour as Algernon very well knew But at least the soft bright pink hue on pretty Rhodas cheek showed some emotion however slight or transient at the sight of him And moved partly by a boyish pettish resentment against the others partly by the desire to hear a pleasant voice and pleasant words and look upon a pretty womans face with its delicate contour and fine subtle changes of tint he walked across the room and seated himself beside Rhoda Maxfield
Castalia pushed her chair back out of the lamplight You cant see to do your purse in that dark corner Castalia exclaimed Mrs Errington
I dont want to do my purse Im sick of it
Naughty fickle girl This was said playfully Then in a loud whisper addressed to the McDougalls as well as to her daughterinlaw Mrs Errington exclaimed Doesnt Rhoda look charming tonight That pale lilac is the very colour for her Trying to skins that have the least tinge of yellow in them but she is so wonderfully fair Dear me it reminds one of old times to see those two side by side As children they were always together
No one responded Violet McDougall fidgeted nervously on her chair and cast an appealing look at her sister She would have tried to lead Mrs Errington to talk of something else had she dared but in Roses presence Violet never ventured to take the initiative and besides she was afraid of doing more harm than good Mrs Errington not being one of those persons who take a hint easily The silence of her three listeners was no check to the worthy ladys eloquence She continued to descant on Rhodas attractions and graces and good manners she dropped hints of the excellent opportunities Rhoda now had of settling in life only that she was a little fastidious from long association with such refined persons as the Erringtons and had turned the cold shoulder to several welltodo wooers in her own rank of life she related anecdotes of Rhodas early devotion to herself and her son until Violet McDougall muttered under her breath in a paroxysm of nervous impatience One would think the woman was doing it on purpose
Meanwhile Algernon was talking to Rhoda more freely and confidentially than he had spoken to her for a long long time He was indulging in the luxury of playing victim before a spectator whose pity would certainly be admiring not contemptuous And as he spoke the old habit of appealing to Rhoda and confiding in Rhoda and taking Rhodas sympathy for granted resumed its power over him There was no strain of tenderness in his words He said not a syllable that his wife and all the world might not freely have listened to He talked as a petted boy might talk to an idolising sister—with a mixture of boastfulness and repining which he would have been ashamed to display to a man
Rhoda listened with sorrowful interest How could it be that Algernon should have to endure all these troubles and mortifications He was so clever so accomplished so highly connected had such great and powerful relations It appeared natural enough that folks like Mrs Thimbleby and the Gladwishes and even her brother Seth should sometimes be pressed for money She herself although she had never known privation in her fathers house had until within the last year or so been accustomed to the most rigid economy—not to say parsimony—and it had never cost her a care But that Algernon Errington should desire money for various purposes and not be able to get it seemed to her a very hard case
But Algernons note was not all of complaint There were occasional intervals in which he spoke of the brightness of his prospects ultimately when once he should have tided over his present difficulties and had got out of Whitford And there were a few flourishes about his social successes in town last year In the indulgence of his allabsorbing egotism he seemed to forget that the girl beside him had ever been—or had ever had either expectation or right to be—anything more to him than the patient admiring sisterly humble confidante on whom he had relied for praise and sympathy from the time of his earliest recollections and who supplied him with the most delicious food for his vanity because unmingled with any doubt of its genuineness No thought of her feelings save that they were kindly and admiring towards himself crossed his mind whilst he talked to her bending down his head and gesticulating slightly with his white handsome hands
But when his mother called to her Come Rhoda I think we must be going I heard the carriage at the gate child You and Algy have been having a famous long chat Reminded you of old times didnt it
When I say Algernon heard these words a spark of manhood made his cheeks tingle and his tongue stammer as he said I—Im afraid I must have been—boring you dreadfully Rhoda
In truth he was surprised to find that he had spent the whole evening in talking to Rhoda about himself He glanced quickly at his wife but she was occupied with the Misses McDougall So occupied was she that she hardly returned Mrs Erringtons Good night which negligence however little ruffled that ladys equanimity But when Rhoda approached to take leave of Castalia the latter moved aside so suddenly that the movement might almost be called a start and facing round came opposite to her own image in the mirror above the chimneypiece with Rhodas fair image looking over its shoulder
For one second perhaps—it could scarcely have been more—the smooth surface of the glass gave back the two womens faces one youthful lilyhued innocently surprised with chestnut eyebrows and shining chestnut curls and tender rosy lips parted like those of a child the other yellow worn full of fretful creases with glittering eager eyes and a thin mouth set into a straight line and yet over all the undefinable pathos of a suffering spirit behind the two Algernon looking into his wifes dark eyes and recognising something there that he had never seen in them before
In no longer time than it would take for a breath to dim the mirror all these images were gone and the cold shiny glass indifferently showed a confusion of cloaks and shoulders and the back of a huge bonnet crowning Mrs Erringtons majestic figure
From that day forth Castalia gave herself up to a devouring jealousy of Rhoda She spied her goings and comings she watched her husbands face when the girl was spoken of she opened the letters that she found in the pockets of his clothes she lay in wait to surprise some proof no matter what of a tender feeling on his part for his old love In a word she pursued her own misery with more eagerness vigilance and unflagging singleness of purpose than most people devote to the attainment of any object whatsoever
CHAPTER V
The discovery of Minnie Bodkins note in Algernons secretaire at the office had incited Castalia to make some other attempts to pry into that depository of her husbands papers She made excuses to step into the postoffice whenever she had any reason for thinking Algernon was absent Sometimes it was with the pretence of wishing to see him sometimes on the plea of wanting to rest She had learned that her husband frequently went into the Blue Bell to have luncheon in the middle of the day and that from one cause or another the Whitford Postoffice was not really honoured with so much of his personal superintendence as she had been led to suppose And this again was a fertile source of self-tormenting Where was he when he was not at the office
It whetted her suspicious curiosity to find the secretaire always carefully locked ever since her discovery of Miss Bodkins note there She now wished that she had searched it thoroughly when she had the opportunity instead of hastening off to Dr Bodkins house after having read the first letter she came upon But her feelings at that time had been very different from what they now were She had been nettled truly and jealous of any private consultation between Minnie Bodkin and her husband hating to think that he could trust and be confidential with another woman than herself but not distinctly suspecting either Minnie or Algernon of any intent to wrong her Miss Bodkin loved power and influence and admiration and Castalia wished no woman to influence Algernon or to be admired by him for any qualities whatsoever except herself but all her little envious resentments against Minnie had been mere pinpricks compared with the cruel pangs of jealousy that now pierced her heart when she thought of Rhoda Maxfield
That secretaire It seemed to have an irresistible attraction for her thoughts She even dreamt sometimes of trying to open it and finding fresh fastenings arise more and more complicated as she succeeded in undoing one lock after the other It was not Algernons habit to lock up anything belonging to him There must be some special reason for his doing so in this case And to Castalias jaundiced mind it seemed that the special reason could only be a desire to keep his letters secret from her She grew day by day more restless The servants at Ivy Lodge remarked with wonder their mistresss frequent absences from home She who had so dreaded and disliked walking was now constantly to be seen on the road to the town or on the meadowpath by the river This kind of exercise however merely fatigued without refreshing her and she became so lean and haggard and her eyes had such a feverish glitter that her looks might have alarmed anyone who loved her and witnessed the change in her
There she goes again exclaimed Lydia to her fellow servant as she watched her mistress down the gardenpath behind the house one afternoon She cant bide at home for an hour together now
She wears herself to the bone said Polly shaking her head
She wears other folks to the bone and thats worse returned the pitiless Lydia
Meanwhile Castalia had passed out of the little wicketgate of her garden into the fields and so along the meadowpath towards Whitford She made her way along the path resolutely though with a languid step The ground was hardened by recent frost and the usually muddy track was dry At the corner of the Grammar School playground she turned up the lane towards the High Street keeping close to the wall of the Grammar School so as to be out of view of any from the side windows Before she quite reached the High Street she caught sight of Mr Diamond walking briskly along in the direction of his lodgings He did not see Castalia or did not choose to see her for although she had once or twice saluted him in the street she had on another occasion regarded him with her most unrecognising stare and Matthew Diamond was not a man to risk enduring that a second time But Castalia quickened her step so as to intercept him before he crossed the end of Grammar School Lane
Mr Diamond she said almost out of breath
Madam
Diamond raised his hat and stood still in some surprise
Would you be kind enough—do you happen to know whether Mr Errington has left the postoffice You must have passed the door You might have seen him coming out
I am sorry madam that I cannot inform you
You—you havent seen him anywhere in the town
No I have only just left the Grammar School Have you any further commands
He asked the question after a slight pause because Castalia remained standing exactly across his path glancing anxiously up and down the High Street and apparently oblivious of Diamonds existence
Oh no I beg your pardon she answered moving aside As she did so young Ingleby came up and was about to pass them when Diamond touched him on the shoulder and said Ingleby have you chanced to see Mr Errington
Yes sir I saw him going down the High Street not two minutes ago close to old Maxfields shop Do you want him Mrs Errington I can easily catch him if I run
No no no Dont go You must not go after him
She walked away without any word or sign of farewell leaving Diamond and the boy looking after her in surprise
That is the most disagreeable woman I ever came across exclaimed Ingleby with schoolboy frankness I hate her stuckup airs But Errington is such a capital fellow—— Id do anything for him
Diamond did not choose to discuss either the husband or the wife with young Ingleby but he said to himself as he pursued his homeward way that Mrs Erringtons manner had been not only disagreeable but very strange
Castalia reached the office and walked in She entered the inner part that was screened off from the public and passed Mr Gibbs behind his desk without any recognition She was about to enter Algernons private room at the back when Gibbs rising and bowing said Did you want anything maam Mr Errington is not there
Oh Ill go in and sit down
Gibbs looked uneasy and doubtful and presently made an excuse to follow her into the room Her frequent visits to the office of late by no means pleased Mr Obadiah Gibbs
I didnt know how the fire was said he poking at the hot coals and looking furtively at Mrs Errington
She was seated in her husbands chair in front of his desk The little secretaire stood on a table at one side of it
Im afraid Mr Errington may not be back very soon said Gibbs
Do you know where hes gone
Not I maam
Does he often go away during business hours
Why—I dont know what you would call often maam—I crave pardon I must attend to the office now there is some one there And Mr Gibbs withdrew leaving the door half open
Castalia shut it and fastened it inside Then she pulled out a bunch of keys from her pocket and tried them one after the other on the lock of the secretaire This time it was safely secured and not one of her keys fitted it Then she opened the drawer of the table and examined its contents They consisted of papers some printed some written a pair of driving gloves and the cover of a letter directed to Algernon Errington Esq in a womans hand Castalia pounced on the cover and thrust it into her pocket After that she looked behind the almanac on the chimneypiece and rummaged amongst a litter of newspapers and torn scraps of writing that lay in a basket She was thus engaged when Mr Gibbss hand was laid on the handle of the door and Mr Gibbss voice was heard demanding admission
Castalia opened the door at once and Mr Gibbs came in with a look of unconcealed annoyance on his face He looked round the room sharply
What do you want asked Castalia
I want to see that alls right here maam Im responsible
What should be wrong What do you mean she demanded with so coldlyhaughty an air that Gibbs was abashed He felt he had gone too far and muttered an apology I wanted to see to the fire Im afraid the coalbox is nearly empty That old woman is so careless I beg your pardon but Mr Errington is very particular about the room being kept warm
Castalia deigned not to notice him or his speech She drew her shawl round her shoulders and began to move away
Can I give any message for you to Mr Errington maam
No——you need not mention that I came I shall tell him myself this evening
As she walked down the High Street she reflected on Mr Gibbss unwonted rudeness of look and manner
He is told to watch me to drive me away if possible to prevent me making any discoveries I daresay they are all in a league together I am the poor dupe of a wife—the stranger who knows nothing and is to know nothing We shall see we shall see I wonder where Ancram can have gone That boy spoke of seeing him near Maxfields house
At that moment she found herself close to it and with a sudden impulse she entered the shop and walking up to a man who stood behind the counter said Is Mr Errington here
The man was James Maxfield and he answered sulkily I dont know whether hes gone or not Youd better inquire at the private door
Castalias heart gave a great throb He has been here then she said
Youd better inquire at the private door was all Jamess response delivered still more surlily than before
Castalia left the shop and knocked at the door indicated to her by Jamess thumb jerked over his shoulder Is Mr Errington gone she asked of the girl who opened the door
Yes maam
Did he—did he stay long
About half an hour I think
Is Mr Maxfield at home
No maam master is at Duckwell and has been since Saturday
Who is it Sally cried Betty Grimshaws voice from the parlour and upon hearing it Castalia walked hastily away
When she reached her own home again between fatigue and excitement she could scarcely stand She threw herself on the sofa in her little drawingroom unable to mount the stairs
Deary me missus cried Polly who happened to admit her why youre amost dead Whereever have you been
Ive been walking in the fields I came round by the road Im very tired
Tired Nay and well you may be if you took all that round I thought youd happen been into Whitford Lawk how youre squashing your bonnet Let me take it off for you
I dont care leave it alone
But Polly would not endure to see good clothes ruinated as she said so she removed her mistresss shawl and bonnet—folding and smoothing and straightening them as well as she could Now youd better take a drop o wine she said Youre amost green I never saw such a colour
Despite her rustic bluntness Polly was kind in her way She made her mistress swallow some wine and put her slippers on her feet for her and brought a pillow to place beneath her head You see you hant got no strength to spare Youre very weak missus she said Then she muttered as she walked away Lord I wouldnt care to be a lady myself I think theyre mostly poor creeturs
Left alone Castalia closed her eyes and tried to review the situation but at first her brain would do nothing but represent to her over and over again certain scenes and circumstances with a great gap here and there like a broken kaleidoscope
Ancram had been to Maxfields house and it could not have been to see the old man who had been absent for some days Perhaps Ancram was in the habit of going thither He had never said a word to her about it How sly he had been How sly Rhoda had been All his pretended unwillingness to have Rhoda invited to Ivy Lodge had been a blind There was nothing clear or definite in her mind except a bitter burning jealous hatred of Rhoda
We shall see if Ancram confesses to having been to that house today said Castalia to herself Then she went upstairs wearily She was physically tired being weak and utterly unused to much walking and called Lydia to dress her and brush her hair And when her toilet was completed she sat quite still in the drawingroom neither playing reading nor working—quite still with her hands folded before her and awaited her husband
She would first try to lead him to confess his visit to the Maxfields and if that failed would boldly tax him with it She even went over the very words she would say to her husband when he should descend from his dressingroom before dinner
But she could not foresee a circumstance which disturbed the plan she had arranged in her mind When Algernon returned to Ivy Lodge he did not go into his dressingroom as usual but marched straight into the drawingroom where Castalia was sitting
Thats an agreeable sort of letter he said flinging one down on the table
He was not in a passion—he had never been known to be in a passion—but he was evidently much vexed His mouth was curved into a satirical smile he drew his breath between his teeth with a hissing sound and nodded his head twice or thrice after repeating ironically Thats an uncommonly agreeable sort of letter Then he thrust his hands deep into his pockets threw himself into an easychair stretched his legs straight out before him and looked at his wife
Castalia was surprised and curious and a little anxious but she made an effort to carry out her programme despite this unexpected beginning She remained motionless on the sofa and said with elaborate indifference of manner Do you wish me to read the letter I wonder at your allowing me to know anything of your affairs
Read it Of course Why else did I give it to you Dont be absurd Castalia Pshaw And he impatiently changed the position of his feet with a sharp sudden movement
Castalias sympathy with his evident annoyance overcame her resentment for the moment She could not bear to see him troubled She opened the letter
Why its from Uncle Val she exclaimed
It was from her uncle addressed to her husband and was written in a tone of considerable severity To Castalia it appeared barbarously cruel Lord Seely curtly refused any money assistance and stated that he wrote to Algernon instead of to Castalia because he perceived that although the application for money had been written by Castalias hand it had not been dictated by her head Lord Seely further advised his nieces husband in the strongest and plainest terms to use every method of economy to retrench his expenditure to refrain from superfluous luxuries and to live on his salary
The little allowance I give Castalia for her dress will be continued to her wrote his lordship Beyond that I am unable to give either her or you one farthing Understand this and act on it And moreover I had better tell you at once as an additional inducement to be prudent that I see no prospect of procuring advancement for you in any other department of his Majestys service than the one you are in at present My advice to you is to endeavour to merit advancement by diligence in the performance of your duties You have abilities which are sure to serve you if honestly applied You are so young that even after ten or fifteen years work you would be in the prime of all your faculties and powers And ten or fifteen years good work might give you an excellent position As to Castalia I cannot help feeling a conviction that her discontent is chiefly reflected and that if she saw you cheerful and active in your daily business she would not repine at her lot
Castalia put the letter down on the table in silence She was astonished indignant but yet a little gleam of satisfaction pierced through those feelings—a hope that she and her husband might be drawn closer together by this common trouble She would show him how well able she was to endure this and worse if he would only love her and trust her entirely Even her jealousy for Rhoda Maxfield was mitigated for the moment All that fairweather prettiness and philandering would be put out of sight at the first growl of a storm The wife would be the nearest to him if troubles came No pinkandwhite coquetry could usurp her right to suffer with him and for him at all events
Thats a pleasant sort of thing isnt it said Algernon who had been watching her face as she read
It is too bad of Uncle Val Ancram
Too bad Yes to put it mildly it is too bad I think Too bad By George I never heard of anything so outrageous
Do you know I think that my lady is at the bottom of it
I wish she was at the bottom of the Thames
Ancram I do feel sorry for you It is such a shame to bury your talents and all that But still you know it is true what he says about your having plenty of time before you And as to being poor—of course it is horrid to be poor but we can bear it I daresay And really I dont think I should mind it so much if once we were acknowledged to be quite quite poor because then it wouldnt matter what one wore and nobody would expect one to have things like other people of ones rank
Poor Castalia was not eloquent but had she possessed the most fluent and persuasive tongue in the world it would not have availed to make Algernon acquiesce in her view of the situation She was for indignantly breaking off all connection with relatives who could behave as Uncle Val had behaved It was not his refusing to advance more money in her conscience Castalia did not believe he could afford much assistance of that kind but his writing with such cruel coldness to Ancram—his declaring that Ancrams case was not a hard one—his lecturing about duties and cheerful activity and so on just as if Ancram had been an ordinary plodding young man instead of a being exceptionally gifted with all sorts of shining qualities—these were offences not to be forgiven Castalia for her part would have endured any privation rather than beg more favours of Uncle Val and my lady
But Algernons feeling in the matter was by no means the same as Castalias He dismissed all her attempts to express her willingness to share his lot for good or ill as matters of no importance She might find it easy enough Yes the chief burthen would not fall on her And besides she did not at all realise what it would be to have to live on the salary of the postmaster of Whitford and to practise rigid economy as my lord phrased it It was really provoking to see the cool way in which she took it for granted that matters would be mended by their being acknowledged to be quite quite poor My dear Castalia he said with an air of superior tolerance you have about as much comprehension of the actual state of the case as a canarybird
She paused silently looking at him for a moment Then she drew nearer to him and laid her arm round his shoulder She wore a dinnerdress with loose hanging sleeves which were not becoming to her wasted frame But the poor thin arm clung with a loving touch to her husband as she said I know I am not so clever as you Ancram but I can see and understand that if we havent money enough to pay for things we must do without them Castalia advanced this in the tone of one stating a self-evident proposition And I shant care Ancram if you trust me and—and—dont put any one else before me I never put any one before you I was fond of Uncle Val I think he was the only person I really loved in the world before I saw you But if he treats you badly I shall give him up
Algernon shook off the clinging arm from his shoulder not roughly but slightingly
What on earth are you talking about Cassy What do you suppose we are to do I tell you I must have some money and you must write to your uncle again without delay
She drew back with a hurt sense of having been unappreciated The tears sprang to her eyes and she put her hand into her pocket to take her handkerchief The hand fell on something that rustled and was stiff It was the letter cover she had found in her husbands office that morning The touch of the crisp paper recalled not only the events of the afternoon but her own sensations during them Where were you this afternoon she asked suddenly checking her tears as the dry burning jealous feeling awoke again in her heart
Where was I Where must I be Where am I every afternoon At the office—confound it
You were not there all the afternoon I—happened to look in there and you were gone
I suppose you came just at the moment I happened to be absent then I had to see one or two men on business Not pleasant business I was not amusing myself I assure you he added with a short hard laugh
What men had you to see
Oh no one whom you know anything about Isnt dinner ready I shant dress I have to go out again this evening
This evening
Yes it is a frightful bore but I have a business appointment Do ring and tell the cook to make haste
You are not going out again this evening Ancram
I tell you I must How can you be so childish Castalia Whilst I am gone you can employ yourself in making out the draught of a letter to your uncle
I will not write to my uncle I will not You dont care for me You—you deceive me burst out Castalia And then a storm of sobs choked her voice and she hurried away filling the little house with a torrent of incoherent sounds
Algy looked after her with his head bent down and his eyebrows raised Castalia was really very trying to live with As to her refusal to write to her uncle she would not of course persist in it It was out of the question that she should persist in opposing any wish of his But she was really very trying
When dinner was announced Castalia sent word that she had a headache and could not eat She was lying down in her own room Her husband murmured a few words of sympathy but ate his dinner with no sensible diminution of appetite and as soon as it was despatched he lit a cigar wrapped himself in his greatcoat and went out
Castalia heard the streetdoor shut She rose swiftly from the bed on which she had thrown herself put on a bonnet and cloak muffled her face in a veil and followed her husband
CHAPTER VI
The night was dark and cheerless It was one of those murky November nights when one seems to see and breathe through a dusky gauze The road from Ivy Lodge to Whitford was not lighted At a long distance before her Castalia saw a red glowing speck which she knew to be the lamp over the chemists shop kept by Mr Barker her landlord After that a few street lamps glimmered and the town of Whitford had fairly begun
It was not late and yet most of the shops were shut and the streets very silent and deserted Castalia strained her eyes onward through the darkness and presently saw her husbands figure come into the circle of faint light made by a street lamp traverse it and disappear again into the shade She had walked so quickly in her excitement as to have overtaken him sooner than she had expected Whither was he going
She slunk along in the shadow of the houses frightened at the faint sound of her own footfall on the flagstones starting nervously at every noise hurrying across the lighted spaces in front of the few shops that remained open with averted face and beating heart fearing to be noticed by those within But never once did she falter in her purpose of following her husband She would have been turned back by no obstacle short of one which defied her physical powers to pass it
Algernon was now nearing Maxfields house The shutters of the shop were closed but the door was still open and a light streamed from it on to the pavement Castalia followed watching breathlessly Her husband passed the shop went on a pace or two stopped at the private door and rang the bell She could see the action of his arm as he raised it The door was opened without much delay and Algernon went in
Castalia stood still trying to collect her thoughts and determine on her course of action What should she do Her husband might be an hour—hours—in that house She could not stand there in the street An impulse came upon her to make herself known—to go in and tax Algernon with perfidy and deception then and there But she checked the impulse It would have been a desperate step Algernon might never forgive her It might be possible for her to reach a pitch of rage and jealousy which would make her deaf to any such considerations—careless as to the consequences of her actions if she could but gratify the imperious passion of the moment She was dimly conscious that this might be possible but for the present she had sufficient control over her own actions to pause and deliberate There she stood alone at night in Whitford High Street—stealthily trembling and wretched—she Castalia Kilfinane Who would believe it What would her uncle feel if he could see her now or guess what she was enduring
The idea came into her mind—floating like a waif on the current of indignant misery that seemed to flood all her spirit—that there might be hundreds of human beings whom she had seen and thought happy smarting with some secret wound like her own and living lives the half of which was never known to the world Castalia had never been apt to let her imagination busy itself with the sorrows of others and at this moment the conception had no softening effect It only added an extra flavour of bitterness and rebellion to her sufferings It was too cruel Why should such things be And what had she done to merit so much unhappiness She shivered a little as a breeze from the river came bringing with it the clammy breath of the marsh mists—the white cloudkraken that Minnie Bodkin had so often watched from her window
How long Castalia remained standing at her post she could never reckon she was conscious only of burning pain of mind and of a determination not to shrink from her purpose because of the pain A footstep came sounding along the quiet street and startled her She shrank back as far as she could pressing her shoulder close against the wall and uncertain whether to walk on or remain still It was a man who came towards her turning from a narrow street opening into the High Street which Castalia knew to be Lady Lane He walked with a very rapid step hanging his head and looking neither to the right nor to the left Castalia was perhaps the only dweller in Whitford who would not have recognised the figure as being that of David Powell the Methodist preacher
As Powell neared Castalia he seemed to become aware of her presence by some sixth sense for to all appearance he had not looked towards her The truth was that all his outward perceptions were habitually disregarded by him except such as carried with them some suggestion of helpfulness and sympathy A fashionable lady might have stood facing him during a long sermon in chapel or in the open fields and unless she had displayed signs of grace he would have taken no heed of her—would not have been able to tell the colour of her garments But let the same woman be tearful ragged sick or injured and no observation could be more rapid and comprehensive than David Powells to convey all needful particulars of her state and requirements So this night as he passed along the quiet Whitford streets the few persons he had met hitherto were to him as shadows But when the vague outline of a womans form made itself a blot of blacker shadow in the darkness those accustomed sentinels his senses gave the spirit notice of a fellowcreature in want possibly of bread certainly of sympathy
He stopped within a few paces of Castalia and perceived by that time that she was well and warmly clad and that her trouble whatever it was could not be alleviated by alms In her desire to avoid notice she shrank away more and more almost crouching down against the wall It occurred to Powell that she might be ill Are you suffering he asked in a low musical voice Can I help you
Finding that she did not reply he advanced a step farther and was stretching out his hand to touch her on the shoulder when driven to bay she raised herself up to her full height and answered quickly and resentfully No I am not ill I am waiting for some one
He stood still irresolutely Her voice and accent struck him with surprise he recognised them as belonging to a person of a different class from any he had expected How came such a lady to be alone at that hour standing in the cold street At length he said gently If I may advise you it would be well for you to go home The person who keeps you waiting in the street in such weather and at this hour must surely be very thoughtless Can I not assist you I am David Powell a poor preacher of the Word You need have no fear of me
No please to go away I am not at all afraid Go away go away she added with an imperative emphasis for she began to fear lest her husband should come out of the house hear the sound of her voice and find her there Powell obeyed her and walked slowly away There was in truth so far as he knew no reason to fear that any evil could happen to the woman in Whitford High Street except the evil of standing so long in the cold raw weather It had now begun to rain a fine drizzling rain that was very chill
When he had walked some distance along the High Street and was close to the turning that led to Mrs Thimblebys house he stopped and looked back Almost at the same moment he saw a man come out of Maxfields house and advance along the street towards him Then at rather a long interval the cloaked lady began to move onward also but without overtaking the man or apparently trying to do so It was a strange adventure and one entirely unparalleled in Powells experience of the little town and after he had reached his lodgings he could not for a long time divert his thoughts from dwelling on it
Meanwhile Algernon unconscious of the watcher behind him proceeded straight onward to the postoffice Then he turned up the narrow passage or entry in which was the side door that gave access to his private office Castalia did not follow him beyond the mouth of the entry Standing there and listening she heard the sharp sound of a match being struck then the turning of a key and a door softly opened and shut
It then struck Castalia for the first time that this unexpected visit to the office afforded an opportunity for her to reach home without her husbands discovering her absence She had not considered before how this was to be accomplished and indeed had Algernon returned directly to Ivy Lodge from Maxfields house it would have been impossible
She now saw this and hastened back along the road in a tremor at her narrow escape for although the impulse had crossed her mind to declare herself and boldly enter Maxfields house in quest of her husband that was a very different matter from being suddenly discovered against her will In the latter case she would as she well knew have been at an immense disadvantage with her husband who instead of being accused would become accuser
Nothing short indeed of the passion of jealousy within her would have given her strength to combat her husband This was the only way in which her idolatrous admiration her very love for him could be turned into a weapon against him
I could bear anything else Anything else she said to herself But to be fooled and deceived and put aside for that girl—— A great hot wave of passion seemed to flow through her whole body as she thought of Rhoda Let the servants see me What do I care she said recklessly At that moment she would not have heeded if the whole town had seen her and known her errand into Whitford and its result She rang loudly at the bell of Ivy Lodge and walked in past the servant with a white face and glittering eyes
Isnt master coming stammered the girl staring at her mistress
I dont know Go to bed I dont want you
There was something in her face which checked further speech on Lydias part Lydia was fairly frightened She crept away to the garret where Polly was already sleeping soundly and vainly tried to rouse her fellowservant to feel some interest in her account of how missus had stalked into the house by herself like a ghost and had ordered her off to bed and to get up a discussion as to missuss strange goings on altogether of late
Castalia went to her own room uncertain whether to undress and go to bed or to remain up and confront her husband when he should return One dominant desire had been growing in her heart for many days past and had now become a force overwhelming all smaller motives and drawing them resistlessly into its strong current This dominant desire was to be revenged—not on her husband but on Rhoda Maxfield And it might be that by waiting and watching yet awhile by concealing from Ancram the discovery she had that night made she might be enabled more effectually to strike at her rival If Ancram knew he would try to shield Rhoda He would put the thing in such a light before the world as to elicit sympathy for Rhoda and make her Castalia appear ridiculous or obnoxious He had the gift to do such things when it pleased him But Rhoda should not escape No she would keep her own counsel yet awhile longer
When Algernon came home about midnight letting himself into the house with a private key which he carried he found his wife asleep or seeming to sleep and congratulating himself on escaping the querulous catechism as to where he had been and what he had been doing which he would have to endure had Castalia been awake on his return As he crossed the bedchamber to his dressingroom she moved and put up one hand to screen her eyes from the light
Dont let me disturb you Cassy he said I have been detained very late I am going downstairs again—there is a spark of fire in the diningroom—to have one cigar before I turn in Go to sleep again
He bent down to kiss her but she kept her face obstinately buried in the pillow So he took her left hand which hung down and lightly touched it with his lips saying Poor sleepy Cassy and went away
And then she raised her thin left hand on which her weddingring hung loosely and passionately kissed it where her husbands lips had rested and burst into a storm of crying until she fairly sobbed herself to sleep
CHAPTER VII
So you had that fine gentleman Mr Algernon—Whatdyecallit—Errington here last evening said Jonathan Maxfield to his daughter on his return from Duckwell
Yes father he had been before in the afternoon He was very anxious to see you but Aunt Betty told him you wouldnt be back until today
Very anxious to see me was he I have my own opinion about that But no doubt he wants me to believe that hes anxious
He seems in a good deal of distress of mind father
I daresay And what about the minds of the folks as hold his promises to pay Just so much waste paper those are I take it Id as lief have his word of honour myself And most people in Whitford know what thats worth
I think he has been very unfortunate father
Hm What worldly folks calls misfortin is generally the Lords dealing according to deserts Its set forth in Scripture that the righteous man shall prosper and the unrighteous be brought to naught
But—father even good people are sometimes chastened by afflictions said Rhoda timidly
Old Max knitted his brows
Theres nothing said he more dangerous than for the young and inexperienced to wrest texts it leads em far astray When that kind o chastening is spoken of it dont mean the sort of trouble as has fallen on young Errington The Almighty has given every man reason enough to understand that if he spends thirteenpence out of every shilling hell be beggared before the years end I dont believe in men being ruined without fault or foolishness of their own
He asked me if I—if you—if I thought——he asked me to ask you to have a little patience with him about some bills I didnt know that he had any bill here but he said you would understand
Aye aye I understand It isnt bills for tea and flour and bacon and such like Its a different kind o bills the young gentlemans been meddling with and a fine hand hes made of it
Couldnt you help him father
Rhoda spoke pleadingly but with the timidity which always attended her requests to her father whose recent indulgence had never reached a point of weakness and who clearly showed in all his dealings with his daughter that he was not carried away by his affection for her but acted with the consciousness of a will unfettered by precedents and perfectly able to choose its course without regard to what other people might expect of him
For herself in pleading for Algernon she was not moved by selfconscious sentimentality neither did she suppose herself to be doing anything heroic The peculiar tenderness she still felt for him was made up of pity and memory The Algy she had loved was gone—had melted into thin air like a dream under the morning sunlight Mr Errington the postmaster of Whitford and the husband of the Honourable Castalia Kilfinane was a very different personage Still he was inextricably connected in her mind with that bright idol of her childhood and her youth His marriage had put all possibility of lovemaking between him and herself as much out of the question to her mind as if he had been proved to be her brother Rhoda had read no romances and she was neither of an innovating spirit nor a passionate temperament and it is surprising what power a sincere conviction of the irrevocable and inevitable has to control the natural feelings we hear so much of But she clung tenaciously to a better opinion of Algernon than his actions warranted—as has been the case with many another woman—chiefly to justify herself for ever having loved him
Couldnt you help him father she repeated seeing that her father did not at once reply but was sitting meditating with a not altogether illpleased expression of face
Help him cried old Max Why should I help him A reprobate unregenerate vain ungrateful worldling I did help him once and earned much gratitude for my pains And what a sneaking poor mean pitiful fellow he must be to come here and whine to you A poor pitiful fellow Talk of a gentleman Yah
Old Max derived so much grim satisfaction from the contemplation of Algernons pitiful behaviour that it seemed almost to soften him towards the culprit in whom any glimpse of nobility would not have been very welcome to his enemy When you hate a man on excellent private grounds it is certainly unpleasant to see him displaying qualities in public which win a fallacious admiration And this aggravation was one which old Max had been suffering for some time at the hands of the popular Algernon His present money difficulties combined with his unworthy methods of meeting them at once gratified and justified Jonathan Maxfields vindictiveness
He gave forth the queer grunting noise that served him for a laugh as he said And a lot o good his fine marriage has done him And his grand relations I told him long ago that if he wanted help from such as them he must ask it with a pocket full of money Then he might ha been uplifted into high places And it wasnt only my own wisdom neither though that might ha been enough for such a halffledged young cockerel as he was in them days seeing it has been enough for his betters before now I had the warrant of Scripture for what says Solomon Wealth maketh many friends but the poor is separated from his neighbour
Still Rhoda did not altogether despair of inducing her father to do something for Algernon What that something might be or how far it was possible for her father to assist young Errington except by simply giving or lending him money Rhoda was ignorant Algernon in talking to her had spoken very glibly but to her very unintelligibly of bills which were in her fathers hands and had pointed out with an air of candour and conviction that it would be imprudent on Mr Maxfields part to drive matters to extremity It had all sounded very convincing simply from the tone in which it was said Many of us are astonishingly uncritical as to the coherence and cogency of words if they be but set to a good tune
Algernon himself was rather hopeful since that interview with Rhoda It could not be after all that Jonathan Maxfield would actually cause him Algernon Errington any personal inconvenience for the sake of a sum which was really a mere trifle to Maxfield and which appeared very trifling to Algernon under every aspect except that of being called upon to pay it
He had learned not long previously that certain bills he had given backed by the name of that solid capitalist the Honourable Jack Price had found their way into old Maxs hands This startled him considerably for he had no reason to count on the old mans forbearance The time was drawing nigh when the bills would become due
About a month ago some other bills had fallen due and had been duly honoured They had been given to a London wine merchant who would certainly not have scrupled to take any strong measure for getting his money And even the name of Jack Price was no talisman to charm away this grasping tradesmans determination to be paid for goods delivered the wine merchant in question doing a large City business and feeling no anxiety as to the opinion entertained by the Honourable Mr Prices fashionable connection about himself or his wares Under the pressure of this disagreeable conviction the money had been found to honour the bills held by the wine merchant
For the discharge of the liabilities represented by the bills now in Maxfields hands Algernon had reckoned on Castalias extracting some money from her uncle Algernon did not abandon the hope that she might yet succeed in doing so Castalia must be urged to make new and stronger representations of their necessities to Lord Seely But it could not be denied that my lords last letter had been a very heavy blow and that moreover a number of slight embarrassments which Algernon had hitherto looked on as mere gossamer threads to be broken when he pleased had recently exhibited a disconcerting toughness and power of constraining his actions and destroying his comfort
The thought not infrequently occurred to him that if he were alone in the world unhampered by a wife who had no flexibility of character and who had recently displayed a stubborn kind of obtuseness showing itself in such remarks as that if they had not money to pay for luxuries they must do without luxuries and that if they were poor it would be better to seem poor and the like dull commonplaces which were peculiarly distasteful to Algernons vivacious intelligence—if he thought he had no wife or a different wife things would undoubtedly go better with him He was too quick not to perceive that his marriage far from improving his social position had been eminently unpopular amongst his friends and acquaintances To be sure he had never intended to return to Whitford after allying himself with the family of Lord Seely He had meant to shake the dust of the sleepy little town from his feet for ever He reckoned up the advantages he had expected to gain by marrying Castalia and set the real result against each one in his mind
He had expected to get into the diplomatic service He was a provincial postmaster
He had expected to live in some splendid metropolis He found himself in the obscure town which of all others he wished to avoid
He had expected to be courted and caressed by wealthy noble and distinguished persons He was looked coldly or shyly upon by even the insignificant middleclass society of a county town
All this seemed peculiarly hard and unjust because Algernon had always intended to bear his honours gracefully without stiffness or arrogance He would cut nobody he would turn the cold shoulder to nobody He had pictured himself sometimes making a meteoric reappearance in Whitford some day flashing with brief brilliancy across the horizon of that remote neighbourhood affably shaking hands with old acquaintance occupying the best rooms in the Blue Bell and scattering largesse among the servants rattling through the streets side by side with some county magnate whose companionship should by no means chill his recognition of such local stars of the second or third magnitude as the Pawkinses of Pudcombe Hall He was inclined by taste and temperament to be thoroughly bon prince
Such fancies may seem childish but it was a fact that Algernon had indulged in them With all his tact he had a considerable strain of his mothers Ancramism in his blood And the contrast between those former daydreams and the present reality was so terrible so mortifying so ridiculous direst and most soulchilling word of all to Algernon that he was unable to face it Some way out must be found It was impossible on any tenable theory of society that he should be permanently consigned to oblivion and the daily round of inglorious duties
As to what Lord Seely said about meriting advancement by diligence and working for ten or fifteen years it seemed to Algernon pretty much like exhorting a convict to step his daily round of treadmill in so painstaking a manner as to win the approbation of the gaol authorities What would he care for their approbation It was impossible to take either pride or pleasure in working out ones penal sentence
Algernon felt very bitter against Lord Seely as he pondered these things and not a little bitter against Castalia who had as it were bound him to this wheel and had latterly added the sting of her intolerable temper to his other vexations Fate had used him despitefully He seemed to consider that some gratitude was due to him on the part of the supernal powers for his excellent intentions—he would have borne prosperity so well A feeling grew upon him which would have been desperation but for his everpresent instinctive efforts not to hurt himself
On the morning after the visit to Maxfields house—of which Castalia had been an unseen witness—Algernon went to the postoffice somewhat earlier than usual As he reached it a man was coming out who scowled upon him with so sullen and hostile a countenance that it affected him like a blow
He was on the whole in better spirits on this special morning than he had been for some time past Not that he was habitually depressed by his troubles but there was a certain apprehension and anxiety in his daily life which flavoured it all unpleasantly But on this morning he was for various reasons feeling hopeful of at least a reprieve from care and the mans angry frown not only hurt but startled him
Who is that fellow who has just gone out he asked of Gibbs entering the office by the public door instead of his own private one in order to put the question
That is Roger Heath the man who has lost his moneyletter
An uncommonly illlooking rascal I take leave to think
Ahem He is a decent Godfearing man sir I believe but at present he is wrath and not without some excuse either He tells me he has written to the head office——
And what then
And has been told that due inquiries will be made of course
And what then
Why then—I suppose thats the last hell hear of it
Algernon lightly flicked a white handkerchief over his face and bright curling hair filling the close little office with a delicate perfume as he said So theres an end of that
An end of it I suppose so far as Heath is concerned But I doubt we shall hear more of the matter in the office
Algernon paused with his hand on the lock of the door leading to his private room He kept his hand there and scarcely turned his head as he asked How so
Mr Gibbs shook his head and began to expatiate on the singular misfortunes which had been accumulated on the Whitford Postoffice and to hint that when two or three suspicious cases had followed each other in that way an office was marked by the superior authorities and means were taken to discover the culprit
Means What means said Algernon carelessly You said yourself that it was next to impossible to trace a stolen letter And really if people will be such idiots as to send money by post without precaution in spite of all the warnings that are given to them they deserve to lose it
That may be sir Still of course it is no light matter to steal a letter And as to the means of tracing it why I have heard of trapletters being sent containing marked money
The handle clicked the door was opened and sharply shut again and the Whitford postmaster disappeared into his private room
It was more than an hour before Algernon reappeared in the outer office He advanced towards Gibbs and leaning on his shoulder with great affability said to him in a low voice Youve no suspicion of any one about this place eh The old woman that cleans the office that boy Jem no suspicion of anybody eh Oh well Im excessively glad of that One hates to be distrustful of the people about one
Gibbs shook his head emphatically and decisively No one has access to the office unless in my presence sir not a creature
The fact is said Algernon slowly that I have missed one or two papers of my own lately matters of no consequence God knows why anyone should have thought it worth while to take them But theyre gone
Gibbs looked up with serious alarm in his face
Dear me sir he exclaimed dear me Mr Errington I wish you had mentioned this before
Oh well you know I thought I might be mistaken I hate being on the watch about trifles But latterly I am quite sure that papers have disappeared from my secretaire
From that little cabinet with drawers in it that stands in your room
Exactly
But—I was under the impression that you kept that carefully locked
Algernon laughed outright What a fellow you are Gibbs Fancy my keeping anything carefully locked The fact is it is as often open as shut Only a few days ago for instance Mrs Errington mentioned to me that she found it unlocked when she was here—— He stopped as if struck by a sudden thought and turned his eyes away from Gibbs who was looking up at him with the same uneasy expression on his face Bytheway Mrs Errington did not stay very long here did she asked Algernon with a degree of marked embarrassment very unusual in him It was an embarrassment so ingeniously displayed that one might almost have suspected he wished it to be observed
When do you mean sir Mrs Errington comes very often very often indeed
Does she—I mean—I mean the last time she was here Did she stay long then
N—no answered Gibbs removing his eyes from Algernons face and biting the feather of his pen thoughtfully At least I think not sir I cannot be sure She very often does not pass out through my office but goes away by the private door in the passage
There was a pause
I really am very glad that you dont suspect any of the people about the place Gibbs said Algernon at length rousing himself with some apparent effort from a reverie As long as I have any authority here no innocent person shall be made unhappy for one moment by watchfulness and suspicion
Thats a very kind feeling Mr Errington But I shouldnt think an innocent person would mind being watched in such a case For my own part I hope we shall trace the matter out It shant be my fault if we dont
You are wonderfully energetic Gibbs An invaluable public servant But Gibbs it will not I think be any part of your duty to mention to any one at present the losses I have spoken of from my secretaire There is no reason as yet to connect them with the missing letters I did not duly consider what I was saying The papers after all were only private letters of my own Gibbs They concern no one but myself One was a mere note—an invitation from a lady They could have had no value for a thief you know I—I daresay I mislaid it and never put it into the secretaire at all
Algernon went away with downcast eyes and hurried step and Mr Gibbs stared after him with a bewildered gaze Then slowly the expression of his face changed to one of consternation and pity Poor young man he exclaimed half aloud That woman has been making free with his papers beyond a doubt And he does his best to shield her A worldlyminded vain woman she is that looks at us as if we were made of a different kind of clay from her And they say she is furiously jealous of her husband But this—this is serious This is very serious indeed I am sorry for the young man with all my heart
CHAPTER VIII
It was no more possible to do anything unusual in Whitford without arresting attention and being subjected to animadversion than it was possible for atmospheric conditions to change without affecting the barometer
Who could tell how it got abroad in the town that young Mrs Errington was in the habit of following her husband about of watching him spying on his actions and examining his private correspondence Mr Obadiah Gibbs who could have told more than any one on the latter head was not given to talking Yet the fact oozed out
It assumed of course a great variety of forms and colours according to the more or less distorting mediums through which it passed The fact as uttered by Miss Chubb for example, was a very differentlooking fact from that which was narrated with bated breath and nods and winks by Mrs Smith the surgeons wife And her version again varied considerably from those of Mr Gladwish the Methodist shoemaker Mr Barker the Church of England chemist and the bosom friends of the servants at Ivy Lodge Still under one shape and another Mrs Algernon Erringtons jealousy of her husband and her consequent behaviour were within the cognisance of Whitford and were discussed in all circles there
The predominant feeling ran strongly against Castalia There were persons indeed who exercising an exemplary impartiality on which they much prided themselves refused to take sides in the matter but considered it most probable that both parties were to blame Mrs Smith was among these She had she declared that rare gift in woman—a judicial mind although her conception of the judicial functions appeared to be limited to putting on the black cap and passing sentence But in the main public sympathy was with Algernon He had offended many old acquaintances by his aristocratic marriage but at least he was now making the only amends in his power by being extremely unhappy in it A great many wiseacres male and female were now able to shake their heads and say they had known all along how it would turn out This came of flying too high for if Mrs Errington senior was an Ancram by birth her husband had been only a country surgeon—not even MD though she called him doctor And this justifying of their predictions was in a vague way imputed to Algernon as a merit or at the least it softened disapproval Then too in justice to Whitfordians it must be said that all their knowledge of Castalia showed them an insolent supercilious uninteresting woman who made no secret of her contempt for them and their town and who although but a poor postmasters wife when you came to look at it as Mrs Smith the judicial truly observed gave herself more airs than a duchess What good or capacities for good there might be in her was hidden from Whitford whilst her unpleasant qualities were abundantly manifested to all beholders
Poor Castalia in her quite unaffected nonchalance and disregard of all those people was totally ignorant how much resentment and dislike she was creating and in what a hostile atmosphere she was living Her husbands popularity dimmed by his alliance with her began to revive when it was perceived that she persecuted and harassed him and as was shrewdly suspected involved him in money difficulties by her extravagance Some of the men thought it served him right why did he marry such a woman But the ladies as a rule were on Algernons side
There were exceptions of course Miss McDougall stood up for her friend as she said albeit with some admixture of Mrs Smiths judicial tendency to blame everybody all round and a personal disposition towards spitefulness Minnie Bodkin said very little when the subject was mentioned in her presence but when an opinion was forced from her she did not deliver it entirely in favour of Algernon She was sorry for his wife she said And ninetenths of her hearers would retort with raised hands and eyes that they for their part were sorry for the young man and that they could not understand what dear Minnie found to pity in Mrs Algernon Errington A woman who spies on her husband my dear Who condescends to open his letters—how a woman can so degrade herself is a mystery to me And they say she actually follows him about the street at nights—skulks after him Oh it is almost too bad to repeat
I dont know that all that is true But if it be so it seems to me that there is great cause for pity Minnie would reply And the answer was set down to poor dear Miss Bodkins eccentricity
There had been for some time back a talk of carelessness and mismanagement at the Whitford Postoffice Then Roger Heath made no secret of his loss and was not softhearted or mild in his manner of speaking of it He complained aloud and spared nobody And there were plenty of voices ready to carry his denunciations through all classes of Whitford society It was very strange Such a thing as the loss of a moneyletter had been almost unknown during the reign of the late postmaster and now there was not one case but two—three—a dozen The number increased as it passed from mouth to mouth at a wonderful rate There must be great negligence to say the least of it somewhere in the Whitford Postoffice If the present postmaster was too much above his business to look after it properly it was a pity his high friends didnt remove him to some situation better suited to such a fine gentleman
To be sure he was worried out of his wits by that woman It really was true that she haunted the office at all hours She had been seen slipping out of the private door in the entry She was even said to have a pass key which enabled her to go in and out at her will Was it not rumoured on very good authority that she had actually gone to the office alone in the dead of night What could she want to be always prowling about there for It was all very well to say she went to spy on her husband but if things went wrong in the office in consequence of her spyings it became a public evil Anyway it was most extraordinary and unheardof behaviour and somebody ought to take the matter up This latter somewhat vague suggestion was a favourite climax to gossip on the subject of the Algernon Erringtons
With respect to their private affairs things did not mend Tradesmen dunned and grumbled and could not get their money and some declined to execute further orders from Ivy Lodge until their accounts were settled Among the angriest had been Mr Ravell the principal draper of the town whom Castalia had honoured with a good deal of her custom But one day not long after Algernons conversation with his clerk mentioned in the last chapter he was met in the High Street by Mr Ravell who bowed very deferentially and stopped hesitatingly Could I say a word to you sir said Mr Ravell
Certainly replied Algernon They were close to the postoffice and he took the draper into his private room and bade him be seated
I suppose Mr Ravell said Algernon with a shrug and a smile that you have come about your bill Mrs Errington mentioned to me a short time ago that you had been rather importunate Upon my word Mr Ravell I think you need not have been in such a deuce of a hurry I know Mrs Errington does not understand making bargains and I suppose you dont neglect to arrange your prices so as not to lose by giving her a little credit eh
This was said lightly but either the words or the tone made Mr Ravell colour and look a little confused He was seated and Algernon was standing near him with his back to the fire expressing a sense of his own superiority to the draper in every turn of his wellbuilt figure and every line of his halfsmiling halfbored countenance
Why you see Mr Errington we are not in the habit of giving long credit unless to a few oldestablished customers who deal largely with us It would not suit our style of doing business And it was reported that you were not settled permanently here And—and—one or two unpleasant things had been said But I hope you will not continue to feel so greatly offended with us for sending in the account It was merely in the regular way of our transactions I assure you
Oh Im not offended at all Mr Ravell And I hope by the end of this month to clear off all scores between us entirely Mrs Errington has not furnished me with any details but——
Ravell looked up quickly Clear off all scores between us sir he said
I presume you will have no objection to that Mr Ravell
Oh of course sir you will have your joke I am glad you are not offended You see ladies dont always understand these matters Mrs Errington was a little severe on us when she paid the account yesterday At least so my cashier said
My wife paid your account yesterday cried Algernon with a blank look
Yes sir in full We should have been quite satisfied if settlement had been made up to the end of last quarter But it was paid in full Oh I thought you had been aware of it Mrs Errington said—my people understood her to say that it was by your wish as you were so greatly annoyed at the bill being sent in so often
Oh Yes Quite right Mr Ravell
He spoke slowly and as if he were thinking of something other than the words he uttered Ravell looked at him curiously Algernon suddenly caught the mans eye and broke into a little careless laugh The fact is said he with a frank toss of his head that I did not know Mrs Errington had paid you I suppose she had received some remittances or—but in short checking himself and laughing once more I daresay you wont trouble yourself as to where the money comes from so long as it comes to you
Mr Ravell laughed back again but rather in a forced manner Not at all sir Not at all he said bowing and smiling And seeing Algernon look significantly at his watch he bowed and smiled himself out of the office
Then Mr Ravell went away to report to his wife the details of his interview with the postmaster and before noon the next day it was reported throughout Whitford that Mrs Algernon Errington had the command of mysterious stores of money whereof her husband knew nothing and that nevertheless she ran him into debt right and left and refused to pay a farthing until she was absolutely forced to do so
This report was not calculated to make those tradesmen who had not been paid more patient and forbearing If Mrs Algernon Errington could find money for one she could for another they argued and a shower of bills descended on Ivy Lodge within the next week or two Algernon said they came like a swarm of locusts and threatened to devour all before them He acknowledged to himself that the payment of Ravells bill had been a fatal precedent And perhaps he thought there was no need for getting rid of the notes after all However the thing is done and cant be undone
The necessity for another appeal to Lord Seely grew more and more imminent Castalia had displayed an unexpected obstinacy about the matter She had held to her refusal to ask for more money from her uncle but Algernon had not yet urged her very strongly to do so The moment had now come he thought when an appeal absolutely must be made and he doubted not his own power to cause Castalia to make it Her manner to be sure had been very singular of late alternately sullen and excited passing from cold silence to passionate tenderness without any intermediate phases He had surprised her occasionally crying convulsively and at other times on coming home he had found her sitting absolutely unoccupied with a blank fixed face The few persons who saw Castalia frequently observed the change in her and commented on it Miss Chubb once dropped a word to Algernon indicating a vague suspicion that his wifes intellect was disordered He did not choose to appear to perceive the drift of her words but the hint dwelt in his mind
You must write to Lord Seely this evening Cassy he said one day on returning home to dinner He had found his wife at her desk and on seeing him she huddled away a confused heap of papers into a drawer and hastily shut it
Must I she answered gloomily
Well I dont wish to use an offensive phrase You will write to oblige me It has been put off long enough
Why should I oblige you said Castalia looking up at him with sunken eyes She looked so ill and haggard as to arrest Algernons attention—not too lavishly bestowed on her in general
Cassy said he I am afraid you are not well
The tears came into her eyes She turned her head away Do you really care whether I am ill or well she asked
Do I really care What a question Of course I care Are you suffering
N—no not now I believe I should not feel any suffering if you only loved me Ancram
Castalia How can you be so absurd
He rose from his seat beside her and walked impatiently up and down the room Nothing irritated him so much as to be called on for sentiment or tenderness
There she exclaimed with a little despondent gesture of the head you were speaking and looking kindly and I have driven you away I wish I was dead
Algernon stopped in his walk and cast a singular look at his wife Then after a moment he said in his usual light manner My dear Cassy you are low and nervous It really is not good for you to mope by yourself as you do Come rouse yourself to write this letter to my lord then after dinner you can have the fly to drive to my mothers She complains that she sees you very seldom
Will you come too Ancram
I——well yes if it is possible I will come too
I think said Castalia putting her hands on his shoulders and gazing wistfully into his face that if you and I could go away to some quiet strange place—far away from all these odious people—across the seas somewhere—I think we might be happy even now
Upon my honour theres nothing I should like so much as to get away across the seas And you might as well hint to my lord in the course of your letter that I should be very well contented with a berth in the Colonies A good climate of course One wouldnt care to be shipped off to Sierra Leone
I will write that to Uncle Val willingly But—dont ask me to beg money of him again
Algernon made a rapid calculation in his mind and answered without appreciable pause Well Cassy it shall be as you will But as to begging——that I think is scarcely the word between us and Lord Seely
Ill run upstairs and bathe my eyes and I shall still have time to write before dinner said Castalia and left the room
When he was alone Algernon opened the writingtable drawer and glanced at the papers in it Castalias hurried manner of concealing them had suggested to his mind the suspicion that she might have been writing secretly to her uncle He found no letter addressed to Lord Seely but he did find an unfinished fragment of writing addressed to himself It consisted of a few incoherent phrases of despondency and reproach—the expression of confidence betrayed and affection unrequited There was a word or two in it about the writers weariness of life and desire to quit it
Castalia had written many such fragments of late sometimes as a mere outlet for suppressed feeling sometimes under the impression that she really could not long support an existence uncheered by sympathy or counsel embittered by jealousy and chilled by neglect She had written such fragments and then torn them up in many a lonely hour but she had never thought of complaining of Algernon to Lord Seely She would complain of him to no human being But all Algernons insight into his wifes character did not enable him to feel sure of this Indeed he had often said to himself that no rational being could be expected to follow the vagaries of Castalias sickly fancies and impracticable temper He would not have been surprised to find her pouring out a long string of lamentations about her lot to Lord Seely He was not much surprised at what he did find her to have written although the state of feeling it displayed seemed to him as unreasonable and unaccountable as ever He gave himself no account of the motive which made him take the fragment of writing fold it and place it carefully inside a little pocketbook which he carried
I wonder he thought to himself if Castalia is likely to die
CHAPTER IX
The letter to Lord Seely was duly written and this time in Castalias own words Algernon refused to assist her in the composition of it saying in answer to her appeals No no Cassy I shall make no suggestion whatsoever I dont choose to expose myself to any more grandiloquence from your uncle about letters being written by your hand but not dictated by your head I wonder at my lord talking such highflown stuff But pomposity is his master weakness
Castalias letter was as follows
Whitford November 23rd
Dear Uncle Val—I am sure you will understand that I was very much surprised and hurt at the tone of your last letter to Ancram Of course if you have not the money to help us with you cannot lend it And I dont complain of that But I was vexed at the way you wrote to Ancram You wont think me ungrateful to you I know how good you have always been to me and I am fonder of you than of anybody in the world except Ancram But nobody can be unkind to him without hurting me and I shall always resent any slight to him But I am writing now to ask you something that I wish for very much myself it is quite my own desire I am not at all happy in this place And I want you to get Ancram a berth somewhere in the Colonies quite away It is no use changing from one town in England to another What we want is to get far away and put the seas between us and all the odious people here I am sure you might get us something if you would try I assure you Ancram is perfectly wasted in this hole Any stupid grocer or tallowchandler could do what he has to do Do dear Uncle Val try to help us in this Indeed I shall never be happy in Whitford—Your affectionate niece
C Errington
Give my love to Aunt Belinda if she cares to have it But I daresay she wont—C E
I think my lord will not doubt the genuineness of that epistle thought Algernon after having read it at his wifes request
Then the fly was announced and they set off together to pass the evening at the elder Mrs Erringtons lodgings The Blue Bell driver touched his hat in a very respectful manner His masters longstanding account was unpaid but he continued to receive for his part frequent halfcrowns from Algernon who liked the immediate popularity to be purchased by a gift somewhat out of proportion to his means Indeed our young friend enjoyed a better reputation amongst menials and underlings than amongst their employers The former were apt to speak of him as a pleasant gentleman who was free with his money and to declare that they felt as if they could do anything for young Mr Errington so they could He had such a way with him Whereas the mere payment of humdrum debts excites no such agreeable glow of feeling and is altogether a flat stale and unprofitable proceeding
What oclock shall we say, Castalia asked her husband as they alighted at Mrs Thimblebys door
Tell him to come at halfpast ten returned Castalia
It chanced that David Powell was reentering his lodgings at the moment the younger Erringtons reached the door He stood aside to let the lady pass into the house before him and thus heard her answer The sound of her voice made him start and bend forward to look at her face when the light from the open door fell upon it She turned round at the same instant and the two looked full at each other David Powell asked Mrs Thimbleby if that lady were not the wife of Mr Algernon Errington
Yes Mr Powell she is his wife and mores the pity if all tales be true
Judge not uncharitably sister Thimbleby Nor let your tongue belie the gentleness of your spirit It is an unruly member that speaks not always out of the fulness of the heart The lady seems very sick and bears the traces of much sorrow on her countenance
Oh yes indeed poor thing Sickly enough she looks and sorry Nay I daresay she has her own trials but I fear me she leads that pleasant young husband of hers a poor life of it I shouldnt say as much to anyone but you sir for I do try to keep my tongue from evilspeaking But had you never seen her before Mr Powell
Powell answered musingly N—no—scarcely seen her But I had heard her voice
Mrs Errington received her son and daughterinlaw with an effusive welcome She was so astonished so delighted It was so long since she had seen them And then to see them together That had latterly become quite a rare treat The good lady expatiated on this theme until Castalias brow grew gloomy with the recollection of her wrongs her solitary hours spent so drearily and her suspicions as to how her husband employed the hours of his absence from her And then Mrs Errington began playfully to reprove her for being dull and silent instead of enjoying dear Algys society now that she had it I am sure my dear Castalia said the elder lady with her usual selfcomplacent stateliness you wont mind my telling you that I consider one of the great secrets of the perfect felicity I enjoyed during my married life to have been the interest and pleasure I always took—and showed that I took—in Dr Erringtons society
Perhaps he liked your society returned Castalia with a languid sneer followed by a short bitter sigh
Preferred it to any in the world my dear said Mrs Errington mellifluously She said it too with an aplomb and an air of conviction that mightily tickled Algernon who remembering the family rumours which haunted his childhood thought that his respected father if he preferred his wifes society to any other must have put a considerable constraint on his inclinations not to say sacrificed them altogether to the claims of a convivial circle of friends The dear old lady is as good as a play thought he Indeed he thoroughly relished this bit of domestic comedy
But then proceeded Mrs Errington as she rang the bell to order tea I have not the vanity to suppose that he would have done so without the exercise of some little care and tact on my part Tact my dear Castalia—tact is the most precious gift a wife can bring to the domestic circle But the Ancrams always had enormous tact—Give us some tea if you please Mrs Thimbleby and be careful that the water boils—proverbial for it in fact
Algernon thought it time to come to the rescue He did not choose his comfort to be destroyed by a passage of arms between his mother and his wife so he deftly turned the conversation to less dangerous topics and things proceeded peacefully until the tea was served
Who was that man that was coming in to the house with us asked Castalia as she sipped her tea from one of Mrs Erringtons antique blue and white china cups
Would it be Mr Diamond—— But no you know him by sight Or—oh I suppose it was that Methodist preacher Powell
Powell Yes that was the name—David Powell
Most likely He is in and out at all hours Really Algernon do you know—you remember the fellow how he used to annoy us at Maxfields Well do you know I believe he is quite crazy
You have always entertained that opinion I believe maam
Oh but my dear boy I think he is demented in real downright earnest now I do indeed Im sure the things that poor weakminded Mrs Thimbleby tells me about him—— He has delusions of all kinds hears voices sees visions I should say it is a case of what your father would have called melancholy madness Really Algy I frequently think about it It is quite alarming sometimes in the night if I happen to wake up to remember that there is a lunatic sleeping overhead You know he might take it into his head to murder one Or if he only killed himself—which is perhaps more likely—it would be a highly unpleasant circumstance I could not possibly remain in the lodgings you know Out of the question And so I told that silly Thimbleby I said to her Observe Mrs Thimbleby if any dreadful thing happens in this house—a suicide or anything of that sort—I shall leave you at an hours notice I wish you well and I have no desire to withdraw my patronage from you but you could not expect me to look over a coroners inquest
Algernon threw his head back and laughed heartily That was a fair warning at any rate said he And if Mr David Powell has any consideration for his landlady he will profit by it—that is to say supposing Mrs Thimbleby tells him of it What did she say
Oh she merely cried and whimpered and hid her face in her apron She is terribly weakminded poor creature
Castalia had been listening in silence All at once she said How many miserable people there are
Very true Cassy provincial postmasters and others And part of my miserable lot is to go down to the office again for an hour tonight
My poor boy Go to the office again tonight exclaimed his mother and his wife simultaneously
Yes it is now halfpast eight I have an appointment At least—I shall be back in an hour I have no doubt
Algernon walked off with an air of goodhumoured resignation smiling and shrugging his shoulders The two women left alone together took his departure very differently Mrs Errington was majestically wrathful with a system of things which involved so much discomfort to a scion of the house of Ancram She was of opinion that some strong representations should be made to the ministry that Parliament should be appealed to And she rather enjoyed her own eloquence and was led on by it to make some most astounding assertions and utter some scathing condemnations with an air of comfortable selfsatisfaction Castalia on the other hand remained gloomily taciturn huddled into an easychair by the hearth and staring fixedly at the fire
It has been recorded in these pages that Mrs Errington did not much object to silence on the part of her companion for the time being she only required an assenting or admiring interjection now and then to enable her to carry on what she supposed to be a very agreeable conversation but she did like her confidante to do that much towards social intercourse And she liked moreover to see some look of pleasure interest or sympathy on the confidantes face Looking at Castalias moody and abstracted countenance she could not but remember the gentle listener in whom she had been wont for so many years to find a sweet response to all her utterances
Oddly enough she said I have been disappointed of a visitor this evening and so should have been quite alone if you and Algy had not come in I had asked Rhoda to spend the evening with me
Castalia looked round at the sound of that name Why didnt she come she asked abruptly
Oh I dont know She merely said she could not leave home tonight That old father of hers sometimes takes tyrannical fancies into his head He has been kinder to dear Rhoda of late and has treated her more becomingly—chiefly I believe I may say owing to my influence although the old booby chose to quarrel with me—but when he takes a thing into his head he is as obstinate as a mule
I dont know about treating her becomingly but I think she needs some one to look after her and keep her in check
Who Rhoda My dear Castalia she is the very sweetesttempered creature I ever met with in my life and that is saying a good deal let me tell you for the Ancram temper was something quite special A gift I dont boast of it because I believe it was simply constitutional But such was the fact
The girl is dressed up beyond her station The last time I saw her it was absurd Scarcely reputable I should think
Mrs Errington by no means liked this attack Over and above the fact that Rhoda was her pet and her protégée which would have sufficed to make any animadversions on her appear impertinent she was genuinely fond of the girl and answered with some warmth I am sure Castalia that whatever Rhoda Maxfield might be dressed in she would look modest and sweet not to say excessively pretty for I suppose there cannot be a doubt about that
I thought you were a stickler for people keeping to their own station and not aping their betters
We must distinguish Castalia Birth will ever be with me the first consideration Coming of the race I do it could not be otherwise But it is useless to shut ones eyes to the fact that money nowadays will do much Look at our best families—families of lineage as good as my own What do we see We see them allying themselves with commercial people right and left Now there was Miss Pickleham The way in which she was thrown at Algys head would surprise you She had a hundred thousand pounds of her own on the day she married and expectations of much more on old Picklekams decease But I never encouraged the thing Perhaps I was wrong However—she married Sir Peregrine Puffin last season And the Puffins were in Cornwall before the Conquest
Castalia shrugged her shoulders in undisguised scorn All that nonsense is nothing to the purpose said she throwing her head back against the cushion of the chair she sat on Mrs Errington opened her blue eyes to their widest extent Really Castalia All that nonsense You are not very polite
Im sick of all the pretences and shams and deceptions returned Castalia her eyes glittering feverishly and her thin fingers twining themselves together with nervous restlessness I dont know whether you are made a fool of yourself or are trying to make a fool of me——
Castalia
But in either case I am not duped Your sweet Rhoda Dont you know that she is an artful false coquette—perhaps worse
Castalia
Yes worse Why should she not be as bad as any other lowbred creature who lures on gentlemen to make love to her Men are such idiots So false and fickle But though I may be injured and insulted I will not be laughed at for a dupe
Good heavens Castalia What does this mean
And I will tell you another thing if you really are so blind to what goes on and has been going on for years I dont believe Ancram has gone to the postoffice tonight at all I believe he has gone to see Rhoda It would not be the first time he has deceived me on that score
Mrs Errington sat holding the arms of her easychair with both hands and staring at her daughterinlaw The poor lady felt as if the world were turned upside down It was not so long since old Maxfield had astonished her by plainly showing that he thought her of no importance and choosing to turn her out of his house And now here was Castalia conducting herself in a still more amazing manner Whilst she revolved the case in her brain—much confused and bewildered as that organ was—and endeavoured to come to some clear opinion on it the younger woman got up and walked up and down the room with the restless aimless anxious gait of a caged animal
At length Mrs Errington slowly nodded her head two or three times drew a long breath folded her hands and assuming a judicial air spoke as follows
My dear Castalia I shall overlook the unbecomingness of certain expressions that you have used towards myself because I can make allowance for an excited state of feeling But you must permit me to give you a little advice Endeavour to control yourself try to look at things with calmness and judgment and you will soon perceive how wrong and foolish your present conduct is And moreover you need not be startled if I have discovered the real motive at the bottom of all this display of temper There never was a member of my family yet who had not a wonderful gift of reading motives Im sure it is nothing to envy us I have often for my own part wished myself as slow of perception as other people for the truth is not always pleasant But I must say that I can see one thing very plainly—and that is that you are most unfortunately and most unreasonably giving way to jealousy I can see it Castalia as plain as possible
Mrs Errington had finished her harangue with much majesty bringing out the closing sentences as if they were a most unexpected and powerful climax when the effect of the whole was marred by her giving a violent start and exclaiming with more naturalness than dignity Mercy on us Castalia what will you do next Do shut that window for pitys sake I shall get my death of cold
Castalia had opened the window and was leaning out of it regardless of the sleet which fell in slanting lines and beat against her cheek I knew that was his step she said speaking as it seemed more to herself than to her motherinlaw And he has no umbrella and those light shoes on She ran to the fireplace and stirred the fire into a blaze displaying an activity which was singularly contrasted with her usual languid slowness of movement Cant you give him some hot wine and water she asked ringing the bell at the same time When her husband came in she removed his damp greatcoat with her own hands made him sit down near the fire and brought him a pair of his mothers slippers which were quite sufficiently roomy to admit his slender feet Algernon submitted to be thus cherished and taken care of declaring with an amused smile as he sipped the hot negus that this fuss was very kind but entirely unnecessary as he had not been three minutes in the rain
As to Mrs Errington she was so perplexed by her daughterinlaws sudden change of mood and manner that she lost her presence of mind and remained gazing from Algernon to his wife very blankly I never knew such a thing thought the good lady One moment shes raging and scolding and abusing her husband for deceiving her and the next she is petting him up as if he was a baby
When the fly was announced and Castalia left the little drawingroom to put on her cloak and bonnet Mrs Errington drew near to her son and whispered to him solemnly Algy there is something very strange about your wife I never saw such a changed creature within the last few weeks Dont you think you should have some one to see her—some professional person I mean I fear that her brain is affected
Good gracious mother Another lunatic You are getting to have a monomania on that subject yourself Algernon laughed as he said it
My dear there may be two persons afflicted in the same way may there not But I said nothing about lunatics Algy Only—really I think some temporary disturbance of the brain is going on I do indeed
Pooh pooh Nonsense maam But it is odd enough that you are the second person who has made that agreeable suggestion to me within a fortnight Poor Cassy Thats all she gets by her airs and her temper
Another person was there
Yes it was little Miss Chubb and——
Miss Chubb Upon my word I think that Miss Chubb was guilty of taking a considerable liberty in suggesting anything of the kind about the Honourable Mrs Ancram Errington
Oh I dont know about liberty but of course I laughed at her and of course you will too if she says anything of the kind to you
I shall undoubtedly check her pretty severely if she attempts anything of the sort with me Miss Chubb indeed
The consequence was that Mrs Errington went about among her Whitford friends elaborately contradicting and denying the innuendos spread abroad about her daughterinlaw by certain presumptuous and gossiping persons and thus brought the suggestion before many who would not otherwise have heard of it All which of course surprised and annoyed Algernon very much who had naturally not expected anything of the sort from his mothers wellknown tact and discretion
CHAPTER X
One dreary Sunday afternoon about this time—that is to say about the end of November—Matthew Diamond rang at the bell of Mr Maxfields door He had a couple of books under his arm and he asked the servant who admitted him if she could give him back the volume he had last lent to Miss Maxfield Sally looked askance at the books as she took them from his hand and shook her head doubtfully
Its one o them French books isnt it sir I dont know one from another Would you please step upstairs yourself Miss Rhodas in the drawingroom
Diamond went upstairs and tapped at the door of the sittingroom
Come in said a soft sweet voice that seemed to him the most deliciously musical he had ever heard and he entered
The old room looked very different from what it had looked in the days when Matthew Diamond used to come there to read Latin and history with Algernon Errington There were still the clumsy beams in the low ceiling and the oldfashioned cushioned seats in the baywindow but everything else was changed A rich carpet covered the floor there were handsome hangings and a couch and a French clock on the chimneypiece there was a small pianoforte in the room too and at one end a bookcase well filled with gailybound books These things were the products of old Maxs money But there were evidences about the place of taste and refinement which were due entirely to Rhoda She had got a stand of hyacinths like those in Miss Bodkins room She had softened and hidden the glare of the bright brandnew upholstery by dainty bits of lacework spread over the couch and the chairs and she had with some difficulty persuaded her father to substitute for two staring coloured French lithographs which had decked the walls a couple of good engravings after Italian pictures There was a fire glowing redly in the grate and the room was warm and fragrant Rhoda was curled up on the windowseat with a book in her hand and bending down her pretty head over it until the soft brown curls swept the page
Diamond stood still for a moment in the doorway admiring the graceful figure well defined against the light
Come in Sally said Rhoda And then she looked up from her book and saw him
Im afraid I disturb you said Diamond But the maid told me to come up
Oh no I was just reading——
Straining your eyes by this twilight Thats very wrong
Yes Im afraid it is not very wise but I wanted to finish the chapter and my eyes are really very strong
I thought you might be at church said Diamond seating himself on the opposite side of the baywindow and within its recess so I asked the maid to get me the book I wanted But she sent me upstairs
Aunt Betty is at church and James but father wouldnt let me go He said it was so raw and foggy and I had been to church this morning
Yes I saw you there But have you not been well that your father did not wish you to go out
Oh yes Im very well thank you But I had a little cold last week and I should have had to walk to St Chads and back you know Father doesnt think it right to drive on the Lords day so he made me stay at home
How very right of him What were you reading
He drew a little nearer to her as he asked the question and looked at the book she held
Oh its a Sunday book said Rhoda simply The Pilgrims Progress I like it very much
I wonder whether you will care to hear of some good news I had today
Oh yes I shall be very glad to hear it
I think I stand a good chance of getting the headmastership of Dorrington Proprietary School Dorrington is in the next county you know
Oh Im very glad
It would be a very good position I am not certain of it yet you know but Dr Bodkin has been very friendly and has promised to canvass the governing committee for me
Oh Im very glad indeed
I dont know yet myself whether I am very glad or not
Dont you
Rhoda looked up at him in genuine surprise but her eyes fell before the answering look they encountered and she blushed from brow to chin
No it all depends on you Rhoda whether I am glad of it to the bottom of my heart or whether I give it all up as a thing not worth striving for
There was a pause which Rhoda broke at length because the silence embarrassed her unendurably
Oh I dont think it can depend upon me Mr Diamond she said speaking in a little quivering voice that was barely audible whilst at the same time she hurriedly turned over the pages of The Pilgrims Progress with her eyes fixed on them although she assuredly did not see one letter Diamond gently drew the book from her hand and took the hand in his own
Yes Rhoda he said—and having once called her so his lips seemed to dwell lovingly on the sound of her name—I think you do know You must know that if I look forward hopefully and happily to anything in my future life it is only because I have a hope that you may be able to love me a little I love you so much
She trembled violently but did not withdraw her hand from his clasp She sat quite still with downcast eyes neither moving nor looking to the right or the left
Rhoda Rhoda Wont you say one word to me
Im trying—thinking what I ought to say she answered almost in a whisper
Is it so difficult Rhoda
She made a strong effort to command her voice but she had not the courage to look full at him as she answered Yes it is very difficult for me I want to do right Mr Diamond I want not to deceive you
I am very sure that you will not deceive me Rhoda
Not if I can help it But it is so hard to say just the exact truth
I dont find it hard to say the exact truth to you You may believe me implicitly Rhoda when I say that I love you with all my heart and will do my best to make you happy if you will let me
I do believe you I believe you are really fond of me Only—of course you are much cleverer and wiser than I am except in thinking too much of me—and you can say just whatever is in your mind But I cant not all at once
I will wait Rhoda I will have patience and not distress you
The tears were falling down her cheeks now not from sorrow but from sheer agitation She thanked him by a gesture of her head and drew her hand away from his very gently and wiped her eyes He could not command himself at sight of her tears although he had resolved not to speak again until she should be calm and ready to hear him
My darling he said clasping his hands together and looking at her with eyes full of anxious compassion dont cry Is it my fault You must have had some knowledge of what was in my heart to say to you I have not startled you and taken you by surprise
No thats just it Mr Diamond Its that that makes me feel so afraid of doing wrong and deceiving you I—I—have thought for some time past that you were getting to like me very much Some one said so too But yet I couldnt do anything could I I couldnt say Dont get fond of me Mr Diamond
It would have been quite in vain to say Dont get fond of me Im a desperately obstinate man Rhoda
So then I—I mean to tell you the exact truth you know as well as I can I began to think whether I liked you very much
Well Rhoda
There was a rather long silence
Well I thought—yes I did
He clasped his arms round her with a sudden impetuous movement but she held him off with her two hands on his shoulders No but please listen I did love somebody else once very much Of course we were very young and it was nonsense But I did wrong in being secret and keeping it from father And I never want to be secret any more And—though I do like you very much and—and—I should be very sorry if you went away—yet it isnt quite the same that I felt before That is the truth as well as I can say it and I am very grateful to you for thinking so well of me
He drew the young head with its soft shining chestnut curls down on to his breast and pressed his lips to her cheek
Now you are mine my very own—are you not Rhoda
Yes if you like Mr Diamond
Matthew Diamond had been successful in his wooing after feeling very doubtful of success And he should naturally have been elated in proportion to his previous trepidation And he was happy of course yet scarcely with the fulness of joyful triumph he had promised himself if pretty Rhoda should incline her ear to his suit There was a subtle flavour of disappointment in it all Rhoda had behaved very well very honestly in making that effort to be quite clear and candid about her feelings It was a great thing to be able to feel perfect confidence in the woman who was to be his companion for life And as to her loving him with the same fervour he felt towards her that was not to be expected He never had expected that She was gentle sweet modest thoroughly feminine and exquisitely pretty She was willing to give herself to him and would doubtless be a true and affectionate wife He held her slight waist in his arm and her head rested confidingly on his bosom Of course he was very happy Only—if only Rhoda were not quite so silent and cold if she would say one little word of tenderness or even nestle herself fondly against his shoulder without speaking
Some such thoughts were vaguely flitting through Diamonds mind when Rhoda raised her head and emboldened by the gathering dusk looked up into his face and said You know it cannot be unless father consents
I shall speak to him this evening Do you think he will be stern and hard to persuade Rhoda
I dont know He said once that he would like to—to—that he would like to know I had some one to take care of me
On that score I am not afraid of falling short Your father could give his treasure to no man who would take more loving care of her than I
And then you are a gentleman and father thinks a great deal of that although he makes no pretence at being anything more than a tradesman himself And of course I am only a tradesmans daughter I am greatly below you in station—I know that
My Rhoda As if there could be any question of that between us God knows I have been poor and obscure enough all my life But now I shall be able to tell your father that I hope to have a home to offer you that will be at least not sordid and the position of a lady
I hope you wont repent Mr Diamond
Repent But Rhoda wont you call me by my name Say Matthew not Mr Diamond
Yes I will if you like But Im afraid I cant all at once It seems so strange
I wish you liked my name one thousandth part as much as I love the sound of yours It seems so sweet to be able to call you Rhoda
Oh I like your name very much indeed But I think please that you had better go now The people are coming out of church and Aunt Betty may be back at any moment and I dont wish her to find you here before you have spoken to father
Rhoda stood up as she said it and Diamond had no choice but to rise too and say farewell He drew her gently towards him and kissed her Will you try to love me Rhoda he said in a tone of almost sad entreaty Do you think you shall be able to love me a little
I should not have accepted you if I felt that I could never be fond of you returned Rhoda and a little flush spread itself over her face as she spoke But you know I have told you the truth I have told you about——
He put up his hand to check her Yes yes you have been quite candid and honourable and I wont be exacting or unreasonable or too impatient He did not think he could endure to hear Rhoda in her anxiety not to deceive him recapitulate the confession of her different feeling for another man in days past and yet he had known or guessed that it had been so
Then he took his leave an accepted lover and he told himself that he was a very fortunate and happy man As he passed the door of old Maxs little parlour downstairs he saw a light gleaming under the door into the almost dark passage He stopped and tapped at the door Come in said Jonathan Maxfields harsh voice And Diamond went into the parlour
CHAPTER XI
Old Max looked up at his visitor over the great tortoiseshell spectacles on his nose He had a large Bible open on the table before him The large Bible was placed there every evening and on Sunday evenings any other mundane volume which might chance to be lying in the parlour was carefully removed out of sight to be restored to the light of day on Monday morning This was the custom of the house and had been so for years It had obtained all through the Methodist days and now lasted under the new orthodox dispensation Since old Max had his spectacles on it was to be supposed that he had been reading and since there was no other printed document within sight not even an almanac it was clear that he could have been reading nothing but his Bible And yet it was nearly an hour since he had turned the page before him He had been dozing sitting up in his chair by the fire This had latterly become a habit with him whenever he was left alone in the evening And once even he had fallen into a sleep or a stupor in the midst of the assembled family and on awaking had been lethargic in his movements and dazed in his manner for some time
He was quite awake now however as he peered sharply at Diamond over his glasses The latter found some little difficulty in beginning his communication not being assisted by a word from old Max who stared at him silently
I have a few words to say to you Mr Maxfield if you are at leisure to hear them he said at length
If its anything in the natur of a business communication I cant attend to it now returned old Max deliberately It has been a rule of mine through life to transact no manner of business on the Lords day and I have found it prosper with me
No no it is not a matter of business Mr Maxfield said Diamond smiling but not quite at his ease Then he sat down and told his errand Maxfield listened in perfect silence May I hope Mr Maxfield that you will give us your consent and approbation asked Diamond after a pause
Youre pretty glib sir I must know a little more about this matter before I can give an answer one way or another
You shall know all that I can tell you Mr Maxfield Indeed I do not see what more I have to say I have explained to you what my prospects in life are I have told you every particular with the most absolute fulness and candour As to my feeling for your daughter I dont think I could fully express that if I talked to you all night
What did my daughter say to you
She—she told me that she was willing to be my wife but that it must depend upon your consent
Rhoda has always been a very dutiful daughter Theres not many like Rhoda
I appreciate her Mr Maxfield You may believe that I do most heartily appreciate her I have long known that all my happiness depended on winning Rhoda for my wife I have loved her long But of course I could not venture to ask her to marry me or to ask you to give her to me until I had some prospect of a home to offer her
Ah And this prospect now—you arent sure about it
No I am not quite sure
And supposing you dont get the place—how then
Why then Mr Maxfield I should look for another If you will give your consent to my engagement to Rhoda I am not afraid of not finding a place in the world for her I have a fair share of resolution I am industrious and well educated I am not quite thirty years old If you will give me a word of encouragement I shall be sure to succeed
Headmaster of Dorrington Proprietary School eh Will that be a place like Dr Bodkins
Something of that kind only not so lucrative
Dr Bodkin is thought a good deal of in Whitford
Mr Maxfield may I hope for a favourable answer from you before I go
Old Max struck his hand sharply on the table as he exclaimed almost with a snarl I will not be hurried sir nor made to speak rashly and without duly pondering and meditating my words Then he added in a different tone You are glib sir mighty glib Do you know what Miss Maxfield will have to her portion—if I choose to give it her
No Mr Maxfield I do not Nor do I care to know I would take her to my heart tomorrow if she would come although she were the poorest beggar in the world
And would you take her without my consent
I would if you had no reasonable grounds for withholding it
You would steal my daughter away without my consent
I said nothing about stealing I should not think of deceiving you in the matter I think you must acknowledge that I am speaking to you pretty frankly at any rate
Maxfield could not but acknowledge to himself that the young man was honest and straightforward and spoke fairly He was welllooking too and had the air of a gentleman although there was not a trace about him of the peculiar airy elegance the graceful charm of face and figure which made Algernon Errington so attractive Neither had he Algernons gift of flattery so adroitly conveyed as to appear unconscious nor—what might under the present circumstances have served him equally well with the old tradesman—Algernons goodhumoured way of taking for granted his own incontestable social superiority over the Whitford grocer Maxfield had his doubts as to whether this young man exusher at the Grammar School a fellow who went about to peoples houses and gave lessons for money could prove to be a fine enough match for his Rhoda even though he should become headmaster at Dorrington—Maxfield had so set his heart on seeing Rhoda made a lady of in the phraseology of his class
I shall have some conversation with my daughter and let you have my answer after that sir said he looking half sullenly half thoughtfully at the suitor And as there will be questions of figures to go into maybe I am not willing to consider the subject more at length on the Lords day
But I am bound to confess that this was an afterthought on old Maxs part
When Diamond had gone the old man sent for his daughter to come to him in the parlour You can take yourself off Betty Grimshaw said he to that respectable spinster very unceremoniously You and James can bide in the kitchen till suppers ready When it is come and tell me
Rhoda came in answer to her fathers summons very calmly She had of course expected it She had quite got over the agitation of the interview with her lover and was her usual sweet placid self again Yes she said Mr Diamond had asked her to marry him and she was willing to marry him if her father would consent She believed Mr Diamond loved her very much and she liked him very much She had been afraid of him once because he was so very learned and clever and seemed rather proud and stern But he was really extremely gentle when you came to know him She was sure he would be kind to her
Its not a thing to decide upon all in a moment Rhoda said her father
No father but I have thought of it for some time past answered Rhoda simply
The old man looked at her with a slight feeling of surprise Rhoda has a vast deal of common sense thought he She has some of my brains inside that pretty brown head of hers that is so like her poor mothers Then he said aloud You see this Mr Diamond is nobody after all A schoolmaster Well thats no great shakes
Dr Bodkin is a schoolmaster father
Dr Bodkin is rector of St Chads and DD and a man of substance besides
Mr Diamond is a gentleman father Everybody allows that
Do you think you could be happy to be his wife Rhoda As he asked this question her fathers voice was almost tender and he placed his hand gently on her head
Yes father I think so He would take care of me and be good to me and guide me right And he would never put himself between you and me father I mean he would wish me always to be dutiful and affectionate to you
Well Rhoda we must consider And I hope the Lord will send me wisdom in the matter I would fain see thee happy before I am called away God bless thee child
Jonathan Maxfield turned the matter in his mind during the watches of the night with much anxious consideration according to his lights In social status there was truly not much to complain of he thought A man in a position like that of Dr Bodkin who should have money of his own or of his wifes to render him independent of the profits of his place might come to be a personage of importance And money there will be moren they think for said old Max to himself The young man seemed to worship Rhoda as he ought She had shown herself to be very dutiful very honest very sensible on this occasion Hes out and away a better man than that tother one Lives clear and clean before the world and is ashamed to look no man in the face
Thus old Max reflected And it will be seen that his reflections tended more and more to favour the acceptance of Matthew Diamond as his soninlaw Yes he should be glad to see Rhoda safe and happy under a husbands care before he died And yet—and yet—he felt as the prosperous wooer had felt a dim sense of dissatisfaction Old Max could not be accused of being sentimental but he had looked forward to Rhodas marriage as an occasion of triumph and exultation If she found a husband whom he approved of he would be large and generous in his dealings with them He would show the world that Rhoda Maxfield was no tocherless lass but an heiress courted and sought after and destined to belong to a sphere far above that of Whitford shopkeepers Now the husband had been found—he had almost made up his mind as to that—but there was no exultation certainly no triumph Rhoda was so cool and quiet Very sensible Oh admirably sensible but—— In a word the whole affair seemed a little flat and chilly Of all the three personages chiefly interested Rhoda was the only one who was conscious of no disappointment
CHAPTER XII
Miss Chubb could keep a secret She was proud of being entrusted with one She was much gratified when Rhoda Maxfield on the Monday after Diamonds proposal called at the maiden ladys modest lodgings and confided to her the fact that Mr Diamond had asked her to marry him and that she had accepted him subject to her fathers consent It may seem strange that Rhoda should have chosen to make this confidence to Miss Chubb rather than to Mrs Errington or to Minnie Bodkin with both of whom she was more intimate But she told Miss Chubb that she wanted her help
My help my dear Im sure I dont know how I can help you But if I can I will And I congratulate you sincerely Ive seen how it would be all along You know I told you that a certain gentleman was falling over head and ears in love a long time ago Didnt I now
Rhoda acknowledged that it was so and then she said she had come to ask a great favour Would Miss Chubb mind saying a word or two on Mr Diamonds behalf to her father Father told me this morning after breakfast that he should make some inquiries about Mr Diamond I am quite sure that nothing will come out that is not honourable to him I am not the least afraid of that And I believe Dr Bodkin will praise him very highly but he will not perhaps say the sort of things that would please father most He will tell him what a good scholar he is and all that but he will never think of making father understand that Mr Diamond is looked upon as being as much a gentleman as he is himself Gentlefolks like Dr Bodkin take those things for granted But father would like to be told them He thinks so very much of my marrying—above my own class for of course I have learnt enough to know that Mr Diamond belongs to a different sort of people from mine
I understand my dear returned Miss Chubb nodding her head shrewdly And you may depend on my doing my best if I have the chance But Im afraid it is not likely that Mr Maxfield will consult me on the subject
I told him to come to you Father knows you are one of the few people with whom Mr Diamond has associated in Whitford
Why dont you send him to Mrs Errington Oh I forgot Your father and she are two Miss Chubb laughed to cover a little confusion on her own part for she guessed that Rhoda might have other reasons for not asking Mrs Erringtons testimony in favour of her suitor Then she added quickly Or Minnie Bodkin now Minnies word would go farther with your father than mine would And Minnie and Mr Diamond are such cronies You had better send him to Minnie
No thank you
But why not Good gracious she is the very person
No I think not We dont wish it known until father has given his decided consent I have only told you in confidence Miss Chubb
But—if the doctor knows it Minnie must know it And if I know it why shouldnt she
No thank you I dont want to ask Miss Minnie about it
I wonder why that is now pondered Miss Chubb when Rhoda was gone And very probably Rhoda could not have told her why
Old Maxfield duly paid his visit to Miss Chubb The goodnatured little woman waited at home all day lest she should miss him And about an hour after her early dinner Mr Maxfield sent in his respects and would be glad to have a word with her if she were at leisure
I hope you will overlook the intrusion maam said Maxfield standing up with his hat in his hand just inside the door of the little sittingroom where Miss Chubb asked him to walk in
No intrusion at all Mr Maxfield Im very glad to see you Please to sit down
He obeyed and holding his thick stick upright before him and his hat on his knees he thus began
Im not agoing to waste your time and mine with vain and worldly discourse maam I am a man as knows the value of time thanks be And I have a serious matter on my mind You know my daughter Rhoda
I know Rhoda and like her and admire her very much
Yes Rhoda is a girl such as you dont see many like her Theres a young man seeking her in marriage
Im not surprised at that
No there has been several others too But she gave em no encouragement nor should I have been willing that she should Some of them were persons in my own rank of life and that would not do for Rhoda
I think you are quite right there Mr Maxfield Rhoda is naturally very refined and she has associated a good deal with persons of cultivated manners I dont think Rhoda would be happy if she were obliged to give up certain little graces of life which a great many excellent people can do without perfectly well
Maxfield nodded approvingly You speak with a good deal of judgment maam said he with the air of a recognised authority on wisdom But it isnt only that Rhoda will have money—a great deal of money—more than some folks that holds their heads very high ever had or will have Now it is but just and rightful that I should expect her husband to bring some advantages in return
Of course And—ahem—Im sure you are too sensible a man not to consider that the best thing a husband could bring in exchange would be an honest loving heart and a real esteem and respect for your daughter
Little Miss Chubb became quite fluttered after making this speech and coloured as if she had been a girl of eighteen
Not at all returned old Max decisively The loving heart and the esteem and respect are due to my Rhoda if she hadnt a penny In return for her fortin I expect something over and above
Oh exclaimed Miss Chubb a good deal taken aback
Now I dont feel sure that the young man in question has that something over and above It is Mr Matthew Diamond tutor at the Grammar School in this town
A most excellent young man And Im sure most devotedly in love with Rhoda
But very poor and not of much account in the world as far as I can make out
Oh dont say that Mr Maxfield He is proud and shy and has kept himself aloof from society because he chose to do so But he would be a welcome guest anywhere in the town or county Young Mr Pawkins of Pudcombe Hall quite courts him he is always asking him to go over there
Thus much and more Miss Chubb valiantly spoke on behalf of Matthew Diamond in his character of Rhodas wooer And then she expatiated on the excellent position he would hold as master of Dorrington School It was such a select seminary and so many of the first county people sent their boys there Dear me said Miss Chubb it seems to me to be the very position for Rhoda Not too far from Whitford and yet not too near—of course she couldnt keep up all her old acquaintances here could she—and altogether so refined and scholastic and quiet And really Mr Maxfield see how everything turns out for the best I thought at one time that young Errington was very much smitten with Rhoda but if she had taken him you wouldnt have been so satisfied with her position in life now would you With all his talent and connection see what a poor place he has of it Mr Diamond has done best ten to one
This was a masterstroke and made a great impression on old Max Not that the latter even now was at all dazzled by the prospect of having the headmaster of Dorrington School for his soninlaw But Miss Chubbs allusion did suffice to show him that the world would consider Diamond to be a triumphantly successful man in comparison with Errington
Oh him said Maxfield in a tone of bitter contempt No such as him was not for Miss Maxfield And Ill tell you moreover that I dont know but what shes throwing herself away more or less if she takes this other Shes a great catch for him I know the world and I know that she is a great catch But Ive felt latterly one or two warnings that my end is near——
Dear me Mr Maxfield Dont say so Im sure you look very hearty exclaimed Miss Chubb much startled by this cool announcement
That my end is near repeated old Max doggedly and I wish to set my house in order and see my daughter provided for before I go And she seems to be contented with this young man Rhoda aint just easy to please It might be a long time if ever before she found some one to suit her so well
Miss Chubb was a little shocked at this singularly prosaic and unemotional way of treating the subject of love and marriage as to which she herself preserved the most romantic freshness of ideas. She would have liked the young couple to be like the lovers in a storybook and the father to bestow his daughter and his blessing with tears of joy However she did her best to encourage Mr Maxfield in giving his consent after his own fashion and they parted on excellent terms with each other
That dry old chip Jonathan Maxfield has been to me today said Dr Bodkin after dinner to his wife and daughter He came to ask me what prospect I thought Diamond had of getting the mastership of Dorrington explaining to me that Diamond was a suitor for his daughters hand It took me quite by surprise Had you any inkling of the matter Minnie
Oh yes papa
Dear me Well women see these things so quickly Hm Well Master Diamond has shown good taste I must say That little Rhoda is the prettiest girl I know And such a sweet soft lovable creature I think shes too good for him
It is a singular thing but I have remarked very often that men in general are apt to think pretty girls too good for anybody but themselves
The doctor frowned and then smiled Have you so Saucebox he said
I dont know about her being too good for him said Mrs Bodkin in her quick low tones but I suppose he knows very well what he is about Old Maxfield has feathered his nest very considerably It will be a very good match for a poor man like Matthew Diamond
Mrs Bodkin had for some time past exhibited symptoms of dislike to Diamond She never had a good word for him she even was almost rancorous against him at times although she seldom allowed the feeling to express itself in words before her daughter Minnie understood it all very well Poor mother she thought to herself she cannot forgive him I wish I could persuade her that there is nothing to forgive How could he help it if I was a fool Yet the mother and daughter had never exchanged a word on the subject And Minnie comforted herself with the conviction that her mother was the only person in the world who guessed her secret Mamma has a sixth sense where I am concerned said she to herself
I hope you said a good word for the lovers to Mr Maxfield papa she said aloud in a clear cheerful voice
I had not much to say I told him that I thought Diamond stood a good chance of getting Dorrington School
When will it be known positively papa
About Dorrington Oh before Christmas I should say by the end of the first week in December Diamond will be a loss to me but I shall be glad of his promotion Hes a gentleman and a very good fellow although his manner is a trifle selfopiniated And added the doctor shaking his head and lowering his voice as one does who is forced to admit a painful truth I am sorry to say that his views as to the use of the Digamma are by no means sound
Perhaps Rhoda wont find that a drawback to her happiness said Minnie laughing her sweet musical laugh
Probably not Puss
Then the Rev Peter Warlock and Mr Dockett dropped in A whisttable was made up in the drawingroom The doctor and Mr Dockett won three rubbers out of four against Mrs Bodkin and the curate And the latter—being seated where he could command a full view of Minnie as she reclined near the fire with a book—made two revokes and drew down upon himself a very severe homily and a practical lecture or short course on the science of whist illustrated by all the errors he had made during the evening from Dr Bodkin For the doctor although he liked to win cared not for inglorious victory and was almost as indignant with his opponents as with his partner for any symptom of slovenly play The Reverend Peters brow grew serious even to gloom and it seemed to him as if the doctors scolding were almost more than human patience could endure I dont mind losing my sixpences thought the curate and I could make up my mind to sacrificing an hour or two over those accursed Im afraid he did mentally use that strong expression those thriceaccursed bits of pasteboard But to be lectured and scolded at into the bargain—— He arose from the green table with an almost defiant sullenness
However when the tray was brought in and the victimised gentleman had comforted his inner man with hot negus and was at liberty to sip it in close proximity to Miss Bodkins chair and had received one or two kind looks from Miss Bodkins eyes and several kind words from Miss Bodkins lips his heart grew soft within him and he began to think that even six ten—a dozen rubbers of whist with the doctor would not be too high a price to pay for these privileges Then they talked of Diamonds engagement to Rhoda—it had been spoken of all over Whitford hours ago—and of his prospects And Mr Warlock was quite effusive in his rejoicings on both scores He had been dimly jealous of Minnies regard for Diamond and was heartily glad of the prospect of getting rid of him Mr Dockett too seemed to think the match a desirable one He pursed up his mouth and looked knowing as he dropped a mysterious hint as to the extent of Rhodas dowry I made old Maxs will myself said he and without violating professional secrecy I may confirm what I hear old Max bruits abroad at every opportunity—namely that he is a warm man—a very warm man in—deed But Im sure Mr Diamond is a young man of sound principles and will make the girl a good husband And it is decided promotion for her too you know A grocers daughter Eh Im sure I wish them well most sincerely And shall we blame Mr Dockett if in his fatherly anxiety he rejoiced at the removal of a dangerous rival to his little Ally on whom young Pawkins had recently bestowed a good deal of attention whenever Rhoda Maxfield was out of his reach
I never knew such a popular engagement said Dr Bodkin innocently Everybody seems to approve One might almost fear it could not be a case of true love it runs so very smooth There does not appear to be a single objection
Except the Digamma papa
Except the Digamma echoed the doctor merrily And when he was alone with his wife that night he remarked to her that he was immensely thankful to see the great improvement in their beloved child this winter
Minnie is certainly stronger said the mother
And in such excellent spirits said the father
CHAPTER XIII
The days passed by and brought no letter in answer to Castalias from Lord Seely Dreary were the hours in Ivy Lodge The wife was devoured by passionate jealousy and a vain yearning for affection the husband found that even the bright smooth hard metal of his own character was not impervious to the corrosive action of daily cares regrets and apprehensions Algernon was not apt to hate He usually perceived the absurd side of persons who were obnoxious to him with too keen an amusement to detest them and the inmost feeling of his heart with respect to his fellowcreatures in general approached perhaps as nearly to perfect indifference as it is given to a mortal to attain But it was not possible to preserve a condition of indifference towards Castalia She was a thorn in his flesh a mote in his eye a weariness to his spirit and he began to dislike the very sight of the sallow sickly face redeyed too often and haggard with discontent that met his view whenever he was in his own home It was the daily worry of it he told himself that was unendurable It was the being shut up with her in a box like Ivy Lodge where there was no room for them to get away from each other If he could have shared a mansion in Grosvenor Square with Castalia he might have got on with her well enough But then that mansion in Grosvenor Square would have made so many things different in his life
At length one day came a letter to Castalia with the London postmark and sealed with the wellknown coat of arms but it did not bear Lord Seelys frank Another name was scrawled in the corner and the direction was written in Lady Seelys crooked cramped little characters
Im afraid Uncle Val must be ill exclaimed Castalia opening the letter with a trembling hand She was so weak and nervous now that the most trifling agitation made her heart beat painfully My ladys epistle was not long and as a knowledge of its contents is essential to the due comprehension of this story it is given in full with her ladyships own phraseology and orthography—
My dear Castalia—I cannot think what on earth you are about to write such letters to your uncle Go abroad indeed I suppose Ancram would like the embassy to St Petersburg or to be governor of the Ionian Islands Its all nonsense and you had better put such ideas out of your head at once and for all I should think you might know that we have other people to think of besides your husband especially after all we have done for him Your uncle is very ill in bed with an attack of the gout and cant write himself The doctor thinks he wont be about again for weeks You can guess what trouble this throws on to my shoulders so I hope you wont worry me by any more such letters as the last As if there was not anxiety enough Fido had a fit on Thursday I hope you are pretty well What a blessing youve no sign of a family With only you two to keep you ought to do very well on Ancrams salary and you can tell him I say so Yours affectionately
B Seely
Poor Uncle Val exclaimed Castalia dropping the letter from her hand I was afraid he was ill
Pshaw A touch of the gout wont kill him said Algernon who had been reading over her shoulder But its deuced unfortunate for me that he should be laid up at this time and quite helpless in the hands of that old catamaran
Poor Uncle Val Perhaps he never got my letter at all
Nothing more likely if my lady could prevent his getting it
Perhaps when he gets better I can write to him again and ask him——
When he gets better Oh yes certainly We have plenty of time There is no hurry of course
I see that you are speaking satirically Ancram but I dont know why
Her husband shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room As he left the house he was met at the gardengate by a brighteyed consumptivelooking lad in shabby working clothes who touched his cap and held out a paper to Algernon What do you want asked the latter Mr Gladwish sir His account if you please sir
And who the devil is Mr Gladwish
The shoemaker sir
Oh Mr Gladwish then is an extremely importunate impatient troublesome fellow This is the third or fourth time within a very few weeks that he has sent in his bill Im not accustomed to that sort of thing I dont understand it Dont give me the paper boy Take it into the house
Please sir began the lad and stopped hesitatingly Then seeing that Mr Errington was walking off without taking any further notice of him he repeated in a louder firmer tone Please sir Mr Gladwish is really in want of the money He has two of the children bad with fever And I was to say that even five pounds on account would be acceptable
Five pounds Hes too modest I havent got five pounds nor five minutes Im busy
Then Im sorry to say sir that Mr Gladwish will take legal proceedings for the debt at once He told me to tell you so
Nice state of things muttered Algernon as he walked towards the postoffice with his head bent down and his hands deep in his pockets But thats nothing Its those cursed bills in Maxfields hands that are on my mind like lead
His spirits were not lightened by that which awaited him at the office He had to undergo an interview with the district surveyor who was very grave not to say severe in speaking of the irregularities which had been complained of and were looked on as very serious at the head office The surveyor ended by plainly hinting his hope that persons having no business at the office would be strictly forbidden from having access to it at abnormal hours I—I dont understand you stammered Algernon
Mr Errington said the surveyor I am speaking to you not officially but confidentially and as man to man I have been having a little conversation with Mr Gibbs—who seems to have none but good feeling towards you but who—in short I think it is not needful to be more explicit I advise you in all friendliness to be stern and decisive in keeping every person out of this office except such as have recognised business to be here If further trouble arises I shall have to do my duty and make my report without respect of any persons whatsoever
Perhaps said Algernon who was white to his lips but otherwise apparently unmoved perhaps it would be best for me to resign my post here at once If the authorities above me find cause for dissatisfaction——
I can give you no advice as to that Mr Errington You must know your own affairs better than I do
There are things which a man can scarcely say even to himself considerations which are painful as they float dimly in ones own mind but which would be unendurable uttered aloud in words Anything like a public scandal—or—or—disgrace to me would involve a large circle of persons—many of them persons of rank and consideration in the world You are possibly aware that—my wife—there was a peculiar tone in Algernons voice as he said these two words—is a niece of Lord Seely
But the official gentleman declined to enter into the question of Mr Erringtons family connections Oh said he coldly we must hope there will be no question of scandal or disgrace Then he went away leaving Algernon in a chaos of doubt as to whether he should or should not speak further on the subject to Obadiah Gibbs Obadiah Gibbs however decided the question for him He came into Algernons room closing the door carefully behind him and asked to speak a few words in private Algernon was sitting in the luxurious easychair which he had had carried into the office for his own use It was about three oclock in the afternoon of a dull November day The single window which looked on to a whitewashed court threw a ghastly pallid light on Algernons face as he sat opposite to it with his head thrown back against the cushions of the high chair Mr Gibbs was touched with compassion at seeing how changed the bright young face looked since he had first been acquainted with it And yet in truth the change was not a very deep one it was more in colouring and the expression of the moment than in any lines which care had graven
Come in Gibbs come in said Algernon with his affable air The clerk seemed the more anxious and disturbed of the two He sat down on the chair Algernon pointed out to him in a constrained posture and seemed to have some difficulty in beginning to speak albeit not a man usually liable to embarrassment of manner His superior stretched his feet out nearer to the hearth and slightly moved his white hand to and fro looking as a child might have done at the glitter of a ring he wore in the firelight
Mr Wing did not seem very well pleased sir said Gibbs after clearing his throat
Of course he had to appear displeased whether he was or not Gibbs A little hocuspocus a little official solemnity is the thing to assume I suppose I think that mans nose is the very longest I ever saw Remarkable nose eh Gibbs
But sir continued Gibbs declining to discuss the surveyors nose he said that from inquiries that had been made its pretty certain that the missing letters were—stolen—they must have been stolen—at Whitford
Very intelligent on the part of the official Mr Wing Only I think you and I had come to pretty nearly the same conclusion before
He made strict inquiries about the people in the office here and I had to give him what information I could sir
Of course of course Gibbs I quite understand said Algernon putting his hand out to shake that of the clerk with so frank a cordiality that the latter felt the tears spring into his eyes as he took the cool white hand into his own I have felt very much for you Mr Errington said he Your position is a trying one indeed I would do almost anything in my power to set your mind more at rest But Im sorry to say that I have an unpleasant matter to speak of
I wonder thought Algernon leaning back in his chair once more whether my friend Obadiah conceives our conversation hitherto to have been of an agreeable and entertaining nature that he now announces something unpleasant by way of a change
You will understand said Gibbs that I am speaking to you in the very strictest confidence I should be sorry for it to come out that I had meddled in the matter Nor sir would it be well for you to have it known that I gave you any warning
I wish the old bore would not be so confoundedly longwinded thought Algernon nodding meanwhile with an air of thoughtful attention
But Gibbs was prone to longwindedness and to the making of speeches And he now availed himself of the opportunity of haranguing the postmaster one of whose chief faults was a vivacious impatience of his clerks eloquence to the fullest extent But the gist of what he had to say was this Roger Heath the man whose moneyletter had been lost now declared that his correspondent at Bristol being interrogated in the hope that he might be able to furnish some clue to the identification of the missing notes stated that he remembered one was endorsed in blue ink instead of black and that he Heath had reason to know that one of the notes paid by young Mrs Errington to Ravell the mercer had been endorsed in blue ink
Now sir proceeded Gibbs I remember its being a good deal talked of in the town at the time that young Mrs Errington had money unknown to you and Mrs Ravell spoke of it to many
Damn Mrs Ravell What does it all mean Gibbs
Algernon got up from his chair and leant his elbows on the chimneypiece and hid his face in his hands but he so stood that he could watch the clerks countenance between his fingers That countenance expressed trouble and compassion Gibbs got up too and stood looking at Algernon and shaking his head ruefully
I thought it well you should know what was being said Mr Errington said he
What can I do Gibbs How can I stop their cursed tongues Algernon still spoke with his face hidden
No sir you cannot stop their tongues but—you might possibly put a stop to what sets their tongues going Of course the matter may be all explained simply enough There may be plenty of banknotes endorsed in blue ink——
Of course there may Chattering idiots
And as to that particular note Mr Ravell paid it away as well as the others Mrs Errington gave him to the agent of a Manchester house he deals with the next day after it came into his hands I ascertained that from Ravell himself
Ill have the note traced exclaimed Algernon looking up for the first time
That would be a difficult matter sir It has gone far and wide before now
I tell you I will have it traced And I will have that malignant scoundrel Heath pulled up pretty sharply if he dares to make any more insinuations that——it is not difficult to see what he is driving at
Gibbs laid his hand on the young mans shoulder
I feel for you Mr Errington he said If I did not I shouldnt put myself in the disagreeable position of saying what I have said I should have attended to my own business and let matters take their course I hope you believe that I had only a kind motive in speaking
I do believe it—heartily
Thank you sir Then I shall make bold to give you one word of advice Dont stir in the matter nor make any threats against any one until you have ascertained from Mrs Errington where she got the notes that she paid to Ravell
Algernon had bent down his head again and he now answered without looking up
No doubt Mrs Errington can account for them to me but she is not bound to do so to any one else Nor can I allow any one to hint that she is so bound I should be a blackguard if I could listen to a word of that sort
I hope it may come right Mr Errington After all there has been nothing and so far as I see there can be nothing but talk to hurt you
My good fellow said Algernon as he once more gave his hand to his clerk its a kind of talk which poisons a mans life You know that as well as I do
Then Gibbs took his leave of his superior and went back into the outer office to watch over the epistolary correspondence of Whitford As he sat at his desk there his mind was full of sympathy with Algernon Errington Poor young man He took it beautifully It must be a terrible blow—an awful blow But no doubt he has had his suspicions before now What a warning against worldlymindedness He is a victim to that vain and godless woman and thats all that comes of the marriage that so uplifted the heart of his mother But he would be a beautiful character if he had only got religion and would leave off profane swearing He is so guileless and outspoken like a child almost Ah poor young man I hope the Lord may bless this trial to him But—religion or no religion—I dont believe hell ever be fit to be postmaster of Whitford Thus ran the reflections of Mr Obadiah Gibbs
When Algernon reached home that evening he bade Lydia put up a few things for him into a little travelling valise and when he met his wife at the dinnertable he told her he should go up to London that night by the mailcoach He explained in answer to her surprised inquiries lamentations and objections uttered in a querulous drawl that he must get help from Lord Seely that it was useless to write to him under the present circumstances seeing that his wife would probably intercept the letter and that therefore he had resolved to go to town himself and obtain a personal interview with Lord Seely
But Ancram—whats the use Why on earth should you fly off in this way Im sure it wont do Do you suppose for an instant that Aunt Belinda will let you get at him
I must try for it Things have got to that pass now that——Do you know what happened to me just as I went out after lunch Gladwish the shoemaker sent to threaten me with arrest I shall be walked off to prison I suppose for a few wretched pairs of abominable shoes The fellow has no more notion of fitting my foot than a farrier
To prison Oh Ancram But Gladwishs bill cannot be so very large——
Of course its not so very large
Then if we paid it or even part of it——
Paid it Upon my word Cassy you are too absurd Paid it In the first place I have only a very few pounds in the house—barely enough to take me to town I think and in the next place if I paid Gladwish what would be the result The butcher the baker and the candlestickmaker would be all down on me with summonses and writs and executions and bedevilments of every imaginable kind But you have no more notion—you take it all so coolly Pay him By George Cassy its very hard to stand such nonsense
Castalia withdrew from the table and sat down on the little sofa and cried Her husband looked at her across a glass of very excellent sherry which he was just about to hold up to the light I think Castalia he said I really do think that when a man is in such trouble as I am reduced to the brink of ruin not knowing which way to turn for a tenpound note struggling striving bothering his brains to find a way out of the confounded mess he might expect something more cheering and encouraging from his wife than perpetual snivelling With that he cracked a filbert with a sharp jerk of indignation But Algernons forte was not the minatory or impressively wrathful style of eloquence He could hurl a sarcasm sharp light and polished but when he came to wielding such a ponderous weapon as serious reproof on moral considerations he was apt to make a poor hand of it It was excessively disagreeable too to see that womans thin shoulders moving convulsively under her gaycoloured dress as she sobbed with her head buried in the sofa cushions That really must be put a stop to So as it appeared evident that scolding would not quench the tears he tried coaxing The coaxing was not so efficacious as it would have been once Still Castalia responded to it to the extent of endeavouring to check the sobs which still shook her frail chest and throat When shall you be back Ancram she said looking beseechingly at him He answered that he hoped to be in Whitford again on Tuesday night or Wednesday at the latest it was then Monday and he particularly impressed on her the necessity of telling any one who might inquire the cause of his absence that he had been suddenly called up to town by the illness of Lord Seely He had in fact said a word or two to that effect when on his way home he had ordered the fly which was to carry him and his valise to the coachoffice Castalia insisted on accompanying him to the coach despite the damp cold of the night a proceeding which he did not much combat since he felt it would serve to give colour to his statement to the landlord of the Blue Bell
Keep up your spirits Cassy he cried waving his hand from the coachwindow as he stood in the inn yard muffled in shawls and furs I hope I shall bring back good news of your uncle
Then Castalia was trundled back to Ivy Lodge in the jingling old fly whilst her husband rolled swiftly behind four fleet horses towards London
CHAPTER XIV
Stiff tired and cold Algernon alighted the next morning at the coachoffice in London after his night journey He drove to a fashionable hotel not very far from Lord Seelys house and refreshed himself with a warm bath and a luxurious breakfast By the time that was done it was eleven oclock in the forenoon He had been considering how best to proceed in a leisurely way during his breakfast and had decided to go to Lord Seelys house without further delay He knew Lady Seelys habits well enough to feel tolerably sure that she would not be out of her bed before eleven oclock nor out of her room before midday He thought he might gain access to his lordship by a coup de main if he so timed his visit as to avoid encountering my lady So he had himself driven to within a few yards of the house and walked up to the wellknown door It was a different arrival from his first appearance on that threshold Algernon did not fail to think of the contrast and he told himself that he had been very badly used by the whole Seely family they had done so infinitely less for him than he had expected The sense of injury awakened by this reflection was as supporting to him as a cordial
The servant who opened the door and who at once recognised Algernon stared in surprise on seeing him but was too well trained to express emotion in any other way After a few inquiries about Lord Seelys health Algernon asked if he could be allowed to see his lordship This however was a difficult matter My lord was better certainly the footman said but my lady had given strict orders that he was not to be disturbed No one was admitted to his room except the doctor who would not make his visit until late in the afternoon
Oh I shouldnt think of disturbing my lady at this hour said Algernon but I must speak with Lord Seely It is of the very greatest importance
Ill call Mr Briggs sir the footman was beginning when Algernon stopped him Mr Briggs was Lord Seelys own man and like all the servants in the house was certain to obey his mistresss orders rather than his masters if the two should happen to conflict Algernon slipped some money into the footmans hand together with a note which he had written that morning There James said he if you will manage to convey that into his lordships own hand I know he will see me And moreover he would be seriously annoyed if I were sent away without having spoken to him on business of very great importance
James reflected that the worst that could happen to him would be a scolding from my lady That was certainly no trifling evil but he decided to risk it being moved to do so not only by the bribe but by a real liking for young Errington who was generally a favourite with other peoples servants
The note which James carried upstairs was as follows—
My Lord—I write in the driest and most matterof-fact terms I can find to ask for an interview with your lordship with the least possible delay being unwilling to make or to appear to make any claim on the regard you once professed for me or on the connection which unites us and desiring you to understand that I appeal to you on behalf of another person and that were it not for that other person I should ask no more favours of your lordship—nor perhaps need any
A Ancram Errington
In a few moments James came running downstairs and begged Algernon almost in a whisper to walk up to his lordships room
Lord Seely was not in bed He was reclining in an easychair with one foot and leg supported on cushions He seemed ill and worn but his dark eyes sparkled as he looked eagerly at Algernon who entered quietly and closed the door behind him What is it Im afraid you have bad news Ancram said Lord Seely holding out his hand
Algernon did not take it He bowed very gravely and stood opposite to the little nobleman
Castalia—— cried Lord Seely much dismayed by the young mans manner Dont keep me in suspense for Gods sake Is she ill Is she dead
No my lord Castalia is not dead Neither so far as I know is she ill—in body
What is the matter
I must crave a patient hearing my lord I regret to have to trouble you whilst you are ill and suffering but what I have to say must be said without delay May I ask if there is anyone within hearing
No No one You can close the door of that dressingcloset if you choose But there is no one there
Algernon adopted the suggestion at once and then sat down opposite to Lord Seelys chair His whole manner of proceeding was so unusual and unexpected that it produced a very painful impression on Lord Seely Algernon rather enjoyed this He began to speak with only one distinct purpose in his mind namely to frighten his wifes uncle into making a strong effort to help him out of Whitford How much pressure would be necessary to achieve that purpose he could not yet tell And he began to speak with a sort of reckless abandonment of himself to the guidance of the moment a mood of mind which had become very frequent with him of late
Did your lordship receive a letter from Castalia begging you to obtain a post abroad for me
Certainly My wife answered it I—I was unable to write myself But I intended to reply more at length so soon as I should be better
Castalia showed me Lady Seelys reply That was the first intimation I had of Castalias having made such an application I mention this because I know your lordship suspected me of being the prime mover in all her applications to you for assistance
Lord Seely coloured a little as he replied It was natural to suppose that you influenced your wife Ancram
Your lordship must not judge all cases by your own returned the young man with a candid raising of his brows and the colour on Lord Seelys face deepened to a dark red flush which faded leaving him paler than before As I said continued Algernon I did not know what it was that Castalia had asked you to do for us But now that I do know it I may say at once that I heartily concur with her as to its desirability
I cannot agree with you there but even if it were so I assure you it is out of my power——
Allow me my lord I must tax your patience to listen to what I have to say before you give me any positive answer
Lord Seely leaned back in his chair and motioned with his head for Algernon to proceed The latter went on
Exile from England and from all the hopes and ambitions not very unnatural at my age is not such an alluring prospect that I should be suspected of having incited Castalia to write as she has done However I will say no more as to my own private and personal feelings in the matter I did not mean to allude to them I beg your pardon Algernon sat leaning a little forward in his chair His hands were clasped loosely together and rested on his knees He kept his eyes gloomily fixed on the carpet for the most part and only raised them occasionally to look up at Lord Seely without raising his head at the same time I could not write what I had to say to you my lord I dared not write it Perhaps even if I had written the letter might not have reached you at once and I could not wish its falling into other hands so I came away from Whitford last night quite suddenly I have no leave of absence the clerk at the postoffice even did not know I was coming away
Do you mean to say Ancram that you have deliberately risked the loss of your situation
My situation was as good as lost already Do you know what happened yesterday Lord Seely I was subjected to the agreeable ordeal of a visit from the surveyor of the postal district in which Whitford is situated I was catechised magisterially The whole office—including my private room—was subjected to a sort of scrutiny There have been a great many letters missing at Whitford lately some moneyletters That is to say letters which should have passed through our office have never reached their destination Nothing has been traced Nothing is known with certainty But the concurrence of various circumstances points to Whitford as the place where the letters have been—stolen I am told on all hands that such things never happened in Mr Coopers time Mr Cooper was my predecessor as postmaster I am scowled at and almost openly insulted in the streets by a miller or a baker or something of the kind who lives in the neighbourhood He declares he has lost a considerable sum of money by the post and plainly considers me responsible You may guess how pleasant my situation has become in consequence of these things being known and talked about
But good Heavens Ancram—— I dont comprehend your way of looking at the matter These irregularities are doubtless very distressing but surely your rational course would be to use every effort to discover the cause of them and set matters right not run away as if you were a culprit
Your lordship judges without knowing all the facts
Pardon me Ancram but no facts can justify such rash behaviour I have some experience of men and of the world and I give you my deliberate opinion that you have acted very indiscreetly to say the least I am disappointed in you Ancram I regret to say it but I am disappointed in you You have shown a want of steadiness and—and—almost of common sense The more I think of it the more I disapprove of the step you have taken It shows a great want of consideration for others for your wife If you were alone it might be pardonable—although excessively illjudged—to throw up your post at the first experience of the rough side of things We all have difficulties to contend with The most exalted position is not secure from them as indeed it would appear almost superfluous to point out The record of my own—my own—official life might supply you with more than one example of the value of steadfast energy and an inflexible determination to conquer antagonistic circumstances
Poor Lord Seely He had been subdued by sickness more completely under the dominion of his wife than could ever be the case when he was able to move about to get away from her and to converse with persons who were not entirely devoid of any semblance of respect for his opinion Lady Seely it might be said respected nobody—a point of resemblance between herself and her young kinsman which had not led to any very great sympathy or harmony between them for as it is your professed joker who can least bear to be laughed at so those persons who most flippantly ignore any sentiment of reverence towards others are by no means prepared to tolerate a want of deference towards themselves Certainly my lady had snubbed her husband during his illness almost unmercifully she wished him to get better and she took care that the doctors orders were faithfully carried out But her course of treatment was anything but soothing to the spirit and my lords pet vanities received no consideration whatever from her His mind being now relieved from the first shock of apprehension which Algernons sudden visit had occasioned for though things were bad it was a relief to him to find that Castalia was safe and well he could not resist the temptation to lecture a little and be pompous and display his suppressed selfesteem with a little more emphasis than usual
Poor Lord Seely By so doing he unconsciously drew down a terrible catastrophe It seemed a trivial cause to determine Algernon to speak as he next spoke—as trivial as the heedless footfall or tooloudly spoken word which brings the avalanche toppling down from the rock
The selfishness and egotism of the man are incredible thought Algernon looking at Lord Seely Not one word of sympathy with me Not a syllable to show that my feelings are worthy of any consideration whatever Pompous little ass Then he said very gravely and quietly I think my lord that you have forgotten what I said to you in the hurried note I sent upstairs about appealing to you on behalf of another person
Lord Seely had forgotten it
Ha—no Ancram I—I remember what you said but I—I take leave to think that if you wish to consider that other person—it is your wife of whom you spoke I presume
Algernon bowed his head
If you wish to consider that person effectually you ought not to have flown off at a tangent in the manner you have done You might—ahem—you might at least have written to me for advice
Lord Seely I am sorry to say that you are under an entire misapprehension as to the state of the case
Lord Seely was not accustomed to be told that he was under an entire misapprehension on any subject
If so Ancram he answered with some hauteur the fault must be yours I believe I should succeed in comprehending any moderately clear and accurate statement
I will try to speak plainly During the last six weeks I have been made seriously unhappy by rumours floating about in Whitford respecting my wife
Rumours—— Respecting your wife
They reach my ears through various channels and appear to be rife in every social circle in the place
Rumours Of what nature
There was a little pause then Algernon said The least terrible of them is that Castalias reason is affected and that she is not responsible for her actions
Lord Seely started into a more upright posture and then sank back again with a suppressed cry of pain Algernon went on without looking up Her manner has been very singular of late She has taken to wandering about alone and to make her wanderings as secretly as may be she haunts the postoffice in my absence carefully informing herself beforehand whether I am in my private room or not and if I am reported absent she enters it searches the drawers and I have the strongest reason to believe—indeed I may say I know—that she has tampered with a little cabinet in which I keep a few private papers and taken letters out of it
Ancram
These things my lord are commonly reported and spoken of by every gossiping tongue in Whitford I cant help the people talking Castalia is not liked there her manners are unpopular and even the persons who were inclined to receive her kindly for my sake have been offended and alienated Still the things I have told you are facts
I am shocked—I am surprised—and forgive me Ancram a little incredulous You may have listened to malicious tongues you say that my niece is not liked by the—the class of persons with whom she now associates and it may be——
I am sorry to say my lord that Castalia cannot be said to associate with any class of persons in Whitford for latterly it has become plain to me that all our acquaintances have given her the cold shoulder
The mingled expression of amazement incredulity and offended pride on Lord Seelys face when Algernon made this announcement did not operate with the latter as an inducement to spare him Indeed he had now gone almost too far to stop short He held up his hand to deprecate any interruption and said One moment my lord I must ask you a question Have you at any time privately supplied Castalia with money unknown to me
Never I——
Then Lord Seely I have only one more circumstance to add Castalia the other day paid a bill of considerable amount to a mercer in Whitford without my knowledge and without my knowing where she found the money to pay it and yesterday my clerk an honest fellow and much attached to me told me in private and in strict confidence that it was currently reported in the town that one of the notes paid by my wife to the mercer was endorsed in the same way as a note in one of the missing moneyletters I have told you of
Good God Ancram what do you mean
I told you that the least terrible rumour about Castalia was the rumour that her mind was affected
Lord Seelys face was almost leadcoloured He pressed his hands one on each side of his head with a gesture of hopeless bewilderment This is the most appalling thing he murmured and his voice was scarcely audible as he said it
I had to make my choice without delay Lord Seely I regret to inflict this blow on you in your present suffering state of body but if I spared you I could not have spared Castalia I chose to spare my wife
Yes yes—quite—quite right Spare Castalia I—I thank you Ancram—for choosing to spare her rather than me The poor little noblemans face was convulsed by a kind of spasm for a second or two and then he burst into tears sobbing out with his face hidden in his trembling hands What is to be done Gracious heavens what is to be done
I talked about choosing to spare Castalia said Algernon looking at her uncle with a sort of furtive curiosity and a feeling that was more akin to contempt than pity but I dont know how long it may be in my power or anyones power to spare her The only chance for either of us is to get away out of Whitford as quickly as possible
But—but——My head is so confused I am stunned Ancram—stunned But—what was I going to say Oh have you interrogated Castalia What representations does she make as to the money There is so much to be said—to be asked It cannot be but that there is some error It cannot be My poor Castalia
Interrogating Castalia would be quite useless worse than useless You dont know what her behaviour and temper have been lately She is utterly unreasonable Ask anyone who knows our house in Whitford ask my servants what my home has been latterly I have bought the honour of your lordships alliance somewhat dear
Lord Seely sank down in his chair as if he had been struck and his grey head drooped on his breast What can I do Ancram he asked in a tone so contrasted in its feebleness with his usual selfassured rather strident voice that it might have touched some persons with compassion What can I do Then he seemed to make a strong effort to recover some energy of manner and added If it were not for this unfortunate attack which disables me I would return with you to Whitford tonight I would see Castalia myself
Algernon heartily congratulated himself on the fit of gout which kept Lord Seely a prisoner There was nothing he less desired than that her uncle should be confronted with Castalia He represented that the only efficacious help Lord Seely could give under the circumstances would be to furnish them with money to pay their debts and leave Whitford forthwith He pointed out that Castalia must have felt this herself when she wrote urging her uncle to get them some post abroad Algernon became eager and persuasive as he spoke and offered a glimpse to the man before him whose pride and whose affections were equally wounded of a future which should make some amends for the bitter present—a future in which Castalia might have peace and safety at least and in which her mind might regain its balance He would be gentle and patient and tender with her and if they were in a position that offered no such temptations as the postoffice at Whitford the anxiety to all who regarded Castalia would be greatly lessened Lord Seely was as he had said too much stunned by the whole interview to follow Algernons rapid eloquence step by step He felt that he must have time for reflection besides he was physically exhausted He bade Algernon leave him for a time and return later in the day He would give orders that he should be admitted at once You—you have not seen my lady said Lord Seely hesitatingly
No I purposely avoided doing so She would have naturally inquired the cause of my unexpected presence in town and I could speak of all this trouble to nobody on earth but yourself my lord
Right right Ancram But my lady will not fail to learn that you have been here and we must give her some reason
I can say if you choose that I came to London on postoffice business
Lord Seely bowed his head almost humbly and Algernon left him He left him with an air of sombre resignation but inwardly he felt himself to be master of the situation
CHAPTER XV
Rubbish cried my lady Its a trick I know the Ancrams and there isnt one of them and never was one of them—of the Warwickshire Ancrams that is—who would stick at a lie
Lady Seely was in a towering passion She had met Algernon Errington on the stairs as he was leaving her husbands room for the second time that afternoon Algernon had slipped past her with a silent bow and had refused to return although she screamed after him at the full pitch of her lungs Upon this Lady Seely had gone to her husbands room and in a few minutes had drawn from him the confession that he had promised Algernon to use his utmost endeavours to obtain a post for him on the Continent And then on her violent opposition to this scheme Lord Seely had been led on to tell her pretty nearly what Algernon had told him dwelling very strongly on the circumstance that Castalia was in a strange excited state and might not be deemed responsible for her actions But neither did this terrible revelation make much impression on my lady
Rubbish she said again And if she is in this queer excited condition what makes her so
Belinda you do not realise the full extent This is a more serious a more frightful matter than you seem to think
Oh no it isnt my lord Youll see A young rascal to come here with his cockandabull stories and try to frighten you into getting a berth for him Why theres nothing to be had if one was willing to try except the consulate at whatshisname on the Mediterranean that Mr Buller mentioned when you spoke to him about my nephew
I thought that might be got for Ancram Belinda
Got for Ancram Fiddlesticks end What next If the consulate is to be had Reginald shall have it thats flat
Lord Seely lay back in his chair and groaned
Yes cried his wife her cheeks flaming with anger until the rouge she wore seemed but a pale pigment on the hot colour beneath there it is He has made you ever so much worse upset you completely thrown you back a fortnight as Dr Nokes said He couldnt think what was the matter when he came at one oclock No more could I My lord appears to have been agitated said he Agitated Yes Id agitate that young villain with a vengeance if I could get hold of him
But you agitate me—me Belinda And let me tell you that you are not showing a proper feeling in the case as regards Castalia my niece Castalia poor unhappy girl
My lady stood up—she had risen to her feet in her wrath against Algernon—big florid loud of voice and vehement of will and looked down upon her husband in his invalids chair And as she looked into his face she perceived and acknowledged to herself that it would not do to drive him to extremities that on this occasion neither indolence habit and bodily weakness on the one hand nor sheer force of tongue and temper on the other would avail to make him succumb to her She changed her tone and began to give her view of the case She gave it the more effectively in that she spoke the truth as far as the representation of her genuine opinion went She did not believe a word about Castalias having stolen moneyletters Lord Seely winced when she blurted out the accusation nakedly in so many words Not one word As to the gossip in Whitford that might be or might not they had but Ancrams word for it If Castalia was in this nervous miserable state of mind if she did pry on her husband and prowl about the postoffice and even open his letters that might be nothing more likely if all these statements were true what conclusion did they point to Not that Castalia was a thief my lord put his hand up at the word as if to ward off a stab but that she was insanely jealous
The suggestion brought a gleam of comfort to Lord Seely And it approved itself to his reason The one explanation was in harmony with all that he knew of his nieces character The other was not
Jealous eh Belinda
Of course Insanely jealous that always was her character when she lived in our house She was jealous of Lady Harriet Dormer she was jealous of everybody and everything that Ancram looked at
Jealous repeated my lord musingly But to act so strangely—to expose herself to animadversion—to go the length of opening desks and letters—She must have had some cause some great provocation
Nothing more likely Ancram is goodlooking and young and Castalia—isnt
But where did she procure that money without her husbands knowledge
Dont know Im sure
And her extravagance and running him into debt as she has done—it seems to point to some mental aberration does it not Belinda
Oh fiddlefaddle my lord Why this and how that How do we know what truth there is in the whole story
Belinda
Oh bless you Im too old a bird to be caught by any chaff the Ancrams can offer me
But good heavens Belinda it is utterly incredible——
Nothings incredible of an Ancram in the way of lying returned the great lady of that family with much coolness This young jackanapes has got into a scrape down at Whatdoyecallit Things have gone wrong in the office—Ill be bound he dont mind his business a bit—he and his wife have got into debt between them He dont like the place and after bothering your life out for money he comes off here without with your leave or by your leave and asks to be sent abroad Thats my notion of the matter And any way if I were you Valentine I should take no sort of action nor commit myself in any way until Id had Castalias version of the story
Lord Seely pressed his hand to his forehead and writhed on his chair I wish to God that I could go to the place and speak with Castalia myself he cried There are things that cannot be written But here I am a prisoner It is a dreadful misfortune
I cant undertake to go trapesing down there in this weather exclaimed my lady And besides I wouldnt leave you just now
Lord Seely by no means wished that his wife should interfere personally in the matter He well knew that nothing but discord was likely to arise from any interview between Castalia and her aunt There is no one I could send he murmured No one I could trust
No no It would never do to send anybody at all This kind of family wash had better be done in private I tell you what you do Valentine—you just dictate a letter to me to be sent to Castalia Send it off at once When does Ancram return Tomorrow Very well then Send it off at once so that it shall reach Whitford before he does
Why so Belinda asked my lord anxiously
Why so Dear me Valentine how st——unsuspicious you are If Ancram was there when the letter arrived do you suppose she would ever get it
Lord Seely stared at the florid fat unfeeling face before him with a sensation of oppression and dismay How was it possible to attribute such actions and motives to persons of ones own family with an air of such matterof-fact indifference It was not the first time that his wifes coarseness of feeling had been thrust on his observation to the shocking of his own finer taste and sentiment—for my lord was a gentleman at heart—but this was an amount of phlegmatic cynicism which hurt him to the core He could not forget that it was his wife who had promoted the marriage of Castalia with this young man It was his wife who had declared that the Honourable Miss Kilfinane was not likely to make a better match It was his wife who had urged him to put young Errington into the Whitford Postoffice declaring that the place was in every way a suitable one for him And now it was his wife who coolly described Ancram as a wretch full of the vilest duplicity
The fact was that my lady was by no means so indifferent on the subject as her words and manner would seem to imply She was—not pained as Lord Seely was but—angered excessively She foresaw various troubles to herself and her husband—even the distant possibility of having Castalia returned upon their hands as she phrased it and of having sooner or later to find money or make interest to get Ancram a berth which she would more willingly have bestowed on some of her nearer kith and kin And her fashion of venting her anger was roundly to declare Ancram Errington capable of anything And in her heart she believed him capable of a good deal of falsehood
Lord Seely made no immediate reply to his wifes suggestion He was ill and grieved and he felt as if his final exit from this world of troubles might not be altogether undesirable His interview with Algernon had agitated him terribly His interview with his wife—although she had opened the door for a ray of hope that things might be not quite so terribly bad as he had feared—had certainly not soothed him But before the departure of the evening mail that night he had completed and despatched a letter to Castalia He had insisted on writing it with his own hand sitting up in bed to do so although his fingers were scarcely able to guide the pen
Meanwhile Algernon was spending a very pleasant evening He went to the club to which the Honourable Jack Price had introduced him during the brief butterfly period of his London existence There he found the genial Jack friendly affectionate expansive as ever a trifle balder maybe but otherwise unchanged There too he found several of his former acquaintances old friends he called them who after having his name recalled to their recollection by Jack Price said Hulloa Errington where the dooce have you been hiding yourself and shook hands with the utmost cordiality Then Jack Price insisted on adjourning to a favourite haunt of his and ordering supper in celebration of Algernons unexpected visit And the old friends were flatteringly willing to do Algernon the honour of eating it They were mostly unfledged lads such as affected very often the society of Jack Price who was really a kind companion and gave the boys long lectures on steadiness of purpose and energy illustrated by warning examples from his own career and delivered amid such agreeable accompaniments to moral reflection as hot whiskypunch and firstrate Havanas But there were one or two older men a newspaper editor from Dublin who had been at college with Jack and a greywhiskered major of cavalry who had served with Jack during his brief military career and a middleaged attaché to His Majestys legation at the Grand Duchy of Prundenhausen who had been a contemporary of Jack in the Foreign Office And all these gentlemen being warmed by wine and meat became excessively companionable and entertaining The Dublin editor a fat short rather humorouslooking individual sang Irish sentimental ballads with a sweet tenor voice and at the whiskypunch stage of the entertainment brought tears into the eyes of the cavalry major and Jack Price The middleaged attaché did not cry he considered such a manifestation beneath the dignity of the diplomatic service And although he affected a bitter tone and secretly considered himself to be a mute inglorious Talleyrand much injured and unappreciated by the blundering chiefs at the Foreign Office yet to outsiders he maintained the dignity of the service at the cost of a good deal of trouble and starch
Algernon did not cry either Indeed the combination of sentimental ballad and stout Dublin editor struck him as being pleasantly comic But he paid the singer so easy and wellturned a compliment as put to shame the clumsy Thanks OReilly By Jove that was delightful What a sweet whistle you have of your own and the general shout of Bravo by which the others expressed their approbation And then he sang himself—one of the French romances for which he had gained a little reputation among a certain society in town The romance was somewhat threadbare and the singers voice out of practice still the performance was favourably received But Algernon soon changed his ground and eschewing music altogether began to entertain his hearers with stories about the eccentric worthies of Whitford illustrated by admirable mimicry of their peculiarities of voice face and phraseology so that he soon had the table in a roar of laughter and achieved a genuine success Jack Price was enchanted—partly with the consciousness that it was he who had provided his friends with this diverting entertainment and explained to every one who would listen to him Oh you know its great What Great sir Mathews isnt a patch on him Inimitable what He is the dearest brightest most lovable fellow What a burning shame that a thing of this sort should be hidden under a bushel—I mean down in whatdyecallit By George What
Yes Algernon spent a very agreeable evening and thoroughly enjoyed himself He certainly had a wonderful share of what his mother called the Ancram elasticity
CHAPTER XVI
Mrs Errington was greatly astonished to hear of Algernons sudden departure from Whitford The news came to her through Mrs Thimbleby who had learned it from the baker who had been told by the barman at the Blue Bell that young Mr Errington had gone off to London by the night mail on Monday At first Mrs Errington was incredulous But Mrs Thimblebys information was so circumstantial that at length her lodger resolved to go to Ivy Lodge and ascertain the truth She found Castalia in a very gloomy humour Yes Ancram was gone she said Why Well he said he went because Lord Seely was ill She for her part made no such statement And beyond that it was not possible to draw much information out of her
Mrs Errington however returned not altogether illpleased to her lodgings and assumed an air of majestic melancholy She desired Mrs Thimbleby to prepare a cup of chocolate for her and to bring it forthwith to the sittingroom And when it appeared she began to sip it languidly and to hold forth and to enjoy herself
Oh my dear good soul she said half closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head Ive had a great shock—a great shock
Deary me maam cried simple Mrs Thimbleby with ready sympathy looking into her lodgers round comely face Nothing wrong with Mr Algernon I hope
No thank Heaven Not that but perhaps the next greatest trial that could befall me in the illness of a dear relative
Young Mrs—— Mrs Thimbleby checked herself having been reproved for using that distinctive epithet of young to Algernons wife and substituted the form of words her lodger had taught her The Honourable Mrs Errington aint ill maam is she
No my good creature We had a despatch last evening announcing the illness of Lord Seely It was sent to Algy because dear Lady Seely was so fearful of startling me And for the same reason dear Algy went off without telling me a word about it
Mrs Thimbleby had only the haziest notion as to what kinship existed between Mrs Errington and the nobleman in question But she knew that her lodger was nearly connected with high folks but she had often been troubled by doubts and misgivings as to how far this fact might militate against her lodgers spiritual welfare as being apt to promote worldliness and vainglory But Mrs Thimbleby was full of abounding charity and she was always ready to attribute what appeared to her evil to her own poor head rather than to other peoples poor heart So she merely expressed a hope that the poor gentleman would soon get over it
I trust so Mrs Thimbleby His removal from the scene of life would be a terrible loss to this country From the sovereign downwards we should all feel it
Should we maam
Not of course as acutely as the family would feel it That could not be of course But I trust he will recover I wish I could have accompanied Algy to town to help to nurse the dear patient and take some of the care off the shoulders of my poor darling cousin Belinda Belinda is Lady Seelys Christianname my good Thimbleby But of course that was impossible I have not strength for it
No for sure maam but them high gentlefolks like them—lords I mean will be sure to have nursetenders and doctors and servants as many as they need
Oh as to that—— The kings own physician twice daily
I hope said Mrs Thimbleby timidly before leaving the room that the Lord will soften your daughterinlaws heart to you in this trouble
It must be understood that Mrs Errington had of late and especially since Castalias outburst against Rhoda Maxfield spoken of her daughterinlaw with a good deal of disapprobation pitying her son for all he had to endure and lamenting that he should have thrown himself away as he had done when so many brilliant matches were as it might be said at his feet The dear Seelys she would say considered that he was making a sacrifice That I happen to know But she displayed so undisguised an attachment—and Algy—Algy is the soul of chivalry All the Ancrams ever have been
It had certainly taken some time for the worthy lady to discover that her sons marriage wasnt quite a satisfactory one But when the discovery did force itself on her perceptions she was by no means tender to Castalia Her moral toughness of hide prevented her from being much hurt by such speeches as Dear me Not happy together Why I thought this was such a model marriage Mrs Errington Or Ah jealous and fretful is she Well I always thought it wouldnt do But of course I said nothing You plumed yourself so much on the match you know at the time She could always retreat to illogical strongholds of unreason whence she sent forth retorts and arguments and statements which were found to be unanswerable by the average intellect of Whitford
I wonder the woman isnt ashamed—really now exclaimed Miss Chubb once in the exasperation of listening to Mrs Errington calmly superior to facts and of being quite unable to touch her selfcomplacency by any recapitulation of them
Do you asked Rose McDougall tartly How odd Now as to me nothing would surprise me more than to find Mrs Errington ashamed of anything
These and similar things had been freely spoken in Whitford and although the world resented Mrs Erringtons manner of complaint as being deficient in humility and candour—for it is provoking to find people who ought to lament in sackcloth and ashes holding up their heads and making a merit of their deserved misfortunes—yet the world admitted that Mrs Errington had substantial cause for complaint The Honourable Castalia was really intolerable and the only possible excuse for her behaviour was—what had been whispered with many nods and becks and much mystery—that she was not quite of sound mind And when the news began to circulate in Whitford that young Errington had gone to London suddenly and almost secretly the first and most general impression was that he had run away from his wife To this solution the tradesmen to whom he owed money added And his debts Mrs Erringtons statement as to Lord Seelys illness was not much believed And if he were ill was it likely that my lord should cause Algernon Errington to be sent for Later on in the course of the day it began to be known that Castalia had accompanied her husband to the coachoffice so that his departure had not been clandestine so far as she was concerned at all events But was it not rather odd the postmaster rushing off in this sudden manner How did he manage to leave his business Mr Cooper never did such things Not probably that it would make much difference whether Algernon Errington were here or not for everybody knew pretty well that he was a mere cipher in the office and Mr Gibbs did everything
As to Mr Gibbs he was inwardly much disquieted at his chiefs unwarranted absence He had received a note which Algernon had left behind him to be delivered on the morning after his departure But the note was not very satisfactory—
My dear Gibbs it said—I am off to town by the night mail My wifes uncle Lord Seely is ill and I must see him I shall speak to him on your behalf of course The inheritance must soon fall to you without waiting for the demise of the present holder I shall be back on Wednesday at latest Meanwhile I trust implicitly to your discretion
Yours always
A A E
This was oracular enough But Mr Obadiah Gibbs understood very well as he read it that by the inheritance which must soon fall to him Algernon meant the place of postmaster Still there was nothing in the note to commit Algernon in any way whatever And his going off to London without leave and without notice was a proceeding which shocked all the old clerks notions of what was fitting The thought did cross his mind Suppose he should never come back Suppose he is off to America as a short cut out of his troubles The thing was possible And the possibility haunted Mr Obadiah Gibbs persistently though he tried to argue it away
In the afternoon of Tuesday Rhoda Maxfield walked into the postoffice and asked to speak with Mr Errington She was on foot and alone and was looking so pretty and blooming as to arrest the attention of the dry old clerk When he told her that Mr Errington was away in London and would not be back until the next day she appeared disappointed Will you tell him please that I came and wanted to speak to him particularly and beg him to come to me as soon as ever he gets back to Whitford she said in her soft ladys voice Mr Gibbs did not answer her He stared straight over her shoulder as if Medusas head had suddenly appeared behind her Rhoda turned to see what had petrified Mr Gibbs into silence and saw Castalia Errington
Rhoda was startled but more from sympathy with Gibbs than from any other reason The quick colour mounted into her cheeks and deepened their blush rose hue to damask Oh Mrs Errington she said and held out her hand Castalia did not take it did not speak did not after one baleful stare of anger look at her Come into the private office she said addressing Gibbs in a dry husky voice and with a manner of imperious harshness As she stood with her hand on the lock of the door leading into the inner room she looked round over her shoulder and flung these words at Rhoda like a missile You have made a mistake My husband is not here today of all days He has been remiss in not letting you know of his journey But men are apt I have been told to fail in polite attention to persons of your sort
Mrs Errington cried Rhoda turning pale less at the words than at the look and tone which interpreted their meaning so that it was impossible altogether to misunderstand it I came here to speak to Mr Errington about something he wished to hear of And if I may say it to you instead——
To ME How dare you Castalia turned full on her with a livid furious face lit by a pair of hollow burning eyes Poor artificial small product of her social surroundings as she usually seemed the passion in the woman transfigured her now with a tragic fire and force before which Rhodas innocent lily nature seemed shrivelled and discoloured like a flower in the blast of a furnace It was strange to himself but Mr Gibbs as he looked at the two women and was fully conscious on which side lay the right in the matter could not help feeling an inexplicable thrill of sympathy with Castalia as she stood there breathing quickly and hard with dilated nostrils and suffering tearless eyes The truth is that there was some subtle ingredient in Mr Gibbss composition which was more cognate with flesh and blood—even erring passionate flesh and blood—than with the cool fluid that circulates in the petals of a lily David Powell would have said that it was a manifest stirring of the Old Adam which caused the regenerate Obadiah Gibbs—a professing Christian a confirmed and tried pillar of Methodism a man whose precious experiences had been poured forth for the edification of many a band meeting—to be conscious for the first time of some fellowfeeling with Castalia at the very moment when she was conducting herself in a manner to shock every sentiment of what was just and fitting But whether it were due to original sin or to whatever other cause the fact remained that Obadiah Gibbs for the first time in his life now felt disposed to spare and screen the postmasters wife
Ill give the message when Mr Errington comes back said he to Rhoda almost hustling her out of the office as he spoke The poor thing is not very well he added in a lower voice She has been a good deal cut up one way and another You mustnt think anything of her manner nor bear malice Miss Maxfield Good morning
When Rhoda was gone—feeling almost dizzy with surprise and fright—Gibbs followed Mrs Errington into the inner office He found her openly examining the contents of the tabledrawer having tossed all the papers she had found in it pellmell on to the table Gibbs entered and closed the door carefully Mrs Errington he began intending to remonstrate with her—or perhaps utter something stronger than a remonstrance—on her manner of conducting herself in the office when she interrupted him at once looking up from the heap of papers What message did that creature give you for my husband she asked abruptly
Now Mrs Errington you really must not go on in this way Im responsible to Mr Errington you know for things being right here
Did you hear me What message did that creature give you
Oh now really Mrs Errington I think you ought not to speak of Rhoda Maxfield in that way She is a very good girl and you hurt her terribly by your manner
Castalia smiled bitterly Did I she said Of course youre in league with her Why does this good young woman come here in secret to see my husband What can she want to say to him that cannot be said openly
I cannot hear such things maam I cannot indeed If you would give yourself an instant for reflection you would remember that Miss Maxfield offered to tell her message to you yourself
Offered to tell me Do you really suppose I am duped by such low tricks I heard her say Send him to me directly he comes back—heard it with my own ears But of course you wont tell me the truth
I am obliged to say Mrs Errington that you really must leave the office I am very sorry but I am responsible in Mr Erringtons absence and I cannot allow you to turn everything topsyturvy here in this way There has been trouble enough by your coming here already
Trouble enough Who says so Who is troubled
Mr Errington is troubled and I am troubled and—in short its altogether out of rule
Then he confesses does he that he is afraid of my coming here to make discoveries about him Why should he be troubled if he had nothing to conceal
Castalia spoke with trembling eagerness and excitement She had thrown all semblance of dignity or reserve to the winds She would have spoken as she was speaking at that moment in Whitford marketplace Gibbs looked at her and a doubt came into his mind as to whether his suspicions and other peoples suspicions about her were quite so wellfounded as he had thought She was terribly violent jealous insolent unconverted full of the leaven of unrighteousness—but was she a practised hypocrite a woman experienced in dishonesty For the life of him Obadiah Gibbs could not feel so sure of this as he had felt now that he looked into her poor haggard face and met her eyes and heard her utterly incautious and vehement speeches
As to me not telling you the truth Mrs Errington he said I suppose you know the truth as to why your visits here bring trouble on everybody
Tell it me you
Well I—oh you must be aware of it I suppose And if I was to tell you you would only be more angry and offended with me than ever though what I have done to excite your displeasure I dont know
Tell me this truth that I know so well Do you think I should seriously care for anything you could say except as it concerned my husband
Mrs Errington I dont know whether you are feigning or not But anyway I think it my duty to answer you with Christian sincerity It is borne in upon me that I ought to do so
Go on go on go on cried Castalia drumming with restless fingers on the table and looking up at the clerk with eyes that blazed with excitement and impatience
You are aware that there have been unpleasant circumstances at the postoffice—letters lost—moneyletters lost Well your name has been mentioned in connection with those losses It is known in Whitford that you come haunting the office at all hours when your husband is away A little while ago you paid a bill with some notes that were endorsed in a peculiar way People ask where you got those notes I thought it my duty to mention the subject to Mr Errington the other day He was greatly distressed of course He said he should interrogate you about the notes My advice to you is—in all sincerity and charity as the Lord sees me—to tell your husband the truth whatever it is
He ended his speech with a tremor of compassion in his voice and with a sudden breakdown of his rhetorical manner for Castalias face changed so piteously so terribly as he spoke that the mans heart was deeply touched by it She grew ashy pale The quick fingers that had been tapping impatiently on the table seemed turned to lead They lay there heavy and motionless Her mouth was half open and her eyes stared straight before her at the blank wall of the yard as though they saw a spectre
Lord have mercy on us she is guilty thought Obadiah Gibbs And at that moment if he could have hidden her crime from the eyes of all men I believe he would have done it at the cost of a lie
Of course youre not bound to say anything to me you know Mrs Errington he went on after a short pause And as he spoke he bent nearer to her to rouse her for she seemed neither to hear nor to see him Youd better go home now at once you dont seem very strong
Still she did not move
Look here Mrs Errington I—you may rely upon my not breaking a word—not one syllable to anybody else if you—if you will try to make things straight again as far as in your power lies Go home now pray do
Still she did not move
You dont look much able to walk I fear Shall I send the boy for a fly Let me send for a fly
He softly touched her shoulder as he spoke and she immediately turned her head and answered with a composure that startled him Yes get me a fly Then she sat quite still again staring at the wall as before
Gibbs went out into the outer office and sent the boy for a vehicle There he remained pen in hand behind his desk until the jingle of the fly was heard at the door He went back himself to the private office to call Castalia and found her sitting in exactly the same place and attitude She rose mechanically to her feet when he told her the fly was ready but as she began to walk towards the door she staggered and caught at Gibbss arm He supported her with a sort of quiet gravity—much as if he had been her old servant and she a cripple whose infirmity was a matter of course—which showed much delicacy of feeling and as they neared the door he said in her ear Take my advice maam and tell your husband the truth She turned her eyes on him with a singular look but said nothing Tell him the truth and—and look upward Lift your heart in prayer There is a fountain of grace and love ready for all who seek it
Not for me she answered in a very low but distinct voice
Oh my poor soul dont say so Dont think so
By this time she was in the carriage having been almost lifted into it by Gibbs She was perfectly quiet and tearless and as the vehicle drove away and Gibbs stood watching it disappear he said to himself that her face was as the face of a corpse
CHAPTER XVII
Castalia was driven home and walked up the path of the tiny garden in front of Ivy Lodge with a step much like her ordinary one She went into the drawingroom and looked about her curiously as if she were a stranger seeing the place for the first time Then she sat down for a minute still in her bonnet and shawl But she got up again quickly from the sofa holding her hand to her throat as if she were choking and went out to the garden behind the house and from thence to the meadows near the river There was at the bottom of the garden and outside of it a miserable dilapidated wooden shed euphoniously called a summerhouse There was a wormeaten wooden bench in it looking towards the Whit and commanding a view of the wide meadows on the other side of it of a turn in the river now leadcoloured beneath a dreary sky and of the distant spire of Duckwell Church rising beyond the hazy woods of Pudcombe No one ever entered this summerhouse It was rotting to pieces with damp and decay and was inhabited by a colony of insects and a toad that squatted in one corner In this wretched place Castalia sat down being indeed unable to walk farther but feeling a sensation of suffocation at the mere thought of returning to the house She fancied she could not breathe there A steaming mist was rising from the river and the damp meadows beyond it The grey clouds seemed to touch the grey horizon It was cold and the last brown leaf or two hanging as it seemed by a thread on the boughs of a tree just within sight from the summerhouse twirled and shook and shuddered in the slight gusts of wind that arose now and again There was not a sound to be heard except the mournful lowing of some cattle in a distant field until all at once a movement of the air brought from Whitford the sound of the old chimes muffled by the heavy atmosphere There sat Castalia and stared at the river and the mist and the brown withered leaves much as she had stared at the blank yard wall in the office
My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen upon me Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me and horror hath overwhelmed me
She heard a voice saying these words distinctly She did not start She scarcely felt surprise The direful lamentation was in harmony with all she saw and heard and felt
Again the voice spoke Our fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them They cried unto thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not confounded But I am a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people
Castalia heard scarcely listening The words flowed by her like a tune that brings tears to the eyes by mere sympathy with its sad sound
Presently a man passed before her walking with an unequal pace—now quick now slow now stopping outright He had his hands clasped at the back of his neck his head was bent down and he was talking aloud to himself
Aye there have been such The lot has fallen upon me I know it with a sure knowledge It is borne in upon me with a certainty that pierces through bone and marrow I am of the number of those that go down to the pit Why O Lord—Nay though he slay me yet will I trust in Him For he is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgment
He stopped in his walk stood still for a second or two and then turned to pace back again In so doing he saw Castalia She also looked full at him and recognised the Methodist preacher David Powell went up to her without hesitation He remembered her at once and he remembered too in a confused way something of what Mrs Thimbleby had been recently telling him about dissensions between this woman and her husband of unhappiness and quarrels and—what was that the widow had said of young Mrs Errington being jealous of Rhoda Ah yes He had it all now
The time had been when David Powell would have had to wrestle hard with indignation against anyone who should have spoken evil of Rhoda He would have felt a hot human flush of anger and would have combated it as a stirring of the unregenerate man within him But all such feelings were over with him No ray from the outside world appeared able to pierce the gloom which had gathered thicker and thicker in his own mind unless it touched his sense of sympathy with suffering He was still sensitive to that as certain chemicals are to the light
He went close up to Castalia and said without any preliminary or usual greeting You are in affliction Have you called upon the Lord Have you cast your burthen upon him He is a good shepherd He will carry the weary and footsore of his flock lest they faint by the way and perish utterly
It was noticeable when he spoke that his voice which had been of such full sweetness was now hoarse and even harsh here and there like a fine instrument that has been jarred This did not seem to be altogether due to physical causes for there still came out of his mouth every now and then a tone that was exquisitely musical But the discord seemed to be in the spirit that moved the voice and could not guide it with complete freedom and mastery
Castalia shook her head impatiently and turned her eyes away from him But she did not do so with any of her old hauteur and intimation of the vast distance which separated her from her humbler fellowcreatures Pain of mind had familiarised her with the conception that she held her humanity in common with a very heterogeneous multitude Had Powell been a sleek smug personage like Brother Jackson veiling profound selfcomplacency under the technical announcement of himself as a miserable sinner she might have turned from him in disgust As it was she felt merely the unwillingness to be disturbed of a creature in whom the numbness of apathy has succeeded to acute anguish She wanted to be rid of him He looked at her with the yearning pity which was so fundamental a part of his nature Pray he said clasping his hands together Go to your Father which is in Heaven and He shall give you rest Oh God loves you—he loves you
No one loves me returned Castalia with white rigid lips Then she got up from the bench and went back into her own garden and into the house with the air of a person walking in sleep
Powell looked after her sadly If she would but pray he murmured I would pray for her I would wrestle with the Lord on her behalf But—of late I have feared more and more that my prayers are not acceptable that my voice is an abomination to the Lord
He resumed his walk along the river bank speaking aloud and gesticulating to himself as he went
Meanwhile Castalia wandered about her own house like a ghost as the servants said She went from the little diningroom to the drawingroom and then she painfully mounted the steep staircase to her bedroom opened the door of her husbands little dressingcloset shut it again and went downstairs once more She could not sit still she could not read she could not even think She could only suffer and move about restlessly as if with a dim instinctive idea of escaping from her suffering Presently she began to open the drawers of a little toy cabinet in the drawingroom and examine their contents as if she had never seen them before From that she went to a windowseat made hollow and with a cushioned lid so that it served as a seat and a box and began to rummage among its contents These consisted chiefly of valueless scraps odds and ends put there to be hidden and out of the way Among them were some of poor Mrs Erringtons weddingpresents to her son and daughterinlaw Castalias maid Slater had unceremoniously consigned these to oblivion together with a few other oldfashioned articles under the generic name of rubbish There was a pair of handscreens elaborately embroidered in silk very faded and out of date Mrs Errington declared them to be the work of her grandaunt the beautiful Miss Jacintha Ancram who made such a great match and became a Marchioness There was an ancient carved ivory fan yellow with age brought by a cadet of the house of Ancram from India as a present to some forgotten sweetheart There was a little cardboard box covered with fragments of raised ricepaper arranged in a pattern This was the work of Mrs Erringtons own hands in her schoolgirl days and was of the kind called then if I mistake not filagree work Castalia took these and other things out of the windowseat and examined them and put them back one by one moving exactly like an automaton figure that had been wound up to perform those motions When she came to the filagree box she opened that too There was a Tonquin bean in it filling the box with its faint sweet odour There was a pair of gold buckles that seemed to be attenuated with age and a garnetbrooch with one or two stones missing And then at the bottom of the box was something flat wrapped in silver paper She unwrapped it and looked at it
It was a watercolour drawing done by Algernon immediately on his return from Llanryddan in the first flush of his lovemaking and represented himself and Rhoda standing side by side in front of the little cottage where they had lodged there Algernon had given himself pinker cheeks bluer eyes and more ambercoloured hair than nature had endowed him with Rhoda was equally overtinted There was no merit in the drawing which was stiff and schoolboyish but the very exaggerations of form and colour emphasised the likeness in a way not to be mistaken
Castalia trembled from head to foot as she looked on the two rosy simpering faces A curious ripple or tremor ran over her body such as may be observed in persons recovering consciousness after a swoon She tore the drawing into small fragments Her teeth were set Her eyes glared She looked like a murderess She trod the scattered bits into the carpet with her heel Then as if with an afterthought she swept them contemptuously into the bright steel shovel and threw them into the fire and stood and watched them blaze and smoulder After that she wrapped her shawl more tightly round her—she had forgotten to remove either it or her bonnet on coming in—and went out at the front door and walked straight into Whitford and to Jonathan Maxfields house
She asked for the master The old man was at home in the little parlour and Sally showed Mrs Errington into the room almost without the ceremony of tapping with her knuckles at the door and then made off to the kitchen to tell Mrs Grimshaw The ladys face had scared her
Old Max was sitting near the dull fire which burned in the grate The big Bible his constant companion now lay open on the table But he had not been devoting his attention to that solely He had had a large oldfashioned wooden desk brought down from his own room and had been fingering the papers in it reading some and merely glancing at the outside folds of others He now looked up at Castalia without recognising her
What is your business with me he asked peering at her in perplexity
Ive come to speak to you—— began Castalia and at the first sound of her voice Maxfield recognised her He remembered the only visit she had paid him previously when she came to beg that Rhoda might be allowed to visit her She had taken a great fancy to his pretty Rhoda this skinny yellowfaced fine lady Ha Well she might show what civilities she pleased to Rhoda No objection to that Indeed it was a proceeding to be encouraged seeing that it probably caused a good deal of discomfort and embarrassment to Algernon So he gave a little nod meant to be courteous and said Oh I didnt just know you at first Wont you be seated
Castalia refused by a gesture and stood still opposite to him with one hand on the table apparently in some embarrassment how to begin Then it flashed on old Max that this Honourable Missis as he called her had probably come to thank him and found it not altogether easy to do so But what could Castalia have to thank him for This Rhoda had so implored her father to relieve Algernon from his anxiety about the bills that at length the old man had said with a chuckle Tell you what Rhoda Ill hand em over to Mr Diamond and maybe he will give them to you as a wedding present if he gets the school And then you can do what you like with em My gentleman wont be above taking a present from you or your husband Ive seen what meanness she can do and what dirt he can swallow and not even make a wry face over it Aye dirt as would turn many a poor labouring mans stomach
Rhoda upon this had consulted Matthew Diamond and had not found it difficult to make him agree with her wish to give up the bills to Algernon Indeed although he had almost come to old Maxs opinion of his former pupil he would not for the world have behaved so as to make Rhoda suppose that he bore him a grudge Rhodas errand to the postoffice that afternoon had been to bring Algernon this comforting news She had taken care not to tell her father of Mrs Algernons behaviour but had come home and cried a little quietly in her own room and kept her tears and the cause of them to herself Therefore it was that Jonathan Maxfield supposed the fine lady to have come to thank him for his magnanimity on behalf of her absent husband and he was already preparing to give her a dose as he phrased it and to spare her no item of Rhodas prosperity and wealth and good prospects in the world
Castalia remained leaning with one hand on the table and did not continue her speech during the second or two in which these thoughts and intentions were passing through old Maxfields brain But it was by no means that she hesitated from embarrassment or lack of words rather the words crowded to her lips too quickly and fiercely for utterance
Ive come to speak to you about your daughter she said at length
Aye aye Miss Maxfields a bit of a friend o yours Miss Maxfields allus been very kind to all the famly ever since weve known em But youd best be seated
They say you are an honest decent man Castalia went on neither seating herself nor noticing the invitation to do so It may be so I am willing to believe it But if so you are grossly deceived cheated and played upon by that vile girl
Maxfield brought his two clenched fists heavily down on the table and half raised himself in his chair Stop said he Who are you talking of
You may believe me I tell you I have watched—I have seen She was in love with my husband years ago She used every art to catch him And now—now that he is married she receives secret visits from him Do you know that he came at night—ten oclock at night—to your house when you were away She goes to the postoffice slily to see him I caught her there this morning leaving a private message for him with the clerk Is that decent Is it what you wish Do you sanction it She writes to him She has turned his heart against me He schemes to keep me out of the office I know why now Oh yes I am not the blind dupe they think for She has made him more cruel more wicked to me than I could have imagined any man could be My heart is broken But as true as there is a God in Heaven Ill have amends made to me She shall beg my pardon on her knees And you had better look to it if you dont want her character to be torn to pieces by every foul tongue in this town I have borne enough Keep her at home Keep her from decoying other womens husbands I warn you——
Maxfield who had been struggling to reach the bell pulled it so violently that the wire was broken At the peal Betty Grimshaw came running in terrified Mercy brotherinlaw she cried What is it
Get the police gasped old Max as if he were choking Send some one for a policeman to turn that mad quean out of my house Shes not fit for a decent house Shes—shes——Oh but you shall repent this Ill sell you up every stick of trumpery in the place You audacious Jezebel Turn her out of doors I say Do you hear me
Betty and the servant stood white and quivering looking from the old man unable to rise from his chair without help and the lady who stood opposite to him glaring with a Medusa face Neither of the two frightened women stirred hand or foot to fulfil the masters behest But Castalia relieved them from any perplexity on that score at least by voluntarily turning to leave the room In the doorway she met Rhoda who had run downstairs in alarm at the violent pealing of the bell Castalia drew herself suddenly aside as though something unspeakably loathsome stood in her path held her dress away from any passing contact with the amazed girl and rushed out of the house
CHAPTER XVIII
Algernons state of mind during his return journey to Whitford was very much pleasanter than it had been on his way up to town To be sure he had committed himself distinctly to a very grave statement That was always disagreeable But then he had made an immense impression on Lord Seely by his statement He had crushed and overwhelmed that pompous little ass He had humiliated that absurd little upstart And—best of all for these others were mere dilettante pleasures which no man of intelligence would indulge in at the cost of his solid interests—he had terrified him so completely with the spectre of a public scandal and disgrace that my lord was ready to do anything to help him and Castalia out of England Of that there could be no doubt
It must be owned that Algernon had so far justified the quick suspicions of his Whitford creditors and acquaintances as to have conceived for a moment the idea of never more returning to that uninteresting town It was extremely exhilarating to be in the position of a bachelor at large to find himself free for a time of the dead weight of debt which seemed to make breathing difficult in Whitford for although by plodding characters the relief might not have been felt until the debts were paid Algernon Erringtons spirit was of a sort that rose buoyant as ever directly the external pressure was removed It was delightful to be reinstated in the enjoyment of his reputation as a charming fellow—much fallen into oblivion at Whitford And perhaps it was pleasantest of all to feel strengthened in the assurance that he still was a charming fellow with capacities for winning admiration and making a brilliant figure quite uninjured although they had been temporarily eclipsed by all the cloud of troubles which had gathered around him
So he had for a moment thought of fairly running away from wife and duns and dangers of official severities But it was but a brief unsubstantial vision that flashed for an instant and was gone Algernon was too clearsighted not to perceive that the course was inconvenient—nay to one of his temperament impracticable People who started off to live on their wits in a foreign country ought to be armed with a coarser indifference to material comforts than he was gifted with Alternations of ortolans and champagne with bread and onions would be—even supposing one could be sure of the ortolans which Algernon knew he could not—entirely repugnant to his temperament He had no such strain of adventurousness as would have given a pleasant glow of excitement to the endurance of privation under any circumstances whatever Professed Bohemians might talk as they pleased about kicking over traces and getting rid of trammels and so forth but for his part he had never felt his spirit in the least oppressed by velvet hangings gilded furniture or French cookery Whereas to be obliged to wear shabby gloves would have been a kind of trammel he would strongly have objected to In a word he desired to be luxuriously comfortable always And he consistently albeit perhaps mistakenly for the cleverest of us are liable to error endeavoured to be so
Therefore he did not ship himself aboard an emigrant vessel for the United States nor did he even cross the Channel to Calais but found himself in a corner of the mailcoach on the night after Jack Prices supper party bowling along not altogether unpleasantly towards Whitford He had not seen Lord Seely again He had inquired for him at his house and had been told that his lordship was worse was confined to bed entirely and that Dr Nokes had called in two other physicians in consultation Deuce of a job if he dies before I get a berth thought Algernon But before he had gone many yards down the street he was in a great measure reassured as to that danger by seeing Lady Seely in her big yellow coach with Fido on the seat beside her and her favourite nephew lounging on the cushions opposite The nephew had been apparently entertaining Lady Seely by some amusing story for she was laughing rather to the ear than the eye as was her custom for my lady made a great noise sending out Hahahas with a kind of defiant distinctness whilst all the while eyes and mouth plainly professed themselves disdainful of too cordial a hilarity and ready to stop short in a second and stroking Fido very unconcernedly with one fat tightlygloved hand Now although Algernon did not give my lady credit for much depth of sentiment he felt sure that she would for various reasons have been greatly disquieted had any danger threatened her husbands life and would certainly not have left his side to drive in the Park with young Reginald So he drew the inference that my lord was not so desperately ill as he had been told and that the servants had had orders to give him that account in order to keep him away—which was pretty nearly the fact
The old woman would be in a fury with me when my lord told her he had promised me that post without consulting her thought Algernon and would tell any lie to keep me out of the house But we shall beat her this time As he so thought he pulled off his hat and made so distinguished and condescending a bow to my lady that her nephew who was nearsighted and did not recognise Errington pulled off his own hat in a hurry very awkwardly and acknowledged the salute with some confused idea that the graceful gentleman was a foreigner of distinction whilst my lady turning purple shook her head at him in anger at the whole incident All which Algernon saw understood and was immensely diverted by
In summing up the results of his journey to town he was satisfied Things were certainly not so pleasant as they might be But were they not better on the whole than when he had left Whitford He decidedly thought they were which did not of course diminish his sense of being a victim to circumstances and the Seely family Anyway he had broken with Whitford My lord must get him out of that baraque The very thought of leaving the place raised his spirits And as he had the coach to himself during nearly all the journey he was able to stretch his legs and make himself comfortable and he awoke from a sound and refreshing sleep as the mailcoach rattled into the High Street and rumbled under the archway of the Blue Bell
The hour was early and the morning was raw and Algernon resolved to refresh himself with a hot bath and breakfast before proceeding to Ivy Lodge No use disturbing Mrs Errington so early he said to the landlord who appeared just as Algernon was sipping his tea before a blazing fire Very good devilled kidneys Mr Rumbold he added condescendingly Mr Rumbold rubbed his hands and stood looking halfsulkily halfdeferentially at his guest His wife had said to him Dont you go chatting with that young Errington Rumbold not if you want to get your money I know what he is and I know what you are Rumbold and hell talk you over in no time
But Mr Rumbold had allowed his own valour to override his wifes discretion and had declared that he would make the young man understand before he left the Blue Bell that it was absolutely necessary to settle his account there without delay And the result justified Mrs Rumbolds apprehension for Algernon Errington drove away from the inn without having paid even for the breakfast he had eaten there that morning and having added the vehicle which carried him home to the long list beginning Flys A Errington Esq in which he figured as debtor to the landlord of the Blue Bell He had flourished Lord Seely in Mr Rumbolds face with excellent effect and was feeling quite cheerful when he alighted at the gate of Ivy Lodge
It was still early according to Castalias reckoning—little more than ten oclock So he was not surprised at not finding her in the drawingroom or the diningroom Lydia of whom he inquired at length as to where her mistress was having first bade her light a fire for him to have a cigar by before going to the office—Lydia said with a queer halfscared halfsaucy look Laws sir missus has been out this hour and a half
Out
Yes sir She said as how she couldnt rest in her bed nor yet in the house sir Polly made her take a cup of tea and then she went off to Whit Meadow
To Whit Meadow In this damp raw weather at nine oclock in the morning
Please sir me and Polly thought it wasnt safe for missus and her so delicate But she would go
Algernon shrugged his shoulders and said no more Before the girl left the room she said Oh and please sir heres some letters as came for you pointing to a little heap of papers on Castalias desk
Left alone Algernon drew his chair up to the fire and lit a cigar He did not hasten himself to examine the letters Bills of course What else could they be He began to smoke and ruminate He would have liked to see Castalia before going to the office He would have liked to make his own representation to her of the story he had told Lord Seely She must be got to corroborate it unknowingly if possible He reflected with some bitterness that she had lately shown so much power of opposing him that it might be she would insist on taking a course of conduct which would upset all the combination he—with the help of chance circumstances—had so neatly pieced together And then he reflected further knitting his brows a little that at any cost she must be prevented from spoiling his plans and that her conduct lately had been so strange that it wouldnt be very difficult to convince the world of her insanity Gad Im almost convinced of it myself said Algernon half aloud But it was not true
The fire was warm the room was quiet the cigar was good the chair was easy Algernon felt tempted to sit still and put off the moment when he must reenter the Whitford Postoffice He shuddered as he thought of the place with a kind of physical repulsion Nevertheless it must be faced once or twice more Not much more often he hoped He rose up put on a greatcoat and said to himself lazily as he ran his fingers through his hair in front of the lookingglass Where the devil can Castalia have gone mooning to Then he turned to leave the room As he turned his eyes fell on the little heap of letters He took them up and turned them over with a grimace
Hm Ravell—respectful compliments Ah no your mouth ought to have been stopped I think But thats the way More they get more they want Never pay an instalment Fatal precedent Whats this—a lawyers letter Gladwish Oh Very well Mr Gladwish Nous verrons Chemist What on earth— Oh rosewater Better than his boluses I daresay but not very good and quite humorously dear Extortionate rascal And who are you my illiteratelooking friend
He took a square blue envelope between his finger and thumb and examined the cramped handwriting on it running in a slanting line from one corner to the other It was addressed to Mr Algernon Errington Some very angry creditor who wont even indulge me with the customary Esquire thought Algernon with a contemptuous smile and some genuine amusement Then he opened it It was from Jonathan Maxfield
CHAPTER XIX
In about a quarter of an hour after reading that letter Algernon called to the servants to know if their mistress had come back He did not ring as usual but went to the door of the kitchen and spoke to both the women saying that he was uneasy at Mrs Erringtons absence and did not like to go to the office without seeing her He said two or three times how strange it was that his wife should have wandered out in that way and plainly showed considerable anxiety about her Both the women remarked how pale and upset their master looked Oh its enough to wear out anybody the way she goes on said Lydia Poor young man A nice way to welcome him home
Ah returned Polly the cook shaking her head Im afraid theres going to be awful trouble with missus poor thing I believe shes half out of her mind with jealousy Just think how shes been going on about Miss Maxfield Why tis all over the place And they say old Max is going to law against her or something But I cant but pity her poor thing
Oh they say worse of her than being out of her mind with jealousy returned Lydia Dont you know what Mrs Ravells housemaid told her young man at the grocers Et cetera et cetera
The discussion was checked in full career by their master returning to say that he should not go to the office until he had seen Mrs Errington and that he was then going to Whit Meadow to look for her He went out past the kitchen and through the garden at the back of the house
He looked about him when he got to the garden gate Nothing to be seen but damp green meadow leaden sky and leaden river Where was Castalia A thought shot into his mind swift and keen as an arrow—had she thrown herself into the Whit And if she had what a load of his cares would be drowned with her He walked a few paces towards the town then turned and looked in the opposite direction For as far as he could see there was not a human being on the meadowpath His eyes were very good and he used them eagerly scanning all the space of Whit Meadow within their range of vision At length he caught sight of something moving among a clump of low bushes—blackberry bushes and dogroses a tangle of leafless spikes now although in the summer they would be fresh and fragrant and the holiday haunt of little merry children—which grew on a sloping part of the bank between him and the Whit He walked straight towards it and as he drew nearer became satisfied that the moving figure was that of his wife He recognised a dark tartan shawl which she wore It was not bright enough to be visible at a long distance but as he advanced he became sure that he knew it In a few minutes the husband and wife stood face to face
This is a nice reception to give me said Algernon in a hard cold voice after they had looked at each other for a second and Castalia had remained silent and still In truth she was physically unable to speak to him in that first moment of meeting Her heart throbbed so that every beat of it seemed like an angry blow threatening her life
Why do you wander out alone in this way Why do you conduct yourself like a mad woman Though indeed perhaps you are not so wrong there madness might excuse your conduct Nothing else can
I couldnt stay in that house I should have died there Everything in every room reminded me of you
She answered so faintly that he had to strain his ear to hear her and her colourless lips trembled as the lips tremble of a person trying to keep back tears But her eyes were quite dry
Algernon was pale with the peculiar ghastly pallor of a fresh ruddy complexion His blue eyes had a glitter in them like ice not fire and there was a set sarcastic bitter smile on his mouth
Look here Castalia we had better understand one another at once I shall begin by telling you what I have resolved upon and what I have done and you will then have to obey me implicitly There must be no sort of discussion or hesitation Come back to the house with me at once
She shook her head quickly No no Tell me here—out here by ourselves where no one can hear us I cannot bear to go into that house yet
Pshaw What intolerable fooling Well here be it I have no time to waste I have seen your uncle Dont interrupt me He has promised to get us out of this cursed place and to find a post for me abroad as consul I had to exercise a good deal of persistence and ability to bring him to that point but to that point I have brought him We must keep him to it and be active My lady will move heaven and earth—or tother place and earth which is more in her line—to thwart us Now when it is necessary to keep things here as smooth as possible to arouse no suspicion that we may be off at a moments notice to hold out hopes of everything being settled by Lord Seelys help what do I find I find that you have gone to a man who is a creditor of mine who is not over fond of me to begin with and have grossly and outrageously insulted him and his daughter Just as if you had ingeniously cast about for the most effectual means of doing me a mischief I found this letter on the table He threatens to ruin me and he can do it If my name is posted my bills protested and a public hullabaloo made about them and other matters your uncles influence will hardly suffice to get me the berth I want in the face of the opposition newspapers bellowing on the subject Your uncle is but small beer in London at best But that much he might have managed if you hadnt behaved in this maniacal way
And how have you behaved Oh Ancram Ancram I would not have believed—I could not—— She burst into tears and sank down on the damp grass covering her face with her hands and shaking with sobs
Listen Castalia Do you hear me said her husband shaking her lightly by the arm
She did not answer but continued to cry convulsively rocking herself to and fro
Algernon stood looking down upon her with folded arms Upon my soul he said after a minute and with a contemptuous little nod of the head which expressed an unbounded sense of the hopeless imbecility of the woman at his feet and of his own longsuffering tolerance towards her Upon my life and soul Castalia I have never even heard of anyone so outrageously unreasonable as you are Your jealousy—we may as well speak plainly—your jealousy has passed the bounds of sanity But as I told you I am not going to argue with you I am going to give directions for your guidance since it is quite clear you are unable to guide yourself In the first place——for Gods sake stop that noise he cried a sudden fierce irritation piercing through his selfrestraint In the first place you must make a full free and humble apology to Rhoda Maxfield
Castalia started to her feet and confronted him Never she said I will never do it
I told you I was not going to argue with you I am giving you your orders A full free and humble—very humble—apology to Rhoda Maxfield is our one chance of softening her father And if you have any sense or conscience left you must know that Rhoda richly deserves every apology you can make her
You think so do you
Yes I think so She is a thoroughly good and charming girl The only crime she has ever committed against you is being young and pretty And if you quarrel with every woman who is so you will find the battle a rather unequal one He could not resist the sneer He detested Castalia at that moment Her whole nature her violence her passionate jealousy her no less passionate love her piteous grief her demands on some sentiment in himself which he knew to be nonexistent every turn of her body every tone of her voice were at that moment intensely repulsive to him
The poor thing was stung into such pain by his taunt that she scarcely knew what she said or what she did
Oh I know she cried that you care more for her than for me A pinkandwhite face thats all you value More than wife or—or—anything in the world More than the honour of a gentleman Shes a devil a sly sleek little devil She has got your love away from me She has made you tell lies and be cruel to me But Ill expose her to all the world
What in the name of all thats incomprehensible has put this craze into your head against Rhoda Maxfield Its the wildest thing
Oh Ancram you cant deceive me any longer I know—I have seen She came on the sly to see you at the office You used to go to her when you told me you had to be busy at the office I watched you I followed you all down Whitford High Street one night and found out that you were cheating me
Ha And you also opened my desk at the office and took out letters and papers Do you know what people are called who do such things said Algernon now in a white heat of anger
She drew back and looked at him Yes she said I know
Have you no shame then No common sense You attack a young lady—yes a lady A far better lady than you are—of whom you take it into your head to be jealous merely because she is pretty and admired by everybody By me amongst the everybodies Why not I didnt lose my eyesight when I married you You talk about my not loving you—— Do you think you go the way to make me do anything but detest the sight of you You disgrace me in the town You disgrace me before my clerk in the office You and your relations persecuted me into marrying you and now you havent even the decency to behave like a rational being but make yourself a laughingstock and me a butt for contemptuous pity in having tied myself to such a woman One would have thought you would try to make some amends for the troubles I have been plunged into by my marriage
She put her hands up one to each side of her head and held them there tightly pressed Ancram she said do you detest the sight of me
Youve tried your best to make me
Have you no spark of kindness or affection for me in your heart—not one
Come Castalia let us have done with this I thoroughly dislike and object to scenes of any kind You have a taste for them unfortunately What you have to do now is to do as I bid you and try to make your peace by begging Rhodas pardon and so trying to undo a little of the mischief your insane temper has caused
Ancram say one kind word to me
Good God Castalia How can you be so exasperatingly childish
One word Say you love me a little still Say you did love me when you married me Dont let me believe that I have been a miserable dupe all along
She no longer refused pointblank to obey him She was bending into her old attitude of submission to his wishes His ascendancy over her was paramount still But she had made herself thoroughly obnoxious to him and must be punished Algernons resentments were neither quick nor numerous but they were lasting His distaste for certain temperaments was profound Castalias intensity of emotion and her ungoverned way of showing it roused a sense of antagonism in him which came nearer to passion than anything he had ever felt With the sure instinct of cruelty he confronted her wild eager supplicating face with a hard cold sarcastic smile and a slight shrug A blow from his hand would have been tender by comparison Then he pulled out his watch and said How long do you intend this performance to last in the quietest voice in the world And all the while he was in a white heat of anger as I have said
Oh Ancram Oh Ancram she cried Then with a sudden change of tone she said Will you promise me one thing Will you swear never to see Rhoda Maxfield again If you will do that I will—I will—try to forgive you
To forgive me Then you really have lost your senses
No I wish I had I would rather be mad than know what I know But think Ancram think well before you refuse me This one thing is all I ask Never see or speak to her or write to her again—not even when I am dead Swear it I think if you swore it you would keep to it wouldnt you This one poor thing for all I have borne for all I am willing to bear Ill take that as a proof that you dont love her best Ill be content with that Ill give up everything else in the whole world Only do this one thing for me Ancram I beg it on my knees
She did indeed fall on her knees as she spoke and stretched out her clasped hands towards him For one second their eyes met then he turned his way and said as quietly as ever I am going to Mr and Miss Maxfield at once with the most effectual apology which could be offered to them—namely that you are a maniac and in any case not responsible for your actions nor to be treated like a rational being
She staggered up to her feet Very well she gasped out then I shall not spare you—nor her I have had a letter from my uncle He has told me what you accused me of I went to the office That man there told me the same The notes that I paid away to Ravell—you wondered—you were uneasy Why you gave me them yourself Oh Ancram how could you have the heart I wish I was dead
I wish to God you were
She was standing close to the edge of the steep slippery bank and when he said these words she staggered and with a little heartbroken moan put out her hand to clutch at him groping like a blind person He shook off her grasp with a sudden rough movement and the next instant she was deep in the dark icecold water
CHAPTER XX
It was past midday when a loud peal at the bell of Ivy Lodge startled the women in the kitchen Polly ran to the front door to open it There stood her master who pushed quickly into the house past her Is your mistress come back he asked almost breathlessly
No sir Oh mercy me whats the matter What has happened she cried for his face showed undisguised terror and agitation He sat down in the diningroom and asked for a glass of wine Having drunk it at a gulp he said I cannot understand it I have been nearly to Whitford along the meadowpath I didnt try the other way but then she would not have wandered towards Duckwell surely Then I crossed the fields and came back by the road looking everywhere and asking every one I met Nothing to be seen of her Your mistresss manner has been so strange of late You must have noticed it I—I—am afraid—I cannot help being afraid that some terrible thing has happened to her I have had a dreadful weight and presentiment on my mind all the morning Where can she be
Oh no no sir Never fear Shell be all safe somewheres or other Shell just have gone wandering on into the town She have been strange in her ways poor thing and we couldnt but see it sir But she cant have come to no harm Theres nothing to hurt her hereabout
Thus honest Polly consolingly But she was infected too by the terror in her masters white face
You dont know said he tremulously what reason I have for uneasiness He drew out from his pocketbook a torn scrap of paper with some writing on it I found this on the floor by her desk this morning This is what alarmed me so before I went out but I wouldnt say anything about it then
Polly stared at the paper with eager curiosity but the sharp slanting writing puzzled her eyes never quite at their ease with the alphabet in any shape Is it missuss writing she asked
Yes see she talks of being so wretched Why God knows Her mind has been quite unhinged That is the only explanation And you see she says It will not be long before this misery is at an end I cannot live on as I am living I will not
Lord ha mercy upon us ejaculated the woman on whom the full force of her masters anxiety and alarm suddenly broke Her round ruddy cheeks grew almost as white as his and Lydia who had been peeping and listening at the door burst out crying and began uttering a series of incoherent phrases
Hold your noise said Polly roughly Theres troubles enough without you Now look ye here sir Ill put on my bonnet and go right down into Whitford You take a look along Whit Meadow up Duckwell way I bet ten pounds shes there somewheres about She has taken to going about through the fields hasnt she Lydia Oh hold your noise and try and do something to help you whimpering fool
Pollys violent excitement and trepidation took a practical form whilst the other woman was utterly helpless She was bidden to stay at home and receive missus and tell her that master was come back and beg her to bide still in the house until he should return
But Im afraid shell never come back sobbed Lydia Im so frightened to stop here by myself
Ugh you great silly Havent you got no feeling for the poor husband He looks scared wellnigh to death poor lad And as for you it aint much you care whats become of missus You never had a good word for her Youre only crying because youre a coward
Meanwhile Algernon sat in the little diningroom with a strange sensation as if every muscle in his body had been turned into lead He must get up and go out as the woman had said He must But there he sat with that sensation of marvellous weight holding him down in his chair The house was absolutely still Lydia unable to remain alone in the kitchen had gone to stand at the front door and stare up and down the road Thus she heard nothing of footsteps approaching the house at the back coming hurriedly through the garden and pausing at the threshold of the door which was open
Presently after some muttered conversation in which two or three voices took part a man entered the house and came along the passage looking as he went into the kitchen and finding no one Just as he reached the door of the diningroom Algernon came out and confronted him
Theres been an accident sir Im sorry to say said the man The alarm was given up our way about an hour and a half ago Somebodys fallen into the Whit Im very sorry sir but Im afraid you must prepare for bad news
Whilst he was still speaking the house had filled with an evergathering crowd People stood in the passage peeping over each others shoulders and pushing to get a glimpse of Algernon There were even faces pressed to the windows outside and the garden was blocked up Polly had come hurrying back from the town and now elbowed her way through the crowd to her master She soon cleared the passage of the throng of idlers who blocked it up and shut them outside the door by main force They still swarmed about the house and garden both on the side of the road and that of Whit Meadow And their numbers increased every minute Polly pulled the man who had been spokesman into the diningroom and bade him say what he had to say without further preamble Its no use preparing him she said pointing to Algernon who had sunk into a chair and was holding his forehead with his hands youll only make it worse Im afraid you cant tell him anything dreadfuller than hes got into his head already Speak out
Thus requested the man a carpenter of Pudcombe village told his tale Some men working in the fields about a mile above Whitford—half a mile perhaps from Ivy Lodge had heard cries for help from the meadows near the river He the carpenter happened to be passing along a field path from a farmhouse where he had been at work and ran with the labourers down to the waters edge There they saw David Powell the Methodist preacher wildly shouting for help and with clothes dripping wet He had waded waistdeep into the Whit to try to save some one who was drowning there but in vain He could not swim and the current had carried the drowning person out of his reach You know said the carpenter there are some ugly swirls and currents in the Whit for all it looks so sluggish A boat had been got out and manned and had made all speed in the direction Powell pointed out He insisted on accompanying them in his wet clothes They searched the river for some time in vain They had got as far as Duckwell Reach when they caught sight of a dark object close in shore It was the form of a woman Her clothes had caught in the broken stump of an old willow that grew half in the water and she was thus held there swinging to and fro with the current She was taken out and carried to Duckwell Farm where every effort had been made to restore her to consciousness Powell understood the best methods to employ The Seth Maxfields had done everything in their power but it was no use She had never moved nor breathed nor quivered an eyelash
That was the substance of the carpenters story
Is she dead asked Algernon with his face hidden They were the first words he had spoken And when the man answered with a mournful but positive Yes quite quite dead he said not a syllable further but turned away from them and buried his head in the cushions of the chair
He hasnt even asked who the woman was whispered the carpenter to Polly The tears were streaming down the womans cheeks Castalia had not made herself beloved in her own house but Polly had felt the sort of regard for her which grows by acts of kindness and forbearance and compassion performed She shook her head and answered in an equally low tone No need for him to ask poor young fellow Weve all been fearing something dreadful about missus all morning And he had his reasons for being afraid as she had gone and done something desperate
What—you dont mean that she made away with herself said the carpenter raising his hands
Oh thats more than you and I know Best say nothing How can we judge Poor soul Well I always did feel sorry for her and that Ill say Though mind you Im sorry for him too But theres some folks as cant stroke the dog without kicking the cat
The news spread rapidly through Whitford and caused the utmost excitement there Mrs Algernon Errington had been found drowned in the Whit How—whether by accident or design—no one knew But that did not prevent people from hazarding a thousand conjectures She had wandered out alone had ventured too near the edge of the slippery bank and had lost her footing She had been robbed and thrown into the river She had committed suicide from ungovernable jealousy She had committed suicide in a fit of insanity She had become a hypochondriac She had gone raving mad She had committed various frauds at the postoffice and had killed herself in terror at the prospect of their coming to light This latter hypothesis found much credence So many circumstances—trifling perhaps in themselves, but important when massed together—seemed to corroborate it And then if that did not seem an adequate motive for the desperate deed Castalias notorious and passionate jealousy was thrown in as a makeweight There would be a coroners inquest of course And the chief witness at it would probably be David Powell It appeared he was the last person who had seen the unfortunate woman alive
Mrs Thimbleby was in terrible affliction Mr Powell was very ill He had plunged into the icecold river and had then remained for hours in his wet clothes He had not been able to walk back from Duckwell Farm and Farmer Maxfield had brought him home himself in his springcart and had bidden widow Thimbleby look after him a little for he Maxfield thought the preacher in a very bad way He was seized with violent fits of shivering and the doctor whom Mrs Thimbleby sent for to see him on her own responsibility told them to get him into bed at once to keep him warm and to administer certain remedies which he ordered But no word would Powell speak about his ailments to the doctor or to anyone else He waved off all questions with a determined though gentle resolution He allowed himself to be helped into bed being absolutely unable to stand or walk without assistance And he did not refuse the warm clothing which the widow heaped upon him He lay still and passive but he would say no word of his symptoms and sensations to the doctor The man can in no wise help me he said to Mrs Thimbleby All the wisdom of this world is foolishness to one whom the Lord has laid his hands on I am bowed as a reed yea I am broken
His voice was hoarse and feeble and his eyes blazed with a feverish light The widow found it vain to importune him to swallow the medicines that had been sent In her heart she had some misgivings that it might be wrong to interfere in the dealings of Providence with so holy a man by administering drugs to him But the misgivings never reached a point of conviction that might have comforted her
Ill leave you quiet awhile Mr Powell she said Maybe youll sleep and that would do you more good than anything Sleep is Gods own cure for a many troubles isnt it
He looked at her with a wild unrecognising stare When I say my bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint then thou scarest me with dreams and terrifiest me through visions he murmured
The good woman softly went away wiping the tears from her eyes One thing is a mercy said the poor soul to herself and that is that Mr Diamond is so kind and thoughtful He gives no trouble and is a help on the contrary And Im sure I dont know how we should have managed without his arm to help Mr Powell upstairs And another thing is a mercy—I hope it isnt wrong to feel it so—that Mrs Errington is out of the house I do not know how I should have been strengthened to keep up and attend upon her and she in such a way poor thing The Lord has had pity on us for Mr Powells sake
Minnie Bodkin had driven to Mrs Thimblebys house early in the afternoon and taken Mrs Errington away with her Mrs Errington had rushed to Ivy Lodge under the first shock of the terrible news which Mr Smith the surgeon communicated to her She had seen her son for a few minutes Her intention had been to remain with him but this he would not allow He had insisted on his mothers returning to her own lodgings after a very brief interview with him
No wonder he cant bear to have her about though she is his mother Tiresome old thing exclaimed Lydia peevishly
But if Algernon got rid of his mother as quickly as possible he refused to admit any one else at all and remained shut up in the diningroom whither he had had a sofa carried meaning to sleep there He had been obliged to receive Seth Maxfield who came to ask when and how he would wish his wifes body conveyed from Duckwell Farm to Whitford Cant she stay there he had asked in a dazed sort of manner Then added quickly turning away his head Ill leave it all to you Youve been very good Youve done everything for the best I am sure And he put out his hand to the farmer with his face still turned away And later on he had had to see some officials about the inquest But after that was over he locked his door and refused to open it except to Polly when she brought him food He ate almost ravenously drank a great deal of wine and then lay down and dozed away the hours until dawn next day
CHAPTER XXI
The inquest was to be held at the Blue Bell inn And after the inquest the dust of the Honourable Castalia Errington was to be laid beneath the turf of the humble village churchyard amidst less noble dust with the daisies growing impartially above all and spreading their pinkedged petals over the just and the unjust alike
It was now currently reported that the thefts at the postoffice had been Castalias doing Mrs Smith and Mrs Dockett had been sure of it all along—so they said and so they really imagined now The story of the mysterious notes paid to Ravell the draper was in every mouth Roger Heath went about saying that Mr Errington ought to make his loss good out of his own pocket if he had any feelings of honour But all the people who had not lost any money in the postoffice were disgusted at Roger Heaths hardness and avarice and asked indignantly if that was the moment to speak of such things For the tragedy of Castalias death had produced a strong effect in Whitford Perhaps there was not one human being in the town who grieved that she was gone but many were oppressed by the manner of her going People had an uneasy feeling in remembering how much they had disliked her almost as if their dislike made them guilty of her death in some vague faroff inexplicable way They told themselves and each other that though her manners had been repellent poor thing yet for their part they had always felt sorry for her and had long perceived that her mind was astray and that she was falling into a low melancholy state that was likely to lead to some terrible catastrophe By this time scarcely any one in Whitford entertained a doubt as to Castalias having destroyed herself And the social verdict Temporary insanity was pronounced in assured anticipation that the legal verdict would be to that effect also
There were two men who did not mystify themselves by conjuring up any factitious tenderness about Castalias memory and who gave way to no superstitious uneasiness of conscience as to their dislike of her when she was alive One of these men was Jonathan Maxfield the other was the dead womans husband
Maxfield had no retrospective softness on the subject He indeed being accustomed to take certain passages of the Old Testament very seriously and literally and having fed his mind almost exclusively upon those passages was of opinion that Castalias tragic fate had been brought about by a direct interposition of Providence as a judgment on her for her bad behaviour to himself and his daughter And if this opinion on Maxfields part should appear incredibly monstrous let it be remembered that in his own mind the godly were typified by the Maxfield family and the ungodly by the enemies of that family
As to Algernon—harassed anxious and doubtful of the future as he might be he was glad that his wife was dead and he knew that he was glad Her death made a way out—apparently the only possible way out—of a labyrinth of troubles and relieved Algernon from the apprehension of an exposure which it made him sick to think of He had not meant to kill her he said to himself He had certainly laid no deliberate plan to do so Had he in truth been the cause of her death In the state of mind she was in would she not have thrown herself into the river or otherwise put an end to herself without that touch from him which he had given he knew not how
It all seemed unreal to him when he thought of it—the leaden water the grey sky and meadows and the slippery bank with its tufts of blackberry bushes He went over and over again in his mind the words that had passed between himself and Castalia her violence and her wild jealousy and suspicions and her allusion to her uncles letter and to what Gibbs had told her and then her fierce threat that she would not spare him She had become utterly unmanageable—mad in fact She had resolved to die She had a suicidal mania That scrap of writing would suffice to prove it To be sure he had found it and put it in his pocketbook weeks ago although he told the servant that he had picked it up off the floor that morning of his return from London But that only indicated that the idea had long been rooted in her mind And besides the paper bore no date There was nothing to show how long it had been written
No it was not he who had killed Castalia She had gone down willingly to death She had uttered no sound no cry He should have heard a cry all across the silent meadows He had not looked back He had fled away from the river at his topmost speed after he saw her slip and stagger and fall heavily into the black water under the shadow of the bank Had she risen again to the surface It was said that drowning persons always rose three times But she had made no sound Surely she would have cried out if she had longed for life Ugh It was horrible to imagine her white face and staring eyes rising above the strong dragging current and looking for help That was all very ghastly very hideous He would not think of it It was over Castalia was dead And although he would have given much that she should have died in any other way yet he was glad that she was dead and he knew that he was glad
He made no pretence to himself of a factitious tenderness about her She had been thoroughly antagonistic and distasteful to him of late She had been the bitter drop flavouring every action every hope every minute of his life He had been the victim of a hard fate and of the false promises implied if not expressed of Lord Seely Those paltry sums—those notes that he had taken—he had been driven into committing that action altogether by stress of circumstances It was strange to himself to think of the light that action would appear in to other people To his own mind knowing how it had come to pass in an instant by the tug of a sudden impulse it seemed so clear that there was no real ground for blaming him in the matter He had felt the difficulty of getting money with a severity which the rest of the world probably could not conceive He was absolutely indifferent to the question of abstract right or wrong justice or injustice in the case But the concrete hardship to himself of being poor he had keenly felt to be undeserved
And now if it were not for one thing he should begin to breathe more freely The one thing that weighed on him with a gloomy though formless foreboding was the inquest He had been obliged to go to Duckwell Farm He had been asked to look at Castalias dead body He had not dared to refuse to do so but he had requested to be shown into the room where she lay alone and without witnesses The room was that sunny parlour where Rhoda Maxfield had sat on many a summer evening and where the neighbours had discussed the news of his own marriage less than a year ago But Algernons imagination did not wander very far from the present He walked to the window and looked out through the black trelliswork of leafless vine branches Then he stared at the prints on the walls and the gay china vases filled with winter nosegays of trembling grass and chrysanthemums And then his eyes which had wandered in every other direction were compelled to turn towards the broad oldfashioned sofa covered with fair white linen under which the outlines of a human shape revealed themselves
Was that stiff white silent thing Castalia He could not realise it He would scarcely have started if the door had opened and his wife had walked into the room in her ordinary dress and with her ordinary gait He had seen her last full of passionate excitement That stiff white silent thing could not be she He would not lift the coverlet though nor look on that which lay beneath But he stood and gazed at it until the heap beneath the linen sheet seemed to stir and change its outlines Then he turned away shuddering to the window and looked at his watch to see whether he might venture to leave the room yet Would the people think he had been there too short a time He came out at length looking pale and depressed enough to excite a good deal of sympathy in the breast of Mrs Seth Maxfield And with his usual quick susceptibility to the impression he produced on others he was fully aware of this and gratified by it despite the chill vision of the still white heap under the coverlet which persistently haunted his memory He saw looks of pity he heard whispered exclamations of admiration and they did more than gratify they reassured him It had entered into nobodys mind to conceive that he had been the cause of his wifes death Into whose head indeed should it enter or how He remembered the last lightningquick glance he had cast over the wide meadows and how it had shown them to him empty and bare of any living thing for as far as his eye could reach No he was safe from suspicion Of course he was safe from suspicion And yet—he would have given a year of his life to have the inquest over and the dead woman safely put away beneath the daisies in Duckwell churchyard
Meanwhile the mortal frame that had so throbbed and suffered for his sake lay there lonely and neglected Strangers hands had composed it decently a strangers roof sheltered it It was to lie in a strangers grave Only one woman came and stood beside the couch in the sunny parlour and looked on the dead shape with eyes full of compassionate tears and before going away laid some sprays of fern and delicate hothouse blossoms on the quiet breast and fastened there a curl of light hair The hair had been cut jestingly from Algernon Erringtons head when he was a schoolboy and then put away and forgotten for years It now lay above his dead wifes heart She was so fond of him poor soul said the compassionate woman It was Minnie Bodkin
CHAPTER XXII
The big room at the Blue Bell was full It was a room associated in the minds of most of the people present with occasions of festivity or entertainment The Archery Club balls were held in it It was used for the exhibitions of any travelling conjurer lecturer or musician whose evil fate brought him to Whitford Once a strolling company of players had performed there before some fifteen persons and several dozen canebottomed chairs There were the tarnished candelabra stuck in the walls the little gallery up aloft where the fiddlers sat on ball nights and the big lookingglass at one end of the room muffled with yellow muslin and surmounted by a dusty garland of paper flowers Now the wintry daylight coming through the uncurtained windows made all these things look chill ghastly and forlorn People who had thought the Blue Bell Assembly Room a cheerful place enough under the bright illumination of wax candles now shivered and whispered to each other how dreary it was
The coroners jury had been out to Duckwell Farm to view the body and to look at the exact spot on the bank where it had been landed from the boat and to stare at the willow stump to which it had been found fastened by the clothes And they had returned to the Blue Bell inn to complete the inquiry into the causes of the death of Castalia Errington A great many witnesses had already been examined Their testimony went to show that the deceased ladys behaviour of late had been very strange capricious and unreasonable Almost every one of the witnesses including the servants at Ivy Lodge confessed that they had heard rumours of young Mrs Errington being not right in her mind They had observed an increasing depression of spirits in her of late Obadiah Gibbss evidence was the strongest of all and his revelations created a great sensation He described his last interview with Castalia at the postoffice and left the impression on all his hearers which was honestly his own namely that on Castalia and on her alone rested the onus of the irregularities and robberies of moneyletters at Whitford He did his best to spare her memory He sincerely thought her irresponsible for her actions But the facts as he saw and represented them admitted of but one conclusion being come to
Algernon Erringtons appearance in the room elicited a low murmur of sympathy from the spectators His manner of giving his evidence was perfect and nothing could have been better in keeping with the circumstances of his painful position than the subdued yet quiet tones of his voice and the white strained look of his face which revealed rather the effect of a great shock to the nerves than a deep wound to the heart Of course he could not be expected to grieve as a husband would grieve who had lost a dearlyloved and loving wife but their having been on somewhat bad terms and Castalias notorious jealousy and bad temper made the manner of her death all the more terrible Poor young man He was dreadfully cut up one could see that But he made no pretences put on no affectations of woe He was so simple and quiet In a word he was credited with feeling precisely what he ought to have felt
His statement added scarcely any new fact to those already known He had not seen his wife alive since he parted from her when he started for London to visit Lord Seely who was ill He corroborated his servants testimony to the facts that Castalia had wandered out on to Whit Meadow about nine oclock in the morning that he had been made uneasy by her strange absence and that he had gone himself to seek her but without success In reply to some questions by a juryman as to whether he had gone to London solely because of Lord Seelys illness he answered with a look of quiet sadness that that had not been his sole reason There were private matters to be spoken of between himself and his wifes uncle—matters which admitted of no delay Could he not have written them No he did not feel at liberty to write them They concerned his wife He had mentioned to Lord Seely his fears that her mind was giving way as Lord Seely would be able to affirm A letter found in the pocket of the deceased womans gown was produced and read It had become partly illegible from immersion in the water but the greater portion of it could be made out It was from Lord Seely and referred to a painful conversation he had had with his nieces husband about herself It was a kind letter but written evidently in much agitation and pain of mind The writer exhorted and even implored his niece to confide fully in him for her own sake as well as that of her family and promised that he would help and support her under all circumstances if she would but tell him the truth unreservedly
Nothing could have been better for Algernons case than that letter Instead of being the cause of his disgrace and exposure it was obviously the means of confirming every one of his statements implied as well as expressed It showed clearly enough—first that Algernon had given Lord Seely to understand that his wife laboured under grave suspicions of having stolen moneyletters from the Whitford Postoffice secondly that he Algernon believed those suspicions to be well founded thirdly that symptoms of mental aberration which had recently manifested themselves in Castalia were at once the explanation of and the excuse for her conduct This letter which if Castalia were alive to speak for herself would have been like a brand on her husbands forehead for life was now a most valuable testimony in his favour
Algernons hard and unrelenting mood towards his dead wife grew still harder and more unrelenting as he listened to this letter and remembered that Castalia had threatened him with exposure and had resolved not to spare him Nothing in the world but her death could have saved him from ruin Even supposing that she could have been cajoled into promising to comply with his directions she would not have been able to do so She was so stupidly literal in her statements A direct lie would have embarrassed her And then at the first jealous fit which might have seized her he would have been at her mercy Lord Seelys letter showed a strong feeling of irritation—almost of hostility—against Algernon It might not be recognisable by the audience at the inquest but Algernon recognised it completely and felt a distinct sense of triumph in the impotence of Lord Seely to harm him or to wriggle away from under his heel Algernon was master of the position He appeared before the world in the light of a victim to his alliance with the Seelys There could be no further talk on their part of condescension or honour conferred He and his mother had lived their lives as persons of gentle blood and unblemished reputation until the Honourable Castalia Kilfinane brought disgrace and misery into their home In making these reflections Algernon was not of course considering the inward truth of facts but their outward semblances It made no difference to his indignation against the pompous little ass who had treated him with hauteur nor to his satisfaction in humbling the pompous little ass that if all the secret circumstances hidden and silenced for ever under the cold white shroud that covered his dead wife could be revealed before the eyes of all men Lord Seely would have the right to detest and despise him Lord Seely had not treated him as he ought He was firmly persuaded of that And as he measured Lord Seelys duty towards him accurately by the extent of all he desired and expected of Lord Seely it will be seen how far short the latter had fallen of Algernons standard
The Seth Maxfields gave their testimony as to how the deceased body had been carried into their house how they had tried all means to revive her and how every effort had been in vain and she had never moved nor breathed again The two men who had rescued the body from the water and the carpenter who had brought the news to Ivy Lodge repeated their story and corroborated all that the Maxfields had said There only remained to be heard the important testimony of David Powell He had been so ill that it was feared at one time that the inquest must be adjourned until he should be able to give his evidence But he declared that he would come and speak before the jury that he should be strengthened to do so when the moment arrived and had opposed a fixed silence to all the representations and remonstrances of the doctor On the morning of the inquest he arose and dressed himself before Mrs Thimbleby was up albeit she was no sluggard in the morning He had gone out while it was still dark into the raw foggy atmosphere of Whit Meadow and had wandered there for a long time On returning to the widow Thimblebys house he had seated himself opposite to the blazing fire in the kitchen staring at it and muttering to himself like a man in a feverish dream
Nevertheless when the due time arrived he entered the room at the Blue Bell to give his evidence with a quiet steady gait His appearance there produced a profound impression
A stranger contrast than he presented to the Whitford burghers by whom he was surrounded could scarcely be imagined Not only were his bodily shape and colouring different from theirs but the expression of his face was almost unearthly There was some subtle contradiction between the expression of David Powells sorrowladen eyes and brow and that of the mouth with its tightlyclosed lips drawn back at the corners with what on ordinary faces would have been a smile But on his face being coupled with a singular pinched look of the nostrils and a strained tightness of the upper lip it became something which troubled the beholder with a sense of inexplicable pain—almost terror
As he advanced along the room there was a hush of attentive expectation during which Dr Evans the coroner curiously examined the Methodist preacher with grave professional eyes After a few preliminary questions to which Powell gave brief clear answers he said I have been brought hither to testify in this matter I am an instrument in the hands of the great and terrible God He works not as men work In His hand all tools are alike
What can you tell us of the death of this unfortunate lady Mr Powell asked the coroner quietly You were the first to see her struggling in the water were you not And you made a gallant effort to save her
She struggled but little She went to her death as a lamb to the slaughter nay as a victim who desires to die
Powell spoke in a low but distinct voice broken and harsh indeed compared with what it once was but still with a soft tremulous note in it now and then that seemed to stir deep fibres of feeling in the hearts of those who heard him In such a tone it was that he uttered the words as a victim who desires to die And tears sprang into the eyes of many from sheer emotional sympathy with the sound of his voice
You are of opinion then Mr Powell said the coroner that the deceased wilfully put an end to her own life
No
You think that she was not in a state of mind to be responsible for her actions
She was murdered said Powell in a distinct grating tone which was audible in every corner of the crowded room
CHAPTER XXIII
There was a momentary rustling as if every person present had moved slightly and then a deep hush The silence seemed to last a long time but in fact only a second or two elapsed before Powell drawing up his tall lean figure to its utmost height and pointing with outstretched hand full at Algernon exclaimed with a kind of cry There is her murderer Woe to the cruel woe to the unrighteous man Ye have ploughed wickedness ye have reaped iniquity ye have eaten the fruit of lies
There arose a murmur a movement a confused sound of ejaculations Algernon started up and some one laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into his seat Ask what he means said Algernon but his voice was so weak and faint that the words were not heard beyond the few persons who immediately surrounded him He could scarcely grow paler than he had been from the beginning of the inquest but a ghastly ashengrey hue showed itself round his mouth His lips were quite colourless Terror agonising terror was in his heart What did this preacher know What had he seen Had Castalia spoken and accused him before her death
Anguish for anguish perhaps he suffered at that moment as much as his victim had suffered when she felt the hand she loved send her to her death
The movement and the murmur in the crowd were over in an instant The coroner sternly commanded order There was silence again and the very air seemed charged with a horrible apprehension which weighed upon every one as a coming thunderstorm oppresses the cowering birds
You must speak clearly and plainly Mr Powell said the coroner in a severe tone State what grounds you have for this very extraordinary accusation The evidence laid before us today goes to show that Mr Errington did not see his wife since parting from her on the Monday night to go to London until he was called on to identify her dead body at Duckwell Farm
He spoke with her in the meadow by the rivers brink She appealed to him she implored him she knelt to him I saw her gestures Then he hurled her down the steep bank into the water and fled away leaving her to perish
A most profound sensation was caused by these words throughout the whole assembly The jury looked at each other like men suddenly aroused from sleep They seemed not only startled but scared Indeed a singular expression of disquietude appeared on every face—almost as if each individual in the crowd had felt himself accused Before any further questions could be put to Powell there was a stir and a commotion at the lower end of the room and a murmur of voices Algernon Errington had swooned dead away He must have fallen to the ground had he not been caught in the arms of his next neighbour who happened to be Mr Ravell the draper Some one in the crowd handed a smellingbottle to be held under his nose and they cleared a little space around him to give him air by the directions of Mr Smith the surgeon who was at hand It was proposed to carry him away out of the heat and the throng but in less than a couple of minutes he revived and immediately on recovering consciousness he desired to remain where he was The terror of listening to what Powell said was not so appalling to his imagination as the terror of fancying what he might be saying when he Algernon should not be there to hear it
Order being restored the preachers examination was continued On being asked where he had been when the circumstances alleged to have taken place happened he replied that he had been at some distance up the river in the midst of a thick coppice which grew low down on the bank there He had been near enough to see although not to hear the interview between young Errington and his wife And to the questions what had brought him to that remote spot at such an hour and why he did not make his presence known at once on seeing the deceased lady fall into the water he answered waving his hands to and fro I was prostrate on the earth—not praying I may not pray but suffering under the wrath of the powers of the air The voices were very terrible on that day They had aroused me from my bed They had hunted me forth in the early morning I had wandered for a long time—for hours after your reckoning but for years according to the time of the spirits
Mr Powell said Dr Evans sternly this will not do You must speak less wildly Remember what a tremendous responsibility rests on you after making such an allegation as you have made Answer the questions put to you clearly and seriously
But it was in vain that David Powell was catechised and crossexamined in the endeavour to draw from him any more definite account of the events of that last morning of Castalias life He reiterated indeed his statement that Algernon had wilfully and forcibly thrust his wife down the bank into the river and had then fled away at his utmost speed And he added that he Powell had not thought of pursuing or calling to the murderer being absorbed in his attempts to rescue the drowning woman He persisted too in declaring that Castalia had been willing nay wishful to die She had not struggled She had not cried out She had not tried to reach his outstretched hand She had closed her eyes and given herself up to the power of the deathcold waters So far he was coherent and consistent but when he endeavoured to describe how or why he had found himself on that spot at that hour he wandered off into the wildest statements and grew ever more and more excited His face flushed His eyes blazed His voice rose almost to a scream He broke into a torrent of words standing up in face of the crowd and emphasising his discourse with strange violent gestures I will declare the truth he exclaimed I will cry aloud and spare not Now therefore be content look upon me for it is evident unto you if I lie Then with a sudden change of tone sinking his voice to a hoarse hollow monotone and gazing straight before him with wide horrorstricken eyes he added Let me speak let me confess the truth before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death A land of darkness as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darkness
A shudder ran through the audience The preacher seemed to hold them in a spell No voice was raised to interrupt him Many persons turned pale as they listened But on one face in the crowd the colour faintly dawned again In one breast the preachers voice giving utterance to the awful and glowing imagery of the Hebrew of old time awoke something like a sensation of relief and comfort Algernon Errington felt the lifeblood pulsing warmly again in his veins This Methodist man was mad—clearly mad What was his testimony worth
Powell went on speaking still more brokenly and incoherently I am a castaway he said I declare it before you all Some of you have listened to my ministrations in other days I spoke then of assurance—of Christian perfection Those words were vain There are but the elect and the reprobate and unto the number of those latter am I doomed I have long known it and struggled against the knowledge but I declare it to ye now as a testimony How shall a man be just with God This is one thing therefore I said it He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked
The coroner recovered his presence of mind In truth he had been so absorbed in studying David Powell with the professional interest of a doctor and a psychologist that he had suffered him to ramble on thus far unchecked But now he broke in upon him abruptly We cannot listen to this sort of thing Mr Powell he said All this has no bearing on the present inquiry Then he said a few words as to the desirability of an adjournment Mr Errington might wish to call some other witnesses Powell had acknowledged that he had been too far distant to hear a word of the conversation he alleged to have taken place between the husband and wife It was possible therefore that he had been too distant to see the two persons with sufficient distinctness to swear to their identity Some more particular testimony might be obtained as to the precise hour at which the deceased lady had been last seen alive and as to what her husband had been doing at that time Upon this Algernon Errington arose in his place and said in a clear though slightly tremulous voice For myself I desire no adjournment But I should like to put a few questions to this witness
There was a sudden hush of profound attention David Powell still stood up in face of the assembly He was rocking himself to and fro in a singular restless way and muttering under his breath very rapidly It was observable too that his eyes seemed continually attracted to one point in the room just behind Algernon Errington Every now and then he passed his hands over his eyes as if to obliterate or shut out some painful sight but he did not turn his head away and the next instant after making that gesture he would stare at the same point again with an expression of intense horror Algernon waited for an instant before speaking Then he said in such a tone as one uses to attract the attention of a very young child Mr Powell will you try to listen to me
The preacher immediately looked full at him but without replying Algernon did not meet his eye but turned his face aside towards the coroner and the jury He looked at them with an appealing glance and a slight movement of his head in the direction of Powell Then he resumed
The accusation you have brought against me is so overwhelming so amazing that it is not very wonderful if I feel almost stunned and dizzy How such a notion ever entered your brain Heaven only knows I deny it completely unequivocally solemnly To me it seems that such a denial must be unnecessary The thing is so monstrous But will you try to answer one or two questions with some calmness How long had you been in the copse before you saw my wife walking by the riverside
Powell shook his head restlessly and passed his hand over his forehead with the action of brushing something off I was called out before the dawn he said The voices bade me go forth They sounded like brazen bells in the silence beating and quivering here and he pressed his fingers on his temples
You hear voices which are unheard by other people then
Often Every day Every hour
Tell me—do you not sometimes see forms that other persons cannot see
Powell started trembled violently and looked at Algernon with an expression of bewildered terror But it was at the same time manifest that some gleam of reason was struggling against the delusions in his mind He felt and perceived dimly as one perceives external circumstances through sleep that a trap was being laid for him The pathetic questioning look in his eyes as he vainly tried to recover the government of his mind was intensely painful For a second or two he remained silent with parted lips and clenched hands like a man making a violent and supreme effort It seemed as if in another instant he might succeed in gaining sufficient mastery over himself to reply collectedly But Algernon did not give time for such a chance to happen He repeated his question more eagerly and loudly looking at the preacher almost threateningly as he spoke
Tell me Mr Powell and remember what a responsibility you have assumed before God and man in making this accusation—tell me truly whether you do not see visions—figures of men and women that other people cannot see Dont forms appear before your eyes and vanish again as suddenly Have you not told your landlady Mrs Thimbleby as much on many occasions How can you dare to assert with confidence that from the distance you say you were at you could distinguish my face and that of my wife All your description of her violent gestures and kneeling on the ground and clasping her hands—does not that seem more like the delusions of fancy than the information of your sober senses
Algernon spoke with indignant heat and rapidity—a calculated heat a purposed rapidity meant to have a confusing effect on the preacher and which had that effect but which also excited a sympathetic indignation in many of the auditors Powell looked wildly around him and clasped his hands above his head
You must put one question at a time Mr Errington said Dr Evans
Then I put this question David Powell do you or do you not see visions and faces and figures that the rest of the world is as unconscious of as of the voices that called you out on to Whit Meadow that morning that my poor wife was drowned
Powell with his eyes still fixed on the same point that he had been gazing on so long suddenly cried out with a loud voice As God liveth who hath taken away my judgment and the Almighty who hath vexed my soul my lips shall not speak wickedness nor my tongue utter deceit God forbid that I should justify you Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me It is there—there behind his shoulder It has been holding me with the power of its eyes Oh how dreadful are those eyes and that ashengrey face Look behold the Lord has brought a witness from the grave to testify to the truth See behold Can you not see her Look where she stands in her cold wet garments with the water dripping from her hair She points at him—oh God most terrible—the drowned woman points her cold finger at her murderer He stretched out his arms towards Algernon and then with one bound leaped shrieking into the midst of the crowd
A dozen hands were put forth to hold him He struggled with the tremendous strength of insanity but was at length forcibly carried out of the room a raving maniac
After that there were not many words of an official nature spoken in the room The inquest was adjourned to the following day and the assembly dispersed to carry the account of the strange scene that had happened all over Whitford and its neighbourhood
CHAPTER XXIV
The next day medical evidence was forthcoming as to the insanity of David Powell who had been removed to the County Asylum Testimony was moreover given by many persons showing that the preachers mind had long been disordered Even the widow Thimblebys evidence given with many tears went to prove that But she tried with all her might to bear witness to his goodness and clung loyally to her loving admiration for his character He may not be quite in his right senses for matters of this world sobbed the poor woman and he has been sorely tormented by taking up with these doctrines of election But if ever there was an angel sent down to suffer on this earth and help the sorrowful and call sinners to repentance Mr Powell is that angel I know what he is And I have had other lodgers—good kind gentlemen too I dont say to the contrary But overboil their eggs in the morning or leave a lump in their featherbed and youd soon get a glimpse of the old Adam Now with Mr Powell nothing put him out except sin and even that did but make him the more eager to save your soul
Several witnesses who had testified on the previous day were reexamined And some new ones were found who swore to having met Mr Errington going along the road from his own house towards Whitford in great agitation and asking everyone he met if they had seen his wife The hour was such that to the best of their belief it was impossible he should have had such an interview as Powell described with the deceased between the time at which the cook swore he left his own house and their meeting him in the road On this point however the evidence was somewhat conflicting But the Whitford clocks were well known to be conflicting also St Marys being always foremost with its jangling bell the Town Hall clock coming next—except occasionally when it hastened to be first with apparently quite capricious zeal—and the mellow chimes of St Chads that were heard far over town and meadow closing the chorus with their sweet cadence
There certainly appeared to be no cause no conceivable motive for Algernon Errington to have committed the crime Many witnesses combined to show with what sweetness and goodhumour he bore his wifes jealous tempers And besides it was notorious that he had hoped through her influence to obtain assistance and promotion from her uncle Lord Seely Whereas on the other hand there did seem to be several motives at work to induce the unfortunate lady to put an end to her own existence There could be little doubt that she had committed the postoffice robberies and the fear of detection had weighed on her mind Moreover that she had for some time past been made unhappy by jealousy and discontent and had contemplated making away with herself was proved by several scraps of writing besides that which her husband had found and produced at the inquest the first day In brief no one was surprised when the foreman of the coroners jury delivered a verdict to the effect that the deceased lady had committed suicide while under the influence of temporary insanity and added a few words stating the opinion of the jury that Mr Algernon Erringtons character was quite unstained by the accusation of a maniac who had been proved to have been subject to insane delusions for some time past It was just the sort of verdict that every one had expected and the general sympathy with Algernon still ran high
As for him he got away from the Blue Bell as quickly as possible after the inquest was over slipping away by a back door where a closed fly was waiting for him When he reached his home he locked himself into the diningroom and sat down on the sofa with closed eyes and his body leaning listlessly against the cushions as if all vital force were gone from him The prevailing—and for a time the only sensation he felt was one of utter weariness He was so completely exhausted that the restful attitude the silence and the solitude seemed positive luxuries He was scarcely conscious of his escape He felt merely that the strain was over and that voice face and limbs might sink back from the terrible tension he had held them in to a natural lassitude
But byandby he began to realise the danger he had passed and to exult in his new sense of freedom Castalia being removed it seemed as if all troubles must be removed with her
The funeral of Mrs Algernon Errington was to take place on the following day and it was known that Lord Seely would be present at it if it were possible for him to make the journey from London It was said that he had been very ill but was now better and would use his utmost endeavours to pay that mark of respect to his nieces memory Mrs Errington indeed talked of my lords coming as a proof of his sympathy with her boy But the world knew better than that It knew by some mysterious means that Lord Seely had quarrelled with Algernon And when his lordship did appear in Whitford and took up his quarters at the Blue Bell rumours went about to the effect that he had refused to see young Errington and had remained shut up in his own room attended by his physician This however was not true Lord Seely had seen Algernon and spoken with him But he had not touched his proffered hand he had said no word to him of sympathy he had barely looked at him The poor old man was overpowered by grief for Castalia and it was in vain for Algernon to put on a show of grief About a matter of fact Lord Seely would even now have found it difficult to think that Algernon was telling him a pointblank lie but on a matter of feeling it was different Algernons words and voice rang false and hollow and the old man shrank from him
Lord Seely had come down to Whitford on getting the news of Castalias terrible death without knowing any particulars about it Those were not the days when the telegraph brought a budget of intelligence from the most distant parts of the earth every morning A few hurried and confused lines were all that Lord Seely had received but they were sufficient to make him insist on performing the journey to Whitford at once Lady Seely had tried to impress on him the necessity of shaking off young Errington now that Castalia was gone Wash your hands of him Valentine my lady had said If poor Cassy has done this desperate deed its he that drove her to it—smoothfaced young villain To all this Lord Seely had made no reply But in his own mind he had almost resolved to help Algernon to a place abroad It was what his poor niece would have desired
But then after his arrival in Whitford all the painful details of the coroners inquest were made known to him He made inquiries in all directions and learned a great deal about his nieces life in the little town The prominent feelings in his mind were pity and remorse Pity for Castalias unhappy fate and acute remorse for having been so weak as to let her marriage take place without any attempt to interfere despite his own secret conviction that it was an illassorted and illomened one You couldnt have helped it my lord said the friendly physician to whom he poured out some of the feelings that oppressed his heart Perhaps not perhaps not But I ought to have tried My poor dear unhappy girl
On the day of the funeral Lord Seely stood side by side with Algernon at Castalias grave in Duckwell churchyard But when it was over they parted and drove back to Whitford in separate carriages Lord Seely was to return to London early the next morning but before he went away he determined to pay a visit to the county lunatic asylum and see David Powell
On the day of the funeral Algernon had spoken a few words to Lord Seely about his wish to get away from the painful associations which must henceforward haunt him in Whitford and had reminded his lordship of the promise made in London But Lord Seely had made no definite answer and moreover he had said that by his doctors advice he must decline a visit which Algernon offered to make him that evening Was the pompous little ass going to throw him over after all
In the course of that afternoon he heard that old Maxfield intended to come down on him pitilessly for the full amount of the bills he held A reaction had set in in public sentiment Tradesmen who could not get paid and whose hopes of eventual payment were greatly damped by the coolness of Lord Seelys behaviour to his nephewinlaw began to feel their indignation once more override their compassion The two servants at Ivy Lodge asked for their wages and declared that they did not wish to remain there another week Algernons position at the postoffice was forfeited He knew that he could not keep it even if he would
It began to appear that the removal of Castalia had not after all removed all troubles from her husbands path
But the heaviest blow of all was to come
Lord Seely left Whitford without seeing him again and sent back unopened a note which Algernon had written begging for an interview with these words written outside the cover in a trembling hand Dare not to write to me or importune me more
Algernon received this late at night and before noon the next day the fact was known all over Whitford People began to say that Lord Seely had obtained access to David Powell had spoken with him and had gone away convinced of the substantial truth of his testimony that his lordship had left orders that Powell should lack no comfort or attention which his unhappy state permitted of his enjoying and that he had strongly expressed his grateful sense of the poor preachers efforts to save his niece
From London Lord Seely—who had heard that Miss Bodkin had visited Duckwell Farm while his niece lay dead there and had placed flowers on her unconscious breast—sent a mourningring and a letter the contents of which Minnie communicated to no one but her parents Nevertheless its contents were discussed pretty widely and were said to be of a nature very damnatory to Algernon Erringtons character However the painful things that were said in Whitford could not hurt him for he had gone—disappeared in the night like a thief as his creditors said—and no one could say whither
CHAPTER XXV
CONCLUSION
Our tale is almost told The last words that need saying can be briefly said When some weeks had passed away Mrs Errington received a letter from her son demanding a remittance to be sent forthwith Poste Restante to a little seaport town on the Italian Riviera He had not during the interval left his mother in absolute ignorance as to what had become of him but had sent her a few brief lines from London saying that he had been obliged to leave Whitford in order to escape being put in prison for debt that his present intention was to go abroad and that she should hear again from him before long
Algernon had been so quick in his movements that he managed to be in town before the story of Lord Seelys having cast him off had had time to be circulated amongst his acquaintance there And he was enabled as the result of his activity to obtain from Mrs MachynStubbs and others several letters of introduction calculated to be of use to him abroad He was described by Mrs MachynStubbs as a nephew of Lord Seely and her intimate friend who was travelling on the Continent to recruit his health after the shock of his wifes sudden death
He had brought away from Whitford such few jewels belonging to his dead wife as were of any value and he sold them in London He furnished himself handsomely with such articles as were desirable for a gentleman of fortune travelling for his pleasure and allowed the Westend tradesmen to whom the Honourable John Patrick Price had recommended him during his brilliant London season to write down against him in their books some very extortionate charges for the same His outfit being accomplished in this inexpensive manner he was enabled to travel with as much comfort as was compatible in those days with a journey from London to Calais and he stepped on to the French shore with a considerable sum of money in his pocket
For a long time the tidings of him that reached Whitford were uncertain and conflicting then they began to arrive at even wider and wider intervals and finally after Mrs Errington left the town they ceased altogether to reach the general world of Whitfordians The real history of the circumstances which induced Mrs Errington to leave the home of so many years was known to very few persons It was this
About a twelvemonth after Algernons departure Mrs Errington made a sudden journey to London and on her return she confided to her old friend Dr Bodkin that she had sold out of the funds nearly the whole sum from which her little income was derived and transmitted it to Algy who had an absolute need for the money which she considered paramount But my dear soul you have ruined yourself cried the doctor aghast Algernon will repay me sir replied the poor old woman drawing herself up with the ghost of her old Ancram grandeur The upshot was that Dr Bodkin in concert with one or two other old friends of her late husband made some representations on her behalf to Mr Filthorpe the wealthy Bristol merchant who was as the reader may remember a cousin of Dr Errington and that Mr Filthorpe benevolently allowed his cousins widow a small annuity which together with the few pounds that still remained to her of her own enabled her to live in decent comfort But she professed herself unable to remain in Whitford and removed to a cottage in Dorrington where she had a kind friend in the wife of the headmaster of the proprietary school whom we first presented to the reader as little Rhoda Maxfield
Mrs Diamond as she was now lived in a very handsome house and wore very elegant dresses and was looked upon as a personage of some importance in Dorrington and its vicinity Her husband had decidedly opposed a proposition she made to him to receive Mrs Errington as an inmate of his home But he put no further constraint on Rhodas affectionate solicitude about her old friend
And the two women drove together and sewed together and talked together and their talk was chiefly about that exiled victim of unmerited misfortune Algernon Errington Rhoda preserved her faith in the Ancram glories And although she acknowledged to herself that Algernon had treated her badly he was invested in her mind with some mysterious immunity from the obligations that bind ordinary mortals
A visitor who was often cordially welcomed at Dorrington by Matthew Diamond was Miss Chubb And the kindhearted little spinster endured a vast amount of snubbing and patronage from her old enemy on the battleground of polite society—Mrs Errington—with much charitable sweetness
Old Max lived to see his daughters firstborn child but he was unable to move from his bed for many months before his death Perhaps it was the period of quiet reflection thus obtained when the things of this world were melting away from his grasp which occasioned the addition of a codicil to the old mans will that surprised most of his acquaintance He had settled the bulk of his property on his daughter at her marriage and in his original testament had bequeathed the whole of the residue to her also But the codicil set forth that his only and beloved daughter being amply provided for and his son James inheriting the stock fixtures and goodwill of his flourishing business together with the house and furniture Jonathan Maxfield felt that he was doing injustice to no one by bequeathing the sum of three thousand pounds to Miss Minnie Bodkin as a mark of respect and admiration And he moreover left one hundred pounds free of duty to that Godfearing member of the Wesleyan Society Richard Gibbs now living as groom in the service of Orlando Pawkins Esquire of Pudcombe Hall a bequest which sensibly embittered the flavour of the sermon preached by the unlegacied Brother Jackson on the next Sunday after old Maxs funeral
Dr Bodkin still lives and rules in Whitford Grammar School His wifes life is brightened by the sight of her Minnies increased health and strength But she has never quite forgiven Matthew Diamond and has been heard to say that young Mrs Diamonds children are the most singularly uninteresting she ever saw
Of Minnie herself the chronicle hitherto records a life of useful benevolence undisfigured by ascetic affectation or the assumption of any pious livery whatever She keeps her old delight in all the beautiful things of art and nature and old Maxs legacy has enabled her to enjoy some foreign travel She is still in the first prime of womanhood and more beautiful than ever But at the latest accounts poor Mr Warlock has not been tortured by the spectacle of any successful rival For his part he goes on worshipping Miss Bodkin with hopeless fidelity
For a long time Minnie continued to visit David Powell in the lunatic asylum at stated periods He generally recognised her and the sight of her seemed to soothe and comfort him After a while he was pronounced cured and left the asylum but his madness returned on him at intervals and he would voluntarily go and place himself under restraint when he felt the black fit coming He did not live very long being assailed by a mortal consumption But as his body wasted his mind grew clearer stronger and more serene and before his death Minnie had the satisfaction to hear him profess a humble faith in the Divine Goodness and a fearless confidence in the mysterious hand that was leading him even as a little child into the shadowy land There was as large a concourse of people at his burial as had ever thronged to hear his fiery preaching on Whit Meadow His memory became surrounded by a saintly radiance in the imaginations of the poor Stories of his goodness and his afflictions and the final ray of peace which God sent to cheer his last moments were long retailed amongst the Whitford Methodists And his grave is still bright with carefullytended flowers
Of Algernon Errington the strangest rumours were circulated for a time Some said he had become croupier at a foreign gamblingtable others declared he had married a West Indian heiress with a million of money and was living in Florence in unheardof luxury Others again affirmed that they had the best authority for believing that he had gone to the United States and had appeared on the stage there with immense success However the remembrance of him passed away from mens minds in Whitford within a few years in London within a few months But it was a long time before Jack Price left off recounting his final interview with Errington That young Ancram you know Captivating way of his own What On my honour the rascal borrowed ten pounds of me Ready money sir down on the nail Bedad it was a tour de force for I never have a shilling in my pocket for my own use But Ancram would coax the little birds off the bushes as they say in my part of the world Principle Oh devil a rag of principle in his whole composition What I wonder what the deuce has become of him I give ye my word and honour he was really—really now—a Charming Fellow
THE END