CHAPTER I
Augustus Cheffington had made an unfortunate marriage That was admitted on all hands When he was a Cornet in a cavalry regiment quartered in the ancient Cathedral City of Oldchester he ran away with pretty Susan Dobbs the daughter of his landlady Augustuss friends and family—all the Cheffingtons the DormerSmiths the Castlecombes—deplored this rash step It was never mentioned either at the time or afterwards without expressions of deep commiseration for him
Nevertheless from one point of view there were compensations This unfortunate marriage was made responsible for a great many shortcomings which would otherwise have been attributed more directly to Augustus Cheffington himself For example it was said to account for his failure in his profession He had chosen it chiefly because he very much liked the brilliant uniform of a certain crack regiment it was in the days before competitive examinations and he had no other aptitude for it than a showy seat on horseback and a person well calculated to set off the works of the regimental tailor But when years had passed and he had remained undistinguished his friends said What could one expect after Augustuss unfortunate marriage
After a time he sold out of the Army and went to live on the Continent where very shortly he had squandered nearly all his money and fallen into shady paths of life and again there was a chorus of I told you so and a general sense that all this was due to the unfortunate marriage
Finally his wife died leaving him with one little girl the sole survivor of five children and he came to England with the idea of securing some place which should be suited to his birth his abilities his habits and his inclinations No such place was found Several members of the Peerage were applied to to exert their influence with Government on behalf of so wellconnected a personage as Augustus Cheffington But Government behaved very badly Government was insensible to his claims His claims it is true were not small They required a maximum of remuneration for a minimum of labour He was unable also to furnish any proofs of his fitness for one or two posts which happened to be vacant except the undeniable fact of his cousinship with all the Cheffingtons and Castlecombes in England and to this kind of qualification Government it appeared attached no importance at all
He paid a round of visits at country houses and renewed his longdisused acquaintance with a score of more or less distant relations But he was not popular It has been observed that unsuccessful men very often are not popular Gus Cheffington has dropped out of the running men said A fellow naturally gets forgotten when he has kept out of sight for years—and besides he makes himself so deuced disagreeable Hes always grumbling
This latter accusation was true If England had shown no maternal affection for her longabsent son the son returned her hardheartedness with interest Indeed in his case it turned into active resentment He got tired of country houses and town mansions where he was received but coolly He was sarcastic and bitter on the failure of his connections to procure him a lucrative sinecure He considered that the country was travelling downhill at breakneck speed and for his part he did not feel inclined to move his little finger to impede that fatal course Moreover the black coffee was nine times out of ten utterly undrinkable One day he shook the dust of Englands inhospitable shores from off his feet and returned to his shady haunts on the Continent—its irresponsibility its cafés its boulevards and its billiards And when he was fairly gone all the Cheffingtons and the DormerSmiths and the Castlecombes were softened into sympathy and with much shrugging of shoulders and shaking of heads declared that it was a heartrending spectacle to behold such a man as Augustus Cheffington ruined crushed eclipsed destroyed by his unfortunate marriage
When he went back to Belgium he left behind him at school in Brighton his little motherless girl Miranda familiarly called May The Honourable Mrs Cheffington Augustuss mother had advised her son to give the little girl a firstrate education so as to mitigate as far as possible one disastrous effect of the unfortunate marriage which was that May had a plebeian mother Mrs Cheffington known throughout all the ramifications of the family as the dowager was a hardfeatured selfish old woman with a black wig a pale yellow skin and frowning eyebrows She lived on a pension which would cease at her death and she was supposed by some of her relations to be making a purse They thought it would turn out that the dowager had considerable savings to leave behind her and they founded this supposition on her never giving away anything during her lifetime Mrs DormerSmith Augustus Cheffingtons sister declared that her mother made one exception to her rule of refusing assistance to any of them She believed that Augustus who had always been her favourite child profited by the dowagers indulgence and managed to extract some money from her tightlyclosed purse And it certainly was true that the old lady had paid Mays school bills—so far as they had been paid at all
But one day the Honourable Anne Miranda Cheffington took off her black wig for the last time and relaxed her frowning eyebrows The announcement of her death appeared in the first column of the Times there was a brief obituary notice in a fashionable journal and her place knew her no more
Augustus hastened home to England on the receipt of a telegram from his sister That is to say he said he hastened but he did not arrive in town until some hours after the funeral was over Mr DormerSmith was somewhat irritated by this tardiness and observed to his wife that it was just like Augustus to keep out of the way while there was any trouble to be taken and only arrive in time to be present at the reading of the will Any expectations that Augustus might have founded on his mothers reluctance to give during her lifetime were quite disappointed The dowager had no money to bequeath She had spent nearly the last shilling of her quarters income In fact there was not enough to cover the expenses of the funeral which were finally paid several months afterwards by Mr DormerSmith
It seemed almost superfluous under the circumstances to have made a will at all But the will was there The chief item in it was a quantity of yellow old lace extremely dirty and much in need of mending which was solemnly bequeathed by Mrs Cheffington to her daughter Pauline Augusta Clarissa DormerSmith It was set forth at some length how that the lace being an heirloom of the Cheffingtons should have descended in due course to the wife of the eldest son or failing that to the eldest daughter of the eldest son and how this tradition was disregarded in the present case by reason of peculiar and unprecedented family circumstances This was the dowagers Parthian dart at the unfortunate marriage There was little other property except the dingy old furniture of Mrs Cheffingtons house at Richmond and a few books treating chiefly of fortification and gunnery which had belonged to LieutenantGeneral the Honourable Augustus Vane Cheffington the dowagers longdeceased husband
What the——What on earth my mother did with her money I cant conjecture exclaimed Augustus staring out of the window of his brotherinlaws drawingroom the day after the funeral
She didnt give it to us Augustus returned Mrs DormerSmith plaintively Even when my boy Cyril went to see her at the end of the holidays just before returning to Harrow she never tipped him Once I think she gave him five shillings But its a long time ago he was a little fellow in petticoats
Then what did she do with her money repeated Augustus with an increasingly gloomy scowl at the gardens of the Kensington square on which his eyes rested
I believe that with the exception of what she paid for Mays schooling she spent it on herself
Spent it on herself Thats impossible It was a very good income indeed for a solitary woman and she lived very quietly
You may get through a good deal of money even living quietly when you dont deny yourself anything you can get For instance she never would drive one horse she had been accustomed to a pair all her life
Augustus checked an oath on his very lips and instead of swearing according to his first impulse observed with solemnity that he knew not how his mother had been able to reconcile such selfishness with her conscience and hoped her last moments had not been troubled by remorse
Oh I dont think mamma felt anything of that kind said Mrs DormerSmith in her slow gentle tones she was always complaining of other peoples unreasonable expectations
The brother and sister fell silent for a while after this each being immersed in private meditation That very morning a circumstance had occurred which had put the last touch to Augustuss disappointment and exasperation The Brighton schoolmistress had sent Miss Miranda Cheffington to London in the charge of a maidservant and the little girl had arrived at her aunts house in a cab with her worldly possessions namely a small black trunk full of clothes and a canarybird in a cage The schoolmistress wrote civilly but firmly to the effect that after the lamented decease of the Honourable Mrs Cheffington she could not undertake to keep May any longer feeling sure by repeated experience that all applications for payment made to Captain Cheffington would be in vain and understanding that Mrs DormerSmith declined to charge herself with her nieces education Captain Cheffington had been violently angry and had denounced the schoolmistress—Mrs Drax—as an insolent grasping vulgar harpy But Mrs Drax was out of his reach and there was May thirteen years old with a healthy appetite and limbs rapidly outgrowing her clothes
Augustus continued to glare moodily at the square for some minutes His sister leaned her cheek on her hand and looked at the fire At length Augustus composing his face to a less savage expression turned away from the window sat down opposite to his sister and said pensively—
We must arrange something for May Pauline
You must indeed Augustus
We ought to consider her future
Yes I think you ought Augustus
The girl is at a hobbledehoy age Its a perplexing position So difficult to know what to do with her
There is no age at which it is so awkward to dress a girl I have sometimes regretted not having daughters but upon my word there must be a dreadful amount of harass about their clothes between twelve and fifteen—or in some cases sixteen
Its impossible for me to have her with me in Brussels The way I live—am obliged to live malgré moi—shed upset all my arrangements and habits In short you can see for yourself Pauline that it would be out of the question
No doubt it would be very bad for the girl
Of course Thats what I mean Wouldnt it be the best plan after all Pauline to leave her here with you She could have private masters——
Mrs DormerSmith shook her head
At my expense of course added Augustus I must screw and scrape and make some sacrifices no doubt but——
It really wont do Augustus I assure you it wont do Frederick will not have it He talked to me after luncheon It isnt the least use
Mrs DormerSmith continued plaintively to shake her head as she spoke and to look with gentle melancholy at the fire
Hm Frederick is very kind But let us discuss the thing in a friendly spirit If I pay for her clothing and education surely the expense of her board wouldnt ruin you and Frederick
No but the butcher and the baker are the least part of the matter It isnt as if May were the daughter of ones housekeeper or ones governess She is a Cheffington you know So many things are required for a girl with her connections and as to your paying for her masters of course we know you wouldnt Augustus
Upon my soul you are civil and sisterly
Well I dare say you would mean to pay but you wouldnt It would be sure to turn out so dont you know Things always have been like that with you Augustus
Then what the devil do you think Im to do
Pray dont be violent I really cannot bear any display of violence You should remember that it is scarcely a week since poor mamma was taken from us
I dont see what that has to do with it Miranda hasnt been taken from us thats the point
Mrs DormerSmith making no answer her brother continued after a moment or two—
You are fertile in objections but you dont seem to have any plan to suggest
Well an idea did occur to me I dont know whether you would like it
Like it Probably not But I am used to sacrifice my inclinations
Well I thought that you might put May into a school in France or Germany or somewhere letting her give lessons in English in return for her board and so on There are plenty of schools where they do that sort of thing It wouldnt so much matter abroad because people wouldnt know who she was You might tide over a year or two in that way
Augustus got up from his chair My daughter a drudge in a Continental school he exclaimed indignantly
If you chose a place little frequented by English I dont think people would know
There was a short silence Then Augustus said angrily Ill take the girl back with me She must share my home such as it is We will neither of us trouble you or Frederick much longer I shall start for Ostend by the morning mail tomorrow And he dashed out of the room emitting a muffled roll of oaths and jarring the door in a way which made Mrs DormerSmith clasp her forehead with both hands and lean back shrinkingly in her chair
But when the morrow came Captain Cheffington and his daughter did not go to Ostend When they had got out of sight of the DormerSmiths house he ordered the cabman to drive to the Great Western Railway Station and started by an express train for Oldchester
CHAPTER II
Amongst the minor grievances reckoned up by the deceased dowager as accruing from Augustuss unfortunate marriage was the fact that his wife had borne the plebeian name of Dobbs One of her most frequent complaints against poor little May was that the child was a thorough Dobbs And when she was out of temper—which was very often—she would prefer this charge as indignantly as though Dobbs were synonymous with the most disgraceful epithets in the English language
And yet the sound of it awoke very different associations in the city of Oldchester where Augustuss motherinlaw had lived all her life Mrs Dobbs was the widow of a tradesman The ironmongers business which her husband had carried on had long passed into other hands but his name still met the eyes of his fellowtownsmen in the inscription J Brown late Dobbs painted over the shop
Oldchester is a city in which two streams of life run side by side mingling but little with each other At a certain point in the existence of Oldchester its ancient course of civil and ecclesiastical history had received a new tributary—a strong and evergrowing current of commerce Commerce built wide suburbs with villa residences in various stages of detachment and semidetachment from one another. Commerce strewed the pleasant country paths and lanes with coaldust and blackened the air with smoke Commerce set up Art schools founded hospitals and furnished patients for them multiplied railways for miles round and scored all the new streets and some of the old with tramway lines Commerce bought estates in the neighbourhood was conveyed to public worship in splendid equipages sent its sons to Eton and married its daughters into the Peerage But for all that the fame of Oldchester continued to rest on its character as a cathedral city The old current surpassed the new one in length and dignity if in nothing else The gray cathedral towers rose up majestically above the din and turmoil of forge and loom and factory with a noble aspiration towards something above and beyond these while the vibrations of their mellow chimes shed down sweet suggestions of peace and goodwill among the homes of the toilers
Mrs Dobbs particularly loved the sounds of the cathedral chimes and she sat with closed eyes listening to them in the twilight of a certain autumn evening Her house was in a narrow street called Friars Row which turned out of the High Street A monastery had once stood on the site of it but all trace of the ancient conventual buildings had long since disappeared The houses were solid brick dwellings from one to two hundred years old Mrs Dobbss husband had bequeathed her a long lease of that which she occupied Most of the other houses in Friars Row were used as offices or warehouses the wealthier kind of tradespeople who once lived in them having migrated to the suburbs On her husbands death some of Mrs Dobbss friends had urged her to remove to a newer and more cheerful part of the town but she had resisted the suggestion with some contempt
I know what suits me she would say And thats a knowledge the Lord doesnt bestow on all and sundry This house suits me Its weatherproof for one thing And you neednt be afraid of putting your foot through the floor if you walk a little heavy as I do When I go to see the Simpsons in that bandbox they call Laurel Villa I darent lean my umbrella against the wall for fear of bringing the whole concern down like a pack of cards
She might easily have increased her income by letting her house and removing to one in the suburbs for its position was central and the tenements in Friars Row were in great request for business purposes But she resisted this temptation There were reasons of a more impalpable kind than the solidity of its floors and roofs which made Mrs Dobbs constant to her old home She had lived there all the days of her married life Her daughter had been born there Her husband had died there The somewhat narrow and dingy street had in her eyes the familiar aspect of a friendly face She loved to hear the rattle and bustle of the High Street slightly softened by distance Those common sounds were full of voices from the past the common sights around were associated with all the joys and sorrows of her life Mrs Dobbs never said anything to this effect but she felt it And so she stayed in Friars Row
The parlour in which she sat was comfortably and substantially furnished A competent observer would have perceived evidences of permanence and respectability in the solid oldfashioned chairs and tables the prints after Morland on the walls and the corner cupboard full of fine old china The bookshelves which filled one end of the room contained the accumulations of successive generations There was a square pianoforte with a pile of old musicbooks on the top of it and a big family Bible in massive binding had a place of honour all to itself on a sidetable covered with green baize On this special autumn evening owing to the hour and partly to the narrowness of the street which shut out some of the lingering daylight the parlour was very dim A red fire glowed in the grate a large tabby cat blinked and purred on the hearthrug and in a spacious easychair at one side of the fireplace sat Mrs Dobbs listening with closed eyes to the cathedral chimes
Presently the door was softly opened and there came into the room Mrs Dobbss lifelong friend and crony Mr Joseph Weatherhead This person was her brotherinlaw and a childless widower He had carried on the trade of bookseller and stationer in Birmingham for many years but had sold his business on the death of his wife and come to live in Oldchester near the Dobbss Mr Weatherhead was a tall lean man with a benevolent bald forehead and mild eyes The only remarkable feature in his face was the nose which was large slightly aquiline brownish red in colour and protruded from his face at a peculiar angle The forehead above and the chin below sloped away from it rather rapidly The nose had thus a singularly inquisitive air of being eagerly in the van as though it thrust itself forward in quest of news
As he closed the door behind him Mrs Dobbs opened her eyes
I thought you were asleep Sarah said Mr Weatherhead
Asleep ejaculated Mrs Dobbs with all the indignation which that accusation is so apt mysteriously to excite Nothing of the kind I was listening to the chimes They always make me think——
Of poor Susy interrupted Mr Weatherhead nodding Ah And so they do me Poor Susy How pretty she was
She had better have been less pretty for her own happiness The great misfortune of her life wouldnt have happened but for her pretty face
Mr Weatherhead nodded again and sat down opposite to Mrs Dobbs in a corresponding armchair to her own He then took from his pocket a black leather case and from the case a meerschaum pipe which he proceeded to fill and light and smoke
What an infatuation sighed Mrs Dobbs pursuing her own meditations To think of Susy throwing herself away on that extravagant selfish goodfornothing fellow without any principles to speak of when she might have had an honest tradesman in a firstrate way of business She had only to pick and choose
Humph Honest tradesmen are not as plentiful as blackberries though observed Mr Weatherhead reflectively
Mrs Dobbs ignored this parenthesis and went on It was a bad day for me and mine when he first came swaggering into this house
From which speech it will be seen that the Dobbs side of the family coincided with the Cheffingtons in considering Augustuss to have been an unfortunate marriage only each party arrived at the same conclusion by a different road
Have you heard from him lately Sarah asked Mr Weatherhead after a pause
From my precious soninlaw Not I
Oh
Not a word from him till he wants something You may take your oath of that Jo Weatherhead
Oh I thought you might have heard from him because——
Well very sharply
Well because I see something has been putting old times into your head and I thought it might be that
Something been putting old times into my head I should like to know when theyre out of my head Much you know about it
Mr Weatherhead apparently did know something about it for after another long silence during which he puffed at his pipe and stared into the fire Mrs Dobbs justified his penetration by saying—
The truth is I have been turning things over in my mind a good deal since yesterday
Mr Weatherhead was too wary to expose himself to another snub so he merely nodded two or three times in an oracular manner
Im worried out of my mind about that child She went off yesterday as bright and happy as possible and looking so pretty and genteel—fit for any company in the land
Ah She went off you say to——
To the Hadlows She is to stay there over Sunday
Oh But I dont quite see——
Go on What is it that you dont quite see
I dont quite see what there is to worry you in that The Hadlows are very good sort of people
I should think they were very good sort of people Canon Hadlow is one of the best men in Oldchester or in all England for the matter of that And hes a gentleman to the marrow of his bones But what sort of a position has my granddaughter among the Hadlows and their belongings
A very nice position I should say
A very nice position exclaimed Mrs Dobbs who seemed determined to repeat all poor Mr Weatherheads speeches in a tone of disdainful irony Thats so like you Jo She thinks it a very nice position too poor lamb She knows nothing of the world bless her innocent heart And for all her seventeen years she is the merest child in some things But you might know better You are not seventeen years old Jo Weatherhead
Certainly not assented he emphatically
The fact of the matter is that whether by good luck or bad luck May does not belong to my sphere or my class Shes a Cheffington She has the ways of a lady and the education of a lady and she has a right to the position of a lady If that father of hers gives her nothing else he might give her that and he shall if I can make him
Perhaps it might have been better after all if you had not sent the child back to her old school but just brought her up here under your own eye in a plain sort of way It would have been better for you anyhow
I dont know that
Why youd have been spared a good many sacrifices Theres not another woman in England would have done what youve done Sarah
Nonsense there are plenty of women in England as big fools as me Even that wooden old figurehead of a dowager—Lord forgive me shes dead and gone—had the grace to pay the childs schooling as long as she lived
She exclaimed Jo Weatherhead firing up suddenly and tapping his meerschaum sharply against the hob Thats a very different pair of shoes She could afford it a precious sight better than you What did she ever deprive herself of I say theres not another woman in England would have done what youve done and its no good your contradicting
There bless the man Dont let us quarrel about it
But I shall quarrel about it unless you give in Heres the case fairly put—A young spark runs away with your only daughter and pretty well breaks your heart He takes her wandering about into foreign parts and you only get news of her now and then and never good news Hes too fine a gentleman to do a stroke of work for his family but as soon as he has run through his bit of money hes not too fine a gentleman to fall into disreputable ways of life nor yet to let who will look after his motherless little girl and feed and clothe and educate her When his own mother dies—leaving two quarters schoolbills unpaid which you have to settle bytheby—the rest of the family including his own sister refuse to advance a sixpence to save the child from the workhouse
I say Jo thats putting it a little too strong my friend There was no talk of the workhouse
Let me finish summing up the case I say they wouldnt spend sixpence to save that child from starvation—there now When the dowager is dead and the rest of them button up their breeches pockets and the schoolmistress sends away the poor little girl because she cant afford to keep her and teach her for nothing what does my gentleman do Does he try in any one way to do his duty by his only child Not he He coolly shuffles off all trouble and responsibility on other folks shoulders He hasnt taken any notice of you for years except writing once to borrow fifty pounds——
Which he didnt get Jo
Which he didnt get because an overruling Providence had ordained that you shouldnt have it to lend him Well after years of silence and neglect he turns up in Oldchester one fine morning and walks into your house bringing his little girl on a visit to her dear grandmother Talk of brass What sort of a material do you suppose that mans features are composed of
Gutta percha very likely returned Mrs Dobbs who now sat resting her head against the cushions of her chair and listening to Mr Weatherheads eloquence with a halfhumorous resignation thats a good tough elastic kind of stuff
Tough He had need have some toughness of countenance to come into this house as he did And thats not the end He swaggers about Oldchester for a week or two using your house as an inn neither more nor less—except that theres no bill—and then one day he starts off for the Continent leaving little May here and promising to send for her as soon as he gets settled From that day to this and its four years ago you have had the child on your hands and her precious father has never contributed one shilling towards her support You sent the child back to school You pinched and saved and denied yourself many little comforts to keep her there You have never let her feel or guess that she has been a burthen on you in your old age And I say again Sarah Dobbs that considering all the circumstances of the case theres not another woman in England would have done what youve done No nor in Europe
Well having come to that I hope youve finished Jo Weatherhead
I hope I have returned Mr Weatherhead mopping his flushed face with a very large red pockethandkerchief I hope I have for the present But if you attempt to contradict a word of what I have been saying Ill begin again and go still further
There there then thats settled But I am thinking of the future Supposing I died tomorrow whats to become of May I have nothing to leave her My bit of property goes back to Dobbss family and all right and fair too Ive nothing to say against my husbands will But people like the Hadlows who invite May and make much of her have no idea that she has no one to look to but me I dont say theyd give her the cold shoulder if they did know it but it would make a difference As it is they talk to her about her aunt Mrs DormerSmith and her cousin Lord This and her connection Lady Tother and a kind of a—what shall I say—a sort of atmosphere of high folks hangs about her Shes Miss Miranda Cheffington with fifty relations in the peerage If she was known only as the grandchild of Mrs Dobbs the ironmongers widow she would seem mightily changed in a good many eyes Sometimes it comes over me as if I was letting May go on under false pretences
Why she has got fifty relations in the peerage hasnt she
A hundred for all I know But folks are not aware that her fathers family take no notice of her She hardly knows it herself
But her aunt Mrs DormerSmith writes to her doesnt she
Oh a line once in a blue moon to say shes glad to hear May is well and to complain of the great expense of living in London
The selfish meanness of that woman is beyond belief
Well—I dont know Jo Shes a poor creature certainly But I feel more a sort of pity for her than anything else
Do you Its only out of contradiction then
Not altogether said Mrs Dobbs laughing goodhumouredly I made her out pretty well that time I took May up to London before she went back to school
Ah I remember You tried if the aunt would do anything to help
Yes I tried It was right to try But I very soon saw that there was nothing to be hoped for from that quarter Mrs DormerSmith has been brought up to live for the world and the worlds ways To be sure her world is a funny artificial little affair compared with God Almightys pretty much as though one should take a teaspoonful of Epsom salts for the sea But at any rate I do believe she sincerely thinks it ought to be worshipped and bowed down to Its no use to tell such a woman that she could do without this or that useless finery and spend the money better Shell answer you with tears in her eyes that its impossible and whats more shell believe it Why if some Tomnoddy or other belonging to what she calls the best people was to ordain tomorrow that nobody should eat his dinner unless he was waited on by a man with a long pigtail that poor creature would know no peace nor her meat would have no relish until a man with a pigtail stood behind her chair Thats Mrs DormerSmith Jo Weatherhead
Mr Weatherhead drew up his lips into the form of a round O as his manner was when considering any matter of interest and appeared to meditate a reply But the reply was never spoken for a brisk ring at the street door gave a new turn to his thoughts and those of his sisterinlaw
Dear me exclaimed Mrs Dobbs putting up her hands to settle her cap and stretching out her feet with a sudden movement which made the old tabby on the hearthrug arch her back indignantly Why that must be the Simpsons I didnt think it was so late Just light the candles will you Jo I hope Martha has remembered the roasted potatoes
CHAPTER III
The Simpsons were old friends of Mrs Dobbs Mr Simpson was organist of the largest parish church in Oldchester where his father had been organist before him To this circumstance he owed his singular Christian name The elder Simpson whose musical enthusiasm had run all into one channel insisted on naming his son Sebastian Bach Some men would have felt this to be a disadvantage for the profession of organist and musicteacher as involving a suggestion of ridicule But Mr Sebastian Bach Simpson was not apt to be diffident about any distinguishing characteristic of his own His wife had been a governess and still gave daily lessons in sundry respectable Oldchester families By an arrangement begun during her late husbands lifetime this couple came every Saturday evening to sup with Mrs Dobbs and to play a game of whist for penny points before the meal
The two guests entered the parlour just as Mr Weatherhead was lighting the candles
Dear me exclaimed Mrs Simpson are we too early I had no idea Surely the choir practice was not over earlier than usual Bassy
She was a large stout woman of forty with a pinkandwhite complexion and filmy brown curls and she wore spectacles She had once been very slim and pretty and still retained a certain girlishness of demeanour It has been said that a man is as old as he feels and a woman as old as she looks Mrs Simpson had innocently usurped the masculine privilege and not feeling herself to be either wiser or less trivial than she was at eighteen had never thought of trying to bring her manners into harmony with her appearance Her husband was a short dark man with quick black eyes and thick stubby black hair His voice was singularly rasping and dissonant which seemed an unfortunate incongruity in a professor of music Such as he was however his wife had a great admiration for him and considered his talents to be remarkable Her marriage she was fond of saying had been a lovematch and she had never got beyond the romantic stage of her attachment
Good evening Mrs Dobbs said the organist advancing to shake hands and taking no notice of his wifes inquiry
How are you Weatherhead I suppose you were napping—having forty winks in the twilight eh
No Mr Weatherhead and I were chatting said Mrs Dobbs
Chatting in this kind of blind mans holiday were you I should have thought you could hardly see to talk
See to talk Oh Bassy what an expression You do say the drollest things exclaimed Mrs Simpson with a giggle Doesnt he Mrs Dobbs Did you ever hear——
Mrs Dobbs for all reply hospitably stirred the fire until it blazed helped Mrs Simpson to remove her bonnet and cloak and placed her in a chair near her own Mr Simpson took his accustomed seat and the four persons drew round the fire whilst Martha Mrs Dobbss middleaged servant set out a little cardtable and disposed the candles on it in two oldfashioned spindleshanked silver candlesticks It was all done according to longestablished custom which was seldom deviated from in any particular
And how are you dear Mrs Dobbs asked Mrs Simpson taking her hostesss hand between both her own And dear May—wheres May
May has been away from home on a visit since yesterday morning She wont come back before Monday
And may one ask where she is It is not I presume a Mystery of Udolpho
She is at the Hadlows
The Hadlows Canon Hadlows cried Mrs Simpson clasping her hands with a gesture of amazement Then she added rather inconsistently Well Im not surprised I know they have lately taken a great deal of notice of her Miss Hadlow and she having been at school together of course created an intimacy which—ah the friendships of early youth where they are genuine have a warmth a charm——
Now Amelia interposed her husbands rasping voice This ejaculation was his habitual manner of recalling Mrs Simpsons attention to the matter in hand whatever it might be for the good ladys mind was discursive If youll be kind enough to leave off your nonsense we can begin our game Come and cut for partners
An earnest whist player would have been outraged by the performances of the four persons who met weekly in Mrs Dobbss parlour They chatted they misdealt they even revoked sometimes and they overlooked each others misdemeanours with unscrupulous laxity In a word they regarded the noble game of whist merely as a means and not as an end and were scandalously bent on amusing themselves regardless of Hoyle The only one of the party who had any pretensions to play tolerably was Mr Weatherhead But even his attention was always to be diverted from his cards by a new piece of gossip And perhaps it was as well that he did not take the game too much to heart—especially on the present occasion for the fair Amelia fell to his lot as a partner and her performances with the cards were calculated to drive a zealous player into a nervous fever
The first hand or two proceeded in decorous silence But by degrees the players began to talk throwing out first detached sentences and at last boldly entering into general conversation
Bassy had a great deal of trouble with the choir this evening said Mrs Simpson plaintively The sopranos were so inattentive And inattention is so particularly—oh dear I beg pardon I have a diamond Well it does not much matter for we couldnt have made the odd trick in any case
A nice business at Sheffield with those Trades Unions said Mr Weatherhead Some severe measures ought to be taken but they wont be Thats what your precious Liberalism comes to—Your lead Simpson
Nonsense about Liberalism Jo Weatherhead replied Mrs Dobbs I believe youd like to accuse the Liberals of the bad weather There—Did you ever see such a hand One trump and that fell Mrs Simpson playing out her knave misled me
Oh if you reckon on Amelias having any sufficient motive for playing one card more than another—— exclaimed Amelias husband Have you heard Mrs Dobbs that Mr Bransby is getting better
What Bransby is that asked Mr Weatherhead thrusting his head forward inquiringly
Cadell and Bransby Solicitors to the Dean and Chapter
Oho He has been ill then
Very ill But I hear he was pronounced out of danger on Wednesday
Is it not good news cried Mrs Simpson Such a misfortune for his young family I mean if he had died you know
But I suppose hes a warm man isnt he Cadell and Bransby—its a fine business isnt it asked Mr Weatherhead
It had need be rejoined the organist to maintain that tribe of boys and girls and an extravagant young wife into the bargain
Oh Bassy but they are such pretty children And Mrs Bransby is so truly elegant and interesting All her bonnets come from Paris I am told And indeed there is a certain style——Eh You dont mean to say that spades are trumps What a disappointment I thought I had all four honours
This ingenuous speech might have called forth some remonstrance from Mrs Simpsons partner but that the latter was too much interested in the subject of the Bransbys to attend to it
The eldest son is provided for by his mothers fortune isnt he he inquired
Well—provided for I dont know that it is very much But it was all tightly settled Otherwise Bransbys second marriage would have been a greater misfortune for the young man than it is replied the organist
I dont see that it is any misfortune at all observed Mrs Dobbs Theodore Bransby is quite well enough off for a young fellow And why shouldnt his father marry again if he liked it
He is an extremely gentlemanlike young man is Mr Theodore Bransby said Mrs Simpson I have been imparting daily instruction to the younger children and I saw him rather frequently when he was at home during the University vacation He is now reading for the Bar you know and I believe——Was that your knave Mr Weatherhead Really Then I have thrown away my queen However smiling amiably one can but take the trick I believe that Mr Theodore Bransby means to go into Parliament later There is really something of the statesman about him already I think—a way of buttoning his coat to the chin dont you know
Is Theodore Bransby in Oldchester now asked Mrs Dobbs sorting her cards
Oh yes replied Mr Simpson I wonder you didnt know for he is a great deal at Canon Hadlows They say hes making up to Miss Hadlow
Oho But theres Mrs Hadlows nephew young Rivers put in Mr Weatherhead Hes supposed to be dangling after his cousin isnt he
I should think young Rivers had better dangle after an employment that will give him bread and cheese Miss Constance Hadlow wont have a penny
Oh Bassy but where theres real affection mercenary considerations must give way True love—true love is above all As she uttered these words with great fervour Mrs Simpson flourished her arm enthusiastically and in so doing swept off the table several coins which had served as counters to register her opponents score The silver discs rolled swiftly away into various inaccessible corners of the room with the perversity usually observed in such cases Fortunately the game had just come to an end and Martha had announced that the supper was ready This circumstance and the fact that her husband was a winner spared Mrs Simpson a sharp reprimand
Mr Simpson uttered indeed a few sarcastic croaks Now Amelia There you go Always up to some nonsense or other But he watched Mr Weatherhead and Martha as they crawled about on hands and knees to recover the missing shillings and sixpences with considerable equanimity merely observing that Amelia ought to be ashamed of herself for giving so much trouble
When the supper was set on the table three of the party at least were in high good humour and disposed to enjoy it Mr Simpson had won and was content Mr Weatherhead paid his losses without a murmur conscious no doubt that they were due as much to his own wandering attention as to his partners aberrations As for Mrs Simpson the sweetness of her disposition was proof against far more souring circumstances than having spoiled Jo Weatherheads game She was not the least out of humour with him Mrs Dobbs alone was a little more silent and a little less genial than usual The talk that evening with her old friend had awakened painful thoughts of the past and anxieties for the future She very rarely mentioned her soninlaws name even to Mr Weatherhead who was thoroughly in her confidence and whenever she did speak of him the result was invariably to irritate and depress her However her hospitable instincts roused her to shake off her cares in some degree and to make her friends welcome to the fare set before them
When the more substantial part of the supper was disposed of and a jug of hot punch steamed on the board Mrs Simpson delicately tapping with her teaspoon on the edge of her tumbler observed with an air at once penetrating and amiable——
Well Im sure it will be very gratifying to Mrs DormerSmith when she hears that dear May has been invited to the Hadlows
Hm I dont think Mrs DormerSmith will lose her wits with joy answered Mrs Dobbs drily
No Oh but surely—— She must feel it agreeable that her niece should be noticed by persons of such eminent gentility
Mrs Dobbs would have dismissed the subject with a smile and a shake of the head avoiding as she always did any discussion or even mention of her soninlaws family but Mr Simpson interposed magisterially—
If Mrs DormerSmith isnt gratified it must be because she is ignorant of the position held by Canon Hadlows family in Oldchester
Mrs Dobbs faced about upon this and said bluntly My dear good man all the best society of Oldchester put together would seem mighty small beer to Mrs DormerSmith
Oh really returned Mr Simpson mortified and incredulous Such a very fine lady is she Well DormerSmith doesnt sound very aristocratic but it may be of course
Mrs DormerSmith is a fine lady and accustomed to mix with still finer ladies Its no use shutting ones eyes to facts If we wont look at them we only bump up against them because theyre there all the same As to opinions thats different I suppose I neednt say anything about mine at this time of day Im a staunch Radical—always was and always will be
Pooh pooh Call yourself a Radical said Mr Weatherhead laughing his peculiar laugh which consisted of a series of guttural ho ho hos Youre convicted out of your own mouth of not being one Whoever heard of a Radical that cared about facts
Mrs Simpson put out her hand and tapped him on the shoulder Now now thats very naughty of you she exclaimed Politics are strictly forbidden on Saturday evenings by the ancient statutes of our society Isnt it so Mr Dobbs I appeal to the chair And she threatened Mr Weatherhead playfully with her forefinger at the same time casting an arch look through her spectacles Glasses are not favourable to any effective play of the eyes and usually screen the most expressive of glances behind a ghastly glitter void of all speculation But of this consideration Mrs Simpson was habitually oblivious Then by way of turning the conversation into more agreeable channels she continued And àpropos of May dear Mrs Dobbs when did you last hear from her papa
This simple inquiry startled the company into absolute silence for a few moments Mrs Dobbss resolute reserve on the subject of her soninlaw was so well known that none of her friends for several years past had ventured to mention him to her Some refrained because they did not wish to hurt her and many because they were afraid she might hurt them for Mrs Dobbss uncompromising frankness of speech and force of character made her a hard hitter when she did hit But the specific levity of Mrs Simpsons mind gave her a certain immunity from hard retorts—the immunity of a fly from a cannon ball On the present occasion however she received no rebuke for greatly to Jo Weatherheads surprise and somewhat to Mr Simpsons Mrs Dobbs after a brief pause answered—
I have not heard lately from Captain Cheffington He is a bad correspondent But we shall soon be obliged to communicate with each other May is seventeen and various arrangements will have to be made about her future
Goodness exclaimed Mrs Simpson clasping her hands You dont mean to say that May isnt to remain with you
That will depend on what is agreed on in the family May must take her place in the world as Miss Cheffington you know and not as my granddaughter
The Simpsons exchanged a glance of surprise This was the first time they had heard Mrs Dobbs assume any such position for her grandchild Sebastian was inclined to resist her doing so now But something in Mrs Dobbss manner checked him from expressing this feeling It is generally found easier to criticize our friends shortcomings when we are free from the disturbing element of their presence The short remainder of the evening was passed in talking of other things But on their way home Mr and Mrs Simpson discussed this new turn of affairs with some eagerness
The organist considered that the notion of the Hadlows not being good enough company for the DormerSmiths was preposterous and he feared that Mrs Dobbs was giving herself airs In reply to his wifes observations that Mrs Dobbs was a dear old soul he pointed out that dear and good though she might be yet her husband had kept an ironmongers shop and publicly sold hardware therein behind his counter to the knowledge of all Oldchester This retort depended for its cogency on the understanding of an ellipsis which however Mrs Simpson was perfectly able to supply for she answered immediately—
Oh Im sure Bassy Mrs Dobbs would never undervalue your position as a professional man She knows very well that the Arts rank superior to trade
On the other hand when Mrs Simpson proceeded to opine that if May were taken up by her fathers family she would become quite a grand personage Mr Simpson declared with a good deal of heat that for his part he thought Mrs Dobbs quite as good any day as the Cheffingtons about whom nothing certain was known in Oldchester except that they were shabby in their dealings and stuckup in their pretensions
Mr Weatherhead lingered behind the organist and his wife to say a word to Mrs Dobbs after their departure
I can tell you one thing Sarah what you said about May will be all over Oldchester by Monday
So I guess
Oho Then you mean it to be talked about
I mean it to be known that May is to take her place in the world as Miss Cheffington
But is she Thats more than you can say Sarah
I shall have a try for it Jo
Now whenever Mrs Dobbs had said in that emphatic manner that she would have a try for anything that thing so far as Jo Weatherheads experience went had infallibly come to pass But with all his faith in his old friend he could not help doubting her success in the present case He was eagerly curious to know how she intended to proceed but Mrs Dobbs refused to say any more on the subject declaring that she must think things over quietly
I dont see it said Mr Weatherhead to himself poking forward his nose and pursing up his lips as he walked homeward Sarah Dobbs is a wonderful woman but even she cant gather grapes from thorns And in respect of justice or generosity—not to mention common honesty—Im afraid all the Cheffingtons are rather thorny
CHAPTER IV
Among other features peculiar to itself Oldchester possesses a quadrangular building with an inner cloister commonly called College Quad It is in the immediate neighbourhood of the cathedral and is divided into small tenements inhabited by clergy forming part of the cathedral body At the back of the houses on the south side of the quadrangle pleasant gardens slope down towards the river Wend The cloister is a very beautiful piece of Gothic work with fretted roof and springing pillars Peace and quiet reign within it In summer there comes a sleepy sound of rooks from the Bishops garden close at hand and towards sunrise and sunset the chirp of innumerable sparrows mingled with the richer notes of thrush blackbird and nightingale in their season At certain times of the day too the stillness is broken by the thrilling freshness of childrens voices as the scholars of the ancient Grammar School scatter themselves over the Cathedral Green shouting and calling in the shrill silvery treble of boyhood But these sounds are softened and subdued by distance and thick masonry before they penetrate within the precincts of College Quad In autumn and winter there is a chill dampness on the greenishgray pavingstones of the cloister and the rain drips heavily from carven capitals into the resounding court The very order and cleanliness of the place—its decorous clerical smoothshaven air—seem sometimes under a watery sky and when the winds are moaning and complaining or thrumming like ghostly fingers on the fine resonant Gothic fretwork to fill the mind with melancholy
A rich contrasting note is seldom wanting—firelight and the glimpse of a crimson curtain seen through lozengeshaped windowpanes or an open door sending out a gush of warmth and spicy smells from the kitchen and the sound of friendly voices Yet even within doors there seems to be a haunting sense of the old old times when hands long crumbled into dust built up that dainty cloister and when patient monkish feet long stilled for ever paced its stones It is not a wholly sad feeling It may even give zest to the glance of living eyes and the warm pressure of dear hands But it has a peculiar pathos—a pathos which perhaps is felt peculiarly by northern people as the sadsweet twilight belongs to northern climates and which many of those to the manner born would not exchange for the unbroken garishness of goldenblue days and silverblue nights
The habitations on the south side of College Quad are considered the most desirable of all by reason of the gardens beforementioned running down to the Wend although one or two houses on the west side may be a trifle larger Canon Hadlows family of three persons inhabited one of these coveted southern houses and found it roomy enough for their needs yet it was a small—a very small—dwelling The front door opened on to the beautiful cloister Immediately on entering the house you found yourself in a tiny entrancehall to the left of which a steep and narrow staircase of dark oak conducted to the one upper story On the right a massive oakendoor gave access to a long low parlour whose three latticed windows—darkened somewhat by a drooping fringe of jessamine and virginiacreeper—looked across the garden and the river to wide meadows Opposite to the front door a glass one which in summer stood wide open all day long led into the garden In winter swinging doubledoors covered with dark baize shut out the cold air and the chill damp mist which sometimes crept up from the river
The exterior of the houses in College Quad was coeval with the Gothic cloister within the passing centuries had somewhat modified their aspect The main features however were ancient and most of the inhabitants had chosen to preserve this general air of antiquity Only in some few cases had disastrous attempts at modernizing been made with paint and French wallpapers It would have been needless to tell any Oldchester person that no such sacrilegious innovations deformed the fine oak beams and wainscoting in Canon Hadlows house There was a dark tone all through it which however was not chill It was rather the rich darkness of Rembrandts shadows which seem to have a latent glow in the heart of them A deep red curtain here and there or a wellworn Turkey carpet with its kaleidoscope of subdued tints relieved the general sombreness Flowers in all manner of receptacles—from a precious old china punchbowl to the cheapest of glass goblets—adorned every room in the house throughout the year Even in winter there was ivy to be had and redberried holly and the coral clusters of the mountain ash and pale chrysanthemums The garden furnished an ample supply of stocks roses carnations hollyhocks china asters sweetwilliams wallflowers and the like oldfashioned blossoms with homely names But as Mrs Hadlow herself quaintly remarked she cared more for the sight and smell of a flower than its sound
One sacrifice the flowers cost the Hadlows had no lawntennis ground Mrs Hadlow declared she could not spare the space Her neighbours to the right and left boasted of lawns which with their white lines looked like tables chalked on the pavement for the popular street game of hopscotch—and were very little bigger But the Hadlows garden was a mosaic of boxbordered flowerbeds Only quite at the lower end where a clipped hedge divided it from a footpath on the river bank there was a strip of green sward like a velvet carpet spread completely across the garden At one angle stood a yewtree of fabulous age and in its shadow were a garden bench and table and a few rustic chairs This was Mrs Hadlows drawingroom whenever the weather permitted her to be outofdoors There she sewed and read and received visits The oak parlour which served also as a diningroom was the ordinary family living room There was a small room called the study lined with books from floor to ceiling but drawingroom properly socalled there was none at all Constance Hadlow was the only one of the family who regretted this circumstance The canon was perfectly content with his abode And as to Mrs Hadlow no one who valued her good opinion would have ventured to hint to her that her house lacked anything to make it convenient and delightful An illadvised stranger had once opined in her presence that the near neighbourhood of the river must make the south side of the College Quad damp and unhealthy during the autumn and winter and Mrs Hadlows indignation had been boundless That it was sometimes cold in College Quad she was willing to admit—just as it was sometimes cold on the Riviera or in Cairo But that it could under any circumstances or for the shortest space of time be damp was what she would never be brought to acknowledge As to the Wend if any exhalations did arise from that gentle stream they could not she was sure be unwholesome—above bridge It was important to bear in mind this limitation since below bridge where the factories were and where the poorer dwellings stood in crowded ranks and the streets vibrated to the rumble of heavy waggons and tramway cars the Wend must naturally incur such corruption of its good manners as came from evil communications Mrs Hadlow loved and admired Oldchester with enthusiasm But Oldchester in her mind meant the cathedral and its immediate surroundings Her admiration was bounded by the cathedral precincts and to judge from her words so was her love also But her heart was not to be imprisoned within any such confines Prejudice might rule her speech and warp her judgments but her warm human sympathies went out towards those unfortunates who dwelt beyond the pale even under the shadow of Braggs factory chimney nay even in those vulgar suburban villas with fine names which were particularly abhorrent to Mrs Hadlows soul
The sun shone brightly on a group of persons assembled in Mrs Hadlows garden on the Monday forenoon after Mrs Dobbss supperparty It was a sun more bright than warm and a little crisp breeze fluttered now and then among the scarlet and gold leaves of the virginiacreeper which draped the back of the house Constance Hadlow wrapped in a fleecy shawl and sitting in a patch of sunshine outside the shadow of the yewtree declared it was bitterly cold Her opinion was evidently shared by a blackandtan terrier that shivered convulsively at intervals with a sort of ostentation as though to hint to the less sensitive bipeds that it was high time to retire to the shelter of a roof and the comforts of the hearthrug Mrs Hadlows round rosy face seemed to shed a glow around it like a terrestrial sun as she beamed from behind a great basket piled with grey woollen socks belonging to the canon which socks were never darned by any other than his wifes fingers Her nephew Owen Rivers lounged on the bench beside her Seated on a low chair May Cheffington was winding a ball of grey worsted for the socks and standing opposite to her with his shoulder against the trunk of the yewtree was Mr Theodore Bransby This young gentleman had just said something which had startled the assembled company He was not given to saying startling things He would probably have pronounced it bad form to do so—a phrase which to his mind carried with it the severest condemnation He had merely observed You will all be sorry to lose Miss Cheffington shall you not Mrs Hadlow quite unconscious of saying anything to cause surprise Surprise however was plainly expressed on every countenance including that of Miss Cheffington herself
The fact was that rumour speaking by the voices of Mr and Mrs Simpson had already announced in Oldchester that May Cheffington was going away to live with her grand relations in London The report had not yet penetrated College Quad but it had been brought to the Bransbys house that morning by Mrs Simpson when she came to give her daily lesson to the children
Lose her What do you mean asked Mrs Hadlow
Youre not going to be married are you May cried Miss Constance dropping her parasol in order to look full at the other girl while Mr Rivers on the other hand raised himself on his elbow and stared at young Bransby
May laughed and coloured at her friends question Certainly not that I know of Constance she answered
Are you going away then
You must ask Mr Bransby He seems to know I dont
As she spoke May turned a pair of bright hazel eyes full on the young gentleman in question and smiled The admixture of Dobbs blood with the noble strain of Cheffington had certainly not produced any physical deterioration of the race Yet the dowager had been discontented with her granddaughters appearance and had particularly lamented the absence of the Cheffington profile Now the Cheffington profile was handsome enough in its way in certain subjects and at a certain time of life but with advancing years it was apt to resemble the profile of an owl the nose being beaky and the orbit of the eyes very large with eyebrows nearly semicircular while the chin tended to disappear in hanging folds and creases of throat The Cheffingtons moreover were sallow and darkhaired May inherited her mothers fair skin and soft brown hair Her slender young figure not yet fully grown was rather below than above the middle height She had the healthy though delicate freshness of a fieldflower but like the fieldflower she might easily pass unnoticed There was nothing of high or dazzling beauty about May Cheffington but she had that subtle attraction which does not always belong to beauty A great many persons however thought she did not bear comparison with Constance Hadlow her friend and schoolfellow Besides a firm faith in her own beauty—which is a more powerful assistance to its recognition by others than is generally supposed—Miss Hadlow possessed a pair of fine dark eyes and eyebrows a clear pale skin regular features and white teeth Those who were disposed to be critical observed that her face and head were rather too massive for her height and that her figure sufficiently plump at present threatened to become too fat as she approached middle life But at twenty years of age that would have appeared a very remote contingency to Constance Hadlow supposing her to have ever thought about it Although circumstances often prevented her from being dressed after the latest fashion her hair—dark wavy and abundant—was always skilfully arranged in the prevalent mode whatever that might be It happened just then to be a becoming one to Miss Hadlows head and face The crimson colour of the shawl wrapped round her made a fine contrast with the creamy pallor of her skin and the vivid darkness of her eyes Altogether she looked handsome enough to excuse Owen Rivers for finding it difficult to remove himself from her society supposing Mr Simpsons statement to be true that the young man was dangling after his cousin instead of minding his business
Theodore Bransby on being called upon to explain himself answered that he understood Miss Cheffington was shortly going to London to reside with her aunt Mrs DormerSmith
Oh no Im not said May promptly before any one else could speak That is quite a mistake
Indeed
Oh yes indeed it is Im going to stay with granny
Indeed said Theodore Bransby once more Then he added Are you quite sure Because I had it from a person who had it from Mrs Dobbs herself
From granny In her astonishment May let fall the ball of worsted It rolled across the grass under the very nose of the toy terrier who snapped at it and then shivered more strongly than ever with an added sense of injury
Very likely nothing is positively settled yet continued Theodore Mrs Dobbs was speaking of family arrangements for the future
Then I suppose said May with an anxious look that she has heard from papa
Yes I believe so something was said about a communication from Captain Cheffington
There was a little pause Then Mrs Hadlow said Well of course we shall be sorry to lose you my dear as Theodore says But it is quite right that you should be amongst your own people and be properly introduced
Granny is my own people returned May in a low voice
Of course and a most kind and excellent grandmother she is But I mean—in short since it is Mrs Dobbss own plan we must suppose she thinks it best for you to go to town and I must say I agree with her
It is obviously necessary said young Bransby Miss Cheffington will have of course to be presented
Why you look quite glum May cried Constance laughing Oh you little goose I only wish I had the chance of going to town to be presented
Owen Rivers who had hitherto been silent now addressed May and asked her if she disliked her aunt
Dislike Aunt Pauline Oh no I dont dislike her at all But I—I dont know her very well
I thought said Bransby that you had been in the habit of staying with Mrs DormerSmith during the school vacations
No before Grandmamma Cheffington died I used to go to Richmond and I only saw Aunt Pauline now and then Since that time I havent seen her at all for Ive spent all my holidays with dear granny
Constance began to question young Bransby as to who had given him the news about Mays departure what it was that had been said whether the time of her going away were positively fixed and so forth May rose and under cover of picking up her ball of worsted walked away out of earshot
Are you that phenomenon a young lady devoid of curiosity Miss Cheffington asked Owen Rivers as she passed near him
Oh theres nothing to be curious about returned the girl flushing a little Granny and I shall talk it all over together this evening I need not trouble myself about what other people may say or guess
Miss Hadlow had apparently forgotten that it was bitterly cold for she continued to sit on the lawn talking with Theodore after the others had gone into the house She moved at length from her seat at the summons of the luncheonbell Fox the terrier more consistent had availed himself of the breakingup of the little party to hasten indoors and establish himself on the diningroom hearthrug—a step which nothing but his unconquerable dislike to being alone had prevented him from taking long ago
When the two loiterers at length entered the diningroom Mrs Hadlow announced that May had gone home Her grandmother had sent the servant for her a little earlier than usual and May had refused to remain for luncheon The young girls absence gave an opportunity for discussing her and her prospects and they were discussed accordingly as the party sat at table
Mrs Hadlow expressed great satisfaction at hearing that May was to be received and accepted as a Cheffington Constance inclined to think that May would not duly appreciate her good fortune and Theodore Bransby observed stiffly that Miss Cheffingtons removal to town had always been inevitable and that the date of it alone could have been matter for uncertainty to persons who knew anything of the Cheffington family
Well said Rivers I suppose Constance is the only one of us here present who possesses that knowledge
No I never knew much of them answered his cousin I saw them occasionally when I was at school Sometimes the dowager came down to stay at Brighton and she used now and then to call for May in her carriage but she never entered the doors And once or twice Mrs DormerSmith came I remember we girls used to make game of old Mrs Cheffington with her black wig and her airs
She was thoroughly grande dame I believe said Theodore Bransby
Very likely The servants used to say she was dreadfully stingy and call her an old cat Mrs DormerSmith had nice manners and was always beautifully dressed
Your information is somewhat sketchy my dear Constance but no doubt the outline is correct as far as it goes observed Rivers
Decidedly sketchy said Mrs Hadlow who was helping her guests to minced mutton
Miss Hadlow however is not the only one of us who knows anything about the Cheffingtons said young Bransby with his grave air
Oh dear me I had forgotten interposed Mrs Hadlow after a quick glance at the young mans face To be sure Theodore has visited the family in town The fact is Theodore has been a stranger himself so long that we have had no opportunity of hearing his report Tell us what the DormerSmiths are like Theodore since you know them
Like They are like people who move in the best society—like thoroughbred people returned Theodore drawing himself up stiffly
Poor little May said Mrs Hadlow thoughtfully Shes a sweet little thing I hope theyll be kind to her
Do you know anything of Mrs Dobbs Aunt Jane asked Rivers I mean he added of course you know of her But do you know her
Oh yes Once many years ago the canon had a tough battle with Mrs Dobbs when he was helping to canvas for the city member We couldnt get her husbands vote for the right side But he was a worthy man and sold very good ironmongery When Constance first asked leave to invite her schoolfellow here I had an interview with Mrs Dobbs She came to the point at once She said Mrs Hadlow you need not be uneasy My friends and equals are not yours but neither are they my granddaughters She belongs by her fathers family to a different class As for me I am too old to make any mistakes about my place in the world and too proud to wish to change it
Too proud repeated Bransby with raised eyebrows
I thought it was very well said answered Mrs Hadlow I only wish all the people of her class had the same honest pride But Mrs Dobbs is a woman of great good sense and of the highest integrity All the same of course now that May is grown up the girls position in that house is too anomalous Captain Cheffington no doubt feels that He probably left his daughter there so long out of tenderness to Mrs Dobbss feelings and perhaps also to help out the old ladys income But now naturally it must come to an end He cant sacrifice Mays future That is how I explain the state of the case and it seems to me to be creditable to all concerned
At all events it is creditable to Mrs Dobbs Aunt Jane said Rivers
And why not pray to Captain Cheffington too asked Constance But Captain Cheffington has the misfortune to be born a gentleman so of course Owen disapproves of him
Not at all of course But I agree with you as to the misfortune—for the other gentlemen at all events
I think youre a little mistaken about Captain Cheffington Rivers said Theodore Hes a friend of mine
In that case Im very sorry answered Owen drily
Mrs Hadlow here interposed rising from the table with a show of cheerful bustle Come said she you children must not loiter here all day The canon comes home from Wendhurst by the threeforty train and I am going to meet him Constance has an engagement with the Burtons and as for you two boys I shall turn you out without ceremony
The kind ladys intention had been to break off the discourse between the two young men which threatened to become disagreeable But as Bransby and Rivers walked away side by side through the fretted cloister of College Quad the former with a certain quiet doggedness which belonged to him returned to the subject
You must understand he said that I am not very intimate with Captain Cheffington but I know him and am his debtor for some courteous attentions And I think you are a little—rash if you dont mind my saying so in condemning him
I dont at all mind your saying so
You see there are a great many circumstances to be taken into account in judging of Captain Cheffingtons career In the first place there was his unfortunate marriage
CHAPTER V
When Augustus Cheffington had paid that sudden visit to his motherinlaw which resulted in leaving May on her hands Theodore Bransby happened to be at home during a University vacation and was flattered by Captain Cheffingtons notice The fact was that Augustus found himself greatly bored and out of his element in Oldchester and was glad to accept a dinner or two from Mr Bransby the solicitor to the Dean and Chapter for Mr Bransbys port wine was unimpeachable He had also condescended to play several games of billiards with Theodore upon a somewhat mangy old table in the Green Dragon Hotel and to smoke that young gentlemans cigars without stint and to hold forth about himself in the handsomest terms pleased to be accepted apparently pretty much at his own valuation Theodore Bransby was no fool But he was young and he had his illusions These were not of a highflown ideal cast He would have shrugged his shoulders at any one who should set up for philanthropy or poetry or socialism or chivalry But he was subdued by a display of nonchalant disdain for all the things and persons which he had been accustomed to look up to from childhood Mr Bragg the great tintack manufacturer his fathers wealthiest client was dismissed by Augustus Cheffington in two words Damned snob and even the bishop he pronounced to be a prosin old prig and spoke of the bishops wife as that vulgar fat woman These indications of superiority together with many references to the noble and honourable Castlecombes and Cheffingtons who composed Augustuss kith and kin had greatly fascinated Theodore And Augustus had completed his conquest over the young man by giving him a letter of introduction to his sister Mrs DormerSmith which letter was delivered when young Bransby went to London to read for the Bar
Although the brother and sister had parted not on the best terms with each other yet Augustus had not hesitated to give the introduction He believed that his sister would be willing to honour his recommendation by showing civilities which cost her nothing and moreover he was quite indifferent being then on the point of saying a long farewell to Oldchester as to whether the DormerSmiths snubbed young Bransby or not They did not snub him Mrs DormerSmith rather approved of his manners and it was quite clear that he wanted neither for means nor friends She was therefore inclined to receive him with something more than politeness And in justice to Pauline it must be said that she was really glad of the opportunity to please her brother She was not without fraternal sentiments and she strongly felt that an introduction from a Cheffington to a Cheffington was not a document to be lightly dishonoured As for Mr DormerSmith although his feelings towards his brotherinlaw—never very cordial—had been exacerbated by having to pay the bill for the dowagers funeral expenses yet his resentment had been to some degree soothed by Augustuss abrupt departure and by his withdrawal of May from her aunts house For many years past the attachment of Augustuss relations for him had increased in direct proportion to the distance which divided him from them In Belgium he was tolerated and pitied had he gone to the Antipodes he would doubtless have been warmly sympathized with and it might safely be prophesied that when he should finally emigrate from this planet altogether the surviving members of the family would be penetrated by a glow of affection
I think hes rather nice Frederick said Mrs DormerSmith with a little sigh of relief after young Bransbys first visit
We may be thankful returned her husband that Augustus has sent us a possible person One never can reckon on what he may choose to do
Mr Bransby is quite possible Indeed I think he is nice He shall have a card for my Thursdays
In this way Theodore had been received by Mrs DormerSmith and had established himself in her good opinion on further acquaintance He was she said so quiet and so safe At this time May Cheffington was still at school being maintained there as has been recorded by her grandmother Dobbs and Pauline would occasionally speak of her niece to young Bransby She always spoke kindly though plaintively of the girl over whom there hung the shadow of the unfortunate marriage
Theodore Bransby was an Oldchester person and could not therefore be supposed to be ignorant of that lamentable event The fact was however that he had never heard a word about it until he made Captain Cheffingtons acquaintance in his native city It had taken place before he was born and indeed Oldchester had been less agitated by the marriage even at the time when it happened than any Cheffington or Castlecombe would have believed possible But Pauline found young Bransbys sentiments on the subject all that they should be No one could have expressed himself more shocked at the idea of a gentlemans marrying a person in Susan Dobbss rank of life than did this solicitors son And Mrs DormerSmith had not the least suspicion that he would have considered such a marriage quite as shocking a mésalliance for himself as for Captain Cheffington Misunderstanding is used as a synonym for discord but perhaps a great deal of social harmony depends on misunderstandings
Theodore could not of course have the slightest personal interest in a schoolgirl whom he had never seen but his sympathies were so entirely with the Cheffingtons on the question of the unfortunate marriage as to inspire him with an odd feeling of antagonism against Mrs Dobbs and a sense that she ought to be firmly kept in her place He secretly thought Mrs DormerSmith weakly indulgent in allowing Miss Cheffington to associate so freely with her grandmother and was indignant at the idea of that plebeian exercising any authority over Lord Castlecombes grandniece However all that would doubtless come to an end when the girl left school and was introduced into society under her aunts protection Theodore flattered himself that he thoroughly understood the position As for Viscount Castlecombe he certainly knew all about him—or at least what was chiefly worth knowing for he had read about him in the Peerage
Primed with this varied knowledge young Bransby held forth to Owen Rivers as they walked together through College Quad across the open green beyond it and up to the house of Mr Bransby senior in the Cathedral Close Here they parted Rivers declined a polite invitation from the other to enter and pursued his way alone towards the High Street and Bransby as he waited for the door to be opened stood looking after him for a few moments
The two young men had known each other more or less all their lives but theirs was a familiarity without real intimacy The years had not made them more congenial to each other People began to say that they were rivals in Constance Hadlows good graces But whether this were so or not the latent antagonism between them had existed long before they grew to be men They had never quarrelled The air is always still enough in a frost They did not even know how much they disliked one another As Theodore watched Owens retreating figure the thought uppermost in his mind was that his friends shootingcoat was badly cut and that he did not remember ever to have seen him wear gloves
The home of Mr Martin Bransby of the oldestablished firm of Cadell and Bransby was a luxurious one The house was an ancient substantial stone building with a spacious walled garden behind it contiguous to the bishops The present occupant had made considerable additions to it It is perhaps needless to say that he had been severely criticized for doing so there being no point on which it is more difficult to content public opinion than the expenditure of ones own money Several of Mr Bransbys acquaintances were unable to reconcile themselves to the fact that he was not satisfied with that which had satisfied his father and grandfather for Martin Bransby was the third of his family who had successively held that house and the business of solicitor to the Dean and Chapter of Oldchester It would have been better they opined if instead of building new rooms he had saved his money to provide for the young family rising around him If it were observed to this irreconcilable party that the presence of a numerous family necessitated more space to lodge them in than the original house afforded they would triumphantly retort Very well then what business had Martin Bransby to marry a second time Or if he must marry why did he choose a young girl without a penny instead of some person nearer his own age and with a little property Martin Bransby however marrying rather to please himself than to earn the approval of his friends had chosen a remarkably pretty girl of twenty a Miss Louisa Lutyer of a good Shropshire family whom he had met in London They had now been married twelve years during which time five children had been born to them and they had lived together in the utmost harmony Those persons who disapproved of the match solely in Mr Bransbys interests of course could find nothing worse to say than that Martin was absurdly in love with his wife and treated her with weak indulgence In short the irreconcilables were driven year by year to put off the date at which their unfavourable judgments were to be corroborated by facts much as sundry popular preachers have been compelled by circumstances over which they had no control to postpone the end of the world
Latterly they had had the mournful satisfaction of observing that Martin Bransby was looking far from well—harassed and aged And when he was attacked by the severe illness which threatened his life they solemnly hinted that the malady had been aggravated by anxiety about his young family for although Martin had made and was making a great deal of money yet with three boys to put out in the world two daughters to provide for and an extravagant wife to maintain even the excellent business of Cadell and Bransby must be somewhat strained to supply his needs
At any rate the evidences of wealth and comfort were as abundant as ever in the home which Theodore entered when he parted from his friend There was plenty of solid furniture dating from the dark ages before modern æstheticism had arisen to reform upholstery and teach us the original sinfulness of the prismatic colours But these relics of the earlier part of the century were not to be found in the two spacious drawingrooms which had been arranged by the fashionablest of fashionable housedecorators from London These rooms together with a tiny cabinet behind them which was styled The Boudoir were Mrs Bransbys special domain And here Theodore found her seated by the fireside A book lay on her knees but she was not reading it She was resting in a position of complete repose with her head leaning against the back of the chair her hands carelessly crossed on her lap and her feet supported on a cushion She was enjoying the sense of bodily and mental rest which comes from the removal of a keenedged anxiety for during several weeks Mrs Bransby had been the most devoted of sicknurses and had scarcely left her husbands room But now the doctors had pronounced all danger to be over the childrens active feet and shrill voices were no longer hushed down by warning fingers the housemaid sang over her brooms and dusters and the mistress of the house had unpacked and put on a new teagown which had lain neglected for more than a fortnight in its brownpaper wrappings From the goldenbrown clusters of hair on her forehead to the tip of her dainty shoe every detail of her appearance was cared for minutely Yet there was nothing of stiffness or affectation She reminded one of an exquisitelytended hothouse flower and carried her beauty and her toilet with as perfect an air of unconscious refinement as the flower itself Certainly Oldchester held no more lovely and graceful figure than Mrs Bransby presented to the eyes of her stepson Yet the eyes of her stepson rested on her with a glance of cool disapprobation His manner of addressing her however was not more chilly than his manner of addressing most other persons—perhaps rather less so and he was scrupulously polite
Did Hatch give a good account of my father this morning he asked seating himself by the fire opposite to Mrs Bransby
Excellent thank goodness He is to drive out on Wednesday if the weather is favourable I felt so soothed and comforted by Dr Hatchs report that I thought I would indulge myself with half an hour of perfect laziness added Mrs Bransby with a deprecating glance at Theodore She constantly reproved herself for assuming an apologetic attitude towards her stepson but constantly recurred to it she was so keenly conscious of his—always unexpressed—criticism
Mrs Hadlow desired to send word that the canon means to call on my father this afternoon if he is well enough to see him
Oh yes a talk with Canon Hadlow will do him good Then after an instants pause Mrs Bransby asked Have you been in College Quad then
I lunched with Mrs Hadlow Rivers was there I parted from him just now And Miss Cheffington
Oh really Mrs Hadlow is very kind to that little May Cheffington
Theodore made no answer but looked stiffly at the fire
Mrs Bransby went on I saw her in the cathedral at afternoon service yesterday with the Hadlows It struck me she was growing quite pretty Dont you think so
I should not call her pretty—— began Theodore slowly
Mrs Bransby broke in Well of course she is eclipsed by Constance Constance is so very handsome But still——
I should not describe Miss Cheffington as pretty pursued Theodore in an inflexible kind of way She is something more than pretty She looks thoroughbred
But thats exactly what she is not isnt it exclaimed Mrs Bransby impulsively
I am not sure that I apprehend you
I mean her mother was quite a common person was she not
A woman takes her husbands rank
Yes but she doesnt inherit his ancestors Besides one really doesnt know much about the father for that matter To be sure Simmy was making a great flourish about Mays grand relations in London this morning But then all poor dear Simmys geese are swans The name of Simmy had been bestowed on Mrs Simpson by the youngest little Bransby but one and although the elder children were reproved for using it the appellation had come to be that by which she was most familiarly known in the Bransby family
Mrs Simpson is a silly person but her information happens in this case to be correct returned Theodore The relations with whom Miss Cheffington is going to live in London are friends of mine
Oh Then what Simmy said is true said Mrs Bransby simply
Theodore proceeded with a scarcely perceptible hesitation I think you might invite Miss Cheffington here before she goes to town I—I should be obliged to you for the opportunity of showing her some attention in return for the DormerSmiths kindness to me in London
Yes I can ask the girl if you like answered Mrs Bransby not quite as warmly as Theodore thought she ought to have answered such a suggestion from him but it will be rather stupid for her Im afraid At the Hadlows there is a young girl near her own age but here unless she likes to play with the children I dont see how we are to amuse her
I did not contemplate Miss Cheffingtons playing with the children I meant that you should invite her to a dinnerparty or something of that sort
Invite May Cheffington to a dinnerparty repeated Mrs Bransby opening her soft brown eyes in astonishment
My father spoke of giving a dinner before I go back to the Temple and he said he thought he should be well enough to see his friends by the end of next week
Yes He talked of inviting the Pipers and the Hadlows and perhaps Mr Bragg
Could you not include Miss Cheffington Perhaps if you allowed me to see your list I might help to arrange it
Oh I suppose one could but wouldnt it seem a very strange thing to do
A little colour came into Theodores pale fair face and his chin grew visibly more rigid above his cravat as he answered I dont know But the social convenances are not to be measured by Oldchesters provincial ideas as to their strangeness And—pardon me—I dont think you quite understand Miss Cheffingtons position
And then he entered on an explanation of the position much as he had explained it to Owen Rivers with only such suppressions and variations chiefly regarding the private history of Augustus Cheffington as he thought the difference between his hearers demanded
Well Im sure if your father has no objection I have none said Mrs Bransby at length And so Theodore got his own way It was a matter of course that he should get his own way so far as his stepmother was concerned Mrs Bransby had indeed successfully resisted him on many occasions but always through the medium of her husband If Theodore attacked her face to face she never had the courage to oppose him Not that in the present case she very much wished to oppose him Nor in truth had their wills ever clashed seriously But the secret consciousness of her weakness and timidity was mortifying for Mrs Bransby although too gentle to fight was not too gentle to wish she could fight And after Theodore had left the room she sat for some time imagining to herself various neat and pointed speeches which would doubtless have brought down her stepsons sententious supercilious tone if she had only had the presence of mind to utter them
CHAPTER VI
May Cheffington went back to her grandmothers house very eager to understand the origin of the rumours about herself which she had heard at the Hadlows Mrs Dobbs had not calculated on this and would have preferred to break the project to May herself and in her own fashion However as it had been mentioned she spoke of it openly She merely cautioned her granddaughter against rashly jumping at any conclusions the future being very vague and unsettled
Theres one conclusion I have jumped at granny said the girl and that is that I dont mean to give you up for any aunts or uncles or cousins of them all They are strangers to me and I dont care a straw about them—how should I—whilst you are—granny
There is no question of giving me up May Perhaps I should not like that much better than you would But if your father should think it right for you to stay for a while with his family we mustnt oppose him And I must tell you that I should think it right too
Oh if its only staying for a while——
Well at all events we neednt look beyond a while and a short while for the present
Mrs Dobbs found it more difficult than she had anticipated to put before May the prospect of being removed from Oldchester altogether and now that the idea of losing May out of her daily life fully presented itself she felt a grip at the heart which frightened her But she had one of those strong characters whose instinct it is to hide their wounds and suffer silently and she resolutely put aside her own pain at this prospect—or rather put it off to the solitary hours to come
During the four years since her father had left her at Oldchester Mays life had been passed between her school at Brighton and her holidays in Oldchester These had certainly been the happiest years she could remember in all her young life Her grandmothers house had been the first real home she had ever known Her recollections of their life on the Continent were dim and melancholy She remembered fragmentary scenes and incidents in certain dull Flemish towns their strongsmelling gutters their toppling gables the carillons sounding high up in some ancient cathedral belfry She had a vision of her mothers face very pale and thin with large bright eyes and streaks of gray in the brown hair May as the youngest of Susan Cheffingtons children had come in for the worst part of their Continental life The earlier years when there was still some money to spend and fewer debts to be run away from had not been quite devoid of brightness But poor little Mays conscious observation had little to take note of at home save poverty sickness domestic dissensions and frequent migrations from one shabby lodging to another Then her mother died and some six or eight months afterwards she was brought to England and—Fate and the dowager so willing it—was sent to school to Mrs Drax in Brighton The choice of this school proved to be a very fortunate one for the little motherless stranger And perhaps the credit of it ought fairly to be assigned rather to Destiny than the dowager The latter would have selected a more fashionable pretentious and expensive establishment had she consulted merely her idea of what was becoming and suitable for Miss Miranda Cheffington But she soon found out that whatever was paid for that young ladys schooling must sooner or later come out of her own pocket and she therefore preferred to honour Mrs Drax with her patronage rather than Madame Liebrecht who had been governess for years in a noble family and was supposed to accept no pupil who could not show sixteen quarterings or of course their equivalent in cash
The choice made was as has been said very fortunate for May Mrs Drax had the manners of a gentlewoman and more amiability than could perhaps have been reasonably expected to survive a long struggle with her special world—a world of parents and guardians who held for the most part a liberal view of her duties and a niggardly one of her rights Here little May Cheffington remained as a pupil for nearly eight years During the first half of that time she sometimes spent her holidays with the dowager at Richmond and sometimes in Brighton under the care of Mrs Drax She preferred the latter Old Mrs Cheffington did not treat the child with any active unkindness but she showed her no tenderness The little girl was usually left to the care of her grandmothers maid—an elderly woman to whom this young creature was merely an extra burthen not considered in her wages The child passed many a lonely hour in the garden or beside the diningroom fire with a book unheeded Her aunt Pauline she only saw at rare intervals She had a confused sense of innocently causing much sorrow to Mrs DormerSmith who seemed always to be afflicted why May did not for several years understand by the sight of her clothes and who used to complain softly to the dowager that the poor dear child was lamentably dressed But on the whole she retained a rather agreeable impression of her aunt as being pretty and gentle and kissing her kindly when they met
Then came the dowagers death the sudden journey to Oldchester and the first acquaintance with that unknown Grandmother Dobbs whose very name she had heard uttered only in a reproachful tone by the dowager or in a hushed voice by the dowagers elderly maid speaking as one who names a hereditary malady And to this taboo Grandmother Dobbs the neglected child soon gave the warm love of a very grateful and affectionate nature May did not know or guess that she was a burthen on her grandmothers means nor would the knowledge have increased her gratitude at that time It was the fostering affection which the child was thankful for She nestled in it like a halffledged bird in the warm shelter of the mothers wing She was not timid or reserved by temperament but the circumstances of her life had given her a certain repressed air That disappeared now like hoarfrost in the sunshine She was like a young plant whose growth had been arrested by a too chilly atmosphere She burgeoned and bloomed into the natural joyousness of childhood which needs above all things the warmth of love and cannot be healthily nurtured by any artificial heat
In her school there was no influence tending to diminish Mays attachment to her grandmother or her perfect contentment with the simple bourgeois home in Oldchester Plain Mrs Dobbs who paid her bills punctually and listened to reason stood far higher in the schoolmistresss esteem than the Honourable Mrs Cheffington who was never contented and required to be dunned for the payment of her just debts As to her noble relations May had no acquaintance with them and never sighed to make it She was ignorant of the very existence of many of them When at seventeen years of age she was removed from school she looked forward to living in the old house in Friars Row and she certainly desired no better home Mrs Drax it has been said had the manners of a gentlewoman and she had not vulgarized Mays natural refinement of mind by misdirecting her admiration towards ignoble things The provincialisms in her grandmothers speech and the homely style of her grandmothers household—although she clearly perceived both—neither shocked nor mortified May On the other hand she accepted it as a quite natural thing that she should be invited to Canon Hadlows house as a guest on equal terms As Mrs Dobbs had said to Jo Weatherhead May was very much of a child still and understood nothing of the world Her unquestioning acceptance of the situation as her grandmother presented it to her had something very childlike She did not inquire how it came to pass that her aunt Pauline who had taken very little notice of her during the past four years should now desire to have her as an inmate of her home She did not ask why her father after so long a torpor on the subject had suddenly awakened to the necessity of asserting his daughters position in the world neither did she even in her private thoughts reproach him for having delegated all the care and responsibility of her education to granny A healthyminded young creature has deep wellsprings of unquestioning faith in its parents or those who stand in the place of parents
But there was one person not so easily contented with the first statement offered and that person was Mr Joseph Weatherhead Mr Weatherhead was very fond of May and admired her very much His social and political theories ought logically to have made him regard her with peculiar interest and consideration as coming of such very blue blood—at least on one side of the house But it so happened that these theories had nothing on earth to do with his attachment to May That arose firstly from her being Sarah Dobbss grandchild Jo would have loved and championed any creature biped or quadruped that belonged to Sarah Dobbs and secondly from her being very lovable The poor man was often embarrassed by the conflict between his curiosity and his principles His curiosity which was as insatiable and omnivorous as the appetite of a pigeon would have led him to crossquestion May minutely about all she knew or guessed respecting her own future and the probable behaviour of her fathers family towards her but his conscience told him that it would not be right to put doubts and suspicions into the girls trusting young soul Certainly he himself cherished many doubts and suspicions as to the future conduct of Mays papa He questioned Mrs Dobbs indeed but there was neither sport nor exercise for his sharp inquisitiveness in that When Mrs Dobbs did not choose to answer him she said so roundly and there was an end She had told him that she was in correspondence with Captain Cheffington and that she believed he would share her views about his daughter Jo however entertained a rooted disbelief as to Captain Cheffingtons holding any views which had not himself for their supreme object
And this Mrs DormerSmith now Sarah said he What reason have you to suppose that she will be willing to take charge of her niece now when she would have nothing to say to her before
A pretty girl of seventeen is a different charge from a lanky child of twelve Jo Mrs DormerSmith couldnt have taken a schoolgirl in short frocks out into the world with her
Humph You dont know that she will take May out into the world with her
I have written I shall have an answer in a few days I dare say I dont expect matters to be settled like a flash of greased lightning as Mr Simpson says Theres a deal to be considered Hold your tongue now heres May
Similar conversations took place between them nearly every day And when they were not interrupted by any external circumstance Mrs Dobbs would resolutely put an end to them by declining to pursue the subject
One afternoon about a week after Mays return from her visit to the Hadlows the young girl was seated at the oldfashioned square pianoforte singing snatches of ballads in a fresh untrained voice Mr Weatherhead had just taken his accustomed seat by the fireside and Mrs Dobbs was opposite to him in her own armchair with the old tabby purring in the firelight at her feet when Martha opened the parlour door softly shut it quickly after her and announced with a slight tone of excitement in her usually quiet voice that there was a gentleman in the passage asking for Miss May
For me Martha exclaimed May turning round at the sound of her own name with one hand still on the keys of the pianoforte Who is he
He said Miss Cheffington I dont know him not by sight But heres his card
Mrs Dobbs took the card from the servant and put on her spectacles bending down to read the name by the firelight Bun—Brun—oh Bransby Mr Theodore Bransby Ask the gentleman to walk in Martha
As Martha left the room Mr Weatherhead pointed to the door with one thumb and whispered Wonder what he wants To which Mrs Dobbs replied by lifting her shoulders and slightly shaking her head as much as to say Im sure I cant guess The next moment Mr Theodore Bransby was ushered into the parlour
The room was rather dim and Theodore did not immediately perceive May who still sat at the piano Miss Cheffington he said interrogatively with a stiff little gesture of the head towards Mrs Dobbs which might pass for a bow
Mrs Dobbs had risen from her chair and now motioned her visitor to be seated My granddaughter is here Pray sit down Mr Theodore Bransby she said Then May got up and came forward and shook hands with him
I dont think you know my grandmother Mrs Dobbs she said presenting him
Theodore upon this began to hold out his hand rather slowly but as Mrs Dobbs made no answering gesture but merely pointed again to a chair he was fain to bow once more—a good deal more distinctly this time—and to sit down with the sense of having received a little check
I hope I have not interrupted you Miss Cheffington said he clearing his throat and settling his chin in his shirtcollar You were singing
Oh no you havent interrupted me at all And even if you had it wouldnt matter My singing is not worth much
Pardon me if I decline to believe that From some sounds which reached me through the door I am sure you sing charmingly
May laughed Ah said she the other side of the door is the most favourable position for hearing me I really dont know how to sing Ask granny
No May doesnt know how to sing said Mrs Dobbs quietly but very decisively For she had caught an expression on Mr Theodore Bransbys pale smooth face which seemed to wonder superciliously what on earth she could know about it Whereupon his pale smooth eyebrows raised themselves a hairs breadth more but he said nothing
My grandmother is a great judge of singing you must know went on May innocently She has heard all the best singers at the Oldchester Musical Festivals for years and years past and she used to sing herself in the choruses of the oratorios
Oh I see said Theodore with a little contemptuous air of enlightenment
Jo Weatherhead looked across at him uneasily He had a halfformed suspicion that this young spark with the smooth rather closelycropped blonde head severe shirtcollar faultlesslyfitting coat and slightly pedantic utterance showed a tendency to treat Mrs Dobbs with impertinence But he checked the suspicion for he argued with himself young Bransby had had the training of a gentleman And what gentleman would be impertinent to a worthy and respected woman and in her own house too He thought as he looked at him that Theodore bore very little resemblance to his father Martin Bransby who was altogether of a different and more massive type
You dont favour your father much sir said Jo blandly
The young man turned his pale blue eyes upon him with a look studiously devoid of all expression I had the honour of knowing your worthy father well some fiveandtwenty—or it may be thirty—years ago
Theodore continuing to stare at him stonily said Oh really in a low monotone
Yes I knew him in the way of business He was a customer of mine when I was in the bookselling business at Brummagem as we called it Your father was even at that time very highly thought of by some of the leading legal luminaries We had no assizes at Birmingham as no doubt youre aware but I used to go over to Warwick Assizes pretty reglarly in those days having some dealings there in the stationery line—which I afterwards gave up altogether though that isnt to the point—and I used to frequent a good deal of legal company Mr Martin Bransby was thought a good deal of among em I can tell you and was taken a great deal of notice of by some of the county families—quite the real old gentry added Mr Weatherhead pursing up his mouth and nodding his head emphatically like a man enforcing a statement which his hearers might reasonably hesitate to accept
Oh how is Mr Bransby asked May
Thanks my father is going on very well indeed He has driven out twice and in fact is nearly himself again He purposes asking some friends to dine with him next week Indeed that furnishes the object of my visit here I—Mrs Bransby—of course you understand that my fathers long illness has given her a great deal to do
Truly it must broke in Mrs Dobbs thinking at once sympathetically of the wife and mother threatened with so cruel a bereavement and now almost suddenly relieved from overwhelming anxiety Im sure most folks in Oldchester have been feeling greatly for Mrs Bransby
And so continued Theodore addressing himself exclusively to May she has not really been—been able to see as much of you as she would have liked Miss Cheffington
May looked at him in surprise Why of course said she Mrs Bransby hasnt been thinking about me How should she
That is the reason—I mean my fathers illness and all the occupations resulting from it—which has induced Mrs Bransby to make me her ambassador on this occasion
As he spoke Theodore took a little note from his pocketbook and handed it to May She glanced at it and exclaimed with open astonishment Its an invitation to dinner Look granny
Mr Weatherhead poked forward his head to see It was in fact a formal card requesting the pleasure of Miss Cheffingtons company at dinner on the following Saturday Mrs Dobbs once more put on her spectacles and read the card
I hope you will be disengaged said Theodore severely ignoring granny
Oh I couldnt go to a grand dinnerparty It would be ridiculous
May Thats not a gracious fashion of receiving an invitation anyhow said Mrs Dobbs smiling a little
Its very kind indeed of Mr and Mrs Bransby but I would much rather not please said May endeavouring to amend her phrase
Oh thats dreadfully cruel Miss Cheffington
You dont think I ought to go do you granny
That replied Mrs Dobbs depends on circumstances
I assure you said Theodore turning round with his most imposing air that it would be quite proper for Miss Cheffington to accept the invitation I should certainly not urge her to do so unless that were the case
Jo Weatherheads suspicions as to this young sparks tendency to impertinence were rather vividly revived by this speech and his forehead flushed as dark a red as his nose But Mrs Dobbs looking at Theodores fair young face made up into an expression of solemn importance smiled a broad smile of motherly toleration and answered in a soothing tone—
No no to be sure you mean to do whats right and proper only young folks dont look at everything as has to be considered But youth has the best of it in so many ways it can afford to be not quite so wise as its elders
This glimpse of himself as Mrs Dobbs saw him was so totally unexpected as completely to dumfounder Theodore for a moment Never since he left off round jackets had he been so addressed for the behaviour of our acquaintances towards us in daily life is generally modified by their idea of what we think of ourselves
I—I can assure you he stammered and then stopped at a loss for words in most unaccustomed embarrassment
There there we aint bound to say yes or no all in a minute pursued Mrs Dobbs Any way we couldnt think of making you postman Thats all very well for your stepmother of course but May must send her answer in a proper way Meanwhile will you stay and have a cup of tea Mr Bransby Its just our teatime The tray will be here in a minute
Theodore had risen as if to go He now stood hesitating and looking at May who certainly gave no answering look of encouragement She wanted him gone that she might talk over the invitation with her grandmother
With a pleasant clinking sound Martha now brought in the teatray and in another minute had fetched the kettle and placed it on the hob where after a brief interval of wheezing and sputtering consequent on its sudden removal from the kitchen fire it resumed its gurgling sound and made itself cheerfully at home
If Mrs Dobbs had urged him by another word—if she had shown by any look or tone that she thought it would be a condescension in him to remain Theodore would have refused But she began placidly to scoop out the tea from the caddy and awaited his reply with unfeigned equanimity There was an unacknowledged feeling in his heart that to go away then and so would be to make a flat kind of exit disagreeable to think of He would like to leave this obtuse old woman impressed with a sense of his superiority and apparently it would still require some little time before that impression was made
Thanks he said If I am not disturbing you——
Dear no How could it disturb me Martha bring another cup and saucer
And then Theodore laying aside his hat and gloves drew a chair up to the table and accepted the proffered hospitality
Having found the method of supercilious reserve rather a failure the young man now adopted a different treatment for the purpose of awaking Mrs Dobbs and that objectionably familiar person with the red nose to a sense of his social distinction and general merits He talked—not volubly indeed for that would have been out of his power even had he wished it but he talked—in a succession of short speeches beginning for the most part with I His efforts were not however exclusively aimed at Mrs Dobbs and Jo Weatherhead He watched May a good deal and spoke to her of the DormerSmiths as though that were a topic between themselves from which the profane vulgar especially profane exbooksellers with red noses were necessarily excluded As the others said very little—with the exception of an occasional question from Jo Weatherhead—Theodores talk assumed the form of a monologue spoken to a dull audience
He was conscious as he walked away from Friars Row of being a little surprised at his own conversational efforts and halfrepentant of his condescension He had been obliged to take his leave without obtaining any definite answer to the dinner invitation But perhaps the feeling uppermost in his mind was irritation at Mays perfectly simple acceptance of her position as Mrs Dobbss granddaughter and her perfectly filial attachment to her grandmother It is really too bad Cheffington ought never to have allowed his daughter to be got hold of by those people Mrs DormerSmith cannot have the least idea what sort of a milieu her niece lives in he said to himself
The worst was that May was so evidently contented If she had been at all distressed by her surroundings Theodore could have better borne to see her there
CHAPTER VII
Persons like the Simpsons who knew Mrs Dobbs intimately allowed her to have a strong judgment and asserted her to have a still stronger will She was far too bent on her own way ever to take advice they said It certainly did not happen that she took theirs But Mrs Dobbss judgment was stronger than they knew It was strong enough to show her on what points other people were likely to know better than she did She would undoubtedly have followed Amelia Simpsons counsels as to the best way of dressing the hair in filmy ringlets—if she had chanced to require that information
On the morning after Theodore Bransbys visit to her house Mrs Dobbs put on her bonnet and set off betimes to College Quad There she had an interview with Mrs Hadlow who it appeared was going to the Bransbys dinnerparty and willingly promised to take charge of May
It seemed to me it wouldnt be the right thing for my granddaughter to go alone to a regular formal party said Mrs Dobbs But as I dont pretend to be much of an authority on such matters I ventured to ask you to tell me
Of course you were quite right Mrs Dobbs
And you think she had better accept the invitation She doesnt much want to do so herself being shy of going amongst strangers But to be sure if she may be under your wing and in company with Miss Hadlow that would make a vast difference
Oh yes let her go Mrs Dobbs Sooner or later she will have to go into the world and it may be well to begin amongst people she is used to Is it true that she is to go to her aunts house in London very soon
Nothing is settled yet If there had been you and Canon Hadlow should have been the first to know it—as it would be only my duty to tell you after all your kindness to the child Nothing is settled But I am in favour of her going myself
You take the sensible view Mrs Dobbs as I think you always do—except at election time added Mrs Hadlow smiling
The elder woman smiled back with a little resolute setting of the lips and begged her best respects to the canon as she took her leave The canon was a great favourite with Mrs Dobbs and on his part their political struggle in that long past election had inspired him with a British respect for his adversarys pluck and fair play
The prospect of going with Mrs Hadlow and Constance greatly reconciled May to the idea of the dinnerparty But she did not look forward to it with anticipations of enjoyment
I would much rather dine in the nursery with the children she said unconsciously echoing Mrs Bransbys suggestion
Mr Weatherhead who was present took her up on this and said Why now May you will enjoy being in good society Mr Bransby is a very agreeable man and used to some of the best company in the county Mrs Bransby too is very pleasant and very pretty a Miss Lutyer she was a regular beauty and belonging to a good old Shropshire family And young Theodore—— Jo Weatherhead pausing here and hesitating for a moment May broke in Come now Uncle Jo she exclaimed you cant say that hes pretty or pleasant
Hes not badlooking returned Mr Weatherhead rather doubtfully Though to be sure he isnt so fine a man as his father
No this lad is like his mothers family said Mrs Dobbs I remember his grandfather and grandmother very well
Do you Do you Sarah Who were they What sort of people now eh
Common sort of people Rabbitt their name was Old Rabbitt kept the Castlecombe Arms a roadside inn over towards Gloucester way He ran a coach between his own markettown and Gloucester before the branch railway was made and they say he did a good deal of moneylending any way he scraped together a goodish bit and his wife came in for a slice of luck by a legacy So altogether their daughter—the first Mrs Martin Bransby that was—had a nice fortune of her own She was sent to a good school and well educated and she was a very good sort of girl but she had just the same smooth light hair and smooth pale face as this young Theodore Martin Bransby had money with his first wife—hes got beauty with his second
Oho exclaimed Jo Weatherhead eager and attentive Rabbitt eh I never knew before who the first Mrs Bransby was
Not a many folks in Oldchester now do know I happened to know from being often over at Gloucester visiting Dobbss family when I was a girl Many a day weve driven past the Castlecombe Arms in the chaise Dear dear how far off it all seems and yet so plain and distinct I couldnt help thinking of those old times when the lad was here the other day he has such a look of old Rabbitt
Thus Mrs Dobbs rather dreamily with her eyes fixed on the opposite houses of Friars Row—or as much of them as could be seen above a wire windowblind—and her fingers mechanically busy with her knitting But she saw neither the quaint gables nor the gray stonewalls Her mind was transported into the past She was bowling along a smooth highroad in an oldfashioned chaise A girl friend sat in the little seat behind her and leaned over her shoulder from time to time to whisper some saucy joke Beside her was the girlfriends brother young Isaac Dobbs—A personable young fellow who drove the old pony humanely and seemed in no hurry to get home to Gloucester She could feel the moist sweet air of a showery summer evening on her cheek and smell the scent of a branch of sweetbriar which Isaac had gallantly cut for her from the hedge
Theodore Bransby did not guess that Mrs Dobbs had treated him with forbearance and indulgence still less did he imagine that the forbearance and indulgence had been due to reminiscences of her girlhood wherein his maternal grandfather figured as Old Rabbit
The question of Mays dress for the dinnerparty gave rise to no debate Mrs Dobbs had been brought up in the faith that the proper garb for a young girl on all festive occasions was white muslin and in white muslin May was arrayed accordingly The delicate fairness of her arms and neck was not marred by the trying juxtaposition of that dead white material It served only to give value to the soft flesh tints and to the sunny brownness of her hair When she had driven off in the roomy old fly with Mrs Hadlow and the canon and Constance who called to fetch her Mrs Dobbs and Mr Weatherhead agreed that she looked lovely and must excite general admiration But the truth was that Mays appearance did not seem to dazzle anybody Mrs Hadlow gave her a comprehensive and approving glance when she took her cloak off in the welllighted hall of Mr Bransbys house and said Very neat Very nice Couldnt be better May Canon Hadlow—a whitehaired venerable figure with the mildest of blue eyes and a sensitive mouth—smiled on her and nodded in confirmation of his wifes verdict Constance brilliant in amber with damask roses at her breast and in her hair thought her friend looked very schoolgirlish and wanting in style But she had the goodnature to pay the one compliment which she sincerely thought was merited and to say Your complexion stands even that bluewhite book muslin May I should look absolutely mahoganycoloured in it
May felt somewhat excited and nervous as she followed Mrs Hadlow up the softly carpeted stairs to the drawingroom But she had a wholesome conviction of her own unimportance on this occasion and comforted herself with the hope of being left to look on without more notice from any one than mere courtesy demanded Her first impression was one of eager admiration for just within the drawingroom door stood Mrs Bransby looking radiantly handsome May thought her the loveliest person she had ever beheld and her dress struck even Mays inexperienced eyes as being supremely elegant Constance Hadlows attire with its unrelieved breadth of bright colour and its stiff outline suddenly appeared as crude as a cheap chromolithograph beside a Venetian masterpiece Behind his wife seated in an easychair was Martin Bransby a fine powerfully built man of sixty with dark eyes and eyebrows and a shock of grizzled hair His naturally ruddy complexion was pallid from recent illness and the lines under his eyes and round his mouth had deepened perceptibly during the last two months Theodore stood near his father stiffly upright and with a cravat and shirtfront so faultlessly smooth and white as to look as though they had been cast in plaster of Paris Standing with his back to the fire was Dr Hatch—a familiar figure to May as to most eyes in Oldchester He was a short man rather too broad for his height with benevolent brown eyes a wide low forehead and a wide firm mouth singularly expressive of humour when he smiled No other guest had arrived when the Hadlows entered the drawingroom
After the first greetings the party fell into little groups the canon and Mr Bransby who were very old friends conversing together in a low voice whilst Theodore advanced to entertain Mrs Hadlow with grave politeness and Constance made a minute and admiring inspection of Mrs Bransbys dress
May thus found herself a little apart from the rest and sat down in a corner half hidden by the protruding mantelpiece of carved oak which rose nearly to the ceiling an elaborate erection of richly carved pillars and shelves and niches holding blueandwhite china in the most approved style
Well Miss May and how are you asked Dr Hatch moving a little nearer to her as he stood on the hearthrug
Quite well thank you Dr Hatch said May looking up with her bright young smile
Thats right But dont mention to any member of the Faculty that I said so Theres a professional etiquette in these matters and I shouldnt like to be quoted as having given any encouragement to rude health
Ill take care returned May falling into his humour and assuming a grave look And I will always bear witness for you that you gave me some very nasty medicine when I had the measles Dr Hatch Im sure the other doctors would approve of that wouldnt they
Nice child murmured Dr Hatch Understands a joke It would be as much as my practice is worth to talk in that way to some young ladies I could mention Well and so this is your first entrance into the gay and festive scene eh
Yes I have never been to a regular dinnerparty before I am so glad Mr Bransby is quite well again said May looking across the room at their host
Are you Well I believe you are glad Yes it is much to be desired that he should be quite well again Dr Hatchs eyes had followed the girls and rested on Martin Bransby with a thoughtful look Then after a minutes pause he went on Now as you are not quite familiar here Ill give you a map of the country as the French say Do you know who that is who has just come in No That is Mr Bragg He makes millions and billions of tintacks every week Youve heard of him of course May nodded Of course you have Couldnt live long in Oldchester without hearing of Mr Bragg That handsome elderly man now bowing to Mrs Bransby is Major Mitton of the Engineers Ever hear of him Ah well I suppose not Hes a very goodnatured kindly gentleman and an excellent soldier who distinguished himself greatly in the Crimea But no one will ever hear him say a word about that What he is proud of is his reputation as an amateur actor I have known more reprehensible vanities Ah and here come the Pipers Miss Polly and Miss Patty and I think that makes up our number
Dr Hatch did not think of asking May whether she had ever heard of the Miss Pipers The fact was she had heard of them very often They were Oldchester celebrities quite as much as Mr Bragg was But their fame had not extended beyond Oldchester whereas Braggs tintacks were daily hammered into the consciousness of the civilized world
Miss Mary and Miss Martha Piper invariably called Polly and Patty were old maids between fifty and sixty years old They were not rich they had never been handsome they were not even in the opinion of their most partial friends brilliantly clever What then was the cause of the distinction they undoubtedly enjoyed in Oldchester society The cause was Miss Polly Pipers musical talent—or at least her reputation for musical talent which for social purposes was the same thing Miss Piper had once upon a time no matter how many years ago composed an oratorio and offered it to the Committee of a great Musical Festival for performance It was not accepted—for reasons which Miss Piper was at no loss to perceive The reader is implored not to conclude rashly that the oratorio was rejected because it failed to reach the requisite high standard Miss Piper knew a great deal better than that She had been accustomed to mix with the musical world from an early age Her father an amiable Oldchester clergyman rector of the church in which Mr Sebastian Bach Simpson was organist was considered the best amateur violoncello player in the Midland Counties When the great music meeting brought vocal and instrumental artists to Oldchester the Reverend Reuben Pipers house was always open to several of them and Miss Polly had poured out tea for more than one great English tenor great German basso and great Scandinavian soprano So that as she often said she was clearly quite behind the scenes of the artistic world and thoroughly understood its intrigues its ambitions and its jealousies Thus she was less mortified and discouraged by the rejection of her oratorio than she would have been had she supposed it due to honest disapproval The work which was entitled Esther was played and sung however—not indeed by the great English tenor German basso and Scandinavian soprano but by very competent performers It was performed in the large room in Oldchester used for concerts and lectures and called Mercers Hall Admission was by invitation and the hall was quite full which as Miss Patty triumphantly observed was a very gratifying tribute on the part of the town and county Miss Polly did not conduct her own music Ladies had not yet wielded the conductors bâton in those days But she sat in a front row with her father on one side of her and her sister Patty on the other and bowed her acknowledgments to the executants at the end of each piece
It was a great day for the Piper family and that one solitary fact for the oratorio was never repeated flavoured the rest of their lives with an odour of artistic glory as one Tonquin bean will perfume a whole chest full of miscellaneous articles Truly the triumph was not cheap The rehearsals and the performance had to be paid for and it was said at the time that the Reverend Reuben had been obliged to sell some excellent Canal Shares in order to meet the expenses and had thereby diminished his income by so many pounds sterling for evermore But at least the expenditure purchased a great deal of happiness and that is more than can be said of most investments which the world would consider wiser From that day forth Miss Polly held the position of a musical authority in certain circles Long after a younger generation had grown up to whom that famous performance of Esther was as vague an historical fact as the Heptarchy people continued to speak of Miss Polly Piper as a successful composer The lives of the two sisters were shaped by this tradition They went every year to London for a month during the season and for a longer or shorter time to some Continental city—Leipsic Frankfort or Brussels once even as far as Vienna—whence they came back bringing with them the latest dicta in musical fashions just as Mrs Clarkson the chief Oldchester milliner announced every year her return from Paris with a large and varied assortment of bonnets in the newest styles It has been written that they brought back with them the newest dicta on musical matters but it must not be supposed that Miss Patty set up to interpret the law on such points She was as to things musical merely her sisters echo and mouthpiece But sincerity that best salt for all human communications preserved Miss Pattys subservience from any taint of humbug However extravagant might be her estimate of Pollys artistic gifts and attainments you could not doubt that it was genuine
These circumstances were broadly speaking known to every one present But May was acquainted with another aspect of the legend of Miss Pipers oratorio a seamy side which the poor good lady did not even suspect That famous oratorio had been a fertile source of mirth at the time to all the performers engaged in it There were all sorts of stories current as to the amazing things Miss Piper did with her instrumentation the impossible efforts she expected from the wind and the anomalous sounds she elicited from the wood These were retailed with much gusto by Jo Weatherhead who in virtue of a high nasal voice and a power common enough in those parts of reading music at sight had sung with the tenors through many a Festival chorus and known many professional musicians during his sojourn in Birmingham One favourite anecdote was of a trombone player who at rehearsal in the very climax and stress of the overture when he was to have come in with a powerful effect stretched out his arm at full length and produced the most hideous and unearthly noise ever heard and who on being rebuked by the conductor handed up his part for inspection observing amid the unrestrained laughter of the band that that was the nearest he could come to the note Miss Piper had written for him which was some half octave below the usual compass of his instrument Of this and many another similar story Miss Piper and Miss Pipers friends knew nothing But May remembering them looked at the two old ladies as they marched into the room with an interest not so wholly reverential as might have been wished
They were both short fat snubnosed little women with wide smiling mouths and double chins Miss Patty was rather shorter rather fatter and rather more snubnosed than her gifted sister But the chief difference between the two which struck one at first sight was that whereas Miss Pipers own grey locks were disposed in a thick kind of curl like a plethoric sausage on each side of her face Miss Patty wore a pale gingerbreadcoloured wig Why having all the wigmakers stores to choose from she should have chosen just that particular hue May secretly wondered as she looked at her But so it was And if she had worn a blue wig it could scarcely have been more innocent of any attempt to deceive the beholder Both ladies wore good substantial silk gowns and little lace caps with artificial flowers in them But the remarkable feature in their attire was the extraordinary number of chains beads and bracelets with which they had festooned themselves And moreover these were of a severely mineralogical character Round Miss Pattys fat deeplycreased throat May counted three necklaces—One of coral one of cornelian and the third a long string of grey pebble beads which dangled nearly to her waist Miss Polly wore—besides a variety of other nondescript adornments which rattled and jingled as she moved—a set of ornaments made apparently of red marble cut into polygonal fragments of irregular length Their rings too which were numerous seemed to be composed for the most part of building materials and each sister wore a mosaic brooch which looked May thought like a bit out of the tesselated pavement of the smart new Corn Exchange in the High Street
It did not take that young ladys quick perception long to make all the foregoing observations Indeed she had completed them within the minute and a half which elapsed between the Miss Pipers arrival and the announcement of dinner
CHAPTER VIII
The order of the procession to the diningroom had been prearranged not without some difficulty Mrs Bransby had pointed out to Theodore that his whim of inviting Miss Cheffington must cause a solecism somewhere in marshalling their guests
Constance will of course expect you to take her said Mrs Bransby and then what is to be done with little Miss Cheffington I really think I had better invite two more people and get some young man to take her in to dinner Perhaps Mr Rivers would come
But Theodore utterly opposed this suggestion and said that the simple and obvious course was for him to give his arm to Miss Cheffington and for Dr Hatch to escort Miss Hadlow
Oh well if you dont mind said Mrs Bransby looking a little surprised And so it was settled But at the last moment in arranging her table and disposing the cards with the guests name before each cover Mrs Bransby found that it would be necessary for the sake of symmetrically alternating a lady and gentleman to divide one couple and place them on opposite sides of the table She decided that Dr Hatch and Miss Hadlow would endure this sort of divorce with equanimity and thus it came to pass that when Theodore took his seat at table he found himself in the enviable and unexpected position of sitting between the two young ladies of the party—Constance and May
Mr Bransby led out Mrs Hadlow the hostess bringing up the rear with Canon Hadlow Major Mitton had the honour of escorting Miss Piper while Miss Patty fell to Mr Bragg There was as is usual on such occasions very little conversation while the soup and fish were being eaten Miss Piper indeed who was constitutionally loquacious talked all the while to Major Mitton though in a comparatively low tone of voice but the rest of the company devoted themselves mainly to their plates or at least said only a fragmentary sentence now and then But by degrees the desultory talk swelled into a continuous murmur across which bursts of laughter were wafted at intervals May had the satisfaction she had hoped for of being allowed to be quiet for her neighbour on the one hand was the canon who contented himself with smiling on her silently whilst Theodore was greatly occupied by his neighbour Miss Hadlow Being seated between him and Major Mitton she monopolized the younger gentlemans attention with the undoubting conviction that he enjoyed being monopolized
Mr Bragg a heavy melancholylooking man found Miss Patty Piper a congenial companion on a topic which interested him a good deal—cookery Not that he was a gastronome He had a grand French cook but he confided to Miss Patty that he never tasted anything nowadays which he relished so much as he had relished a certain beefsteak pudding that his deceased missis used to make for him thirty years ago and better Miss Patty had as it happened some peculiar and special views as to the composition of a beefsteak pudding and Mr Bragg—borne backwards by the tide of memory to those distant days when his missis and he lodged in one room and before he had learned the secret of transmuting tintacks into luxury and French cooks—enjoyed his reminiscences in a slow sad ruminating way
Presently when the dessert was on the table there came a little lull in the general conversation and the husky contralto voice of Miss Piper was heard saying My dear Major I tell you it was the same woman You say you heard her at Malta fifteen years ago Very well Thats no reason for she might have been only sixteen or seventeen then These Italians are so precocious
More like six or sevenandtwenty Miss Piper Bless you she had long outgrown short frocks and pinafores in those days Fourteen—fifteen—yes it must be fully fifteen years ago It was the season that we got up the Honeymoon for the garrison theatricals I played the Duke It has been one of my best parts ever since And there was a scratch company of Italian operasingers doing wretched business We got up a subscription for them poor things But fancy La Bianca still singing Rosina in the Barber
She looked charming I can tell you I dont say that her voice may not be a little worn in the upper notes——
I wonder theres a rag of it left put in the Major
Yes a little worn But she knows how to sing If one must listen to such trivial florid music thats the only way to sing it
Ah there we shant agree Miss Piper No no I always stand up for Rossini I dont pretend to be a great swell at music but I have an ear and I like a toon Give me a toon that I can remember and whistle and Ill make you a present of Wagner and the other fellows all howlings and growlings
Major Major called out Dr Hatch from the opposite side of the table this is terribly obsolete doctrine We shall have you confessing next that you like sugar in your tea and prefer a rose to a sunflower
Mr Bransby wishing to avert any unpleasant shock of opinions on such high themes here interposed He turned the conversation back to the Italian singer who could be abused without ruffling anybodys amour proper
But who is this prima donna youre talking of Major said he
Miss Piper struck in before Major Mitton could reply Its a certain Moretti—Bianca Moretti We heard her last summer in a minor theatre at Brussels with a strolling Italian Opera Company Dont you remember Patty
Moretti said Miss Patty instantly breaking off in the middle of a sentence addressed to Mr Bragg at the sound of her sisters voice
The woman with the fine eyes Oh yes I remember her particularly because of the awful scandal there was afterwards about her and that Englishman
Several heads at the table were now turned towards Miss Patty who shook her gingerbreadcoloured wig with a knowing air
I was just telling the Major said Miss Piper We might never have known of it if it had not been for the Italian Consul who was a friend of ours It was quite a sensation A bit out of a French novel eh—Oh yes quite ready Mrs Bransby
The last words had reference to a telegraphic signal from the hostess who immediately rose Mrs Hadlow had been looking across at her rather uneasily during the last minute or so The fact was that the Miss Pipers were reputed in Oldchester to have a somewhat unconsidered and free way of talking Some persons attributed this to their annual visit to the Continent others thought it connected rather with Miss Pipers artistic experiences which in some mysterious way were supposed to have had a tendency to make her a little masculine The implication would seem to be that to be masculine involves a lax government of the tongue But as no Oldchester gentleman was ever known to protest against this imputation it is not necessary to examine it here more particularly When she began to talk about a French novel my dear there was no knowing what she might say next said Mrs Hadlow afterwards to Mrs Bransby So the latter hurried the departure of the ladies as we have seen
When they rose to go away May of course went out last Theodore holding the door open with his air of superior politeness
Who is that pretty little girl I dont think I know her face said Major Mitton when the young man had resumed his seat and the chairs were drawn closer together
That is Miss Miranda Cheffington
Cheffington I knew a Cheffington once—a terrible black sheep Very likely its not the same family though What Cheffingtons does this young lady belong to
The family of Viscount Castlecombe
The man I knew was a nephew of old Castlecombe Gus Cheffington his name was I remember now
Theodore moved a little uneasily on his seat and after a moments reflection said gravely Captain Augustus Cheffington is this young ladys father he is a friend of mine Miss Cheffington is going to town to be presented next season by her aunt Mrs DormerSmith She is a very thoroughbred woman Do you know the DormerSmiths Major Mitton They are in the best set
The Major did not know the DormerSmiths and had no interest in pursuing the subject He turned to join in the conversation going on between Mr Bransby the canon and Dr Hatch and then Theodore slipped out of his place and went to sit nearer to Mr Bragg who was looking a little solitary Mr Bragg had a great many good qualities but he was usually considered to be heavy in hand from a conversational point of view Theodore however did not find him dull He talked to Mr Bragg with an agreeable sense of making an excellent figure in the eyes of that millionaire Theodore had a strong memory considerable powers of application and had read a great many solid books He favoured Mr Bragg now with a speech on the subject of the currency about which he had read all the most modern theories up to date The currency he felt must be a peculiarly interesting subject to a man who sold millions and billions of tintacks in all the markets of the world Mr Bragg drank his wine keeping his eyes on the table and listened with silent attention Theodore warmed by a mental vision of himself speaking in a breathless House of Commons rose to parliamentary heights of eloquence He had already addressed Mr Bragg as Sir and had sternly inquired what he supposed would be the consequence if the present movement in favour of bimetallism should be still further developed in the United States when he was interrupted by his fathers voice saying—
Come shall we ask Mrs Bransby for a cup of coffee
Mr Bragg lifted his eyes and rose from his chair and Theodore and he moved towards the door side by side
It ought to be boiled in a basin oughtnt it said Mr Bragg thoughtfully Ah no it wasnt you I remember now it was Miss Patty Piper who was mentioning—Ill ask her again when we get upstairs
Meanwhile the elder ladies had been deep in the discussion of Miss Pipers interrupted story Constance and May had got close together near the pianoforte and Mrs Bransby asked Constance to play something soft and pretty Constance opened the instrument and ran her fingers over the keys in a desultory manner playing scraps of waltzes or whatever came into her head and continuing her chat with May to that running accompaniment Mrs Bransby Mrs Hadlow and the Miss Pipers grouped themselves near the fireplace at the other end of the room and carried on their talk also under cover of the music
It was odd enough that on my happening to mention the name of the Moretti to Major Mitton he should remember her at Malta so many years ago began Miss Piper
Yes and you see now that I was right and she cant be so young as you thought her Polly said her sister
Lord what does that matter I only said she looked young and so she did And besides I dare say the Major exaggerates her age When a woman becomes a celebrity or comes before the public in any way her age is sure to be exaggerated Many people who only know me through my works suppose me to be eighty I dare say They never imagine a woman so young as I was at the time composing a serious work like Esther
Is she handsome this Signora Moretti asked Mrs Bransby who was always interested in and attracted by beauty
Very handsome—in that Italian style Great black eyes and black eyebrows and a fine profile Too thin though But oh yes extremely handsome And a very clever singer
And a very worthless hussey added Miss Patty severely
What a pity exclaimed Mrs Hadlow It does seem so sad when one finds great gifts like talent and beauty without goodness
Well I dont know that she was so very bad either replied Miss Piper
Goodness Polly How can you talk so cried her sister Why she was living openly with that Englishman
Some people said she was married to him you know Patty
Stuff and nonsense returned Miss Patty who whilst undoubtedly accepting her sisters views about music tenaciously reserved the right of private judgment as to the character of its professors and was moreover chronically incredulous of the virtue of foreigners in general No sensible person could believe that And as to her not being so very bad—what do you make of that nice story of the gambling and the police and all the rest of it
The police echoed Mrs Hadlow in a low shocked voice
What was that asked Mrs Bransby
Now just let me tell it Patty said the elder sister If I am wrong you can correct me afterwards But I believe I know more about it than you do Well there was an Italian Opera Company singing in a minor theatre of Brussels when we were there and doing very well for the prima donna Bianca Moretti was a great favourite They had previously been making a tour through Belgium One night we were in the theatre with some friends expecting to hear her for the second time in the Barbiere when some time after the curtain ought to have risen a man came on to the stage and announced that the Signora Moretti had been suddenly taken ill and there would be no performance But the next day we learned that the story of the Morettis illness was only an excuse—or at least that if she was ill it was only from the nervous shock of having her house searched by the police
I think that was quite enough to make her ill But why did they search her house said Mrs Bransby
Well you see it was in this way continued Miss Piper lowering her voice and drawing a little nearer to her hostess while Mrs Hadlow cast a glance over her shoulder to assure herself that the girls were occupied with their own conversation It seems that a set of men were in the habit of meeting every night after the opera in her apartment to play cards There was the Englishman and a young Russian belonging to a grand family and a Servian or a Roumanian or a Bulgarian or something said Miss Piper whose ideas as to the national distinctions between the younger members of the European family were decidedly vague and others besides Now this man the—the Bulgarian we may as well call him was a thorough blackleg and bore the worst of characters He led on the Russian to play for very high stakes and won large sums from him Well to make a long story short one night there was a terrible scene The Russian accused the other man of cheating They came to blows I believe and there was a regular esclandre And next day the Bulgarian was missing He had got away with a good deal of plunder
How shocking and disgraceful exclaimed Mrs Hadlow in whom this gossip excited far more disgust than interest and who thought Polly Piper showed very bad taste in selecting such a topic
But why did the police search the Italian singers apartment It was not her fault was it asked Mrs Bransby
Why you see the gambling had gone on in her rooms And the Bulgarian turning out to be connected with a regular gang of swindlers the search was made for any letters or papers of his that might be there We were told that the Russian ambassador had something to say to it for the young Russian was connected with very high people indeed Nothing was found however
Nothing was found that could be laid hold of put in Miss Patty But there could be no question what sort of a person that woman was after all that
Well really Patty said her sister it seems to me that the Englishman was a deal more to blame Nobody pretended that the Moretti wanted to gamble for her own amusement or profit either It was the ruin of her in Brussels at any rate for that season There was a party made up to hiss her whenever she appeared and there were disturbances in the theatre and in short the performances had to cease I was sorry for her
Upon my word Polly I dont see why you should be cried Miss Patty She deserved all she got I have no patience with bestowing pity and sympathy on such creatures If she had been an ugly washerwoman instead of a painted operasinger nobody would have had a soft word for her
Oh surely there are plenty of people who would be gentle to an ugly washerwoman if she needed gentleness put in Mrs Hadlow And you know my dear Miss Patty we are taught to pity all those who stray from the right path
As to that I hope I can pity error as well as my neighbours—in a religious sense returned Miss Patty with some sharpness But this is different I was speaking as a member of society
And the Englishman—was he implicated asked Mrs Bransby rather from a desire to divert the conversation from a direction fraught with danger to the general harmony than from any special curiosity on the subject
No not exactly implicated replied Miss Piper That is to say he was not suspected of any unfair play or anything of that sort but it was considered disgraceful for him to have been mixed up in these gambling transactions especially as he was a much older man than the others And then——
And then continued Miss Patty it was not considered exactly creditable I believe—although perhaps Polly thinks it was Im sure I dont know—it wasnt most people would say exactly creditable for a man of family an English gentleman to be strolling about the world with a parcel of foreign singers And he had been doing just that We heard of his being at Antwerp and Ghent and Ostend with them
A man of family do you say A really wellborn man said Mrs Hadlow sitting suddenly very upright in the energy of her feelings How shocking That really seems to be the worst of all
Well I suppose we must pity his errors observed Miss Patty with some causticity But Mrs Hadlow was insensible to the sarcasm or at all events her sense of it was swallowed up by a stronger feeling I do think its a public misfortune she went on when a person on whom Providence has bestowed gentle birth derogates from his rank and forgets his duties It grieves me
You must suffer a good deal in these days Im afraid said Miss Patty grimly
Not on that account replied Mrs Hadlow No truly not There may be exceptions—I wont deny that there are some But on the whole I thoroughly believe that bon sang ne peut mentir
Well perhaps Mr Cheffingtons blood is not so good as he says it is thats all said Miss Patty with a short laugh
Mrs Hadlow and Mrs Bransby uttered a simultaneous exclamation of amazement and then the former said in a breathless whisper Hush hush my dear for mercys sake Did you say Cheffington That is—Cheffington is the name of that girl Dont turn your head
Oh it cant be the same said Mrs Bransby nervously
No no I dare say not But the name—it must I fear be a member of the family answered Mrs Hadlow
How lucky it wasnt mentioned in her hearing said Miss Piper Poor little thing I wouldnt for the world—— Shes very pretty and brightlooking I dont think I ever saw her before
Mrs Bransby hurriedly explained how May came to be there and as much of her story as she was acquainted with—which was in truth very little The Miss Pipers listened eagerly and Mrs Hadlow sat by with a cloud of anxious perplexity on her usually beaming face They all admitted that of course the person spoken of might be no relation of Mays at all but it was evident that no one believed that hypothesis To the Miss Pipers the whole matter was simply a relishing morsel of gossip They dwelt with gusto on the extraordinary coincidence of Miss Cheffingtons being there just that very evening and the singular circumstance that Major Mitton should remember Bianca Moretti and enjoyed it all very much Mrs Bransbys prevalent feeling was one of annoyance and resentment against Theodore who had brought this girl into the house Mrs Bransby detested a fuss of any sort and shrank with a sort of amiable indolence from the conflict of provincial feuds and the excitement of provincial gossip And now she reflected this story would be spread all over Oldchester and she would be worried to death by questions on a subject about which she knew very little and cared less
We wont say another word about this horrid story she said looking appealingly at the Miss Pipers Silence is the only thing under the circumstances Dont you think so It would be so dreadful if the girl should overhear anything and make a scene wouldnt it
Miss Polly and Miss Patty readily promised to be most guardedly silent—for that evening and so long as May should be present declaring quite sincerely that they would not for the world risk hurting the poor childs feelings And then Mrs Bransby began to flatter herself that the subject was done with so far as she was concerned But Fate had decided otherwise
When the gentlemen came into the drawingroom Miss Hadlow was playing one of her most brilliant pieces to which Miss Polly Piper was listening with an air of responsible attention and gently nodding her head from time to time in an encouraging manner Miss Patty Piper and May were looking over a large album full of photographs together while Mrs Bransby was narrating to Mrs Hadlow Bobbys latest witticisms and Billys extraordinary progress in the art of spelling—these juvenile prodigies being her two younger children
Constance did not interrupt her performance on the entrance of the gentlemen and Major Mitton went to stand beside the pianoforte gallantly turning over the music leaves at the wrong moment with the best intentions Canon Hadlow sat down near Miss Piper the host with Dr Hatch crossed the room to speak to Mrs Hadlow and Mr Bragg and Theodore approached the table at which Miss Patty and May Cheffington were seated Mr Bragg drew up a chair close to Miss Patty at once and began to talk with her in a low voice and with more appearance of animation than his manner usually displayed Theodore as he observed this remembered with satisfaction that his friend Captain Cheffington had formerly pronounced old Bragg to be a d——d snob A man must indeed be on a low level who could prefer Miss Patty Pipers culinary conversation to a luminous exposition of the currency question as set forth by Mr Theodore Bransby He bent over May who was still turning the leaves of the photograph book and said Im afraid you are not having a very amusing evening Miss Cheffington
Oh yes thank you returned May making the queerest little grimace in her effort not to yawn I am very fond of looking at photographs
I dont suppose there are many portraits there that you would recognize A little out of your set said Theodore In fact I dont know many of them myself I have been so much away By the way have you any commands for your people in town I go up the day after tomorrow
Shall you see Aunt Pauline
Certainly I suppose Lord Castlecombe is not likely to be in town at this season went on Theodore raising his tone a little so as to be heard by the others Constances playing had now come to an end and there was a general lowering of voices occasioned by the cessation of that pianoforte accompaniment
I dont know Im sure I dont know where he lives answered May innocently
Ahem He is at this season in all probability at Combe Park his place in Gloucestershire
May had never heard of her greatuncles place in Gloucestershire but now when Theodore said the words her thought flashed through a chain of associations to Mrs Dobbss mention of the Castlecombe Arms on the Gloucester Road kept by Old Rabbitt and she blushed as though she had done something to be ashamed of
The last time I had the pleasure of seeing your father he was talking to me about Combe Park continued Theodore with a complacent sense of superiority to the rest of the company in these manifestations of familiar intercourse with members of the Castlecombe family Lord Castlecombe was a very important personage in those parts As May did not speak Theodore went on Grand old place Combe Park isnt it
Is it returned May absently She was looking with great interest at the portrait of a superb lace dress surmounted by a distorted image of Mrs Bransbys head and face which were quite out of focus But the lace flounces had come out splendidly as the photographer remarked And if the truth must be told May admired them greatly
Is it repeated Theodore with a little smile But you have lived so long abroad that you are quite a stranger to all these ancestral glories I hope however that you have not the same preference for the Continent that your father has
Oh Im sure I should always love England best But I dont know the most beautiful parts of the Continent—Switzerland or Italy We were always in Belgium and Belgium isnt beautiful At least I dont remember any beautiful country
Thus May with perfect simplicity still turning over the photographs and all unconscious that the Miss Pipers had simultaneously interrupted their own conversation and were staring at her
No Belgium is not beautiful—except architecturally replied Theodore But there is very nice society in Brussels and a pleasant Court I believe No doubt thats one reason why Captain Cheffington likes it
Is Brussels your home then Do you live there asked Miss Patty leaning eagerly forward
May looked up and perceived all at once that every one was gazing at her The Miss Pipers sudden attention to what she was saying had attracted the attention of the others—as one may collect a crowd in the street by fixedly regarding the most familiar object In her inexperience she feared she had committed some breach of the etiquette proper to be observed at a grownup dinner party Perhaps she ought not to have devoted so much attention to the photographs She closed the book hurriedly as she answered—
No I dont live in Brussels but papa does—at least generally
Mrs Bransby rose from her chair and came rather quickly across the room My dear she said I want to present our old friend Major Mitton to you and taking May by the arm she led her away towards the pianoforte
Theodore observed this proceeding with a cool smile and sense of inward triumph Mrs Bransby began to understand then what a very highly connected young lady this was and was endeavouring although a little late to show her proper attention Another time Mrs Bransby would receive his introduction and recommendation with more respect In the same way he felt gratification in the eager questions with which Miss Patty plied him Miss Patty left the millionaire Mr Bragg in the lurch and began to catechize Theodore on the subject of the Cheffington family
That fastidious young gentleman said within himself that the snobbery of these Oldchester people was really too absurd and mentally resolved to cut a great many of them as he gained a firmer footing in the best London circles Nevertheless he did not check Miss Pattys inquiries On the contrary he condescendingly gave her a great deal of information about his friends the DormerSmiths the late lamented Dowager the present Viscount Castlecombe his two sons the Honourable George and the Honourable Lucius as well as some details respecting the more distant branch of the Cheffington family who had intermarried with the Scotch Clishmaclavers and were thus not remotely connected with the great ducal house of MBrose
This was all very well but Miss Patty was far more interested in getting some information about Captain Cheffington which would identify him with the hero of the Brussels story than of following the genealogy of the noble head of the family into its remotest ramifications And notwithstanding that Theodore was much more reticent about the Captain she did manage to find out that the latter had lived abroad for many years—chiefly in Belgium—and that his pecuniary circumstances were not flourishing
Im quite convinced its the same man Polly she said afterwards to her sister And indeed all the inquiries they made in Oldchester confirmed this idea The Simpsons gave anything but a good character of Mays absentee parent And subsequent conversation with Major Mitton elicited the fact that Augustus Cheffington had been looked upon as a black sheep even by not very fastidious or straitlaced circles many years ago The story of the Brussels scandal was not long in reaching the ears of every one in Oldchester who had any knowledge even by hearsay of the parties concerned
Theodore Bransby who left Oldchester on the Monday following the dinnerparty and spent the intervening Sunday at home was one of the few in the abovenamed category who did not hear of it
CHAPTER IX
The correspondence between Mrs Dobbs and Mrs DormerSmith on the subject of Mays removal to London was not voluminous It consisted of three letters number one written by Mrs Dobbs number two written by Mrs DormerSmith and number three Mrs Dobbss reply to that Mrs Dobbs always went straight to the point both with tongue and pen and Mrs DormerSmith although by no means so forcibly direct in her dealings had a dislike to letterwriting which caused her to put her meaning tolerably clearly on this occasion so as to avoid the necessity of writing again
Mrs Dobbs had proposed that May should become an inmate of her aunts house in London—at all events for a time—in consideration of an annual sum to be paid for her board and dress The said sum was to be guaranteed by Mrs Dobbs and was so ample as to make Pauline say plaintively to her husband Just fancy Frederick how deplorably imprudent Augustus has been in offending and neglecting this old woman as he has done You see she has plenty of money I had no idea what her means were but it is clear that for a person in her rank of life she may be called rich And Augustus might have obtained solid pecuniary assistance from her Ive no doubt if he had played his cards with ordinary prudence But there never was any one so reckless of his own interests as Augustus—beginning with that unfortunate marriage
Whereunto Mr Frederick DormerSmith thus made reply I dont know what you may call solid pecuniary assistance but it seems to me pretty solid to keep Augustuss daughter and clothe her and pay for her schooling for four years and upwards As to Augustuss disregard of his own interests it does not at any rate lie in the direction of refraining from borrowing money or remembering to pay it back that much I can vouch for
Pauline put a corner of her handkerchief to her eyes Oh Frederick she said it pains me to hear you speak so harshly Remember Augustus is my only brother
Mercifully By George if there was another of em I dont know what would become of us
Mrs DormerSmith declined to consider this hypothesis but contented herself with saying that she should like to do something for poor Augustuss girl and asking her husband if he didnt think they could manage to receive her Mr DormerSmith thought they could on the terms proposed which he frankly said were handsome And Pauline added softly—
Yes and it is satisfactory that she offers to keep the arrangement strictly secret It would scarcely do to let it be known that Mrs Dobbs pays for May It would be inconvenable People would ask all sorts of questions It would put the girl herself in an awkward position Grandmother people would say What grandmother and the whole story of that wretched marriage would be raked up again But on the conditions proposed I do think Frederick it could do no harm to receive May I am glad you consent It will be a comfort to me to feel that I am doing something for poor Augustuss girl and acting as mamma would have wished
So a favourable reply was dispatched to Mrs Dobbss application Mrs DormerSmith suggested that May should come to town a little before the beginning of the season so as to give time for preparing her wardrobe—a task to which her aunt looked forward with dilettante relish And in answer to that Mrs Dobbs wrote the third and last letter of the series, assenting to the date proposed for Mays arrival and entering into a few minor details
She had also meanwhile received a letter from Captain Cheffington elicited after a long delay by three successive urgent appeals for an immediate answer It was a scrawl in a hasty sprawling hand and ran thus
Brussels Nov 1 18—
Dear Mrs Dobbs
I think it would be very desirable for Miranda to be presented by her aunt if she is to be presented at all and to be brought out properly I have no doubt that my sister will introduce her in the best possible way Since you seem to press for my consent you have it herewith although I hardly feel that I can have much voice in the matter being separated as I have been for years from my country my family and my only surviving child I am a mere exile It is not a brilliant existence for a man born and brought up as I have been However I must make the best of it
Yours always
A C
This was sufficient for Mrs Dobbs She had made a point of obtaining Augustuss authority for his daughters removal to town not because she relied on his judgment but because she knew him well enough to fear some trick or sudden turn of feigned indignation if from any motive of his own he thought fit to disapprove the step As to the tone of his reply that neither troubled nor surprised her But Mr Weatherhead was moved to great wrath by it Mrs Dobbs had tossed the note to him one day saying—
There theres my soninlaws consent to Mays going to town in black and white Thats a document
Mr Weatherhead eagerly pounced on it What a disgusting production he exclaimed looking up over the rim of the double eyeglass which he had set astride his nose to read the note
Is it returned Mrs Dobbs carelessly
Is it Why Sarah you surprise me taking it in that cool way It is the most thankless unfeeling selfish production I ever read in my life
Oh is that all Well but thats just Augustus Cheffington We know what he is at this time of day Jo Weatherhead It ud be a deal stranger if he wrote thankfully and feelingly and unselfishly
But Mr Weatherhead refused to dismiss the matter thus easily He belonged to that numerous category of persons who having established and proclaimed a conviction appear to be immensely astonished at each confirmation of it He had years ago pronounced Augustus Cheffington to be a heartless scoundrel Nevertheless he was shocked and amazed whenever Augustus Cheffington did anything to corroborate that opinion
The letter from Mrs DormerSmith was not shown to him Mrs Dobbs meant to keep the amount she was to pay for May a secret even from her faithful and trusted friend Jo He might guess what he pleased but she would not tell him The means too by which she meant to raise the money would not she knew meet with his approval And since she had resolved to use those means she thought it best to avoid vain discussion beforehand and therefore said nothing about them
Accident however revealed a part of the secret in this way
Mr Weatherhead calling one afternoon at Laurel Villa to see Mrs Simpson who had been kept at home by a cold found other visitors there Miss Polly and Miss Patty Piper were drinking tea out of Mrs Simpsons best cups and saucers and chatting away with their usual cheerfulness and volubility The Miss Pipers as they would themselves have expressed it moved in a superior sphere to that of the musicteacher and his wife but they did not consider that they derogated from their gentility by occasionally drinking tea and having a chat with the Simpsons They liked to condescend a little and opportunities for condescension were rather rare Then too they had a certain interest in Sebastian Bach Simpson inherited from the longago days when Sebastian Bachs father played the organ in their fathers church and Miss Polly and Miss Patty wore white frocks and blue sashes at evening parties and were the objects of a good deal of attention from the Reverend Reubens curates Besides the sisters there was present Dr Hatch who had come to pay a professional visit to Mrs Simpson and who was just going away It was a peculiarity of Dr Hatch to be always just going away He had a very large practice and was wont to aver that his professional duties scarcely left him time to eat or sleep Yet Dr Hatchs horses stood waiting through many a quarter of an hour during which their master was engaged in conversation not of a strictly professional nature
When Mr Weatherhead entered the best parlour of Laurel Villa Dr Hatch had a cup of tea in one hand and his watch in the other and greeted the new arrival with a friendly nod and the assurance that he was just off Mrs Simpson shook hands with Mr Weatherhead and the Miss Pipers graciously bowed to him He too was connected in their minds with old times Miss Polly specially remembered seeing him on her visits to the Birmingham Musical Festivals when her father would take the opportunity of turning over Weatherheads stock of books and making a few purchases And once the Pipers had lodged during a Festival week in the rooms over Weatherheads shop
Glad to see you better Mrs Simpson said Jo taking a seat after having saluted the company
Oh yes thank you Im quite well now I know Dr Hatch will scold me if he hears me say so—with an arch glance baulked of its effect by the unsympathetic spectacles—because he tells me I still need great care But my cough is gone It is really
Mrs Simpson girlishly shook back her curls and proceeded to pour out a cup of tea for Mr Weatherhead
And how is Simpson asked the latter
Bassy is very well only immensely busy He has three new pupils for pianoforte and harmony the daughters of Colonel ———tut I forget his name—recommended by that kind Major Mitton Or at least it would be more proper to say that Major Mitton recommended Bassy to them Not very polite to say that the young ladies were recommended—oh dear I beg pardon Im afraid Ive oversweetened your tea
She had in fact put in half a dozen lumps one after the other But Mr Weatherhead fished the greater part of them out again with his teaspoon and deposited them in the saucer saying it was of no consequence
I am so sadly absentminded said Mrs Simpson smiling sweetly Bassy would scold me if he were here
Serve you right if he did said Dr Hatch rising from the table You should pay attention to what youre doing I expect to hear that you have swallowed the embrocation and anointed your throat with syrup of squills
Oh doctor You do say the drollest things exclaimed the amiable Amelia with an enjoying giggle
Ah no not the drollest Thank Heaven I hear a great many droller things than I say Thats what mainly supports me in my days practice
Mrs Simpson not in the least understanding him giggled again Dr Hatch had the reputation of being a wag and Amelia Simpson was not the woman to defraud him of a laugh on any such selfish ground as not seeing the point of his joke
Well Mr Weatherhead said Miss Patty Piper blandly so we are to have your sisterinlaw for a neighbour I hear
Jo poked his nose forward and pursed up his mouth Oho my sisterinlaw Mrs Dobbs How do you mean maam as a neighbour
We understand that Mrs Dobbs has been looking after Jessamine Cottage the little white house with a garden on the Gloucester Road returned Miss Patty Dr Hatch paused with his hand on the latch of the parlour door to hear
Oh dear no said Jo Weatherhead decisively Quite a mistake Sarah Dobbs is too wedded to her old home Nothing would induce her to leave Friars Row You must have been misinformed maam
As to leaving Friars Row put in Miss Polly she must do that in any case for she has let the premises as offices and at a high rent too I hear Friars Row is considered a choice position for business purposes
Jo had opened his mouth to protest once more when a sudden idea made him shut it again without speaking Oh he gasped and then made a little pause before proceeding Ah well—she—it wasnt quite settled when I heard last Would you mind stating your authority maam
The best—Mr Bragg told us himself His managing man at the works has made the arrangement Mr Bragg has been looking out for a more central office for some time
I told Mrs Dobbs long ago that she was living at an extravagant rental by sticking to Friars Row observed Dr Hatch turning the handle of the door Depend on it she has let it at a swinging rent and quite right too Now I really am off
Jo Weatherhead sat very still after the doctors departure with his cup of tea in his hand and a pondering expression of face The Miss Pipers were not sufficiently interested in him to observe his demeanour very closely If they did chance to notice that he was unusually silent that was accounted for by his sense of the superior company he found himself in They always spoke of him as a good odd creature with sound principles—a very respectable man who knew his station As for Amelia Simpson she was habitually unobservant with an inconvenient faculty however of suddenly making clearsighted remarks when they were least expected
Im sure this is very good news for us she exclaimed Jessamine Cottage is so near At least it was quite close to us when we lived in Marlborough Terrace
It will be a good move for Mrs Dobbs The air in our neighbourhood is so much better than in her part of the town said Miss Patty with a certain complacency as who should say The merit of this atmospheric superiority is all our own but we are not proud
And yet I am surprised too at Mrs Dobbs moving replied Amelia She always declared that she hated the suburbs with their little slightbuilt houses
That cannot apply to our house said Miss Polly Garnet Lodge stood in its own ground many a long year before those new houses sprung up between Greenhill Road and the Gloucester Road
But Mrs Dobbs isnt going to live in Garnet Lodge returned Amelia with one of her sudden illuminations of common sense And Jessamine Cottage is a mere bandbox
I remember Mrs Dobbs among the trebles in Esther observed Miss Polly She had a fine clear voice and could take the B flat in alt with perfect ease
And her husband sold capital ironmongery We have a coalscuttle in the kitchen now which was bought at his shop—a thoroughly solid article added Miss Patty
These appreciative words about the Dobbses which at another time would have gratified Jo Weatherhead now fell on an unheeding ear He took his leave very shortly and walked straight to Friars Row
Well Sarah Dobbs said he on entering the parlour I didnt think you would steal a march on me like this I did believe youd have trusted me sooner than a parcel of strangers after all these years
He did not sit down in his usual place by the fireside but remained standing opposite to his old friend looking at her with a troubled countenance Mrs Dobbs gave him one quick keen glance and then said—
So youve heard it Jo Well I didnt mean that you should hear it from any one but me But who shall stop chattering tongues They rage like a fire in the stubble And the poorer and lighter the fuel the bigger blaze it makes It was settled only this very morning too
It is true then Sarah I had a kind of a hankering hope that it might be only trash and chitchat
You mean about my letting my house dont you Yes thats true
And me never to know a word of it—To hear it from strangers
Now look here Jo let us talk sensibly Sit down cant you
But Jo would not sit down and after a minutes pause Mrs Dobbs went on—
Ill tell you the truth I didnt say a word to you of my plan beforehand because I was afraid to—there
Afraid You Sarah Dobbs afraid of me Thats a good one But his face relaxed a little from its pained fixed look
Yes afraid of what youd say I knew you wouldnt approve and I knew why You wouldnt approve for my sake But thinks I when once its done Jo may scold a little but hell forgive his old friend And I never thought of chattering jackdaws cawing the matter from the housetops I meant to tell you myself this very afternoon I did indeed Jo
Jo drew a little nearer to his accustomed chair and put his hand on the back of it keeping his face turned away from Mrs Dobbs Of course youre the mistress to do what you like with your own property he muttered
Nobodys mistress or master either to do whats wrong with their own property I mean to do whats right if I can I was never one to heed much what outside folks think of me but I do heed what you think Jo and reason good And I want you to know my feeling about the matter once for all and then we can leave it alone
Mr Weatherhead here slid quietly into the armchair and sat with his face still turned towards the fire
You know continued Mrs Dobbs I told you some weeks ago that I was troubled about the childs position here She is a real lady and ought to be acknowledged as such Thats the only good that can come now from poor Susys marriage and I do hold to it There was only one way that I could see of managing what I wanted I could do it at a sacrifice—after all a very small sacrifice
Jo Weatherhead shook his head emphatically
Yes really and truly a very small sacrifice persisted Mrs Dobbs I dont see why I shouldnt be just as happy and comfortable in Jessamine Cottage as here—provided of course that my old friends dont cut me and sulk with me I shall be lonely enough when once the childs gone and you and mell have to cheer each other up and keep each other company as well as we can You wont refuse to do that will you Jo Come shake hands on it
Jo slowly put out his hand and grasped her proffered one He then took out filled and lighted his meerschaum and smoked in silence for some quarter of an hour Mrs Dobbs meanwhile knitting in equal silence All at once she said—
Hark Theres Mays step coming downstairs Now youll please to understand that when my moving from this house is mentioned to the child its because I find Friars Row too noisy and think the air in Greenhill Road will agree better with my health I trust you for that Jo Weatherhead mind
May at this moment came gaily into the room and Mr Weatherhead thus solemnly addressed her Miranda Cheffington you have been to a firstrate school and have read your Roman history and all that havent you
Not much Im afraid Uncle Jo
You have read about Lucretia and Portia and the mother of the Gracchi pronounced GratchI for Jos instruction had been chiefly taken in by the eye rather than the ear in the shape of miscellaneous gleanings from his own stockintrade and other distinguished women of classical times whose virtues were in my opinion not wholly unconnected with bounce
Mary laughed and nodded
Well allow me to tell you that there are Englishwomen at the present day whom I consider far superior in all that makes a real good woman to any Roman or Grecian of them all Englishwomen to whom bounce in every form is foreign and obnoxious Englishwomen who do good by stealth and never blush to find it Fame because Fame is a great deal too busy with rascals and hussies ever to trouble herself about them Your grandmother Mrs Sarah Dobbs whom Im proud to call my friend is one of those women And whats more—and Ill have you bear it in mind Miranda Cheffington—I believe youd be puzzled to find her equal in Europe Asia Africa or America—not to mention Australasia and the ole of the islands in the Pacific Ocean
With that Mr Weatherhead walked gravely out his nose somewhat redder than usual and his eyes glistening
CHAPTER X
About a year before that dinnerparty at which May Cheffington had made her début in Oldchester society Mrs Hadlow had begun to think it probable that Theodore Bransby might wish to marry her daughter and to consider the desirability of his doing so On the whole she did not disapprove the prospect Constance was very handsome but she was also very poor Her ambition might not be satisfied by a match with Martin Bransbys son but on the other hand Theodore was a young man of good abilities and apt to rise in the world Moreover he had sufficient property of his own to facilitate his rising—a little ballast of that sort being as useful in the melée of this world as the lead in a toy tumbler and enabling a man if not to strike the stars with his sublime head at least to keep right side uppermost
Certainly Theodore had appeared much attracted by Miss Hadlow Not only her beauty but her selfassertion approved itself to him for a mans wife should be able to justify his taste and there would be no distinction in winning a woman whose meekness made it doubtful whether she could have had the heart to say No to an inferior suitor They had been playfellows in childhood but school and Cambridge had separated them But after Theodore began to read for the Bar and during the two last vacations which he had spent chiefly at home a great intimacy had sprung up between the young people Theodores frequent visits to the old house in College Quad did not pass unobserved One or two persons thought his partiality for the Hadlows—especially when contrasted with the lukewarm politeness he bestowed on other families such as Raynes the brewer or the Burtons who lived in a park and had had nothing to do with retail for two generations—was creditable to Theodores heart He was not one to neglect old friends said they candidly confessing at the same time that it was more than they should have expected of him But the majority felt sure that nothing short of being in love with Constance Hadlow could induce young Bransby to prefer the canons oldfashioned parlour to Mrs Rayness red and gold drawingroom or the Burtons æsthetic upholstery Oldchester folks did not guess that Theodore intended to frequent a style of society in which neither the Rayneses nor the Burtons would be able to make any figure nor did they know that he set a considerable value on Mrs Hadlows connections That lady had been a Miss Rivers and her family ranked among the oldest landed gentry in the kingdom There were not many Oldchester magnates to whom Theodore Bransby thought it worth while to be more than coolly civil Mr Bragg was an exception but then Mr Bragg was a man of very great wealth and as mere size is held in certain cases to be an element of grandeur so money Theodore thought is capable in certain cases of inspiring veneration—that is to say when there is enough of it
As to Miss Constances state of mind about young Bransby it was too complex to be described in a word She liked Theodore and thought him a superior person if not quite so superior as he thought himself She had faith too in his future It would be agreeable to be the wife of a distinguished MP or QC or perhaps of both combined in one person Theodore would certainly settle nowhere but in London and to live in London had been Constances dream ever since she was fifteen Her visions of what her life would be if she married Theodore Bransby concerned themselves chiefly with their jointentry into some fashionable drawingroom her presentation at Court her name in the Morning Post herself exquisitely dressed driving Theodore down to the House in a neat victoria and returning the salutations of distinguished acquaintances as they passed along Whitehall All more serious questions regarding their married life Constance set at rest by a few formulas Of course she should do her duty Of course Theodore would always behave like a gentleman Of course they should never condescend to vulgar wrangling Of course her husband would give way to her in any difference of opinion—particularly since she was pretty sure to be always right And then Constance knew herself to be so very charming that a man of taste could not fail to delight in her society
Yet it must not be supposed that she had fully made up her mind to marry Theodore That Theodore would be very glad to marry her she did not doubt at all There had been a time—nay there were moments still—when her visions of herself as Mrs Theodore Bransby had been blurred by the disturbing element of her cousin Owens presence He had shown an attractive appreciation of her attractions and had to use Mr Simpsons phrase dangled after his cousin a good deal Owen Rivers had reached the age of three and twenty without ever having earned a dinner and without any serious preparation to enable him to earn one He had had an expensive education and had done fairly well at Oxford His mother had died in his infancy and his father a country clergyman had allowed the young man to lounge away his life at the parsonage under the specious pretext of taking time to make up his mind what career he would follow Owen had fished and shot and walked and boated and cricketed but he had also read a good deal having an intellectual appetite at once robust and discriminating His friends and relatives agreed in thinking him very clever and when they reproached him with wasting his fine abilities and leading a purposeless existence he would answer jestingly that he should be sorry to belie their judgment by subjecting his talents to the dangerous touchstone of action His father died before he had determined on a profession But fortunately as he thought and unfortunately as was thought by some other persons including his Aunt Jane he inherited wherewithal to live without working and with a hundred and fifty pounds per annum could not lack bread and cheese On his fathers death he went to travel on the Continent He walked wherever walking was possible carrying his own knapsack spending little and seeing much After more than two years absence he returned to England and made his way to Oldchester to see his Aunt Jane with whom he had maintained an intermittent correspondence There he found Constance whom he last remembered as a sallow selfsufficient schoolgirl grown to a beautiful young woman Her sallowness had turned into a creamy pallor and her selfsufficiency was mitigated to the masculine judgment by the depth and softness of a pair of fine dark eyes Owen on his part made a decidedly favourable impression on his cousin He was not handsome—which mattered little—nor fashionably dressed—which mattered more but he was well made and had the grace which belongs to youthful health and strength And he had too that indefinable tone of manner which ensured his recognition as an English gentleman Constance was by no means insensible to this attraction If she had not the sentiments which originate the finest manners she had the perceptions which recognize them When Mary Raynes and the Burnet girls criticized the roughness of Owens demeanour comparing it with Theodore Bransbys polish she knew they were wrong Theodore always behaved with the greatest propriety but between his manners and Owens there was the same sort of difference as between a native and a foreigner speaking the same language The foreigner may often be more accurately correct of the two on minor points but it is an affair of conscious acquirement and must inevitably break down now and then whereas the native talks as naturally as he breathes and can no more make certain mistakes than an oak tree can put forth willow leaves Then Owen was very amusing company when he chose to be so—and he usually did choose to be so when at his Aunt Janes and he had good old blood in his veins This latter fact gave a certain piquancy in Constances opinion to his political theories which were opposed to the staunch Tory traditions of his family Constance frequently took her cousin to task on this subject but with the comfortable conviction to sweeten their controversy that a Rivers could afford to indulge in a little democratic heresy just as Lord Castlecombe could afford to wear a shabbier coat than any of his tenants
All these considerations together with the crowning circumstance that he evidently admired her a good deal caused Owen to fill a large place in his cousins mind She even asked herself seriously more than once if she were in love with Owen but failed to answer the question decisively She did however arrive at the conviction that falling in love lay much more in ones own power than was commonly supposed and that no RomeoandJuliet destiny could ever inspire her with an ungovernable passion for a man who possessed but a hundred and fifty pounds a year Mrs Hadlow had at one time felt some uneasiness—nearly as much on Owens account as on her daughters to say the truth But she had satisfied herself that there was nothing more than a fraternal kind of regard between the young people—wherein she was wrong and that there was no danger of their imprudently marrying—wherein she was right
Mrs Hadlow had indeed made up her mind that Constance would accept Theodore Bransby whenever he should offer himself and she privately thought it high time that the offer were made What did Theodore wait for His means according to Mrs Hadlows estimate of things were sufficient to allow him to marry at once But even supposing that he did not choose to marry until he had fairly entered on his career as a barrister still there ought to be at least some clear understanding between him and Constance All Oldchester expected to hear of their engagement and it was not fair to the girl to leave matters in their present uncertain condition When at the end of the vacation young Bransby left Oldchester again without having made any declaration Mrs Hadlow was not only surprised but uneasy and she opened her mind to her husband on the subject invading his study at an unusual hour for that purpose
Edward said Mrs Hadlow dont you think that Theodore Barnsby ought to have spoken before he went to town this last time
Spoken my dear
To Constance or to us about Constance
The canon leaned his head on his hand keeping the thumb of the other hand inserted between the pages of his Plato as a marker and looked absently at his wife
Well Dont you think he ought she repeated impatiently
The good canon meditated for a few moments Then he said—
I—I dont feel quite sure that I understand What ought he to have said Jane
Said Goodness Edward He ought to have declared his intentions of course It is high time that something was understood clearly
The canons gentle blue eyes lost their abstracted look and a little sparkle came into them as he answered I hope—nay I am sure—Jane that you would not think of taking any step or saying any word which might compromise our dear childs dignity Let it not appear that you are eager to put this interpretation on the young mans visits
My dear Edward Theodore has been paying Conny marked attentions for more than a year past but during this last summer and autumn he has been in our house morning noon and night He doesnt come for our beaux yeux
Hm hm hm But Jane an attachment of that sort between two young creatures should be treated with the greatest delicacy It is shy and sensitive Let us beware of pulling up our flower by the roots to see if it is growing
This trope by no means corresponded with Mrs Hadlows conception of the relations between Theodore Bransby and her daughter She was an affectionate mother but she did not delude herself into thinking Constance peculiarly sensitive or romantic In fact she was wont to say that her daughter was twenty years older than herself on some points But the canon erroneously attributed to his daughter a quite poetical refinement of feeling His views on most subjects were romantic and unworldly and his ideas about women were peculiarly chivalrous They frequently irked Constance She was not without respect as well as affection for her father and it was sometimes difficult to bring these sentiments into harmony with her deepseated admiration for herself However she usually reconciled all discrepancies between what he expected of her and what she knew to be the fact by declaring that Papa was so oldfashioned
Tell me Jane said the canon after a little pause do you think Connys feelings are seriously engaged Do you think this matter is likely to make her unhappy
Unhappy Well no I hope not unhappy answered Mrs Hadlow slowly
Then all is well We will not let our spirits be troubled
But Edward although she may not break her heart——
Heaven forbid Break her heart Jane
Well I say of course theres no fear of that but it is detrimental to a girl to have an affair of this kind dragging on in a vague sort of way It might spoil her chance in other directions and people will talk you know
Tut tut As to spoiling her chance—which is a phrase very distasteful to me in this connection—if you mean that any eligible suitor would be discouraged from wooing Conny because another man is supposed to admire her too thats all nonsense Do you think I should have been frightened away from trying to win you Jenny by any such impalpable figment of a rival
You exclaimed Mrs Hadlow with a sudden flush and a proud smile Oh thats a very different matter Edward I dont see any young men nowadays to compare with what you were
The canon laughed softly Thank you my dear No doubt your grandmother said much the same sort of thing once upon a time and I hope your granddaughter may say it too some day But set your heart at rest as to this matter That Theodore Bransby whom we have known from his birth should be a frequent guest in our house can surprise no one There is youthful society to be found here Without reckoning Constance theres Owen Rivers the Burton girls little May—we may reasonably suppose this to be attractive to a young man who has no companions of his own age at home without attributing to him any such intentions as you speak off In fact added the canon simply we must believe you are mistaken since if Theodore loved our daughter theres nothing to prevent his saying so
Of all which speech two words chiefly arrested Mrs Hadlows attention and stuck in her memory—little May It was true now she came to think of it that the increased frequency of Theodores visits coincided with May Cheffingtons presence in Oldchester Then she suddenly remembered it was by Theodores influence that May had been invited to Mrs Bransbys dinnerparty and many words and ways of his with reference to Miss Cheffington occurred to her in a new light But then again came a revulsion and she told herself that the idea was absurd It was out of the question that Theodore Bransby with his social ambition should think seriously of marrying insignificant little May Cheffington who was not even handsome when compared with Constance who had childish manners no fortune—and worst of all was Mrs Dobbss granddaughter Besides said Mrs Hadlow to herself he must be fond of Conny Its quite an old attachment and though Theodore may not have very ardent feelings I dont believe he is fickle
Nevertheless she was not entirely reassured After Theodores departure from Oldchester she observed her daughter solicitously for some time but she finally convinced herself that Connys peace of mind was in no danger She had sometimes been provoked by Connys matteroffact coolness and had felt that young ladys worldly wisdom to be an anachronism But she admitted that in the present case these gifts had their advantage for when Oldchester friends showed their interest or curiosity by hints and allusions to Theodore which made Mrs Hadlow quite hot and uncomfortable Constance met them all with perfect calmness and she discussed the young mans prospects with an almost patronizing air that puzzled people
In a few weeks more May Cheffington departed for London Owen Rivers also went away and life in the dark old house in College Quad resumed its usual quiet routine
CHAPTER XI
It was a raw gusty afternoon towards the end of March when May and her grandmother arrived in London There had been some difficulty about the journey arising from Mrs DormerSmiths objection to her nieces travelling alone and insisting on her being properly attended In reply to a suggestion that May would be quite safe in a ladies carriage and under the care of the guard she wrote—It is not that I doubt her being safe but I cannot let my servants see her arrive alone when I meet her at the station Why not send a maid with her To which Mrs Dobbs made answer that she could not send a maid having only one servantofallwork but that she herself would bring her granddaughter to London I shall go up by one train and come down by the next said she to Jo Weatherhead And when he remonstrated against her incurring that expense and fatigue she answered Oh we wont spoil the ship for a haporth of tar If I make up my mind to part with the child Ill start her as well as I can
The travellers found Mrs DormerSmith awaiting them at the railway station She greeted May affectionately and Mrs Dobbs amiably My servant has a cab here for the luggage she said But—hesitatingly—how shall we manage about—— Im afraid the brougham is too small for three Mrs Dobbs settled the question by declaring that she did not purpose going to Mrs DormerSmiths house She would get some dinner at the station and return to Oldchester by an evening train Oh dear Im afraid that will be very uncomfortable for you said Pauline politely trying to conceal her satisfaction at this arrangement Will you not come and—and lunch with us But Mrs Dobbs stuck to her own plan
While the footman was superintending the placing of Mays luggage on the cab her grandmother drew her into the waitingroom to say goodbye God bless you my dear dear child Write to me often keep well and be happy she said folding the girl in her arms Mrs DormerSmith stood by not unsympathetic but at the same time relieved to know James was busy with the luggage so that he could not witness the parting nor hear Mays exclamation Darling granny darling granny Indeed it might be hoped that he would never know the relationship between this stout commonlooking old woman and Miss Cheffington nor be able to report it in the servants hall She felt that Mrs Dobbs was behaving very properly and said with gracious sweetness Im sure we ought all to be very much obliged to you for the care you have taken of my niece It was most good of you to undertake this tiresome journey
Mrs Dobbs looked up with a flash in her eyes I only hope she returned hotly that you will take as good care of my grandchild as I have taken of your niece The next moment she repented of her retort and said quite humbly You will be kind to her wont you Poor motherless lamb You will be kind to her Im sure
Indeed I will answered Mrs DormerSmith with unruffled gentleness I have always wished for a daughter and she shall be like my own daughter to me And with a motherly caress she drew May to her side
Dont be afraid for me granny dear said May smiling with tearful eyes I shall be very happy with Aunt Pauline Besides I shall see you again very soon
Mrs Dobbs laid her hand on the girls shoulder and pushed her gently but firmly out of the waitingroom standing herself in the doorway until May and her aunt had disappeared Then she sat down by the fire untied her bonnetstrings pulled out her handkerchief and sobbed unrestrainedly The waitingroom attendant looked at her curiously for she had noticed that Mrs Dobbs did not belong to the same class as that elegantly dressed lady attended by a servant in livery with whom the young girl had gone away Presently she drew near on pretence of poking the fire and said—
Youre very fond of the young lady aint you But dont take on so Youll see her again very soon I dare say Dont cry poor dear
I have cried said Mrs Dobbs getting up and drying her eyes resolutely I have cried and its done me good And now Ill go and get a bit of food
But she only trifled with the modest dinner set before her and as she sat in a corner of the secondclass carriage which conveyed her back to Oldchester her handkerchief was soaked with silent tears
To May the separation naturally seemed far less terrible than it did to Mrs Dobbs She had no idea that it was to be a long much less a permanent one She found it agreeable to sit in the wellhung neatly appointed brougham with a cushion at her back and a hotwater tin under her feet and to look through the clear glasses at the bustle and movement of London Her aunt Pauline was very pleasant and sympathetic May thought that she might come to love her fathers sister very dearly She admired her already Mrs DormerSmiths gentle manner her soft low voice the quiet elegance of her dress and even the delicate perfume of violets which hung about her were all appreciated by May
My cousin is not at home is he Aunt Pauline she asked after a little silence
No Cyril is at Harrow There are only the children
Oh children cried May with brightening eyes Im so glad I love children I didnt know you had any children besides Cyril
Mrs DormerSmith laughed her peculiar little guttural laugh consisting of several ha ha has slowly and softly uttered and made no answer
Are they boys or girls How many are there How old are they questioned May eagerly
Two little boys Harold is—let me see—Harold is six and Wilfred five It is very awkward having two little things in the nursery so many years younger than their elder brother Cyril is turned fifteen It is like beginning all ones troubles over again said Pauline plaintively The birth of these two children was indeed a standing grievance with her
May thought this an odd way of talking and said no more on the subject of her little cousins But she looked forward to seeing them with pleasant expectation
The sight of the house in Kensington brought back vividly to her mind the day after the dowagers funeral when she had arrived there from school feeling very strange and forlorn She remembered too the abrupt departure next morning with her father and her impression that the DormerSmiths had not behaved well and that her father was very angry with them May was shown into a bedroom at the back of the house overlooking some gardens The maid having asked if she could do anything for Miss Cheffington and having mentioned that the luncheongong would sound in ten minutes withdrew and left May alone She examined the room with girlish interest It was very pretty she thought Perhaps in point of solid comfort the oldfashioned furniture of her room in Friars Row might be superior but in Friars Row there was no such ample provision of lookingglasses as there was here She was still contemplating herself from head to foot in a long swing mirror which stood in a good light near the window when the gong sounded
May ran downstairs and in the diningroom she found her aunt and a heavylooking man with grizzled sandy hair and dull blue eyes who asked her how she did and supposed she would hardly recognize him
Oh yes I do Uncle Frederick she answered
And again an uncomfortable recollection of her fathers angry departure from that house came over her But whatever quarrels there might have been in those days her aunt and uncle appeared to have forgotten all about them Mr DormerSmith told May more than once that he was pleased to see her
Youre not a bit like your father my dear said he with an approving air not altogether flattering to Augustus
Oh yes Frederick interposed his wife There is a family expression
Its an expression I have never seen on your brothers face No nor any approach to it
Mrs DormerSmith laughed the soft little laugh which was habitual with her when embarrassed or disconcerted and changed the conversation I hope you like your room May she said
Oh yes very much indeed thank you Aunt Pauline
I wish I could have come upstairs with you But I am obliged to ménager my strength as much as possible
Are you not well Aunt Pauline asked May with ready sympathy
I am not strong dear
You would be better if you exerted yourself more said Mr DormerSmith Your system gets into a sluggish state from sheer inactivity
Ah you dont understand Frederick answered his wife with a plaintive smile
And May felt indignant at her uncles want of feeling But the next minute she relented towards him when he said as he rose from table—
Ill go round to the chemists myself for Willys medicine and bring it back with me as I suppose you will be wanting James to go out again with the carriage byandby
Is one of the little boys ill asked May
This time it was her aunt who replied calmly Oh no The child has a little nervous cough it is really more a trick than anything else
Huggins doesnt think so lightly of it I can assure you He tells me great care is needed said Mr DormerSmith
Can I—would you mind—might I see my little cousins asked May with some hesitation She was puzzled by these discrepancies of opinion between husband and wife
Mr DormerSmith turned round with a look almost of animation Come now if you like Come with me he said And May followed him out of the room disregarding her aunts suggestion that it would be better for her to lie down and rest after her journey
The nursery was a large room—in fact an attic—at the top of the house May noticed how rapidly the elegance and costliness of the furniture and appointments decreased as they mounted If the diningroom and drawingrooms represented tropical luxury the bedrooms cooled down into a temperate zone and the top region of all was arctic in its barrenness The nursery looked very forlorn and comfortless with its bare floor cheap wallpaper dotted with coarse coloured prints and its small grate with a small fire in it which had exhausted its energies in smoking furiously as the smell in the room testified At a table in the middle of the room sat a hardfeatured young woman with high cheekbones and a complexion like that of a varnished wooden doll mending a heap of linen and in one corner where stood a battered old rockinghorse and a topheavy Noahs Ark two little boys were kneeling on the floor building houses with wooden bricks On their fathers entrance they looked up languidly but when they saw who it was they scrambled to their feet with some show of pleasure and came to stand one on each side of him holding his hands They were both like him blueeyed and sandyhaired and both looked pale and sickly Harold the elder seemed the stronger of the two Wilfred was a meagre fraillooking little creature with a halftimid halfsullen expression of face Their father kissed them both and sitting down drew the younger child on his knee whilst Harold stood pressing close against his shoulder
Well do you know who this is asked Mr DormerSmith pointing to May
Apparently they had no wish to know for they nestled closer to their father and sulkily rejected Mays proffered caresses
Oh come you mustnt be shy said their father This is your cousin May kiss her and say How dye do
But nothing would induce either of the boys to give May his hand nor even to look at her and at length she begged her uncle not to trouble himself and hoped they would all be very good friends presently
And how do we get on with our lessons maamselle asked Mr DormerSmith of the hardfeatured young woman who beyond rising from her chair when they came in had hitherto taken no notice of them
We havent had no lessons today put in Harold with a lowering look at maamselle
No monsieur it has been impossible till now I have had so much sewing to do for madame See and she pointed to the heap of linen But we will have our lessons in the afternoon
I dont want lessons I want to go out with papa Take me with you papa cried Harold Whereupon little Wilfred lisped out that he too would go out with papa and set up a peevish whine
It is too cold for you my man said the father The sharp wind would make you cough Harold will stay with you and you can play together and do your lessons afterwards like good boys
But the children only wailed and cried the louder whilst mademoiselle with her eyes on her needlework monotonously repeated in her SwissFrench What is this Be good my children and apparently thought she was doing all that she was called upon to do under the circumstances
May thought her little cousins peculiarly disagreeable children but she could not help feeling sorry for them and for their father who looked quite helpless and distressed Would you like me to tell you a story she said I know some very pretty stories
A wail from Wilfred and a scowl from Harold were all the answer she received from them But her uncle caught at the suggestion eagerly
Oh that would be very kind of Cousin May he said A pretty story Youll like that wont you
No I shant I want to go with papa grumbled Harold
I want to go wis papa sobbed Wilfred
It is always so when monsieur comes to the nursery said the Swiss coolly going on with her sewing The children are so fond of monsieur
Poor little fellows cried May
Then kneeling down beside her uncle she began softly to stroke Wilfreds hair and to speak to him coaxingly After a while the child glanced shyly into her face and ceased to sob Presently he allowed himself to be transferred from his fathers knee to Mays The Noahs Ark was brought into requisition May ranged its inmates—all more or less dilapidated—on the floor and began to perform a drama with them making each animals utterances in an appropriate voice A smile dawned on Wilfreds pale little face and Harold drew near to look and listen with evident interest
Now Uncle Frederick if you have to go out I will stay and play with the children until lessontime They are going to be very good now aint you boys
Vey good now assented Wilfred his attention still absorbed by the Noahs Ark animals
Well if youll make the pig grunt again I will be good said Harold with a Bismarckian mastery of the do ut des principle
Mr DormerSmiths face beamed with satisfaction Its very good of you my dear said he If you dont mind it would be very kind to stay with them a little while that is if you are not too tired by your journey And as he went away he repeated Its very good of you my dear very good of you
But May found that her aunt took a different view
Dear May said she when she learned where her niece had been spending the two hours after luncheon this is very imprudent You should have lain down and taken a thorough rest instead of exerting yourself in that way
Oh Im not in the least tired Aunt Pauline
Dear child you may not think so but a railway journey of three or four hours jars the nerves terribly
Oh I was very glad to amuse the children Aunt Pauline They were crying to go out with their father so I tried to comfort them They got quite merry before I left them
Mrs DormerSmith slowly shook her head and smiled You will find them extremely tiresome poor things said she placidly They are by no means engaging children Cyril was very different at their age
Oh Aunt Pauline I think they might be made—I mean I think we shall come to be great friends I couldnt bear to see them cry poor mites
That is all very sweet in you dear May but I fancy it is best to leave their nursery governess to manage them Her French is not all that I could wish But a pure accent is not so vitally important for boys It is much if an Englishman can speak French even decently And Cecile makes herself very useful with her needle
Pauline then announced that she would not go out again that afternoon but would devote herself to the inspection of Mays wardrobe Of course you have no evening dresses fit to wear she said but we will see whether we cannot manage to make use of some of your clothes Smithson my maid is very clever
Why of course granny would not have sent me without proper clothes protested May opening her eyes in astonishment And I have an evening frock—a very pretty white muslin quite new
To this speech Aunt Pauline vouchsafed no answer beyond a vague smile She scarcely heard it in fact Her mind was preoccupied with weighty considerations As she seated herself in the one easychair in Mays room and watched her niece kneeling down keys in hand before her travelling trunk she observed with heartfelt thankfulness that the girls figure was naturally graceful and calculated to set off wellcut garments to advantage
Oh exclaimed May suddenly turning round and letting the keys fall with a clash as she clasped her hands above everything I must not miss the post I want to send off a letter so that granny may have it at breakfast time tomorrow for a surprise Have I plenty of time Aunt Pauline
No doubt answered her aunt absently She was debating whether the circumference of Mays waist might not be reduced an inch or so by judicious lacing
Perhaps I had better get my letter written first Aunt Pauline I wouldnt miss writing to granny for the world and any time will do for the clothes
To which her aunt replied with solemnity and with an appearance of energy which May had never witnessed in her before Your wardrobe May demands very serious consideration April is just upon us You are to be presented at the second Drawingroom Dress is an important social duty and we must not lose time in trifling
CHAPTER XII
It was a great comfort to Mrs DormerSmith to find her niece so pretty not a beauty as she said to herself but extremely pleasing and with capital points and so entirely free from vulgarisms of speech or manner In fact Mays outward demeanour needed but very few polishing touches to make it all her aunt could desire But a more intimate acquaintance revealed traits of character which troubled Mrs DormerSmith a good deal
I suppose she observed to her husband with a sigh one had no right to expect that poor Augustuss unfortunate marriage should have left no trace in his children But it is dreadfully disheartening to come every now and then upon some absolutely middleclass prejudice or scruple in May Now Augustus whatever his faults may be always had such a thoroughbred way of looking at things
Certainly no one can accuse your brother of having scruples said Frederick
Besides it is terribly bad form in a girl of her age to set up for a moralist
It doesnt seem much like May to set up for anything she is always so childish and unpretending
Oh yes and that ingénue air is delicious it goes so perfectly with her physique But there are so many things which one cannot teach in words but which girls brought up in a certain monde learn by instinct
What sort of things do you mean asked her husband after a little pause
Well on Thursday for instance I was awfully annoyed Mrs Griffin was here and seemed pleased with May and talked to her a good deal You know that is very important because the duchess invites people or leaves them out pretty much as her mother dictates So I was naturally very much gratified to see May making a good impression In fact Mrs Griffin whispered to me Charming So fresh Presently Lady Burlington came in and they began talking of those new people the Aaronssohns who have a million and a half a year Lady Burlington had been at a big dinner there the night before and she told us the most astonishing things of their vulgarity and their pushing ways When she was gone Mrs Griffin said I do like Lady Burlington and began praising her manners and her air of grande dame And very kindly turning to May she said Do you know little one that that is one of the proudest women in England Is she said May I should never have guessed that she was proud Something in her way of saying it caught Mrs Griffins attention and she pressed her and crossquestioned her until May blurted out that she thought it despicable to accept vulgar peoples hospitality only because they were rich and then to ridicule them for being vulgar I never was so shocked for you know the duchess and Mrs Griffin both went to the Aaronssohns ball last season Now you know pursued Mrs DormerSmith almost tearfully that kind of thing will never do You must allow that it will never do Frederick
It would be awkward assented Frederick looking grave Couldnt you tell her
Of course I spoke to her after Mrs Griffin had gone away But she only said What could I do Aunt Pauline The old lady insisted on my answering her and I couldnt tell her a story You see what a difficult kind of thing it will be to manage Frederick
Mr DormerSmith had become a great partisan of Mays He was genuinely grateful for her kindness to his children and would willingly have taken her part had it been possible But he felt that his wife was right it would really never do to carry into society an enfant terrible of such uncompromising truthfulness And this feeling was much strengthened by the recollection of sundry remarks which May had innocently made to himself—remarks indicating an inconvenient assumption on her part that ones principles must naturally regulate ones practice However as he told his wife they must trust to time and experience to correct this crudeness
She is but a schoolgirl after all he said
Pauline did not pursue the subject but she reflected within herself that there are schoolgirls and schoolgirls
There had been some discussion as to who should present May Mrs DormerSmith was of opinion that had there been a Viscountess Castlecombe the office would properly have devolved on her ladyship but old Lord Castlecombe had been a widower for many years At length it was decided that May should be presented by her aunt
I know it is a great risk for me to go out décolletée on an English spring day said that devoted woman And Lady Burlington would do it if I asked her But I wish to carry out the duty I have undertaken towards Augustuss daughter as thoroughly as my strength will allow Under all the circumstances of the case it is important that she should be publicly acknowledged and as it were identified with the family Of course I shall feel justified in buying my gown out of Mays money
Mays money had come to be the phrase by which the DormerSmiths spoke of the payment made by Mrs Dobbs for her granddaughter
But besides the comforting sense of duty fulfilled there were other compensations in store for Mrs DormerSmith Mays presentation dress was pronounced exquisite and was ready in good time and May herself profited satisfactorily by the instructions of a fashionable professor of deportment in the difficult art of walking and curtsying in a train To be sure she had alarmed her aunt at first by going into fits of laughter when describing Madame Melnottes lessons and imitating the impressive gravity with which the dancingmistress went through the dumb show of a presentation at Court But she did what she was told to do not only with docility but with an unaffected simplicity which Aunt Paulines good taste perceived to be infinitely charming And she said to her husband that she really began to hope May would be a great success
The great day of the Drawingroom came and went as do all days great or small But whether she had been a success or a failure in her aunts sense of the words May had not the remotest idea Indeed the various feelings on the subject of her presentation which had filled her breast beforehand including a genuine delight in her own appearance as she stood before the big lookingglass while Smithson put the finishing touches to her headdress were all swallowed up in the supreme feeling of thankfulness that it was over and that she had not disgraced herself by tumbling over her train or otherwise shocking the eyes of august personages Also in a minor degree she was thankful that Aunt Paulines antique laceflounce—a portion of the dowagers legacy lent for the occasion—had escaped destruction On their drive homeward she sat silent trying to extricate some definite image from her confused impressions of the ceremony and finding that her most distinct recollection recorded the pressure of a persistent and ruthless elbow against her ribs Mrs DormerSmith too was too much exhausted to say much She leaned back in the carriage with closed eyes wrapping her furs round her and sniffing at a bottle of salts
But when refreshed by a glass of wine and seated in a wellcushioned chair before a blazing fire Mrs DormerSmith felt very well satisfied with the result of the day Mrs Griffin had been there and had nodded approvingly across a struggling crowd of bare shoulders and Mrs Griffins approbation was worth having Mr DormerSmith came home from his club a full hour earlier than usual in order to hear the report—a proof of interest which May not being a whistplayer was unable fully to appreciate
Well said Pauline with a kind of pious serenity we have accomplished this somewhat trying social duty
Trying indeed exclaimed May Im afraid you are dreadfully tired Aunt Pauline And the crowd and closeness made your head ache I saw How is your head now
It is better dear much better
Well said Mr DormerSmith looking interrogatively with raised eyebrows at his wife
Oh yes Frederick very nice indeed very satisfactory I was very much pleased I had been a little anxious about the effect of the corsage but Amélie has done herself great credit And mercifully white suits our dear child to perfection She really looked very well
Did I Aunt Pauline Well Im sure it didnt much matter how I looked
Didnt matter echoed Mrs DormerSmith in a shocked tone
Oh come May cried her uncle I thought you were above that sort of nonsense Do you mean to tell me that you dont care about looking pretty
Oh no I mean—well I did think my dress was lovely when I looked at myself in the big glass upstairs but in that crush who could see it And I was awfully afraid that Aunt Paulines lace flounce would be torn completely off the skirt
Her uncle laughed You dont appear to have altogether enjoyed your first appearance as a courtier said he
Enjoyed Oh who could enjoy it Then fearful of seeming ungrateful she added It was very very kind of Aunt Pauline to take so much trouble and to get me that beautiful dress
May had not been accustomed to think about ways and means It had seemed a matter of course that her daily wants should be supplied and she had hitherto bestowed no more thought on the matter than a young bird in the nest But it was impossible for her to live as a member of the DormerSmiths family without having the question of money brought forcibly to her mind There were small pinchings and savings of a kind utterly unknown in Friars Row elaborate calculations were made as to the possibility of this or that expenditure Aunt Pauline frequently lamented her poverty and yet withal there was kept up an appearance of wealth and elegance May was not long in discovering the seamy side of all the luxury which surrounded her and it amazed her Why should her aunt so arrange her life as to derive very little comfort from very strenuous effort And what puzzled her most of all at first was the air of conscious virtue with which this was done the strange way in which Aunt Pauline would mention some piece of meanness or insincerity as though it were an act of loftiest duty On one or two occasions May had innocently suggested a straightforward way out of some social difficulty such as wearing an old gown when a new one could not be afforded or refusing an invitation which could only be accepted at the cost of much bodily and mental harass But these childish suggestions had been met by an indulgent smile and she had been told that such and such things must be done or endured in order to keep up the familys position in society Once May had asked Then why should we keep up our position in society But her aunt had shown such genuine consternation at this impious inquiry that the girl did not venture to repeat it
Another question however soon forced itself upon May—namely how it came to pass that under all the circumstances so much money was spent on her dress Besides the court train and petticoat her aunt had provided for her a wardrobe which to the young girls inexperienced eyes appeared absolutely splendid for Paulines conscience although cramped and squeezed into artificial shape like a Chinese ladys foot was alive and sentient and she would on no account have failed to expend Mays money for Mays advantage and yet all the while there were the two little boys in their comfortless nursery wearing coarse clothing and shabby shoes and there was Cecile toiling at needlework instead of attending to the children in order that the cost of a seamstress might be saved On this subject May felt that she had a right to interrogate her aunt and accordingly she took courage to do so Mrs DormerSmith was considerably embarrassed and made an attempt to fence off the subject But May persisted
Its very very good of you and Uncle Frederick to do so much for me she said but I cant bear to take it all
Nonsense May Remember you are a Cheffington You must appear in the world properly equipped
But Aunt Pauline it isnt fair to Harold and Wilfred
Harold and Wilfred echoed her aunt opening wide her soft dark eyes What do you mean May
May coloured hotly but stuck to her point Well she said you know Uncle Frederick was saying the other day that Willy ought to have change of air and you said you couldnt afford to send him to the seaside just now and—and I think Cecile thinks they ought to have new walking suits and all the while I have so many expensive new frocks I cant bear it It isnt really fair
Then Mrs DormerSmith found herself compelled to assure her niece that no penny of the cost of her toilet came out of Uncle Fredericks pocket and reading a further question in the girls face she hastened to anticipate it by adding The arrangements made for you here May are in entire accordance with your fathers wishes There has been a correspondence with him on the subject and he wrote quite distinctly otherwise your uncle and I would not have undertaken to bring you out
I hope said May that papa does not deprive himself of anything for me He used not to be at all well off I know I can remember when I was a little thing in Bruges
Augustus deprives himself of nothing answered Mrs DormerSmith softly but emphatically Pray say no more on the subject my dear This sort of thing makes my head ache
Her conscience being thus relieved May accepted and enjoyed her new finery and her new life She found that taking up ones position in society involved pleasanter things than being presented at a Drawingroom It was delightful to be tastefully and becomingly dressed It was agreeable to be sure of plenty of partners at every dance It was satisfactory to have so admirable a chaperon as Aunt Pauline One could no more form a fair judgment of that lady from knowing her only in domestic life than one could fully appreciate a swan from seeing it on dry land In the congenial element of society her merits were exhibited to the utmost advantage They were indeed greater than May had any idea of Mrs DormerSmiths tact in warding off ineligible partners and securing as far as possible eligible ones for her niece was masterly But May admired her aunts unruffled temper and gentle grace She had been quick to find out—with some astonishment but beyond the possibility of doubt—that fine people can be exceedingly rude on occasion and she observed with pride that Aunt Pauline was never rude Moreover Aunt Paulines softness of manner was a far more effectual protection against impertinence than the brusquerie affected by sundry ladies who forgot the wisdom embodied in the homely saying that those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers and who were always liable to be vanquished by greater insolence than their own
May soon began to be reticent of her real sentiments and opinions in speaking to her aunt and uncle She felt that nine times out of ten she was not understood or which was worse was misunderstood But in writing to her dear granny she frankly and fully poured out all her heart These letters were the joy and consolation of Mrs Dobbss life Every minutest detail interested her She laughed over Mays description of the Drawingroom and read it out aloud to Jo Weatherhead by way of a wholesome corrective to his Tory prejudices
But at the same time she secretly treasured a copy of the Morning Post containing Miss Miranda Cheffingtons name and a description of Miss Miranda Cheffingtons toilet on that occasion And she listened with a complacency of which she was more than half ashamed to Mrs Simpsons ecstasies on the subject and to the scraps of information which the goodnatured Amelia quoted—generally incorrectly—from social gossip setting forth how Mrs DormerSmith and her niece Miss Miranda Cheffington had been present at this or that grand entertainment These things might appear frivolous but was it not for this end to put May in her right place in the world to give her her birthright that Mrs Dobbs had made a great sacrifice Jo Weatherhead understood this so well that the fashionable intelligence in the local newspapers assumed a quite pathetic interest in his eyes When he went to drink tea with his old friend in the parlour of her new abode with its trashy stuccoed ceiling miserably thin walls and squeezed little fireplace he felt it to be a positive comfort to pull from his pocket a copy of the Court Journal or other equally polite print and read aloud to Sarah some paragraph in which Mays name occurred It was a consolation too to let himself be lectured and laughed at by Sarah for his absurd admiration of the aristocracy And he took every opportunity of combating her Radicalism in order that she might victoriously vindicate the steadfastness of her political principles
Meanwhile Captain Cheffington saw the accounts of his daughters appearance in the fashionable world and began to think that he had been too easy in giving his consent to it He had got nothing by it and perhaps something might have been got He wrote twice to Pauline urgently requiring her to tell him what was the exact sum which Mrs Dobbs paid for her granddaughters maintenance That it was handsome he did not doubt knowing by experience that the DormerSmiths would not contribute a shilling Pauline had replied evasively to the first letter and not at all to the second with the result that Augustuss imagination absurdly exaggerated Mrs Dobbss wealth The old woman must be rolling in money after all Had Mays allowance been a small one his sister would not have hesitated to tell him the exact sum It was clear to his mind that the DormerSmiths were making an uncommonly good thing of it and he was decidedly disinclined to leave all the profit to them He wrote off to Oldchester a demand for money on his own account It was refused and his anger was very bitter He even began to cherish a grudge against May Why should she be surrounded by luxury enjoying all the gaieties of London and taking a social position to which her only claim was the fact of being his daughter whilst he lived the life of an outcast He went so far as to threaten to come to England and bring away his daughter having some idea that Mrs Dobbs might ransom May and pension him off But the energy which might once upon a time have enabled Augustus Cheffington to take this strong step had waned long ago He had grown inert And above all the circumstances of his private life rendered such independent action difficult if not impossible
It presently began to be reported amongst Mrs DormerSmiths acquaintance with other items of teatable gossip that little May Cheffington had a rich old grandmother somewhere down in the country Theodore Bransby who was admitted as a familiar visitor at the DormerSmiths and who made a parade of his intimacy with the Cheffingtons was interrogated on the subject He maintained a cautious reserve in his replies—He really could say nothing he had no idea what the old ladys means might be he could scarcely in fact be said to know her at all Wishing as he did completely to ignore that objectionable old ironmongers widow it was irritating to find her existence known and her means discussed in London To be sure no one troubled himself to inquire Who is she general interest being exclusively concentrated on the question What has she Theodores reticence was by no means attributed to its real cause People said that young Bransby was looking after the girl himself and wanted to choke off possible rivals Theodore did indeed push himself as far as possible into every house which May frequented There were some still inaccessible to him but he had patience and perseverance And he was constantly meeting May in the course of the season She was far more pleased to see him in London than she had ever been in Oldchester He was associated with persons whom she loved and on many occasions when ballroom lookerson pronounced Miss Cheffington and young Bransby to be spooning awfully May was talking with animation of his halfbrothers Bobby and Billy of the dear old canon and her friend Constance or even of Mr and Mrs Sebastian Bach Simpson Theodore had no relish for these topics but it was better to talk with May of them than not to talk with her at all And to the girl he seemed the only link between her present life and the dear Oldchester days
At the beginning of June however he ceased to have this exclusive claim on her attention One fine day Aunt Pauline returning from an afternoon drive with her niece found a large visiting card with The Misses Piper engraved on it with many elaborate flourishes whilst underneath was written in pencil Miss Hadlow
Piper said Pauline languidly dropping her eyeglass and looking round at May What can this mean
Oh it means Miss Polly and Miss Patty and my schoolfellow Constance Hadlow cried May clapping her hands Fancy Conny being in town I dare say the Pipers invited her on a visit Im so glad
Mrs DormerSmiths countenance expressed anything but gladness and she privately informed May that it would be impossible to do more than send cards to these ladies by the servant I cant have them here on my Thursdays you know May she said plaintively and with an injured air
Three months ago May would have indignantly protested against this tone and would have pointed out that it would be unfeeling and ungrateful on her part to slight her old friends But she had by this time learned to understand how unavailing were all such representations to convince Aunt Pauline in whose code personal sentiments of goodwill towards ones neighbour had to yield to the higher law of duty towards Society
Perhaps said May after a pause if you cannot go yourself Uncle Frederick would take me to Miss Pipers some Sunday after church when we go for a walk with the children You see they have written Sundays on the corner of their card
Oh do you think they would be satisfied with that sort of thing asked her aunt
They are most kind goodnatured old ladies pursued May They wouldnt mind the children at all Indeed they like children And as to coming to your Thursdays Aunt Pauline I really dont think they would care to do it Music is their great passion—at least Miss Pollys great passion—and when they are in London I think they go to concerts morning noon and night Miss Hadlow is different Her grandpapa was a Rivers added May blushing at her own wiliness and she is very handsome and sure to be asked out a great deal
But Mays profound strategy did not end here She coaxed Uncle Frederick by representing what a treat it would be to Harold and Wilfred to go out visiting with papa Those young gentlemen privately incited by hints of possible plumcake were soon all eagerness to go and when on the very next Sunday May set off with her uncle and cousins to walk to Miss Pipers lodgings she felt that she had achieved a diplomatic triumph
CHAPTER XIII
Those Oldchester persons who considered Miss Pipers artistic tendencies responsible for her occasional freedom of speech would have been confirmed in their opinion as to the demoralizing tendency of Art and Continental travel had they known how the daughters of the late Reverend Reuben Piper employed Sunday afternoon in London Miss Patty herself had been startled at first by the idea of not only receiving callers but listening to profane music on that day and the sisters had had some discussion about it When Patty demurred to the suggestion Polly inquired whether she truly and conscientiously considered that there was anything more intrinsically wrong in seeing ones friends and opening ones piano on a Sunday than on a Monday
No of course not that answered Patty If I thought it wrong I shouldnt discuss it even with you I should simply refuse to have anything to do with it
I know that Patty said her sister And I hope I am not altogether without a conscience either
No Polly but would you do this in Oldchester
Certainly not
Then thats what I say We ought not to have two weights and two measures If a thing is objectionable in Oldchester it is objectionable in London
Not at all Circumstances alter cases I may think it a good thing to take a spongebath every morning but I should not take it in public
Polly How can you
What I mean is that so long as we are not a stumblingblock of offence to other people we have a right to please ourselves in this matter
So Miss Pollys will prevailed as it prevailed with her sister upon most occasions and the Sunday receptions became an established custom
The house in which the Miss Pipers lodged when they came to London was in a street leading out of Hanover Square The lower part of it was occupied by a fashionable tailor—a tailor so genteel and exclusive that he scorned any appeal to the general public and merely had the word Groll which was his name woven into the wire blind that shaded his parlour window The rooms above were sufficiently spacious and were moreover lofty—a great point in Miss Pollys opinion as being good for sound They were furnished comfortably albeit rather dingily But a few flowerpots photographic albums and bits of crochetwork scattered here and there answered the purpose—if not of decoration at least of showing decorative intention A grand pianoforte bestriding a large tract of carpet in the very middle of the front drawingroom conspicuously asserted its importance over all the rest of the furniture
May and her uncle accompanied by the two little boys were shown upstairs and the door of the drawingroom being thrown open they found themselves confronted by a rather numerous assembly The last bars of a pianofortepiece were being performed amidst the profound silence of the auditors and the newly arrived party stood still near the door waiting until the music should come to an end
At the piano sat a smoothfaced young gentleman playing a series of incoherent discords with an air of calm resolve Immediately behind him stood an elderly man of gentlemanlike appearance whom May found herself watching as one watches a person swallowing something nauseous and involuntarily expecting him to make a face as each new dissonance was crashed out close to his ear But his amiable countenance remained so serene and satisfied that the doubt crossed her mind whether he might not possibly be deaf In the embrasure of a window stood a very tall thin man whose bald head was encircled by a fringe of grizzled red hair and whose eyes were fast shut But as he stood up perfectly erect with his hands folded in a prayerful attitude on his waistcoat it was obvious that he was not asleep Miss Piper was seated with her back towards the door and her face towards the pianist so that May could not see it But the composer of Esther nodded her head approvingly at every fresh harmonic catastrophe which convulsed the keyboard Her satisfaction seemed to be shared by a stout lady of majestic mien who sat near her and fired off exclamations of eulogium such as Charming Wonderful modulation Intensely wrought out and so on—like minute guns and with a certain air of suppressed exasperation as though she suspected that there might be persons who didnt like it and was ready to defy them to the death A darkeyed girl very plainly dressed and holding a little leather musicroll in her hand occupied a modest place behind this lady Sitting close to the darkeyed girl was a man of about thirtyfive years old wellfeatured short in stature and with reddish blonde hair and moustaches This personages countenance expressed a singular mixture of audacity and servility His smile was at once impudent and false and he listened to the music with a pretentious air of knowledge and authority The rest of the company with Miss Patty were relegated during the performance to the back drawingroom where tea was served and the foldingdoors were closed lest the clink of a teaspoon or the sibillation of a whisper should penetrate to the musicroom But in truth nothing less than a crash of all the crockery on the table and a simultaneous bellow from all the guests could have competed successfully with the pianofortepiece then in progress
At length with one final bang it came to an end and there was a general stir and movement among the company The amiablelooking elderly man advanced towards Miss Piper with a most beaming smile and said in a soft refined voice—
That is the right way isnt it One knows the sort of thing said by people who dont understand this school of music the only music in fact but I have long been sure that this is the right way
Of course it is the right way exclaimed the stout lady breathing indignation not loud but deep against all heretics and schismatics
We are so very very much obliged to you Mr Turner said the hostess That new composition of yours is really wonderful And so indeed it was
As Miss Piper went up to the young gentleman who had been playing the piano and who remained quite cool and unmoved by the demonstrations of his audience she caught sight of the group near the door and hastened to welcome them May was received with enthusiasm and her uncle with one of Miss Pipers best oldfashioned curtsies Mr DormerSmith began to apologize for bringing his little boys and to explain that he had not expected to find so numerous an assembly but Miss Piper cut him short with hearty assurances that they were very welcome and that her sister in particular was very fond of children Then the doors being by this time reopened she ushered them all into the back room crying—
Patty Patty Who do you think is here May Cheffington and then Miss Patty added her welcome to that of her sister
Harold and Wilfred had been shyly dumb hitherto although once or twice during the pianoforteplaying Wilfred had only saved himself from breaking into a shrill wail and begging to be taken home by burying his face in the skirts of Mays dress but on beholding plumcake and other good things set forth on the teatable they felt that life had compensations still They took a fancy also to the Miss Pipers finding their eccentric ornaments a mine of interest and before three minutes had elapsed Harold was devouring a liberal slice of cake and Wilfred seated close to kind Miss Patty was diversifying his enjoyment of the cake by a close and curious inspection of that ladys bracelet taken off for his amusement and endeavouring to count the various geological specimens of which it was composed
As soon as May appeared in the back drawingroom Constance Hadlow rose from her seat in a corner behind the teatable and greeted her
Dear Conny cried May I am so glad to see you Then you are staying with the Miss Pipers I guessed you were
Mr DormerSmith was then duly presented to Miss Hadlow Constance was in very good looks and her beauty and the quiet ease of her manner made a very favourable impression on Mays uncle
Miss Hadlow found a seat for him near herself and then turned again to May saying There is another Oldchester friend whom you have not yet spoken to You remember my cousin Owen
Mays experience of society had not yet toned down her manner to that repose which stamps the caste of Vere de Vere She heartily shook hands with the young man exclaiming This is a day of joyful surprises I didnt expect to see you Mr Rivers Now if we only had the dear canon and Mrs Hadlow and granny I think I should be quite happy
You are not a bit changed said Owen Rivers giving May his chair and standing beside her in the lounging attitude so familiar to her in the garden at College Quad
Changed What should change me
The world
What nonsense cried May with her old schoolgirl bluntness As if I had not been living in the world all my life
Mr Rivers raised his eyebrows with an amused smile
Well isnt it nonsense pursued May to talk as if a few hundred or thousand persons in one town—though that town is London—made up the world
It is a phrase which every one uses and every one understands
But every one does not understand it alike
Perhaps not
What did you mean by it just now
What could I mean but the world of fashion the world par excellence Rightly socalled no doubt since it affords the best field for the exercise of the higher and nobler human faculties Those who are not in it exist indeed but with a halfdeveloped inferior kind of life like a jellyfish
May laughed her frank young laugh
Youre not changed either she said emphatically
Did you enjoy the performance with which that young gentleman has been obliging us asked Rivers
I only heard the end of it
Very diplomatically answered
Are you fond of music Mr Rivers
Yes of music—very fond
So am I but I know very little about it Granny is a good musician
How fond you are of Mrs Dobbs said Rivers
I am very proud of her too answered May quickly
Owen Rivers looked at her with a singular expression halfadmiring halftenderly pitying—as one might look at a child whose innocent candour is as yet unspotted from the world
I suppose you know all the people here said May looking round on the assembly
I know who they are most of them
That gentleman who was standing by himself at the window—the tall gentleman—who is he
Mr Jawler a great musical critic
And the pleasantfaced man who seemed so delighted with the playing
Mr Sweeting He is an enthusiastic admirer and patron of young Cleveland Turner the pianist a very kindly amiable courteous gentleman with much money and leisure as I am told
That stout lady talking to Miss Piper seems to be musical also
That is Lady Moppett a very good sort of woman I dare say but fanatical She would bowstring all us dogs of Christians who believe in melody
And who is that disagreeable little man in the corner
Disagreeable——
The little man with moustaches There Close to the nicelooking darkeyed girl
Oh that man But he is not considered disagreeable by the world in general Miss Cheffington He is by way of being a rather fascinating individual Signor Vincenzo Valli singingmaster and composer of songs I wonder why he condescends to favour Miss Piper with his presence
Is it a condescension
A great condescension Signor Valli is nothing if not aristocratic
At this moment there was a general movement in the other room The young pianist seated himself once more at the instrument The various groups of talkers dispersed and took their places to listen May whispered nervously to Miss Patty that perhaps she and her uncle had better go and take away the children before the music commenced
I am so afraid she said naïvely that Willy may cry if that gentleman plays again
Miss Patty found a way out of the difficulty by taking the children away to her own room It was no deprivation to her she said not to hear Mr Turner play
So the two little boys laden with good things and further enticed by the promise of picturebooks trotted off very contentedly under Miss Pattys wing Mr DormerSmith had passed into the front drawingroom where he was chatting with Lady Moppett who proved to be an old acquaintance of his May was following her uncle to explain to him about the children when Miss Piper hurried up to her with an anxious and important mien
Sit down my dear she said sit down Cleveland Turner is going to play that fine Beethoven the one in F minor the opera 57 you know Mr Jawler particularly wishes to hear him perform it
May glanced round and seeing no place vacant near at hand returned to the other room and took a seat close to the foldingdoors which were now left open
What is our sentence asked Rivers
Do you mean what is he going to play A piece of Beethovens
Ah Well at least he will have something to say this time Remains to be seen whether he can say it
Mr Cleveland Turner performed the sonata appassionata correctly although coldly and with a certain hardness of style and touch But the beauty of the composition made itself irresistibly felt and when the piece was finished there was a murmur of applause Mr Jawler opened his eyes inclined his head opened his eyes again and said apparently to himself Yes yes—oh yes which seemed to be interpreted as an expression of approval for Miss Piper looked radiant and even the icy demeanour of Mr Cleveland Turner thawed half a degree or so Signor Valli had applauded in a peculiar fashion—opening his arms wide and bringing his gloved hands together with apparent force but so as to produce no sound whatever And as he went through this dumb show of applause he was talking all the time to the darkeyed girl near him with a sneering smile on his face
Miss Piper bustled up to them Dear Miss Bertram she said you must let us hear your charming voice Mr Jawler has heard of you He would like you to sing something Signor Valli with clasped hands might I entreat you to accompany Miss Bertram in one of your own exquisite compositions It would be such a treat—such a musical feast I may say
Miss Bertram unrolled her musiccase in a businesslike way and spread its contents before the singingmaster
What are you going to sing Clara asked Lady Moppett turning her head over her shoulder
Signor Valli will choose answered the young lady quietly
Valli selected a song and offered his arm to Miss Bertram to lead her to the piano She did not accept it instantly being occupied in replacing the rest of her music in its case and with a sudden impatient gesture Valli wheeled round and walked to the piano alone Miss Bertram followed him composedly and took her place beside him May looked at her with interest as she stood there during the few bars of introduction to the song
Clara Bertram was not beautiful but she had a singularly attractive face Her dark eyes were not nearly so large nor so finely set as Constance Hadlows but they were infinitely more expressive and her rather wide mouth revealed a magnificent set of teeth when she smiled or sang The song selected for her was one of those compositions which if illsung or even only tolerably sung would pass unnoticed But Miss Bertram sang it to perfection Her voice was very beautiful with something peculiarly pathetic in its vibrating tones and she pronounced the Italian words with a pure unaffected and finished accent
Oh how lovely exclaimed May under her breath when the song was over
Isnt it said Miss Piper who happened to be near enough to catch the words I am so glad you are pleased with her Do you think Mrs DormerSmith would like her to sing now and then at a soirée She wants to get known in really good houses
Before May could answer the little woman had hurried off again and in another minute was leading Miss Bertram up to Mr Jawler who spoke to the young singer with evident affability keeping his eyes open for a full minute at a time
Meanwhile Valli was left alone at the piano and an ugly look came into his face as he glanced round and saw himself neglected But his expression changed in an instant with curious suddenness when Miss Hadlow drew near and leaning on the instrument addressed some words of compliment to him
Will you not let us hear you sing Signor Valli she said presently
Valli merely shook his head in answer keeping his eyes fixed on Miss Hadlows face with a look of bold admiration and letting his fingers stray softly over the keys
Oh that is a terrible disappointment
I dont think so replied the singingmaster speaking very good English
It is indeed
Again he shook his head
It is to me at all events
Well I shall sing for you a little song sotto voce all to ourselves
Oh but that would be too selfish on my part to enjoy your singing all to myself
It is a very good plan to be selfish returned Valli and forthwith he began a little Neapolitan lovesong—murmuring rather than singing it—and still keeping his eyes fixed on Miss Hadlow
At the first sound of his voice low and subdued though it was Miss Piper held up her finger to bespeak silence There was a general hush Every one looked towards the piano against which Constance was still leaning with her back to the rest of the company She made a little movement to withdraw to a seat but Valli immediately ceased singing and under cover of a noisy ritournelle which he played on the piano said to her I am singing for you If you go away my song will go away too
But I cant stand here by myself Signor Valli protested Constance by no means displeased At this moment Miss Piper approached to implore the maestro to continue and Constance whispered to her in a few words the state of the case
Caprices of genius my dear said the little woman When you have seen as much of professional people as I have you will not be astonished Then to Valli Will you not continue that exquisite air We are all dying to hear it
Yes on condition that you both stay there and inspire me answered he with an unconcealed sneer
Miss Piper however took him at his word and linking her arm in Constances remained standing close to the instrument Valli upon this resumed his song He gave it now at the full pitch of his voice addressing it ostentatiously to Miss Hadlow and throwing an exaggerated amount of expression into the love passages Miss Piper was enchanted and led off the applause enthusiastically Valli was soon surrounded by a group of admirers Mr DormerSmith among them May was conscious of a painful impression which destroyed any pleasure she might have had in the song And that Owen Rivers shared this impression was proved by his walking up to the piano and unceremoniously putting his cousins hand on his arm to lead her away
Oh dont take Conny away Mr Rivers cried Miss Piper Signor Valli is going to favour us with some more of his delicious national airs
Come and sit down Constance said Owen authoritatively Let me get you a seat also Miss Piper he added It can scarcely be necessary for the due exhibition of this gentlemans national airs to keep two ladies standing
Oh no no please dont mind me Im quite comfortable said Miss Piper with a shade of vexation on her goodhumoured round face
Constance remained perfectly calm and selfpossessed only a faint smile and a sparkle in her eyes revealed a gratified vanity as she took the chair near May to which her cousin conducted her
Miss Piper shrugged up her shoulders and pursed up her mouth He has no idea what artists are she whispered in Lady Moppetts ear And besides poor dear young man hes so desperately in love with his cousin that he cant bear her to be even looked at I only hope Signor Valli wont take offence
But Valli finding himself now the object of general attention was very gracious He sang song after song without the inspiration of Miss Hadlows handsome face opposite to him and he sang far better than before—with less exaggeration and managing his naturally defective voice with singular skill and finesse But the praise and flattery which his hearers poured forth unstintingly did not seem quite to satisfy him His glance wandered restlessly as though in search of something and finally after a very clever rendering of an old air by Carissimi he addressed himself suddenly to Miss Bertram who was standing somewhat apart in the background and asked in Italian—
Is the Signorina content
I always like your singing of that aria she answered in a quiet matteroffact tone
Like it indeed exclaimed Lady Moppett with her severest manner I should think you did like it Clara And you ought to profit by it To hear singing so finished—of such a perfect school—is a lesson for you
Valli upon this made a low bow to Lady Moppett—a bow so low as to seem almost burlesque As he raised his face again he turned it towards Miss Bertram with a subtle smile saying Miladi is such a judge Her praise is very precious Clara however kept an impassive countenance and declined to meet the glance he shot at her Then Valli made a second and equally low bow to the hostess and cutting short her ecstatic compliments and thanks left the room without further ceremony
The party now broke up Lady Moppett departed with Miss Bertram and Mr Jawler to whom she offered a seat in her carriage Mr Cleveland Turner and his patron Mr Sweeting went away together In a few minutes there remained Mr DormerSmith with his niece and Owen Rivers Miss Patty bustled in with the two children
Dear me said she Is the music all over Well now let us be comfortable
But Mr DormerSmith declared he must reluctantly bring his visit to an end I dont know how to thank you said he to Miss Patty for your kindness to my children I hope you will forgive me for bringing them
Miss Patty heartily assured him that there was nothing to forgive and that she hoped he would bring them again She had gathered from the artless utterances of Harold and Wilfred an idea of their home life which made her feel compassionately towards them
As for Miss Polly she was in the highest spirits Mr Jawler and Signor Valli both stars of considerable magnitude in the musical world had shone for her with unclouded lustre It had been she thought a highly successful afternoon So also thought Harold and Wilfred And perhaps these were the only three persons who had enjoyed themselves thoroughly and unaffectedly
CHAPTER XIV
The London season proceeded with its usual accumulation of engagements its usual breathless chase after halfhours that have got too long a start ever to be recaptured its usual fleeting satisfactions and abiding disappointments its snubs sneers smiles follies falsehoods and flirtations The rushing current of fashionable life in London carried little May Cheffington on its surface together with many brazen vessels of a very different kind Constance Hadlow observed halfenviously to her friend that she was thoroughly in the swim a phrase which May found singularly inappropriate in her own case feeling that there was no more question of a swim than in shooting Niagara To her especially the whirl of society was confusing phantasmagoric and unreal All the faces were new to her most of the names awoke no associations in her mind On the other hand this peculiar inexperience gave freshness to her impressions and keenness to her insight She had none of those social traditions which nine times out of ten supply the place of private judgment She found her impression of many personages startlingly at variance with the label which the world had agreed to affix to them It is possible to be at once simple and shrewd just as it is possible to be both rusé and dullwitted
Mays simplicity was not of the blundering thickskinned type and her ingenuous freshness was admired by a great many persons among whom was Mrs Griffin Far from being offended by Mays moral indignation against those who accepted the hospitality of vulgar people and then ridiculed them for being vulgar Mrs Griffin entirely approved her sentiments Mrs Griffin herself deplored as she often said the servility towards mere money which was degrading the tone of society And whenever any new instance of it came to her knowledge she would shake her head and exclaim softly Oh Mammon Mammon But this did not of course apply to her daughter the duchess who sometimes went to the Aaronssohns Her daughter was so very great a lady as to be above ordinary restrictions Other people worshipped Mammon the duchess only patronized Mammon—which was surely a very different thing
Aunt Pauline however derived no gratification from Mays unconventional frankness It was on the contrary a source of constant anxiety to her and she felt daily more and more that it would be a relief to get May off her hands Introducing her niece into society—even although the niece was a pretty girl and a Cheffington to boot—had not proved so pleasing a task as she had anticipated There was to her thinking a strange perversity in the girls character which made her callous where she should be sensitive and sensitive where she might well be indifferent For instance she showed culpable coolness about her greatuncle Castlecombe and his family and provoking warmth about her Oldchester friends Not that May was apt to speak much of her life in Oldchester In the natural course of things she would have talked freely and eagerly about her dear granny but very soon after her arrival in London her affectionate loquacity on this subject received a check Aunt Pauline had hinted with her usual mild politeness that it would be desirable not to speak of Mrs Dobbs before Smithson or any of the servants Seeing the startled look in Mays eyes and the indignant flush on Mays cheeks her aunt added diplomatically Your father would not like it May I am trying to carry out his expressed wishes That ought to be enough for you
It was enough at all events to close Mays lips Her love and pride combined to make her silent She tried to persuade herself that her father at all events had some good and reasonable motive for this prohibition and that he at least was not ashamed of Mrs Dobbs—ashamed of granny The very thought made her hot with anger But that Aunt Pauline was ashamed of her was too clear to Mays honest mind Painful as this conviction was however she came by degrees to hold it rather in sorrow than in anger and to regard her aunt with something of the same indulgent toleration that Mrs Dobbs had once expressed to Jo Weatherhead For Mrs DormerSmiths worldliness was not at all of a cynical sort It was rather in the nature of a deeprooted superstition conscientiously held
To some points of her worldly creed Pauline clung with religious fervour One of these was the duty incumbent on a dowerless young lady to marry well To marry very well was to marry a man with birth and money but to secure a husband with money only—provided there were enough of it—she allowed to be marrying well She did not look at the matter with vulgar flippancy It was no doubt a sacrifice for a wellborn woman to become the wife of an underbred man however wealthy But wellborn women were no less called upon than their humbler sisters to make sacrifices in a good cause
None of the Castlecombes much frequented fashionable society and Mrs DormerSmith had hitherto resigned herself without much difficulty to seeing very little of her noble kinsfolk But when May was introduced her aunt thought it desirable to cultivate them Lord Castlecombes big gloomy family mansion in town had been let ever since his wifes death many years ago and whenever his lordship came to London to give his vote in the House of Peers—which was almost the sole object that had power to bring him up from the country—he occupied furnished lodgings Of his two sons both bachelors the elder was governor of a colony on the other side of the globe and the younger held a permanent post under Government This Lucius Cheffington occasionally met Mr DormerSmith at the club and exchanged a few words with him Captain Cheffington on his penultimate visit to England when his ungrateful country declined to provide for him had quarrelled with all the Castlecombes and had made himself particularly obnoxious to Lucius for Lucius whom his cousin considered a solemn ass held a lucrative place whilst Augustus who knew himself to be a remarkably clever fellow with immense knowledge of the world was relegated to poverty and obscurity But Pauline had not quarrelled with them She would not willingly have quarrelled with any one least of all with her Uncle Castlecombe and his family And as to Mr DormerSmith it chanced that the one point of sympathy between himself and his cousininlaw Lucius was the latters cordial dislike to Gus Nevertheless the dislike did not descend to Guss daughter Lucius was pleased to approve of his young kinswoman none the less perhaps that it was evident her father troubled himself little about her
Mr DormerSmith knew very well that the most effectual way of winning Lord Castlecombes goodwill for his grandniece was to assure his lordship that he would not be called upon to do anything for her He therefore confidentially informed Lucius that the girls grandmother in Oldchester was defraying her expenses and would no doubt eventually provide for her altogether The sagacity of this course was proved soon afterwards when Lucius announced that his father would come and dine with Pauline the next time he should be in town and make Mirandas acquaintance
This was well And even as to Mays Oldchester friends matters turned out better than her aunt could have hoped In the first place the Misses Piper showed no disposition whatever to force themselves on Mrs DormerSmith That being the case there was no objection to Mays going to see them every Sunday with her uncle and the children To Harold and Wilfred these Sunday visits were such a delightful break in the dull routine of their lives that their father would have endured considerable boredom and discomfort rather than deprive them of it But in fact he was not bored Whenever the music became too severe he could withdraw into the tearoom where he always found some one to chat with Possibly he too felt these Sundays to be a break in the monotony of his daily life There was a cordial hearty tone about the hostesses which was decidedly pleasant although he was aware that Pauline would pronounce it sadly underbred But Pauline was not there to be shocked and there were some red drops in Mr DormerSmiths veins he was not quite so blueblooded as his wife which warmed to this plebeian kindness Sometimes even the moisture would come into his eyes when he watched his little boys clinging familiarly about Miss Patty as they never clung about their mother The goodnatured old maid had won the childrens hearts completely They were overheard one day in a lively discussion as to which was the prettier Miss Patty or Cousin May Wilfred inclining on the whole to award the palm of beauty to his cousin but Harold powerfully arguing in favour of Miss Patty that she had such beautiful curls an ingenuous and probably unique tribute to the gingerbread coloured wig and a shiny brooch like a butterfly
Then Constance Hadlow whom Mrs DormerSmith had unwillingly invited to lunch one day with her former schoolfellow proved to be in every respect most presentable as Aunt Pauline herself candidly admitted So presentable was she in fact so handsome selfpossessed and even on the mothers side well connected that there might have arisen objections of a different sort against receiving her as being a dangerous competitor for that solemn duty of marrying well But a chance word of Mays to the effect that young Bransby had long been an admirer of Constance and that they were supposed by many persons in Oldchester to be engaged to each other relieved Aunt Paulines mind on that score
It would be very suitable she said approvingly I think Mr Bransby a very nice person so quiet
The subject of this glowing eulogium had not appeared at Mrs DormerSmiths receptions for some time He had been ordered into the country to cure a violent cold by change of air and although he much disliked leaving town at that moment he never thought of neglecting his physicians advice Theodores mother had been consumptive and the fear that he inherited her constitution made him anxiously careful of his health Immediately on his return to London he presented himself about halfpast five oclock one Thursday afternoon in Mrs DormerSmiths drawingroom and experienced a shock of disagreeable surprise on finding Constance Hadlow seated near May at the teatable May innocently supposing that she was doing him a good turn gave him her place and went to another part of the room But Constance coolly greeted him with a How dye do Theodore in a tone of the politest insipidity which he sincerely approved of Nevertheless he would rather not have found her there On glancing round he was struck by several innovations In the first place the pianoforte—usually a dumb piece of furniture in Mrs DormerSmiths house—stood open with some loose sheets of music lying on it and Signor Vincenzo Valli sat teacup in hand smiling his false smile beside Mrs Griffin Theodore knew perfectly well who Signor Valli was and it needed not Mrs Griffins gracious demeanour to instruct this rising young man that Valli was sufficiently the fashion to be worth being civil to But he was surprised to find him there His surprises however were not at an end for whom should he behold in familiar conversation with a gentleman at the opposite side of the room but Owen Rivers And near them was—he could hardly believe his eyes—Mr Bragg It seemed to Theodore as if there had been a conspiracy amongst his acquaintance to make all sorts of fresh combinations on the social chessboard during his brief absence He felt that it was necessary for him to take an accurate survey of the new positions But he saw no immediate opportunity of doing so for there was no one at hand to interrogate except Constance Hadlow who of course knew nothing She must be spoken to however but he would cut the conversation as short as possible
Thoughts—even the weighty thoughts of a diplomaticallyminded young gentleman—move quickly and there was scarcely any perceptible pause between Constances greeting and his gravely polite remark that it was quite an unexpected pleasure to see her there
Yes I came up a few weeks ago with the Pipers
Oh you are staying with them This with a strong flavour of his superior manner for the Pipers were really nobodies
And what have you been doing with yourself I havent seen you anywhere said Constance coolly
I have been out of town But in any case we might possibly not have met Have you been going out much
Oh as much as most people I suppose I was at the Aaronssohns dance last night
The Aaronssohns exclaimed Theodore This time he was so astonished that he spoke quite naturally I didnt know that you knew them
Oh I dont know them
Then how did you get—I mean——
How did I get there Dear me Theodore your visit to the country has given you a refreshing buttercupanddaisy kind of air Do you suppose that the Aaronssohns ballroom was filled with their personal friends and acquaintances Mrs Griffin got me an invitation
Now to be presented to Mrs Griffin and to be invited to the Aaronssohns were pet objects of Theodore Bransbys social ambition and he had not yet compassed either of them
Oh indeed said he struggling under the disadvantage of conscious illhumour to maintain that air of indifference to all things in heaven and earth which he imagined to be the completest manifestation of high breeding I suppose that was achieved through Mrs DormerSmiths influence
Not altogether It was May Cheffington who first introduced me to Mrs Griffin Shes just the same dear little thing as ever—I dont mean Mrs Griffin But Mrs Griffin found out that she had known my grandfather Rivers I believe they were sweethearts in their pinafores a hundred years ago so she has been awfully nice to me
While Constance was speaking Theodores eye lighted on Mr Bragg solid and solemn wearing that look of melancholy respectability which is associated with the British workman in his Sunday clothes
Oh and Mr Bragg was at the Aaronssohns too said Constance following the young mans glance Fancy Mr Bragg at a ball
Did Mrs Griffin know his grandfather asked Theodore with a sneer
It was clear to Constance that he had quite lost his temper Otherwise he would not she felt sure have said anything in such bad taste But she replied calmly—
I dont think Mr Bragg ever had a grandfather But he is rich enough to do without one It is poor persons like you and me who find grandfathers necessary—or at all events useful
Theodore understood the sarcasm of this quiet speech and it helped him to master his growing irritation There are some natures on which a moral buffet acts as a sedative
Was it your friend Miss Piper who brought Mr Bragg here he asked showing no sign of having felt the blow except a slight increase of pallor
Oh dear no The Pipers have never been here themselves except to leave a card at the door This is not the kind of society they care for you know I saw Mr Bragg come in today with Mays cousin Mr Lucius Cheffington but I cant say whether he first introduced him or not
Is that Mr Lucius Cheffington
That man talking to Owen—Yes
Mrs DormerSmith has rather a mixed collection this afternoon I see Valli over there You know who I mean That short foreign man near——
Oh yes Signor Valli is a great ally of mine Hes delightful I think His airs and graces are so amusing I can tell you how he comes to be here if you like returned Constance placidly She was secretly enjoying Theodores discomfiture He had expected to play the part of town mouse and to patronize and instruct her The fact is she continued that Lady Moppett begged Mr DormerSmith to induce his wife to have her protégée Miss Bertram to sing here on Thursday afternoons promising as a kind of bait to get Valli to come too I dont think Mrs DormerSmith particularly wished to have Miss Bertram but she thought it would be nice to have Valli who is run after by the best people and is very difficult to get hold of So the negotiation succeeded It is too funny how one has to ménager and coax these professional people If you dont want any more information just now I think I will go and speak to Mrs Griffin Whereupon Constance glided away selfpossessed and graceful and with a becoming touch of animation bestowed by the consciousness that she had been mistress of the situation
Theodore looked decidedly blank for the moment No one bestowed any attention on him As he sat watching he was struck by the evidently familiar way in which Owen Rivers and Mr Cheffington were talking together He himself particularly desired to be introduced to Lucius Cheffington but a secret grudging feeling made him unwilling to owe the introduction to Rivers Presently Rivers moved away to join May and Miss Bertram who were turning over some music together and Mr Bragg took his place near Mr Cheffington This was the opportunity which Theodore had wished for He at once rose and walked up to them Theodores manner was never servile but there was an added gravity in his demeanour towards certain persons intended to show that he thought them worth taking seriously and this tribute he rendered to Mr Bragg For although the young man had by no means forgotten Mr Braggs deplorable insensibility to an enlightened view of the currency question yet he prided himself on thoroughly understanding that the great tintack makers claims to consideration rested on a solid basis quite apart from culture or intelligence
I wish said Theodore after the first salutations that you would do me the favour to make me known to Mr Lucius Cheffington I know so many members of his family but I have not the pleasure of his personal acquaintance
Mr Bragg eyed him with his usual heavy deliberation Oh said he slowly this is Mr—I dont call to mind your Christian name—eh Oh yes—Mr Theodore Bransby
Mr Lucius Cheffington made an unusually low bow his pride being of the sort which manifests itself in the most ceremonious politeness
He was a small lean man with a pale face deeply lined by illhealth and a fretful temperament He had closely shaven cheeks and chin heavy grizzled moustaches and very thick grizzled hair which he wore rather long His voice was harsh though subdued and he spoke very slowly making such long pauses as occasionally tempted unwary strangers to finish his sentences for him A double eyeglass with tortoiseshell rims was set astride his nose and behind the glasses two dark nearsighted eyes looked out somewhat superciliously upon a world which fell sadly short of what a Cheffington had a right to expect
I have the pleasure of knowing your cousin Captain Augustus Cheffington very well indeed said Theodore
Lucius bowed again and adjusted his eyeglass A shade of surprise and annoyance passed over his face His Cousin Augustus had been a sore subject with the family for years and latterly such rumours as had reached England about him had not made the subject more agreeable
I have often thought pursued Theodore quite unaware that his listener was regarding him with a mixture of astonishment and disfavour that it is a great pity a man of Captain Cheffingtons abilities and accomplishments should live out of England unless indeed he held some diplomatic appointment abroad In my opinion these are times in which the great old families should hold fast by the public service As I ventured to say to one of our county members the other day—— And so on and so on Having thus happily launched himself Theodore proceeded in his best Parliamentary style holding forth with a power of selfcomplacent and steady boredom beyond his years A sensitive person would have been petrified by the unsympathizing stare from behind those tortoiseshellrimmed glasses but Theodore was not sensitive to such influences being fortified by the à priori conviction that he must naturally make a favourable impression And since Lucius Cheffington could not compatibly with his own dignity plainly tell him that he considered him a presumptuous young ass there was nothing to check his flow of eloquence
But at length the cold stare was softened and the pale peevish furrowed face turned to Theodore with a faint show of interest Some casual word of this intrusive young mans seemed to show that he came from Oldchester
Do you know—a—Mrs—a—Dobbs asked Lucius speaking for the first time and edging in this pointblank question between two of Theodores neatlyturned sentences setting forth a political parallel between the late Lord Tweedledum and the present Right Honourable Tweedledee
It was a shock but Theodore bore it stoically
Not exactly I have spoken with her Mrs Dobbs is not precisely——in our set he answered with a slight smile at one corner of his mouth intended to demolish Mrs Dobbs
I thought that being a native of Oldchester you might—a—be—— begun Mr Cheffington in his low harsh tones
Be acquainted with her Really——
I thought that being a native of Oldchester you might—a—be able to tell me something about her
Not much I fear replied Theodore He felt tempted to add that in Oldchester there were natives and natives
Shes—a—rich isnt she pursued Mr Cheffington
Not that I know of answered Theodore staring a little
Rich is perhaps too much to say At any rate she is—a—quite well——
Well off Oh as to that——
At any rate she is quite welltodo I presume
Theodore had never considered the question but he said Oh yes at a venture and then suddenly a light flashed upon his mind Perhaps Mrs Dobbs was rich after all Though she lived in so humble a style she might perhaps have laid by money
She appears to be a person of—a—great—good sense said Mr Lucius Cheffington remembering how Mrs DormerSmith had stated that she declined to give any moneyassistance to Augustus And after that he made a second very low bow and brought the interview to an end
Little had Theodore Bransby expected to hear Mrs Dobbs discussed and approved by a member of the noble house of Castlecombe He had noticed that Mrs DormerSmith systematically avoided any mention of the vulgar old woman But then Mrs DormerSmith was a person of the very finest taste And to be sure it could scarcely be expected that Mr Lucius Cheffington should feel Augustuss mésalliance as acutely as it was felt by Augustuss own sister Besides if as really seemed possible the ironmongers widow turned out to be a moneyed person—— But it must be recorded of Theodore that not even the idea of her having money reconciled him to Mrs Dobbs He said to himself afterwards when he was meditating on what he had heard that nothing so convincingly proved how much he was in love with Miss Cheffington as his being ready to forgive her even her grandmother
CHAPTER XV
George Frederick Cheffington fifth Viscount Castlecombe was in many ways a very clever old man He was extremely ignorant of most things which can be taught by books But he had a thorough acquaintance with practical agriculture considerable keenness in finance and a quick eye to detect the weaknesses of his fellow men On the other hand his overweening selfesteem led him to think that what he knew comprised what was chiefly if not solely worth knowing and his avarice occasionally overrode his native talent for business In his youth he had been idle and extravagant The former vice gave him the reputation of a dunce at school and college and by a reaction which belonged to his character made him defiantly contemptuous of bookish men with one single exception presently to be noted As to his extravagance that was effectually cured by the death of his father From the moment that he came into possession of the family estates which he did at about thirty years of age his income was administered with sagacious economy and by the time his two sons arrived at manhood Lord Castlecombe was a very rich man
If he had a soft place in his heart it was for his son Lucius who resembled his dead mother in features and also unfortunately in the delicacy of his constitution George his heir was like himself—strong tough and hardy Lord Castlecombe secretly admired Luciuss talents very much and had been highly gratified when his second son took honours at his University That this success had not been followed by any particularly brilliant results later and that Lucius had as it were stuck fast in his career had even decidedly failed in Parliament and had finally been shelved in a Government post which although lucrative was inglorious his lordship attributed to the increase of folly incapacity and roguery which he had observed in the world during the last twenty years or so That a Cheffington of such abilities as Lucius should remain undistinguished was part of the general decadence In politics Lord Castlecombe was a Whig of the old school and though he continued to vote with his party yet the only point on which he was thoroughly in sympathy with the Liberals—a word by the way which he had come greatly to dislike as covering far too wide a field—was that they fought the Tories
The person whom Lord Castlecombe most detested in all the world was his nephew Augustus He disliked his extravagance his poverty and the biting insolence of his tongue This antipathy had latterly added poignancy to the old mans desire that his son should marry and transmit the Castlecombe title and estates in the direct line for Augustus was the next heir after his two cousins It was true that the contingency of Captain Cheffington succeeding seemed remote enough George Cheffington was only his senior by a couple of years and Lucius was his junior But neither of them had married and they were well on in middle life Lucius indeed seemed to have settled down into incorrigible old bachelorhood And although George in answer to his fathers exhortations on the subject always replied that he really would think seriously of looking for a wife on his next visit to England persons suitable for that dignity not being to be found it appeared in the particular portion of the globe where his official duties lay yet the years went by and still there came no daughterinlaw no grandson to inherit the coronet and enjoy the broad acres of Castlecombe The idea that Augustus Cheffington might ever come to enjoy them was gall and wormwood to their present owner But he had never breathed a word on this subject to any human being
Mrs DormerSmith was gratified by her uncles gracious acceptance of an invitation to dine with her soon after his arrival in town about the middle of June Lord Castlecombe did not visit her often but that was from no illwill on his part In fact he was rather fond of Pauline He considered her a bit of a goose But he thought it by no means unbecoming in a woman to be a bit of a goose And she had thoroughbred manners a gentle voice and was still agreeable to look upon The old lord disliked ugly women and maintained that the sight of them disagreed with him like bad wine
This consideration influenced Pauline in the choice of her guests to meet her uncle It was understood there was to be no large party It had been agreed that they should invite Mr Bragg who had bought a good deal of land in Lord Castlecombes county was director of a company of which the noble viscount was chairman and of whom his lordship was known to entertain a favourable opinion as being a man who made no disguise about his humble origin and was free from the offensive pretensions of many nouveaux riches For although Lord Castlecombe willingly admitted that money could buy everything on which most people valued themselves he greatly disliked the notion that it could be supposed to buy the things on which he most valued himself
Well then Frederick said Mrs DormerSmith that makes four men my uncle Lucius Mr Bragg and yourself Then May and I and I thought of having that handsome Miss Hadlow Uncle George likes to see pretty faces We want another woman but really I dont know who there is available at this moment There are so few odd women who aint frights pursued the anxious hostess plaintively If it were a man now——There are plenty of odd men to be had Then struck by a sudden inspiration she said Why shouldnt we have an odd man instead of another woman Uncle George gives me his arm of course You take Miss Hadlow Mr Bragg takes May and Lucius and the odd man go in together Positively I think it would be the best arrangement of all
I suppose Lucius wouldnt mind eh
It certainly would be the best arrangement for me at all events for if there are only those two girls I can simply put my feet up on a sofa when we go into the drawingroom shut my eyes and be quiet for half an hour which of course would be out of the question if there was any woman who required to have civilities paid her and in all probability I shall be in a state of nervous prostration by Friday This season with May has tried me severely
Mr DormerSmith offering no objection there only remained to make choice of the odd man and after a moments reflection Pauline decided on young Bransby
Bransby exclaimed Mr DormerSmith Hes a dreadful prig
I think hes very nice Frederick But really that is not the point Hes engaged or wants to be engaged or something of the sort to Miss Hadlow so of course——
What You dont mean to say that handsome girl would have such an insignificant fellow as Bransby
I mean to say nothing about it The subject has only a faint interest for me Frederick But what is important is that in any case he will help to take her off
Mr DormerSmith stared he understood his wifes phrase but not her allusion Why you dont suppose theres any danger of her setting her cap at Lucius said he
I should have no objection to her doing so
Well theres nobody else
We need not discuss it Frederick Please give your best attention to the wine you know that Uncle George is terribly fastidious about his wine and the worst is that if he is discontented he will not hesitate to say so before everybody
That really did seem to her the worst Most of the evils of life she thought might be more endurable if people would but be discreet and say nothing about them
The evil of Uncle Georges public reprobation of her wine did not however befall her Lord Castlecombe was content with his dinner and looked round him approvingly as he sat on his nieces right hand
A couple of uncommonly pretty girls those said his lordship Theyve got on pretty frocks too I like a good bright colour
Pauline had begged Miss Hadlow beforehand not to wear black or any sombre hue her uncle having a special dislike to such and Constance perfectly willing to please Lord Castlecombe by looking as brilliant as she could had arrayed herself in her favourite maizecolour
You have a very nice gown on too Pauline added his lordship graciously
Mrs DormerSmith privately thought her own toilette detestable It was a gailyflowered brocade a gift from her husband soon after Wilfrids birth which had been hidden from the light for several years But she had selfdenyingly caused Smithson to furbish it up for the present occasion and was gratified that her virtue did not go unrewarded
I knew you liked vivid colours Uncle George said she softly
Of course I do Everybody does that has the use of his eyes Dont believe the humbugs who tell you otherwise Your upholsterer now will show you some wretched washedout rag of a thing, and try to persuade you to cover your chairs with it because its æsthetic Parcel of fools Not that the fellows who sell the things are fools They know very well which side their bread is buttered Then glancing across the table with his keen sunken black eyes he continued That little Miranda—what is it you call her May Well May is a very good name for her—is remarkably fresh and pretty Good frank forehead Not a bit like her father Different type But the other girl is the beauty Uncommonly handsome really
Im glad you think May nice said Mrs DormerSmith Of course I was anxious that you should like her She is poor Augustuss only child—only surviving child You know there were five or six of them but the others all died in babyhood
Lord Castlecombe did know it and remembered it now with grim satisfaction At least Augustus had no male heir to come after him
Ah Gus made a pretty hash of it altogether said the old man
But he did not say it unkindly He would not willingly have been harsh or brutal towards Pauline She really was a very sweet creature and had he thought almost every quality that he could desire in the women of his blood For it must be observed Lord Castlecombe did not know that Pauline admired æsthetic furniture nor that she considered Augustus to have been rather hardly treated by the Castlecombes
Of course replied that gentle lady My poor brothers unfortunate marriage——
Oh Ah Yes But that at all events seems to have turned out better than could have been expected Lucius tells me there is a grandmother who has money and is generous
Not to Augustus Uncle George Mrs Dobbs positively refuses to assist Augustus
Hm grunted Uncle George his opinion of Mrs Dobbss good sense taking a sudden leap upward Well my dear people have to think of their own interests you know Then in a louder tone Frederick send me that white Hermitage Its a very fair wine as times go—a very fair wine indeed
When the ladies had left the table young Bransby felt what he would have called in speaking of any one else a little out of it My lord talked with Mr Bragg Lucius and Frederick were discussing some item of club politics in the midst of which the host would now and again interpolate some parenthetical observations addressed to young Bransby obviously as a matter of duty At length in declining the claret which Mr DormerSmith pushed towards him Theodore took the opportunity to say—
Do you think I might venture to go upstairs I have a message for Mrs DormerSmith about a little commission with which she entrusted me
No more wine really Oh my wife will be charmed to see you replied Frederick with alacrity And thereupon the young man quietly left the room
It was true that he had undertaken a commission for Mrs DormerSmith but he would not have prematurely withdrawn himself from the company of a peer and a millionaire on that account He was moved by a far weightier purpose He had made up his mind to propose to Miss Cheffington and if the Fates favoured him he might do it that very evening For some time past—before May left Oldchester—Theodore had been sure that he wished to marry her There were drawbacks She had no money or at all events he had not reckoned on her having any money and she had connections of a very objectionable kind But he rather dwelt on these things as proving the disinterested nature of his attachment He was so much in love with May that he liked to fancy himself making some sacrifices on her account As to her feelings towards him he was not without misgivings But he watched her in society at every opportunity and had convinced himself that she was at all events fancyfree She did not even flirt but enjoyed herself with childlike openness—or was bored with equal simplicity and sincerity As to her aunt Theodore did not doubt that his suit would be favourably received by Mrs DormerSmith She must long ago have perceived his intentions and he felt that his being invited to that intimate little dinner—almost a family dinner—was strong encouragement
Theodore was fortifying himself with this reflection as he mounted the stairs to the drawingroom His foot fell more and more lingeringly on the soft soundless carpet as he neared the door He was on an errand which can scarcely be undertaken with cool selfpossession even by a young gentleman holding the most favourable view of his own merits and prospects One can never certainly reckon on ones soundest views being shared A servant carrying coffee preceded him and opened the drawingroom door just as he arrived on the landing and Theodore felt positively grateful to the man for as it were covering his entrance and relieving him from the embarrassment of walking in alone He entered close behind the footman and was for a few moments unperceived by the ladies
The room was a little dim all the lamps being shaded with rosecolour Mrs DormerSmith was reclining on a sofa with closed eyes But she was not asleep for beside her in a low loungingchair and talking to her in a subdued voice sat Constance Hadlow May was at the other side of the room leaning with both elbows on a little table which stood in a recess between the fireplace and a window and apparently absorbed in a book Theodore thought she made a charming picture with the soft light falling on her fair young face and white dress and his pulse which had been beating a little quicker than usual all the way upstairs became suddenly still more accelerated
May looked up
Is that you she said Where are the others
It was not a very warm or flattering welcome but Theodore was scarcely conscious of her words He was thinking what a fortunate chance it was which left May isolated so far away from the other ladies as to be out of earshot if one spoke in a suitably low tone At the sound of her nieces voice Mrs DormerSmith languidly turned her head
Oh please dont move Mrs DormerSmith said Theodore speaking in a quick confused way very different from his accustomed manner If I am to disturb you I must go away at once But I—I dont take much wine and he said—Mr DormerSmith said he thought I might—if you dont mind my preceding the other men by a few minutes I will be as quiet as a mouse
He crossed the room and sat down by May in the shadow of a heavy windowcurtain
The hostess murmured a gracious word or two and then closed her eyes again She had been a little vexed by the young mans premature arrival but if he was content to be quiet and whisper to May she need not stand on ceremony with him The fact was she was listening with great interest to Constances account of a feud which had arisen between Lady Burlington and Mrs Griffins daughter the duchess Constance had the details at first hand from Mrs Griffin herself on the one side and from Miss Polly Piper on the other for the feud had arisen about Signor Vincenzo Valli The fashionable singingmaster had thrown over one of the great ladies for the other on the occasion of some soirée musicale and the quarrel had been espoused by various personages of distinction whose sayings and doings with regard to it Mrs DormerSmith considered to be at once important and entertaining She mentally contrasted with a sigh the intelligence tact and correctness of judgment which Constance brought to bear on this matter with the nonchalance—not to say downright levity and indifference—displayed by May It was impossible to get May to interest herself in the bearings of the case In fact she had abandoned the discussion and gone away to her book whereas this provincial girl with not one quarter of Mays advantages understood it perfectly remembered the names of all the people concerned had a very sufficient knowledge of their relative importance and was able to impart to her hostess a variety of minute circumstances narrated in a low quiet tone free from emphasis or emotion which was delightfully soothing
May for her part was by no means pleased to have her reading interrupted but politeness and the sense that she was in her degree responsible for the hospitality of the house impelled her to close her book at once and to turn a goodhumoured countenance towards her companion
Isnt Uncle Frederick coming she asked finding nothing better to say at the moment
Presently Are you in a great hurry to see him returned Theodore
Oh no I was amusing myself very well
Are you angry with me for interrupting you
Oh no answered May again But this second Oh no was not quite so hearty as the first
May I see what you have been reading
She pushed the book towards him
Mansfield Park Whose is it
Good gracious You dont mean to say that you dont know
I dont read novels said Theodore loftily but not severely It was all very well for women to have that weakness
But this is an English classic Mr Rivers says so You really ought to know who wrote Mansfield Park even if you have never read it It is one of Jane Austens works
Ah Do you—do you like it said Theodore scarcely knowing what he said He was playing nervously with a little ivory paperknife which lay on the table and his whole aspect and manner—had not both been to some extent concealed by the shadow of the velvet curtain—would have betrayed to the most indifferent observer that he was agitated and unlike himself He felt that the precious minutes of this chance têteàtête were passing swiftly he longed to profit by them and yet now that the moment had come he feared to stand the hazard of the die and kept deferring it by idle words
Oh yes I like it of course answered May Not so much perhaps as Emma or Pride and Prejudice Mr Rivers advised me to read it
It was the second time she had mentioned Riverss name and this fact stung Theodore unaccountably It acted like a touch of the spur to a lagging horse He burst out still speaking almost in a whisper but with some heat—
Rivers is a happy fellow What would I give if you cared enough about me to follow my advice
You have only to advise me to do something which I like as much as reading Jane Austen replied May archly But his tone had struck her disagreeably She peered at him furtively as he sat in the shadow trying in vain to see his countenance clearly The idea crossed her mind that he might have taken too much wine at dinner But it was so repulsive an idea to her that she felt she ought not to entertain it without better foundation
It is a most fortunate chance for me to have this—this blessed opportunity pursued Theodore He had hesitated for the epithet and was not by any means satisfied with it when he had got it I have long been wanting to speak to you
To me Well that need not have been very difficult answered May edging a little away and trying to obtain a good view of his face
Pardon me It is not easy to have the privilege of a private word with Miss Cheffington When we meet in society you are surrounded as is but too natural And latterly in your own home you have been a good deal engrossed I could not say what I have to say before——
He glanced over at Constance Hadlow as he spoke This was an immense relief to May who had been growing more and more uncomfortable and vaguely apprehensive She thought she understood it all now Conny had been treating him with coolness and neglect She herself had noticed this and now he wanted to enlist the sympathies of Connys friend
Oh I see she exclaimed Its something about Constance that you wish to say to me
About Constance Ah May you are cruel You know too well your power he said endeavouring to give a pathetic intonation to his voice but producing only an odd croaking throaty sound Then May decided in her own mind that he had been taking too much wine and angry and disgusted she tried to rise from her chair and leave him But she was hemmed in by the little table and on her first movement Theodore took hold of the skirt of her dress to detain her May turned round upon him with a pale indignant face and flashing eyes
Dont touch my dress if you please I wish to go away
Miss Cheffington—May—you must hear what I have to say now You must know it without my saying for I have loved you so long and so devotedly But I have a right to be heard
May was thunderstruck But she perceived in a moment that she had in one sense done him injustice—he had not drunk too much wine But this—— This was worse How far easier it would have been to forgive Theodore if he had even got tipsy—just a little tipsy—instead of making such a declaration She supposed she had no right to be disgusted she had heard that properly behaved young ladies always took an offer of marriage to be a great honour But she was disgusted nevertheless and so far from feeling honoured she was conscious of a distressing sense of humiliation She tried however to keep up her dignity and at the same time to say what was right to this—this dreadful young man who had suddenly presented himself in the odious light of wanting to make love to her
Oh please dont say any more Im very much obliged to you I mean Im extremely sorry But I beg you wont say another word and forget all about it as quickly as possible
Forget it Nay that is out of the question I could not if I would
Theodore began to recover his selfcommand as May lost hers She was agitated and trembling Well he would not have had her listen to his words unmoved She was very young and inexperienced And he had it seemed taken her by surprise
Is it possible he continued softly that you were quite unprepared to hear——
Quite unprepared But that makes no difference And you really must allow me to go away Im very sorry indeed but I cant stay here another moment
Am I so repulsive said he with a sentimental beseeching glance But he met an expression in her face which made him add quickly in quite another tone Well well I will prefer your wishes to my own at the same time drawing himself and his chair to one side
She had looked almost capable of leaping over the table to escape May brushed past him and darted away out of the room without another word
Theodore seized hold of the book she had left behind her and bent his head over it He saw not one word on the printed page beneath his eyes but it saved him from appearing as confused as he felt Had he been rejected And if so was it a rejection which he was bound to consider final Or had he received no real answer at all Gradually as his throat grew less dry his head less hot and his brain more clear he arrived at the conclusion that he had virtually had no answer May was little more than a child and he had startled her Then he remembered that word of Mays It is about Constance you wish to speak to me Could she be under any misapprehension as to his position with regard to Constance The idea was fraught with comfort That at least he could set right and without delay He rose and walked across the room at once to Mrs DormerSmiths sofa
At this moment the procession of men headed by Lord Castlecombe arrived from the diningroom Constance glided away leaving her vacant chair for Theodore who immediately occupied it thus cutting off Mrs DormerSmith from the rest of the company That lady looked anxiously across his shoulder
Would you she said to Theodore would you be so very good as to ask my husband to inquire where Miss Cheffington is My uncle would like to talk to her I know and——Oh there she is Thanks Dont trouble yourself
May had returned to the drawingroom but instead of going near her noble granduncle she perversely seated herself in a remote nook beside Mr Bragg with whom she presently began a conversation keeping her face persistently turned away from every one else Her noble granduncle did not seem to care His lordship marched straight up to Miss Hadlow and stood before her coffeecup in hand with his curious air of perfectly knowing how to behave like a fine gentleman whenever he should think it worth while Lucius and Frederick were continuing their club discussion which possessed the advantage—for persons of leisure—of having neither beginning nor end and of being indefinitely elastic Pauline took in the whole room with one comprehensive glance and then leant back against her cushions with a sigh which if not contented was resigned She made no effort to recall May to her duty towards Lord Castlecombe
You must forgive me Mr Bransby she said graciously if I have been selfish in engrossing Miss Hadlow If you dont take care my uncle will do the same Lord Castlecombe admires her very much
Theodore cleared his throat settled his cravat with a rather unsteady hand and looked at her as solemnly as if he were about to commence an oration But all he managed to say was—
There has been a mistake Mrs DormerSmith
A mistake
Yes I have some reason to believe that you are under a wrong impression about me
His hostess faintly raised her eyebrows and answered with a smile I hope not for all my impressions of you are very pleasant
Theodore bowed gravely You are very kind said he It is important to me to set this matter right You perhaps imagine—some one may have told you that I and Miss Hadlow—there has been I believe some idle gossip coupling our names together
Not very unnaturally said Mrs DormerSmith still smiling But she began to wonder what he could be driving at
Well I do think it hard that one cannot be on friendly terms with a person one has known all ones life without being supposed to be engaged to her
Or him put in Pauline quietly
Of course I mean of course that it is particularly unfair to the lady But it puts a man in a false position too I have just been speaking to May——
Then in an instant the true state of the case flashed on Mrs DormerSmith to her unspeakable consternation This then was her model young man whom she had pronounced to be so nice and so quiet and who moreover had always expressed the most proper sentiments on the subject of unequal marriages She felt herself to be of all ladies the most persecuted by fate
Oh she said coldly interrupting him it was scarcely necessary to say anything to Miss Cheffington on the subject
But Theodore was beyond taking heed of any snub or check of that kind One moment he said breathing quickly If you will allow me to finish what I was saying you will see——I am as you must have perceived deeply attached to your niece
No no protested Mrs DormerSmith faintly I never perceived it
Then that must have been because you were looking in a wrong direction You were misled about Constance Hadlow otherwise the nature of my attentions could scarcely have escaped you
And you say that you have been speaking to—to my niece
I have this evening told her how devotedly I love her
Good heavens whispered Mrs DormerSmith letting her head sink back among the sofacushions And what was her reply
Her reply was—well practically it was no reply at all May was agitated and startled and I think she had believed that foolish gossip about my engagement to Miss Hadlow But I trust to you to explain——
Pray Mr Bransby say no more I regret extremely that this should have happened
Oh but I dont know that I have any reason to despair he answered naïvely
This was almost more than Pauline could endure She got up from the sofa and plaintively murmuring Say no more pray say no more I really am not equal to it at present fairly walked away from him
That night when the guests were gone Mrs DormerSmith sent for her husband to her dressingroom and revealed to him what young Bransby had said His indignation at the young mans presumption was equal to her own although not wholly on the same grounds
You will have to talk to him Frederick she said When he went away he said something about requesting an early interview I cannot stand any more of it It upsets me too frightfully Of course you wont quarrel with him Just give him politely to understand that it is out of the question Fortunately May appears to have been as much outrée by this preposterous proposal as I could desire May behaved very nicely tonight altogether I was pleased with her
Hm Oh yes but I thought she might have paid a little more attention to your uncle She never went near him after we came upstairs I think she talked to old Bragg more than to any one else
Frederick said his wife slowly do you know that Lady Hautenville is making a dead set at Mr Bragg for Felicia
Is she
Yes Mrs Griffin told me all about it They are moving heaven and earth to catch him
Really Well bonne chance
It would be mauvaise chance for him poor man Felicia has a frightful temper and incredibly extravagant habits She must be over her eyebrows in debt But I fancy Mr Bragg has better taste
Her meaning tone made her husband look at her with sudden earnestness What do you mean he asked brusquely
Mrs DormerSmith put her hand to her forehead Let me entreat you not to raise your voice she said I have had quite enough to try my nerves this evening I mean that I think Mr Bragg is interested in May It would be a splendid match for her
What cried Frederick disregarding his wifes request and raising his voice considerably Old Bragg
Pauline turned on him impressively Frederick she said speaking with patient mildness as one imparting higher lore to some untutored savage Mr Bragg is barely fiftyfour and his income—entirely within his own control—is over sixty thousand a year
CHAPTER XVI
Theodore did not take his rejection meekly In his interview with Mr DormerSmith he pressed hard to see May again and insinuated that she was under undue influence Moreover he conveyed with stiff civility that he considered himself to have been badly treated by the whole family who had first encouraged his attentions and then rejected them
He really is a fearful young man said May to her aunt on hearing the report of the interview What does he mean by insisting on an answer from my own lips Could he not believe what Uncle Frederick said Besides he has had his answer from me The truth is he is so outrageously conceited that he cant believe any young woman would refuse him of her own free will
The idea of his dreaming for an instant that I encouraged him is too preposterous said Mrs DormerSmith shaking her head languidly I am sadly disappointed I thought him quite a nice person I fancied he had sufficient savoir vivre to understand——However it is one more proof that one can never reckon on halfbred people who dont know the world
It was privately a great relief to May to know that her aunt took her part in this affair Aunt Paulines motives and views were still very mysterious to May on many points She did not even now fully understand the grounds of her aunts virtuous indignation against Theodore Bransby although she was thankful for it Aunt Pauline thought him good enough for Conny said May to herself innocently and Conny is so beautiful and so much admired
It was true that—thanks in the first place to Mrs Griffin—Constance had enjoyed a more brilliant season than she had ever ventured to dream of Fashionable houses of which she had read in the newspapers but which had appeared to her as unattainable as though they were in another planet had opened their doors to her and old connections of her mothers family finding her in the aforesaid houses discovered that she was a charming girl and were delighted to open their doors to her She had accepted several invitations to country houses and would probably not be at home again until late in the autumn
Mrs Griffin watched this young ladys progress with considerable interest She opined that Miss Hadlow was a shining instance of the advantages of race
In spite of having been brought up in the pokiest way in some provincial town as I understand that girl has a thoroughbred selfpossession quite remarkable said Mrs Griffin She never makes a blunder You are never nervous about her She has no trace of that loud bouncing style which I detest and which so many underbredpeople take up nowadays mistakenly imagining it to be the proper thing She doesnt go in for anything And added Mrs Griffin musingly theres a wonderful look of her grandfather poor Charley Rivers about the brow and eyes
The season was rapidly drawing to a close when Mrs Dobbs received two letters one from her granddaughter and the other from Mrs DormerSmith Jo Weatherhead arriving one evening at his usual hour in Jessamine Cottage was told by his old friend that she had had a letter from May and that she meant to read him a portion of it No proposition could have been more welcome to Mr Weatherhead He drew his chair up to the grate—filled now with fresh boughs instead of hot coals but Jo kept his place in the chimneycorner winter and summer—and prepared to listen
Mrs Dobbs read as follows—You must know dear granny that I told Aunt Pauline yesterday that I really must go home at the end of this season She has been very kind and so has Uncle Frederick but granny is granny and home is home
Here Mr Weatherhead slapped his leg with his hand and took his pipe out of his mouth as though about to speak but on Mrs Dobbs holding up her hand for silence he put his pipe back again and slowly drew his forefinger and thumb down the not inconsiderable length of his nose
Mrs Dobbs read on To my amazement Aunt Pauline answered that it was my fathers wish that I should remain with her altogether That is not my wish And it isnt yours—is it granny dear And if we two are agreed I cannot think my father would object I mean to write to him about it I should have done so already but I have not his address and Aunt Pauline cant or wont give it to me Please send it I shall tell my father just what I feel I dont care for what Aunt Pauline calls Society I was happy enough as long as it was only like being at the play with the prospect of going home when it was over and living my real life But to go on with this sort of thing and nothing else year in year out—it would be like being expected to live on wax fruit or those glazed wooden turkeys I remember in a box of toys you gave me long ago Please answer directly directly Theres an invitation for me to go in August to a place in the Highlands where Mrs Griffins daughter has a shootingbox At least I suppose it is Mrs Griffins daughters husband who has the shootingbox Only nobody talks much about the duke and everybody talks a great deal about the duchess Fancy our Miranda among the dukes and duchesses put in Jo Weatherhead softly And he smacked his lips as though the very sound of the words had a relish for him Aunt Pauline wants to go to Carlsbad Uncle Frederick is to join a fishingparty in Norway the children are to be sent to a farmhouse and Mrs Griffin has offered to take care of me in the Highlands But I would far far rather come back to dear Oldchester and be amongst people who know me and care for me and whom I love with all my heart Do write and ask for me back granny darling And mind you give me papas address I am resolved to write to him whatever Aunt Pauline may say He is my father and I have a right to tell him my feelings
Thats all of any consequence said Mrs Dobbs slowly refolding the letter Oh of course she writes at the end Love to Uncle Jo She never forgets that
There was a brief silence Mr Weatherhead who was very tenderhearted blew his nose and wiped his eyes unaffectedly Of course youll have the child down Sarah said he anyway for a time Shes pining thats where it is shes pining for a sight of you
Mrs Dobbs sat choking down her emotion She had cried privately over that letter herself but she was resolved to discuss it now with judicial calmness and it was provoking that Jo endangered her judicial tone of mind by that foolish softhearted way of his which was terribly catching But she loved Jo for it nevertheless and scolded him so as to let him know that she loved him
Its a good thing your feelings are righter and kinder than most folks Jo Weatherhead for youre sadly led by em my friend If youd wait and hear the whole case you might help me with your advice Then Mrs Dobbs pulled another letter from her pocket and handed it to her brotherinlaw This second epistle was from Mrs DormerSmith and ran thus—
Dear Mrs Dobbs
I think it right to let you know how very important it is for May not to miss her visit to Glengowrie There will be among the guests there a gentleman who has been paying her a good deal of attention—a man of princely fortune I have some reason to think that May is disposed to look favourably on this gentleman but he must be allowed time and opportunity to declare himself No better opportunity could possibly be found than at Glengowrie and I may tell you in confidence that the duchess has at my friend Mrs Griffins request invited them both on purpose I trust therefore that in my nieces interests you will induce her not to relinquish this chance As to her writing to her father it is absurd and would only irritate my brother after his giving me carte blanche to do the best I can for her If the visit to Glengowrie turns out as we hope I shall have procured for her a settlement which many a peers daughter will envy My husband and I have such confidence in your good sense that we are sure you will second our efforts as far as you can Of course you will consider this letter strictly private and will not above all mention it to May
I am dear Mrs Dobbs
Yours very truly
P DormerSmith
You see that alters the case Jo said Mrs Dobbs when he had finished reading the letter
Jo nodded thoughtfully and rubbed his nose Of course what you want Sarah is for the child to be happy Thats the main thing said he
Of course I want her to be happy And I want her to have her rights answered Mrs Dobbs setting her lips firmly
Ah Yes to be sure Her rights eh
My soninlaw brought no good to any of us in himself If his name can do any good to his daughter she ought to have the benefit of it—and she shall
Ay ay Her rights eh To be sure Only—only it aint always quite easy to know what a persons rights are is it
I know well enough what Mays rights are answered Mrs Dobbs sharply
Nor yet it aint quite easy to be sure whether theyd enjoy their rights when they got em pursued Jo with a thoughtful air Everybody likes to be happy There can be no manner of doubt about that And somehow the dukes and duchesses dont seem to be enough to make Miranda quite—not quite happy humph
I wonder you should confess so much of your dear aristocracy returned Mrs Dobbs with some heat
Why you see Sarah it may be—I only say it may be—that the way Miranda has been brought up living here in the holidays in such a simple kind of style and all that makes her feel not altogether at home among these tiptop folks
If you mean she isnt good enough for them thats nonsense downright nonsense And I wonder at a man with your brains talking such stuff If you mean theyre not good enough for her thats another pair of shoes As to manners—why do you imagine that that aunt of hers who—though she is a fool is a wellborn fool and a wellbred one—would be taking May about presenting her at Court and introducing her to the grandest society if the child didnt do her credit Not she Im astonished at you Jo I thought you knew the world a little bit better than that
Mrs Dobbs leant back in her chair and fanned her flushed face with her handkerchief Mr Weatherhead having smoked his pipe out put it in its case and then sat silent slowly stroking his nose and casting deprecating glances at his hostess At length the latter resumed in a calmer tone But Mays future is what Ive got to think of Im an old woman I can leave her next to nothing when I die I want her to marry All women ought to marry Nobody in my own walk of life would suit her And what gentleman fit to match with her was ever likely to come and look for her in my parlour in Friars Lane You ought to know all about it Jo Weatherhead Weve gone over the whole ground together often enough
They had done so But Jo Weatherhead understood very well that his old friend was talking now not to convince him but herself Well Sarah he said there seems a good chance for May to marry well according to this good lady Princely fortune she says That sounds grand dont it
Ah And it isnt a few thousands that Mrs DormerSmith would call a princely fortune
Not a few thousands you think eh Sarah Tens of thousands I shouldnt wonder humph And Mr Weatherhead pursed up his mouth and poked forward his nose eagerly
Not a doubt of it
Bless my stars To think of our little Miranda—and her aunt says that May is disposed to look favourably on the gentleman
So she says But I can tell you that May doesnt care a button for him at present
Lord How do you know Sarah
How do I know Thats so like a man No girl in love would give up the chance of meeting her lover as May wants to give it up If shed rather come to Oldchester than go to Scotland it is because—so far at any rate—she doesnt care a button for him
I never thought of that But perhaps Sarah she doesnt know that he is to be invited
Mrs Dobbs seemed struck by this remark Well now thats an idea Jo said she nodding her head It may be so They seem to have had the sense not to talk to her about the matter Mays just the kind of girl to fling up her heels and break away if she suspected any scheming to make a fine match for her But she might come to care for him in time Theres no reason in nature why a rich man shouldnt be nice enough to be fallen in love with And by his taking to May—and she without a penny—Im inclined to think well of the young man
After some further consideration it was agreed that Mrs Dobbs should write and propose a middle term in the interval between her aunts departure for Carlsbad and the date of her invitation to Glengowrie May should come down to Oldchester on condition that she afterwards paid her visit to the Duchess This arrangement would be a joy to Mrs Dobbs would satisfy Mays affectionate longing and could not prejudice the girls future prospects A letter to May was written as well as one to Mrs DormerSmith This letter was very short and may as well be given
Dear Mrs DormerSmith
I have to acknowledge yours of the 5th I agree with you that it would be a pity for my granddaughter not to accept the invitation you speak of Some good may come of it and I do not think that any harm can come If May spends the three or four weeks with me after you start for the Continent I will undertake for her to meet the lady who is to take charge of her to Scotland at any place that may be agreed upon I wrote to May by this post and she will tell you what I propose With regard to her fathers address I have had none for some time past except PostOffice Brussels This much I shall tell her as I think she has a right to know it You need not disturb yourself about her writing to her father as I think from what I know of Captain Cheffington that he is not likely to answer her letter
I am dear Mrs DormerSmith
Yours truly
Sarah Dobbs
The proposal was accepted and within a fortnight after the despatch of this letter May Cheffington was in Oldchester once more
THAT UNFORTUNATE MARRIAGE
BY FRANCES ELEANOR TROLLOPE
AUTHOR OF AUNT MARGARETS TROUBLE A CHARMING FELLOW LIKE SHIPS UPON THE SEA ETC
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL II
LONDON
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON
Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen
1888
All rights reserved
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
THAT UNFORTUNATE MARRIAGE
CHAPTER I
Four months in their passage leave traces more or less perceptible on us all On the first evening of Mays arrival her grandmother drew her to the window where the rosy light of a fine summer evening shone full on her face and scrutinized her long and lovingly Then she kissed her granddaughters cheek and tapping her lightly on the forehead said This is not the big baby I parted from Youre a woman now my lass God bless thee May stoutly declared that she was not changed at all that she had returned from all the pomps and vanities just the same May as ever But on her side she found changes
On her first view of it in the glow of a rosy sunset Jessamine Cottage had been looking its best The little parlour was fragrant with flowers and Mays tiny bedroom was a pleasant nest of white dimity smelling of lavender and dried roseleaves She thought the house delightful But a very brief acquaintance showed it to be badly built and inconvenient—one of those paltry bandboxes of which Mrs Dobbs had been wont to speak with contempt Moreover there was an indefinable air of greater poverty than she remembered in Friars Row and—last and worst of all—she thought granny herself looking ill When she hinted this privately to Uncle Jo he scouted the idea Ill No no Sarah was never ill There was nothing amiss with Sarah But the suggestion made him look at his old friend with new observation and he was forced to acknowledge to himself that she was not quite so active as formerly But he still would not admit the idea of illness Shell be all right now shes got you back again Miranda said Mr Weatherhead incautiously Its the sperrit you see—the sperrit has been preying on the body Theres where it is
The idea that granny had been fretting at her absence strengthened May in her resolution not to return to London If it were absolutely insisted upon she must she supposed keep the compact and pay her visit to Glengowrie But after that she would resume her place by her grandmothers side—the place to which duty and affection equally bound her She wrote to her father announcing this intention And she suggested that the money spent on her expenses in London would be far better employed in paying granny handsomely for her board I do not think she is so well off as she used to be wrote May in simple good faith And I am sure my dear father you will feel with me that we are bound to do anything in the world we can to help her after all her goodness to me
The subject which mainly occupied Mrs Dobbss waking thoughts after Mays arrival was the unknown gentleman of princely fortune who might turn out to be Mays fate But try as she would she could find no clue to Mays feeling about this individual nor could she discover who he might be Once she tried a joking question of a general kind about sweethearts and admirers but Mays response was as far as possible from the tone of a lovelorn maiden
Oh for goodness sake granny dont talk of such things It makes me sick was her very unexpected exclamation And then with a little judicious crossquestioning the story of Theodore Bransbys wooing came out
Well well well child you neednt be so fierce Poor young man I cant help feeling sorry for his disappointment said Mrs Dobbs
Dont waste your sorrow on him granny he ought to have known better
Well as to that May—— began her grandmother with a slow smile spreading over her face
Now granny dear only listen At any rate he might have known better when he was told mightnt he But he would not take no for an answer and when Uncle Frederick spoke to him the next day he was quite rude and declared—it makes me so hot when I think of it—declared he had been encouraged The idea of his daring to say such a thing And you know all the time I quite thought he was as good as engaged to Conny Hadlow Everybody said so in Oldchester
Everybody is a person who makes a good many mistakes about his neighbours affairs May Mrs Simpson says that young Bransby is not coming down here this summer
So much the better However in any case he would not honour you with one of his condescending visits now Do you remember that evening when he called in Friars Row How little we thought——
May chatted with as much apparent candour and frankness as ever But in all her descriptions of the people whom she met in London there was not one who seemed to fit Mrs DormerSmiths unknown
Maybe her saying no word is a sign she likes him reflected Mrs Dobbs girls will keep a secret of that kind very close They are shy of it even in their own thoughts If I saw him and her together I could make a shrewd guess as to how things are
But there was no chance of her seeing them together and the gentleman of princely fortune remained wrapped in mystery
Meanwhile May went to see her old friends and was pronounced by most of them to be quite unspoiled by her London season But one critical spirit at least there was in Oldchester who did not look on Miss Cheffington with unmixed approbation Mr Sebastian Bach Simpson declared that she gave herself airs
One of the first visits which May paid was to the old house in College Quad The Canon received her with his former paternal benevolence but at first a slight indefinable chill was perceptible in Mrs Hadlows usually cordial manner A little maternal jealousy on the subject of Theodore Bransby rankled in her mind It was true that Constance did not seem to care for him would not probably have accepted him had he asked her But under all the circumstances Mrs Hadlow was strongly of opinion that he ought to have asked her And then a rumour reached Oldchester of Theodores attentions to Miss Cheffington But there was no resisting Mays warm and singleminded praises of her friend It seemed that Connys prospects had grown unexpectedly brilliant Mr Owen Rivers who had recently reappeared in Oldchester after his own erratic fashion walking in one morning unexpectedly to his aunts quaint old sittingroom pronounced his cousin to have made a great social success You know my opinion of the worth of that game Aunt Jane said he But such as it is Conny has won it Old Lord Castlecombe is in love with her And—which is far more important—so is Mrs Griffin You and I always knew she was handsome But there are certain people to whom the evidence of their senses is as nothing compared with the evidence of peers and griffins and suchlike heraldic creatures
My Aunt Pauline is in love with Conny too declared May I ought to be jealous for Aunt Pauline is always quoting Constance Hadlow to me as an example of everything that is delightful in a girl But I knew it before I didnt wait for the heraldic creatures did I Mrs Hadlow
And so the old affectionate familiar intercourse was resumed and May was welcomed in the old way The Canon missed his daughter and had not consented easily to her prolonged absence He liked to see young faces around him and Mays face was particularly pleasant to him At first May had refused to leave her grandmother But Mrs Dobbs urged her to spend some hours every day with the Hadlows I have my own occupations in the daytime she said and when you come home of an evening and tell me all your sayings and doings I can enjoy it comfortably I dont want you hanging about this poky little place all day my lass
The girl was the more easily persuaded to do as her grandmother wished in this matter from her own secret resolve to fix herself in Oldchester She did not grudge the hours given to her friends There would be plenty more time to be spent with granny So she thought reckoning on the morrow with the assurance of youth Day after day she sat during the hot afternoon hours under the black shadow of the old yew tree in the Canons garden sometimes volunteering to do some task of needlework for Mrs Hadlow sometimes winding wool for the Canons grey socks sometimes making up posies for the adornment of the sittingroom And there was Fox the terrier dividing his attentions between her and his mistress the peaceful Wend flowing by on the other side of the hedge the garden blooming the birds twittering the distant schoolboys shouting the sweet cathedral bells chiming—everything as it had been last summer
And yet not quite as it had been There was some subtle difference between these afternoons and the afternoons of last summer
It was not merely that Constance was missed nor that Theodore Bransby no longer made one of the group beneath the yew tree Of these changes one was scarcely to be regretted—for Conny was enjoying herself extremely and only desired to prolong her leave of absence—and the other was undoubtedly satisfactory But this could not surely suffice to make it a deep delight to sit silent and wind balls of gray worsted for half an hour at a stretch Was it the negative joy of Theodores absence which caused May to look forward with her first waking thoughts to those hours in the garden and to live them over again in her mind when she lay down to rest at night It seemed as if the London season far from spoiling her for simple things had marvellously enhanced the quiet pleasures of her home life and given them a new intensity
They were very quiet pleasures truly Mary Rayne and the Burton girls seldom appeared in College Quad now that Constance was away Mrs Hadlow had no lawntennis court as has already been set forth and persons who gave up their gardenground to the frivolous purpose of growing flowers could not expect their younger friends to spare them many minutes out of a summers day Visitors of the sterner sex were chiefly represented by Major Mitton and Dr Hatch with a liberal sprinkling of the elder cathedral clergy
The eldest Miss Burton said to May once I cant imagine how you stand the dull life down here after your aunts house in town But I suppose you are simply resting on your oars We hear you are to go to Glengowrie in the autumn How delicious The Duchess is sure to have her house filled with nice people
May emphatically denied that she was dull in Oldchester Dull She had never she thought been so happy in her life I wonder said she to Mrs Hadlow that same afternoon whether Violet Burton feels Oldchester to be dull And if not why should she assume that I do
Violet has a serious object in life you know She is the best tennis player in the county One cannot be dull with an absorbing pursuit of that sort answered Mrs Hadlow who with all her genial benevolence had an occasional turn of the tongue which proved her kinship with her nephew Owen
The fact is observed the latter who was lying under the yew tree with a pipe in his mouth and an uncut magazine in his hand that each of us carries his own supply of dulness about with him independently of external circumstances Not but what there are conceivable cases where external circumstances would have a tremendous dulnessproducing power such as being banished to a desolate shore beyond the reach of baccy or having to read the Parliamentary debates right through every day
Or being obliged to attend a musical afternoon at Miss Pipers London lodging three times a week put in May laughing You dont know what a hopeless heretic he is Mrs Hadlow Even amiable Mr Sweeting gave him up in despair And Lady Moppett thinks he ought to be excommunicated
Well I suppose he need not have gone to Miss Pipers unless he had chosen to do so said Aunt Jane Owen is rather fond of being pitied for having his own way He ate his cake in the shape of enjoying Miss Pipers music and had it in the shape of declaring himself a victim
Enjoying—— Good heavens exclaimed Owen waving his pipe in protest
Why did you go then
To this simple query Owen made no other response than muttering with his pipe between his teeth again that there were compensations
Owen said his aunt abruptly after a long silence you are a most unsatisfactory spectacle to behold
Thats disappointing Aunt Jane I flattered myself that I was a thing of beauty and a joy for ever
I shouldnt care about your not being ornamental if only you were useful But it is dreadful to see you wasting your life
I assure you I am employing my life in a very agreeable manner just now answered Owen resting on his elbow and glancing up from under the shadow of his straw hat
Agreeable That is not the point
Its my point
Ah Well we wont begin a wrangle Owen but——
My dear Aunt Jane Do I ever wrangle with you
You do worse Im afraid you are incorrigible But every one else sees that I am right Ask May what she thinks
May started and coloured violently but she kept her eyes on the needlework in her hand and said nothing
No I shall not ask Miss Cheffington She is a partisan and would be sure to side with you
Not at all May has her own opinions havent you May
One cant help having opinions returned May shyly
Good gracious Miss Cheffington what an extraordinarily wild assertion Cant help having opinions—— One might suppose you had been nurtured among sages and had never heard of Mr Thomas Carlyles celebrated majority
I have been nurtured by Granny rejoined May lifting her eyes for the first time with a bright brief glance
Ay exclaimed Mrs Hadlow Id advise you to ask Mrs Dobbs what she thinks of a young man with your education and talents—oh you need not disclaim having brains it only makes your case so much the worse—sitting lazily in his form and letting all sorts of dunderheaded tortoises win the race
Bravo Aunt Jane I like dunderheaded tortoises Mobled Queen is good
You wouldnt enjoy hearing Mrs Dobbss opinion I can tell you I know very well what she would say pursued Mrs Hadlow more than half angry
I should like to ask her myself said Owen rising to his feet Do you think I might Miss Cheffington
Of course If you have courage answered May looking up with a smile
Im quite in earnest I have long wished to know Mrs Dobbs Do you think she would consider it a liberty if I were to call
May cast her eyes down again and became very busy with her needlework No she answered I dont think Granny would consider it a liberty she knows about you I mean she knows you are Mrs Hadlows nephew
Mrs Hadlow gave no more thought to this conversation and May although she gave many thoughts to it told herself that Mr Rivers had only been jesting and that nothing was more unlikely than that he should fulfil his words She told herself so with all the more insistence because at the bottom of her heart she longed that he and Granny should know each other
Nevertheless on the very next afternoon when May was absent Owen Rivers did call at Jessamine Cottage
He was at once received with cordiality for his aunts sake but he soon earned a welcome for his own Jo Weatherhead took to him amazingly Thats what I call a gentleman said he a real gentleman—sterling metal and not Brummagem electroplating What a difference from that young Bransby A stuckup impudent—but Lord what could one expect from an old Rabbitts grandson Theres where it is
Mr Rivers is a good Radical Jo Mrs Dobbs answered slyly Whereupon Jo nodded his head with undiminished complacency and declared that if it wasnt for such Radicals as them Radicalism might soon shut up shop altogether concluding with his favourite apophthegm that many good things came down from above but very few mounted up from below
CHAPTER II
Owen Rivers was greatly attracted by Mrs Dobbs He admired her uprightness of character and downrightness of speech her shrewd common sense combined with unpretending simplicity her indomitable strength of purpose tempered by broad good nature At the very beginning of their acquaintance he told her that he had been recommended by his aunt Jane to take her Mrs Dobbss opinion as to his mode of life And when Mrs Dobbs tried to put him off by declaring that Mrs Hadlow must have been joking he answered that he at any rate was not joking and begged her to speak candidly
If I speak at all I shall speak candidly you may depend said Mrs Dobbs
And in truth Owen soon found that he had no cause to complain of her lack of plain speaking Mrs Dobbs was wholly and heartily on the side of Aunt Jane and held many a stout argument with the young man
But pray how is one to manage asked Owen My aunt says Go into a profession Easier said than done Besides although I might not object to be Lord Chancellor—or even perhaps Admiral of the Fleet—I have no relish for the intermediate stages which makes a difficulty
Thats all stuff and nonsense said Mrs Dobbs bluntly Its a shame to see a gentleman with your booklearning and good gifts wasting the advantages God has given him
Wasting my advantages Thats Aunt Janes pet phrase But those are mere words you know
Words are words for certain And nuts are nuts Only some of em hold sound kernels whilst others have got nothing inside but dust
Well come now let us get at the kernel said Owen half earnest half amused What would you have me do Mrs Dobbs
Do Any honest work thats of use to your fellow creatures
Such as stonebreaking for instance
Better than nothing
And my advantages would not then be wasted I presume
You might be getting a quarter per cent for em—or maybe less—instead of doubling your capital But that would be better than keeping all youve got in a stocking like some ignorant old woman and pulling out a shilling at a time whenever you happen to want it
Many such passages of arms did they have and Owen told himself that Mrs Dobbs was a very interesting study Meanwhile from the superior vantage ground of her seniority she had been making one or two studies of him and the result of them induced her to give him a hint as to Mays prospects I shall let him know how the land lies said she to herself Very likely hes in no danger So much the better But Ill act fair by the young man Hes one of them quietlooking sort that feels very deeply though for all his humblemindedness hes a deal too proud to show it
Accordingly Mrs Dobbs took her opportunity one afternoon when Owen strolled in somewhat earlier than usual He and his hostess were têteátête for May had gone to lunch with Mrs Martin Bransby and to enjoy a romp afterwards with the children who adored her
Do you know this Duchess my granddaughter is going to visit Mr Rivers began Mrs Dobbs abruptly
To the best of my belief I never saw her in my life My acquaintance among duchesses is not extensive
Nor yet her mother—Mrs Griffin
Mrs Griffin I have seen and I make her a bow when we meet Thats about all
They are very kind to May
Small blame to them And yet I dont know it is to their credit when one comes to think of it
May talks of wishing to give up her visit
She is unwilling to leave you I believe
Yes bless her But I mustnt give in to that Then with a little air of hesitation very unusual with her Mrs Dobbs proceeded I want you and Mrs Hadlow and all her friends not to encourage her in that idea The fact is it is very important that May should not miss going to Glengowrie this autumn More important than she knows
Owen Rivers leant forward with a sudden attentive contraction of the brows What is it he asked brusquely Then remembering himself he added I beg your pardon I didnt mean to put a conversational pistol to your head nor to demand any secrets from you
I dont know that there are any secrets Mr Rivers But you understand there are certain—certain opportunities which I am bound to give May if I can Im not one for forcing buckets of water down any horses throat but unless you take him to the water he cant drink if he would The truth is that I am anxious about my grandchilds future When I am gone she will be left very desolate poor lamb She paused suddenly and pressed her lips together Then after a minutes silence she went on more firmly God knows I never wished my poor daughter to marry above her station her marriage was a sore stroke to me But now whatever you and me may think about distinctions of rank its certain that May has a right to a ladys place in the world through her fathers birth and family I sacrificed a good deal in parting from her at all—sacrificed my feelings I mean—and I dont want it all to be wasted I want the child to get some good out of it do you see Mr Rivers
I see
And dont you think Im right
Yes the horse ought to have his choice in that matter of drinking
Im glad you agree with me My dear old friend Jo Weatherhead is half inclined to think me wrong He says I ought to consider the childs happiness first and foremost and that if being with fine folks dont make her happy I ought to let her give them up But May is very young still—barely eighteen she hasnt had time to judge I wouldnt have her think later on that this or that good thing might have befallen her if she had had her chance and seen more of the world Its bitter to look back on opportunities lost or wasted and that added Mrs Dobbs changing her tone and shaking hands with the young man who had risen to go away is why I take the liberty of scolding you now and then But I hope an old granny like me may speak her mind without offence Thats one of our privileges
It seemed clear that Owen Rivers at all events was not offended His visits to Jessamine Cottage grew longer and more frequent It became an established custom for him to drop in at teatime Very often when May had been spending the afternoon at the Canons house he would escort her home through the fields That was a longer way than by the streets but so much pleasanter that their preference for it was surely very natural
Oh those rambles by the Wend with the pearly evening sky above them the dewy flowerspeckled grass under foot and in their ears the sound of the sweet chimes which seemed but to accompany some still sweeter melody felt not heard May gave herself no account of the charm which encompassed her She looked not before and after but was happy as youth alone can be happy in the intense sweetness of the present Later life has happiness of its own; but not that It may be more or less but it is different Those young delights can no more return than a rose can furl itself again into a rosebud And as to Owen if his daydream was sometimes pierced by a sharp ray of common sense from the workaday world he turned his eyes away and plunged still deeper into the rainbowtinted cloudland of young love
It could not hurt her he argued It could hurt no one but himself and he was prepared to suffer She was sweet and kind but she had not—she could not have—any special feeling of tenderness for him If indeed that could be possible—— But what was there in him to attract so lovely and lovable a creature as May Cheffington A stronglymarked trait in Owens character was what Mrs Hadlow being hotly provoked by some manifestation of it had once designated as pigheaded modesty It was obstinate enough truly at times and it had a warp of inflexible pride in the woof of it But it was genuine modesty for all that Still he would not so resolutely have shut his eyes to the possibility that this matter of falling in love might be mutual but for Mrs Dobbss wellmeant words of warning May was going away in a week or two—away out of his reach perhaps for ever Since she was in no danger he need surely have no scruple in enjoying these few happy moments in her company They would probably be the last No one suspected his feeling and he could keep his own counsel
He honestly believed that no one suspected him His Aunt Jane whose observation might have been the most to be dreaded was in truth blind to what was going on under her eyes In the first place it was nothing new or unusual for Owen to spend his afternoons under the yew tree in her garden nor for May Cheffington to be there also And it did not occur it scarcely could have occurred to Connys mother that Conny was being a second time supplanted by this girl so much her inferior in beauty And then too it must be acknowledged that neither May nor Owen thought it necessary to trouble Mrs Hadlow with any detailed report of the number of visits which her nephew paid to Jessamine Cottage nor with a chronicle of their many evening strolls beside the Wend Such strange tricks does love play with all making the simple cunning and the straightforward wily almost in spite of themselves While as for Mrs Dobbs her usual keenness with regard to her granddaughter was baffled by a vision of the gentleman of princely fortune on whom May had been said to look favourably and there were but few opportunities for other eyes to note the behaviour of Owen and May towards each other
The custom of the Saturday evening whistparties at which Mr and Mrs Simpson and Mr Weatherhead were the only guests had been unavoidably broken through at the time of Mrs Dobbss removal from Friars Row and although efforts had been made to renew it it had somehow languished like a plant whose roots have been disturbed Sometimes two or three weeks would elapse without the Simpsons appearing at Jessamine Cottage on the accustomed Saturday evening The amiable Amelia tried to compensate for these gaps in their social intercourse by running in at odd moments to see Mrs Dobbs She would frequently call on her way home from Mrs Bransbys or some other house where she gave lessons and chat in her discursive style smilingly unconscious for the most part whether Mrs Dobbs vouchsafed her any attention or not but always too sweettempered to resent it if she chanced to discover that Mrs Dobbs had not heard three sentences of all she had been saying On one topic she was at any rate sure of being listened to the words our dear Miranda were certain to arouse Mrs Dobbs from her deepest fit of musing and fits of musing had become more and more frequent with her of late
It was not clear whether Mrs Simpson had taken to call May Miranda by way of ceremoniously acknowledging her place in the world as a young lady who had been presented at Court or whether she considered three syllables to be intrinsically more genteel than one or whether she had simply caught the word from the fashionable journals which had chronicled the appearance of Miss Miranda Cheffington at various festivities of the season Mrs Simpsons reasons for doing or leaving undone were usually of a tangled kind and an endeavour to extricate one of them often resulted in pulling up a number of others by the roots At all events Mrs Simpson had taken to speak of May as our dear Miranda and the words infallibly insured her an attentive hearing from Mrs Dobbs for whatever might follow them If Mr Weatherhead chanced to be present at any of Amelias erratic visits he listened willingly to all the gossip she might pour forth It was always goodnatured gossip Sebastian might bear a grudge here and there and might impute shabby motives to the conduct of his fellowcreatures but Amelia never There seemed to be an excess of saccharine matter in her disposition which flavoured every word she said This species of excess being somewhat uncommon many persons pronounced poor Mrs Simpson to be an arrant humbug But had she been consciously a humbug she would assuredly have distributed her sweet speeches with more discretion for nothing is less popular than uncritical eulogy—of other people
There was an unusual air of excitement about her when she appeared one afternoon in Jessamine Cottage She found its mistress knitting in her accustomed armchair with Jo Weatherhead seated opposite to her reading aloud paragraphs from a local newspaper
My dear Mrs Dobbs cried Amelia bursting in breathlessly how do you do And Mr Weatherhead Now this is quite against rules—or at least against custom for I am sure you would never make such a rule You are far too hospitable But as I was passing—so nice to be neighbours instead of Friars Row though I shall ever look on Friars Row with affection for the sake of old times What is it the poet says about portions and parcels of the dreadful past Only there was nothing dreadful in our little suppers and Marthas stewed tripe beyond praise
I hope you are going to eat some of our little supper tonight said Mrs Dobbs composedly Its Saturday you know
How odd you should say that It is exactly the remark I made to Bassy this morning Oh yes certainly And as I was saying just now its quite hors ligne as the French express it to inflict myself on you twice in one day
You know you are very welcome
Youre always so kind dear Mrs Dobbs I have been busy teaching all the morning This very moment I have come from Miss Pipers and——
You are not giving her lessons are you asked Mrs Dobbs looking up with a smile
Oh dear no Not Im sure that she would not be an excellent pupil indeed both of them in their different styles One the accomplished musician and the other so domesticated No doubt you will hear of it from our dear Miranda for of course she will be invited But I thought I would mention it
Mention what—eh asked Jo Weatherhead with impatient curiosity
The party They are going to give a musical party Though really I might omit the adjective for who could imagine the Miss Pipers giving a party that wasnt musical To be sure some persons find it rather trying Bassy for instance cannot altogether approve the new school But then he was brought up in the strictest classical principles and he is so very clever himself that of course——
Some native gift of incoherency which distinguished Mrs Simpsons mind enabled her to reconcile the most conflicting claims on her admiration
Ho ho a party eh A musical party said Mr Weatherhead
Yes but of course there is nothing remarkable in that replied Mrs Simpson very unexpectedly
Nothing at all remarkable I should think assented Mrs Dobbs
Ah But the point is—oh pussy Poor old pussy did I hurt her Dear dear dear
In the act of throwing herself forward from her place on the sofa in order to touch Mrs Dobbss arm and thus emphasize her communication Amelia had accidentally set her foot on the tail of the old tabby cat who at once protested in the frankest manner
Im so sorry I am so very nearsighted Poor old pussums Come and let us make it up—wont you like a dear
Poor old pussums however declined these advances and took up her position on the other side of her mistresss ample skirts whence for some time she glared distrustfully at every fresh manifestation of Mrs Simpsons playful vivacity
Well for goodness sake tell us the point if there is one cried Mr Weatherhead who had been irritably rubbing his nose during this episode
Ah Naughty impatience That is so like a gentleman Gentlemen are dreadfully impatient in general dont you agree with me Mrs Dobbs However it really will be quite a musical treat Mr Cleveland Turner is one of the most rising musicians of the day I believe nobody can understand his compositions without severe preliminary training Mr Sweeting too is most amiable he has taken a country house in the neighbourhood And Miss Piper has invited a young lady down to stay with her who sings divinely—quite divinely Miss Piper says and indeed I have no doubt she does for I saw her name mentioned in the Morning Post at a very aristocratic soirée And Bassy and I are to be invited
Are you now Well Im glad of it said Mrs Dobbs heartily She knew this was a distinction which would give her friends pleasure
Yes Bassy is to accompany the young ladys songs on the piano Mr Cleveland Turner will not accompany—or at least not anything of a tuneful sort He doesnt like it Well you know theres no accounting for tastes is there Most people think strawberries delicious But I have known a person who couldnt touch them—invariably produced a rash
With which lucid illustration Mrs Simpson rose and declared she must positively be going After an effusive leavetaking—in the course of which the old tabby leaped on to the back of Mrs Dobbss chair where she sat arching her spine and growling—the good lady set forth on her way down the little gardenpath in front of the house But scarcely had she reached the gate when she turned and tripped back again with a girlish step which neither increase of years nor flesh had much sobered I never delivered my message she said and really it is an extraordinary instance of my absence of mind for that was the chief reason why I came at all at this hour I was at Mrs Bransbys about four oclock and left our dear Miranda there
Here she paused so long that Mrs Dobbs replied Yes I knew May was going to call there
Now I dare say you will scarcely credit it said Amelia with her head on one side her spectacles glistening and an arch smile illumining her countenance but for the moment I had totally forgotten again what I was going to say
Lord bless the woman muttered Jo Weatherhead in a tone not perhaps quite so inaudible as politeness required
But I have it now This is the message our dear Miranda begged me to tell you that she will remain at Mrs Bransbys for afternoon tea and come home in the cool of the evening Mrs Bransby—indeed all the family—are most kind to her Of course I dont mean to say that after the brilliant scenes of London society it can be any particular treat to her although anything more truly elegant than Mrs Bransbys new cream broché I never beheld in my life However they pressed our dear Miranda to stay And she remarked to me that Granny would not be left alone for she knew Mr Weatherhead was coming And now—looking at her watch—I must fly or I shall be too late for tea and then what would Bassy say She tripped once more down the garden path stopped at the gate to wave her hand and at length finally departed
CHAPTER III
Meanwhile May was playing with Mrs Martin Bransbys children in the delightful old walled garden and Mrs Martin Bransby herself was looking on from the shade of a trellised arbour These two had become very good friends Whether Mrs Bransby was or was not aware of her stepsons rejected suit May had no means of knowing but she felt instinctively that Mrs Bransby was not likely to be supersensitive on her stepsons behalf nor to bear her a grudge for having refused him Theodores absence was not lamented in his own home His young halfbrothers and sisters openly rejoiced at it and even his father felt that life went on more pleasantly without him
Mays popularity with the children was a sure passport to their mothers heart while on her side Mrs Bransby had developed a most endearing trait of character she liked Owen Rivers and was always happy to welcome him to her house Although Owen admired her beauty and elegance extremely there was no alloy of coquetry in the preference she showed for his company Indeed Owen told his Aunt Jane that Mrs Bransbys delight in adorning her graceful person came nearer to being a pure case of lArt pour lArt than any he had ever witnessed Nevertheless the most transcendental of artists enjoys appreciation So it chanced that on this special afternoon Mr Rivers being announced just when she was urging May to remain and drink tea with her Mrs Bransby at once suggested that perhaps Mr Rivers would stay too and be kind enough to see Miss Cheffington home Mr Rivers handsomely acceded to the proposal and these three persons passed a very agreeable afternoon together
The romping happy children with that disregard for any plurality of worlds theory which belongs to their age accepted the whole arrangement as being ordained for their sole and peculiar enjoyment Under this impression they declined to allow Owen to remain lounging beside their mother in the shade but imperiously required him not to be lazy but to come and play He withstood the clamour of the boys for some time but when threeyearold Enid toddled up to him and gravely seized one of his hands with both hers evidently under the conviction that she was quite able to drag him off with her by main force it was impossible to resist any longer A very noisy game—known to the younger Bransbys under the alliterative appellation of Tiggy Tiggy touchwood and which involved a great deal of confused rushing about and shrill vociferation—was proceeding in the liveliest manner when forth from the long window of the drawingroom stepped a figure at sight of whom Martin the eldest boy stopped short in a headlong course and Bobby and Billy were so surprised that they checked a wild halloo in their very throats
It was Theodore He was dressed in travelling garb Theodore had appropriate costumes for every department of life and adhered to them as punctiliously as a Chinese and was advancing with his usual erect gravity towards his stepmother when catching sight of May and Owen he stopped surprised in his turn
Dear me Theodore is that you said Mrs Bransby rising and coming forward When did you arrive We did not expect you You did not write did you
No I took a sudden resolution to run down for a week I wished to consult my father about a little matter of business and I wanted change of air besides
In answer to Mrs Bransbys nervous inquiries whether the servants had attended to him and whether she should order his room to be prepared he replied—
Thanks I have given the necessary orders My valise has been carried upstairs I will go and wash my hands and then I shall ask you for a cup of tea if you please glancing at the table already spread beneath the trees Then he marched up to May who was standing on the lawn with a look of little less dismay than the children ingenuously exhibited He raised his hat with one hand and shook her reluctant hand with the other saying in his deliberate accents—
This is truly an unexpected favour of Fortune I knew you were in Oldchester but I scarcely hoped to find you here How do you do Rivers This in an indefinable tone of condescension Then again addressing himself to May he said You have not had any communication from town this morning
No
Nor from Combe Park
Oh no
Ah I imagined not May I beg the favour of a word with you presently I am only going to get rid of some of the dust of travel You will still be here when I return
May was tempted to declare that she positively must go home immediately But before she could speak Mrs Bransby answered for her Oh of course Miss Cheffington will be here still I do not mean to let her run away just yet
Then with another formal bow Theodore returned to the house and disappeared through the drawingroom window
There was an awkward silence broken by Martins exclaiming in a solemn tone Hes just like the vampire
The laugh which followed came as a relief to the embarrassment of the elders
Martin exclaimed his mother reprovingly
Well mother he is persisted Martin who was unspeakably disgusted at the sudden quenching of the festivities What does he come stalking and prowling like that for Hes exactly like the vampire
May and Owen avoided each others eye feeling a guilty consciousness that Martin had in a great measure expressed their own sentiments Certainly the whole party appeared to have been suddenly iced The three younger children were dismissed to the nursery and Martin and his sister Ethel voluntarily withdrew feeling that all the fun was over A large slice of cake apiece was looked upon as very inadequate amends and accepted under protest
I should think he might have stayed in London when he was there grumbled Martin as he walked away viciously digging his heels into the turf at every step by way of a vent to his injured feelings Nobody wants stalking prowling vampires here Why couldnt he stop in London
As though stalking prowling vampires were generally admitted to be popular members of society in the metropolis
Mr Rivers and the two ladies beguiled the time until Theodore should return by drinking tea and discussing Miss Pipers forthcoming musical party Curiously enough no one said a word about young Bransby They all seemed to avoid the topic by a tacit understanding But though out of sight he was not out of mind—at any rate he was not out of Mays mind She was secretly wondering what he could have to say to her Could he possibly intend to renew his offer of marriage The idea seemed a wild one nevertheless it darted through her mind One could never tell she thought what his obstinate selfconceit might lead him to do However May resolved come what might to cling tightly to Mrs Bransbys sheltering presence so long as she remained in that house and in going home she would have the protection of Mr Riverss escort Even Theodore Bransby could scarcely propose to her before these witnesses
At length Theodore reappeared brushed and trim in speckless raiment He took his place at the teatable and after the exchange of a few commonplace remarks silence stole over the company Theodore seemed to be waiting for something and from time to time he looked at Owen as though expecting him to take his leave Finally he cleared his throat and said gravely Miss Cheffington I see you are not taking any more tea may I crave the favour of a few words with you
Oh please I think I will have some more tea said May hastily pushing her cup towards Mrs Bransby Theodore who had half risen from his chair bowed resumed his seat and folded his arms in a waiting attitude Then May added with desperate resolution Will you not be kind enough to say what you have to say now I must be going home immediately and Im sure there can be no secrets to tell She buried her face in her teacup to hide the colour which flamed into her cheeks as she said the words
If you desire it returned Theodore stiffly of course I shall obey I merely thought you might prefer to receive painful tidings in——
Painful cried May turning pale and suddenly interrupting him Is anything the matter with Granny
A glance at his raised eyebrows reassured her for the next moment she said Oh how stupid I am Of course you could know nothing you have only just arrived It isnt—it isnt my father is it
Pray do not alarm yourself Miss Cheffington Captain Cheffington is so far as I know perfectly well
Wouldnt it be better to speak out said Owen As soon as he had spoken he felt that he had no right to put in his word But he could not help it Theodores selfimportant slowness was too exasperating
Yes do please said May
There is no cause for alarm as I said returned Theodore trying to look as if he had not heard Owens suggestion But a shock—a slight shock—is apt to be felt at the announcement of sudden death even in the case of a total stranger
Sudden death
Yes I regret to inform you that your cousin George Cheffington has been killed by the accidental discharge of a gun when he was on a shooting expedition up the country
All three of his listeners drew a deep sigh of relief
Oh sighed May the colour returning to her cheeks and lips I felt a horrible fear for the moment about Aunt Pauline
This is a very important event said Theodore looking over his cravat with his HouseofCommons air and indicating by his tone that the fate of Aunt Pauline was a matter of comparative insignificance
I am sorry for poor old Lord Castlecombe said May
It will of course be a severe blow to your greatuncle all the more so that Mr Lucius Cheffington is in deplorably weak health
Lucius is never very strong is he
He is never robust but this season he has been extremely delicate I have reason to believe that a very high medical authority has expressed considerable anxiety about him
Does Aunt Pauline know—I mean about George Cheffingtons death
Theodore drew himself up even more stiffly than usual as he answered I am not aware what means Mrs DormerSmith may have had of hearing the news but my impression is that it can scarcely yet have been communicated to her The original telegram to Lord Castlecombe only reached him yesterday
Did they—Lucius or any of them—ask you to tell me inquired May It now for the first time struck her as being odd that Theodore Bransby should have been selected for such an office
Ahem No I was not precisely commissioned to inform you But I was anxious to spare you the shock of hearing of this disaster accidentally
The fact was that Theodore had seen the telegram in a London newspaper of that morning
There ensued a short silence Then Theodore said to his stepmother with an elaborate shivering movement of the shoulders Dont you think it grows very damp and chilly I cannot consider it prudent to remain here whilst the dews are falling
No one was sorry for this excuse to break up the sitting Mrs Bransby made a move towards the house and May said it was time for her to be going home
With your permission I will have the pleasure of escorting you Miss Cheffington said Theodore
Oh no please—thank you Mr Rivers said——
I have undertaken to see Miss Cheffington safe home said Rivers And Mrs Bransby suggested that Theodore must be tired with his journey and moreover that dinner would be ready at eight But he disregarded both suggestions I shall enjoy a stroll at this cool hour and I dont mean to dine I lunched rather late and will have something light cooked for my supper about ten Do you mean to go Rivers Oh well Ill join you as far as Mrs Dobbss house
Of course under the circumstances it was impossible for May to say a word to prevent him And accordingly he walked from his fathers door on one side of her while Owen strode on the other As for May she had been ready to cry at first with vexation and resentment but after a while the sense of something ludicrous in the behaviour of her bodyguard so overcame her that she was very near bursting out into a fit of almost hysterical laughter
The two young men were full of smouldering animosity towards each other But they both manifested this feeling chiefly by a severe and almost sullen demeanour towards May She felt that she was being marched along between them more like a detected malefactor than a young lady whom one of them at least had besieged with tender proposals If she addressed a word to Owen he answered her in dry monosyllables if she spoke to Theodore he replied as from a lofty pinnacle of freezing politeness
It only needs a pair of handcuffs to make the thing complete said May to herself Then she finally gave up all attempts to be conversational and so they arrived at Jessamine Cottage in solemn silence
As they walked up the little gardenpath in the gathering dusk they were overtaken by Mr and Mrs Simpson The latter as soon as she recognized them began to pour forth a fluent stream of talk which did not cease when Martha opened the door and then in some confused way which neither May nor Owen could afterwards account for they all found themselves crowding into the little parlour together As for Theodore he had from the first resolved to go in if Rivers went in and to remain as long as Rivers remained
Mrs Dobbs looked up astonished at sight of Theodore She glanced inquiringly at May who had a queer look on her face halfdistressed halfamused Jo Weatherhead rose staring glumly at the new arrivals of whom Sebastian brought up the rear with an expression of countenance which showed that his temper was bristling like his hair But Mrs Simpsons sprightly eloquence spread itself impartially over all these shades of feeling as water makes a smooth and level surface above the roughest bottom
So astonished dear Mrs Dobbs to find Mr Bransby junior Having not the slightest idea that he was in Oldchester you know and what a singular coincidence our coming upon them all three just at your very door was it not
Well observed Sebastian in his rasping voice considering that we were coming to sup with Mrs Dobbs and that Miss May was on her way home it would have been stranger if we had met at any one elses door
Now Bassy I will not be overwhelmed by your stern logic Ladies are privileged to indulge in some little play of the imagination Besides—with an arch smile of triumph—it really was the fact in this case Oh thank you Mr Weatherhead any chair will do for me Dont let me disturb—— I suppose I may venture to make a shrewd guess Mr Bransby that you have come down to attend Miss Pipers musical party A great compliment indeed when one considers your professional occupations But the bow cannot always be bent Even Homer I believe is said sometimes——Oh no he nods I fancy which of course is different I really believe that Miss Hadlow will be the only star of our Oldchester firmament absent from the festive scene Now acknowledge dear Mrs Dobbs that you were surprised as I was You did not expect this addition of youth at the prow—if I may venture on the expression—to our little circle this evening At the same time I must confess that three such sober young persons I never beheld They were all as silent as——It put me in mind of those beautiful lines Not a drum was heard not a funeral note As his—— Not of course that there was anything of a funereal nature Far from it
This last touch overcame Mays selfcommand She burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter breaking out afresh every time she glanced at Owens face provoked and frowning though with a twitch at the corner of the mouth which showed he had to make an effort not to laugh too or at Theodores solemnly bewildered She laughed until the tears poured down her cheeks and her grandmother exclaimed May May Dont be so silly child Youll get hysterical if you go on that way But the outburst relieved the nervous tension from which the girl had been suffering and as she wiped her eyes she was conscious that the laughter had saved her from shedding tears of a different sort
I beg your pardon Mrs Simpson she said I dont know what possessed me
Dont think of apologizing my dear Miranda Indeed why should you Nothing is more delightful than the unaffected hilarity of youth Im sure I always enjoy it returned the good Amelia with a beaming glance around her
Its lucky Amelia doesnt mind being laughed at said Sebastian bitterly
Oh fie Bassy We must distinguish love That all depends on who laughs and how they laugh observed his wife with unexpected perspicuity
No doubt said Theodore Miss Cheffingtons nerves have been agitated by the sad news which I brought her this evening He spoke in a low mysterious tone addressing himself apparently to Mrs Dobbs although he did not do so by name At these words Mr Weatherhead pricked up his ears and although he had previously made up his mind not to say a word to this young spark until the young spark should speak to him his curiosity so far overcame his dignity that he could not help ejaculating—
Sad news ha What news What sad news—eh
Theodore turned to Mrs Dobbs and pointedly ignored poor Jo as he said Miss Cheffington will doubtless take a fitting opportunity of speaking with you about this event in her family
Its nothing that deeply concerns us Uncle Jo broke in May flushing indignantly and speaking with impetuosity A certain Mr George Cheffington has been accidentally killed out in Africa But since neither you nor I nor Granny ever saw him—nor even heard of him until quite lately—we cannot pretend to be overwhelmed with grief
Nay George Cheffington killed exclaimed Mrs Dobbs
Theodore had turned very pale as he always did when angered May had certainly meant to hit him but she had no idea that the unkindest cut of all had been her publicly addressing Mr Weatherhead as Uncle Jo He answered slowly I should not have chosen this moment when you are—er—entertaining these—ahem—your friends to impart the intelligence But Miss Cheffington has taken the matter out of my hands
George Cheffington repeated Mrs Dobbs pondering Why let me see now hell be Lord Castlecombes eldest son Poor old man Oh Im sorry to hear it very sorry Its hard for the old to see their hopes die before them
Im sorry for him too Granny whispered May somewhat penitent and ashamed of her vehemence She had certainly betrayed a touch of the Cheffington imperiousness and had spoken in a manner quite inconsistent with meek amiability She had also made Theodore Bransby feel considerable resentment Nevertheless he had never been less inclined than at that moment to relinquish the hope of making her his wife Our passions have various methods of special pleading But if reason presses them too hard they will boldly substitute an in spite of for a because and pursue their aim as though like Beauty they were their own excuse for being
Dont let us intrude on a scene of family affliction said Mr Simpson dryly Now Amelia We had better withdraw I think
Dont you talk nonsense Sebastian Simpson returned Mrs Dobbs without ceremony Sit down Amelia Im sorry I cant ask you young gentlemen to stay and share our plain supper for the truth is I dont know that theres enough of it But my friends Mr and Mrs Simpson would break an old charter if they didnt remain
After that the two young men had of course nothing to do but to take their leave Owens good humour had quite returned Wisdom and virtue should no doubt have made him disapprove of Miss Mays little outbreak of hot temper But the truth is that this fallible young man had enjoyed her attack on Bransby When the latter approached May to say Good night he murmured reproachfully You were rather severe on me Miss Cheffington I had no idea of displeasing you by what I said
She was consciencestricken in a moment and answered quite humbly I beg your pardon if I offended you But I thought you were not civil to Mr Weatherhead and that vexed me Please forgive me And she endured the tender pressure of her hand which immediately followed as some expiation of her offence
Mrs Dobbs detained Jo Weatherhead that night for a moment after Mr and Mrs Simpson had gone away and May was in bed
I say Jo the death of yon poor man in Africa may bring about strange changes said Mrs Dobbs looking at him gravely
Changes How What changes
Well not changes for me and you except through other folks But do you know that after Lucius Cheffington—who they say is but sickly—Lord Castlecombes next heir is my precious soninlaw
No exclaimed Mr Weatherhead making his mouth into a perfect round O of astonishment
Ay but he is though
Next heir Viscount Castlecombe of Combe Park and all the property gasped Jo
I dont know about the property Only whats entailed I suppose But if Lucius was to die Augustus would be next heir to the title as sure as you stand there Jo Weatherhead
CHAPTER IV
Probably of all the persons in Oldchester who knew or cared anything about the death of George Cheffington May was the only one who did not immediately begin to make some calculations based on that event The contingency of her fathers succeeding to the family honours had not occurred to her And her thoughts and feelings were now occupied with other things But Oldchester gossips discussed it with gusto or at least that small minority of them who interested themselves in the fortunes of the Castlecombe family The old lord was little personally known in Oldchester and the city had long outgrown any sense of the overweening importance of a Viscount Castlecombe of Combe Park which it might have had a century earlier To most of the rich manufacturers of the place whether they really thought themselves as good as a lord or not a lord whom they never beheld and into whose house neither they nor their children had the remotest chance of being admitted was at any rate genuinely uninteresting
In the rural parts of the county it was otherwise People there could not be indifferent to the domestic history of a large landowner who resided during the greater part of the year on his estate In many a country dwelling from luxurious mansions down to mere labourers cottages George Cheffingtons untimely death was canvassed From a matrimonial point of view he had been considered the best match in the county and dowagers with daughters to marry had looked forward to the time often spoken of but always postponed when he should give up his colonial appointment settle down on his inheritance and choose a wife And there was a large number of persons tenants and dependents to whom the heirs character and conduct were matters of deep importance To these Mr Lucius Cheffington suddenly became an interesting personage Lucius had been very little at Combe Park since his boyhood and the report which gradually spread in the neighbourhood that he was a chronic invalid was received with many headshakings and long faces It seemed impossible that a Cheffington should be delicate or weakly Look at the old lord people said why he was sound and tough as a yewtree And the last time Mr George was at home he had proved himself a true chip of the old block by outriding outwalking and outcricketing all his contemporaries
But that was years ago Now George was stricken down in his strength Lucius lay ill of a low fever in London and Lord Castlecombe sat lonely and sorrowladen in the home of his fathers
The old man was not one to seek for sympathy nor even to tolerate much manifestation of it The only being to whom for many weeks he mentioned his dead sons name was a superannuated stablehelper who had set Master George on his first pony and in whose mind that somewhat selfish and hardhearted individual had never outgrown the engaging period of boyhood Master George was the old mans idol and Master George had to a great extent reciprocated the mans liking partly perhaps from the sort of gratified vanity which makes us all prize the exclusive attachment of any generally unamiable creature biped or quadruped Old Dick was characterized by his fellowservants as a crusty old curmudgeon and was notorious for a formidable power of swearing which he wielded freely without much respect of persons
The first day after receiving the news of his sons death Lord Castlecombe towards evening walked out in a very unfrequented part of the grounds a path between two high holly hedges leading by a back way to the stableyard and there with his hat pulled low on his brow his head bent and his hands clasped behind him he paced slowly plunged in bitter meditation When he came to the corner whence the stables were visible he caught sight of old Dick seated on an ancient horseblock and busily rubbing at something in his hand Lord Castlecombe stopped short and looked at the man who evidently saw him but made no sign neither ceased a moment from his occupation After a minute or so Lord Castlecombe called to him to ask what he was doing and received no answer He repeated his question Still no reply A third time he spoke in a harsh angry tone And then Dick turned round upon him and with a tremendous volley of oaths answered furiously What am I doing of Im a rubbing up Master Georges little silver spurs as you gave him first time he ever rode to hounds Ive allus kep em bright from that day to this And I arnt agoing to leave off now because some d——d blundering fool as didnt ought never to have been trusted with a gun—I wish Id the rewarding of him curse him—has been and put an end to the boy Thats what Im a doing of if ye must know
A tear fell on the little burnished spur and then another and another But old Dick rubbed on And his master after a short silence came and laid his hand upon his shoulder and then walked away without a word
After that Dick was privileged to do what the boldest parsons wife in the county dared not attempt—talk to Lord Castlecombe about his son George
Most of the letters of condolence which he received Lord Castlecombe tossed aside contemptuously after glancing at the first line But one letter he read through with a heavy frown on his face and an occasional drawing down of the corners of his mouth into a bitter smile far more sinister than the frown It was from his niece Pauline and its composition had cost her much thought and anxiety She flattered herself that she had avoided saying a word which could jar on her uncles irascible temper And the letter in itself was a good letter enough but it was a letter which should not have been written at all if her object were to soothe and conciliate Lord Castlecombe Pauline did not allude directly to her brother Augustus but the very fact of her writing seemed to bring his existence offensively into notice She refrained from expressing any special anxiety about the health of her cousin Lucius Yet the few words in which she hoped to hear of his speedy recovery made the old man writhe as he read them Pauline had tried to combine duty with policy It was of course her duty to condole with her uncle in his bereavement and it was clearly desirable not to irritate the dislike with which as she more than surmised he regarded Augustus But the whole calculation was based on a misapprehension of Lord Castlecombes feeling towards her brother It was neither more nor less than hatred And now jealousy was added to it—a strange savage jealousy on behalf of his sons George—his strong healthy hardy eldestborn—was gone And Lucius—Lucius was not dying No no not so bad as that But he was very weakly And to think for one instant of the possibility that Augustus Cheffington might some day reign in their stead—might lord it over the heritage which he had so carefully garnered for his own sons—was maddening Any one but Augustus he said to himself Any distant scion the son of some impoverished faraway cousin parson lawyer apothecary Any one any one but Augustus
But of the passionate intensity of this hatred Pauline had no suspicion A cleverer and more acute woman than she might not have guessed it No one in fact ever guessed it unless it were Lucius and he only in part His own sensitive antipathy to Augustus was an incomparably feebler sentiment Lucius had no strain of his fathers vigour whether for good or ill
Mrs DormerSmith had also written by the same post to May This epistle was more hastily dashed off and faithfully reflected the wavering mood of the writer One of her first preoccupations was whether under the circumstances it would or would not be desirable for May to pay the promised visit to Glengowrie at this juncture She did not disguise from herself that George Cheffingtons death opened up the possibility of a very different future for May from any which could hitherto have been contemplated It became a question whether it would be prudent to accept Mr Bragg At all events it would be well to avoid precipitation Mr Bragg was a fine match for a dowerless girl—even for a dowerless Miss Cheffington But what if Mays father were destined to become a wealthy Peer of the realm That might be still but a distant possibility Lucius was not thought to be in any present danger and certainly might recover Of course he might recover And he might marry and transmit the title and estates in the direct line But—Pauline felt that there was a but of vast import
And then there were minor cares connected with that great duty towards society which she so diligently endeavoured to perform
I am most anxious about your mourning she wrote to May It is positively preying on my mind Of course nothing could be in worse taste than any assumption of woe in this case You never saw poor George and the kinship is not a very close one In fact had it been one of the Buckinghamshire Cheffingtons to whom you are related in exactly the same degree I do not know that any mourning at all would have been necessary for you But of course the heir to the head of our family occupies a different position At any rate do not err on the side of exaggeration White with nœuds of pale heliotrope and jet ornaments or some black fabric of light texture with a little jet beading would probably meet the case But it is impossible for me to give you precise directions I am too far away to know what is bien porté at this moment Would that I could be near you But I cannot break my cure at this point Carlsbad has done me good on the whole although of course the anxiety on your account connected with this painful news has to some extent thrown me back Mrs Griffins taste might be thoroughly trusted and if she would undertake to order your mourning from Amélie—— But now I think of it Mrs Griffin will not return to England until she leaves the Engadine for Glengowrie And here again I am greatly perplexed what to advise in your best interests All things considered it might be well for you to put off going to the Duchess There will be the excuse of this terrible news about poor George you know
I fear that I have written in a sadly décousu fashion but I cannot help it and my poor head warns me to leave off As usual I have to pay for intense mental effort Carlsbad has not altered that And the letter concluded with a postscript Pearlgray gloves
The only clear idea which May gathered from this letter was that her aunt virtually held her released from her promise to go to Glengowrie and left her free to do as she pleased She carried the letter to her grandmother saying Granny I shall not go to Scotland after all I shall stay with you whether you like it or not Oh dont ask me to explain I often feel with regard to Aunt Pauline like a deaf person watching dancers There is something which regulates her movements no doubt But it is generally mysterious to me
Mrs Dobbs privately thought that in this case she held a clue to the mystery Ay she said to herself Mrs DormerSmith sees just as I saw from the first hearing of it that great changes may come to pass from this poor mans death And she dont want May to commit herself too soon Lord save us tis a sad low worldly way of looking at such a matter At this point some scarcelyarticulate whisper of conscience made Mrs Dobbss brow redden and she added mentally Well but if May likes him If the mans in earnest and she likes him itll all come right in the end Nevertheless Mrs Dobbs had begun to entertain shrewd doubts as to Mays caring one straw for the unknown gentleman of princely fortune
May meanwhile made haste to put her escape beyond the danger of Aunt Paulines changing her mind She wrote to Mrs Griffin saying that she should not be able to accept the Duchesss kind invitation to Glengowrie She gave no reason The excuse which Aunt Pauline had suggested she could not find it in her conscience to put forward If I had wished very much to go that would not have stood in my way she said to herself And it would be base and shocking to play the hypocrite about such a tragedy
Neither did she think for a moment of refusing Miss Pipers invitation There had not been wanting a hint that she ought to do so Mrs Bransby asked her if she meant to go to the musical party at Garnet Lodge and being answered in the affirmative said Well it seemed to me that it would be quite overstrained to refuse But Theodore persisted that you would not go said it would be inconvenable He almost quarrelled with me about it You know Theodores infallible way of laying down the law
It need scarcely be said that if anything could have strengthened the young ladys determination to attend Miss Pipers party it would have been hearing that Theodore Bransby took upon himself to object to her doing so
CHAPTER V
Like the fairy PariBanous magic tent which could shelter an army of ten thousand men and yet was capable of being folded into the smallness of a handkerchief what one calls the world shrinks and stretches to suit the individual case Into the world of Polly and Patty Piper Lord Castlecombe and his family sorrows entered not at all They might occasionally be viewed afar from the tent door but even that distant recognition was not vouchsafed to them now when the great event of the musical party absorbed the attention of the two sisters
In addition to Miss Clara Bertram and Mr Cleveland Turner the occasion was to be graced by the presence of Signor Vincenzo Valli He was on a visit to a noble family in Mr Sweetings neighbourhood and had volunteered to accompany that gentleman and his protégé to Miss Pipers party This honour like other honours was somewhat of a burthen as well as a distinction The programme of the evenings performance so carefully and anxiously arranged beforehand must be modified to suit Signor Valli who if he condescended to sing at all would do so only in accordance with his own caprice And this would probably occasion difficulties since although Miss Bertrams amiability might be reckoned on Mr Cleveland Turner took a more stiffnecked view of his own importance and would not be disposed to yield the pas to Valli Still Miss Piper had no cowardly regrets on hearing of the distinction which was to befall her She rose to the occasion and was prepared to undergo almost any impertinence from the popular singing master with a Spartan smile
I ought to understand how to manage artists if anybody does said she remembering the many cups of tea she had poured out for that irritable genus in old times
But the crowning interest and glory of the evening to her would be the performance of an air from Esther which Miss Bertram had promised to sing The Misses Piper had invited her to visit them at first from disinterested kindness the young singer being tired with the work of the season and in need of rest and change of air Under these circumstances both the sisters were too thoroughly gentlewomen to hint at her singing for them But Clara Bertram casting about in her mind for some way to show her gratitude to the kindly old maids had herself proposed to sing something from Esther And the offer was too tempting to be refused
The composition selected was of the most infantile simplicity and could have been learned by heart in ten minutes But a copy of it had been sent to town a fortnight ago for Miss Bertram to study And Mr Simpson had been supposed to be studying the accompaniment for an equal length of time In fact the performance of the air from Esther was the original germ out of which the musical party at Garnet Lodge had been developed
Clara Bertram arrived in Oldchester the morning before the great day partly in order that she might not be overtired and partly to give the opportunity for a rehearsal of the air with Mr Simpson Oh Im sure we need not trouble Mr Simpson Clara began thoughtlessly It is certain to go all right But Miss Polly would not allow such a lax view of responsibility
Excuse me my dear she said but the music of Esther is not quite a drawingroom ballad Not that you will not sing it charmingly—perfectly There is no doubt about that But there is a certain breadth—a certain style of phrasing necessary for sacred music It is most important that the accompanist should understand your reading of the air Indeed I am anxious to hear it myself I have my own idea as to the proper rendering of the opening phrase Hear O King and grant me my petition But I shant say a word until I have heard you Your idea may be better than mine Ha ha ha Who knows Hear O King and grant—— My own notion would be to begin softly—almost sotto voce—in a timid manner Hear O King and then to rise into a crescendo as the strain proceeds and grant me my Petition But I wont say a word You must sing it as you feel it
May was by special favour admitted to the rehearsal She had called to see Clara Bertram on the afternoon of her arrival and was ushered into the long low oldfashioned drawingroom where she found Miss Piper seated at one end of it amid a wilderness of routseats and Mr Sebastian Bach Simpson at the piano near to which Miss Bertram was standing
Oh its dear May Cheffington said Miss Piper who had turned round sharply at the opening of the door Yes yes come in my dear Not at home to anybody else Rachel Not to anybody do you hear Now come and sit down by me my dear She is going to try Hear O King Very glad to see you you are so sympathetic and such a favourite with Clara There now dont make her talk Nothing worse for the voice than talking Come and sit down
May was indeed scarcely allowed to exchange greetings with her friend who whispered smilingly Well have our chat byandby
Then Mr Simpson struck up the first chords of the symphony and there was breathless silence He had not played three bars however before Miss Piper jumped up and ran to the piano
Oh I beg pardon Mr Simpson for offering a suggestion to so sound a musician as yourself but dont you think a little more stress might be laid on that chord of the diminished seventh It prepares the way you see for the pleading tone of the composition Leda deda—like that Oh thank you Quite my meaning Please go on
But Mr Simpson did not proceed far without receiving another suggestion
A little more force and fulness dont you think in that resolution of the discord I should like a richer effect
I dont know how to make it richer rasped out Mr Simpson It is the simple common chord just four notes—C E G C I sounded em all I can play the bass as an octave if you think thatll be any richer
Oh thank you Yes I really think it will You see Esther was scored for full orchestra and the composers ear hankers after the instrumental effects But that octave in the bass is a great improvement Many thanks
And in this fashion the symphony was at length got through
Then Clara uplifted her pure clear voice and sang May listened in delight Surely Miss Polly must be enchanted Even Mr Simpsons hard visage relaxed as the thrilling notes rose in sweet pathetic pleading When they ceased he wheeled round on the musicstool and exclaimed with the most unwonted fervour Its the loveliest soprano voice Ive heard since your great namesake Clara Novello Some of your notes remind me of her altogether Not that I expect to hear anything quite like her Let the Bright Seraphim on this side of paradise
May turned to Miss Piper But to her astonishment Miss Pipers face did not express unmingled delight There was some slight and indefinable shade on it
Well I do think that is most beautiful said May
Do you my dear Do you really
Why how is it possible to think otherwise Miss Piper No one could surely
Well it is very kind of you to say so my dear and to be frank it shows a power of appreciation not quite common at your age Of course it would be affectation on my part at this time of day and with my reputation behind me to say I am surprised But I am gratified very much gratified And dont you think Miss Bertram did her part delightfully
May looked at her blankly unable to say a word in reply Fortunately no reply was needed for Miss Piper bustled up to Clara and thanked her and praised her But still her manner fell decidedly short of its usual cordial heartiness At length with many apologies and flowery speeches she begged that the air might be repeated if Clara were sure it would not tire her and this being at once conceded she asked hesitatingly And would you mind if I offered a little suggestion Just a hint
Certainly not dear Miss Piper I will do my best to carry out your idea
Oh that is so sweet of you Thank you a thousand times If Mr Simpson will kindly oblige us once more—— Now you see it is just here on that G in alt where the voice rises on the words Grant oh grant me my petition The sound grant according to my original conception should be given with a sort of wail—not of course an unmusical sound but just with a tinge of sadness expressive of the then miserable and depressed condition of the Jewish nation and at the same time with a tone—an underlying tone as it were—conveying the latent hope which really was in Queen Esthers mind all along you know that by her efforts brighter days might yet be in store for them You feel what I mean
I will try my best answered Clara gently And then she sang the air again—precisely as she had sung it before
Now cried Miss Piper jumping up and clapping her hands in an ecstasy of triumph it is perfect—absolutely perfect
She poured out unstinted thanks and compliments to both singer and accompanist observing to the latter that this recalled the great days of the public performance of Esther and that she considered Miss Bertrams rendering of Hear O King far superior to that of the wellknown vocalist who had sung it originally But then you see she could not or would not take a hint Consequently—although of course she sang the notes perfectly—she never fully mastered my conception Now a word has been enough to show Miss Bertram the inner meaning of my music and she interprets it in the most exquisite manner
Before going away May contrived to have a few words with Clara Bertram in her room
It is such a pleasure to hear you sing again said May How I wish Granny could hear you
Will not your grandmother be here tomorrow evening
Oh no answered May colouring She does not go out to parties Granny does not belong to the class of the ladies and gentlemen who come here Her husband was a tradesman in this town But she is the finest creature in the world And she has more real dignity than any one I know
Your grandmother lives here But then—how is it—your mother is not a foreigner
A foreigner Good gracious No My mother was Miss Susan Dobbs She died years ago when I was a little child Why do you ask
Oh nothing I fancied—Valli said something about having known Madame Cheffington abroad
That was possible My parents lived abroad for years My father is on the Continent now I and the two little brothers before me were born in Belgium
Oh I suppose that must be it said Clara slowly Valli talks at random sometimes
Signor Valli talks very much at random if he ever said my mother was a foreigner By the way do you know he is to be here tomorrow evening
Yes so I hear
You do not hear it with rapture apparently
No I do not like him very much
He likes you very much if appearances may be trusted said May laughingly
He is always making love to me after his fashion That is why I do not like him
Clara spoke gravely but with her habitual serenity There was something in her manner which seemed to be akin to her voice something clear but not cold a crystal with the sun in it
Oh that is hideous isnt it cried May with eager fellowfeeling When people want to marry you and you shudder at the bare idea of marrying them
I dont think Valli wants to marry me answered Clara calmly Indeed I believe he feels a great deal of hostility towards me at times He is never satisfied unless his pupils will more or less flirt with him—a kind of philandering which I object to Besides it wastes ones time But he has been spoiled more than you would believe by fashionable ladies I suppose you never read much of George Sands writings
No answered May opening great eyes of wonder
Nor I except Consuelo and the sequel to it I read them for the musical part which is wonderfully good Well in the Comtesse de Rudolstadt there is a certain Monsieur de Poelnitz of whom it is said that en qualité dexroué il naimait pas les filles vertueuses It always seems to me that Valli in his quality of philanderer dislikes women who wont flirt whether he wants to flirt with them himself or not
How odious How despicable
And yet he has his good qualities He is very faithful and generous to his family and sends a great part of his earnings to them in their little Sicilian village
Then seeing that May still looked very much shocked and astonished Clara added in a lighter tone But let us talk of something more pleasant You were speaking of your grandmamma If you think she would like it I should be so glad to go and sing to her at her own home
Like it Of course she would like it And I scarcely know how to thank you as you ought to be thanked for fear of sounding like Miss Piper
Clara smiled Miss Piper and her sister are both very kind to me she said
Yes but I wish Miss Polly wasnt so ridiculous Of course her music is poor and silly It is only your beautiful singing that makes it sound well But then you could make Baa baa blacksheep sound well And then to hear the outrageous conceited nonsense she talks—— I wonder that you can endure it so meekly I couldnt answered May with the trenchant intolerance of her eighteen years
Oh yes you could under the circumstances I am only too glad to give the kind old lady any pleasure And she is not so outrageously conceited—for an amateur But now I fear I must turn you out much as I should like you to stay for Miss Piper sent me upstairs to lie down and if she finds I am not doing so I shall have to drink another cupful of Miss Pattys excellent beeftea which is so strong it makes me feel quite tipsy
CHAPTER VI
On the following evening Garnet Lodge wore a brilliantly festive appearance Miss Polly was dressed betimes An unprecedented variety of geological specimens adorned her wrists and fingers and hung over the bosom of her lavender satin gown She was walking up and down the drawingroom surveying the rows of empty routseats fully threequarters of an hour before the earliest guest could be expected to arrive She was strung up for the great occasion but although excited she was not apprehensive Miss Patty on the other hand was very nervous
I am a little anxious about the jellies Polly and about that new waiter from Winnicks But I could face all that if it wasnt for Hear O King To think of hearing it again after all these years Im afraid it will upset me Ill take a back place near the door for Im sure to cry and then I can slip out if necessary
You need not be ashamed of your tears my dear Patty Very probably you will not be the only person powerfully affected
Well I dont know I dont remember that anybody cried when Esther was brought out at Mercers Hall returned Miss Patty thoughtfully
The first persons to arrive were Mr and Mrs Simpson Amelia was resplendent in a new pink silk gown which seemed to magnify her florid proportions and made her a conspicuous object from every part of the room She was beaming with delight and her gratification at finding herself in Garnet Lodge under the present circumstances was so frankly and exuberantly expressed as to cause some mortification to her husband
This is indeed a memorable evening dear Misses Piper she began for Patty had by this time joined her sister in the drawingroom I was telling Bassy that he ought to feel himself honoured by being selected to officiate—if I may so express it—at the pianoforte on this extremely interesting and auspicious occasion
The honour is to me Mrs Simpson answered Polly Piper politely
There turning suddenly round with such vehemence as to sweep down a routseat with her pink silk skirts What did I tell you Bassy Whatever may be the opinion of certain persons enriched by manufactures—and yet after all what should we do without manufactures How many of us would be capable of dealing with the raw material Blankets for instance take a sheep But still I always say to Bassy Believe me the real gentry acknowledge and revere the position of the Fine Arts
Now Amelia hadnt you better mind what youre doing said Mr Simpson setting the fallen routseat on its legs again She irritated him occasionally but he admired her smart gown very much nevertheless and thought she looked remarkably well in it and quite the lady
Other guests arriving now claimed the hostesss attention And presently Clara Bertram in her simple black evening dress came into the room Then appeared Mrs Martin Bransby on the arm of her stepson and bearing excuses from her husband who was not feeling well enough to come out that evening Her appearance called forth ejaculations of admiration from Mrs Simpson which however exaggerated they might sound were quite sincere Mrs Simpson gave utterance to a kind of prose rhapsody on the subject of Mrs Bransbys dress and then bowing graciously to Theodore said And Mr Bransby Junior too When I had the pleasure of unexpectedly and indeed fortuitously meeting him the other evening at the house of a mutual friend I remarked that he was paying Miss Piper a high compliment in abandoning Thetis the good lady probably meant Themis for the seductions of Apollo But we are told on the poets authority that music hath charms to soothe the savage—— Not of course that the epithet is applicable in this case Quite the contrary Then turning her glistening spectacles on the young man she playfully added But in addition to the magic of the lyre we have what Hamlet—if I mistake not—so eloquently characterizes as metal more attractive a collection of youth and beauty which might really without hyperbole be termed a bevy
That is an intolerable woman muttered Theodore between his teeth as he conducted his stepmother to a seat
Oh poor Simmy remonstrated Mrs Bransby She is a good creature But tonight she is in what Bobby and Billy call one of her dictionary moods
Rapidly the room filled up Besides many other Oldchester notabilities with whom this chronicle is not concerned there were present Major Mitton Canon and Mrs Hadlow the latter bringing May under her wing Owen Rivers who came alone Dr Hatch and Mr Bragg
Mr Bragg after paying his respects to the ladies of the house and standing for a few minutes in his silent forlornlooking way went up to May and said Will you come and have a cup of tea Miss Cheffington They say hot tea cools you That seems strange dont it But I believe its true Rule of contraries I suppose
May did not wish for any tea but she saw Theodore Bransby hovering in the distance and she accepted Mr Braggs proffered arm almost eagerly She rather liked Mr Bragg His slow quiet commonsensible manner was soothing And she knew enough of his unostentatious good works in Oldchester to have a considerable esteem for him
He piloted May into the diningroom where tea and coffee were being served and where the new waiter from Winnicks was so far conducting himself in an exemplary manner
Have one of those little cakes Miss Cheffington They look very good
No thank you
Mr Bragg provided May with a cup of tea and then took one of the little cakes himself They eat uncommonly short said he with strong though quiet approbation All the eatables seem good
Not a doubt of it Miss Patty is a wonderful housekeeper
Now do you suppose she made those little cakes herself
I cannot tell but I am sure she could if she chose She makes excellent cakes
Ah I remember her giving me some very good ideas about a beefsteak pudding I tried to make my cook do one according to her receipt but it didnt answer said Mr Bragg with a sigh Presently he remarked as he slowly stirred his tea round and round This is a bad job about Mr George Cheffington
Yes I am very sorry for Lord Castlecombe
Ah your uncle—or greatuncle is he—Im not much of a hand at remembering the ins and outs of families—is hard hit But he bears up wonderfully to outward appearance
Have you seen him Mr Bragg
Yes saw him o Monday about some business Hes a keen hand at a bargain is Lord Castlecombe I dont know that I ever met with a keener
Poor old man
Ay thats what I say Miss Cheffington Keenness and all that is very well so long as youve got somebody to be keen for But its a dreary thing to be alone in advancing years I feel it myself though Im—well I dare say nigh upon twenty years younger than his Lordship
There was a little pause during which Mr Bragg sipped his tea and ate another cake Then he repeated Its a dreary thing to be alone
Are you alone Mr Bragg asked May feeling that she was expected to say something I thought you had sons and daughters
Only one son and hes away in South America—settled in Buenos Ayres years ago Hes a rich man already is Joshua I started him well though I hadnt so much money in those days as I have now not by a deal and hes done well And he married a lady with money—a Spanish merchants daughter No theres no likelihood of Josh coming home to England to keep me company even supposing I wanted him to
Then ensued another pause Then Mr Bragg said Im to have the pleasure of meeting you at Glengowrie this autumn I understand
No I have decided not to go I have written to Mrs Griffin to say so
Oh What—on account of this death in your family
No I cannot say that It would be mere pretence I never saw George Cheffington in my life and he was not a very close relation Mr Bragg nodded approvingly Thats a straightforward way of looking at it he said But Im disappointed you aint to be at Glengowrie
Thank you But my absence will not make much difference I should say
I dont know It might make a deal of difference returned Mr Bragg speaking even more slowly than was his wont But where shall you be then
Where I like best to be here with Granny
Granny
My grandmother Mrs Dobbs You must know her by name at all events for you are her tenant
What old Dobbs the ironmongers widow—begging your pardon
May drew herself up with a proud movement of the head which might have satisfied even the deceased dowager that there was a strong strain of the Cheffington nature in her There is nothing to beg pardon for Mr Bragg she said haughtily You cannot suppose that I am ashamed of my grandparents
Youve no call to be ashamed of them but people dont always see things in the right light answered Mr Bragg composedly Yes to be sure now I come to think of it Mrs Dobbss daughter did marry—Ah Of course Susan Dobbs was your mother I never knew her to speak to but I remember her Uncommonly pretty she was too Why I might ha known—But you see your aunt Mrs DormerSmith never mentioned your mothers family
At this moment Owen Rivers approached them He said he had been sent by Mrs Bransby to look for May and thereupon carried her off to the drawingroom Mr Bragg remained behind pondering for a minute or so To think of this girl being Lord Castlecombes grandniece and old Dobbss granddaughter Well things do turn out queer in this world Then Mr Bragg also repaired to the drawingroom
The musical portion of the evening went off brilliantly But the great success was undoubtedly Clara Bertrams performance of Hear O King She sang poor Polly Pipers bald and jejeune phrases in a way which made such of the elder auditors as remembered its first performance ask themselves wonderingly if this were indeed the music they had listened to long ago And she concluded with a cadenza so expressive and beautiful that Mr Simpson raptly listening very nearly omitted to play the final chords
When the song was over there was a burst of applause and an unusually loud clapping together of kidgloved palms But from the doorway where he had stood to listen Valli precipitated himself through the crowd like some swift missile clearing his way utterly regardless of intervening backs and shoulders male or female and rushing up to Miss Bertram he exclaimed Divinamente
I am glad you are content she answered in English
But Valli went on volubly in his own tongue Content No content is not the word I am enchanted You sang divinely Demon of a girl never in all your life did you sing a song of mine like that What possessed you
Gratitude answered Clara quietly
Miss Piper now came up and kissed her effusively Composer and singer were soon surrounded by a little crowd to whose polite exclamations of Charming Immense treat Really delicious and so forth Miss Polly kept replying with lofty magnanimity Oh but you must not attribute all the honour to me I assure you that more depends upon the execution than you are perhaps aware of
This first triumph had a subtle effect on Mr Cleveland Turner He was moved by it to play a dashing valse de concert in place of a composition of his own modelled on a great original which he entitled Twilight in the Gardens of Walhalla It had been much praised in esoteric circles But it was somewhat trying to the unregenerate ear so much so that a profane and flippant outsider had rechristened it Feeding Time in the Gardens of the Royal Zoological Society Mr Sweeting afterwards mildly reproached his young friend for not having performed it and thus doing something towards improving and elevating the taste of Oldchester
Its no answer my dear boy to say they wouldnt have liked it said Mr Sweeting No answer at all
But it is to be feared that Cleveland Turner had some depraved enjoyment of the applause which resulted from his lapse into heresy
Signor Valli determined not to be eclipsed in popularity and utterly indifferent to the improvement of Oldchesters musical taste made himself unprecedentedly amiable He sang vivacious Neapolitan street songs quaint Tuscan stornelli pathetic Sicilian airs And these tuneful productions were greatly relished by that vast majority of the listeners who had not progressed so far as to connect ugliness with righteousness—in music
When Valli at length rose from the piano Mrs Simpson made a sudden plunge across the room and presented herself breathlessly before him He was in a group of persons among whom were Mr Sweeting Cleveland Turner and Miss Piper Amelias round plump face was flushed by heat and excitement to a rosepink hue several shades deeper than that of her gown and her spectacles glittered with a blank and baffling brightness
I cannot she said quit this elegant scene of the Muses without offering my poor tribute to you Signor which she pronounced senior for the delightful addition your performances have contributed to refined enjoyment
Valli looked up rather bewildered and not knowing what else to do made her a profound bow
I trust continued the lady that I may be allowed to congratulate you signor in the harmonious words of our great poet upon your linked sweetness long drawn out—not Im sure that any one present considered for a moment that you were drawing it out at all too long And with a sweeping curtsey in the performance of which she overwhelmed Mr Sweetings legs in a flood of pink silk skirt and backed heavily on to Mr Cleveland Turners toes Amelia withdrew beaming
At supper Valli was in high good humour He had been presented to Mrs Bransby and was gratified to find himself placed beside her at the suppertable she being incontestably the most beautiful woman in the room Major Mitton sat near them and pleased Valli by praises of his singing—a pleasure not at all diminished by his quick perception that the good major had no knowledge whatever of the subject
Its a real treat I assure you said Major Mitton to hear a toon I dont pretend to be a great connoisseur but I can enjoy a toon Ah they may say what they please but theres no music like Italian music and nobody can sing it like Italians
This led to some reminiscences of the majors garrison life in Malta and to the mention of the prima donna Bianca Moretti Mrs Bransby recognized this name as that of the heroine of Miss Pipers story told at her dinnerparty several months ago
Oh you have heard the Moretti said Valli Yes she could sing By the way I hear she is a kind of marâtre—how do you call it—to that pretty Miss Cheffington
Miss Cheffington Oh impossible
Pardon Not at all impossible I mean the young lady opposite at the other end of the table sitting between those two young men I know one of them—the one with the blonde smooth head I meet him in society He is tremendously annoying—nojoso—what you call a bore
That is Miss Cheffington certainly But you dont mean to say that Signora Moretti has married her father
Oh married answered Valli with a shrug She has been living with him for years that is what I mean I hear la Bianca has grown steady now But she had a jeunesse pas mal orageuse
Major Mitton tried to change the subject glancing uneasily at Mrs Bransby But Valli was impervious to the hint Not that he had any intention of outraging the proprieties or any suspicion that he was doing so Mrs Bransby was not a jeune meess He had heard of English cant and hypocrisy long before he came to England But he had been agreeably surprised to find them conspicuous by their absence in the section of London fashionable society which he chiefly frequented So he went on narrating anecdotes of la Bianca and her adventures until Mrs Bransby rose and quietly left the table Upon this Major Mitton and several other men drew closer to Valli And the consequence was that not only the messtable but other circles in Oldchester were regaled the next day with some choice morsels of scandal in which the name of Gus Cheffington figured conspicuously
But whatever might be the subsequent results of that talk Miss Pipers musical party had undoubtedly turned out a great success
That night when the sisters were alone together they sat up for an hour discussing the events of the evening in a glow of pleasurable excitement Every point was remembered and dwelt upon but of course their interest centred in the song from Esther
It was a real triumph Polly said Miss Patty There cant be two opinions about that But—there I thought I wouldnt tell you but I cant help it—I overheard Signor Valli and that Cleveland Turner whom I never did like and never shall speaking of Hear O King in a sneering slighting manner
Quoth Miss Polly with a lofty smile and laying her hand on her sisters shoulder My dear Patty I am not at all surprised to hear it I have experience of artists if anybody has and in the best of them I have always observed one defect in judging my music—professional jealousy
CHAPTER VII
The day after the party at Garnet Lodge Mrs Dobbs was surprised by the announcement from her old servant Martha that Mr Bragg was at the gate and would be glad to speak with her if she was at liberty
Quite at liberty Martha and very happy to see Mr Bragg Now what can he want said Mrs Dobbs to the faithful Jo Weatherhead who was in his usual place by the hearth
Something about the house in Friars Row suggested Jo
Ah I suppose so Though I dont know what there can be to say However its no use guessing Its like staring at the outside of a letter instead of reading it Hell speak for himself
Meanwhile Mr Bragg had alighted from the plain brougham which had brought him from his country house and walking up the garden path and in at the open door presented himself in the little parlour
I hope youll excuse my calling Mrs Dobbs You and me have met years ago
No excuse needed Mr Bragg I remember you very well This is my brotherinlaw Mr Weatherhead Please to sit down
Mr Bragg sat down and he and his hostess looked at each other for a moment attentively
Mr Bragg was a large solidly built man with an impression on his face of perplexity and resolution subtly mingled together It is a look which may be often seen on the countenance of an intelligent workman whose employment brings him into conflict with physical phenomena—at once so docile and so intractable so simply and so eternally mysterious The expression had long survived the days of Mr Braggs personal struggle with facts of a metallic nature In his present position as a man of large wealth and influence he had to deal chiefly with the more complex phenomena of humanity and very seldom found it so trustworthy in the manipulation as the iron and lead and tin and steel of his younger days
Mrs Dobbs marked the changes wrought by time and circumstances in Joshua Bragg She remembered him—he had even been temporarily in her husbands employment at one time—in a wellworn suit of working clothes and with chronically black fingernails She saw him now dressed with quiet good taste for he left that matter to his London tailor with irreproachably clean hands—on which however toil had left ineffaceable traces—and a massive watch chain worth half a years earnings of his former days
Youre very little changed in the main Mr Bragg And the years havent been hard on you said Mrs Dobbs summing up the result of her observations
No I believe I dont feel the burthen of years much not bodily that is In the mind, I think I do You see Ive come to a time of life when a man cant keep putting off his own comfort and happiness to the day after tomorrow Which added Mr Bragg thoughtfully is exactly where young folks have the pull I think
Thats queer too Mr Bragg remarked Jo Weatherhead Putting off your own comfort and happiness seems a poor way to enjoy yourself sir
Ah but what you only mean to do always comes up to your expectations and what you do do doesnt rejoined Mr Bragg with a slow emphatic nod of the head
Well but as to feeling the burthen of years thats putting it too strong said Mrs Dobbs You have no right to feel that burthen yet awhile Why you must be—let me see—under fiftythree
Fiftythree last birthday
Ay I wasnt far out Lord thats no age I might be your mother Mr Bragg
Im glad to hear you say so—I mean Im glad you dont think me too old—not quite an old fellow in short
No to be sure not
Mr Bragg was silent for fully a minute Then he said Well whether Im quite an old fellow or not Im too old to trust much to the day after tomorrow So if not inconvenient to you Mrs Dobbs I should like to say a few words to you about a matter that has been on my mind for some little time
Certainly Mr Bragg Im quite at your service
Mr Bragg looked slowly round the little parlour looked out of the window at the tiny garden looked at Mr Weatherhead finally looked at Mrs Dobbs again and said Its a private matter
I had better go Sarah said Jo I shall look round again at teatime and he made a show of rising from his chair very slowly and reluctantly
Oh perhaps youve no call to go away Jo I have no business secrets from my brotherinlaw Mr Bragg He is my oldest and best friend in the world
Mr Bragg rubbed his chin slowly with his hand and answered with a certain embarrassment but quite straightforwardly Its a matter private to me
After this Jo Weatherhead had nothing for it but to take his departure and to endeavour to calm the fever of his curiosity with tobacco
Mrs Dobbs remained alone with her visitor wondering more and more what could be the subject of his proposed communication Her thoughts in connection with Mr Bragg persistently hovered about the house in Friars Row But his first words scattered them in widespread confusion
Your granddaughter Miss Cheffington tells me that she is not going to Glengowrie Castle this autumn Mrs Dobbs
Why—no—I believe not answered Mrs Dobbs looking at him curiously
In that case I dont think I shall go there myself Im no sportsman I always feel lonely in a house full of strangers And besides—I was invited particlarly to meet Miss Cheffington
Mrs Dobbs preserved her outward composure but something seemed to whirl and spin in her brain and although she kept her eyes fixed on Mr Bragg she saw neither him nor anything else in the room for several seconds
I was asked through Mrs Griffin You may have heard speak of her
Mrs Dobbs made an affirmative movement of the head She could not have articulated a word at that moment to save her life
Mrs Griffin is a wellmeaning lady But shes a lady who now and then gets out of her depth along of not—what you might call minding her own business But she always means to be kind And the best of us make mistakes
Ah that we do assented Mrs Dobbs huskily
Well Mrs Griffin is always telling me that my money—a princely fortune she calls it but its a good deal more than that by what I can hear about princes—lays me under an obligation to marry again
At the words princely fortune Mrs Dobbs winced and a deep red flush came into her face but she answered quietly Wealth has its responsibilities of course Mr Bragg
Yes it has and its troubles But when alls said and done its pleasanter to be rich than poor Ive tried both
No doubt Only—one may pay too dear even for being rich
Well I should be sorry for any lady I married to consider that she paid too dear for being rich
Oh I meant no offence Mr Bragg
Theres nothing you may not pay too dear for I suppose except a quiet conscience You may pay too dear for a wife And theres two sides to every—he was about to say bargain but he substituted the word arrangement
Mrs Dobbs had taken up her knitting and was twisting and pulling it with her fingers in a restless nervous way When Mr Bragg made a pause and looked at her she said Of course thats quite true
He went on I make bold to hope Mrs Dobbs that youll give me credit in what Im going to say for having some serious reason and not talking idly out of pride and vanity in short for not being what you might call a fool
Yes I will Mr Bragg
Thank ye On that understanding I may say between ourselves that Mrs Griffin has mentioned to me several quarters where I shouldnt meet with a refusal in case I went to look for a wife I couldnt have supposed it myself—at least not to the extent it really does run to But the fact has been brought to my knowledge so that theres no possibility of making any mistake about it More than one young lady—some of em titled too said Mr Bragg with an odd glimmer of complacency flitting for a moment like a willothewisp above the solid terra firma of his native good sense More than one and more than two have been what you might call trotted out for me
Mrs Dobbss fingers twitched and pulled at the wool on her knittingneedles and the muscles round her mouth seemed to tighten But she said not a word
Mr Bragg continued Now perhaps you think I have no business to take up your time with all this when its no concern of yours
Still Mrs Dobbs did not speak so he added—
But it does concern you in a way
She made a visible effort to say quietly Ah indeed Hows that
But this time she was perfectly sure beforehand of what he was going to say
Im coming to that in one moment Here Mr Bragg paused took out his handkerchief and passed it over his face before proceeding I mentioned that Mrs Griffin sometimes gets out of her depth with the best of intentions when minding other peoples business She got a little out of her depth when attending to mine She somehow took it for granted that I should be quite content to marry any lady of high family who would look handsome in my diamonds and spend my money in the fashionablest style She was consequently a good deal taken aback when I offered some objections to one or two parties of her recommendation But I managed to make her understand at last Said I Mrs Griffin I dont undervalue the honour but Im too old to wear a tight shoe for the sake of appearances The fact was I did not feel myself what you might call drawn towards any of these young ladies I couldnt fancy them sitting opposite to me at my own fireside with a kind look on their faces Now the reason I say all this to you continued Mr Bragg laying his massive hand on the elbow of Mrs Dobbss chair is because there is a young lady that I do feel drawn towards—a young lady Ive had opportunities of observing at home and abroad And it was talking of this young lady that I said one day to Mrs Griffin Now if you could find some one like Miss May Cheffington whod condescend to have me I should think myself a very fortunate man She quite jumped at the idea
Jumped indeed burst out Mrs Dobbs indignantly Then she took a most unwarrantable liberty She could know nothing about Miss May Cheffingtons feeling in the matter What business had she to jump
Nay nay my good lady My good lady You dont understand She jumped at the idea on my account Why Lord bless me you couldnt suppose—— She told me at once that May Cheffington was the purestminded and most unworldly girl she ever knew I remember her very words for I couldnt help thinking at the time how queer it was that Mrs Griffin should admire unworldliness so much
There was a long pause Mrs Dobbs was greatly moved from her usual selfpossession She could not trust herself to speak while Mr Bragg was surprised and somewhat offended by her reception of what he had to say
He had really all things considered very little purse pride But he had been accustomed for many years to be dumbly conscious of the power of his wealth as an elephant is dumbly conscious of the power of his weight and for a few moments he felt as the elephant might feel if he were subjected to the mysterious process which we hear of as levitation and suddenly found himself brushed aside like a fly Mr Bragg did not wish to bear down his fellowcreatures unduly by force of wealth But wealth had come to be a large factor in his social specific gravity
After a while Mrs Dobbs said tremulously and by no means graciously Well I dont see what I can do for you in the matter
I am not asking you to do anything for me Mrs Dobbs I was not aware till last night that you were any relation to Miss Cheffington or leastways I had forgotten it for I believe I did hear of your daughters marriage years ago When I became aware of it I thought you would take it as a mark of respect and goodwill if I came and spoke to you confidentially But you dont appear to see it in that light
Mrs Dobbs turned round and offered him her hand saying I ask your pardon if I have said anything to offend you You dont deserve it you are very far from deserving it But Im shaken my nerve isnt what it was I havent been so upset since my poor dear daughter Susy ran away and got married She was trembling and her restless fingers were making sad work with the knitting
Well well theres no occasion for you to put yourself about you know I should like you to tell me just this—under the circumstances I think theres no objection to my putting the question—is there anybody else in the field before me
Nno I think not I cant say
If the young lady has no other attachment said Mr Bragg in his slow pondering way I dont see why I should not be able to make her happy What do you think
Youre a deal older than the child theres a great disparity Joshua answered Mrs Dobbs reverting in her agitation to the familiar form in which she had addressed him thirty years back
So there is but that cant be helped we must just reckon with it as so much alloy There wouldnt be much romance—couldnt be but a vast number of people get on very well without romance and are useful and happy I have some reason to believe added Mr Bragg looking at her a little askance—for there was no knowing whether this fiery old woman might not take offence again—that certain members of Miss Cs family would approve
Mrs Dobbs answered with unexpected meekness Theres no need to tell me that And you mustnt suppose Mr Bragg that I dont appreciate—that I dont know how the world in general would look upon your offer
Why you see it doesnt amount exactly to an offer I thought I would talk matters over with you and what you might call put the case You see said Mr Bragg placing the forefinger of his right hand upon the thumb of his left for my part I could undertake that any lady who did me the honour to marry me should have steady kindness and respect I wouldnt marry a woman I didnt respect not if she was the handsomest one in the world and a dukes daughter Then placing his two forefingers together I aint a bad temper nor a jealous temper Lastly here he shifted the forefinger of his right hand to the middle finger of his left though I dont want to lay too much stress upon money yet its a fact that my wife and in the course of nature my widow would be a very rich woman
I suppose you know said Mrs Dobbs leaning her forehead on her hand and letting the knitting slide from her knees to the floor that Mays father is alive
Yes I do know it And Ive got something to say to you on that score And Im sure you will agree with me that it is very desirable for Miss C to have protection and guidance Im not speaking for myself now you understand Her aunt Mrs DormerSmith is a very genteel lady with very high connections But—quite between ourselves you know—I wouldnt give much for her headpiece
Mrs Dobbs was looking at him eagerly and scarcely allowed him to finish his sentence before she said But you have something to say about Captain Cheffington
Well perhaps you know it If you dont you ought to He has been travelling about for years with an Italian operasinger She is with him now in Brussels And people say he has married her
Mrs Dobbs clasped her hands together and ejaculated almost in a whisper Oh my poor child
Mr Bragg could not tell whether she were thinking of her daughter or her granddaughter Perhaps the images of both were in her mind
You had not heard of it then Ah Its a bad prospect for Miss C
But is it true So many stories get about It seems incredible to me that Augustus so selfish as he is should have bound himself in that way
I hear it confirmed on all hands Its an old story now and pretty widely known But look at it which way you will its an ugly disreputable kind of business Mrs Dobbs
She was silent for a while sitting with her head sunk on her breast and her hands clasped before her Then she said almost as if speaking to herself God knows The woman may not be bad or wicked How are we to judge
Mr Bragg drew his hand away from the elbow of Mrs Dobbss chair where it had been resting and said in a tone of solemn disapprobation I dont think there can be much doubt as to the character of the—person Mrs Dobbs I understand she became so notorious in Brussels through keeping a gaminghouse or something of that kind as to call for the interference of the police
May I ask how this information reached you said Mrs Dobbs turning round and looking full at him
Mr Bragg hesitated for a few moments before answering It has come to me from various quarters but the latest is an Italian singer who has been chattering a good deal He was at Miss Pipers Theres always a certain amount of risk in having public performers in your house I dont encourage em myself—never did from a boy and I think it a pity that Miss Piper does Her sister and me are quite agreed on that point Mr Bragg here pushed back his chair and stood up I should wish you to understand he said that I should have thought it my duty to tell you this feeling the interest I do in Miss C quite independent of our previous conversation
I understand Thank you
With regard to that conversation you can if you think it advisable what you might call sound your granddaughter I think that might avoid disagreeables for both parties It cant be pleasant for a sensitive young lady to refuse an offer And I dont mind saying that it would be extremely unpleasant to me to be refused A man of my age and—well I may say my position dont like to look ridiclous Of course you dont care much for my feelings cant be expected to but I think on reflection youll see that by coming to you first in this way Ive also done the best I could to spare the feelings of Miss C
With that Mr Bragg shook hands with his hostess and quietly letting himself out of the house walked to his brougham and was driven away to the office in Friars Row
CHAPTER VIII
To one so habitually resolute sagacious and selfreliant as Mrs Dobbs the shock of discovering that she has been living under a delusion is severe It is not merely mortifying—it is alarming After her conversation with Mr Bragg Mrs Dobbs felt like a person who walking along what seems to be like a solid path suddenly finds his foot sink into a quagmire The firmer and bolder the tread the greater the danger
She had not been conscious until the disenchantment came how much hope and pride she had lavished on the image conjured up in her fancy by Paulines gentleman of princely fortune The image had been vague it is true but brilliant All that she knew of Mrs DormerSmiths pride of birth her contemptuous rejection of young Bransbys suit the importance she attached to introducing her niece into the best set and so forth served to strengthen Mrs Dobbs in all kinds of delusions She had taken it for granted that the sort of person whom Pauline could approve of as Mays husband must possess certain qualifications She no more thought for instance of doubting that he would be a gentleman than that he would be a white man The princely fortune added something chivalrous to the idea of him in her mind since he was ready to share it with portionless May And now these airy visions had been rolled aside like glittering clouds and the solid prosaic ugly fact presented itself in the form of Joshua Bragg
Mrs Dobbs sat for more than an hour after he had left her with bowed head and hands clasped scarcely stirring For a while she could not order her thoughts Her mind was confused Images came and went without her will Under all was a bitter sense of disappointment and a vague disquietude for the future At first she had dismissed the notion of Mays marrying Mr Bragg as one too preposterous to be entertained for a moment but by degrees she began to ask herself whether she might not be as mistaken here as she had been in other undoubting judgments Mr Bragg was a man of probity and—or so she had hitherto thought him—of excellent sense Oldchester held many substantial proofs of his benevolence Could it be possible that girlish May was willing to think of this man for a husband Mrs Dobbs tried to look at the matter judicially
There were many instances of happy marriages where the disparity in years was as great as in this case Who could be happier than Martin Bransby and his beautiful young wife But this example had not the effect of reconciling Mrs Dobbs to the possibility of Mays accepting the great tintack maker Martin Bransby was a man whom any woman might love—well educated clever genial of a handsome presence and with manners of fine oldfashioned courtesy There could be no comparison between Martin Bransby and Joshua Bragg
No no no Such a match would be a mere coarse bargain The very thought of it was an outrage to May And yet—the pendulum of her thoughts swinging suddenly in the opposite direction—she remembered that neither Mrs DormerSmith nor Mrs Griffin had so considered it And was it not true what Mr Bragg had said—that many people did very well without romance and were useful and happy Selfdistrust once aroused became wild and uncontrollable She fought against her better instincts telling herself that she was a fool and that the world was no place for storybook sentimentality If May married this man she would be safe from the gusts of fortune she would be honoured and caressed for it was clear that society accepted Mr Bragg without qualm or question and she would have boundless possibilities of doing good This surely at all events was a worthy aim
At this point—just as after a conflict between winds and waves there sometimes comes a sudden calm and the serenity of sunshine—the turmoil of her mind was stilled all at once and she saw clearly She lifted up her head and said aloud—
What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Lord forgive me I was arguing on the devils side every bit as much as that poor creature Mrs DormerSmith And without her excuse of knowing no better The whole thing is plain enough If May could bring herself to care for the man—and such unlikely things happen in that line that one darent say its downright impossible—shed do right to marry him if not shed do wrong And thats all about it
Here at least was a firm foothold And having struggled out of the quagmire Mrs Dobbs was able to consider the other subject of Mr Braggs talk with her—the rumour that Captain Cheffington had married again If it were true and above all if his new wife were such a one as Mr Bragg had described there was a new source of anxiety as to Mays future
As she was meditating on this point Jo Weatherhead returned eager to hear all about her interview with Bragg and to impart to her something he had just heard himself Mrs Dobbs was glad to be able to feed Jos hungry curiosity by telling him the reports about her soninlaw since she could not betray Mr Braggs confidence respecting May She found that he had been hearing a version of them from Mr Simpson whom he had met in the road Vallis utterances at Miss Pipers suppertable had already revived all kinds of obsolete gossip about Captain Cheffington
Itll be terrible for my poor lamb if half the bad things they say are true said Mrs Dobbs shaking her head
Jos private opinion was that Captain Cheffingtons conduct under any given circumstances was pretty sure to be the worst possible but he tried to comfort his old friend as he had succeeded in comforting himself by setting forth that her fathers behaviour be it what it might could scarcely affect Mays happiness very deeply seeing that she had been entirely separated from him for so long
And as to her position in the world that you think so much of—Mrs Dobbs winced at this and turned her head away—why I shrewdly suspect Sarah that a deal worse things than ever reached you and me have been known about Captain Cheffington in aristocratic circles this long time back And yet Miranda has been received among the tiptoppest people as if she belonged to em And theres her own greatuncle the Lord Viscount Castlecombe of Combe Park a nobleman notorious for his heighth Jo did not mean his stature has quite taken to her by all accounts
After some consultation they agreed together that it would be well for Mrs Dobbs to tell her granddaughter something of the reports which were flying about lest they might reach her accidentally or in a still more painful way through malice and find her unprepared Moreover Jo urged his old friend to write boldly to Augustus demanding an answer as to the truth of the statement that he had married a second wife Mrs Dobbs at length consented to do so although she had little hope of eliciting the truth by those means But Jo was strongly of opinion that if Captain Cheffington were not married he would be desirous for many reasons of repudiating the statement and if he were married he might not be displeased at this opportunity of saying so although pride or indolence or a hundred other motives might prevent him from making the opportunity for himself
The communication was made to May when she came home from College Quad that afternoon And although greatly surprised at first it did not produce so much effect as her grandmother had anticipated
May had enough of the healthy unquestioning veneration of a child for its parent to take her father on trust and Mrs Dobbs had always been careful not to lower Captain Cheffington in his daughters esteem But May did not—naturally could not—feel for him any of that strong personal attachment which is apt to look jealously on interlopers She regarded him with a somewhat hazy affection largely compounded of imagination and dim childish traditions Some added tenderness sprang perhaps from the notion that poor papa had been unfortunate and that the world had treated him below his deserts
After the first surprise was over she said But why should he keep it secret Wouldnt he have told you granny
Perhaps not May I hear from him very seldom as you know
Very seldom Yes but in such a case as this Perhaps though papa thought it might hurt your feelings on account of mamma
Perhaps returned Mrs Dobbs drily
People are unreasonably sensitive sometimes are they not As for me it never entered into my head to think of my fathers marrying again but now I do think of it it seems to me that it would be a very good thing
Its goodness or badness would depend of course on—circumstances
I do really think more and more that it would be a good thing granny Papa must have many lonely hours you know He likes Continental life best to be sure but still he is far away from his own country and his own people It seems almost selfish in us not to have thought of it for him Oh I hope she is a nice kind woman who will be good to him and take care of him I think I ought to write at once and assure him that I have no grudge in my heart about it And Im sure you have none either have you granny dear
Mrs Dobbs found it at once more painful and more difficult than she had foreseen to breathe degrading suspicions into this frank pure mind But it was necessary not to allow May to cherish what might prove to be disastrous illusions
It isnt all such plain sailing May she answered slowly I will write to your father and you had better wait for his reply We dont know that he is married at all And if he is we dont know that theres much to be glad about They do say that the lady is not a fit match for your father
He is the best judge of that I should think returned May Then she added her young face flushing with a generous impulse I dare say people may have said the same of my own dear mother
No May No one ever said of your own dear mother what is said of this woman
There was a sternness in her grandmothers voice and face which startled the girl
What do they say granny she asked quickly
Mrs Dobbs checked herself Oh I cannot tell you exactly There are lots of stories about Some will have it that—her character is not quite blameless
Who dares to say so of my fathers wife
Hush May Theres no need to call her your fathers wife yet Signor Valli says the person in question——
Signor Valli Then I dont believe a word of it Not one word I know he talks wildly and jumps at things Why he told Clara Bertram that my mother was a foreigner and that he had met her So you see how accurate and trustworthy Signor Valli is Then after a moment as if struck by a sudden thought she asked Is—she a foreigner
I believe so
Then that is what he meant I suppose
Its right to tell you May that Signor Valli is not the only one who has heard disagreeable things
Oh of course they all baa one after the other You have no idea granny what foolish backbiting talk goes on among the people whom Aunt Pauline calls society Ive seen them roll a morsel of gossip over and over while it kept growing all the time like a snowball—or a mudball And no doubt many people whom Aunt Pauline doesnt call society are as bad A sheep is a sheep whichever side of the hedge it is on said this young censor with fine scorn
Mrs Dobbs in her heart did not put implicit faith in the stories which reached her The young and the old—when they are soundhearted—are both prone to disbelieve slander—the young from innocence the old from experience for there is no lesson more surely taught by life than the evil lightness with which evil is attributed
But with regard to these particular stories unwelcome corroboration was given to Mrs Dobbs by Clara Bertram Clara carried out her proposal of going to sing at Jessamine Cottage She went there one afternoon when May was absent at the Hadlows and introduced herself There were only Mrs Dobbs and Mr Weatherhead to listen to her but she sat down at the old square piano—feebly tinkling now but tinkling always in tune like the conscientious ghost of a defunct instrument—and sang her best Her audience though limited was highly appreciative and she soon found that their applause was not given ignorantly
Apart from the charm of her singing Clara won their sympathies by her kindly unaffected simplicity She inspired trustfulness One must have been blindly false ones self to doubt her truth Mrs Dobbs was moved to question her a little about Valli
Of course you have heard this gossip about Mays father she said
Yes To say the truth I almost hoped you might speak on this subject and so I purposely came when I thought May would not be here I hinted to her something that Valli had said to me but I saw she knew nothing
I have told her At least I have told her enough to prevent her being taken by surprise
I am glad of that I think you have done very wisely
This Signor Valli now said Mrs Dobbs musingly I suppose he tells lies sometimes eh
Clara reflected for a moment before she answered In one way—yes That is to say if he hated you and saw you give a penny to a beggar he would impute some nefarious motive for the action and say so without scruple but I dont believe he would be likely to invent circumstances
Then she went on to tell how Miss Polly Piper remembered a dreadful story about some gambling transactions and how Major Mitton had furbished up his Maltese reminiscences and how everybody found something to say and not one good thing among them all
Jo Weatherhead listened with a kind of dread enjoyment So much curious gossip could not but be interesting yet he wished with all his heart for Mays sake that it were not true
I speak openly to you said Clara but I am reticent about all this with other people Pray believe that
Mrs Dobbs did believe it Clara seemed to have become intimate with them all at once
May I come again asked the young singer as she took her leave
May you come Will you come I didnt ask you because when a person generously gives me one pearl of price it is not my way to snatch at the whole string Your time is precious your voice is precious
Dear Mrs Dobbs your kindness is precious Not that I am ungrateful for the kindness bestowed on me by—other people but there is such a delightful feeling of homeliness here And then although you have praised me too much I must say that you and Mr Weatherhead are good judges of music
Well I wont go so far as to deny that you might strew your pearls before certain animals who would value them less replied Mrs Dobbs
As for Jo Weatherhead he became so enthusiastic in Miss Bertrams praises behind her back that Mrs Dobbs laughingly declared he was in love with her And perhaps he was a little Many more such humble innocent loves spring up and die around us every day than we reck of They do not ripen into fruit but simply blossom like the wayside flowers and the world is all the sweeter for them
When May came home that evening she was delighted to hear of the favourable impression her friend had made although she declared it was shabby of Clara to have come in her absence May brought the news from College Quad that Constance had written home for a prolonged leave of absence having been invited by the duchess to accompany Mrs Griffin to Glengowrie
Canon Hadlow grumbles a little said May but he will let her go And I am so glad I hated the idea of going but Conny will enjoy it and everybody else will soon find out that she is the right girl in the right place—which I am sure I should not have been
Mr Bragg is not going to Glengowrie either I understand said Mrs Dobbs growing very red and coughing to hide her embarrassment
No Mr Bragg and I are quite agreed in not liking that sort of thing He says he feels lonely in a strange house and so do I If the duke and duchess were my friends it would be different
Mr Bragg has a good deal of sense I think
Plenty of common sense
And—ahem—and good feeling—dont you think
Whats the matter with your throat granny Shall I get you a glass of water—Oh yes he does a great deal of good with his wealth Canon Hadlow was saying only this afternoon that Mr Bragg gives away very large sums in private besides the public subscriptions where every one sees his name
Mr Bragg was here the other day to speak to me—on business—No no I dont want any water Sit still child And I think you are a great favourite of his
Its quite mutual granny Often and often in London I used to prefer a quiet talk with Mr Bragg to the foolish chatter of smart people
Ay ay But smart people need not be foolish May
N—no they need not Only so many of them—especially the young men—seem to think it part of their smartness to put on a kind of foolishness
Mrs Dobbs looked wistfully at her granddaughter In that process of sounding May which Mr Bragg had recommended and which Mrs Dobbs was endeavouring to carry out there arose this difficulty the chords gave forth a full response to every touch but who should interpret the meaning of the notes Mrs Dobbs had been accustomed to read Mays feelings by swift intuition She was now afraid to trust to that Her interview with Mr Bragg had upset so many of her preconceived ideas as to what could be considered probable or even possible in the matter of her grandchilds marriage that her judgment seemed paralyzed And then to risk a mistake which should involve Mays lifelong unhappiness would be too tremendous a responsibility
Measured by Mrs Dobbss unquiet thoughts it seemed a long time but in reality less than a minute elapsed between Mays last words and her saying—
Talking of smart people granny dont you think Aunt Pauline is sure to know the truth about papa
I cannot tell There might be reasons why she should not have heard it May
Well at all events I have been thinking that I will write to her and ask If she does know and is keeping her knowledge back from me for any reason—some of Aunt Paulines mysterious dancing before deaf people you know—that will make her speak out
I dont see why you should not write to her if you choose May
Mrs Dobbs had little doubt that Mrs DormerSmith would be annoyed and perturbed by Mays writing to her on the subject whether the story of the marriage were true or false and whether she herself had or had not heard of it But Mrs Dobbs was in no mood to shield Pauline from annoyance or perturbation
She and her gentleman of princely fortune indeed said Mrs Dobbs to herself Why couldnt she say old Joshua Bragg and then one would have known where one was
So it was settled that May should write to her aunt
CHAPTER IX
Theodore Bransby at first indignantly repudiated Vallis scandals about Captain Cheffington He was quite unprepared for them having it may be remembered heard nothing of Miss Pipers story told at the dinnerparty in his fathers house and having moreover loftily snubbed every one in Oldchester who ventured to hint anything to the disparagement of his distinguished friend What could Oldchester know about such persons as the Cheffingtons
But general testimony and public opinion were too strong for him and he was forced to give up his distinguished friend He fell back on mysterious hints of sympathy and intimacy with the family and allusions to what poor dear Lucius had said to him on the last occasion of their dining together at Mrs DormerSmiths
In his heart Theodore was deeply annoyed He considered that Captain Cheffington supposing report to speak truly had not only derogated from his proper place in the world but had in some sense personally injured him Theodore by forming a connection so far beneath him Nevertheless it was very possible that Captain Cheffington might some day come to be Viscount Castlecombe and much would be forgiven to a wealthy peer of the realm Theodore was conscious that he himself could forgive much to such a one He was not prone to indulge in idle fancies yet he caught himself once or twice writing on a corner of his blottingpad the words Hon Mrs Theodore Bransby with pensive sentiment But let her fathers fate and fortunes be what they might Theodore felt that he must still desire to marry May Cheffington The recognition of this feeling in himself gave him an agreeable sense of his own elevation of soul That fellow Rivers talked a vast deal of flashy nonsense which dazzled people but it was possible to take a serious and sensible view of life without being commonplace Theodore did not by any means wish to be or to be thought commonplace
He had just been called to the Bar and ought by this time to have begun his professional career on the Midland Circuit But he lingered in Oldchester on the plea of delicate health It was not so much the presence of May Cheffington as that of Owen Rivers which chained him there If Rivers would but have left Oldchester Theodore would have turned his back on it also with small reluctance The dull vague jealousy of Rivers which he began to feel long ago had become acute Rivers would have been a distasteful personage to him under any circumstances but viewed as a rival he inspired something like loathing And yet the desire to watch him—not to lose sight of him so long as May should be in Oldchester—was irresistible Theodore had never come so near quarrelling with his stepmother as on the subject of Owen Rivers but he had failed in causing the latter to be excluded or even coldly received by Mrs Bransby
There was a painful scene one day at luncheon when Martin Mrs Bransbys eldest boy vehemently took up the cudgels in defence of his absent friend Owen of whom Theodore had been speaking with sneering contempt Martin was ordered away from the table for being impertinent to his halfbrother But general sympathy was with the culprit and Mr Bransby said when the boy had left the room—
Of course it would not do to allow Martin to be saucy but you are too hard upon Rivers Theodore He may have his faults but if he be idle he is not selfindulgent Rivers has a Spartan disdain of personal luxuries and although he doesnt work no one suffers by that but himself He is incapable of a mean thought has a most noble truthfulness of nature and is a gentleman to the core
Theodore turned deadly white and answered I am sorry not to be able to agree with you sir To be a lounging hangeron as Rivers is at the Hadlows is not compatible with my conception of a gentleman
He rose as he spoke and left the room so as to cut off any possibility of a reply
Mrs Bransby had sat by with downcast eyes parted lips and beating heart She was divided between delight at hearing her husband assert his own opinion against Theodore and her constitutional timidity and dread of a quarrel When Theodore was gone she put her hand on her husbands shoulder and said—
It is like you dear Martin to stand up for the absent We are all—the children and I—so fond of young Rivers
I hate priggishness and I hate spitefulness rejoined Martin Bransby with a sparkle in his fine dark eyes
The old mans face had flushed when he uttered his protest It was an unusual outburst for of late—whether from failing health or from whatever cause—Mr Bransby had more and more shrunk from opposing or contradicting Theodore He seemed almost timidly anxious to conciliate him and was evidently distressed by any symptom of illwill between his eldest son and the rest of the family After a while the flush died from his cheek and the fire from his eye He sat with bowed head softly caressing the white jewelled hand which had slidden down from his shoulder Presently he said—
Dont let us cherish feuds or blow up resentment Loui If there are subjects on which Theodore thinks differently from you—and me and me too my dear—let us avoid them He has his good points though he has weak ones—as we all have Let us spare them Theodore may be very helpful to the boys when I am gone And I have it very much at heart that there should be peace and goodwill between them
In Theodores mind however the little incident rankled He was silent about it But that was no indication that he had either forgiven or forgotten it
He was also annoyed and disappointed at seeing May Cheffington so seldom during this sojourn at home He had formerly met her constantly at College Quad but he could not now frequent Canon Hadlows house as he had done in old days even had he wished it And although it appeared that Mrs Bransby had struck up a great friendship with May during his absence Mays visits to her were very brief and rare Theodore half suspected that his stepmother perversely stinted her invitations to the girl for the express purpose of vexing him and at length he plainly asked her how it was that Miss Cheffington came to their house so seldom Mrs Bransby was tempted to give him her real opinion as to the reason but she refrained She would not vex Martin by saying sharp things to his son So she answered vaguely that Miss Cheffington now passed a good deal of her time at Garnet Lodge with her friend Clara Bertram
Excuse me said Theodore tilting his chair and looking down as from the summit of Mont Blanc upon his stepmother The DormerSmiths were very kind to that little Bertram girl in town and Mrs DormerSmith launched her in some of the best houses but—pardon me for setting you right—she is not quite on such a footing as to be a friend of Miss Cheffingtons
However he acted on the hint accidentally given and began to honour the Miss Pipers with frequent visits
The goodnatured old maids received him very kindly but it may be doubted whether he were particularly welcome to any of the persons who had taken the habit of dropping in nearly every evening at Garnet Lodge
Major Mitton and Dr Hatch were old habitués but the circle now included some new ones Mr Bragg was often there Theodore considered it a striking proof of the incurable commonness of Mr Braggs tastes—already illustrated to Theodores apprehension by a memorable instance—that he to whom some of the best county society was accessible and who had even been invited to Glengowrie should prefer the middleclass sittingroom and the middleclass gossip of Polly and Patty Piper There was too the inevitable Owen Rivers and occasionally Mr Sweeting and Cleveland Turner would drive over from the countryhouse which the former had hired in the neighbourhood Miss Bertrams visit was prolonged in Theodores opinion very unduly It might be all very well to invite her for professional purposes but once the musical party was over it was absurd to keep the girl as a visitor in the house Altogether there was much that Theodore disapproved of at Garnet Lodge but as he told himself he went there for a purpose totally disconnected with its owners And if he did some violence to his social principles by condescending to frequent such an undistinguished and bourgeois set of people he was resolved to make amends by totally dropping their acquaintance in the not distant future
As to May although he genuinely believed that the DormerSmiths had influenced her against him he was not so foolish as to think that she had been coerced or that she was at all in love with him Nevertheless a vast deal might depend on the influence of those around her in the case of a girl so young so freshhearted and so inexperienced He had faith in his own perseverance and constancy The main point—the only vital point—was to prevent any rival from succeeding So long as May were free he had good hope It was quite certain that the Cheffington family would never sanction her marrying Owen Rivers That must be taken as absolutely sure And indeed Miss Cheffington herself would probably scout the idea But with regard to what Rivers hoped and intended Theodore could not be mistaken There at least he was clearsighted It was disgraceful on the part of a fellow like Rivers subsisting in idleness on a beggarly pittance and without prospects for the future or advantages in the present to aspire to such a girl as May Cheffington Of course Rivers knew very well that it would prove a good speculation May might prove to be the sole heiress of a rich nobleman At any rate she would certainly inherit her grandmothers money Mrs Dobbss savings however paltry would be a sufficient bait for Rivers who had none of that ambition for fine tailoring upholstery and the paraphernalia of fashionable life which becomes a gentleman Jealousy apart perhaps that which made Owen peculiarly offensive to him was to see a man at once so poor so contented and so free from any misgivings as to his right to be generally respected
On his side it must be owned that Owen wasted no cordiality on Theodore To see May speaking civilly to that correctly dressed and dignified young man caused Mr Rivers a certain irritation which occasionally manifested itself in the most unreasonable illhumour towards her
I really believe you like his empty arrogance he said to her once Why else you should sit and listen to him with that complacent air I cannot conceive
Oh I enjoy it of all things answered May mischievously otherwise I should of course cut him short by remarking in a loud voice and with a ferocious glare Mr Bransby I look upon you as a tedious prig How delightful social intercourse would become if we had all reached that fine point of sincerity
But there were other causes of dislike between the young men unconnected with May Cheffington Owen felt not only admiration but regard for Mrs Bransby and resented her stepsons demeanour towards her while Theodore was embittered by hearing Owens praises in his own family
The perception of this lurking enmity between them made May anxious to smoothe asperities and prevent a rupture In her heart although she admitted he had done nothing to startle or offend her of late she intensely disliked Theodore Bransby yet she found herself in a position of taking his part against Owen Owen was too absolute too inflexible too implacable she said After all Theodore had always conducted himself irreproachably He might not be agreeable to them May had innocently come to join herself with Owen in this kind of partnership in sentiment but probably they were not always agreeable to other people they ought to be tolerant if they wished to be tolerated—and the like sage reflections All which pretty lectures though they made Owen no whit less obdurate towards Theodore melted his heart into ever softer tenderness for May
She had not gone to Glengowrie The reprieve he had allowed himself after which she was to depart and he must steel himself to endure her absence for probably the remainder of his life had expired But May was still there And there too was he He was free to go away at any moment But he lingered He began to suffer sharp pangs of regret when he thought of the lost opportunities which lay behind him for now sometimes it seemed to him as if this sweet pure girl might come to love him And what had he to offer her How could he ask her to share such a life as his Owen had held certain uncompromising theories such as that a woman who hesitated to partake poverty with the man she professed to love was not worth winning and that a man must be but a poor creature who should weigh a womans fortune against himself and fear to woo a welldowered girl lest he might be thought to love her money bags and not her And he had long ago decided that with his marriage at least supposing that unlikely event ever took place considerations of money should have nothing to do on either side But theories—even true theories—are apt to find themselves a little out of breath when suddenly confronted with the fact
The advice so vigorously given by Mrs Dobbs to do some honest work if it were but breaking stones upon the road took a new significance when he thought of May That on this point May agreed with her grandmothers view he had ascertained although a shy consciousness restrained her from urging him to change his course of life He began to cast about in his mind for some possible employment but he found as so many others had found before him how difficult it is to turn general acquirements into a definite channel
A chance word of Mr Braggs at length suddenly suggested a hope to him
Mr Bragg mentioned one evening at Garnet Lodge that he purposed making a journey into Spain partly on matters connected with his sons business and said that he should like to find some trustworthy person to accompany him as secretary and interpreter
I dont speak any foreign language myself said Mr Bragg Of course theres always somebody that knows English and pounds sterling are a pretty universal language I find and make themselves understood everywhere But still youre at a disadvantage with people who can talk your tongue while you cant talk theirs
But you could send somebody couldnt you suggested Miss Patty Spain Ive heard is such a horrid country
Horrid cried Major Mitton indignantly He was strong in recollections of sundry youthful escapades and excursions from Gib Most delightful country Most picturesque poetical and——
Oh yes but I meant the cooking explained Miss Patty
Mr Bragg however valorously declared himself ready to face the perils of Spanish cookery His son was not satisfied with his correspondent at Barcelona Mr Bragg wanted change of air and since he had given up the idea of visiting the Highlands this autumn he would take this opportunity of seeing foreign parts and at the same time looking into matters at Barcelona for his son
Owens heart beat fast as the thought occurred to him of offering himself to Mr Bragg as secretary for this journey He hurried after Mr Bragg when the latters carriage was announced and stopped him in the hall to ask when and where he could have a private interview with him Mr Bragg answered in his slow ruminating way as he took his coat from the servant—
An interview with me Oh well why not come over to lunch My house aint beyond a pleasant walk for your young legs
No thank you I wont come to luncheon But I want an appointment—I shall not take up much of your time—on business
Oh on business is it said Mr Bragg It was curious to note how evidently the sound of the word made him bring his mind to bear on what was said to him with a new and keener attention On business Its nothing you could write I suppose
Yes I could write it Shall I
I think it would be the best plan if you dont mind You see I find in a general way that talk—what you might call branches out so Now a letter limits a man I dont mean this for your particlar case you know but speaking in a general way Perhaps if we find afterwards that there is anything to talk over you might look me up at my office in Friars Row Itll be easier to settle all that when I know what the business is Good night My respects to your aunt
Owen hastened to his lodgings and set himself at once to compose a letter to Mr Bragg Seeing that it was then past eleven oclock at night and that Mr Bragg had set out for his countryhouse it was scarcely probable that he should have found a secretary between that hour and the following morning But Owen felt as if every moments delay might be fatal Oldchester persons who had seen him lounging on Canon Hadlows lawn and merely knew him as a young man fond of smoking and reading and such unprofitable employments would have been amazed at the impetuous energy he threw into the writing of this letter But the same weight of character which gives massiveness to repose adds a formidable momentum to action
The main difficulty he soon found was to make his letter short This after several failures and the tearing up of three copies he accomplished to a fair extent if not wholly to his own satisfaction When he had finished the letter he put it into a cover stamped and addressed it and went out to post it with his own hand By that time it was considerably past midnight The letter could have been delivered by hand in Friars Row next morning and would probably have reached Mr Bragg equally soon But it was a relief to Owen in his restless impetuous mood to have done something irrevocable And there are few actions in life so obviously irrevocable as posting a letter This is what he had written—
Dear Sir
I venture to offer myself for the post of your secretary during the journey you propose making to Spain
My qualifications are—Honesty a fair knowledge of the Spanish language and considerable experience of travelling in Spain where I have made two long tours on foot Perhaps I ought to add to these good health and willingness to be useful My disadvantages are—Ignorance of the forms of mercantile correspondence and inexperience of the duties of a secretary I believe I could learn both very quickly
I have hitherto been a man without occupation I am now anxious to have one by which I can earn money Should you on inquiry and consideration think I could honestly earn some as your secretary I should be grateful if you would give me a trial
I am ready to wait on you at your office or elsewhere in case you wish for an interview and remain
Dear Sir
Yours truly
Owen Rivers
The following afternoon Owen was summoned to see Mr Bragg at his office The old house in Friars Row had been painted and varnished inside and out Plate glass glittered in the window panes and elaborate brass handles shone on the doors Owen had never been in the house during the days of Mrs Dobbss occupation But he knew that May had spent much of her childhood there and he looked round the private room into which he was shown with a tender glance such as probably never before rested on those mahogany office fittings moroccocovered chairs and neatly ranged accountbooks
Mr Bragg was sitting at a writingtable and held out his hand without rising when Owen entered
Sit down Mr Rivers he said pointing to a chair opposite to his own on the other side of the table
Owen sat down and remained waiting in silence
Well so you think youd like to go to Spain with me said Mr Bragg slowly rubbing his chin and looking thoughtfully at the young man
I should like to get work to do Mr Bragg I dont care much where it is But it struck me that I might be useful to you in Spain
Ah Well I was surprised at your letter
Nothing in it that you object to I hope
Oh no Oh dear no Only I didnt know you was in want of employment And I should have thought——
Yes
I should have thought youd ha liked some more—what you might call professional employment
A man cant step into a profession from one day to another And besides the professions are overstocked Theres no elbowroom in any of them—especially for a poor man
Ah Yes I hear that sort of thing is said a great deal but it seems to me that might be a reason for giving up living altogether Theres a good many of us in all classes one way and another but a man has got to make room for himself
You have a right to say so Mr Bragg and I have no right to dispute it for you have tried and succeeded and I have not even tried
Ah That seems a pity—with your education and all However I didnt intend to branch out as I said to you last night With regard to the point in hand I would just say at once that this situation would be strictly tempory you understand It couldnt be looked on in the light of what you might call an opening
I understand
At the same time it might—I dont say it would—lead to an opening continued Mr Bragg indenting the paper before him by drawing his thumbnail along it with a strong steady movement as though he mentally saw the opening in question and were mapping out the way to it
I quite understand that if you engaged me as secretary for this journey you would not bind yourself to anything beyond Whether anything further came of it or not would depend first on my suitableness and next on circumstances
Thats it said Mr Bragg leaning back in his chair and nodding slowly
Well Mr Bragg I can only say I would do my best As to my knowledge of Spanish Im not afraid I began to learn the language first for the sake of reading Cervantes as so many people have done before me but since then I have acquired a colloquial knowledge of it by talking with all sorts of Spaniards when I was tramping about their country
I have heard said Mr Bragg not displeased to show himself acquainted with the literary aspect of the matter of a man that learned Spanish in order to read a book called Don Quixote
Just as I did
Oh Did you I thought you mentioned a different name And can you write it
Fairly well but I should have to learn the commercial style
Thered be more need perhaps for you to understand it than to write it yourself All communications with my son in Buenos Ayres could of course be written in English
Mr Bragg here made a long thoughtful pause It was so long a pause that Owen at length broke it by saying with a smile though the colour rose to his brow—
As to my character I cant give you one from my last place because I never had a place but my uncle Canon Hadlow will I believe guarantee my trustworthiness
He felt a queer little shock when Mr Bragg instead of protesting himself fully satisfied on that score answered in a matteroffact tone—
Ah yes I dare say he will I make no doubt but what thatll be all right Then after a second shorter pause he continued Theres one point Mr Rivers that I must put quite plain I expect everybody in my employment to obey orders Now you see you having been what you might call brought up a gentleman might not——
Oh I hope you dont think that insubordination is part of a gentlemans bringing up
It hadnt ought to be but its best to be clear
Clearly then I can undertake to obey your orders and I would only warn you to give them carefully because I shall carry them out to the letter If you ordered me to make a bonfire of your banknotes I should burn em all without mercy
Mr Bragg laughed his quiet inward laugh There was something in the conception of himself ordering banknotes to be burned which keenly touched his not very lively sense of the ludicrous
All right said he Ill take that risk
Then am I to conclude—may I hope that you will engage me asked Owen with nervous eagerness
Why I shall ask leave to turn it over in my mind a little longer But Ill undertake not to keep you waiting beyond tomorrow morning You see if I do make an offer its best you should have it in writing And simlarly if you accept it I ought to have that in writing
Thank you Then I need not intrude longer on your time
No intrusion at all Mr Rivers Good morning to you
Owen turned round at the door and coming back to the writingtable said May I ask you to keep my application to yourself for the present
Certainly answered Mr Bragg But he looked slightly surprised
Of course I dont mean the thing to be secret so far as I am concerned
Why no we couldnt hardly keep it secret said Mr Bragg gravely
Of course not But if your answer should be favourable I should like to be the first to tell—a—a person—the one or two persons who take any interest in me
But I shall have to say a word to your uncle and thats pretty well the same thing as saying it to your aunt I take it
Oh yes to be sure I didnt mean you not to mention it to them
All right I certainly shall not mention it to anybody else returned Mr Bragg
And when the young man was gone he said to himself I wonder who else there is I could mention it to that would care two straws one way or the other I like his way He dont jaw like that young Bransby And he didnt try to soap me
The next day Owen Rivers was formally engaged as travelling secretary to Mr Bragg for three months beginning from October which was now near at hand
CHAPTER X
Mrs Dobbs had judged rightly as to the effect of Mays letter on her Aunt Pauline That sorely tried lady was overwhelmed at this time by various troubles She did not write to May but addressed a very long and somewhat rambling letter to Mrs Dobbs After the strongest expressions of dismay and horror at the rumour of her brothers marriage Pauline proceeded—
I really cannot answer Mays letter—at all events not at present I am deeply distressed that she should have addressed me on the subject at all It is such terribly bad form in a girl of her age to appear cognisant of anything not brought to her knowledge by the proper channels I had heard a vague report of the connection—which was bad enough But who could have supposed that Augustus would have degraded himself to the point of marrying such a person But I ought not to trouble you with my feelings on this matter for I am very sure you cannot imagine one tithe of the various distressing results to the family which will flow from it It is much to be regretted that May so precipitately decided not to go to Glengowrie particularly under recent untoward circumstances I learn from a friend in town that my cousin Mr Lucius Cheffington is much better I do not mean of course that this is an untoward circumstance but it alters the position of affairs I scarcely know what I write You may not be aware—few persons are aware—of the delicate state of my nervous system I suffer keenly from any mental pressure And of late I seem to have had nothing else My cure at this place has been sadly interfered with by anxiety for others But really whether poor dear Lucius recover or not if this story from Belgium is true my nieces position will be a most painful one From the tone of her letter to me I can see that she does not at all take in the situation You can tell her one thing from me If my brother were to succeed to the title tomorrow he would have nothing but what the entail gives him So if she imagines otherwise it would be well to undeceive her You wont mind my saying that in this respect the circumstances of my brothers first marriage were peculiarly unfortunate since they prevented any settlement being made for the children
Ay said Mrs Dobbs interrupting her reading at this point not to mention that by that time Augustus had nothing left to settle
Then she resumed the letter—
You and I my dear Mrs Dobbs must join our forces in face of these new and trying circumstances The more I think of it the more I regret that my niece has missed the opportunity of going to Glengowrie especially since I have learned that Mrs Griffin is going to chaperon another young lady in her stead In society it is fatal to drop out of sight—you are forgotten immediately—and I cannot expect Mrs Griffin to do more than she has done Indeed both she and the dear duchess have been extraordinarily kind—I fear May scarcely appreciates how kind but the truth is that she is singularly—I scarcely know what word to use—not dull but indifferent on certain points There is an apathy about her sometimes which has caused her uncle and myself a great deal of distress But really she must rouse herself from it now It is a great comfort to us to know that you my dear Mrs Dobbs take a sound view of my nieces position and have her best interests at heart
Believe me
Very truly yours
P DormerSmith
PS—I have this moment received a letter from Miss Hadlow in which she mentions amongst other items of news that the gentleman whom I wrote of as being interested in May has declined his invitation to Glengowrie and is now in Oldchester There appears to be something absolutely providential in this I know you have great influence over May Pray exert it to make her see what is right I have never been able to get her to look on her social position as involving certain duties But indeed in her case the duty immediately before her of obtaining a splendid settlement and a fine position is an easy one I have seen cases of real sacrifice to this social obligation endured without murmur Since they are both in Oldchester it must surely be easy to give the gentleman every opportunity of presenting his suit Indeed there may be better opportunities than at Glengowrie The longer we live the more we realize how everything is overruled for good
P D S
I reopen this to write an essential word—The name of the gentleman I have alluded to You may form some conception of the pressure on my brain from my having omitted to do so before He is a Mr Bragg—a man of very large wealth and received everywhere I know that my uncle has more than once received him at Combe Park And he would I dare say have got some chaperon there and had May down for a time but of course under the bereavement we have all just suffered in the death of my cousin George this cannot be at present But there surely must be among the better families in Oldchester some whom Mr Bragg visits Possibly the bishop if he is there or perhaps the dean I know Lady Mary slightly Pray lose no time my dear Mrs Dobbs in ascertaining this
Mrs Dobbs pondered long after reading this epistle In Mays absence she often turned over in her mind the advantages of an alliance with Mr Bragg remembered favourable precedents and taught herself to think that it might be The sight of the girls face and the sound of her voice were apt to scatter these fancies as sunrise scatters the mists But they returned when May disappeared again and haunted all the old womans lonely hours
One morning after an evening spent at Garnet Lodge when Mrs Dobbs was alone with her grandchild and was meditating how she should approach the subject chiefly in her thoughts May unexpectedly began—
Granny do you know I have something to say that will surprise you
Have you May Nothing ought to surprise me at seventy odd But somehow things do surprise me still
Of course they do granny I think it is only blockheads who are never astonished because one thing is much the same to them as another
Well Im glad I can prove myself no blockhead at such an easy rate What is your surprise about May
Its about—Mr Bragg
The colour came into Mays cheeks as she looked up with a bright shy glance from her favourite low seat beside grannys knee But it was nothing to the deep sudden flush which dyed Mrs Dobbss face She looked at her grandchild almost vacantly for a moment and then grew paler than before But May did not observe all this She sat smiling to herself with the colour varying in her face as it so easily did on the very slightest emotion her hands clasped round her knees and her bright head bent down as she continued—
I have had my suspicions for some time past but I said nothing until last night Then when I went into Claras room to put my hat on I just gave her a tiny hint and she said very likely I was right and did not laugh at me a bit But I dare say you will laugh at me granny
Let us hear my lass said Mrs Dobbs moistening her lips which felt parched
Well—I think that Mr Bragg has a motive in coming so often to Garnet Lodge
I suppose he has
Ah but a very special motive—a matrimonial motive There granny
Mrs Dobbs looked down with a singular expression at the shining brown hair so near to her hand which rested on the elbow of her easychair But she did not caress it as she habitually did when within reach She sat quite still and merely said—
So you think it surprising that Mr Bragg should have matrimonial intentions do you
Oh no It isnt that Mr Bragg is a very kindhearted man and would be sure to make a good husband And do you know he is very far from stupid granny
I dare say Joshua Bragg always had his head screwed on the right way
His manner is against him Of course he is uneducated and rather slow But after all that doesnt matter so very much
And hes rich added Mrs Dobbs in a dry tone
Ever so rich I am sure he must have heaps and heaps of money or else Aunt Pauline would not approve of him so highly
And not quite decrepit
Decrepit What a word to use granny No I should think not indeed
Hm Neither a brute nor in his dotage and immensely rich—I dont know what a woman can wish for more said Mrs Dobbs with increasing bitterness
Why granny exclaimed May looking up I thought you rather liked Mr Bragg I have always heard you speak well of him
The hand on the chairarm clenched and unclenched itself nervously as Mrs Dobbs answered in short jerky sentences and as though she were forcing herself with an effort to utter them Oh so I do Joshua Bragg is an honest kind of man Ive nothing against him Dont think that my lass
Well granny but now for the surprise I wonder you have not guessed it by this time Who do you think is the lady
I cant guess Tell it out May and have done with it
To be sure there is not much choice If it were not one it must be the other But I have made up my mind that Mr Bragg and Miss Patty will make a match of it What do you say to that granny
Mrs Dobbs said nothing but gasped and laid her head back on the cushion of her chair
I thought you would be surprised But when one comes to think of it it seems very suitable doesnt it Mr Bragg admires Miss Pattys cookery above everything And she is such a kind charitable soul she would do worlds of good with riches And they agree on so many points—even their crotchets And do you know Miss Patty would look ten years younger if she would leave off that yellow wig She has such nice soft grey hair that she brushes back I have settled that she is to leave off the wig when she marries Mr Bragg and take to picturesque mob caps I have been arranging all sorts of things in my own mind Im quite coming out in the character of a matchmaker granny
In the midst of her chatter the girl looked up and uttered an exclamation of dismay Her grandmothers head still lay back against the cushion of the chair her eyes were closed and she seemed to be laughing to herself But the tears were pouring down her cheeks At Mays exclamation she opened her arms wide and then pressed the girls bright brown head against her breast saying brokenly—
Dont be feared child Im all right I couldnt help laughing a bit Its so—so funny to think of old Joshua and—and Miss Patty
But you are crying too granny Is anything the matter Do tell me
Nothing child Im all right Poor Joshua He was a good lad when he worked for your grandfather And—and—I remember her a little miss in a white frock and blue sash It brings up old times thats all May Lord what fools we are when we try to be cunning and Mrs Dobbs went off again into a fit of laughter interspersed with sobs
I didnt try to be cunning said May indignantly
You my lamb Whoever thought you did returned her grandmother wiping her eyes and kissing Mays forehead
By and by she resumed her usual solid selfpossession She told May that she did not agree in her view of the state of the case and advised her not to hint her matchmaking project to any one You have said a word to Miss Bertram and that cant be taken back but she is wise beyond her years and will not chatter
But theres nothing wrong in the idea granny protested May who was considerably puzzled by her grandmothers unusual demeanour
No no nothing wrong only Mr Bragg might not like it—he might be looking after a young wife who knows Anyway we will keep our ideas to ourselves
As she spoke the latch of the gardengate clicked and following Mays glance Mrs Dobbs saw from the open window Owen Rivers advancing up the path towards the house
The gentleman of princely fortune whose image had interposed between her shrewd apprehension and the facts before her having melted away like a phantom she perceived that here was a new influence to be reckoned with—a new force which whether for good or ill might help to shape her grandchilds future
May I come in asked Owen
Come in Mr Rivers
Mrs Dobbs felt as though she had invited embodied Destiny to cross her threshold—Destiny in the prosaic guise of a blueeyed squarebuilt young man in a shootingjacket and a wideawake hat But that Power does not often appear to mortals with much outward pomp and circumstance We are like children who think a king must needs go about in royal robes crowned and sceptred But the decree which changes our lives is mostly signed by some plain figure in everyday clothes whom we should not turn our heads to look upon
Owen entered the little parlour and came and stood opposite to Mrs Dobbss chair without any of the customary salutations Well said he eagerly I have some news for you
Lord ha mercy This is a day of news muttered Mrs Dobbs under her breath Then she said aloud I hope its good news
I have found some work to do Is that good
Mrs Dobbs clapped her hands softly Very good she said Half an hour ago her approbation would have been more heartily expressed but she was looking at him now with different eyes and considering his prospects with a new and serious interest
You havent asked me what the work is said Owen just a little disappointed by her quietude
I suppose it is not stonebreaking But if it is I stick to my colours Better that than nothing
You will say Mrs Dobbs that I am luckier than I deserve to be I am engaged as secretary to a man who is about to travel in Spain I happen to know Spanish Luck again for I learnt it merely to amuse myself
Yes I do think that isnt bad for a beginning and I hope it will lead to something more Who is the gentleman if I may ask
Before Owen could answer May who had perched herself on the elbow of Jo Weatherheads vacant chair said I think I can guess Its Mr Bragg
Mr Bragg echoed her grandmother as if doubtful of having heard aright
I remember hearing him talk of a journey into Spain and of wanting to find a gentleman to go with him Am I not right
Quite right answered Owen
Mr Bragg Well that is strange whispered Mrs Dobbs to herself
Owen had taken a chair and sat bending forward with his elbows on his knees pleating and puckering in his fingers the brim of his soft felt hat He had not hitherto so much as looked towards May now he straightened himself in his chair and fixing his eyes on her earnestly asked—
And what do you say to my news Miss Cheffington
I say as granny says that I am very glad she answered smiling but speaking in a subdued tone
Its more to the purpose to ask what Canon and Mrs Hadlow say to it put in Mrs Dobbs I hope they are pleased
I dare say—I have no doubt—I—I have not seen Aunt Jane yet The fact is I am on my way to College Quad but I thought I would look in here as I passed and tell you that I have followed your advice Mrs Dobbs
The direct road from Owens lodgings to College Quad was a short and nearly straight line To visit Jessamine Cottage on the way from one to the other was analogous to going round by Edinburgh on a journey from London to Leeds
I wanted a little patting on the back and cheering up you see continued Owen
Cheering up cried May Oh but I remember that Mrs Hadlow said you always liked to be pitied for having your own way You must require a great deal of consolation truly for the prospect of travelling in that delightful country
Owen nodded and carefully fitted one pleat of his hatbrim into another as he answered I dare say my appetite for consolation is bigger than you imagine
I think it is Mr Bragg who needs cheering up Poor man he little knows what a peremptory protestant and positive secretary he will have retorted May with a half shy half saucy wholly mischievous glance
Not at all Now that is just the kind of mistake which Aunt Jane so often makes But if I serve I mean to serve honestly and to be thoroughly obedient I have told Mr Bragg so And Owen proceeded to justify himself and to develop his views as to the duties of a secretary with superfluous energy and earnestness
The old woman sat watching them and as she looked she was amazed at her own previous blindness How could she—how could any one—have seen them together without perceiving that they were falling over head and ears in love with each other These two young creatures seemed in her old eyes like a couple of children playing in a pleasureboat But she knew that the river was running towards the sea—widening and deepening with an irrevocable current There was room for anxiety about the future no doubt Yet a sense of relief in her mind—as if she had escaped out of some oppressive atmosphere—revealed more and more distinctly how repugnant the idea of Mays marrying Mr Bragg had really been to her
Sarah Dobbs said she to herself severely youre a worldly false old woman Youre a nice one to find fault with that poor creature Pauline What were you doing pray but sacrificing your conscience to the mammon of unrighteousness The Lord be praised the dear child is better and purer and honester than either of us old harridans
Then she broke into the conversation between May and Owen which by this time had sunk into a low murmur and asked abruptly whether the engagement with Mr Bragg was to lead to any further employment
Owen repeated what Mr Bragg had said to him as nearly as he could remember it and Mrs Dobbs thought it hopeful
Joshua Bragg is an honest man—a man to be relied on one of the few who generally means what he says all that he says and nothing but what he says said she nodding thoughtfully
May was glad to find granny doing justice to Mr Bragg and remarked to herself that if it were possible to conceive grannys ever being capricious she would have called her capricious today in her varying tone about that worthy man
I shouldnt wonder pursued Mrs Dobbs if he put you in the way of getting permanent employment—supposing you please him He might get you a place out in South America with his son Young Joshua is in a great way of business there Im told Would you go if you had the chance she asked suddenly looking at Owen with a searching gaze
Undoubtedly he replied at once
And you wouldnt mind being—being banished like from England
Mind Oh well of course I should prefer a thousand a year and a villa on the Thames but a fellow who has been an idler up to four and twenty must take any chance of earning something and be thankful for it
Thats right Mrs Dobbs drew a long breath of relief
It would only be for a year or two I should come back added Owen wistfully
Then he shook hands and went away and Mrs Dobbs and her granddaughter were left to discuss the news he had told them May chatted away cheerfully even gaily When Mr Weatherhead arrived the subject was talked over again Jos pleasure in the prospect opening before Mr Rivers was somewhat tempered by his sense of the incongruity involved in a gentleman like that brimful of learning and belonging to the old landed gentry being under the orders of Joshua Bragg
Theres no contradiction at all Jo if you look at it fairly said Mrs Dobbs Mr Bragg will command where he has a right to—that is in matters that he knows better than Mr Rivers for all his booklearning It isnt as if Joshua wanted to teach the young man how to be a gentleman I dont say its not a good thing to be a gentleman but it aint exactly a paying business nowadays if ever it was which I doubt
Ah mores the pity said Jo shaking his head
Why if I was a gentleman—or a lady—I shouldnt agree with you there Jo If gentlehood dont mean something above and beyond what can be paid for tis a poor business It seems to me just as pitiful for gentry to expect moneys worth for their old family high breeding and fine manners as it is for the grand workers of the world to grumble because they cant have power over the past as well as the present and the future Mr Bragg aint one of that sort Youll never catch him inventing a family crest or painting wild beasts on his carriage
Jo took his pipe out of his mouth and looked with solemn approbation at his old friend Sarah said he youre right and I believe youre a better Conservative than me when alls said and done
May had been silent during this discussion She held some needlework in her hands but they were lying idly on her lap and she was gazing out of the window as intently as though the small suburban garden offered a prospect of inexhaustible interest The cessation of the voices roused her She looked round and said softly—
Its a good climate isnt it granny Where Mr Braggs son lives I mean
CHAPTER XI
Before going to bed that night Mrs Dobbs sat down and wrote a letter marked private and confidential to Mr Bragg
Dear Mr Bragg she wrote
I think it my duty to let you know at once that the idea mentioned in your conversation with me must be given up I have made quite sure in my own mind that there is no chance of its coming to anything I feel very much how right you were to speak to me first You have spared other peoples feelings as well as your own When you asked me the question I answered you truly to the best of my belief that there was nobody else in the field But since our talk together I have found out that I was wrong there There is another attachment It may come to something or it may not And you will understand that I am putting a great confidence in you But I know I can trust to your honour as you trusted to mine Not a word has passed my lips of what you said to me and never will Of course you may think me mistaken and choose to find out the state of the case for yourself at firsthand If you do so I shall not have a word to say against it Anyway I know you will act upright according to your conscience as I have tried to act according to mine I want to tell you that I appreciate how generous your intentions were though Im afraid I did not show it at the time being surprised and upset
Believe me
With sincere respect
Yours truly
Sarah Dobbs
Shortly after that Mr Bragg came and called upon her He thanked her for her letter and spoke in a friendly tone But he seemed indisposed to consider the matter as finished
Young people sometimes dont know their own minds he said He further declared that he had no present intention of speaking to May but that as he was going abroad he might—if nothing were settled meanwhile—resume the subject on his return to England
Im quite sure in my own mind that its no use said Mrs Dobbs firmly And its only fair to tell you so as strong as possible However of course you must act according to your own judgment
There is one question I should like to ask if I might said Mr Bragg lingering at the door on his way out You and me can trust each other And if you feel at liberty to tell me I should like to know whether the—the party you alluded to in your letter is Mr Theodore Bransby
Certainly not
Well Im glad of it There was a talk of his paying Miss C a great deal of attention in town In fact I did hear she had refused him Understand Im not fishing as to that Its no matter to me one way or the other so long as he is not the party I cant say that I know any harm of the young man but hes what you might call a poor sort of metal not pleasant to handle and I should fear brittle in the working I really am relieved in my mind to know that he is not the party Thank ye
The news of Owens engagement to Mr Bragg was variously received by his various acquaintances in Oldchester Some laughed goodnaturedly some illnaturedly some said it was a good thing the young man had at last seen the necessity for exerting himself some wondered why on earth he had accepted such a position and some—a good many those—wondered why Mr Bragg had accepted him Mrs Hadlow did not feel unmixed satisfaction by any means
Its just like Owen she said to her husband There is such a singular perversity about him He has thrown away one straight stick after the other and now all of a sudden he clutches at this crooked one as eagerly as though his life depended on getting hold of it
Canon Hadlow for his part was well pleased enough The sentiment at the bottom of his wifes heart was that to employ a Rivers in any such base mechanic business as writing commercial letters was like harnessing a thoroughbred Arab to the dustcart But the canon could not in the nature of things fully share that feeling Nevertheless he had a strong regard for Owen and spoke of him in high terms to Mr Bragg
But the testimony in Owens favour which chiefly impressed Mr Bragg was the testimony which Owen gave himself—by deeds not words
Being moved by a certain energetic simplicity which belonged to him to perform the duties he had undertaken with the most complete thoroughness he could command he got a clerk who conducted the foreign correspondence of a great Oldchester manufacturer to give him lessons after business hours He worked away evening after evening at the composition of mercantile letters in Spanish until he succeeded in producing epistles so surprisingly technical that his instructor declared he went far beyond what was necessary in that line and would do well to mitigate his business style with a little good Spanish He studied also to improve his handwriting It was a legible hand already since he wrote with the singleminded aim of being read But he strove to make it distinctly commercial in character and succeeded
All this became known to Mr Bragg who said nothing But when it got wind among the little circle of persons who frequented Garnet Lodge it was the subject of some raillery from Owens friends So long as the raillery proceeded from such persons as Dr Hatch or Major Mitten there was no offence in it but with Theodore Bransby the case was different
Theodore was in truth delighted first of all because Rivers had as he phrased it entered Mr Braggs service a step which must for ever disqualify him for aspiring to ally himself with the Cheffingtons supposing he were not disqualified already and secondly because his engagement would take him out of England for three months So delighted was Theodore that his spirits rose to the unwonted pitch of attempting some pleasantries Now there is nothing which more surely reveals the quality if not the quantity of a mans mind than his notion of a joke Laughter like wine is a great betrayer of secrets and for incurable coarseness of feeling a stout cloak of gravity is your only wear
Theodore would tilt his head and say with a sneering smile Burtons clerk declares that Rivers is as thoroughgoing as the man who blacked himself all over to play Othello Do you write a page of roundhand copies every morning before breakfast Rivers or I hear that Rivers has taken to frequent the commercial gents ordinary at the Bull in order to pick up the correct phraseology
Owen paid very little attention to these sparkling sallies but Mr Bragg after listening for some time broke silence one evening by saying in his quiet ponderous way—
Youre rather hard on me I think Mr Bransby
Theodore looked at him with sudden gravity and unfeigned surprise Hard on you he exclaimed
Oh when a young gentleman is what you might call satirical hes apt to be harder than he means You neednt look so serious Im not offended
The moment Mr Bragg declared he was not offended Theodore began to fear that he was and whatever might be his private opinion of the millionaire he had no intention of affronting him So he protested that Mr Bragg must be under some misapprehension and that he Theodore could not even guess what he meant
Oh come Mr Bransby Its pretty clear I am but a plain business man but it isnt necessary to copy the company at the Bull in order to come down to my level
Good heavens my dear sir You cant suppose—— I was—ahem—merely—— Theodore paused an instant and then went on with a little disconcerted laugh Ha ha ha I was merely paying my humble tribute of admiration to Riverss energy
Oh yes I quite understand that You appreciate seeing how a honourable gentleman sets to work to keep his part of a bargain whereas a halfandhalf chap like that little clerk of Burtons dont see the highmindedness of it
Theodore was so entirely taken by surprise and so uncertain how far Mr Bragg was in earnest that he could but stammer out renewed assurances that he had been misunderstood And after that he subsided into a glum and dignified silence for the rest of the evening
He would probably have cut short his visit and gone away early but for his persistent resolution never to leave Owen in possession of the field when May was present There was no question of seeing her home now for either old Martha was sent to fetch her or one of Miss Pipers servants walked with her to Jessamine Cottage But nevertheless Theodore made a point of outstaying Owen or at the very least going away simultaneously with him On this particular evening however Dr Hatch interfered with this practice by requesting Theodore to accompany him when his carriage was announced
I want to have a word with you quietly whispered the doctor and it is almost impossible to do so in your fathers house without alarming Mrs Bransby Come along with me and Ill give you a lift home
There was no refusing this invitation But Theodore withdrew comforted by the conviction that his rival would have no chance of profiting by his absence
Here however he reckoned without his hostess for Martha failing to appear at her accustomed hour and the maid who usually supplied her place being ill Miss Piper bustled into the drawingroom after a brief absence demanding which of the gentlemen present would volunteer to escort Miss Cheffington home
Mr Bragg who kept early hours had already departed and only Mr Sweeting Major Mitton and Owen remained Mr Sweeting begged to be allowed the honour of lending Miss Cheffington his carriage But May declined the offer saying that Mr Sweetings horses had a long enough journey before them and that moreover it being a lovely moonlight night she would prefer to walk Upon this Owen offered his services and Miss Piper at once accepted them
It is a good deal out of your way she said but I am sure you will not mind for once Mr Rivers I am responsible to Mrs Dobbs for sending her granddaughter safely home
Owen assured Miss Piper that he should not mind at all
While May was putting on her wraps Miss Polly and Miss Patty jocosely reproached Major Mitton for not having displayed his usual gallantry in offering to escort the young lady
Major Major you are growing terribly lazy said Miss Polly
You will lose your reputation for being the most devoted Squire of Dames in Oldchester added Miss Patty
Im getting to be an old fellow returned the Major quietly Then as they all three stood for a moment in the porch watching the two young figures pass down the garden in a glory of moonlight the good Major whispered to Miss Patty Do you think I was going to spoil that Lord bless me one has been young ones self
As soon as May and her companion had got clear of Garnet Lodge the girl said I find that I had never thoroughly done justice to Mr Bragg The more I know of him the more highly I think of him
Lucky Mr Bragg
But now did he not administer an admirable rebuke to Theodore Bransby
Never mind Theodore Let us talk about more interesting things
What can be more interesting asked May laughing
Ourselves As she remained silent he went on Do you know that we have not had one opportunity for a quiet talk together since I got this engagement
Havent we
Ah you dont remember so accurately as I do But that was not to be expected Take my arm
She obeyed as simply as a child She had been drawing on her gloves when they left Garnet Lodge but the operation had not been completed and it chanced that the hand next to Owen was ungloved She laid her fingers which gleamed snowwhite in the moonlight on his sleeve
You think I have done right in taking this employment he said
Quite right She turned her young face and looked at him with a sweet fervour of sympathy and approval
Owen raised the white slender fingers to his lips and then replacing them on his arm laid his own warm strong hand over them with a gentle pressure You know why I did so dont you darling he said
Yes Owen was the answer given in a shy whisper but with innocent frankness
My own dear love he exclaimed pressing her arm strongly and suddenly to his side There is no one like you in the world Look at me May Let me see your sweet honest eyes
He caught her two hands in both his and they stood for a moment at arms length facing each other and holding hands like two children The moonlight shone full on the young girls fair face and glittered on the bright teardrops in her eyes as she raised them to Owens
What can I do to deserve you he said But why do I talk of desert You are Gods gift May and no more to be earned than the blessed sunshine
He put her arm under his once more and they paced on again without speaking But to them the silence was full of voices It was the silence of a dream They might have wandered Heaven knows whither had not their feet instinctively carried them along the right path and they found themselves almost with a start arrived at the white palings in front of Jessamine Cottage
We must tell granny mustnt we said May looking up at Owen with a delicious sense of implicit reliance on him
Yes but I am terribly afraid I hope she will not be angry
Angry How can you think so Granny is fond of you
But she is fonder of you and she knows your value although thank God you dont If you did what chance should I have had You know how poor I am—not quite penniless but very poor
Not so poor as I since I am really and truly quite penniless but I dont mind that if you dont
Owen felt a desperate temptation to fold her in his arms and beseech her to marry him tomorrow throwing prudence and pounds sterling to the winds But the ardour of a genuine passion purifies the nobler soul as fire purifies the nobler metal and burns away the dross of self He answered gravely—
Our positions are very different darling I hope I have not done wrong to tell you how dear you are to me
I think it would have been unkind and cruel to go away without telling me she answered bravely though the sound of the words as she said them brought the hot colour into her cheeks
Thank you dearest that is the best comfort I could have if I may dare to believe it But it does seem so wonderful that you should care for me
The contemplation of this wonder might have occupied them both for an indefinite time but that they saw a light begin to shine through the fanlight of the little entrancehall of Jessamine Cottage In the stillness of the night the sound of their voices subdued though they were had reached the ears of Mrs Dobbs She presently opened the door and stood looking at them as they hurried up the garden path
Oh granny dear Im afraid Im late said May I did not guess that you were sitting up for me
Martha had a touch of her rheumatism so I sent her to bed I did not mind waiting I suppose Miss Pipers maid couldnt come with you Was that it asked Mrs Dobbs
She lingered at the open door expecting Owen to say Goodnight But May took her grandmothers hand and pulled her into the house while he followed them When they reached the lamplighted parlour May still holding her grandmothers hand with her left hand stretched out her right to Owen and gently drew him forward Then she flung her left arm round the old womans neck and kissed her There was no need for words Mrs Dobbs sank down white and tremulous in her great chair while May nestled beside her on her knees and tried to place Owens hand which she still clasped in that of her grandmother But the old woman brusquely drew her hand away
You have done wrong she said turning to Owen and scarcely able to control the trembling of her lips I didnt think it of you But men are all alike selfish selfish selfish
Why granny exclaimed the girl breathless with dismay Then she started up with a flash of impetuous indignation and stood beside her lover He is not selfish she said vehemently
Hush May Granny is right said Owen in a low voice I told you that I feared I had done wrong
Mrs Dobbs still trembled but she was struggling to regain her selfcommand You might have waited yet awhile she said brokenly The child is young You ought not to have bound her until you see your way more clear
Oh believe me I will not hold her bound answered Owen I never meant that I ought not to have spoken yet I feared so before and now that you say so I know it But I am not wholly selfish
May had stood listening silently looking with wide eyes and parted lips from one to the other She now fell on her knees again beside her grandmother and clasping the old womans hands in both her own cried eagerly—
But listen If there was any fault it was mine I love him so much And hes going away Think of that granny Come here and kneel down beside me Owen and let her look you in the face Think if he had gone away and never told me And I so fond of him You didnt guess how I cried that night when I heard he was to leave England He has made me so happy—so happy And we can wait We dont mind being poor You said you were fond of him And he is so good—and I love him so—and you to speak to him so cruelly Oh granny granny The tears were pouring down her face and dropping warm upon the wrinkled hands she held
Suddenly Mrs Dobbs opened her arms and folding May in one of them laid the other round Owens shoulder as he knelt before her and drew them both into her embrace
Come along you two she said sobbing and smiling Ive got a precious pair of babies to look after in my old age No more common sense between you than would lie on the point of a needle No prudence no worldly wisdom no regard for society—nothing but love and truth and what do you suppose theyll fetch in the market
After a few minutes she ordered Owen away Im tired she said And we have all had our feelings worked up enough for one while Go home now Mr Rivers—well well Owen then if it must be—go home Owen and sleep and dream And tomorrow when youre quite awake—broad staring workadayworld awake which youre not now either of you—come here and we will talk rationally
Owen obeyed heroically and marched off without a word of remonstrance But May kept her grandmother listening and talking long after he had gone She made Mrs Dobbs go to bed and sat by her bedside pouring out her young heart joyfully secure of grannys understanding and sympathy until at length Mrs Dobbs inexorably commanded her to go to rest
Good night dear dearest good goodest granny said May leaning down to kiss her grandmothers broad furrowed brow Only this one last—very last—word Do you know I am very hopeful about Owens future because I am sure that Mr Bragg has taken a great fancy to him and appreciates him And Mr Bragg can make Owens fortune if he likes
Mr Bragg murmured Mrs Dobbs turning her head on her pillow Ah theres a nice kettle of fish Im as big a baby as the children for up to this very instant Id clean forgotten all about Mr Bragg
CHAPTER XII
Before they parted Mrs Dobbs had arranged with Owen that he should come and have an interview with her at ten oclock the following morning But as she desired to speak with him privately she resolved to go to his lodgings early enough to catch him before he should leave home
She found Owen already at his writingdesk and as he turned a startled face on her briefly assured him that all was well with May
But I must have a private talk with you she said And I cant get that in my own house without fussing and making mysteries
Owen was already acquainted with the main incidents in Mays young life but Mrs Dobbs proceeded to give him the history of her own daughters marriage and a sketch of her soninlaw Augustus
Im not speaking in malice she said but the real truth about Captain Cheffington must always sound severe As a general rule I never mention his name But it is right and necessary that you should know what manner of man Mays father really is because only by knowing that can you understand how it is that the responsibility of guiding her rests wholly and solely on my shoulders
It could not rest on worthier ones said Owen
Ah There we differ Its a shame that the darling girl—such a lady as she is in all her ways and words and innermost thoughts—should have no better guidance than that of an ignorant old body like me However tis as vain to cry for the moon to play ball with as to get honour or duty or even honesty out of Augustus Theres the naked truth
Mrs Dobbs I can say from the bottom of my heart that if ever good came out of evil it has come to May She has been thrown out of the hands of a worthless father into those of the best of grandmothers But I suppose I ought to write to Captain Cheffington under the present circumstances
Mrs Dobbs shook her head I wouldnt if I was you she said
I only thought that since with all his faults he is fond of his daughter——
Is he interrupted Mrs Dobbs opening her eyes very wide Oh Well thats news to me
Of course his fondness is not judicious But still as he has not much money he must make some sacrifice to pay a handsome sum to Mrs DormerSmith for having May with her in London
He pay Lord bless your innocent heart
Does he not May told me he did
Ah May thinks so You see I have thought it right to keep some respect for her father in her mind—for her sake
Then if Captain Cheffington did not furnish the money who did asked Owen
Had May been present one glimpse of grannys face blushing like a girls to the roots of her hair would have betrayed the truth to her But Owen did not guess it so quickly After a minute or so however as Mrs Dobbs remained silent he added rather awkwardly—
Did you pay the money
Look here young man answered Mrs Dobbs You must give me your word of honour that youll never let out a syllable of this to May without I give you leave—else you and me will quarrel
Owen took her broad wrinkled hand in his and kissed it as respectfully as if he had been saluting a queen I promise to obey you he said But you make us all look very small and selfish beside you
We old folks that have but a slack hold on life must lay up our stores of selfishness in other peoples happiness Its a paying investment my lad Im Oldchester born and bred and you dont catch me making many bad speculations The old woman laughed as she spoke but a tear was trembling in her eye Come said she We neednt go into all that There isnt much time to spare I want to be back to breakfast before May misses me
Then she proceeded to impress on Owen that she could not at present sanction an engagement between him and her granddaughter Each must be held to be free at least until Owen should return from Spain and be able to see his future course a little more distinctly This he promised without difficulty Next Mrs Dobbs insisted that May should go back to her aunts house when the DormerSmiths returned to London for the winter May had shown great reluctance to do this but Mrs Dobbs believed she would yield if Owen backed up the proposal With regard to Captain Cheffington Mrs Dobbs recommended that secrecy should for the present be preserved towards him as well as towards the rest of the world
He cares not a straw for his daughter Of that I can assure you Indeed lately since the dear child has taken her proper place in the world he has shown a strange kind of jealousy of her He wrote me a regular blowingup letter demanding money and saying that since I was so rich—Lord help me—as to keep May in London in luxury I ought at least to assist Mays father in his unmerited distress And he made a kind of a halfthreat that he would come to England and drag her away if he was not paid off
The scoundrel But you didnt—
Didnt send him any money No my lad I did not First because I wouldnt next because I couldnt But wouldnt came first Theres no use trying to put a wasp on a reasonable allowance of honey you must either let him gorge himself or else keep him out of the hive altogether So now you know my conditions—Firstly no binding engagement for three months at least secondly we three to keep our own counsel for that time and say no word of our secret to man woman or child thirdly you to urge May to go back to London and see a little more of the world from under her aunts wing I make a great point of that added Mrs Dobbs looking at him searchingly but I see youre rather glum over it Are you afraid of Mays being tempted to change her mind
It isnt that answered Owen with unmistakable sincerity If she is capable of changing her mind I should be the first to leave her free to do so I dont say that it wouldnt go near to break my heart but I need not be ashamed as well as wretched whereas if I took advantage of her innocence and generosity and inexperience to bind her to me and found out afterwards that she repented when it was too late—— But that wont bear thinking of No I see nothing to object to in your conditions only I was thinking that it will be hard on you to part from her again this winter
Mrs Dobbs suddenly stretched out her hand towards him with the palm outward Stop she said I can go on all right enough if you dont pity me She set her lips tight and stood for a few seconds breathing hard through her nostrils like a tired swimmer Then the tension of her face relaxed she patted Owens head as if he had been six years old saying Youre a good lad and a gentleman I know one when I see him
Before Mrs Dobbs went away Owen said a word to her on two points—the probability that Augustus Cheffington might eventually be his uncles heir and the rumour of his second marriage As to the first point although she allowed it seemed likely that Augustus might inherit the title yet Mrs Dobbs assured Owen speaking on Mrs DormerSmiths authority that he would certainly get no penny which it was in Lord Castlecombes power to bequeath
If youre afraid of May being too rich said Mrs Dobbs with a shrewd smile I think I can reassure you
Thank you said Owen simply He was struck by her delicacy of feeling and thought within himself That wellbred woman Mrs DormerSmith would have suspected me not of fearing but of hoping that May would be rich and she would have hinted her suspicions in terms full of tact and a voice of exquisite refinement
With regard to the question of Captain Cheffingtons second marriage Mrs Dobbs declared herself utterly in the dark
But said she if I was obliged to make a bet I should bet on no marriage Augustus is too selfish
When later Owen went to Jessamine Cottage he found May very unwilling to return to London for the winter But she yielded at length The other conditions she acceded to willingly But she made one stipulation namely that Uncle Jo should be admitted to share their secret
You know you can trust him implicitly granny said May He likes news and gossip but he will be true as steel when he once has given his word to be silent
So it was agreed that Mr Weatherhead should be taken into their confidence
When May and Owen were alone together afterwards he asked why she had so specially insisted on this point
Dont you see Owen she answered that it will be an immense comfort to granny when she is left alone to have some one whom she can talk with about—us
Meanwhile no answer arrived from Captain Cheffington to the letter which Mrs Dobbs had written about the report of his marriage May might have been uneasy at his silence but for the new and absorbing interest in her life which confused chronology and made time fly so rapidly that she did not realize how long it was since her grandmother had written to Belgium
The gossip set afloat by Valli at Miss Pipers party gradually died away being superseded in public attention by fresher topics One of these was the disquieting condition of Mr Martin Bransbys health The old man had seemed to recover from the serious illness of last year But it must have shaken him more profoundly than was generally supposed at the time for after the first brief rally he seemed to be failing more and more day by day Dr Hatch kept his own counsel He was not a man to interpret the code of professional etiquette too loosely on such a point but besides professional etiquette old friendship moved him to be cautious and reticent in this case He had some reasons for uneasiness about Martin Bransbys circumstances as well as his bodily health This uneasiness was vague truly but it sufficed to make the good physician keep a watch over his words So all those who listened curiously to Dr Hatchs voluble and apparently unguarded talk about the Bransbys went away no wiser than they came as to old Martins real condition
To Martin Bransbys eldest son however Dr Hatch did not think it right to practise any concealment On the evening when he invited Theodore to drive home with him from Garnet Lodge the doctor plainly told the young man that he had grave fears for his fathers life
Theodore seemed more moved than the doctor had expected He was not demonstrative indeed but his voice betrayed considerable emotion as he said But you do not give him up Dr Hatch There surely is still hope
There is hope Yes I cannot say there is no hope But my dear fellow—and the good doctor laid his hand kindly on Theodores shoulder—we must be prepared for the worst
You have not I gather mentioned your fears to Mrs Bransby said Theodore after a pause during which he had been leaning back in the corner of the carriage
No no poor dear No need to alarm her yet
She must know however sooner or later observed Theodore coldly
Im afraid she must But why protract her misery She is very sensitive devotedly attached to your father and not too strong
Mrs Bransby always appears to me to enjoy good health enough to take any exertion she feels inclined for
I was not alluding to muscles but nerves returned the doctor drily There is a little hysterical tendency And her health is too valuable to her children to be trifled with
They drove on in silence to Mr Bransbys garden gates Theodore alighted and stood at the carriage door
Does my father know he asked in a low voice
There I confess I am puzzled said Dr Hatch I have never told him his danger in plain words but he is too clever a man to be hoodwinked My own impression is that your father suspects his state to be critical but shrinks from admitting it even to himself I think there must be some private reason for this added the doctor leaning forward and peering into Theodores face as he stood in the moonlight the moonlight which at that same moment was shining in Mays eyes looking at her young lover It certainly does not arise from cowardice Your father is one of the manliest men I have ever known
If Theodore knew or guessed that his father had any secret reason for anxiety he did not betray it
I have observed increasing weakness of character in him lately he said
The words might have been uttered so as to convey perfect filial tenderness But there was a subtle something in the tone suggestive of contempt or at least of remoteness from sympathy which jarred painfully on Dr Hatch He said Good night abruptly and gave his coachman the order to drive on
After this conversation it somewhat surprised the doctor to learn that Theodore meant to leave home at the beginning of October although he was not to enter on his practical career as a barrister until the winter He had accepted one or two invitations to country houses during the pheasant shooting and gave as his reason for going at that time that his health required change of air
His health growled Dr Hatch when Mrs Bransby gave him this piece of news I should have thought he might stay and be of some use to his father in business
Oh we are rather glad he is going exclaimed Mrs Bransby impulsively Then she said apologetically Martin does not want him at home Theodore has never taken any interest in office matters and Tuckey manages capitally Tuckey is Martins right hand
Mr Tuckey was the confidential head clerk in the office which still retained the name of the firm Cadell and Bransby although Cadell had departed this life twenty years ago and the business had been ever since that time wholly in the hands of Martin Bransby
Mrs Bransby did not hint at one motive for Theodores departure which her womans wit had revealed to her namely that Miss Cheffington would be leaving Oldchester about the same time It was true that Theodore had calculated on this and also on the fact that Owen Rivers would be safely out of the way across the Pyrenees But there was another motive which lay deeper and indeed formed a part of the very texture of Theodores temperament—he shrank from the idea of being present during his fathers last illness
It has already been stated that he was subject to the dread of having inherited his mothers consumptive tendency and he shunned all suggestions of sickness and death with the sort of instinct which makes an animal select its food The very mention of death produced the effect of a physical chill on his nervous system He was not without affection for his father although it had been much weakened by Mr Bransbys second marriage Many persons who knew Theodores tastes for gentility assumed that Miss Louisa Lutyers descent from a good old family would be gratifying to him and help to make him accept the marriage goodhumouredly But the fact was quite otherwise Theodore constantly suspected his stepmother of vaunting the superiority of her birth over that of her predecessor He had never seen either of his maternal grandparents and did not know all the details which Mrs Dobbs could have given him about the history of Old Rabbitt But he knew enough to be aware that his mother had been a person of humble extraction And he could more easily have forgiven his father had the latter chosen a person still humbler for his second wife It was chiefly his everpresent consciousness that Louisa was a gentlewoman by birth and breeding which made him jealously resent the luxuries with which his father surrounded her and even the fastidious elegance of her dress And apart from all other considerations it would have given him sincere satisfaction to marry a wife who should have the undoubted right to walk out of a drawingroom before Mrs Martin Bransby
One of the many points of antagonism between Owen and Theodore was the opposite feeling with which each regarded Mrs Bransby Owen had a chivalrous devotion for her Theodore was nothing less than chivalrous Owens admiration was made tender and protecting by a large infusion of pity Theodore held that in marrying his father Miss Louisa Lutyer had met with good fortune beyond her merits As to his stepbrothers and sisters Theodores feeling towards them was one of cool repulsion with the single exception of little Enid the youngest whom he would have petted could he have separated her in all things from the rest
As soon as Owens engagement with Mr Bragg was assured Owen called at the Bransbys to tell his news in person On inquiring for Mrs Bransby he was told that she was with her husband in the garden and being a familiar visitor the servant left him to find his way to them unannounced
It was a warm September afternoon everything in the old garden—the lichentinted brick walls the autumnal flowers the deep velvet of the turf the foliage slightly touched with red and gold—looked mellow and peaceful Under the shadow of a tall elmtree whose topmost boughs were swaying with the movement and resounding with the caw of rooks Martin Bransby reclined on a long chair and his wife sat on a garden bench a yard or two away When she saw Owen approaching Mrs Bransby laid her finger on her lips and then Owen saw that Mr Bransby was asleep
The old man lay with his head supported on a crimson cushion against which his abundant silver hair was strongly relieved The brows above the closed eyelids were still dark The placidity of repose enhanced the beauty of his finely moulded features but he was very pale and his cheeks and temples looked worn and thin Mrs Bransby welcomed Owen with a smile and an outstretched hand At the first glance he had thought that she too looked pale and suffering but the little glow of animation in her face when she spoke effaced this impression
Am I disturbing you asked Owen in a whisper
No no sit down You need not whisper it is enough to speak low he sleeps heavily I am so glad to see him sleep for his nights have been restless lately As Mrs Bransby spoke she pushed aside a heap of gaycoloured silks with which she was embroidering a rich velvet cushion and made room for Owen on the gardenseat beside her I know your news already she continued and I must congratulate you although you will be sadly missed My boys will be in despair we shall all miss you
I am glad at all events that you seem to approve of the step I have taken
Of course All your friends must approve it
Well they are not so numerous as to make their unanimity absolutely impossible
Then after a short silence during which Mrs Bransby resumed her embroidery and Owen thoughtfully raked together some fallen leaves with his stick he said—
But you dont know the extent of my good fortune There is a chance—rather a remote one but still a chance—that this employment may lead to more and that I may get some work to do in South America
She started and the gay embroidery fell from her hands on to the grass as she exclaimed with plaintive downdrawn lips like those of a child Oh not to South America Dont go so far away
He merely shook his head
Oh that is terrible she said I never thought of that But perhaps you will not go
Very much perhaps It would be better luck than I could expect
And you really could have the heart to leave us all and go off to the other side of the globe Oh I cant bear to think of it
Dont speak so kindly You will take away all my courage he said looking for a moment at the beautiful eyes fixed on his face
Ah I am very selfish Of course you ought to go if going will lead to a career for you Although one cant help feeling that you will be somehow wasted in mere commercial pursuits Yes yes of course I am wrong she added hastily anticipating his rejoinder It is all very proper and Spartan no doubt But I am not in the least Spartan you know
People usually find it easy to be Spartan for their friends Very few keep their stoicism for themselves and their softheartedness for others—as you do
He glanced involuntarily at Martin Bransby as he spoke and she followed his glance with instant quickness of understanding
How do you think he is looking You do not think he seems worse do you she said
No indeed no
I was afraid when you talked about stoicism——
No I only meant that you always show great courage when Mr Bransby is ill
I dont think I am naturally courageous But love gives courage
Yes—the genuine sort of love
Although it makes one frightened too in one way I am sometimes very uneasy about him She turned a gaze of profound tenderness on her husbands sleeping face
I trust your uneasiness is needless said Owen Mr Bransby seems to be going on well does he not
Oh yes I hope so But he does not gain strength His rest is very troubled and he talks in his sleep And I think his spirits are much less cheerful than they were He has a great regard for you He will approve of what you are doing I know But he will be as sorry as the rest of us to think of your going so far away
She said all this in her usual sweet voice and with her usual soft grace of manner Then all at once she broke down in a sudden passion of tears and burying her face in her handkerchief she sobbed out If you go to South America he will never see you again—never never I know his days are numbered They think they keep me in ignorance but I know it I know it
Owen was melted by her grief In the eyes of soundhearted manhood beauty while it attracts adds a sort of sacredness to a pure woman To see that lovely face convulsed with weeping made an impression on his senses such as he might have felt at seeing an exquisite work of art defaced or mutilated And beyond that there was the warm human sympathy and the feeling of compassionate protection due to her sex
Dearest Mrs Bransby he said looking at her piteously pray pray take comfort Oh how I wish that I could give you any help or comfort
She continued to weep softly and silently for a little while longer Then she wiped away her tears and spoke with calmness Forgive me It was selfish to distress you she said But it has relieved my heart to cry a little And you have always been so friendly I have as great reliance on you as if I had known you all my life
As far as the will goes you cannot overrate my friendship But the power alas is small or rather none
No dont say that Whenever I have forced myself to look forward to the great sorrow which may soon come upon me I have said to myself I know Mr Rivers would be good to me and the children and would help us with honest advice I have no one belonging to me—of my own family—left to rely on The boys and I would be very desolate and forlorn if we were left to guide ourselves by our own wisdom
There is Theodore said Owen But he said it with dry awkwardness as though there were something in the words to be ashamed of
Theodore does not love us returned Mrs Bransby quickly You were praising me just now for caring about my friends But you see how selfish my thoughts were all the time It does seem so dreary to imagine you far away out of our reach
She wore on her wrist a bracelet consisting of a broad gold band in which was set the portrait of her youngest child Now little Enid had a special affection for Owen She caressed him and tyrannized over him And whenever Bobby and Billy desired to coax Mr Rivers into playing with them they conspired to make Enid prefer the request secretly agreeing that Mr Rivers spoiled Enid and would never resist her In short Mr Rivers was Enids sworn knight and did her suit and service The sweet baby face looked out of its gold frame with large grave eyes and faintly smiling mouth and soft yellow hair like the down on a nestling bird Owen took Mrs Bransbys hand and bent over it until his lips touched little Enids portrait Near or far he said you and your children may always count on my faithful affection
When he raised his head again Theodore was standing in front of them
He had come noiselessly along the grass and halted a little behind his fathers chair Mrs Bransbys head was turned in the opposite direction and she did not see him immediately But Owen saw him and caught a singular expression on young Bransbys face which made his own blood run swiftly with a confused sense of furious anger It was an expression of mingled surprise suspicion and an indescribable touch of exultation But even as Owen fixed his eyes on him sternly the look was gone and Theodores smooth face was as coolly supercilious as usual
Your father has been having a good sleep Theodore said his stepmother when she saw him
So I see he answered And again something singular in his tone made Owen long to seize him and hurl him away out of Mrs Bransbys presence
Mr Rivers has been telling me his news said Mrs Bransby We ought to rejoice I suppose But I cant help feeling selfishly sorry
We must hope that our loss will be his gain replied Theodore He felt instinctively that Owens eyes were still fastened on him And Owens eyes like many lightblue eyes had the power of expressing an intensity of fierceness when he was thoroughly incensed which few persons would have found it easy to support But Theodore had averted his own gaze and was looking down on his father with ostentatious solicitude
The old man slightly moved his head and Mrs Bransby was by his side instantly Are you refreshed by your sleep dear Martin she asked as he opened his eyes
Yes Loui yes Oh theres Rivers How are you Rivers He rose from his chair and shook hands with Owen asking him to come to the house and have tea Mrs Bransby offered her husband her arm but he took her hand and laid it tenderly upon his sleeve Not yet Loui not yet he said smiling down upon her I neednt lean upon you yet Then the two walked slowly side by side towards the house leaving the young men to follow
As they did so crossing the wide lawn side by side it suddenly occurred to Theodore with a shock of surprise that he and Owen had not exchanged any sort of greeting or salutation whatever
CHAPTER XIII
The DormerSmiths arrived in London early in November and May joined them almost immediately Her aunt was delighted to find May looking remarkably well
Some good has come of her vegetating in Oldchester said Pauline to her husband Her complexion is radiant Also I think her figure has improved If she would but consent to have her stays taken in Smithson could manage it half an inch at a time and might easily get her waist down to eighteen inches But there is that lamentable touch of selfindulgent apathy about May However she has really a great deal of charm and in spite of all the drawbacks connected with poor Augustuss unfortunate marriage she looks thoroughbred
The two little boys Harold and Wilfred had returned from their sojourn in a farmhouse so much strengthened that their father seriously talked of sending them into the country altogether for a couple of years Even Mrs DormerSmith although unwilling to relinquish her character of chronic invalid confessed that Carlsbad had done her good In fact the whole family returned to London in improved health and spirits A great many nice people were to be in town for the winter and the excuse of Mays presence and the assistance of Mays allowance would enable Pauline to enjoy society and at the same time to satisfy that singular worldly conscience of hers with the sense of duty fulfilled
There was a little disappointment at Mr Braggs absence from England But even here Mrs DormerSmith had the not inconsiderable consolation of knowing that if he were far from Mays attractions he was also far from those of Constance Hadlow And she more than ever rejoiced at that providential interposition in the interests of the Cheffington family which had kept Mr Bragg away from Glengowrie Another symptom which filled Aunt Pauline with complacent hopes was Mays newly developed interest in Mr Bragg and her eager willingness to talk about his Spanish tour Pauline was inclined to attribute something of this improved state of mind to Mrs Dobbss influence and confessed to herself that the old woman was doing all she could to compensate the House of Cheffington for the injury done to it by the disastrous mésalliance
Mrs DormerSmiths cheerfulness at this time would have been absolutely unclouded but for the dread hanging over her about her brother She had given May to understand that the rumours spread by Valli and others were based on error And she even conveyed the idea to her niece although scrupulously abstaining from explicit falsehood that Captain Cheffington himself had denied those rumours in private communications to her and Frederick But the fact was that Augustus had remained inflexibly silent The DormerSmiths knew nothing of him And so completely had he dropped out of the society of all with whom they were likely to consort that a doubt sometimes crossed Paulines mind as to whether her brother were still living or not
Meanwhile every week May received a letter from Owen forwarded by Mrs Dobbs The latter had restricted the correspondence to one letter a week on each side Owen wrote very joyously His work was easy—too easy he said and he was constantly seeking opportunities to be useful to his employer Mr Bragg he pronounced to be an excellent master clearheaded in his commands and reasonable in his exactions He seemed to approve of his secretary so far and although he was rather taciturn and not prone to encourage sanguine expectations yet Owen began to have good hope that Mr Bragg would not turn him adrift when the three months engagement should be at an end
May now became decidedly more popular in society than she had been during the height of the season Happiness like sunshine beautifies common things and the new brightness of her outlook on it was reflected by the world around her That feeling which she had expressed in writing to her grandmother—the forlorn feeling of a child who in the midst of some gay spectacle wearily cries to go home—had disappeared She knew that when the curtain should fall on the puppetshow in Vanity Fair her own true love was waiting to welcome her
Sometimes she speculated on how Aunt Pauline would take the revelation of her attachment to Owen Rivers That she should have had any doubt on the subject proved her ignorance of Aunt Paulines views Mrs DormerSmith would not for the world have expressed to May any gross or sordid sentiments about marriage She had not the slightest idea that she entertained any such herself But as she had long ago said there are many things—never put into words—which girls brought up in a certain monde learn by instinct Now in that kind of instinct May was greatly deficient
May reflected that her aunt had spurned Theodore Bransbys proposal on the avowed ground of his being nobody And she understood—or thought she understood—that Aunt Pauline accorded a tangible existence only to such persons as could be proved by genealogical records to have had a certain number of greatgrandfathers Now thus considered Owen was very undeniably and solidly somebody He was poor certainly but how often had Aunt Pauline mingled her plaintive regrets with Mrs Griffins about the increasing worship of Mammon which vulgarized London society And although Aunt Pauline sometimes showed a deference for wealth which was rather puzzling in the face of these utterances yet May observed that her personal liking and admiration were given on very different grounds Witness her regard for Constance Hadlow
Mrs DormerSmith even kept up an intermittent correspondence with that young lady Constances letters were precisely of the kind which Mrs DormerSmith delighted in—budgets of social gossip selected with unerring tact Constance had returned to Oldchester but she did not spend many consecutive weeks in her parents house being invited to visit among the élite of the county aristocracy as Mrs Simpson phrased it Miss Hadlow had in fact achieved what might be called all things considered a brilliant social position Her visit to Glengowrie had been a great success She had made a conquest of the duchess and also—though that was comparatively of small consequence—of the duke Mrs Griffin was charmed that her protégée had done her so much honour and promised to take her into society the following season if Canon and Mrs Hadlow would give her leave to come to town Indeed Mrs Griffin began seriously to revolve in her mind whether she could not contrive to marry Charley Riverss granddaughter and secure her a fine establishment Mrs Griffin was proud of her achievements in that line which though few were brilliant Like a certain famous Italian singingmaster who was wont in his old age to decline unpromising pupils on the ground that it was not worth his while to make seconde donne Mrs Griffin practised only the higher branches of matchmaking and refused to fly her falcons at anything under twenty thousand a year—or a peerage
What made Miss Hadlows letters particularly interesting to Mrs DormerSmith at this time was that the former was frequently staying in the neighbourhood of Combe Park and occasionally met Lord Castlecombe and Lucius whom she reported to be constantly ailing—as indeed he had been since before his brothers death But his state did not seem to inspire any immediate apprehension And Constance even said a word now and then about creaking wheels and intimated her belief that Mr Lucius Cheffington would probably outlive many more robustlooking persons
But it was not only these polite chronicles which kept the DormerSmith household informed as to the doings of Oldchester people Mrs Dobbs of course wrote frequently to her grandchild The saddest news which she had to give May was the continuous and rapid decline of Mr Bransbys health Theodore was still away from home Mrs Dobbs wrote and she commented severely on his heartless neglect of his father She had learned through Mrs Simpson that old Martin Bransby showed great anxiety for his sons return and it was reported that he had caused a letter to be written telling Theodore that he desired to speak with him and urging him to come home without delay
In the first days of December the end came Martin Bransby died—rather suddenly at the last—and his eldest son was not with him On being telegraphed to he arrived in Oldchester with the utmost possible despatch—but too late to see his father alive
People are very sorry for the widow and her children wrote Mrs Dobbs for its beginning to be said now that theyre left rather badly off and that the bulk of everything will go to Theodore I dont know any facts one way or the other but I do know that foolish folk cackle louder over a grave than almost anywhere else So we may hope things are not so bad with that pretty gentle woman as Oldchester gossip makes out
One of Mays first thoughts on reading this letter was How grieved Owen will be She grieved herself for the kindly old man who had always been good to her and for the grief of those who loved him And she incurred a mild rebuke from her aunt by appearing at a dinner party that evening with pale cheeks and red eyelids
Contrary to Mrs Dobbss hope it turned out that the gossip had for once been correct Martin Bransbys affairs were left in a strange entanglement There were many debts and as it seemed very little money to meet them People inquired how he had got rid of the handsome property left him by his father He had not got rid of it in the ordinary sense of the words but the bulk of it was as far beyond his control as though he had thrown it into the sea
At the time of Martin Bransbys first marriage old Rabbitt had made most stringent arrangements in his daughters interest Not only her own dowry which was a handsome one but nearly the whole of Martins property was strictly settled on her and her children Mr Rabbitt was enabled to drive a hard bargain by his command of ready money He advanced a large sum to his soninlaw for the purchase of Cadells share in the firm Mr Cadell was old and wished to retire the opportunity was favourable and promised brilliant results Nor were these promises belied by experience The oldestablished solicitors business was a very flourishing and lucrative one Martin Bransby was soon able to pay back the loan to his fatherinlaw with interest Old Rabbitt observed that this was only taking from one hand to give to the other for it would all come back to him and his in the end As a matter of fact old Rabbitt left every penny he had in the world to his daughter and her children after her but the money was strictly tied up out of her husbands reach
This seemed a trifling matter in those days to Martin Bransby Whom should he desire to enrich but his own children and things were going so well in the office that it seemed probable he might amass another fortune But when after his second marriage a young family began to gather round him he could not help regretting the terms of his original marriage settlement As soon as Theodore came of age Mr Bransby made an attempt to induce him to relinquish some part of the property in favour of his younger brothers and sisters but the attempt failed and was never repeated Mr Bransby was deeply wounded by Theodores attitude and on his side Theodore considered his fathers request unreasonable and unfair
If I might venture on a suggestion I would advise your retrenching a little sir he had said with icy politeness in that way you would soon save enough to provide for Mrs Bransby and her children in a style fully equal to what they have any right to expect from you
The remembrance of that interview was a thorn in the flesh of Martin Bransby and it left in Theodores mind increased resentment against his fathers second marriage
But Theodores advice however unfilially proffered was sound enough Retrenchment in the daily expenses of that easygoing and lavish household would have been judicious but then to retrench would have been to deprive Louisa of the luxuries and elegancies which so became her and which gave her so much pleasure Instead of taking this disagreeable method Mr Bransby tried speculation He made one or two lucky strokes but at the first loss became panicstricken and threw good money after bad in a kind of desperation
After his death something of all this leaked out in a confused way to the public astonishment To think of Martin Bransbys money matters being in a bad way people said There must be more in this than meets the eye for he was acknowledged to be a firstrate man of business
In brief as much amazement was expressed as though men of business were commonly infallible and the world had never heard of a man of business whose conduct was not ruled by selfrestraining prudence At the same time many persons declared they had long ago prophesied disaster and had even warned Martin to put some check on his wifes extravagance But such little inconsistencies as these are but pebbles in the stream of general gossip diversifying it with an agreeable ripple but never checking its flow
May wrote an affectionate letter of condolence to Mrs Bransby She received no answer to it and presently she learned that Mrs Bransby and her children had left Oldchester and gone to London Constance Hadlow did not mention the family at all in writing to Mrs DormerSmith They had fallen out of the sphere of her observation and no one can be expected to turn away his telescope from contemplating the fixed stars in order to stare at common terrestrial phenomena—especially phenomena of a nonmetallic and unproductive nature
About Christmas time Theodore Bransby called unexpectedly at Mrs DormerSmiths house in London He came early in the forenoon—so early indeed that Mrs DormerSmith was not yet visible On asking to see Miss Cheffington he was shown into a room where May was sitting with the children Harold and Wilfred were now permitted to spend part of the morning with their cousin at her particular request And it was found that this arrangement answered the double purpose of delighting the boys and leaving Cecile more leisure for needlework
May started and flushed on hearing Mr Theodore Bransbys name announced But the first glimpse of Theodore disarmed her wrath He was paler than ever—or seemed to be so in his deep mourning and there was unmistakable sorrow in his face May rose quickly and gave him her hand in silence There were tears in her eyes and the unexpected sight of tears in his made her forgive him for pressing her hand harder and holding it longer than mere politeness warranted
I have been so sorry said May
Thank you he answered You are always kind and good
So sorry for you all—the widow—the poor children— added May as a bright drop brimmed over and rolled down her cheek
Theodore relinquished her hand and rapidly passing his handkerchief across his eyes gave a dry husky little cough in his throat It was a sound which curiously repelled sympathy
You were not in Oldchester when your dear father died said May She did not intend any covert reproach Her words were prompted by a pitying thought of the undying regret which must haunt Theodore on this score
No I was not there I know I have been blamed for that
Oh indeed I had no such meaning
I well believe it But I have been blamed—most unjustly I went away with my fathers full consent indeed he thought I needed the change He wrote to me when he found himself growing worse to ask me to come back Of course I meant to comply with that request You cannot doubt it
I have no right to doubt it answered May gently
No but pray listen I wish to justify myself in your eyes The truth is I was in the act of packing my valise to return to Oldchester when a telegram reached me saying that my fathers danger was imminent I was in Yorkshire in a country house where there was but one postal delivery a day Letters were often delayed and in fact my fathers letter had preceded the telegram only by a few hours
Oh how sad I am so sorry for you cried May clasping her hands She felt some generous compunction for having done him injustice
Yes I have lost a good father said Theodore
You have indeed And what a loss is Mrs Bransbys
A subtle change came over his face although he did not seem to move a muscle and he made no answer
How is she asked May leaning forward eagerly
Theodores eyebrows took their old supercilious curve as he replied Mrs Bransby Oh shes quite well I believe
Believe Have you not seen her lately
Oh yes I have seen her She appeared perfectly well I did not at first quite take in the sense of your question but I see now what you meant Every one has not such keen sensibilities as you May
Even this familiar use of her name she let pass although it jarred upon her
I am sure Mrs Bransby is not insensible she answered And she loved your father dearly
I am not disputing it But she was and is a doating mother and her feelings are greatly engrossed by her children In one way this is happy for her She does not feel the void the loneliness which oppresses me
It seemed to May that there might be some truth in this Theodore was not generally beloved Cold as he seemed he doubtless missed his fathers affection He would feel isolated and forlorn This might be in great part his own fault but May pitied him She softened towards him still more when he went on to speak of his plans for assisting his young stepbrothers He had already offered to send Martin to school at his own expense He was endeavouring to be of use to Mrs Bransby She was unfortunately very unpractical and rather impracticable but he hoped that when her grief calmed down she would listen to reason and take advice
Is she not well off asked May moved by genuine interest in the widow and her family
Theodore shook his head I may tell you he said that she is in very straitened circumstances I do not proclaim this generally because people who know how indefatigably my poor father worked and what a large income he earned are apt to blame her and accuse her of extravagance
While he was still speaking a message came from Mrs DormerSmith asking Mr Bransby to go to her in the drawingroom She too was touched by his mourning garb and pale face and received him with sympathetic gentleness Mays report of his behaviour in Oldchester had been favourable in so far that he had not attempted to renew his suit But what most of all conciliated Mrs DormerSmith was the thought of Mr Bragg Now that her niece was so near making a splendid marriage it was easier to forgive Theodores presumption Doubtless the young man had already seen his error and really putting aside that one aberration he was very nice
Her good opinion was increased in the course of their private conversation which turned on matters very interesting to Pauline Theodore had seen her uncle lately he had moreover had a good deal of talk with him about matters political A vacancy was likely to occur shortly in the representation of that division of the county where Lord Castlecombes landed property was situated The Castlecombes were anxious to oppose a threatened Radical candidate and Theodore had offered to stand
On his elder brothers death Lucius Cheffington had resigned his post in the Civil Service and under normal circumstances his father would have desired that he should return to the House of Commons but his health was at present too feeble to warrant his attempting any exertion Then old Lord Castlecombe thought it would be well to put some one into the vacant seat who might be willing to resign it whenever Lucius should be able and willing to come forward again as a candidate This was not expressed but understood and Lord Castlecombe had approved of Theodores ready comprehension of the state of the case and his clear view of the advantages such an arrangement would afford to himself Election expenses even in these days of purity and the ballot retain as mysterious a rapidity of growth as Jacks beanstalk and the assistance of Lord Castlecombe would be very solidly valuable On the other hand Theodore considered that ambition apart it would be useful to him in his career as a barrister to write MP after his name and was willing to assume some share of the cost of the canvass The old lord discovered in this sententious young gentleman two merits—the possession of money and the knowledge how to spend it advantageously
Lucius acquiesced passively in all his fathers arrangements but he could not be induced to thaw half a degree in his personal relations with Theodore
The fellow is an intolerable prig he said to his father and his vulgarity is of a particularly objectionable kind—the fine pretentious kind
Oh of course hes a d—d snob answered my lord with cheerful candour But what the deuce does that matter We are not going to take him to our arms only to throw him into the arms of the voters And I can tell you it will be a vast deal better to have him for our member than Mr Butter the Radical buttonmaker At any rate this young Bransby wont go in for abolishing the Peers or starting a Separatist crusade in the Scilly Islands
In the course of his talk with Mrs DormerSmith Theodore hinted to her as much of his political outlook as seemed good to him The account of his relations with Lord Castlecombe greatly impressed her for she was very sure her uncle would not waste any of his time and attention on an entirely insignificant person And Theodores tone in speaking of the political position of the Castlecombe family was such as to win her complete approval and sympathy
When Pauline talked over his visit with her husband after narrating that part of it which concerned Lord Castlecombe she added And the young man has a great deal of proper feeling I really begin to think that mistake he made must have been in some way Mays fault—oh not intentionally Frederick but she is so—so unformed in her ideas However we need not discuss all that for I am convinced Mr Bransby is quite safe now I was going to say that he told me confidentially that he would not advise us to encourage any intimacy between May and his stepmother She is in London I believe letting lodgings or some dreadful thing of that sort It is just the kind of thing May would delight in if I would let her—visiting and championing people who are in impossible positions and talking all kinds of Quixotic nonsense about them However this Mrs Bransby is not the kind of person who can be encouraged She is very handsome I understand and tant soit peu coquette There was some not too creditable flirtation with young Rivers before her husbands death and Mr Bransby evidently thinks she is the kind of woman always to have some one dangling after her He spoke really very nicely and said he hoped she might soon marry again as she is scarcely fit to be trusted with the responsibility of bringing up a young family You are so apt to indulge May in her whims that I thought it necessary to repeat all this with distinctness You must see as I do that it would be quite disastrous for May to keep up any intimacy with such a person as this Mrs Bransby—a handsome flirting needy widow If she were even in society——
CHAPTER XIV
The sale of Martin Bransbys handsome furniture books plate carriage and horses realized a considerable sum but only a small portion of that sum remained when all debts were paid Theodore made all the arrangements and Mrs Bransby passively acquiesced in them She was crushed by grief and timidly acknowledged herself to be sadly helpless and ignorant of business matters
It was Theodore who had decided that the family should leave Oldchester It was Theodore who had taken a house for them in a northern suburb of London It was Theodore who suggested that Mrs Bransby might eke out her income by receiving one or two lodgers For Martins schooling he promised to be responsible and he would also guarantee the rent of the London house for one twelvemonth But he could promise no further assistance giving as a sufficient reason for not doing more the heavy claims on his purse which would result from his forthcoming political candidature
A tiny annual sum was secured to the widow—a sum smaller than that which she had been in the habit of spending on her dress and this was all she had to rely on to keep herself and her five children It was clear that an effort must be made to earn some money
Some articles of furniture remaining from the Oldchester sale nearly sufficed to furnish the small London dwelling The house fortunately was clean freshly painted and in good repair but the vulgar wallpapers were an affliction to Mrs Bransbys eyes and the dimensions of the rooms seemed to her painfully cramped When she ventured to hint as much to her stepson he gave her a severe lecture and begged her to understand that the days when her whims could be lavishly indulged were over
But it can scarcely be called a whim to want air for my children to breathe returned Mrs Bransby with a flash of indignation which she repented the next moment And when Theodore pointed out that the house was a remarkably airy one for the rent and that he in his kind consideration had taken a great deal of trouble to find a dwelling for them in a healthy locality she meekly apologized for having been betrayed into any expression of impatience and promised to make the best of her new circumstances
They were such as might have depressed a stronger and less sensitive person When Theodore had gone away and the children were in bed and the widow sat alone in the mean little room which small as it was was but dimly illuminated by one candle the sense of her forlorn position weighed her down and seemed to make the atmosphere thick with misery It was not the loss of material luxuries which afflicted her A month ago she would have felt that keenly but now her great sorrow had absorbed all minor troubles Poverty What was poverty compared with desolation of spirit How willingly would she have faced severer bodily hardships than any which threatened her if her lost husband could be restored to her
She dropped her head on her folded arms resting on the table The widows cap slipped aside and a veil of bright brown waving hair fell over her bowed face She had been forced to restrain her tears all day There were the children to be thought of There were Theodores cold clear questions and suggestions to be answered But now in solitude her tears gushed out She wept with long deepdrawn sobs The words of the Litany seemed to be repeated over and over again as by a voice whispering in her ear The fatherless children and widows and all who are desolate and oppressed She rocked herself from side to side and moaned out Oh come back to us Come back Martin—Martin
A hand was gently laid on her shoulder With a great start she raised her head and saw her eldest boy standing by her side
He was a handsome boy very like his father But now his naturally ruddy face was pale and his eyes had a depth of yearning tenderness in them which went to his mothers heart
Dont cry so mother dear he said Father couldnt bear to see it if he knew
She clasped the boy in her arms and although she still wept her sobs were less convulsive and she gradually grew calmer Martin stood beside her very quietly occasionally stroking back the pretty soft hair which strayed over her face and was damp with tears
Presently Mrs Bransby said I thought you were in bed Martin How silently you came downstairs
I took off my shoes mother he answered showing his feet I didnt want to disturb the others The children are asleep and Phœbe is snoring away
Phœbe was their one servant a housemaid from their Oldchester home—who had volunteered to remain with them and follow their fortunes
Poor Phœbe I dare say she is tired said Mrs Bransby
I should think she was rather She has been working like a brick all day returned Martin
There was a little silence during which Mrs Bransby dried her eyes put up her dishevelled hair and replaced her cap
Ought you not to go to bed my boy she said looking wistfully at him
I want to stay and talk to you quietly a little mother
Mrs Bransby hesitated I should dearly like you to stay awhile Martin she answered but Im afraid it would not be right You look pale and worn out You and I must help each other now to do what is right—and what—what he would have wished she added with quivering lips
Yes mother answered the boy eagerly Thats just what I want and I know he would have wished me to spare you all the bother I can So now just listen mother indeed indeed I couldnt sleep if I went to bed now—and its far wearier work to lie awake than to sit up and talk Look here mother Theodore has offered to send me to school hasnt he
Yes Martin I am very thankful for that I dont see how I could have afforded it
Well but now Ive been thinking that it would be better if Theodore would give you that money instead of paying for my schooling and for me to get a situation and earn something
Earn My darling boy how could you earn anything
Why mother I could do all that the office boy did at Oldchester Old Tuckey told me once that he earned fifteen shillings aweek Just fancy mother Thats a good lot isnt it
It looked a very childish face that he turned towards his mother a face with frank sparkling eyes and rounded cheeks to which the excitement of making this proposition had brought back the roses
Oh Martin my dearest boy it is sweet of you to think of this But you are too young darling
Im going on for thirteen mother interrupted Martin
Yes dear but still even that is very very young answered his mother gravely although the phantom of a smile flitted across her pale face
Martin looked disappointed and for a moment almost angry He had a naturally hot temper But he battled down the temptation and merely said Well mother you need not decide anything tonight You can think it over I believe I could earn something and Im sure that if I can I ought
But your education Martin
I might perhaps go on learning a little at home—in the evenings he rejoined but more slowly and less confidently than he had spoken before
You know Martin he wished you to study He was so proud of your abilities—so fond of you—— Her voice broke and she turned away her head
Yes mother but he was fonder of you answered Martin simply I know quite well that if father could speak to me now this minute he would say Martin take care of your mother Thats what he did say one day when I was alone with him only a week before—— The boy paused made a violent struggle to master his emotion and then went on bravely though his young face grew white to the lips And Im going to do it please God
The tears that poured down his mothers cheeks as she embraced him and kissed his forehead were not all bitter Not desolate—not wholly desolate she murmered while I have you my precious precious son
They sat awhile talking of their means and their plans and their prospects Mrs Bransby felt that although many of Martins notions were of course crude and childish yet there was a strain of firm manliness in him on which she could rely and the boy had a quick intelligence Before parting from his mother for the night he proposed that she should write to Owen Rivers and ask his advice Youll believe what Mr Rivers says mother if you dont believe me And I think youll find that he will consider it my duty to earn something if I can anyway hes such a good fellow and has such a thundering lot of sense hes sure to give us good advice
The widow caught at the suggestion she had almost as implicit faith in Owen as her children had She promised that Martin should enclose a letter of his own in hers to Mr Rivers and when she bade the boy good night at the door of his poor little chamber she was surprised to find her heart somewhat lightened of its load
I say look here mother whispered Martin beckoning her in from the open door Dont those young shavers sleep like one oclock He pointed to Bobby and Billy who occupied one large bed—a relic from the Oldchester nursery—while Martins little campbedstead was squeezed into a corner of the same room The two little fellows were sleeping the profound sleep of healthy childhood Bobby had a smile on his parted lips and Billy lay with one fat hand doubled up under his cheek and the other buried in the thick masses of his brothers curly hair
This isnt half a bad room when the windows wide open went on Martin cheerfully I can see a tree—quite a goodsized elm—from my bed Good night mother dear I hope youll sleep I think thisll turn out an awfully nice little house when we get used to it
The two letters to Owen Rivers—Martins and his mothers—were written the next morning Mrs Bransby sent them under cover to Mr Bragg addressed to Oldchester to be forwarded and with a line from herself to Mr Bragg begging that he would let Mr Rivers have them without delay She had written very fully and frankly to Owen telling him without reserve what her means were Only on one point had she been reticent—Theodores conduct In her heart she thought Theodore cruelly cold and hard towards her and the children But she would not complain of him he was her dear husbands son and she felt as if it would be disloyal to that honoured husbands memory to paint Theodore to others as she saw him
Theodores recommendation to his stepmother to take good steady paying lodgers was in the nature of those vague counsels we are all apt to proffer freely to our neighbours such as to cheer up not to yield to weakness to look on the bright side to dismiss disagreeable thoughts to set to work briskly and earn money and the like That is to say it was easier said than done When after the family had been somewhat over a week in town Theodore came again to see them and found that no steps had been taken to carry out this suggestion he showed considerable displeasure and said a sharp word or two about the difficulty of helping unpractical people
This word unpractical was in fact a favourite reproach to apply to poor Mrs Bransby on the part of a great many persons Mrs DormerSmith caught it up from Theodore Constance Hadlow echoed the same phrase when at length in answer to some private inquiries of Mrs DormerSmiths she wrote about the Bransby family
Mays first eager proposal to go and see Mrs Bransby was met by her aunt with an absolute refusal but she was so urgent and appealed so strongly to her uncle that Mrs DormerSmith making a virtue of necessity for she feared that if leave were refused May might go without it graciously consented that her niece should pay one visit to Mrs Bransby
One visit will be enough May said Aunt Pauline Quite enough to show that you feel kindly towards her and that sort of thing It is really stretching a point However if it must be it must be I only implore you not to talk about these people in society Pray pray do not poser as a district visitor or whatever it is called
May shrugged her shoulders and was silent She knew how vain it was to reason with Aunt Pauline on a point of this kind but she comforted herself by looking forward to the time—very near now—when Owen would return and when in some mysterious way not explicable to her head but quite sufficing to her heart all her difficulties would vanish before his presence And that same afternoon she set off to Collingwood Place Barnsbury Road in a cab attended by Smithson
Mrs Bransby received her affectionately and thanked her for her visit but she did not ask her to repeat it She perceived far more quickly than May had perceived it that Mrs DormerSmith would not like her niece to keep up any intimacy with a family who lived in Barnsbury and were served by one maidofallwork When the children clung round May and clamoured to know when she was coming to see them again Mrs Bransby interposed She told them that May could not be running in and out of their house in London as she had done in Oldchester and they must understand she could not take up the time of her aunts maid in making long journeys to Barnsbury And she said privately to May—
Dont get into trouble with your aunt by coming here my dear I know you would help us if you could but you cannot But I ought not to say that It is helpful to know you are unchanged and warmhearted as ever Some day please God we may be able to see each freely
Yes some day cried May joyfully thinking of him who would help to make that and all the other good things possible And then she coloured vividly as though she had betrayed a secret
Mrs Bransby however did not notice this She went on pensively And yet I am almost afraid to look forward to any pleasant thing lest it should be snatched away from me Misfortune makes one a sad coward I have had a disappointment just lately—about Mr Rivers He is not coming back so soon as was expected
He is coming back at the end of this month said May in a quick almost breathless way
No He was to have returned to England at the end of December but that is altered His present engagement is prolonged for some weeks I had a letter from him last evening from Barcelona and he does not expect to be in England before the latter part of January at the soonest
May drove homeward much depressed and out of spirits It was not only that Owens return was postponed but that she had not been the first to hear of it To be sure his weekly letter was not yet due and he was rigidly scrupulous in keeping his promise to Mrs Dobbs about corresponding with May But need he have volunteered to give this news to Mrs Bransby before writing it to her A dull feeling of discontent seemed to oppress her but on reaching home she tried to shake it off and to forget it in fighting her friends battle against Aunt Pauline
Aunt Pauline had constructed for herself an image of Mrs Bransby founded on Theodores hints She had decided in her own mind that Mrs Bransby was a weakminded lounging lazy woman who no longer able to adorn herself with fine clothes would sink into slatternhood and throw herself and her family as a dead weight on to any shoulders who would carry them
A woman belonging to the provincial middleclass who thinks of nothing but dress said Mrs DormerSmith shaking her head mournfully One knows what that must come to
But Mrs Bransby thought of a great many things besides dress cried May She thought of her household and her children and above all of her husband
Mrs DormerSmith merely shook her head again with an air of mild martyrdom as though some one were unjustly accusing her
And I assure you Aunt Pauline May continued that the little house she is living in—poor and humble of course in comparison with her old home—is a pattern of neatness
You say poor and humble May but do you not think that a house at fortyfive pounds a year is quite as good as she has any right to expect under the circumstances I do And that poor young Bransby has to be responsible for the rent
I am sure Mrs Bransby wont let him be out of pocket if she can possibly help it
I dare say But she is a sadly unpractical person
It was most touching to see her with all those children about her trying to be cheerful and composed and looking so lovely in her melancholy mourning dress
I presume she wears crape Ah Theres no more extravagant wear She might have one dress trimmed with crape for occasions but her ordinary everyday frocks ought to be of plain black stuff Hemstitched muslin collars and cuffs perhaps added Mrs DormerSmith relenting at the image of uncompromising ugliness she had herself conjured up But they can be made at home and need not cost much Has she any lodgers
No not yet But there has been very little time And it is difficult she says to find suitable persons
Yes that is precisely the kind of thing one would expect her to say That is the speech of a thoroughly unpractical person
The fact is burst out May hotly it is unpractical to be poor It is unpractical to be left a widow with five children and only a miserable pittance to keep them on
It was intolerable to hear Aunt Pauline sitting in judgment on this poor lady of whom she really knew nothing whatever save her misfortunes And May was greatly astonished at the glib way in which her aunt usually so prosaically matteroffact discoursed about Mrs Bransby putting in visionary details with a lavish fancy The girl had yet to learn that the most narrow and commonplace minds are capable of wild exaggeration within their own sphere and that to be unimaginative is no guarantee for truthfulness of perception
Mrs DormerSmith whatever her defects might be possessed almost perfect gentleness of temper She merely said softly May May when will you understand that nothing can be worse form than that habit of raving about people You are so dreadfully emphatic
I dont care a straw about what you call good form I prefer good substance answered May still in a glow of indignation
My dear child what does this woman matter to you
Matter She is my friend She has always been kind to me and even if she were not my friend I would defend her against unfair accusations
Mrs DormerSmith was silent for a few minutes Then she said in her slow somewhat muffled tones May you compel me to say what I would rather leave unsaid Mrs Bransby is not the kind of person your uncle and I wish you to associate with I do not assert that there has been anything positively wrong in her conduct Now oblige me by listening quietly If you start up in that melodramatic way you will bring on one of my nervous headaches I was merely going to remark that a woman so handsome as I am told she is and so very much younger than her husband ought in the most ordinary view of what is convenable to avoid anything like—like seeking to attract mens admiration and that sort of thing But instead of that Mrs Bransby carried on a very flagrant flirtation during her husbands lifetime with a young man considerably her junior It was noticed of course and commented on If she was so led away by foolish vanity when she had a sensible husband to guide her what will it be now that she is left to her own devices
May stood staring at her aunt like one suddenly awakened out of sleep This is all false she said after a moment false and very cruel Who told you such things Aunt Pauline
I decline to tell you May Some one who has had the means of knowing what went on in this Bransby household and some one whose judgment I can trust It must suffice to assure you that I am quite certain of my facts And strange as it may seem Mrs DormerSmith really thought she was certain of them
May turned away contemptuously Mrs Bransby is really very much to blame she said It is bad enough to be poor and unprotected but to be the most beautiful woman in all her circle of acquaintance as well is not to be forgiven
Then May left her aunts presence and betook herself to her own room where she locked the door and burst out crying These calumnies were bewildering She sat on the side of her bed for more than an hour in a drooping posture depressed and miserable As she thought over her aunts words the belief flashed into her mind that Mrs DormerSmiths informant must have been Constance Hadlow She did not suspect Constance of having deliberately invented stories to the poor widows discredit but she did think that Constance had repeated them and that they had lost none of their venom in her repetition It chanced that on that very morning her aunt had spoken of a letter just received from Miss Hadlow and May knew very well the sort of gossip which made up the staple of that correspondence Not for one moment did her suspicions point to Theodore The idea that he could have originated odious insinuations against his fathers wife was inconceivable to her But Conny——She had observed latterly a tendency in Conny to bitterness and detraction when speaking of Mrs Bransby Was she jealous And why When they talked of Mrs Bransbys flirtations with a man younger than herself whom did they allude to
All at once May drew herself sharply into an upright attitude while a burning flush covered her face and throat She dashed away some stray tears with her handkerchief and exclaimed speaking out loud in her excitement I will not think of such mean malicious despicable folly I will turn my mind away from it It is shameful even to be conscious of anything so baseminded
CHAPTER XV
Two days after Mays interview with Mrs Bransby Owens weekly letter arrived In it he informed her of the unexpected postponement of his return and he mentioned having written this news to Mrs Bransby in answer to a letter from her appealing to him for help and advice But he did not expend many words on the Bransby family He had to keep May minutely informed of his own doings and of his prospects so far as he could judge of them And whatsoever time and space remained at his disposal when this was accomplished was devoted to a theme which touched him more nearly than the fortunes of gentle Louisa Bransby—although his regard for her was very real Owen was deeply in love and wrote loveletters And that species of composition does not deal with circumstantial and connected narrative—at any rate about third persons
But although Owen did not return to England at the end of December Mr Bragg did He appeared one day in Mrs DormerSmiths drawingroom when he was received by that lady with marked graciousness and by May with a changing colour and shy eagerness which he might have been excused for misinterpreting
Mrs DormerSmith was delighted Mays behaviour appeared to her to be just what it ought to be Uncle Frederick too who happened to be at home—for Mr Bragg called at so unfashionably an early hour that the master of the house had not yet gone out to his club—had reason to be gratified He took the opportunity of consulting Mr Bragg as to a little investment he purposed making And Mr Bragg while dissuading him from that particular investment spontaneously offered to put his money into a good thing for him
I make it a rule not to advise people in general about such matters said Mr Bragg The responsibilitys too great not to mention that if it once what you might call got wind that I did give such advice I should have my time took up altogether with other peoples business And I dont see the force of that
Of course not Most inconsiderate murmured Mr DormerSmith
But I reserve the right to make exceptions now and then continued Mr Bragg And I shall be happy to be of use to you
All this while no word had been said about Owen Mays secret consciousness made her too bashful to introduce his name But at length Mr Bragg mentioned it of his own accord It was in speaking of Mr Bransbys death Mr Bragg expressed kindly sympathy with the widow and added—
She has one good friend poor soul anyway My secretary takes the greatest interest in her You know him Miss Cheffington—Mr Owen Rivers
Yes answered May in as constrained a tone as though the subject were distasteful to her Yet the poor child was longing with all her heart to speak of Owen and to hear him spoken of
To be sure you do We used to meet him at the Miss Pipers pretty well every evening didnt we Besides hes a cousin of your great friend Miss Hadlow
Oh of course exclaimed Mrs DormerSmith with a sudden remembrance of that relationship and a consequent increase of interest in Owen whom personally she knew but very slightly A cousin of Constance Hadlows Yes yes I recall it now Mrs Griffin told me that his grandfather who married a Lespoony—— She stopped remembering that family genealogy was a subject not likely to be specially agreeable to Mr Bragg and asked that gentleman sweetly How do you like him Does he do well
First rate answered Mr Bragg emphatically
May coloured with pleasure and turned aside her face to hide a broad childlike smile which stole over it
First rate repeated Mr Bragg He gives full satisfaction Not but what there are little what you may call twists in him here and there Hes peculiar in some ways But I never did expect angels from heaven to come down and do officework for me I consider myself lucky if I get honesty and fair industry Now Mr Rivers is more than honest—hes honourable
Isnt that a distinction without a difference in this case asked Mr DormerSmith lightly
Well no I dont think so answered Mr Bragg in his slow pondering way You see honesty makes a capital slowcombustion kind of fire but if you want a white heat you must have honour I cant express myself quite clear but I have it in my mind
And so Mr Rivers takes a great interest in this Mrs Bransby said Pauline Her thoughts had been busy with this point ever since Mr Bragg had uttered the words And she was pleased that May should hear something like corroboration of the charge against Mrs Bransby
Uncommon Hes quite what you might call devoted to her
Shes a deuced pretty woman isnt she put in Mr DormerSmith with a little knowing laugh
Mr Bragg replied with perfect seriousness Mrs Bransby is a lady of great personal attractions and so far as I know of her most amiable Im sorry to hear shes left in poor circumstances Martin Bransby seems to have made most imprudent speculations If hed have come to me poor man I could have given him some useful warnings and would have done it too Id have made one of my exceptions in his favour
Mrs DormerSmiths interest in the deceased Martin Bransby was too slight to enchain her attention When the widow was no longer being spoken of Paulines thoughts flew off rapidly to the fashion and texture of Mays weddingdress which had already haunted her solitary musings and to the question whether Mr Bragg would be likely to do anything for her boy Cyril who was just about to be entered at the University But her eyes remained fixed with a politely attentive look on Mr Bragg and when he ceased speaking she murmured plaintively as being a safe thing to say That is so good of you
As soon as Mr Bragg was gone May sat down to write an account of his visit to Owen Her heart swelled with pride as she repeated to him Mr Braggs words about himself Indeed she was so enthusiastic about Mr Bragg that Owen jestingly told her in his next letter that he was growing jealous of his master—so he always termed Mr Bragg
It was out of the question that May should hint to Owen a word of the unkind things which were said of Mrs Bransby She could not bring her pen to write them It seemed to her as if she could never even speak them to him But she said all the most sympathetic and affectionate things she could think of about the poor widow and her children being inspired by the malicious gossip only to a more chivalrous warmth on her friends behalf But yet—that gossip was like a barbed seed that clings where it alights and could not wholly be shaken out of her memory If she could but have spoken with granny She could not write all the confused feelings that were in her mind To have tried to do so would have seemed almost like hinting something which might be construed into a doubt of Owen But if she could speak with her living voice granny—who loved her so much and would listen with such understanding ears—would surely find the right words to conjure away the oppression which weighed on her spirits She was ashamed of not feeling so happy as she had felt three weeks ago And yet it was impossible to deny that a cloud—light and filmy but still a cloud—had come between her and the sun She was very lonely Sometimes she was startled by the sudden recognition of how completely aloof she was in spirit from the beings around her
Next to Owens letters her little cousins were her chief comfort She had them with her as much as possible helping them with their lessons and joining in their play Their brother Cyril being now at home from Harrow the younger children received even less than the scanty share of her attention which their mother had ever vouchsafed to them Mr DormerSmith was a good deal engrossed by his eldest son and Harold and Wilfred would have been forlorn indeed at this time but for Cousin May Yes the children were a great comfort to her and after them she liked Mr Braggs society better than that of most people He was so closely associated with Owen
Mr Bragg had become a frequent and familiar guest at the DormerSmiths house Uncle Frederick highly valued his advice and assistance in financial matters while Aunt Pauline was never tired of repeating his praises Only—as she privately complained to her husband—he hung fire a little
Why in the world he shouldnt speak out I cannot conjecture said she with that soft suffering expression of countenance which Mr Braggs assiduous visits had recently banished for as much as two or three days together It really is not Mays fault this time Nothing could be nicer than she is to him I should be uneasy about the Hautenvilles but that they are spending the winter at Rome And besides Mrs Griffin assured me that he wouldnt look at Felicia In fact he told her in plain terms that Miss Cheffington was the one young lady he admired Dear Mrs Griffin I shall never forget what a friend she has been all through the affair And the dear duchess But really Mr Bragg does hang fire most unaccountably I think it is beginning to tell on May herself a little She mopes Now that is a very serious matter for her complexion is of the delicate kind which will not stand worry
The new year opened dark and damp in London But the external gloom did not quench social gaiety of which there was a good deal going on at this time Mrs DormerSmith entered into it and insisted on Mays entering into it as much as possible She reflected that this would be the last year during which she would have the assistance of Mays allowance and that it would be well to profit by it to the utmost while it lasted The allowance was never expended in any way by which May could not benefit For example if Mrs DormerSmith were going to a dinnerparty without her niece she would not spend Mays money on the hire of a carriage to save her own hardworked brougham horse but when May accompanied her she would do so And on such occasions she would indulge in some little extra elegance of dress on the plea quite genuinely preferred that she must be decently dressed in the girls interests
In spite of Theodore Bransbys recent mourning they frequently met in society
It is my duty to keep up my social connections he would say to Mrs DormerSmith with a grave resigned air And no one could have more fully appreciated and approved the sentiment than she did
Theodore travelled rather frequently backwards and forwards between London and Oldchester in these days He was busy in the neighbourhood of his native city preparing the ground for his political campaign while he was constantly attracted to London by the hope of seeing May He had discovered that Mrs Bransby wrote sometimes to Owen Rivers and he frequently volunteered to give her items of news about May which he thought and hoped she might transmit to Spain Miss Cheffington had sat near him at Lady As dinnerparty he had escorted Miss Cheffington and her aunt to Mrs Bs soirée musicale Mrs C had given him a seat in her box at the theatre—where he met Miss Cheffington and so forth
Miss Cheffington appears to be very gay said Mrs Bransby once with a sigh not envious but regretful her own life was so dull and dark
Miss Cheffington is very much in the world of course Her birth and her beauty entitle her to a good deal of attention and she gets it I see no objection to that On the contrary it delights me that she should be admired
His stepmother stared at him in sudden surprise
Theodore she exclaimed impulsively There is nothing between you and May is there
He drew himself up and answered in as coldly offended a tone as though he had not desired and even angled for that very question Excuse me Mrs Bransby but I do not think it well to use a young ladys name in that way It is too delicate a matter to be handled at all in its present stage
Dont you believe him mother said Martin when Theodore had gone away May Cheffington isnt likely to think of him
I dont know Martin It may not seem likely to us because——
Because we know what Theodore is interposed Martin boldly
His mother let that suggestion lie but she said You must remember my boy that Theodore has many qualities which—which——He is very well educated and clever and gentlemanlike
No that he is not put in the irrepressible Martin
And he probably has a distinguished career before him Besides he is rich now you know
As if May would care for that exclaimed Martin with innocently lofty disdain
Her friends might care for it for her answered Mrs Bransby thoughtfully
She had fallen into the habit of consulting with Martin on all kinds of subjects Sometimes she reproached herself for harassing the boy with cares and questions beyond his years But in truth it would have been impossible at that time to keep Martin from sharing her cares and the pride of being allowed to share her counsels also more than made him amends
Mrs Bransby had a lodger now—a lodger who was the incubus of her life He was an elderly German engaged in the City and besides occupying the chamber which Theodore had ordained must be let if possible he breakfasted with the family every day and dined with them on Sundays The man was vulgar greedy and sullen in his manners His habits at table without being absolutely gross were revolting to Mrs Bransbys refinement And his exigencies on the score of the Sunday dinner were such as to keep her in constant anxiety and to excite boundless indignation in Phœbe Phœbe indeed so detested Mr Bucher that Mrs Bransby was occasionally reduced to beg for a cessation of hostilities and very much against the grain to plead Mr Buchers cause even with tears in her eyes
Such being the state of things it can well be imagined with what an ebullition of joy Mrs Bransby hailed a letter from Owen Rivers announcing his approaching arrival in London and proposing himself to her as a lodger He would like he said to board entirely with the family and offered terms which Mrs Bransby feared were almost too generous Martin it is needless to say enthusiastically welcomed the idea of having Owen Rivers to live with them And Phœbes delight in the prospect of Mr Buchers being speedily superseded made her volunteer to prepare his favourite pudding on the very next Sunday although hitherto she had obstinately professed the blankest ignorance of its composition
Before however giving the unpopular Mr Bucher notice to quit her house Mrs Bransby thought herself bound to consult Theodore Her mind misgave her lest Theodore who as she knew detested Owen Rivers should strongly set his face against receiving him and she wrote her letter to her stepson in considerable trepidation But to her surprise she speedily received an answer entirely approving the plan It was not gracious Theodore was never gracious to her But that was a small matter in comparison with obtaining his consent to the arrangement and this consent was unmistakably given
I believe he wrote that you will be justified in taking Rivers for a lodger if you wish it I meet his employer Mr Bragg very frequently at the house of Mrs DormerSmith and he apparently intends to retain Rivers in his service—at all events for the present You will therefore I should say be quite sure of regular payments
So Owens offer was joyfully and gratefully accepted
He had of course written to tell May as nearly as possible the time of his arrival in England but he had not mentioned his scheme of living at the Bransbys fearing lest it might not be practicable He did not in fact receive Mrs Bransbys reply to his proposal until he was on his way home He found it addressed as he had directed Mrs Bransby to the Poste Restante in Paris where he spent one day on business for Mr Bragg And thus it chanced that the first intimation which May received of the matter came from Theodore Bransby
He was dining at the DormerSmiths Mr Bragg was there also It was what Mrs DormerSmith called a very quiet little dinner—just one or two people quite cosily and had been given simply and solely for Mr Bragg There was but one other guest Lady Moppett Mrs DormerSmith did not consider Lady Moppett to be worth cultivating She was rich but not in the best set Moreover she had a craze for music Mrs DormerSmiths private sentiment about all the Arts was akin to that of the Turkish potentate who inquired at a ball why they did not make their slaves dance for them instead of taking all that trouble themselves She considered in fact that the Muses ought to be kept in their places But she would never have uttered any word approaching to such a Bœotian phrase She had an almost perfect taste in phrases There however sat Lady Moppett at her dinnertable Mr DormerSmith had stipulated for some human being to speak to Mr Bragg must of course be left to May and Mr DormerSmith could not endure young Bransby Theodore was not generally popular with his own sex but Pauline had quite reinstated him in her good graces And indeed how was it possible not to feel agreeably towards a young man whom Lord Castlecombe himself delighted to honour
Lady Moppett was an old acquaintance of her hosts as has been stated And except on the subject of music she was a goodhumoured woman enough making amends for the inflexible rigidity of her dogma as to the divine art by a rather broad indulgence towards the merely moral shortcomings of her fellowcreatures Mr DormerSmith led her out to dinner Mr Bragg of course conducted his hostess and Theodore therefore had to give May his arm to the diningroom There was no help for that But the party was small and the table was round and Mr Bragg would not be far sundered from May And once in the drawingroom Aunt Pauline would take care that he should have abundant opportunities for private conversation with her niece
May endured Theodores proximity far more graciously than would have been the case three months ago He was not naturally quick at discerning the effect he produced on others nor careful to spare their feelings But Love stimulates the perceptions in a wonderful way Prosaic though his subjects may be the ArchMagician has lost nothing of his cunning and under his potent influence Theodore Bransby developed some little sympathetic insight into Mays feelings He even divined that part of her new soft kindliness of manner towards himself was due to pity for his bereavement And he had learned in a more unmistakeable way—for she had told him so—that she approved his care of his stepmother and young brothers and sisters Theodore was pretty safe in vaunting his disinterested efforts on their behalf Mrs Bransby and May were effectually kept apart and neither of them suspected that this was chiefly his doing
He now as he sat by Mays side had something in his mind which he greatly desired she should hear But some feeling unaccountable to himself—or at least which he did not choose to account for—made him hesitate to utter it to her directly At length in a little pause of the conversation he bent slightly forward towards Mr Bragg who sat opposite to him and said—
I suppose you do not propose returning to Spain Mr Bragg
Me Oh no I dont think Ive any call to do so And theres plenty for me to look after elsewhere
Of course Transactions on such a colossal scale When I heard that Rivers was coming back to London I concluded that you had wound up the business which took you to Spain
Mr Rivers has been very helpful to me indeed I feel myself under an obligation to him
To say the truth Mr Bragg was impelled to offer this testimony—even at the cost of dragging it in somewhat inopportunely—by his lively remembrance of sundry spiteful speeches made by young Bransby in former times but rather to his surprise Theodore did not now seek to divert the conversation from Owens praises
Yes Rivers has come out wonderfully well I understand said Theodore I hear a good deal about him He is in constant correspondence with Mrs Bransby as perhaps you know
Oh said Mr Bragg quietly No I cant say I know it By the way I do call to mind Mrs Bransby sending me a letter for him some time ago Well he may be in correspondence with her
Oh he is I have reason to know it for I think he is the sole topic of conversation at my stepmothers house just now The whole family are in a fever of excitement about his coming to live with them
Without turning his head or even glancing at May he felt that she was listening with a new and suddenly concentrated attention and he said to himself with a glow of elation She did not know it
Ah Really said Mr Bragg addressing himself to his dinner The matter did not seem to him one of any very special interest If young Rivers went to lodge at Mrs Bransbys it would probably be a good arrangement for both
Whos that Anybody I know asked Lady Moppett from her place at the hosts right hand
Theodore answered I was merely speaking of a man named Rivers who——
Owen Rivers Oh of course I know him A dreadful heretic He enunciates the most intolerable oldfashioned stuff And hes so frightfully obstinate battles and argues one down positively I really have no patience But what about him Is he going to be married
Not that I know of replied Theodore with his correct air and an odd effect as though his white cravat and shirtfront had been suddenly petrified
Oh I beg your pardon I thought you said something of the sort
By Jove more unlikely things have happened put in Mr DormerSmith jocosely Hes exposing himself to a tremendous fire Dangerous work for a fellow to live under the roof of a lovely and captivating woman who sets him up as a kind of guide philosopher and friend—eh
Dangerous I should think the end of that arrangement is a foregone conclusion exclaimed Lady Moppett Mr Rivers is a very agreeable young fellow—when he isnt talking about music But whos your lovely and captivating woman Does anybody know her
There was an instants pause during which Pauline cast an expressive glance of the most poignant reproach at her husband Then Theodore answered very gravely Mr DormerSmith was merely jesting The lady is Mrs Martin Bransby—my fathers widow
END OF VOL II
THAT UNFORTUNATE MARRIAGE
BY FRANCES ELEANOR TROLLOPE
AUTHOR OF AUNT MARGARETS TROUBLE A CHARMING FELLOW LIKE SHIPS UPON THE SEA ETC
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL III
LONDON
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON
Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen
1888
All rights reserved
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
THAT UNFORTUNATE MARRIAGE
CHAPTER I
The following morning Mrs DormerSmith was in a flutter of excitement She left her bedroom fully an hour earlier than was her wont But before she did so she sent a message begging May not to absent herself from the house For even in this wintry season May was in the habit of walking out every morning with the children whenever there came a gleam of good weather Smithson Mrs DormerSmiths maid who was charged with the message volunteered to add with a glance at Mays plain morning frock—
Mr Bragg is expected I believe Miss
Very well Smithson Tell my aunt I will not go out without her permission
Smithson still lingered Shall I—would you like me to lay out your grey merino Miss she asked
Oh no thank you answered May opening her eyes in surprise If I do go out it will only be to take a turn in the square with the children This frock will do quite well
Smithson retired And then Harold who was engaged in a somewhat languid struggle with a French verb looked up savagely and said—
I hate Mr Bragg
Wilfred seated at the table with a big book before him which was supposed to convey useful knowledge by means of coloured illustrations immediately echoed—
I hate Mr Bragg
Hush hush That will never do said May Little boys musnt hate anybody Besides Mr Bragg is a very good kind man Why should you dislike him
Because hes going to take you away answered Harold slowly
Nonsense I dare say Mr Bragg will not ask to see me at all And if he does I shall not be away above a few minutes
Shant you asked Harold doubtfully
Of course not What have you got into your head
Yesterday when they didnt think I was listening I heard Smithson say to Cécile——
May stopped the child decisively Hush Harold You know I never allow you to repeat the tittletattle of the nursery And I am shocked to hear that you listened to what was not intended for your ears That is not like a gentleman You know we agreed that you are to be a real gentleman when you grow up—that is a man of honour
I didnt listen cried Wilfred eagerly
I am glad you did not
No I didnt listen Cousin May I was in Cyrils room Cyril gave me a long long piece of string—ever so long
May laughed Your virtue is not of a difficult kind Master Willy You never do any mischief that is quite out of your reach Then seeing that Harold looked still crestfallen she kissed his forehead and said kindly And Harold will not listen again He did not remember that it is dishonourable
The child was silent with his eyes cast down on his lessonbook for a while Then he raised them and looking searchingly at May said I say Cousin May I mean to marry you when I grow up
And so do I said Wilfred determined not to be outdone
Very well But I couldnt think of marrying any one who did not know his French verbs So you had better learn that one at once
Harolds naturally rather dull and heavy face grew suddenly bright and he settled himself to his lesson with a little shrug and a shake like a puppy No you wouldnt marry any one who didnt know French would you said he emphatically
And I know Fench pleaded Wilfred
There now be quiet both of you and let me finish my letter said May And there was nearly unbroken silence among them
Meantime Mr Bragg was having an interview with Mrs DormerSmith He had gradually made up his mind to put the same question to her that he had put to Mrs Dobbs namely whether May were free to receive his proposals He could not help being uneasy about young Bransbys relations with May Mrs Dobbs it was true had denied that her granddaughter thought of him at all and Mr Bragg did not doubt Mrs Dobbss veracity But he underrated her sagacity or rather her opportunities for knowing the truth She lived very much outside of Mays world She might divine the state of Mays feelings and yet be mistaken as to their object The story he had heard of young Bransbys having been rejected by Miss Cheffington could not be true for was not young Bransby a constant visitor at her aunts house—frequenting it on a footing of familiarity—talking to May herself with a certain air of confidential understanding He had observed this particularly during last nights dinner
But if on the other hand the possibility of Mrs Dobbs being mistaken on this question were once admitted all sorts of other possibilities poured in after it as by a sluicegate and lifted Mr Braggs hopes to a higher level At any rate he resolved to take some decisive step Time had been lost already He had told Mrs Dobbs that he was too old to trust to the day after tomorrow and that was now three months ago Hence his visit to Mrs DormerSmith by appointment—an appointment made verbally the preceding evening with the request that she would mention it to no one least of all to Miss Cheffington
Aunt Pauline was of course quite sure beforehand what was to be the subject of their conversation and was not in the least surprised although inwardly much elated when Mr Bragg broached it
Understand me maam said Mr Bragg I only wish you to tell me truly whether according to the best of your belief Miss Cs affections are engaged I ask no questions beyond that I dont want to pry
Engaged Oh dear no I assure you——
Excuse me maam But I mean a little more than that said Mr Bragg slightly hastening the steady stride of his speech lest she should interrupt him again Of course I dont expect you to be inside of your nieces heart A deal of uncertainty must prevail in what you may call assaying any human beings feelings You may use the wrong test for one thing But ladies are keen observers specially where they like—or for the matter of that dislike—any one very much And what I want to know is this Have you any reason to think Miss C is in love with any one
Mrs DormerSmith who was listening with a bland smile almost started at this crude inquiry She felt the need of all her selfcommand to preserve that repose of manner which she considered essential to goodbreeding But she answered gently though firmly—
My dear Mr Bragg that is out of the question My niece is entirely disengaged A girl of her birth and breeding is not likely to entertain any vulgar kind of romance in secret
Thank you maam said Mr Bragg Then he added ponderingly It might not be vulgar though
Mrs DormerSmith privately thought Mr Bragg no competent judge of what might or might not be vulgar in a Cheffington She merely replied with a certain suave dignity referring to a former speech of his—
Do I understand rightly that you desire to speak with Miss Cheffington yourself
If you please maam Yes I think I should like to go through with it
I will send for her to come here Mr Bragg
She rang the bell and gave her orders and during the pause which ensued neither she nor Mr Bragg spoke a word He was absorbed in his own thoughts and by no means as fully master of himself as usual She was plaintively regretting that May had refused to change her morning frock for something more becoming Not that it can be of vital importance now thought Mrs DormerSmith faintly smiling to herself with halfclosed eyes
Presently the door opened and May stood on the threshold
Come in darling said her aunt Mr Bragg wishes to speak with you And I will only assure you that he does so with my and your uncles full knowledge and approbation With that Aunt Pauline glided into the back drawingroom and withdrew by a door opening on to the staircase which she shut behind her immensely to Mays surprise
All at once a nameless dread came over the girl chilling her like a cold wind They had some bad news to give her of Owen She turned suddenly so deadly pale as to startle Mr Bragg and looking up at him with piteous frightened eyes stammered faintly What is the matter
Nothing at all Nothing is the matter that need frighten you my dear young lady Lord bless me you look quite scared
His genuine tone reassured her And the colour began to return to lips and cheeks But the wilful blood now rushed too hotly into her face Her second thought was They have found out my engagement to Owen And although this contingency could be confronted with a very different feeling and with sufficient courage yet she could not control the telltale blush
Just you sit down there and dont worrit yourself Miss Cheffington said Mr Bragg In his earnestness he reverted to the phraseology of his early days Theres no hurry in the world If you was startled just you take your own time to come round
Thank you answered May dropping into the armchair he pushed forward
I am very sorry to have alarmed you she said Im afraid I must be growing nervous I never thought I should be able to lay claim to that interesting malady
Although she smiled and tried to speak playfully she had really been shaken and she profited by the advice which Mr Bragg repeated to sit still and take her own time about coming round
Byandby she said almost in her usual voice Will you not sit down Mr Bragg I am quite ready to listen to you
Mr Bragg hesitated a moment He would have preferred to stand He would have felt more at his ease so But looking down on the slight young figure before him it occurred to him that it would be—in some vaguelyfelt way—taking an unfair advantage of the girl to dominate her by his tall stature So he brought himself nearer to her level by sitting down on an ottoman opposite and not very near to her
I suppose said he after a little silence during which he looked down with an intent and anxious frown at the floor I suppose you cant give a guess at what Im going to say
May believed she had guessed it already But she answered I would rather not guess please I would rather that you told me
Well perhaps it may simplify matters if I mention that I have had some conversation on the subject with Mrs Dobbs
With Granny exclaimed May looking full at him in profound astonishment
Yes its some little while ago now Mrs Dobbs spoke very straightforward and very kind too but Im bound to say she did not give me any encouragement
May stared at him in a kind of fascination She could not remove her eyes from his face And she began to perceive a dreadful clearsightedness dawning above the confusion of her thoughts
Mr Bragg was not looking at her He was leaning a little forward with his arms resting on his knees and his hands loosely clasped together He went on speaking in a ruminating way sometimes emphasizing his phrase by a slight movement from the wrist of his clasped hands and as if he were with some difficulty reading off the words he was uttering from the Oriental rug at his feet
You see Miss Cheffington of course Im aware theres a great difference in years But thats not the biggest difference in reality I dont believe myself that Im so very much older in some ways than I was at fiveandtwenty I was always a steady kind of a chap and I never had much to say for myself—never was what you might call lively you know
May sat spellbound looking at him fixedly and with that dawn of clearsightedness rapidly illumining many things to her unspeakable consternation
No it isnt the years that make the biggest difference Im below you in education of course Miss Cheffington and in a deal besides no doubt But I can be trusted to mean all I say—though Im not able to say all I mean by a long chalk
As he said this he raised his eyes for the first time and looked at her She was still regarding him with the same fascinated almost helpless gaze But when she met his clear honest grey eyes with a wistful expression in them which was pathetically contrasted with the massive strength of his head and face she was suddenly inspired to say—
Please Mr Bragg will you hear me I want to tell you something before you—before you say any more I think you are my friend and if you dont mind I should like to tell you a secret May I
He nodded keeping his eyes on her now steadily
Well I—I hope you will forgive me for troubling you with my confidence I know you will respect it If I had not such a high esteem and regard for you I—I could not say it She stopped an instant there was a choking feeling in her throat She paused mastered it and went on I have promised to marry some one whom I love very much and no one knows about it but Granny
When she had spoken she hid her hot face in her hands and cried silently
There was absolute stillness in the room for some minutes At length she looked up and saw Mr Bragg still sitting as before with loosely clasped hands and downcast eyes May rose to her feet and said timidly I hope you are not angry with me for—for telling you
Mr Bragg stood up also and placing one broad powerful hand on her head as a father might have done looked down gravely at her upturned face
Angry Lord bless you my child what must I be made of to be angry with you
Oh thank you Mr Bragg And will you promise—but I know you will—not to betray me
He did not notice this question His mind was working uneasily He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked to the other side of the room and back before saying—
This person that youve promised to marry is he one that your people here—he jerked his head over his shoulder in the direction in which Mrs DormerSmith had disappeared—would approve of
Oh yes answered May Then she added not quite so confidently I think so At any rate I am very proud to be loved by him
And Mrs Dobbs—
Oh of course dear Granny thinks no one could be too good for me said May apologetically But she knows his worth
Will you please tell me how long Mrs Dobbs has known of this asked Mr Bragg with a touch of sternness
Known She knew of course as soon as I knew myself—on the twentyseventh of last September answered poor May with damaskrose cheeks
Mr Bragg made a mental calculation of dates His face relaxed and he now replied to Mays previous question
Yes of course Ill promise not to say a word till you give me leave Especially since Mrs Dobbs knows all about it Otherwise youre young to guide yourself entirely in a matter so serious as this is
She thanked him again and dried some stray teardrops that hung on her pretty eyelashes
He stood for a moment looking at her intently But there was nothing in his gaze to startle her maiden innocence or make her shrink from him it was an honest earnest kindly though melancholy look
Well said he at last youre not so curious as some young ladies You havent asked me what it was I was going to say to you
I dare say it was nothing serious she answered quickly In any case I am quite sure you will say and leave unsaid all that is right
Thats a—what you might call a pretty large order Miss Cheffington Im an awkward brute sometimes I dare say but Ill tell you this much If I dont say what I was going to say it isnt from pride I have had that feeling but I havent it now in talking to you No it isnt from pride but because I want you and me to be friends—downright good friends you know And perhaps it would be more agreeable for you not to have anything concerning me in your memory that youd wish to be what you might call sponged out of the record I appreciate your behaviour Miss Cheffington You acted generous and like the noblehearted young lady Ive always thought you when you told me that secret of yours Why now——Come come dont you fret yourself he exclaimed softly for the tears were again trickling down her cheeks
You are so—so very kind and good to me she said brokenly
Lord bless me what else could I be There there dont you vex yourself by fancying me cast down or disappointed about—anything in particular A man doesnt come to my age without getting used to disappointments big and little
He took up his hat and stopped her by a gesture as she moved towards the bell
No dont ring please Ive got an appointment in the City and not much time to spare if I walk it So Ill just let myself out quietly without disturbing anybody You can mention to your aunt that I shall have the honour of calling on her again very soon Goodbye Miss Cheffington
May held out her hand He touched it very lightly with his fingers and then relinquished it silently
You are sure she said pleadingly you are quite sure you are not angry with me
There aint a many things Im so sure of as I am of that answered Mr Bragg in his ordinary quiet tones And then he opened the door and was gone
He went down the stairs and through the hall and into the street without being challenged He shut the street door softly behind him with a kind of instinct of escape and marched away rather quickly but square and steady as ever
After a while he looked at his watch hesitated and finally hailed a hansom cab
Poultry You can take it easy Im not in a hurry he said to the driver as he got into the vehicle
Then Mr Bragg leaned back and began to think He had a habit of frequently closing his eyes when meditating and this habit it was which had impelled him to get into a cab since a pedestrian in the streets of London could only indulge in it at the risk of his life and Mr Bragg had no—not even the most passing—temptation to suicide He shut his eyes tight now tilted his hat backward from his forehead and reviewed the situation
He had behaved very well to May and was conscious of having behaved well to her she deserved the best and most considerate treatment but Mr Bragg was no angel and he was extremely angry with Mrs DormerSmith He felt some irritation—very unreasonably as he would byandby acknowledge—against Mrs Dobbs—she had been rather exasperatingly in the right But Mrs DormerSmith had been most exasperatingly in the wrong and he was very angry with her Why had she not confessed that she knew nothing at all about her nieces feelings It was clear she was quite ignorant of them She had only to say that she could not undertake to answer for May that would at least have been honest
I dare say I might have spoken all the same Mr Bragg admitted to himself I think praps I should Id got to that point where a man must know for himself what the answer is to that question and when likely or unlikely wont serve his turn But I could ha managed different I neednt have looked like a Tomnoddy Trotted out there—making a reglar show of a man not a doubt but what that flunkey knew all about it Womans a fool
Mr Braggs indignation rolled off like thunder in these broken growlings And beneath it all—deeper than all—there lay an aching sorrow It would not break his heart as he knew it might not even spoil his dinner but it was a real sorrow nevertheless In the moment of assuring him that he must not hope to win her May had seemed to him better worth winning than ever her soft touch had opened a long sealedup spring of tenderness There was some rough poetry within him none the less pathetic because he knew thoroughly sensitively how unable he was to give it expression and how ridiculous the mere suggestion of his trying to do so would seem to most people He resolutely refrained as much as possible from letting his mind busy itself with these hidden feelings his very thoughts seemed to hurt them at that moment
He preferred to nurse his wrath against Mrs DormerSmith and to resent her having betrayed him into an undignified position Mr Bragg had been prosperous and powerful for many years and the sense of being balked was very irksome to him more irksome than in the days of his poverty when youth and hope were elastic and battle seemed a not unwelcome condition of existence
But before he reached the end of his eastward journey Mr Bragg began to speculate about the man whom May loved In spite of Mrs Dobbss emphatic denial he could not dismiss the idea that Theodore Bransby was the man He had gathered the impression that Mrs Dobbs did not like Theodore and he remembered Mays deprecating words Granny would not think any one too good for me which seemed to indicate that Mrs Dobbs had not hailed the engagement with rapture Thinking over the dates he concluded—quite correctly—that Mays lover whoever he might be had declared himself not long after his Braggs interview with Mrs Dobbs Now Theodore Bransby had been in Oldchester at that time as he well remembered
Why Theodore if it were he should keep his engagement secret from the DormerSmiths was not easily explicable But Mr Bragg knew the young mans political projects and it might be that Theodore would wish to approach Mays family armed with all the importance which a successful electoral campaign would give him One thing Mr Bragg felt tolerably sure of—that Aunt Pauline would regret acutely the declension from a nephewinlaw with fifty thousand a year to one whose income did not count as many hundreds It was perhaps rather agreeable to Mr Bragg to think of this It was certainly a comfort to him to be able to dislike Mays lover on independent grounds He had always entertained an antipathy towards the young man and however sincere and tender his interest in May Cheffington might be it did not modify by a hairs breadth his opinion of young Bransby
And after all it may not be him said Mr Bragg reflectively and ungrammatically But if it isnt him it cant be anybody I know
The person he had appointed to meet in the City was an Oldchester man and when the business part of their interview was concluded he said to Mr Bragg—
Theres bad news from Combe Park Havent you heard Oh why they say Mr Lucius Cheffington cant live many days So that scamp Whatshisname the nephew will come in for it all The old lords awfully savage Im told Shouldnt wonder if it balks young Bransbys hopes of getting his seat Old Castlecombe wont like paying election expenses for him now Great pity Hes a very rising young man and a credit to Oldchester
CHAPTER II
When Mr Bragg was gone May felt a cowardly temptation to run away to her own room and there recover her composure in solitude But she reflected that that would be scarcely fair to her aunt who no doubt was waiting with some impatience to hear the result of the interview So she dried her eyes and resolutely ascended the stairs to her aunts room
The gentle refined voice which had once so charmed her but which as she had long since learned could utter sentiments singularly at variance with its own sweetness answered her tap at the door by saying Is that dear May Come in May entered and saw her aunt reclining in a lounging chair by the fireside A book lay open beside her but she evidently had not been reading recently She looked up at Mays flushed face and tearswollen eyes and these traces of emotion seemed to her satisfactory indications of what had passed He has spoken Its all right she said to herself Then aloud with a tender smile holding out both her hands Well darling
The softness of her tone had a perversely hardening effect on May If her aunt had expected her to accept Mr Bragg—and May was not dull enough to doubt this now that her eyes were illumined by that dawn of clearsightedness which had been so amazing to her—the least she could do was to be quiet and commonsensible about it Any assumption of sentiment seemed to May to be sickening under the circumstances So she answered dryly—
Mr Bragg desired me to tell you that he will have the honour of calling on you again before long
Is he gone asked Mrs DormerSmith with a momentary twinge of anxiety
Yes he is gone He had an appointment in the City and was rather pressed for time so he could not stay to take leave of you
Oh exclaimed her aunt sinking back among her cushions with a smile I forgive him Then seeing May turn away as if to leave the room she suddenly sat up again and said with an air of gentle reproach And have you nothing to say to me dear May
Nothing particular Aunt Pauline
Nothing particular I do not think that is very kindly said May
Mays conscience told her the same thing She had yielded to a movement of temper The most sensitive chords in her own nature had been jarred and were still quivering But that was no reason why she should be unkind or uncivil to her aunt she repented and with her usual impulsive candour said—
I beg your pardon Aunt Pauline I ought not to have answered you so
You have been agitated dear child Come here and sit down by me Now tell me May—you surely will tell me—Mr Bragg has proposed to you has he not
No Aunt Pauline
What
Mrs DormerSmith would have been shocked if she could have seen her own face in the glass at that moment The vulgarest marketwomans countenance could not have expressed surprise and consternation more unrestrainedly
I think he perhaps would have asked me to marry him but I stopped him
You stopped him echoed her aunt with clasped hands But a little gleam of hope revived her The matter had been mismanaged in some way May was so deplorably devoid of tact All might yet be well And why for pitys sake May did you stop him
Because as I could not accept him Aunt Pauline I wished to spare him as much as possible
Could not accept him Good heavens May this is frightful Have you lost your senses Do you know who and what Mr Bragg is
He is a good honest man and I esteem him and like him
And is not that enough Do you know that there are girls of—I wont say better family but—higher rank than yours who would give their ears to be——But it cant be You are a foolish inexperienced child who dont understand your own good fortune You cannot be allowed to throw away this splendid opportunity I will write to Mr Bragg myself and——
Stay Aunt Pauline Please to understand that I will never under any circumstances dream of marrying Mr Bragg He is quite persuaded of this He and I understand each other very well and we mean to continue good friends but pray do not lower your own dignity by writing to him on this subject
Mrs DormerSmith burst into tears Go away you ungrateful child she said from behind her pockethandkerchief I could not have believed you would have behaved in this manner after all I have done for you
May would have been more distressed than she was had the spectacle of her aunts tears been rarer But she had seen Mrs DormerSmith weep from what seemed to her very inadequate motives—even once at the misfit of a new gown Nevertheless she tried to soothe her aunt
Please dont cry Aunt Pauline I cant bear you to think me ungrateful But after all what have I done I dare say—I am sure indeed that you are only anxious for my welfare And what sort of a life could I expect if I married a man I could not love
I beg you will not talk such nurserymaids nonsense to me May returned her aunt sprinkling some rosewater on her pockethandkerchief and dabbing her wet cheeks with it Could not love indeed Why could you not love him Do you expect to rant through a grande passion like a heroine on the stage I am shocked at you May Girls in your position owe a duty to society
May knew that her aunt was unanswerable when she broached these mysterious dogmas about society—unanswerable at all events by her She could as soon have attempted a theological argument with a devotee of Mumbo Jumbo So she held her peace and stood still anxious to escape and yet fearful of seeming to be unfeeling by going away at that moment One idea at length suggested itself to her as a possible consolation for her aunt and she proceeded to offer it with unreflecting rashness
But Aunt Pauline she said after all you know Mr Bragg is a very lowborn man He was once a common artisan in Oldchester And you remember you even thought Theodore Bransby presumptuous——
The immediate reply to this wellmeant suggestion was a fresh burst of tears You are too insupportable May One might suppose you to be an idiot What has been the use of all my care and my endeavours to make you look at things as a girl of your condition ought to look at them Mr Bragg could have placed you in a brilliant position Now I dare say he will marry Felicia Hautenville I have no doubt he will and it will serve you right if he does You think of no one but yourself What do you suppose that worthy woman Mrs Dobbs will say when she hears of your behaviour After all the money she has spent on sending you to London
May turned round suddenly What do you say Aunt Pauline she asked almost breathlessly Granny has spent money to send me to London
Mrs DormerSmith caught at a forlorn hope Might it not be possible even now to influence May through her affection for her grandmother
Of course May she replied with an injured air Where do you suppose the money came from Your uncle and I as you must be well aware find it difficult enough to keep up our position in society with Cyril to place in the world and those two little boys to provide for
But papa gasped May I thought my father was paying——
You chose to assume it I never told you so Mrs Dobbs particularly wished us to keep the arrangement secret and we did so I appreciate her wisdom now in keeping it secret from you May for your conduct today shows you to be destitute of the most ordinary tact and prudence
And Granny—dear old Granny—has been depriving herself of money to keep me in town exclaimed the girl still entirely possessed with this new revelation
Mrs DormerSmith gallantly tried to improve her opportunity She raised herself into an upright posture in her chair and said solemnly Yes May and a nice return you make for it The good old creature no doubt has been pinching herself for years on your account She has paid for your schooling your dress and everything she even contrives I dare say by enduring some privations Mrs DormerSmith did not in the least suppose this to be the case but she felt it was a rhetorical point and likely to affect her niece she even contrives to give you a season in town with charming toilettes from Amélie and a presentation dress that a dukes daughter might have worn and everything which a rightminded girl ought to appreciate—and this is her reward You refuse one of the finest matches in England I cannot believe you will persist in such wicked perversity May continued Pauline rising to new heights of moral elevation No I cannot believe you will be so ungrateful to that good old soul and indeed I may say to Providence Really there is something almost impious in it Mrs Dobbs does all she can to counteract the results of your fathers unfortunate marriage—we all do all we can circumstances are so ordered by a Superior Power as to give you the chance of catching—of attracting the regard of a man of princely fortune—you rather than a dozen other girls whose people have been looking after him for the last three seasons and all this you reject Toss it away like a baby with a toy No May you are a Cheffington—you are my poor unfortunate brothers own flesh and blood and I will not believe it of you Then sinking back in her chair she added in a faint voice Go away now if you please and send Smithson to me I shall have to speak to your uncle when he comes in and I really dread it He will be so shocked—so astonished As for me I am utterly hors de combat for the day of course
May willingly escaped to her own room and locked herself in Her thoughts were in a strange tumult busied chiefly with this news about Mrs Dobbs Why had she not guessed it before Was there any one in the world like that staunch generous unselfish woman This explained her giving up her old comfortable home in Friars Row This explained a hundred other circumstances May thought between laughing and crying of Jo Weatherheads eccentric eulogy on her grandmother as compared with classical heroines and she longed to tell him that he was right The full tide of love and sympathy and gratitude towards Granny rose in her breast above all other emotions and for the moment even Mr Braggs wonderful proposals and her aunts still more wonderful reception of them were forgotten It even overflowed and temporarily obliterated impressions and feelings far keener than any which poor Mr Bragg had power to awake in her heart
What a fools paradise had she been living in And what a mistaken image of her father she had been cherishing all this time He had contributed nothing to her support he had coolly left the whole care of her to others he had been thoroughly selfish and indifferent Every one seemed selfish but Granny One thing she hastily resolved on not to remain another week in London at her grandmothers expense
When Mr DormerSmith came home and was duly informed by his wife of Mays incredible conduct his dismay was nearly as great as Paulines Perhaps his surprise was even greater for he had accepted his wifes assurances that May was quite prepared to give Mr Bragg a favourable answer He could not bring himself to regard Mays behaviour with such lofty moral reprobation as his wife did but he certainly thought the girl had acted foolishly and even blameably
Mr DormerSmith was extremely anxious not to offend or disgust Mr Bragg To have a man of that wealth in the family might be the making of all their fortunes Already Mr Braggs advice and assistance had profited him He and his wife had even privately reckoned on Mr Braggs doing something handsome in a testamentary way for their younger children May was very fond of her cousins and what would a few thousands be to Mr Bragg Now the unexpected news which met him broke up all these glittering hopes as a thaw melts the frostdiamonds
You must speak with her Frederick I have said all I can and I really am not equal to another scene said Pauline
She had subsided into an attitude of calm despondency and seemed to be supported chiefly by the sense of her own unappreciated merits She did not mention that she had already written a private and confidential letter to Mr Bragg and despatched it by special messenger to the hotel where he usually stayed when in London
Mr Bragg had no town house and the choosing and furnishing of a suitable mansion for him and his bride had been one of the rewards of virtue which Mrs DormerSmith had for some time past been anticipating for herself May was so young and inexperienced and Mr Bragg—dear good rich man—had so little knowledge of the fashionable world that Pauline confidently expected to be for some years to come the presiding genius of the elegant entertainments to which they would invite only the very best society For—giving the rein to her fancy—Pauline had resolved that Mr and Mrs Bragg were to be extremely exclusive A wellborn girl who without fortune or title had succeeded in marrying a millionnaire might surely—if there were any poetical justice at all in the world—indulge herself in the refined pleasure of social selection and quietly decline to receive those doubtful Borderers who made society as Mrs Griffin often complained so sadly mixed
All this was not to be relinquished without a struggle Mrs DormerSmith would do her duty to the last Duty had commanded her to make an immediate appeal to Mr Bragg not to take Mays answer as final but duty did not she considered require her to tell her husband anything about it until she saw how it turned out
You must see her Frederick repeated Mrs DormerSmith And Frederick accordingly sent for May to come and speak with him
He awaited her in the drawingroom and when May entered the room her eye fell on the easychair which Mr Bragg had placed for her standing out just where she had left it The whole scene came back to her mind as vividly as if she saw it in a picture before her bodily eyes and the colour rose to her forehead
Her uncle went to her and took her hand kindly Well May said he what is all this I hear He was leading her towards the armchair but May avoided it and took another seat and Mr DormerSmith dropped into the armchair opposite to her himself
In considering what could have been the motives which had induced her to reject Mr Bragg he had prepared himself to listen to some—perhaps foolishly—romantic talk on Mays part Mr Bragg certainly could not by any stretch of friendship be considered romantic But Uncle Frederick would try to show his niece how much sounder and solider a foundation for domestic happiness Mr Bragg was able to offer her than any amount of the qualities which go to make up a young ladys hero of romance
What he was not at all prepared for was Mays saying earnestly as she leant forward with clasped hands Oh Uncle Frederick what is all this I hear My dear good grandmother has been impoverishing herself to pay for keeping me in London Why did you not tell me the truth Nothing should have induced me to accept such a sacrifice
Mr DormerSmith was not a ready or flexible man by nature and it took him a minute or so to alter the sight so to speak of the big gun he had been getting into position to mow down Mays resistance against making a splendid marriage
Why—eh Oh Mrs Dobbss allowance Oh yes Well my dear you have pretty well answered your own question If you had known you would not have consented to come to town and take your proper place in society Your aunt considered it most important that you should do so And Im sure May you must allow that she has done her very best for you in every way
Her very best thought May yes perhaps Then she said aloud Aunt Pauline has been very kind to me But how could there be any proper place for me in society unless I could honestly afford to take it To get it by imposing privations on my grandmother who is not bound except by her own abundant goodness to do anything for me at all—this surely could not be right or just could it
Mr DormerSmith was not prepared with a cogent answer on the spur of the moment So he fell back on murmuring some faint echoes of his wifes maxims about duty to society But he had not Paulines sincere convictions on the subject and did it but feebly
And oh Uncle Frederick proceeded May what a mean impostor I have been all this time
Impostor my dear No no thats nonsense you know
He was rather relieved to find May talking nonsense That seemed much more normal and natural in a girl of her age than being so deuced logical and highstrung and that sort of thing
That he repeated firmly is really nonsense
But Uncle Frederick I was appearing before everybody under false pretences People thought—I thought myself—that my father supplied all my expenses
Mr DormerSmith pursed up his mouth and puffed out his breath with a little contemptuous sound Then he answered—
Your father My dear May your father hasnt paid a penny piece for you since you were seven years old
May was silent for a minute or so She could not help some bitter thoughts of her father but it was not for her to utter them At length she said—
I cannot go on accepting my grandmothers sacrifice Uncle Frederick I will not
It occurred to Mr DormerSmith as it had occurred to his wife that Mays affection for Mrs Dobbs might supply the fulcrum they wanted for their lever He answered—
Well my dear I dont blame your feeling though it is a little overstrained perhaps But you have it in your own power to more than pay back all Mrs Dobbs has done for you
How asked May innocently
Why I am sure Mr Bragg would be only too delighted——
Oh Mr Bragg I was not thinking of Mr Bragg and I would rather not talk of him just now
This was a little too much Mr DormerSmiths face assumed a very serious not to say severe expression as he looked at his niece and said—
Excuse me May but you must think of him and talk of him also That was the subject I sent for you to speak about I dont know how we have drifted away from it Your aunt tells me that you have not actually refused Mr Bragg but merely stopped him from proposing to you Now if that is the case the matter is not past mending No doubt Mr Bragg may feel a little offended
He is not in the least offended interposed May
Ah Well so much the better But you can hardly expect me to believe that he particularly enjoyed the interview Mr Bragg is a person of a great deal of importance in the world and not accustomed to be treated as if he were of no consequence However proceeded Mr DormerSmith relaxing into a milder tone I dare say he can make allowances for a young lady taken by surprise—it seems you did not expect his proposal
Expect it How on earth could I have expected it
Some girls would However let us stick to the point I dont think it is too late for you to make everything well again
Uncle Frederick I am bound to assure you most positively that I can never marry Mr Bragg
Now dont be obstinate May What is your objection to him
The girl hesitated Then she replied looking up with pleading eyes How can I say Uncle Frederick One does not marry a man simply because one has no particular objection to him Mr Bragg is old enough to be my grandfather
No scarcely that Look here May I have a great affection for you You have been very good and kind to my little boys and they doat on you I am not ungrateful for all you have done for the children although I may not have said much about it
May was melted in an instant by these words of kindness and said warmly And I am not ungrateful Uncle Frederick I know you mean well by me and Aunt Pauline too
Certainly we do Naturally so Well now just listen to me my dear If you were my own daughter I should give you just the same advice I should be very glad and thankful for a daughter of mine to marry Mr Bragg I know a great deal more of the world than you do—or ever will please God—for it isnt a very pleasant kind of knowledge—and I tell you honestly there are very few men young or old in the society we frequent whom Id choose for your husband rather than Mr Bragg He is a little uneducated and unpolished of course We neednt pretend not to know that But he is a man of sound heart and sound principles—a man whose private life will bear looking into Im talking to you as if I really were your father May and I do assure you that I would not urge you to marry a man twice as rich as he is if I knew him to be—to be what some men are and what you in your innocence have no idea of I want you to believe that May
I do believe it Uncle Frederick sobbed May taking his hand and kissing it
There there my dear dont cry I couldnt talk in this way to many girls of your age but you have so much sense and right feeling I wanted you to understand that Im not an altogether hard worldly kind of man ready to offer you up to Mammon—eh Look here May I would stand by you against—against every one if I thought you were going to be sacrificed But you must trust a little to the experience of those older than yourself my dear Come come there now dont distress yourself You are not to be pressed and hurried you know You will think it all over quietly Go to your own room and lie down a while I will take care that you are not disturbed or worried in any way
He led her gently to the door She was now sobbing uncontrollably She longed to tell her uncle the truth about her engagement but she thought that loyalty to Owen and to her grandmother forbade her to speak out fully without their leave As she was quitting the room she turned round and making a strong effort to speak firmly said—
Uncle Frederick I shall never as long as I live forget the kind words you have said to me And whatever happens dont believe I am ungrateful
Well Frederick said Mrs DormerSmith when her husband reappeared in her room
Frederick walked to the window took out his pockethandkerchief and answered from behind it rather huskily—
Well I dont know I almost hope it may come right
Do you Do you really Well that is a feeble ray of comfort But it is rather too bad to have to undergo all this wear and tear of feeling in order to secure that perverse childs fortune in spite of herself
There was a long pause during which Mr DormerSmith continued to look out of the window and to blow his nose in a furtive kind of way I wonder—— he began slowly and then stopped himself
You wonder—Frederick Pray speak out I assure you I am not able to stand much more suspense and anxiety
I was merely going to say I wonder if there can be any one else
Any one else
Any man she cares for
Good Heavens Frederick who should there be Really you are not very considerate to startle me with such extraordinary suppositions without the least preparation There is no one of course
You are sure
I am sure there is no one possible I know of course every man she has danced with or who has paid her the smallest attention and there is not one who could be thought of for a moment even if Mr Bragg did not exist I should not hesitate to speak very strongly if I suspected her of any culpable folly of that kind A girl without a farthing in the world And her father my poor unfortunate brother Augustus in Heaven knows what dreadful position That May under all the circumstances can behave in this way is too intolerable The more one thinks of it the more flagrant it seems No sense of duty No consideration for her family I shall be compelled to say to her——
Suddenly in the midst of these fluent softly uttered sentences Mr DormerSmith turned round wiped his eyes blew his nose defiantly and said with an explosion of feeling—
The girls a fine creature and by God I wont have her baited
CHAPTER III
Each mortals private feelings are the measure of the importance of events to him And it often happens that while our neighbours are pitying or envying us on account of some circumstance which all the world agrees must have a weighty bearing on our fate we are mainly indifferent to it and are occupied with some inner grief or joy which would seem to them very trivial
To have received and rejected an offer of marriage from a man worth fifty thousand a year would have been deemed by most of May Cheffingtons acquaintance about as important an event as could have happened to her—short of death But to her it was absolutely as nothing compared with the facts that Owen was on the point of returning to England and that he was to live in Mrs Bransbys house
Why did this second fact seem to embitter the sweetness of the first
No it was not the fact she told herself that was bitter the bitterness lay in the manner of its coming to her knowledge Why had not Owen written to her There could be no reason to conceal it Of course none Owen was doing all that was right no doubt But to allow her to hear of this step for the first time from Theodore Bransby at a dinnertable conversation—this it was which irked her So at least she had declared to herself last night Then the tone in which her uncle and all of them had spoken of Mrs Bransby and Owen had jarred upon her painfully Theodore had not joined in the tasteless banter but then Theodores way of receiving it—with a partly stiff partly deprecatory air as though there could possibly be anything serious in it—was almost worse
The pathway of life which had stretched so clear and fair before her but a short while ago seemed now to have contracted into a tangled maze in which she lost herself The events of the morning had made May resolve that all secrecy as to her engagement must come to an end She must see Owen immediately on his arrival in London But how to do so She did not know whether he was or was not in England at that very moment Well at all events she knew Mrs Bransbys address and could write to him there
This thought gave her a pang And the pang was intensified by the sudden and vivid perception—as one sees a whole landscape by a lightningflash out of a black sky—that it was caused by jealousy
Jealousy She May Cheffington jealous—and of Owen Yes it might be painful humiliating incredible but it was true The flash had been inexorably sharp and clear
To young creatures every revelation that they—even they—are subject to the common woes pains and passions of humanity about which they may have talked glibly enough is an amazement and a shock Still earlier in our earthly course we doubt that Death himself can touch us What child ever realizes that it must die It is only after many lessons that we begin to accept our share of mortal frailties and afflictions as a matter of course
Poor May felt sick at heart Oh if she could but see Granny She longed for the motherly affection which had never failed her since the day her father left her—a rather forlorn little waif whom no one seemed ready to love or welcome—in the old house in Friars Row She thought that to sit quite still and silent by Grannys knee while Grannys kind old hand softly stroked her hair would charm away all her troubles or at least lull them to sleep
But for the present she could not rest When she left her uncle and felt secure from interruption in her own room she sat down and wrote two letters The first was to Owen begging him to come and see her without delay and at the same time telling him that circumstances had arisen which made it desirable to declare their engagement The second letter was to Granny
To Granny she poured out her gratitude She thanked her and scolded her in a breath Who had ever been so generous and so careful to conceal their generosity And yet Granny had done very wrong to make such a sacrifice as was involved in giving up the old home in Friars Row
Had I known this a week ago wrote May I do believe I should have tried to coax Mr Bragg into breaking the lease and making you go back to the old house which you loved But I cannot ask any favour of Mr Bragg now Then she told her grandmother all about her interview with Mr Bragg and her aunts bitter disappointment and her uncles kind behaviour although she could see that he was disappointed too I wonder she added if you will be as astonished as I was Perhaps not I remember some things you said when I told you my grand scheme for marrying Miss Patty Oh dear me I feel like some one who has been walking in his sleep—calmly and unconsciously tripping over the most insecure places But now I have been suddenly awakened and I feel chilly and frightened and all astray
When she had written them she resolved to post the letters herself Since she had volunteered to take her little cousins out for a walk occasionally the stringent rule which forbade her to leave the house unattended by a servant had been relaxed—it was so very convenient to get rid of the little boys for an hour or two at a time It left Cécile free to do a great deal of needlework a large proportion of it expended on the alteration and retrimming and so forth of Mays own toilettes Mrs DormerSmith was strictly conscientious as to that and since May never went beyond the limits of the neighbouring square there could be no objection to the arrangement One point however Aunt Pauline had insisted on—that these walks should always take place in the morning or at all events during that portion of the day which did duty for the morning in her vocabulary The proprieties greatly depend as we know on chronology and many things which are permissible before luncheon become taboo immediately after it
By the time May had finished her letters however it was well on in the afternoon Carriages were rolling through the fashionable quarters of the town and the footmans rattattat sounded monotonously like a gigantic tamtam sacred to the worship of society
May went downstairs and opening the halldoor found herself in the street alone for the first time since she had lived under her aunts roof There was a pillar letterbox she knew not far distant To this she proceeded and dropped her letters into it It had been a fine day for a London winter but the last faint glimmer of daylight had almost disappeared as she turned to go back home
There was an assemblage of vehicles waiting before a house which she had passed on her way to the postbox Now as she returned there was a stir among them Servants were calling up the coachmen and opening and shutting carriage doors A number of fashionably dressed persons mostly women came down the steps of the house and drove away May paused a moment to let a couple of ladies sweep past her on their way to their carriage As she did so she heard her name called and looking round she saw Clara Bertrams face at the window of a cab drawn up near the kerbstone
Is it really you exclaimed Clara as they shook hands I could scarcely believe my eyes What are you doing here alone
I have been posting some letters Then reading an expression of surprise in the other girls eyes she added quickly You wonder why I should have done so myself For a simple reason I did not wish the address of one of them to be seen But Granny knows all about it
I am quite sure dear you have some good reason for what you have done answered Clara in her quiet sincere tones
And you asked May What are you doing here
I have been singing at a matinée in that house I was just about to drive off when I caught a glimpse of you I was not sure that it was not your ghost in the dusk
I suppose you are constantly engaged now
Yes I have a great deal to do
Oh I hear of you Your praises are in every ones mouth Lady Moppett declares you are rapidly becoming the first concert singer of the day She is as proud of you as if she had invented you Indeed she does say you are her discovery as if you were a Polynesian island I could find it in my heart to envy you Clara It must be so glorious to be independent and earn ones own living
Clara smiled a faint little smile I am thankful to be able to earn something she said But I dont think I should care so much about it if it were only for myself
No of course dear I know rejoined May quickly She had been told that the young singer entirely supported an invalid father and sister Then she added Your voice is a great gift There are so few things a woman can do to earn money
Why one would suppose that you wanted to earn money said Clara smiling
Perhaps
Clara looked more closely at her friend The street lamps were now lighted and she could see Mays face distinctly You are not looking well dear she exclaimed You seem fagged
I am sick of London I want to go home to Granny and be at peace answered May wearily Then she went on quickly to stave off any possible questionings as to her state of mind But I must return for the present to my aunts house Goodbye
Stay cried Clara Will you not get into the cab and let me drive you home
Drive It is an affair of some two or three minutes at most
Well then if you have half an hour to spare let me drive you round the square and then drop you at home I have been wanting for three or four days past to speak to you quietly I cant bear to lose this rare opportunity We do not meet very often Then seeing that her friend hesitated she asked Are you thinking about the cost of the cab for me
Yes answered May frankly
I thought so That is just like you But indeed you need have no scruples The cab is engaged for the afternoon When I sing at peoples houses unless they send a carriage for me the cabfare is considered in my wages Do come in
May complied and the cab moved away slowly
When they had proceeded a few yards Clara said I wanted to tell you—I think it right to tell you—something I have learned on good authority Your father—I hope it wont distress you—is really married
Mays first thought was that here again her Aunt Pauline had deceived her
Are you sure she asked
Yes I think I may say so
And how did you learn it
From Valli
Oh from Signor Valli But you told me he was not to be trusted
In some ways not But I do not doubt what he says on this subject He has no motive to invent the information He cares nothing about the matter—except that I think he rather likes La—Mrs Cheffington than not
Is she a foreigner asked May with a little more interest than she had hitherto shown Her listless way of receiving the news had surprised her friend
Yes an Italian At least she is Italian by language if not by law for she comes from Trieste But she is almost Cosmopolitan for she has travelled about the world a great deal She is—or was—an operasinger Her name in the theatre is Bianca Moretti She was rather celebrated at one time Clara paused a moment and then added I hope this news does not grieve you dear
No answered May dreamily it does not grieve me If my father is content why should I grieve He and I have been parted—in spirit as well as body—for so many years that his marriage can make but little difference to me
I was afraid you might feel——Of course Captain Cheffingtons family will look on it as a dreadful mésalliance
May was silent for a few minutes Then she said a very unexpected thing—
Poor woman I hope he is good to her
I suppose said Clara rather hesitatingly that the reason why Captain Cheffington has not announced his marriage to his relations is that he thinks they would object to receive an operasinger
Possibly answered May In her heart she thought The reason is that he cares nothing for any of us
It must be that proceeded Clara For as far as I can make out there seems to be no concealment about it in Brussels
Then they arrived at Mrs DormerSmiths house and May alighted and bade her friend farewell
Thank you Clara she said for telling me the truth I loathe mysteries and concealments When one thinks of it they are despicable
Unless when one conceals something to shield others suggested Clara gently
She had told her friend what she believed to be the truth so far as the fact of her fathers marriage was concerned But she had not given her all the details and comments which Signor Valli had imparted to her on the subject His view of the matter was not flattering to Captain Cheffington Valli declared with cynical plainness of speech that Captain Cheffington had married La Bianca merely to have the right to confiscate her professional earnings Latterly these had become very scanty La Bianca did not grow younger and her voice was rapidly failing her A good deal of gambling had gone on in her house at one time But it had been put a stop to—or at least shorn of its former proportions by the ugly incident of which Miss Polly Piper had brought back a version to Oldchester Since that things had not gone well with the Cheffington ménage Captain Cheffington had become insupportable irritable impossible He was moreover a malade imaginaire a querulous selfish tyrannous fellow always bewailing his hard fate and the sacrifice he had made in so far derogating from his rank as to marry an operasinger La Bianca was a slave to his caprices To be sure she was not precisely a lamb There were occasions when she flamed up and made quarrels and scenes
But said Signor Valli he is an enormous egoist and with a woman the bigger egoist you are the surer to subjugate her La Bianca would have stabbed a man who loved her devotedly for half the illtreatment she endures from that cold stiff ramrod of an Englishman
Such was Vincenzo Vallis version of the case and Clara Bertram in listening to him believed that in the main it was a true one Valli had recently been in Brussels where he had seen the Cheffingtons and one or two other foreign musicians whom she knew had come upon them from time to time and had given substantially the same account of them As to persons in the rank of life to which Captain Cheffington still claimed to belong they were no more likely to come across him now than if he were living on the top of the Andes
May went into the house wearily In the hall she met her uncle Frederick who had just come in and had seen the cab drive away
Who was that with you May he asked in some surprise
It was Miss Bertram she answered Then she asked her uncle to step for a moment into the diningroom When he had done so and closed the door she said quietly My father is married to a foreign operasinger they are living in Brussels Did you and Aunt Pauline know this
Know it Certainly not
May was relieved to hear this and drew a long breath The sensation of living in an atmosphere of deception had oppressed her almost with a feeling of physical suffocation She then told her uncle all that Clara Bertram had said
Mr DormerSmith puckered his brows and looked more disturbed than she had expected This will be another blow for your aunt he said gloomily
I dont see why Aunt Pauline should distress herself she answered coldly my father is not likely to trouble her Married or unmarried my father seems determined to keep aloof from us all Then she went to her own room
Mr DormerSmith shrank from communicating this news to his wife and as he went upstairs he anticipated a disagreeable scene He did not very greatly care about the matter himself for he agreed with May that it was unlikely Augustus would trouble any of the family with his presence and to keep away was all that he required of his brotherinlaw On entering his wifes room he found her still in a morning wrapper reclining on her long chair but her hair had been dressed and she announced her intention of coming down to dinner Her countenance too wore an unexpected expression of placidity almost cheerfulness The country post had arrived and there were several letters scattered on a little table by Mrs DormerSmiths elbow
Her husband went and placed himself with his back to the fire which was burning with a pleasant glow in the grate Well he said in a sympathizing tone to his wife how are you feeling now Pauline
They had not met since his outburst about May and he had been rather nervously uncertain of his reception Pauline never sulked never stormed and rarely scolded But when she felt herself to be injured she would be overpoweringly plaintive Her plaintiveness seemed to wrap you round and damp you and chill you to the bone like a Scotch mist and when used retributively was felt—by her husband at all events—to be very terrible But on this occasion as has been said there was a certain mild serenity in her face which was reassuring
Thanks Frederick she answered There seems to be a little less pressure on the brain Smithson bathed my forehead for threequarters of an hour after you were gone
Mr DormerSmith hastened to change the subject Post in I see he said Any news
I have a very nice letter from Constance Hadlow answered Pauline with her eyes absently fixed on the fire How thoughtful that girl is What tact What proper feeling Ah the contrast between her and May is painful at times
Mr DormerSmith made a little inarticulate sound which might mean anything Despite her beauty which he admired Miss Hadlow was no great favourite of his But he would not imperil the present calm in his domestic atmosphere by saying so
Misfortunes pursued Pauline still gazing at the fire never come singly they say and really I believe it
Does Miss Hadlow announce any misfortune
Oh no—at least we are bound not to look on it as a misfortune Who could wish him to linger poor fellow She is staying near Combe Park and she says Lucius has been quite given up by the doctors It is a question of days—perhaps of hours
No By George Poor old Lucius returned Mr DormerSmith with a touch of real feeling in his tone
Of course this will make an immense difference in Mays prospects I dont mean to say that she will easily find another millionnaire with such extraordinarily liberal ideas about settlements as Mr Bragg hinted to me this morning that is humanly speaking not possible said Mrs DormerSmith solemnly Still the affair may not be such an irretrievable disaster as we feared
How do you mean asked Frederick whose mind as we know moved rather slowly
It must make a difference to her repeated his wife in a musing tone The only child and heiress of the future Viscount Castlecombe of course——
By George I didnt think of that at the moment Yes Gus is the next I suppose thats quite certain
Mrs DormerSmith did not even condescend to answer this query but merely raised her eyebrows with a superior and melancholy smile
Frederick pondered a minute or so then he said You say heiress but I dont think your uncle would leave Gus a pound more than he couldnt help leaving him
I fear that is likely Still there is much of the land that must come to Augustus and Uncle George has enormously improved the estate Do you know I begin to hope that I may see my poor unfortunate brother come back and take his proper place in the world When I remember what he was fiveandtwenty years ago it does seem cruel that he should have been absolutely eclipsed during all this time I recollect so well the day he first appeared in his uniform He was brilliant Poor Augustus
Mr DormerSmith felt that the difficulty of telling his wife what he had just heard assumed a new shape He had feared to add to the load of what Pauline considered family misfortunes now it seemed as if his news would dash her rising spirits and darken roseate hopes He passed his large hand over his mouth and chin and said with his eyes fixed uneasily on his wife who was still contemplating the fire with an air of abstraction—
Ah Yes But—there may be a Lady Castlecombe to find a place in the world for
Not improbable I hope there may be Augustus is little past the prime of life It would compensate for much if——
Im sorry to say Pauline that theres no chance of that—I mean of such a marriage as you are thinking of I came upstairs on purpose to tell you In one way it wont make any difference to us And Im sure your brother has never deserved much affection or consideration from you But still I know it will worry you
Mrs DormerSmith sat upright with her hands grasping the two arms of her chair and said with a sort of despairing calm Be good enough to go on Frederick I entreat you to be explicit I dare say you mean well but I do not think I can endure much more suspense
Well you know the rumours weve heard from time to time about that disreputable Italian woman in Brussels—operasinger or something of the kind Well—Im afraid theres no use deluding ourselves I think it comes on good authority—your brother has married her
CHAPTER IV
Although the little house in Collingwood Terrace had not perhaps fully justified Martins cheery prophecy that it would turn out an awfully jolly little place when once they got used to it yet there as elsewhere peace goodwill order and cleanliness mitigated what was mean and unpleasant Mrs Bransbys love of personal adornment rested on a better basis than vanity although she was doubtless no more free from vanity than many a plainer woman She had an artistic pleasure in beauty and elegance and an objection to sluttishness in all its Protean forms which might almost be described as the moral sense applied to material things Her delicate taste suffered of course from much that surrounded her in the squeezed little suburban house But far from sinking into a helpless slattern according to the picture of her painted by Mrs DormerSmiths commonplace fancy she exerted herself to the utmost to make a pleasant and cheerful home for her children Her life was one of real toil although many wellmeaning ladies of the DormerSmith type would have looked with suspicion on the care Mrs Bransby took of her hands and would have been able to sympathize more thoroughly with her troubles if her collars and cuffs had occasionally shown a crease or a stain
Mr Riverss room had been prepared with the most solicitous care It was a labour of love with all the family Martin and his sister Ethel did good work and even the younger children insisted on helping to the irreparable damage of their pinafores and temporary eclipse of their rosy faces by dust and blacklead The young ones were elated by the prospect of seeing their playfellow Owen once again Martin relied on his assistance to persuade Mrs Bransby that he Martin should and could earn something and even Mrs Bransby could not help building on Owens arrival to bring some amelioration into her life beyond the substantial assistance of his weekly payments
He arrived in the evening and was received by the children with enthusiasm and by Mrs Bransby with an effort to be calm and cheerful and to suppress her tears which touched him greatly seeing her as he did for the first time in her widows garb He was touched too by her almost humble anxiety that he should be content with the accommodation provided for him and earnestly assured her that he considered himself luxuriously lodged
And indeed for himself he was more than satisfied but he could not help contrasting this mean little house with Mrs Bransbys beautiful home in Oldchester and he found it singularly painful to see her in these altered circumstances In this respect as in so many others his feeling differed as widely as possible from Theodores For Theodore although fastidious and exacting as to all that regarded his own comfort sincerely considered his stepmothers home to be in all respects quite good enough for her and had privately taxed her with insensibility and ingratitude for showing so little satisfaction in it
All the family including Phœbe who grinned a recognition from the top of the kitchen stairs agreed in declaring Owen to be looking remarkably well He was somewhat browned by the Spanish sunshine and he had an indefinable air of bright hopefulness In Oldchester he used to look more dreamy
It is business which is grinding my faculties to a fine edge he answered laughingly when Mrs Bransby made some remark to the above effect I shall become quite dangerously sharp if I go on at this rate
I dont think you look at all sharp replied Mrs Bransby gently
Whereupon Martin told his mother that she was not polite and Bobby and Billy giggled and they all sat down to their evening meal very cheerfully
When the table was cleared and the younger children had gone away to bed under Ethels superintendence Mrs Bransby said You smoke do you not Mr Rivers
Not here in your sittingroom
Oh pray do It does not annoy me in the least
Owen hesitated and Martin thereupon put in his word Mother does not mind it really Not decent human kind of tobacco such as gentlemen use That beast old Bucher used to smoke a great pipe that smelt like doubledistilled essence of publichouse taprooms
Well a cigarette if I may said Owen pulling out his case Then drawing the only comfortable easychair in the room towards the fireside he asked Is that where you like to have it
That is your chair said Mrs Bransby timidly
Good Heavens exclaimed Owen genuinely shocked what have I done to make you suppose I could possibly be capable of taking your seat
He gently took her hand and led her to the chair Then looking round the little parlour he spied a footstool which he placed beneath her feet As he looked up from doing so he saw her sweet pale face with the delicate curves of the mouth twitching nervously in an endeavour to smile and the soft dark eyes full of tears You must not spoil me in this fashion she began But the attempt to speak was too much for her She broke down and covered her face with her trembling hands
Martin instantly crossed the room and stood close beside her placing one arm round her shoulders and turning away from Owen so as to fence his mother in The boys protecting attitude was pathetically eloquent And so was the way in which his mother presently laid her head down upon his shoulder They remained thus for a little while Owen stood by the fire with his elbow on the mantelpiece and his forehead resting on his hand And all three were silent
At length when Martin felt that his mother was no longer trembling and that her sobs were subsiding he looked round and said Mothers upset by being treated properly No wonder Its like meeting with a white man after living among cannibals If you had ever seen that beast Bucher youd understand it
Shall I go away asked Owen
Mrs Bransby quickly held out one hand entreatingly while she dried her eyes with the other Please stay she said And please light your cigarette And please draw your chair near the fire and make yourself as comfortable—or as little uncomfortable—as you can Forgive me I do not often break down in this way do I Martin
No answered Martin moving the lamp so as to throw his mothers tearstained face into shadow and then squeezing his own chair into the corner beside hers no you were cheerful enough with Bucher Well of course one had either to take Bucher from the ludicrous side or else shoot him through the head and have done with him
I see said Owen nodding and not sorry to hide his own emotion under cover of a joke And Mrs Bransby was unable to make up her mind to justifiably homicide him
Yes He was a beast though and no mistake Phœbe was in such a rage with him once that she threatened to throw a hot batterpudding at his head Im sorry now she didnt added Martin with pensive regret
Then they talked quietly Mrs Bransby with womanly tact led Owen to speak about himself and his prospects There was little to tell in the way of incident He had been working steadily and did not dislike his work And he had been well contented with his treatment by Mr Bragg Mr Bragg had made him an offer to send him in the spring to Buenos Ayres It might be an opening to fortune
I suppose you will go Of course you will go said Mrs Bransby
She could not help her voice and her face betraying some disappointment They did not however betray all she felt for the prospect of Owens going away again so soon sent a desolate chill to her heart Owen looked at her quickly and then as quickly looked away and tossed the end of his cigarette into the fire before lighting another
I dont know he answered bending down over the flame it will require some consideration I believe the alternative is open to me of remaining in Mr Braggs employment in England Anyway there is time enough before I need decide—several months I hope
Mrs Bransby breathed a low sigh of relief then she said in a perceptibly more cheerful tone It seems so odd to think of you writing business letters and making up accounts and being altogether turned into a—a——
A clerk
No not precisely that You are Mr Braggs secretary are you not
What I am aiming at—what I hope to be—is a clerk you know If I called myself a field marshal or an archbishop it would not alter the fact but it does seem odd to me too when I think of it Better luck than I deserve as my shrewd old friend Mrs Dobbs said to me
Talking of Mrs Dobbs May Cheffington came to see me here
Owen had heard regularly from May every week he carried her last letter in his breastpocket at that moment not the note which she had posted herself—that had not yet reached Collingwood Terrace so that he was not starving for news of her Nevertheless he felt a wild temptation to cry out Tell me about her Talk of nothing else But he answered composedly That was quite right she ought of course to have come to see you
She only came once observed Martin
That was not her fault said his mother She could not as I told you all make frequent journeys here—she could not command her time or her aunts servants she goes out a great deal
Her aunt lives for the world you see said Owen apologetically
Oh there is no reason why May should not enjoy her youth and all her advantages answered Mrs Bransby softly she is a very sweet lovable creature—much too good for—— Mrs Bransby here checked herself and stopped abruptly
Oh mother thats all bosh cried Martin flushing hotly I mean that notion of yours Now I ask you Mr Rivers is it likely that May Cheffington would think of marrying Theodore Ah you may well look flabbergasted Anybody would who knew them both You see mother Mr Rivers takes it just as I did You dont think it likely do you Mr Rivers
Owen had recovered from the first startling effect of hearing those two names coupled together but he was inwardly raging and lavishing a variety of the most unparliamentary epithets on Theodore
If you ask my candid opinion I dont think it likely he answered curtly
Of course not exclaimed the boy Its only Theodores bounce I told mother so
Why you dont mean that Bransby has the confounded impudence to say——
No no interposed Mrs Bransby Dont let us exaggerate Theodore has never made any explicit statement on the subject But he meets May very frequently in society He is constantly invited by Mrs DormerSmith They are thrown a great deal together May has evidently become much more kind and gracious to him of late—for I remember when she used positively to run away from him—and as for him he is as much attached to her as he can be to any human being I do believe that
Attached your granny cried Martin apparently unable to find a polite phrase strong enough to convey his deep disdain Theodore is much attached to number one and thats about the beginning and the end of his attachments
Hush Martin said his mother severely You are talking of what you dont understand And you know how much I dislike to hear you use that tone about—your brother
She brought out the word brother with an obvious effort In truth she had a repugnance to speaking or even thinking of Theodore as her childrens brother But it was a repugnance for which she blamed herself
I think she added that you had better go to bed Martin
The boy rose with an instant obedience which had not always characterized him in the happy Oldchester days and bent over his mother to kiss her
Im very sorry I did not mean to vex you mother he whispered Youre not angry with me are you
I cant be angry with you my darling boy But I must do my duty You know he would say I was right to correct you
Martin lifted up his face cheerfully with the happy elasticity of boyish spirits All right mother Good night Good night Mr Rivers
Good night old fellow responded Owen grasping the boys hand heartily He felt very strongly in sympathy with Martin just then
Martin lingered May I ask just one thing mother he said wistfully
You know we agreed not to tease Mr Rivers with our affairs immediately on his arrival Martin replied his mother Then unable to resist his pleading face she said If it really is only one question perhaps Mr Rivers would not mind——
What is it you want to know Martin Speak out said Owen
Its about the question I asked in my letter replied Martin blushing and eager Dont you think I ought to try and help mother And dont you think I might have a chance of earning something
Thats two questions said Owen with a smile But Ill answer them both To number one yes undoubtedly To number two perhaps but we must have patience
There mother cried Martin triumphantly turning his glowing face and sparkling eyes towards her Then he shut the door and rushed upstairs his round young cheeks dimpled with smiles and his heart so full of joyous hopes that he was impelled to find some vent for his overflowing spirits by hurling his bolster at Bobby and Billy who were sitting up in bed broad awake Thereupon there ensued smothered sounds of scuffling and laughter mingled with the occasional thud of a bolster against the wall until Phœbe sharply rapping at the door announced that unless Mr Martin was in bed in two minutes she would take away the light and leave him to undress in the dark
When the widow was alone with Owen she began to pour forth the praises of her eldest boy She hoped Mr Rivers did not think her selfish in letting the boy share so much of her cares and anxieties But although only a child in years he was so helpful so loving so sensible—had such a manly desire to shield her and spare her And then after asking Owens advice about the boy she added naïvely—
Only please dont advise me to make a drudge of him He is so clever he ought to be educated His dear father looked forward to his doing so well at school and college
If I am to advise really said Owen I ought first to understand the state of the case with as much accuracy as possible
Mrs Bransby at once told him the details of her circumstances as succinctly as she could There was a small sum secured to her but so small as barely to suffice for finding them all in food Theodore had made himself responsible for the rent during one twelvemonth He had also or so she had understood him promised to send Martin to his old school for a couple of years But it now appeared that his offer was limited to paying for Martins being taught at a neighbouring day school of a very inferior kind And even this seemed precarious
I thought at one time said Mrs Bransby that I might perhaps earn a little money by teaching But I must do what I can to educate Ethel and Enid and the younger boys until they get beyond me I fear I could not find time to go out and give lessons even if I succeeded in getting an engagement So I am trying to get some sewing to do I can use my needle you know while I hear Ethel say her French lesson and make Bobby and Billy spell words of two syllables
Poor Mrs Bransby spoke with much diffidence of her plans and projects She had a very humble opinion of her own powers and was touchingly willing to be ruled and directed Owen suggested that it might have been better for her to have remained in Oldchester where she was among friends But she answered that she had had scarcely any choice in the matter It was Theodore who had decided that she was to remove to London It was Theodore who had chosen that house for her In the first days of her loss she had blindly accepted all Theodores directions
Perhaps I was to blame she said But I was so overwhelmed and I felt so helpless and it seemed right to listen to Theodore But—although I never say a harsh word about him to strangers nor to the children if I can help it—I cannot pretend to you who know us all so well that he is kind to us Martin resents his behaviour very much I do my best but it is impossible to make my boy feel cordially towards his halfbrother
Of course it is said Owen Then he closed his lips He would not trust himself to talk of Theodore at that moment
It was a comfort to Mrs Bransby to speak openly to a sympathizing listener and one whom she could thoroughly trust She talked on for a long time and at length looking at her watch accused herself of selfishness in keeping Owen so long from the rest which he must need after his journey As she returned the watch to her pocket she said deprecatingly—
Perhaps you think I ought not to possess so handsome a watch under the present circumstances Theodore was quite displeased when he saw it and said it ought to be sold But you see I need some kind of watch and this is an excellent timekeeper and—and my dear husband gave it to me on the last birthday we spent together
She turned away to hide the tears that brimmed up into her eyes and going to a little side table lit her chamber candle
Owen rose from his chair Look here Mrs Bransby he said Of course we must have more talk together and more time to consider matters but it seems to me that Martin is right in wishing to earn something Young as he is it might be possible to find some employment for him which should bring in a weekly sum worth having And as to his education—it has occurred to me that I could at least keep him from forgetting what he has learnt already and perhaps coach him on a little further An hour or two every evening steadily occupied would do a good deal It would be a great pleasure to me to be able to do this small service for you That is to say he went on quickly in order to check the outburst of thanks which trembled on her lips if you are good enough to allow me the advantage of continuing to occupy a room here I hope you will be able to put up with me I dont think that Phœbe will want to throw a hot batterpudding at my head But that may be my vanity Good night Dont say any more now please We will think it over on both sides I will smoke one more cigarette if I may before I turn in
He opened the door and held it open for her As she passed him she paused an instant and said in a low trembling voice God bless you
CHAPTER V
The next mornings post brought Owen Mays note She had written it hurriedly—not so much from stress of time as under the influence of that kind of hurry which comes from thronging thoughts and eager emotions The sight of her handwriting was a joyful surprise to Owen and he wondered as he tore open the cover how she could have learned his arrival so quickly But he found that she had written simply in the hope that he might get her letter as soon as possible and without any knowledge of the fact that he was already in London
The contents of it did not much disquiet him She had something to say to him he must come and speak with her as soon as possible after his arrival She was safe and well he knew and with that knowledge he thought that he could defy fortune As to urging him to go to her quickly—that was he told himself with a smile a superfluous injunction What need of persuasion to do that which he ardently longed to do
He rapidly planned out the hours of his day At ten oclock he must be with Mr Bragg in the City He had received a telegram in Paris making that appointment He would probably find duties to detain him there until the afternoon Between two and three oclock however he thought he could reach Mrs DormerSmiths house at Kensington From what he knew of the habits of the household he judged that May would be at home at that hour
He had much to think of regarding the future A momentous decision lay with him Had Mr Braggs offer of sending him to Buenos Ayres come a couple of months earlier he might have accepted it It was not of course a certain road to success and it had many drawbacks—chief among them being banishment from England But as he had told Mrs Dobbs he was ready to face that if it were required of him understanding that he who starts late in a race must needs run hard But latterly he had come to think that it might not be best for May that he should go and to do what was best for her was the supreme aim of his life He discovered from her letters that she was not happy and contented in her aunts house The necessity of concealing her engagement was already painful and oppressive How could she endure it for two years Truly she might announce it and go back to Oldchester to her grandmothers house for Owen had more than a suspicion that the DormerSmiths would be very unwilling to keep her with them as the betrothed bride of Mr Braggs clerk
But there were other objections Theodore Bransby Owen was inwardly convinced was his rival He might try to injure him in his absence The absent are always in the wrong Or Theodore might annoy May with persecutions If he and May were to wait for each other had they not better wait at all events in the same hemisphere Owen knew very well that some money—a decent competency—was indispensable to his marriage But that he might now reasonably hope to obtain in England The balance of his judgment the more he reflected on the situation inclined the more decisively towards remaining
Other considerations than what was due to May could not have inclined the scale one hairs breadth in these deliberations But when he thought over his last evenings interview with Mrs Bransby it pleased him to believe that his stay if he stayed would be very welcome to her and hers
He felt a profound and tender compassion for the widow He admired her patience and the simple way in which she tried to do hard duties accepting them as matters of course And he was filled with indignation against Theodore Bransby To these sentiments may be added the sense that Mrs Bransby relied on him and the recollection of that day in the Oldchester garden when he had solemnly promised to be a friend to her and her children at their need All these were powerful incentives to help her and stand by her
There was in Owen a somewhat unusual combination of heat and steadfastness He seldom belied his first impulse—the mark of a rarely sincere character swayed only by honest motives The offer he had made last night to teach Martin he was not inclined to repent of in the dry light of next morning It was plain too that his contribution to the weekly income was a matter of serious importance to the family—far more so than he had any idea of when he first proposed to board with them although the offer had been made in the hope of assisting them He turned over in his mind various projects on their behalf as he walked down to the City It occurred to him that he might do well to speak to Mr Bragg on the subject It was even possible that Mr Bragg might find some place for young Martin Owen had a high opinion of his employers rectitude and good sense and he thought him moreover a kindly disposed man But he had no glimpse of the tenderness which was hidden under Mr Braggs plain unattractive exterior nor of the yearning for some affection in his daily life which sometimes made the millionnaire look back regretfully on the days when he and his comely young wife toiled together and when he Joshua Bragg in his fustian working suit had been the dearest being on earth to a loving woman
Mr Bragg appeared that day at his place of business looking as usual He was clean shaven and soberly and appropriately attired He was attentive to the matter in hand mindful of details accurate deliberate—all as usual And yet so subtle is the quality of the spiritual atmosphere which we all carry about with us there was not a junior clerk in the place who did not feel that there was a cloud on Mr Braggs mind and did not wonder what was up with the governor
One wag opined that Old Grimalkin had caught him at last By which irreverent phrase the profane fellow meant that the Most Noble the Dowager Marchioness of Hautenville had succeeded in arranging an alliance between Mr Bragg and her daughter the Lady Felicia For it was an open secret in the office and the theme of infinite jest there that Lady Hautenville pursued this aim with an indomitable and even ferocious perseverance worthy of the Berseker race from which she professed to trace her descent Her ladyships hired barouche might often be seen during the season floating like a highbeaked ship of the Vikings on the busy tide of commercial life and coasting down towards that plebeian shore of Tom Tiddler where Mr Joshua Bragg picked up so much gold and silver She would willingly have made as clean a sweep of all his treasure as any piratical Scandinavian who ever carried off the peaceful wealth of Kentish villages Neither craft nor valour were wanting to her She made ingenious excuses to see him—sometimes she wanted to consult him as to the investment of nonexistent sums of money sometimes to engage his presence at some fashionable gathering where he was of course peculiarly fitted to shine She sent in to his office little perfumed notes directed by the fair hand of Felicia in Brobdingnagian characters Felicia herself brighteyed and crowned with gorgeous bonnets—spoil gallantly wrested from some lilylivered West End milliner who had not the courage to refuse her credit—sat by her mothers side and smiled with haughty fascination on Mr Bragg whenever he could be coaxed forth to speak with their ladyships at the carriage door And every creature in Mr Braggs wholesale office down to the sharp Cockney urchin who sprinkled and swept the floors perfectly understood why Lady Hautenville did all these things and watched her proceedings as a spectacle of very high sporting interest
Thus it was that when the wag beforementioned opined that Grimalkin had caught the governor by way of accounting for Mr Braggs low spirits it was received with the benevolence due to a deserving old jest which has seen service But when a younger man ventured to suggest—more than half seriously—that perhaps the governor was in love the suggestion was received with genuine hilarity and the originator of it immediately took credit for having fully intended a capital joke
Owen Rivers arriving punctually was shown into Mr Braggs private room There he was greeted with the invariable grave How do you do Mr Rivers And then after a moment Mr Bragg added So youve got over punctual I thought you might manage without an extra day in Paris But you must have put your shoulder to the wheel to do it A speech expressive in Mr Braggs mouth of very marked approbation
Then Owen proceeded to report what he had done in Paris and to lay letters and papers before Mr Bragg and for some time they attended to various matters of business When these were over Owen said—
When could I speak to you about some affairs of my own
Well now praps if you dont want to be long
Half an hour
Mr Bragg looked at his watch nodded and leaning his head on his hand prepared to listen with quiet attention
Owen began by saying that he was inclined towards remaining in England rather than accepting the opportunity of going abroad whereat Mr Bragg looked thoughtful but waited to hear him out without interruption Then Owen went on to speak of Mrs Bransby and her altered circumstances and of his wish and intention to assist and stand by her
When he ceased Mr Bragg having heard him with careful attention said—
The first point to be considered is your own position Concerning the situation we spoke of I think I can promise to keep you on as my—what you might call business secretary As to a private secretary I dont have much private correspondence and what I have I can pretty well manage myself I should expect you to take a journey now and then into foreign parts if necessary Terms as before But I tell you frankly I see no immediate prospect of a rise for you If you went to Buenos Ayres you might have a chance—only a chance of course—of getting into something on your own account One ud be steady as far as it went the other ud be like what you might call a throw of the dice at backgammon—chance and play Its for you to choose With regard to Mrs Bransby I—of course——Look here Mr Rivers Im a deal older than you—old enough to be your father—and I should like to give you a little word of advice if I could do it without offence
I shall take it gratefully Mr Bragg whether I act upon it or not
Oh as to acting upon it said Mr Bragg slowly its a great thing to be sure that your advice wont be picked up and pitched back at your head like a stone Well you must understand that I dont mean any disrespect to Mrs Bransby who is an excellent lady Ive no doubt I havent much acquaintance with her though I have dined at her table Her husband Martin Bransby I knew for years I was his client and had reason to be well satisfied with him in all respects So you understand my feeling is quite friendly But I would just drop a word of warning Youre a young man and Mrs Bransby though shes older than you are is still a young woman And whats more shes a very handsome woman And——Ah I see youre making ready to shy back that stone byandby But just listen one moment For you at your age to get entangled in that sort of engagement and to undertake the charge of a readymade family of hungry boys and girls would be simply ruin Youd repent it and then shed repent it because you did and youd all be miserable together thats all
Owens mouth was set and his eyes sparkling with a rather dangerous look But he answered quietly Thank you Mr Bragg I am sure you mean well or why should you trouble yourself to speak at all on the matter
Just so Im glad you see that
But may I ask what put the idea of any—any entanglement as you call it between me and Mrs Bransby into your head
Understand me Mr Rivers I meant all in honour you know
Owen winced The very assurance was almost offensive but he returned I spoke very stupidly and awkwardly Ill amend my phrase I should have said what put it into your head that I was likely to marry Mrs Bransby
Put it into my head Well when a young man feels a soft sort of compassion for a beautiful woman who—who throws herself a good deal on his sympathy and looks to him for help and advice and all the rest of it and when the young man and the beautiful woman have opportunities of seeing each other pretty constantly why then I believe such a thing has been heard of in history as their falling in love with each other It dont need much putting into your head to see that when youve come to my years
Are you quite sure persisted Owen that no suggestion of this kind was made to you by any third person I have a particular reason for wishing to know
Mr Bragg pondered He had in fact heard Theodores hints and innuendos at the DormerSmiths and although he was not consciously moved by them in what he had now said there could be no doubt that the idea had been originally suggested to him by young Bransby and Pauline Owens words today had merely revived those impressions After a long pause he answered—
Well I think I have heard it spoken of but if so all the more reason for you to be cautious
I thought so said Owen Spoken of by——
Why by Mrs Bs stepson for one so you may suppose there was nothing said against the lady Hed think it an uncommon good thing I dare say it would relieve him of a burthen He might wash his hands of the family if she was to marry again
Relieve him of a burthen cried Owen starting up from his chair Have you any idea what he does for his fathers widow and children Mr Bragg Theodore Bransby is a liar I know him Theres nothing too base for him to insinuate against his stepmother who is I declare to God one of the best and most innocent women breathing Theodore has a grudge against her and her children—a jealous petty despicable kind of grudge and hes a meanminded scoundrel He checked himself in walking furiously about the room and turned to Mr Bragg with an apology I beg your pardon but I cannot talk coolly of that fellow
Im inclined to agree with you and yet I wish I could think better of him or rather I wish he was somebody else altogether said Mr Bragg enigmatically thinking of May
Mr Bragg said Owen with a sudden inspiration will you come to Collingwood Terrace and see Mrs Bransby You will learn more about them all with your own eyes and ears in ten minutes than I could convey to you in an hour You shall take them unprepared If you would look in this evening about their teatime you would find them all at home it would be a kind and natural act on your part and would need no explanation Do come
Well yes I will answered Mr Bragg Perhaps I ought to have done so before Any way Ill come just put down the address
Thank you Shall I write those Spanish letters now
Ah youd better Mr Barker there will give you a seat for the present in his room
And so they parted
Mr Bragg was by no means reassured as to his secretary being in considerable danger from the widows fascinations He remarked to himself that Rivers had not said one word explicitly denying any attachment between them but he felt a new bond of sympathy with Rivers It was agreeable to meet with such thorough fellowfeeling about Theodore Bransby Perhaps a mutual dislike is a stronger tie than a mutual friendship because our hatreds need more justifying than our affections
By the time Owens business was transacted and he had eaten some food at a neighbouring chophouse it was past two oclock and then he set out for Mrs DormerSmiths house on foot It was a long way off but it seemed to him more tolerable to walk than to jog along on the top of an omnibus or to burrow underground in the crowded railway In his impatient and excited frame of mind the rapid exercise was a relief
It was barely three oclock when he reached the house in Kensington The servant who opened the door murmured something in a low voice about the ladies not receiving visitors in consequence of a family affliction Being further interrogated he believed that Mrs DormerSmiths cousin Lord Castlecombes son was dead
Tell Miss Cheffington that I am here said Owen Give her this card and say I am waiting to see her
His manner was so peremptory that after a brief hesitation the man took the card and ushered Owen into the diningroom to wait The room was dimmer than the dim wintry day without need have made it by reason of the red blinds being partly drawn down and filling it with a lurid gloom
The servant had not been gone many seconds before the door opened and a rather pale face not raised very high above the level of the floor peeped into the room The eyes belonging to the face soon made out Owens figure in the dimness and a childish voice said in a subdued and stealthy tone Hulloa
Hulloa returned Owen in a tone not quite so subdued but still low for there was a general hush in the house which would have made ordinary speech seem startling
Do you want May asked the child
Yes I do
I heard you tell James to give her your card Who are you
Im Owen Who are you replied Owen listening all the while for the expected footfall
Im Harold
Upon this a second rather pale face still nearer to the ground peeped in at the door and a second childish voice piped out faintly And Im Wilfred Then the two children marched solemnly into the room shutting the door behind them and stared at Owen with judicial gravity
Mays my cousin said Harold after contemplating the stranger for a while in silence
And Mays my cousin too observed Wilfred
Im fond of her pursued Harold
So am I exclaimed Owen walking across the room impatiently But why doesnt she come Where is she Do you know
Yes replied Harold with deliberation I know
What can that man be about He cant have given her the message said Owen speaking half to himself his nervous impatience rising with every minute of delay
Harold looked profoundly astute as he answered with a series of emphatic nods No he didnt He took the card to Smithson and I know what Smithson will do shell read it first herself and then shell take it to mamma and then perhaps mamma will tell May—if youre a—what is it—a proper person Are you a proper person
I say said Owen suddenly will you go and fetch May Tell her Owen is here waiting Do go theres a good boy
Is May fond of you inquired Harold hesitating
May will be pleased with you if you go and fetch her Run Be off at once now—quick
After one searching look at Owens face the child disappeared swiftly and silently In less than two minutes a light footstep was heard descending the stairs at headlong speed The door opened and May almost breathless with haste and surprise half stumbled into the dark room and he caught her in his arms
Is it really you she exclaimed looking up at him with one hand on his shoulder and the other pushing back the hair from her forehead
Owen took the hand which rested on his shoulder and pressed it to his lips It is very really I he said with his eyes fixed on her face in a tender rapture
It seems like a dream So unexpected
Unexpected Why you summoned me and of course I am here
Yes it really does seem as if my note had been a spell to bring you across the seas
Over seas over mountains
Love will find out the way
It doesnt alter that truth that I happened to arrive in England only last night
Only last night How strange it seems And you never let me know——
Darling by the time it was quite certain what day I should be in England a letter would not have outstripped me I got my orders by telegram Oh my love what a long long time it seems since I looked on your dear face
Tell me all about yourself Owen I want to hear everything
So you shall But you must explain first the meaning of your note Tell me now—sit down here—what has happened
I have so many things to say I scarcely know where to begin
Begin with what was in your mind when you wrote that note
May sat down close to him and began in a low voice little above a whisper and with some confusion to narrate the story of Mr Braggs wooing and its effect on her aunt and uncle As he listened Owens face expressed the most unbounded amazement
Oh it cant be he exclaimed Its impossible There must be some mistake
May laughed though the tears were in her eyes You are not very civil she said Nobody else seemed to think it impossible
But old Bragg repeated Owen incredulously
Perhaps he was temporarily insane but I really think he meant it answered May blushing so bewitchingly that Owen could not resist the temptation to kiss the glowing cheek so close to his lips
At this point Harold called out in a resolute tone You mustnt kiss May
The lovers started They had forgotten the children—had forgotten everything in the world except each other But the two little boys had followed May into the room and had been witnessing the interview in dumb astonishment It was characteristic that they now held each other by the hand as though seeking support from union in the presence of this stranger who might they instinctively felt turn out to be a common enemy
Halloa said Owen Heres another rival Their name seems to be Legion
It was Harold who told me you were here said May
Yes I sent him to fetch you answered Owen Then he added ungratefully They might as well be sent off now mightnt they
Oh let them stay There are no secrets now At least I hope you will agree with me that we ought to say out the truth Come here Harold and Wilfred You must love Owen for my sake
Harold advanced and stood in front of them
I say he said with a curious look at Owen Im going to marry May when I grow up
Are you Thats a little awkward
Why is it a little awkward demanded Harold gravely
Well because to tell the truth I was rather hoping to marry her myself
The child had evidently intended to draw forth this explicit statement for he looked full at Owen and said doggedly I just thought you were Then he suddenly turned away and hid his face on Mays lap Upon which Wilfred conscious of a cloud in the air began to cry softly
Dont be angry with them poor little fellows said May checking some manifestation of impatience on Owens part Then she coaxed the children and soothed them and the childish emotion brief though poignant soon passed And at length Harold lifted up his face and after a short struggle said—
I will shake hands with him if you like but I wont love him—not if he kisses you
All right old fellow said Owen taking the childs hand I sympathize with your feelings
Wilfred of course put out his small paw to be shaken like his brothers and peace once more reigned
May then hurriedly—for she knew not how long they might remain uninterrupted—repeated what Clara Bertram had told her of her fathers marriage and lastly she spoke in terms of deep affection and gratitude of Grannys generosity But on this point as we know Owen was already informed
All that he now heard strengthened and justified the strong inclination he already felt to abandon the idea of Buenos Ayres and to remain in England at all costs With her father more completely cut off from his family than ever by this new marriage her aunt hostile her uncle to say the least dissatisfied and sure to oppose her engagement when it should be announced and no one friend in the world to rely upon except her grandmother Mays position would be very desolate if he too were far away on the other side of the world Mrs Dobbs was the trustiest and most devoted of parents but she was old and moreover she would have no power to insist on keeping May with her should her father take it into his head to decide otherwise No he must and would remain at hand to protect and watch over her These were the sole considerations which decided him to come to this resolution then and there But as soon as he had taken his resolution the thought arose pleasantly in his mind that it would bring some cheerfulness into the household at Collingwood Terrace and he expressed it impulsively by saying all at once—
I have made up my mind darling to stay in London Poor Mrs Bransby will be overjoyed She is in such need of some one to stand by her
May felt a little chill like the breath of a cold wind In the first warm delight of seeing her lover again all the lurking jealousy which she hated herself for feeling but which was alive in spite of her hate had been forgotten But his words revived it Is she she answered
Oh yes I have not had time to tell you—havent even begun to say the thousand things I want to say to you
You could not have written them I suppose said May withdrawing her chair slightly from its close proximity to his and thereby allowing Harold who had been watching for this opportunity to wedge himself in between them
No I could not have written all about her because I have only just heard many of the details
All about her You mean about Mrs Bransby
Of course Poor soul she has been so harshly so cruelly treated Theodores conduct is——
You know I have no partiality for him interrupted May But I think you are a little unjust or at least mistaken in this instance Theodore Bransby has done a great deal for his stepmother
Done a great deal for her Good Heavens my dear child you cant conceive with what meanness he treats her Its dastardly A woman who was so idolized so tended so petted——And what a sweet creature she is And as lovely as ever Her sorrows seem only to have spiritualized her beauty
Yes said May And the dry monosyllable cost her a painful effort to utter it Perhaps the constraint of her tone the deadness of her manner—naturally so warm and cordial—would have aroused Owens surprise and led to an explanation But they were interrupted here by the door being thrown open not violently but very wide open and the appearance of Mrs DormerSmith on the threshold
CHAPTER VI
Even in the moment of her first dismay that admirable woman Pauline DormerSmith was true to the great social duty of keeping up appearances She turned her head over her shoulder to James who was hovering uneasily in the background and said softly Oh yes it is Mr Owen Rivers That is quite right—as if Mr Owen Riverss presence were the most natural and welcome thing in the world Then shutting the door on James and on society she advanced towards the two young people who had risen on her entrance and said with a kind of reproachful feebleness conveying the impression that she was reduced to the last stage of debility and that it was entirely their fault I had scarcely credited the footmans statement that you were here having a private interview with my niece Mr Rivers He tells me that he informed you of the family affliction which has befallen us Under the circumstances you must allow me to say that I think you have shown some want of delicacy in insisting on being admitted
May glanced at Owen but as he did not speak on the instant she did She took her aunts passive fingers in her own and said Aunt Pauline he had a right to insist on seeing me because——
Excuse me May interrupted Mrs DormerSmith waving the girl off I beg you will go to your own room I will speak with this gentleman
Her tone would have suited the announcement that she was prepared to undergo martyrdom and she sank into a chair in an attitude of graceful exhaustion
No Aunt Pauline I cannot go away until I have spoken cried May pleadingly Please to hear me I wished to tell you the truth long ago but I was bound by a promise now we are both agreed that it is right to speak out are we not she said looking across at Owen It seemed to her that he was less eager to claim her less proud of her affection less ardently loving than her imagination had pictured him There was something in the quietude of his attitude which depressed and mortified her it was like—almost like indifference An insidious jealousy was discolouring everything which she looked on with her minds eye It is not always a sufficient defence against a poison of that sort to have a noble candid nature any more than it is a sufficient defence against foul air to have sound healthy lungs it will fasten sometimes on the worthiest qualities a humble opinion of ourselves a high admiration for others The hinted slanders which May had heard had aroused no baser suspicion in her than that Owen perhaps did not love her so entirely as he at first had fancied—that his sympathy and compassion and admiration for Louisa Bransby were strong enough to compete with his attachment for her And she knew by her own heart that if this were so his love was not such a love as she had dreamed of—not such a love as she had given to him And yet all the while she was struggling against the influence of this subtlypenetrating distrust and trying to shake it off like an ugly dream
I am engaged to marry Owen Rivers she said abruptly after a pause which lasted but an instant but which had seemed long to her
No no I must beg you to retire I cannot hear this sort of thing returned her aunt waving her hand again and turning away her head You at least must understand Mr Rivers that it is entirely out of the question How you can have entertained so preposterous an idea I cannot imagine You must have seen something of the world I presume You ought to be able to perceive that—but in short the thing is preposterous and cannot be seriously discussed for a moment
May Cheffingtons blood was rising I do not intend to discuss it she said haughtily
Dearest since your aunt addresses me let me reply to her said Owen He spoke in a quiet tone although inwardly he was excited and indignant enough I must tell you Mrs DormerSmith that we are neither of us acting on a rash impulse We have been parted for more than three months during which time May has been free to give me up without breaking any pledge or incurring—from me at least—any reproaches If she had wavered—if she had found that she had mistaken her own feelings—she was free as air I should have made no claim and laid no blame on her
Made no claim on her repeated Mrs DormerSmith Then she laughed the low laugh which with her indicated the very extremity of provocation Oh really Ha ha ha This is too monstrous The whole thing appears to me like insanity
To marry without loving—that appears to me like insanity said May scornfully
May I beseech you Really in the mouth of a young girl of your breeding that sort of thing is inconceivable—I am tempted to use a harsher word This then is the reason why you have rejected one of the most brilliant prospects Are you aware Mr Rivers that this schoolgirl nonsense has prevented—— She caught herself up hastily and changed her phrase—might have prevented Miss Cheffington from obtaining one of the most splendid establishments in England
Aunt Pauline cried May with hot indignation How can you say so I would never have thought of marrying Mr Bragg even if Owen had not existed
But apart from that pursued Mrs DormerSmith ignoring the interruption your pretensions would have been quite inadmissible You have heard of the death of my poor cousin Lucius You had probably calculated on it I do not mean to bring any special accusation against you there Of course in the case of a person of poor dear Luciuss social importance all sorts of calculations were made by all sorts of people My brother Augustus is now the next heir to the family title and estates Under these circumstances I leave it to your own good sense to determine whether he is likely to consent to his daughters marrying—really I am ashamed to speak of it seriously—a person who in however praiseworthy a manner is filling the position of a hired clerk
This shaft fell harmless since both May and her lover were honestly free from any sense of humiliation in the fact of Owens being a hired clerk and sincerely willing to accept that position for him
Owen answered calmly You can probably judge far better than I as to what your brother is likely to think on that subject Then turning towards May he said I think my dearest that you had better leave your aunt and me to speak quietly together You have been sufficiently pained and agitated already You look quite pale Go darling and leave me to speak with Mrs DormerSmith
Agitated echoed that lady We have all been sufficiently agitated What I have endured from pressure on the brain is unspeakable Certainly you had better go away May I have said so several times already
May walked slowly to the door I will do as you wish she said to Owen
You see I am right dear do you not
Yes I suppose so
The listlessness of her tone he interpreted as a sign of her being weary and overwrought And in truth it was partly due to that cause
As she moved across the room two little figures crept out from a dark corner behind an armchair and followed her
Good gracious cried Mrs DormerSmith faintly What is that Have those children been here all the time She always spoke of Harold and Wilfred as those children in a distant tone as though they were somebody elses intrusive little boys On this occasion however she did not altogether disapprove of their presence It was certainly less inconvenable that they should have been known by the servants to be present at the interview than if May had been without even that small amount of chaperonage She had no idea that it was Harold who had brought about the interview or he might not have got off so easily
Go away little boys she said in her sweet soft voice Go away upstairs Cannot Cécile find some lessons for you to do You really must not prowl about this part of the house in the afternoon
The children trotted after their cousin willingly enough They never wished to stay with their mother
We shall meet again soon my dear one whispered Owen as he opened the door And then with Mrs DormerSmiths eyes fixedly regarding him he took Mays cold little hand in his own and kissed it before she passed out
Pauline observed his demeanour with an unbiassed judgment She would in the cause of duty willingly have had him kidnapped and sent off to New Caledonia at that moment But she said to herself He has the manner of a gentleman It is most disastrous For she felt that this circumstance increased her own difficulties
Now Mrs DormerSmith said Owen when the door was shut I can answer you with more perfect frankness than I should have liked to employ in Mays presence You were so kind as to say that you would leave it to my good sense to determine whether Captain Cheffington was likely to consent to my marriage with his daughter My answer is quite simple I do not intend to ask his consent
You do not intend—to ask—his consent ejaculated Pauline leaning back in her chair and in the extremity of her astonishment at this young mans audacity letting fall a handscreen which she had been using to shield her face from the fire
Owen picked it up and restored it to her before repeating No I do not intend to ask his consent
And do you hope to persuade my niece to disregard her fathers authority—Not to mention other members of the family who have a right to be heard
There is only one member of the family who has a right to be heard—Mrs Dobbs And her consent I hope I have obtained
Pauline was for the moment stricken speechless by hearing Mrs Dobbs mentioned as a member of the family The family Good heavens what was the world coming to She pressed her hand to her forehead with a bewildered look
Owen went on resolutely As to parental authority—Mrs DormerSmith your brother has abdicated all parental authority over May He abandoned her—pardon me I must use that word for it is the only one which expresses what I mean—when she was a young motherless child He went away to his own occupations or pleasures—any way he went to live his own life in his own way utterly careless of Mays welfare and happiness You may tell me that he was sure of her finding the tenderest treatment under her grandmothers roof He was not sure of it for he never troubled himself to consider the question But if he had been sure he had no right to leave his child as he did At any rate having done so it is too late to pretend that she is morally bound to consider his wishes
Pauline put her handkerchief to her eyes My poor brother Augustus is much to be pitied she murmured Allowances must be made for a man in his position That unfortunate marriage——
I have never been told said Owen that Miss Susan Dobbs seized upon Captain Cheffington and compelled him by main force to marry her And—judging from what I know of her mother and daughter—I should think it unlikely
Oh one understands that sort of thing returned Pauline with languid disdain A young woman in her class of life is not to be judged by our standards No doubt she thought herself justified in doing the best she could for herself
It strikes me that she did very badly for herself—lamentably badly I do not wish to say anything needlessly offensive but we are in the way of plain speaking and I must point out to you that so far from any consideration being due to your brother he is—from the point of view of an honest man wishing to marry May—a person to be decidedly ashamed of There are in the city of Oldchester his late wifes native place many tradesmen and even mechanics who would strongly object to connect themselves by marriage with Captain Cheffington
To say that Mrs DormerSmith was astonished by this speech would be but faintly to express her sensations She was bewildered She had often heard Augustus severely blamed She had been compelled to blame him herself Of course he ought not to have thrown away his career as he had done They had agreed as to that But all this blame had assumed that Augustus had chiefly injured—firstly himself and in the second place and more indirectly the whole Cheffington family
Persons who live exclusively in any one narrow sphere are apt to have a strange simplicity or ignorance as one may choose to call it as to large sections of their fellowcreatures outside that sphere And in no class is that kind of naïveté more commonly found than in the class to which Mrs DormerSmith belonged where it is often intensified by the conviction that they possess what is called knowledge of the world in a supreme degree
It was far too late in the day to bring much enlightenment to Mrs DormerSmith Owens words merely struck her mind with a shock of wonder and dismay and then glanced off again The impression of having received a shock however did remain with her and made her as resentful as was possible to her placid nature In speaking of Mr Rivers afterwards to her husband she said—
I believe him Frederick to be a Nihilist
But for the present her mind was concentrated on the aim of breaking off what Owen chose to call his engagement to her niece and she was not to be turned aside from it She addressed herself to argue the case with Owen In argument she possessed the immense advantage—if it be an advantage to reduce ones adversary to silence—of supposing that the statement of any one truth on her part was a sufficient answer to any other truth which might be advanced against her As for instance when Owen insisted on Captain Cheffingtons having forfeited all moral claim to Mays duty and affection she replied that it was a dreadful thing to set a child against a parent and when Owen denied the right of Mays relatives to prevent her from making a marriage of affection she retorted that Mr Rivers came of undeniably gentle blood himself and ought to understand her Mrs DormerSmiths strong family feeling
But when even this powerful kind of logic failed to make any impression on Owens obduracy she changed her attack and inquired what he was prepared to offer to her niece in exchange for the magnificent prospect of being Mrs Joshua Bragg with settlements and pinmoney such as every dukes daughter would desire and very few dukes daughters achieved
But my dear madam said Owen why speak of that alternative when May has assured you in my presence that nothing would induce her to marry Mr Bragg
Oh Mr Rivers I am surprised you know so little of the world May is a mere child peculiarly childish for her age Besides even supposing she definitively rejected Mr Bragg there will be other good matches open to her now The death of my poor cousin Lucius has made a vast difference in all that as you must be well aware
To me Mrs DormerSmith it has made no difference May is herself That is why I love her She is not in the least transfigured in my imagination by being the daughter of a man who may or may not be Lord Castlecombe at some future day
Oh said Mrs DormerSmith shaking her head with the old plaintive air you need not entertain any doubts as to my brothers succession He is the next heir And the estates—at least the bulk of them—are entailed
Good heavens cried Owen in despair can you not understand that I care not one straw whether they are entailed or not That I would proudly and joyfully make May my wife—she being what she is—if her father trundled a barrow through the streets
Whether Mrs DormerSmith could or could not understand this at any rate she certainly did not believe it She merely shook her head once more and said softly—
I think you ought to consider her prospects a little Mr Rivers It appears to me that your views are entirely selfish
This seemed very hopeless With a last effort to come to an understanding Owen took refuge in a plain and categorical statement of facts He had loved May when she was penniless So far as he knew she was so still He hoped to be able to offer her a modest home She had not been accustomed to luxury or show—the season in London having been a mere episode and not the main part of her life Absolute destitution they were quite secure from
He possessed one hundred and fifty pounds a year of his own Pauline gave a little shudder at this It positively seemed to her worse than nothing at all With nothing certain in the way of income a boundless field was left open for possibilities But a hundred and fifty pounds a year was a hard hideous circumscribing fact like the bars of a cage He was receiving about as much again for his services as secretary Moreover he had tried his hand at literature not unsuccessfully He had earned a few pounds by his pen already and hoped to earn more That was the state of the case If May God bless her were content with it he submitted that no one else could fairly object
Mrs DormerSmith rose from her chair to signify that the interview was at an end Indeed what use could there be in prolonging it
I confess she said you have astonished me Mr Rivers If May—an inexperienced young girl not yet nineteen—is content you think no one else has a right to interfere At that rate if she chose to marry the footman we must all stand by without raising a finger to prevent it That is certainly very extraordinary doctrine
Owen drew himself up and looked full at her with those blue eyes which could shine so fiercely upon occasion as he answered—
I have already admitted the right of one person to be consulted about Mays future—the benevolent unselfish highminded woman who befriended her and cherished her and was a mother to her when she was deserted by every one else As to her marrying the footman—it is clear madam that she might have married the hangman for all the effort you would have made to prevent it until Mrs Dobbs bribed you to take some notice of your niece But in marrying a Rivers of Riversmead I need not I suppose inform you that she will confer on you the honour of a connection with a race of gentlemen compared with whom—if we are to stand on genealogies—half the names in the Peerage are a mere fungusgrowth of yesterday
It was the first word he had said to her which was less than courteously forbearing And it was the first word which gave her a momentary twinge of regret that his suit was altogether inadmissible She contrasted his bearing with that of Mays two other wooers—Bransby the smooth and Bragg the unpolished and she said to herself with a sigh that there was no doubt about this young mans pedigree and that bon sang ne peut mentir But not therefore did she flinch from her position She answered him in the same words she had used years ago to her brother in that very room
It will not do Mr Rivers I assure you it will not do
Then she bent her head with quiet grace and moved to go away
One instant Mrs DormerSmith Owen said following her to the door of the diningroom I wish if you please to speak with May again before I go away
Impossible I cannot compatibly with my duty consent to your seeing her now or at any future time
Am I to understand that you forbid me your house
If you please Unless indeed you consent to come in any other character than as my nieces suitor In that case it would give me great pleasure to receive you as I have done before
He stood looking at her rather blankly The position was undeniably awkward It was impossible—for Mays sake if from no other consideration—to make a scene of violence and insist upon seeing her And even if he did so Mrs DormerSmith might still resist She was mistress of the situation so far Even in his vexation and perplexity the ludicrous side of the affair struck him
Well said he after a moment taking up his hat I cannot intrude into your house against your will Our only resource must be to meet elsewhere I warn you we shall do so Of course it is idle to suppose that you have the power to keep us apart
Mrs DormerSmith shook her head and repeated with gentle obstinacy It will not do Mr Rivers I really am very sorry but it will not do
War then is declared between us
Oh I hope not I trust you will think better of it she said in a mildly persuasive tone as though she were suggesting that he should leave off tea or take to woollen clothing I at least have no warlike intentions Mr Rivers for I am going to ask you to do me a favour Be so very kind as to wait until I ring and let my servant show you out in a civilized manner It is quite unnecessary to publish our differences of opinion to the servants hall
Accordingly she rang the bell and when James appeared said sweetly in an audible voice Goodbye Mr Rivers Whereupon Owen made her a profound bow and departed
As he passed through the hall he looked about him wistfully in the hope that May might be lingering near—might possibly be looking down from the upper part of the staircase But she did not appear The house was profoundly silent James stood waiting with the door in his hand There was no help for it He strode away with various conflicting feelings thoughts projects and hopes struggling in his mind—of which the uppermost at that special moment was a strong inclination to burst out laughing
CHAPTER VII
It was not until Owen had nearly reached Collingwood Terrace that the thought struck him What if Mr Bragg should withdraw his countenance from him and dismiss him from his employment when he learned that he was betrothed to May
The idea of Mr Bragg in the light of a rival disconcerted and confused all his previous conceptions of his employer At the first blush it had appeared ludicrous—incredible but on reflection there was he found nothing so extravagant in it Mr Bragg had a right to seek a wife to please himself he was but little past middle life after all and as to the disparity in years between him and May that was certainly not unprecedented He had taken his rejection well and manfully—even with a touch of chivalry but he might not any the more be disposed to continue his favour towards Owen when he should discover the state of the case He might even suspect that there had been some kind of plot to deceive him That was a very uncomfortable thought and sent the blood tingling through Owens veins
There was clearly but one thing to be done—to tell Mr Bragg the truth at all hazards As he walked along the pavement within a few hundred yards of Mrs Bransbys door he reflected that the revelation would come better and more gracefully from May than from himself he was not supposed to be aware of what had passed between May and Mr Bragg—it was best that he should still seem to ignore it He had a sympathetic sense that Mr Braggs wounded feelings might endure Mays delicate handling while they would shrink resentfully from any masculine touch
Owen regretted now more than ever that he had not seen May again before leaving her aunts house they had had no time to consult together or to form any plan of action for the future Their interview seemed in Owens recollection to have passed like a swift gleam of light in a sky over which the clouds are flying It had in sober fact lasted above half an hour before Mrs DormerSmiths appearance on the scene And now he was forbidden the house Forbidden to see her And yet he told himself over and over again that he could not have acted otherwise than he had acted at the time Well it was too absurd to suppose that she could be treated as a prisoner They must meet soon and meanwhile there was a penny post in the land and her letters at least would not be tampered with He would write to her the moment he got home she would receive his letter the next morning and by that same afternoon she could put Mr Bragg in possession of the fact of her engagement
And after she had done so——
The afterwards seemed hazy certainly But at least there was no doubt as to the plain duty of both of them not to keep their engagement any longer secret from Mr Bragg It was a comfort to see clearly the right course as regarded the steps immediately before them For the rest—they had youth and hope and they loved each other
Owen let himself into the house with his latchkey and went straight to his own room to write to May When the note was finished he took it out and posted it and then proceeded to the sittingroom
The table was spread for tea all the tea equipage bright and glistening as cleanliness could make it A cheerful fire burned in the grate Bobby and Billy seated side by side on a couple of low stools in one corner were occupied with a big book full of coloured pictures Ethel was sewing Martin stood leaning against the mantelpiece close to his mothers armchair And in a chair at the opposite corner of the hearth sat Mr Bragg with Enid on his knee
When Owen entered Mr Bragg said Well Mr Rivers you see Ive found my way to Mrs Bransbys I ought to have come and paid her my respects before now But you know Ive had my hands pretty full since I came back to England
Something in his tone and his look seemed to convey a hint to be silent as to their conversation of that morning and accordingly Owen made no allusion to it
It is so pleasant to see an Oldchester face is it not said Mrs Bransby
Some Oldchester faces returned Owen laughing Then he said Well Enid have you not a word to say to me Wont you come and give me a kiss
Miss Enid who was a born coquette and who was moreover greatly interested in Mr Braggs massive watchchain and seal replied with imperious brevity No dont want to
Mr Bragg looked down gravely on the small creature and then up at Owen as he said—half shyly and yet with a certain tinge of complacency Why she would come and set on my knee almost the first minute she saw me
Perhaps you had better get down baby said Mrs Bransby I am afraid she may be troublesome
Troublesome Lord no Why I dont feel shes there no more than a fly Let her bide said Mr Bragg
Ah I know what she is—shes fickle observed Owen drawing up his chair
Not pickle declared Miss Enid with great majesty
Yes you are False fleeting perjured Enid said Owen
He was delighted to perceive that the little home and its inmates had evidently made a favourable impression on Mr Bragg Observing that gentleman in the new light of Mays revelation he saw something in his face which he had not seen there before—a regretful faraway look whenever he was not speaking or being spoken to It was wonderfully strange certainly to think of him as Mays wooer And yet not absurd as it had appeared at first In Mr Braggs presence the absurdity somehow vanished The simplicity and reality of the man gave him dignity Owen even began to feel something like a vague and respectful compassion for Mr Bragg and every now and then the peculiarity of their mutual position would come over him with a fresh sense of surprise
We have been having a little conversation Mrs Bransby and me about her boy here said Mr Bragg glancing across at Martin who coloured and smiled with repressed eagerness Mr Bragg continued to observe him thoughtfully He tells me he wants to help his mother and hes not afraid or ashamed of work it seems
Ashamed broke out Martin No I hope I aint such a cad as that
Martin cried his mother anxiously She was nervous lest he should give offence
But Mr Bragg answered with a little nod which certainly did not express disapprobation Well the boys about right To be ashamed of the wrong things does belong to—what you might call a cad I expect pursued Mr Bragg musingly that if we could always apply our shame in the right place we should all of us do better than we do
I suppose I dare not offer you any tea at this hour said Mrs Bransby gently You have not dined of course
Well no not under the name of dinner I havent But I ate a hearty luncheon and I believe thats about as much dinner as I want to do me any good you know Ill have a cup of tea please
Mrs Bransby certainly felt no misapplied shame as to the humbleness and poverty of her surroundings and was far too truly a gentlewoman to think of apologizing for them Ethel who was growing to be quite a notable little housewife quietly fetched another cup and saucer from the kitchen and that was all the difference which Mr Braggs presence made in the ordinary arrangements
Enid insisted on having her high chair placed close to Mr Bragg at table and but for her sisters watchful interposition she would have demonstrated her sudden affection for him by transferring sundry morsels of breadandbutter which she had been tightly squeezing in her small fingers from her plate to his with the patronizing remark Oo have dat I cant eat any more
While the meal was still in progress there came a knock at the street door It was a very peculiar knock consisting of two or three sharp raps followed by one solemn rap and then—after an appreciable interval—by several more hurried little raps as if the hand at the knocker had forgotten all about its previous performances and were beginning afresh
Who can this be said Mrs Bransby looking up in surprise Visitors at any time were rare with her now and at that hour unprecedented
Old Bucher come back to say he cant live without us suggested Martin
Whereupon Bobby and Billy with consternation in their faces exclaimed simultaneously Oh I say And Enid perceiving the general attention to be diverted from her took that opportunity to polish the bowl of her spoon by rubbing it softly against Mr Braggs coat sleeve
The family were not kept long in suspense As soon as the door was opened a wellknown voice was heard saying volubly Ah at tea are they Well never mind Take in my card if you please and——Dear me I havent got one But if you will kindly say an old friend from Oldchester begs leave to wait on Mrs Bransby
Why its Simmy cried the children starting up and rushing to the door Heres a lark exclaimed Bobby While Billy tugging at the visitors skirt roared out hospitably Come along Mothers in there Come in Mother heres Simmy
Mrs Sebastian Bach Simpson it was She appeared on the threshold—rubicund visage glittering spectacles filmy curls and girlish giggle all as usual and began to apologize for what she called her unauthorized yet perhaps not wholly inexcusable intrusion with her old amiability and incoherency She had come prepared to keep up a cheerful mien having decided in her own mind not to distress the feelings of the family by any lachrymose allusions But when Mrs Bransby rose up to welcome her and not only took her by the hand but kissed her on the cheek and led her towards the place of honour in the armchair this proceeding so overcame the kindhearted creature that she abruptly turned her back on them all pulled out her pockethandkerchief and burst into tears
I really must apol—apologize she sobbed still presenting the broad back of a very smart shawl to the company—an attitude which made her elaborate politeness extremely comical for she addressed her speech pointblank to the wallpaper with abundance of bows and gestures I am ashamed indeed Pray excuse me The suddenness of the emo—emotion and the sight of the dear children coupled with—I believe—a slight touch of the prevalent influenza but nothing in the least infectious dear Mrs Bransby But pray do not allow me to disturb the harmony of this fest—festive meeting with most admired disorder as our immortal bard puts it Although what there is to admire in disorder and who admired it must probably remain for ever ambiguous
By the end of this speech—the utterance of which had been interrupted by several interludes of pockethandkerchief—Mrs Simpson was sufficiently composed to turn round and take the chair offered to her The children were grinning undisguisedly Simmy was associated in their minds with many pleasant and many comical recollections Mrs Bransby was smiling too But perhaps it was only the warning spectacle of Mrs Simpsons emotion which enabled her to choke down her own inclination to cry
This is a most pleasant surprise she said When did you arrive in London
Why the fact is—— began Amelia But suddenly interrupting herself she jumped up from her seat and made Mr Bragg a sweeping curtsey Pardon me she exclaimed if in the first moment I was oblivious of your presence Although not personally acquainted Oldchester people claim the privilege of recognizing Mr Bragg as one of our native products An unforeseen honour indeed And—do my eyes deceive me or have I the pleasure of greeting Mr Owen Rivers What an extraordinary coincidence I had heard you were residing here in the character of a boarder she added as emphatically as though that were an obvious reason for being surprised to see him there Really I seem to be transported back into our ancient city and should scarcely start to hear the cathedral chimes or the steamwhistle from the brewery or any of the dear familiar sounds—although the steam whistle I must admit is trying and in certain forms of nervous disorder I believe excruciating
It was not easy at any time to obtain a clear and collected answer to a question from Mrs Simpson But in her present state of excitement the difficulty was immensely increased Her language—partly in honour of Mr Bragg—was so flowery and she kept darting up every discursive crossalley which opened out of the main line of talk in so bewildering a fashion as to become at moments unintelligible And it was a long time before any of the party elicited from her how it was that she came to be in London At length however it appeared that Bassy was entrusted with a commission to buy a pianoforte and having found a substitute to take his organ and attend to his pupils for a week he and his wife had suddenly resolved to take a holiday in London together
I had of course intended to seek you out dear Mrs Bransby she said ever mindful as I must be of the many kind favours I have received from you and—here she gulped dangerously but recovered herself and went on—from all the family But we came away in such a hurry at the last a cheap excursion train being in fact our immediate motive
Locomotive put in Martin jocosely
Quite so said Amelia with the utmost suavity A very proper correction Then seeing his mischievous face dimpling with laughter she exclaimed Oh of course—locomotive Very good Martin Ah I am as absent as ever you see Here she playfully shook her head until sundry metallic bobs upon her bonnet fell off and had to be hunted for and picked up Well so it was I was hurried away by Bassys impetuosity—although in justice to him I must state that the time bills were peremptory and there was no margin for delay or deliberation—almost without a carpet bag I had no opportunity therefore of inquiring of any mutual friend in Oldchester for your address
There are scarcely any who know it or care to know it said Mrs Bransby in a low voice
Oh pardon me dear Mrs Bransby No no that must not be said for the honour of Oldchester Your memory is affectionately cherished by all the more refined and sympathetic souls among us Only last week Mr Crump the butcher was respectfully inquiring for news of you You remember Crump A worthy man whose spirit—notwithstanding the dictum of the Swan of Avon—is by no means subdued to what it works in beyond a transient greasiness which lies merely on the surface
Yes I remember him very well But who then was it who directed you to this house asked Mrs Bransby hoping that her guest was not aware why Martin had suddenly retired behind the window curtains in a paroxysm of laughter
Ah That again is one of the most extraordinary circumstances Who do you think it was
I cannot tell at all
Guess
Miss Piper perhaps suggested Ethel
Not exactly Miss Piper said Mrs Simpson with strong emphasis on the qualifying adverb as though her informants identity were only barely distinguishable from that of Miss Piper But you burn Ethel You are very near However I will not keep you longer in suspense It was Miss Clara Bertram
Oh I might have thought of her for she is a neighbour of ours said Mrs Bransby
Is she asked Owen
Yes she lives in a house with a rather good garden not far from here The situation is a little inconvenient for her profession I fancy But she has invalid relatives to whom the garden is a great boon We met accidentally in the street one day and she recognized me at once I was surprised that she did so
Nay I should rather have been surprised had she forgotten you said Mrs Simpson For the heart dear Mrs Bransby that once truly loves never forgets but as fondly loves on to the—— Not of course that there was anything beyond the very slightest acquaintance between you and Miss Bertram in Oldchester Bassy is in fact at her house now with a few musical professors whom she kindly invited us to meet—the artistic element which is so akin to Bassys soul—combined with the seductions of the Indian weed of which Miss Bertrams papa is quite a devotee—so that you see finding you were so near I slipped away to see you and I have promised to return before it is time to go back to the boardinghouse where we are staying
At this point Mr Bragg got up to take his leave
I shall look in again before long Mrs Bransby if youll allow me he said and well have a little more talk about my young friend there Good night to you maam turning to shake hands with Mrs Simpson
This brought that lady to her legs in more senses than one She favoured Mr Bragg with a long and enthusiastic address embracing an extraordinary variety of topics from the proud preeminence of British commerce to the force of friendship as portrayed in the classical example of Damon and Pythias
I will not ask in the beautiful words of the Caledonian ditty Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days o lang syne for I am certain that you are entirely incapable of doing anything of the sort as is proved by your presence beneath this refined rooftree said Mrs Simpson But I must bear my humble testimony to the eminent virtues of our exquisite friend—if I may be allowed the privilege of calling her so I have seen her basking in prosperity and unspoiled by the smiles of fortune and now in the cold shade of comparatively untoward circumstances she beams with the same congenial lustre In short cried Amelia suddenly abandoning what Bobby and Billy called her dictionary style for a homelier language which came straight from her heart a better wife and mother a gentler mistress a kinder friend there never was or could be in this world
Owen offered to accompany Mr Bragg in order to show him the way to the nearest cabstand and they left the house together
Shes a singlar character observed Mr Bragg after they had walked a few steps
You mean Mrs Simpson
Ah yes Mrs Simpson Theres too much clack about her and her talks puzzling from being—what you might call of a zigzag sort of a nature and shes cast in a queer kind of a mould altogether But I think she rings true and thats the main thing in mortals or metals
Im quite sure her praise of Mrs Bransby is true at any rate said Owen warmly
Hm grunted Mr Bragg and walked on in silence When they came within view of a cabstand he turned round and said he would not trouble Owen to come any further with him And just as the latter was about to say Goodnight Mr Bragg observed meditatively She has that little place beautifully neat and as clean as a new pin Seems to be bringing up those children in the right way too Poor soul its a heavy charge for a delicate lady like her I think I shall be able to do something for that eldest boy But praps youd better not say anything at present—eh Its cruel to raise up false hopes and some folks build such a wonderful high scaffolding of expectations on a word or two and if theres not bricks enough to do anything adequate to the scaffolding—why then thats awkward Good night Mr Rivers
Owen well knew that hopes had already been aroused by the mere presence of the rich man in that poor little home But he knew also that there was no danger of Mrs Bransbys hopes turning into claims and that she would be humbly grateful for very small help He felt almost elated on her behalf as he returned to Collingwood Terrace I only hope he said to himself that Mr Bragg wont visit any of my sins on Mrs Bransbys head when he finds them out But no to do the old boy justice I believe he is above that
Meanwhile Amelia Simpson had been imparting a budget of Oldchester news After many discursive sallies she came to the topic of Lucius Cheffingtons recent death He had died since the Simpsons departure from Oldchester but his case had been known to be hopeless for several days previous The old lord was said to be dreadfully cut up more so even than on the death of his eldest son But Lucius had always been understood to be his fathers favourite
And they do say continued Mrs Simpson that to a certain fair young friend of ours the blow will be very severe
A young friend of ours Do you mean May Cheffington
Ah no Our dear Miranda knew scarcely anything of her noble relatives at Combe Park And even the most affectionate disposition—and Im sure our dear Miranda is imbued with every proper feeling—can scarcely cling with personal devotion to an almost total stranger although united by the ties of kindred No I was speaking of Miss Hadlow
Constance
Yes although I have never been on terms to address her by her baptismal appellation that I confess is the young lady I do mean
Then Mrs Simpson went on to tell her astonished listener how that Constance Hadlow had been visiting some county magnates in the near neighbourhood of Combe Park during the latter part of Luciuss illness how she had been admitted to see and talk with the invalid when other persons had been excluded with scant courtesy how she had rapidly come to be on a footing of intimacy at the great house which astonished the neighbourhood and how at length that fact was explained by the current report that if Lucius had recovered—which at one time appeared not unlikely—he would have married her with his fathers full approbation
I did not venture to allude to the subject before Mr Rivers—how brown he has become Quite the southern hue of romance—because you know he was said at one time to be desperately in love with his cousin and I feared to hurt his feelings
Oh I dont think it would hurt his feelings said Mrs Bransby I really do not believe he cares at all for his cousin in that way
Im sure he doesnt cried Ethel who took a thoroughly feminine interest in the subject
Ethel I scarcely think you know anything at all about the matter And I am sure it is not for a little girl like you to give an opinion
No mother Only—Martin and I know who we should like him to marry Dont we Martin
Martin was rather shamefaced at being thus brought publicly into the discussion and rebuffed his sister with a lofty air
Oh dont talk bosh and silliness he rejoined Girls are always bothering about a fellows getting married Leave him alone Hes very well as he is
He is certainly most affable and thoroughly the gentleman observed Mrs Simpson with her universal beaming benevolence
Oh he is good cried the widow clasping her hands So delicately considerate Such a true loyal friend
In her own mind she was convinced that Mr Braggs visit was entirely due to Owens influence And her heart was overflowing with gratitude
A new idea darted into Mrs Simpsons imagination always ready to accept a romantic view of things How charming it would be if young Mr Rivers were to marry the beautiful widow They would make a delightful couple Considerations of ways and means entered no more into Mrs Simpsons calculations than they would have entered into little Enids The building of her castles in the air was entirely independent of money
But there was at bottom a more common sensible reason which made the idea that Owen might marry Mrs Bransby agreeable to Amelia Simpson In spite of the sympathy of Mr Crump the butcher and other congenial spirits it could not be denied that some rumours of a very unpleasant sort had recently been circulated in Oldchester to the discredit of Mrs Bransby When it became known that young Rivers on his return from Spain was to live in her house the rumours began to take a more definite shape No one could trace them to their source—perhaps no one tried very seriously to do so
People asked each other if they had not always thought there was something a little odd—not quite becoming and nice—in the way that young Rivers used to be running in and out of Martin Bransbys house at all times and seasons Even during poor Mr Bransbys lifetime strange things had been said—at least it now appeared so for very few of the gossips professed to have heard any whispers of scandal themselves while Martin lived There was a strange story of young Rivers being caught kissing Mrs Bransbys hand in the garden There might be no harm in kissing a ladys hand But under the circumstances there was something almost revolting was there not And then why was Mrs Bransby in such a hurry to run away from Oldchester—away from all her friends and all her husbands friends Surely she would have done better to remain there At all events Mr Theodore Bransby had been much annoyed by her doing so and had replied to old friends who spoke to him on the subject that he could not control his stepmothers actions could only advise her for the best and should endeavour to assist her and her children if she would allow him to do so Of course people understood when he said that that Mrs Bransby was acting contrary to his judgment And now Mr Rivers was actually going to reside in her house It positively was not decent No wonder Theodore looked distressed and avoided the subject It must be altogether a very painful affair for him
This kind of scandal with its inevitable crescendo had been very differently received by Sebastian Simpson and his wife He could not be said to encourage it but neither did he repudiate it indignantly But Amelia was true and devoted to Mrs Bransby and incurred some unpopularity by her enthusiastic praises of that absent lady But there were also people who said what a good creature Mrs Simpson was and that—although she was a goose and had probably been quite taken in—they liked to see her stand up for those who had been kind to her
Under these circumstances it was a great triumph for Amelia to find Mr Bragg—the respectable the influential the rich Mr Bragg—visiting Mrs Bransby on a friendly footing and treating her with marked kindness and respect Simple though she might be Amelia was not at all too simple to understand that the millionaires approbation would carry weight with it But now the idea of a marriage between Owen and the widow seemed still more delightful than the mere clearing of Mrs Bransbys character from all aspersions People had said that as for him the young man was probably suffering under a temporary infatuation And that even supposing the best and taking the most charitable view of this—flirtation it was out of the question that he should think of marrying a woman of Mrs Bransbys age and with five children to support
Why should it be out of the question Amelia said to herself The few years difference in their ages was of no consequence at all And as to the family—Mr Bragg would probably take Owen into partnership He was evidently devotedly fond of them both She had privately arranged the details of the wedding in her own mind before Owen returned from conducting Mr Bragg to his cab
When he did so Mrs Simpson declared it was time for her to go and got up from her chair But between that and her actual departure a great many words had still to intervene She reverted to the death in the Castlecombe family made a brief excursion to the report of Captain Cheffingtons second marriage truly deplorable But still or dear Miranda is happily launched among the élite of the beau monde so perhaps it is not so bad after all And then suddenly added—
By the way dear Mrs Bransby it was reported that your stepson Mr Theodore intended to withdraw his candidature at the next election But I am told on the best authority—Mr Lowe the political agent—that that is a mistake So I hope we may see him among the legislators Quite the figure for it Im sure However of course you must know all that news far better than I I hope to see our dear Miranda before leaving town
Owen observed with indignation that the mention of Theodore appeared to have suggested May to her mind Nor did the circumstance escape Mrs Bransby
Do you say you shall see May Cheffington she asked
Yes I purpose calling Although well aware of Mrs DormerSmiths high social position still I think our dear Mirandas warm heart will welcome one who has so recently seen her beloved grandmamma Ah we do not easily relinquish the fond memories of childhood Thank you my dear Ethel Is that my pockethandkerchief Really I wonder how it came there Ethel had picked it up from under the teatable I believe that even in the princely halls—I think I left my umbrella in the passage Eh Oh Bobby has found it—in the princely halls of Castlecombe her memory will revert to Friars Row In the words of the poet though strangers may roam those hills and those valleys I once called my home—although of course Oldchester is not mountainous And as to roaming I presume that hills and valleys are always more or less liable to be roamed over by strangers whether one calls them ones home or not
By this time Mrs Simpson had got herself out of the room into the narrow outer passage and seeing Owen put on his great coat again in order to escort her she stopped to protest against his taking that trouble
Oh pray Too kind It is but a stones throw from here and I am not at all afraid Sure of the way Well no not quite sure I took two wrong turnings in coming But I can easily inquire for Marlborough House Eh Oh Blenheim Lodge is it To be sure Marlborough House is the august residence——However historically speaking I was not so far wrong was I Well if you insist Mr Rivers I will accept your polite attention with gratitude Goodbye once more dear children If I possibly can come again before leaving London dear Mrs Bransby——
At this point Owen perceived that decisive measures were necessary if the good ladys farewells were not to last until midnight He took Mrs Simpsons arm signed to Phœbe to open the door and led his fair charge outside it almost before she knew what was happening
Excuse me for hurrying you he said but the night is cold Mrs Bransby is not very strong and I thought it imprudent—for both of you—to stand talking in that draughty passage
Oh quite right Thank you a thousand times She is deserving indeed of every delicate care and attention
A slighter circumstance would have sufficed to confirm Mrs Simpsons romantic fancies She said to herself that Mr Riverss devotion was chivalrous indeed And she forthwith proceeded to sound Mrs Bransbys praises in an unbroken stream of eloquence all the way to Blenheim Lodge Owen had intended to ask her one or two questions—about Mrs Dobbs and as to when she thought of calling at Mrs DormerSmiths house He had even held a halfformed intention of entrusting her with a message for May But it was hopeless to arrest her flow of speech—unless by making his request in a more serious fashion than he thought it prudent to do Amelias goodwill might be relied on But she was absolutely devoid of discretion And at all events if he said nothing there would be no ground for her to build a blunder on
He little knew
CHAPTER VIII
When Mrs DormerSmith practised any deception—a necessity which unfortunately arose rather frequently in the prosecution of her duty to society—she was wont to call it diplomacy She called it so to herself in her most private cogitations She was not a woman whose conscience could be satisfied by any but the best chosen phraseology
In speaking to May of her conversation with Owen she gave a diplomatic version of it It was May herself who innocently suggested the line her aunt took When she found that Owen had left the house without any further farewell to her she said not a word she demanded no explanation but the disappointed look in her eyes the drooping curves of her young mouth were sufficiently eloquent Had she fired up into indignation against her aunt assuming as a matter of course that Owen had been refused permission to see her again that would have seemed quite in accordance with her character This was in fact what Pauline had prepared herself to meet But this quietude was strange It seemed as though May were ready to be wounded Her aunt thought that it would not have occurred to the girl—who was highspirited enough in certain directions—to suspect that her lover might be less eager to see her again than she was to see him unless some previous fact or fancy had put the suspicion into her head Fact or fancy Mrs DormerSmith thought it mattered little which so long as the suspicion were there
Of course it would not do to pretend that Owen had not asked to see her That would be a clumsy falsehood sure of speedy detection and besides Mrs DormerSmith wished to avoid explicit falsehood She was only diplomatic
I was obliged I need scarcely tell you May she said to refuse Mr Riverss request for some more words with you It would have been a gross dereliction of duty on my part to permit it
He did ask to see me then said May with a bright eager look in her eyes It was a look her aunt was well acquainted with and usually presaged some speech which had to be deplored as being odd or bad form
Oh yes replied Mrs DormerSmith wearily Of course he asked I had to go through all that Under the circumstances he could scarcely do less
The shadow of the eyelashes suddenly drooped down over the bright eyes and Aunt Pauline saw that her shot had told
Has it ever occurred to you May Mrs DormerSmith went on that you are prejudicing the future of this gentleman
May looked up quickly but made no answer
Of course it cannot be allowed to go on—this engagement as he absurdly terms it
It is an engagement interrupted May in a low voice
Her aunt passed over the interruption and continued But I think that in justice to him you ought to reflect that meanwhile you are injuring his prospects I do not mean she added with gentle sarcasm that you will injure him by preventing him from marrying the Widow Bransby because I cannot honestly say that I think that a good prospect for any young man
All those stories are malicious falsehoods said May resolutely but her throat was painfully constricted and her heart felt like lead in her breast
My dear child one scarcely sees why people should trouble themselves to invent stories about this lady and gentleman who after all are persons of very small importance But at any rate the stories are circulated and believed Under these circumstances it seems to me a—well to say the least an indiscreet proceeding that Mr Rivers the moment he returns to England should rush to Mrs Bransbys house and take up his abode there However it may be quite a usual sort of thing among persons in their position Very likely I only know that in our world it would not do We are less Arcadian When I spoke of injuring Mr Riverss prospects I meant as between him and his employer
Oh cried May turning round with a pale indignant face A confused crowd of words seemed to be struggling in her mind but she was unable for the moment to utter one of them
Dear May said her aunt do not I beg and implore you do not be tragic I dont think I could stand that sort of thing It would be the last straw
Do you think—do you mean that Mr Bragg would turn Owen away out of spite asked May in a quiet tone after a short silence
We need not employ such a word as that But Mr Bragg made you an offer of marriage and we can hardly expect him to find it pleasant when he is told the young lady refused you in order to marry your clerk
Not in order to—— You know I have assured you that under no circumstances would I have married Mr Bragg
Yes May you have assured me so But you are not yet nineteen and I—alas—was nineteen more than nineteen years ago It struck me that Mr Rivers was desirous that you should take your full share of responsibility in the matter And he seemed a little anxious about his place At all events he brought forward the salary he is earning with Mr Bragg as an important element in the financial budget with which he favoured me How the man could think for a moment that your family would consent I gathered that he was decidedly unwilling to lose it
He only took it for my sake
Ah That was particularly kind of him Well it strikes me that he would now like to keep it for his own Of course I must write to your father I presume you will admit that it is proper to inform him of the state of the case
You can write if you choose Aunt Pauline It will make no difference now
I think you will find it will make a considerable difference Circumstances have entirely altered your fathers position in the world You will be daughter and heiress to a peer of the realm
There was a long pause May stood with one foot on the fender before a bright fire in her aunts dressingroom her elbow on the mantelshelf and her cheek resting in her hand
Then Mrs DormerSmith resumed softly Perhaps I deceive myself—the wish may be father to the thought—but I confess I got the impression that it might not be hopeless to induce Mr Rivers to withdraw voluntarily from his false position Of course he could do no less than stand to it so long as you appeared resolved to stand to it but——I hope and trust May that if it should be as I think you would not insist on being obstinate
You know as well as I know it myself Aunt Pauline that I would die sooner than hold him bound for one instant unless——But I wont answer you as if I took your words seriously
Upon that she managed to walk out of the room with dignity and dry eyes But the poor child for all her brave words did take her aunts hint so seriously as to throw herself on the bed in her own room and lie sobbing there for an hour
To her husband Mrs DormerSmith had reported the interview with Owen as accurately as she could She did indeed declare her belief that the young man was a Nihilist But that was said genuinely enough A man of gentle birth who deliberately stated—apparently with sympathetic approval—that there were mechanics who would be ashamed to own Captain Cheffington as a fatherinlaw was in her opinion evidently prepared to demolish the existing bases of human society
Mr DormerSmith was very sorry for his niece more sorry than he thought it necessary to express at that moment to Pauline But still he agreed with his wife that every effort ought to be made to prevent her marrying so disastrously It might have been supposed perhaps that Mr DormerSmith not having found his own mode of life productive of unalloyed felicity in spite of a fair income aristocratic connections and a wife devoted to keeping up their position in society would have been not unwilling to let May try her fate in a different fashion But it is a common experience that although the possession of certain things gives them not the smallest gleam of happiness yet to a large class of minds the thought of doing without these things suggests misery The unusual is a terrible scarecrow and keeps many weakminded birds from the cherries
Mr DormerSmith was to go down to Combe Park to attend the funeral of his deceased cousininlaw He had some liking for Lucius and thought as he sat in the railway carriage speeding down to the little wayside station beyond Oldchester where he was to alight that it was a truly inscrutable dispensation which took away Lucius—a man at least harmless and of honourable principles—and left Augustus alive and he could not help regretting the death of Lucius on Mays account Lucius had been in his dry peculiar manner very kind towards his young cousin He had resented her fathers neglect of her and he treated her when they met with a certain air of protection and almost tenderness such as one might assume towards a child or an animal that one knew to have been hardly used Frederick thought it not impossible that had Lucius lived his influence might have been brought to bear on May for her good But Lucius was gone and Augustus remained to disgrace the family and annoy his relations more than ever
This however was not Paulines idea Although her brothers second marriage had apparently receded into the background in consequence of these new troubles about May yet it had really been occupying many of Mrs DormerSmiths thoughts She certainly considered it to be not quite so terrible a business now that Lucius—poor dear Lucius—was out of the way as it would have been had he lived A Viscountess Castlecombe might be floated Pauline said to herself where a Mrs Augustus Cheffington would stick in the mud They could live chiefly abroad—not of course in a shabby street in Brussels but on the Riviera for instance A warm climate had always suited Augustus And as for herself she Pauline would never willingly pass an hour in England between the first of November and the last of April It really would not be at all disagreeable to spend one or two of the winter months with ones brother and sisterinlaw—thank Heaven that at least she was not English So many deviations from good form might be got over on the plea of foreign manners—at some charming sunny place say St Raphael That was not so far from Nice as to preclude the enjoyment of some little gaiety and society They would have a villa of their own of course Perhaps Augustus might build himself one That sort of life would enable them to catch a good many travellers on the wing And with sufficient tact and savoir faire which Pauline flattered herself she could supply it might be possible to fill their house with a succession of nice people The nicest people were sometimes rather less exigent on the other side of the Channel At any rate there would be less difficulty in floating Lady Castlecombe on the stream of society abroad than at home Augustus would be rich Uncle George could not prevent that let him do what he would with his savings and his investments For the estates were strictly entailed and Uncle George had nursed them into something like treble their value when he succeeded to the property Mrs Griffin heard from Lady Mary the Dean of Oldchesters wife who had it from the Rector of Combe that Lord Castlecombe was crushed by the loss of Lucius Augustus might not have to wait very long for his inheritance How strangely things turn out Well she would write very kindly and gently to her brother There was the excuse of addressing him about May and she would take the opportunity of sending a civil word to his wife It must be done delicately of course But Augustus should see that there was no disposition to be hostile on the part of his sister at any rate
It was in the forenoon of the day after Owens visit that Mrs DormerSmith was thus meditating Her husband had started for Combe Park The house was very quiet the fire in her dressingroom was very warm several budgets of gossip had arrived by the post from various country houses and lay unopened within reach of her hand Mrs DormerSmith felt that there was a certain luxury of woe in a family affliction which justified one in saying not at home and sitting in a wadded dressinggown without causing one either heartache or anxiety And she had been softly rocking herself in the daydreams recorded above when they were interrupted as suddenly if not as fatally as those of La Fontaines milkmaid James stood before her with a visiting card on a salver and a cloud of depression—which was the utmost revelation of illhumour his welltrained visage ever allowed itself abovestairs—on his shaven countenance
What is this James What do you mean by bringing me cards here—and now
I said not at home maam but the—the party didnt seem to understand and unfortunately Miss Cheffington happening to pass through the hall at that moment——
Who is it Where is the person
Mrs DormerSmith took the card and examined it through her eyeglass with a sinking heart Could that subversive young man have returned Or was there perchance some other suitor in the field An anarchical shoemaker possibly Paulines confidence in Mrs Dobbs had been completely blown into the air by learning that she had approved and encouraged Mays engagement to a young man who calmly avowed that he possessed one hundred and fifty pounds a year of his own and she felt that any dreadful revelation might be made at any moment But the name on the card was not a masculine one at any rate Mrs Somethingorother Simpson she read on it
Is the—lady with Miss Cheffington now James
Yes maam Miss Cheffington took her into the diningroom I thought that as last time—I mean as Smithson wasnt in the way—Id better let you know maam
Did the lady ask for me
Nno I—well I really hardly know maam
You hardly know
Well maam she talked a great deal and so—so——It was uncommonly difficult to follow what she said At first I thought she announced her name as being Oldchester I did say not at home twice but it was no use and then Miss Cheffington happening to pass through the hall——
That will do
James retired with an injured air and Mrs DormerSmith was left to consider within herself whether duty required her to be present at the interview between May and this unknown Mrs Simpson or whether she might indulge herself by sitting still and reading Mrs Griffins last letter in comfort and quietude After a brief deliberation she resolved to go downstairs There was no knowing who or what the woman might be James had said something about Oldchester No doubt she came from that place Perhaps she was an emissary of Mr Rivers Pauline as she rose and drew a shawl round her shoulders before facing the chillier atmosphere of the staircase breathed a pious hope that her brother Augustus might sooner or later compensate her for all the sacrifices she was making on behalf of May
Before she reached the diningroom she heard the sound of a fluent monologue May was not speaking at all so far as Mrs DormerSmith could make out When she entered the room she found the girl sitting beside a stout florid woman dressed in trentesix couleurs—as Pauline phrased it to herself—who was holding forth with a profusion of nods and becks and wreathed smiles
Mrs DormerSmith made this stranger a bow of such freezing politeness as ought to have petrified her on the spot and turning to May inquired with raised eyebrows Who is your friend May
But Amelia Simpson had not the least suspicion that she was being snubbed in the most superior style known to modern science She rose with her usual impulsive vehemence from her chair and said smilingly—
Mrs DormerSmith I thought so Permit me to apologize for a seeming breach of etiquette I am well aware that my call ought properly to have been paid to you the mistress of this elegant mansion but being personally unknown—although we are not so remote unfriended melancholy or slow—not that I use the epithet in a slang sense I assure you—in Oldchester as to be unaware that Mrs DormerSmith the accomplished relative of our dear Miranda is in all respects a glass of fashion and a mould of form Only I wish our divine bard had chosen any other word than mould which somehow is inextricably connected in my mind with short sixes
Oh ejaculated Pauline in a faint voice as she sank into a chair and she remained gazing at the visitor with a helpless air
At another time May would have had a keen and enjoying sense of the comic elements in this little scene but although she saw them now as distinctly as she ever could have done she was too unhappy to enjoy them She said quietly—
This is Mrs Simpson Aunt Pauline Her husband is professor of music at Oldchester and they are both very old friends of dear Granny
Now Pauline was not prepared to break altogether with Mrs Dobbs Mrs Dobbs had behaved very badly in that matter of young Rivers but something must be excused to ignorance and her allowance for May continued to be paid up every quarter with exemplary punctuality Let matters turn out as well as possible there must still be a meantime during which Mrs Dobbss money would be valuable—and indeed indispensable—if May were to remain under her aunts roof It occurred to Pauline to invite this incredibly attired person to share Céciles early dinner in the housekeepers room and then to withdraw herself and May on the plea of some imaginary engagement She was just about to carry out this idea when the reiteration of a name in Mrs Simpsons rapid talk struck her ear and excited her curiosity Mrs Bransby Amelia was talking volubly to May about Mrs Bransby She had resumed what she was pleased to call her conversation with May having made some sort of incoherent apology to Mrs DormerSmith to the effect that she had a very short time to remain and so many interesting topics of mutual interest to discuss
She rambled on about her last evenings visit to Collingwood Terrace Mr Rivers and dear Mrs Bransby would make a charming couple and as to the difference in years—what did years signify And the difference was not so great after all Mr Rivers was very steady and staid for his age and Mrs Bransby looked so wonderfully youthful—not a line in her forehead in spite of all her troubles And then Mr Braggs friendship and countenance would be so valuable He evidently approved it all And if he gave Mr Rivers a share in his business—even a comparatively small share said Amelia feeling that she was keeping well within the limits of probability and even displaying a certain businesslike sobriety of conjecture—considering how colossal an affair that was everything would be made smooth for them Mrs Bransbys children evidently adored Mr Rivers—which was so delightful And as for Mr Riverss devotion to Mrs Bransby no one could doubt that who saw them together This was said rather to a shadowy audience of Oldchester persons who had declared that however ridiculous Mrs Bransby might make herself young Rivers was not likely to tie himself for life to a middleaged woman with a family than to Amelias present hearers And after all the unkind things which had been reported in Oldchester it would be a heartfelt joy to Mrs Bransbys friends to see her widowhood so happily brought to a close
What unkind things have been reported in Oldchester What do you mean asked May She spoke eagerly but quite firmly There was no tremor in her voice no rising of unbidden tears to her eyes Her whole heart and soul were concentrated on getting at the truth
Amelia pulled herself up a little She had been running on rather too heedlessly Some things had latterly been said of Mrs Bransby which could scarcely be repeated with propriety to a young lady—at least according to Amelias code of what was proper
Oh my dear Miranda she stammered the world is ever censorious but as the lyric bard so beautifully puts it—
Id weep when friends deceive me
If thou wert like them untrue
Although why it is taken for granted that friends—in any true sense of the word—should be expected to deceive I must leave to metaphysics to determine
Mrs DormerSmith here put in her word Oh we had already heard of these scandals she said My niece was inclined to doubt their existence I believe I hope you are convinced now May
Really exclaimed Mrs Simpson glancing with growing uneasiness from May to her aunt Something she perceived was wrong—but what
Dear Mrs Simpson said May I am very sure that whoever else was unkind and scandalous you were not
Ever the same sweet nature murmured Amelia but perhaps it was not so much that people were unkind not exactly unkind but mistaken You see when a person tells you a thing positively there is a certain unkindness in not believing it And yet on the other hand one would not willingly accept evil reports of a fellowcreature There is a difficulty in harmoniously blending the two horns of this dilemma—if I may be allowed to say so—which to some extent excuses error
The good ladys habitual confusion of ideas was increased by the nervous fear that she had said something unfortunate She brought her visit to an end earlier than she otherwise might have done and in taking effusive leave of May she whispered—
I trust I did not commit any solecism against the code of manners which belongs to the élite of the haut ton in alluding to our fair friend Mrs B——
No no answered May gently dont vex yourself by thinking so
Mrs Simpson brightened up a little and asked aloud And what message shall I give to grandmamma
May scarcely recognized Granny under this appellation adopted in honour of Mrs DormerSmiths social distinction But after an instant she said—
Oh give her my dear love I shall write to her tomorrow And please my love to Uncle Jo
Ah I recognize our dear Mirandas affectionate constancy there cried Amelia Mr Weatherhead will be much gratified
Gratified I think he would have a right to be disgusted if I forgot him Dear good honest kindhearted Uncle Jo
Who is this person demanded Pauline genuinely aghast at the idea that some hitherto unknown brother of Susan Dobbs was in existence The one extenuating circumstance in that unfortunate marriage had always appeared to her to be the fact that Susan was an only child
He is a certain Mr Joseph Weatherhead answered May with great distinctness He was originally a bookbinders apprentice and then a printer and bookseller in a small way of business at Birmingham He is my grandmothers brotherinlaw and one of the best men in the world He used to give me shillings when I went back to school and once I remember—that was just before my father left me on grannys hands—he noticed that my boots were disgracefully shabby and took me out and bought me a new pair
Then Mrs Simpson went away in a nervous flutter and with the positive though puzzled conviction that there was something very wrong indeed between the aunt and niece
CHAPTER IX
Of course Mrs DormerSmith availed herself to the utmost of Mrs Simpsons revelations They were most valuable And they had the effect of confirming her own vague suspicions in an unexpected manner That which had been merely diplomatic colouring in her presentment of the situation to May turned out to be real solid vulgar fact
The state of things was certainly very singular But she did not doubt that she had discovered the true explanation of it Mr Rivers had probably been infatuated with Mrs Bransby before her husbands death Such infatuations were by no means rare at their respective ages The lady had been willing to coquette after a sentimental fashion which also was not unprecedented There had probably been no serious intention of evildoing on either side At all events we can give them the benefit of the doubt reflected Pauline charitably Meanwhile Mr Rivers had met with May He had been thrown a great deal into her society had been encouraged by her stupid old grandmother had thought her connections and prospects desirable and had probably admired herself a good deal Pauline did not see why not It was very possible for a man to admire more than one woman at a time Mr Rivers makes love to May persuades her to enter into a clandestine engagement and goes abroad But then something unforeseen happens the husband dies and all the old feeling is revived Mr Rivers hastens back to England The widow is pathetic—helpless—throws herself on his advice and support He goes to live under her roof and the mischief is done A handsome scheming woman under these circumstances might well be irresistible As to him of course he had behaved badly in a way But after all one must accept men as they are And as Pauline said to herself the folly of young men in such matters and their invincible tendency to sacrifice themselves to the wrong woman are simply unfathomable At any rate whether her cousins death had made Rivers more willing to fulfil his engagement to May or whether he would be glad of a pretext to break with her in order to marry Mrs Bransby and her five children May must clearly perceive that she could have nothing more to say to him
All these considerations and the conclusion to which they led Mrs DormerSmith administered to her niece in larger or smaller doses during the remainder of the day Sometimes it was by way of a few drops at a time—a hint a word perhaps merely a sigh accompanied by an expressive shrug of the shoulders Sometimes it was a copious pouring forth of the evidence Sometimes it was an appeal to Mays pride sometimes to her principles
The girl was worn out with fighting against shadows And though they might be shadows they were gathering darkly
The worst was that she was in one sense as solitary as though she had been alone on a desert island There was absolutely no communion of spirit between her and her aunt on this subject Had her uncle been there she thought that even he would have understood her better She could write of course to granny and of course granny would answer her But another whole long day must elapse before she could have the comfort of grannys letter even supposing it were sent without a posts delay She could not see Owen She was not sure at moments whether she wished to see him And then again with a sudden revulsion of feeling she would long for his presence
She had in her pocket the note he had written on the previous evening begging her to inform Mr Bragg of their engagement It had reached her hands only an hour or two before Amelia Simpsons visit and was as yet unanswered The note had been dashed off quickly as we know And to May disheartened and confused as she was already by her aunts version of the interview with Owen it seemed needlessly brief and dry
He begged May to tell Mr Bragg of their engagement at once Under the circumstances he thought Mr Bragg ought to know it and the announcement would come best from her He had not had a moment in which to speak of it during their hurried interview But he did not doubt that May would feel as he felt on this point She had better if possible send her communication so that Mr Bragg should receive it that same afternoon since he certainly ought to know the truth soon at any cost
These last words had reference to the possibility that the revelation might affect the fortunes of the Bransby family But May knew nothing of that and they jarred on her Why should Owen speak to her of the cost It was almost like a boast that he was ready to sacrifice himself In talking to Aunt Pauline he had shown that he was anxious not to lose his situation For her sake Oh yes no doubt for her sake But the words jarred on her The lightest touch will jar upon a bruise
And then the loneliness of spirit was so trying Solitude may sometimes be a good counsellor for the brain But it is rarely so for the heart Nothing so strengthens our best impulses faiths and affections as to see them reflected in the soul of a fellowcreature To the young especially want of sympathy with their emotions is like want of daylight to a flower Those who have travelled half way along lifes journey are apt to forget how much diffidence is often mingled with a young girls acceptance of love The gift seems so unspeakably great A trembling sense of unreality sometimes comes with the recognition of its preciousness and beauty
Can it be Am I really loved so much Dare I believe it These questions are often asked by sensitive young hearts Happiness begets humility in the finer sort of nature
Elder spectators looking on at the old evernew story find it clear and simple enough But to the actors it may seem complex and difficult Lookers on in any case see but a small portion of the drama of our lives The intensest part of it—the most poignant tragedy the sunniest comedy—is played within ourselves by invisible forces Truly and in dread earnest we are such stuff as dreams are made of
All the day May kept Owens note in her pocket and when evening came she had neither answered it nor written to Mr Bragg Owen was right no doubt in saying that Mr Bragg ought to know the truth But what was the truth In the whirlpool of her agitated thoughts sometimes one answer would float uppermost and sometimes another Could her aunt be right in saying that she would prejudice Owens future by holding him to his word Holding him But it was rather for Owen to hold her He could not suspect that his claim would be disallowed He at least had no reason to doubt the completeness of her love for him And then a scarlet blush would burn her cheeks and hot tears would be forced from her eyes by a thought which touched her maiden pride to the quick—was he not leaving it to her to claim him If she wrote that letter to Mr Bragg she would in fact be claiming him
She had told Mr Bragg she remembered when he asked her if her family approved of the man she had promised to marry that she at any rate was proud to be loved by him Yes but too proud to accept a love that was not eagerly given Oh it was all weariness and bitterness and perturbation of spirit
Sometimes for a moment the recollection of Owens look and Owens words would pierce the clouds like a ray of sunshine and her heart would cry out Why am I troubled and tormented by lies and foolishness Owen is loyal tender and true—the soul of truth and honour I need only trust to him and all will be well But then Aunt Pauline would repeat some of poor Amelia Simpsons glowing words about the charming couple in Collingwood Terrace—made all the more impressive by the fact that Aunt Pauline really believed them and the fog would gather again and she would ask herself How if he should be loyal against his inclination
In the evening she said to her aunt Aunt Pauline I will go away from London I will go to Granny I could not in any case continue to take her money for keeping me here I will go down to Oldchester that will be best And Owen and I can arrange afterwards what we will do For not by a word would she betray a doubt of Owen To her aunt she upheld his faithfulness unwaveringly she upheld it indeed in her own heart chiding down her doubts as one chides down a snarling dog But though she could chide she could not remove them they were there crouching She was conscious of their existence as pain is felt in a dream
But it did not at all suit Mrs DormerSmiths views that her niece should go away in that fashion I cannot let you leave my house May she said I am responsible for you to your father
Then May rebelled She declared that Granny had been father and mother and friend to her and that she did not feel she owed any filial duty except to Granny
Pauline privately thought that she recognized the influence of Mr Rivers in this speech She put her handkerchief to her eyes and observed plaintively that she was sorry May had no touch of affection for her or for her uncle who had striven to treat her as their own child She was genuinely hurt and thought she had reason to complain of the girls ingratitude May recognized that her aunt was sincere in this She too felt that Aunt Pauline had meant to do well for her although it had all turned out amiss She thought of the day of her first arrival in town of her aunts affectionate reception of her and gentle sweetness ever since until these last unhappy days Her thoughts went back farther—to the time when the dowager was alive and her aunt used to see her in the dreary old house at Richmond and mourn over her clothes and kiss her kindly when she went away
With a sudden impulse she knelt down beside Mrs DormerSmiths chair and put her arms round her
Aunt Pauline she said I know you have meant to be kind You have been kind No doubt I have given you trouble and anxiety partly perhaps by my fault but more by my misfortune I am not insensible of all that But dear Aunt Pauline I want you to believe—do pray believe—that it would be cruel to separate me from Owen Nothing shall part us except his own will she added in a low voice Then after an instant she went on pressing her soft young face against her aunts shoulder Perhaps you think I dont care so very deeply for him Of course you cannot know you have never seen us together it has all come upon you quite suddenly But indeed indeed if I had to give him up I think it would break my heart Oh dear Aunt Pauline do be kind to us and help us I have no mother And I—I love him so
Pauline folded the sobbing girl in her arms Perhaps she had never felt the great duty she owed to society so hard of fulfilment as at that moment It was really frightful to think of the havoc wrought by the selfish recklessness of that Nihilist with his hundred and fifty pounds a year The recollection of the coldblooded effrontery with which he had mentioned the sum made her shudder
For a little time she held her niece silently in a motherly embrace Then she said softly This is very sad and distressing dear May And her own eyes were full of tears However much I may disapprove—the clinging arms around her shoulders relaxed their hold a little here but she gently pressed the girl close to her again—and—and deplore the state of the case it is most painful to me to see you suffer But we must not allow feeling to override all considerations of what is right and proper We must not forget that we have duties—duties towards society
May quietly removed one arm from her aunts neck and began to dry her eyes
I dont say that those duties are easy Those who have no position in the world to keep up may be enviable in some respects Im sure I am often tempted to envy the people one sees riding in omnibuses said Pauline with what she felt to be a bold but forcible hyperbole But noblesse oblige You and I are both born Cheffingtons It may be all very well for the bourgeoisie to indulge in sentiment and sweethearts and that sort of thing but from us society expects something different There are certain opportunities which it appears to me it is absolutely flying in the face of Providence to neglect I know perfectly well that if the Hautenvilles had the slightest inkling of an idea that you had refused Mr Bragg Felicia would come flying back from Rome like a whirlwind However I will not dwell on that now You are dreadfully worn out my poor child and your eyes will not be fit to be seen for a week Rosewater the last thing before going to bed There is nothing so soothing Poor child I must steel myself to do my duty May but it really is excessively trying Go to rest now dear and sleep off your agitation Tomorrow we will talk more calmly
May had gently withdrawn herself from her aunts embrace and had risen from her knees Tomorrow I will go to Granny she said quietly
Ah no dearest that cannot be It is out of the question But you may write to Mrs Dobbs and hear what she says
Pauline had resolved to write herself to Mrs Dobbs detailing all she knew and a great deal more which she thought she knew about Mr Riverss conduct and setting forth the change in Mays position as the daughter of the future Lord Castlecombe Things were very different from what they had been three or four months ago Even Mrs Dobbs—although she had turned out so disappointingly foolish as to this preposterous love affair—must see that
Good night dear child you will get over this distress and you will acknowledge hereafter I am quite confident that you have had a good escape As to that odious woman she is sure to be miserable whether he marries her or not thats one comfort said Aunt Pauline
The sight of Mays tearful white face exacerbated her virtuous indignation against Mrs Bransby nor was this feeling in the slightest degree mitigated by her strong desire that Mrs Bransby should marry young Rivers and take him out of their way for ever
Good night Aunt Pauline answered May bending down and slightly touching her aunts forehead with her lips
Pauline embraced the girl tenderly Poor darling she murmured Dont forget the rosewater
CHAPTER X
When May went up to her room she neglected her aunts advice as to the rosewater She sat down beside the fire and tried to think of what she had best do
Help from her aunt was clearly not to be hoped for She did not feel anger against Aunt Pauline at that moment She had felt it some time before but not now Would it not be like feeling angry with a Chinese for not comprehending English They simply did not understand one another There was a barrier between their minds—at least on the one subject which May had at heart—which as it seemed neither of them could pass or penetrate
She would go to Granny There she would find love and sympathy and the sheltering motherwings she yearned for And at the bottom of her heart there was the halfunconscious feeling that Granny would be a staunch partisan of Owens and would be able to justify her trust in him
But then Aunt Pauline had refused to let her go and had said she might write Write and lose time and probably fail to convince Granny of the sick longing the positive need she felt to get away from London There would be correspondence and discussion and then her uncle would come back and there would be more discussion and she could not see Owen If she wrote to him and he came he would not be admitted to the house and she could not go to him
Well then she would run away There was nothing for it but to run away to Granny and she made up her mind to do so Nothing should prevent her Nothing She started up and took her purse out of a drawer She was but slenderly provided with pocketmoney the bulk of her allowance from Mrs Dobbs being administered by Aunt Pauline She counted out the contents of the little smart portemonnaie with deep anxiety There was half a sovereign and some silver Only fifteen shillings That would not suffice to carry her to Oldchester—and then she must have a cab She could not find her way to the station on foot and besides it would take such a long time How much time she did not know exactly but she remembered that it had seemed a rather long drive from the terminus to Kensington And even if she could walk the distance she would not know at what hour to set out in order to catch the express train which would bring her into Oldchester a little after five oclock the same evening
A little thrill ran through her veins as she pictured herself arriving at Jessamine Cottage in one of the station flys looking from the vehicle at the cheerful firelight which would surely be shining from the parlour window at that hour And then Martha would come to the door and not recognize her at first in the darkness and Granny would cry out in surprise at the sound of her voice and then there would be the dear motherly arms round her the dear motherly breast to lay her troubled head upon the blessed sense of rest and trust and comfort
Feverishly May counted and recounted her money The fifteen shillings remained inexorably fifteen and no more All sorts of schemes passed through her mind Cécile might perhaps lend her some money—or Smithson But to ask for a loan from either of them would excite too much wonder and suspicion it would at once be reported to her aunt
Suddenly there darted into her mind the recollection that Harold had some money Uncle Frederick had given the child half a sovereign on his birthday a day or two ago That was an inspiration She would ask Harold to lend her the money and to keep the secret until she should be gone She knew that she could trust him the child was staunch and would be proud of being confided in Poor little Harold She remembered that it was he who had told her of Owens presence in the house on that day—when was it Yesterday Impossible It was weeks—months ago surely A large part of her life seemed to have passed since then
May lay down to rest tired out with the various emotions of the day but with her brain so beleaguered by shifting thoughts and images that she was certain she should not be able to sleep But she might at least rest her body which felt bruised and weary as though she had been walking with a heavy burthen all day long She dropped off to sleep nevertheless almost immediately but soon awoke again with a start and a sensation of falling swiftly and a vague terror But at length towards morning she did sleep continuously and heavily and when she next awoke her watch and a dull yellowish glimmer through the windowblind told her it was day
It was a dismal London morning wet and cold The wind was howling among the chimneypots and sending down showers of soot and smoke mingled with sleet It was the day appointed for the funeral of Lucius Cheffington Mr DormerSmith was not expected home that night the trains did not fit conveniently It had therefore been arranged that he should stay at Combe Park until the following morning Her uncles absence made her opportunity May thought The train she wished to travel by started from London she believed at about two oclock but she resolved to be at the terminus much earlier The departure might be at some minutes before two it would be too dreadful to miss the train She felt an irrational hurry and eagerness to be gone as if each minutes delay might be fatal She knew the feeling was groundless but it mastered her
Preparations she had none to make except clothing herself in a warm gown and putting a few toilet necessaries into a little handbag Mrs DormerSmith always breakfasted late and during the cold weather in her own room and May shared the morning meal with her uncle Today at her request Harold and Wilfred were allowed to come downstairs and breakfast with her This arrangement suited Cécile who much preferred breakfasting with Smithson in the housekeepers room to cutting breadandbutter and pouring out milkandwater in the nursery
As soon as the meal was over May asked Harold for the loan of his golden halfsovereign His first reply was a severe blow You mean that yellow sixpence papa gave me I havent got it Cousin May
May felt as though the child had struck her But the next moment he added—
Papa put it into that little box with a slit in it You cant get it out Nobody can get it out It belongs to me you know only I cant buy anything with it Papa says its proper—property
May coaxed him to bring the box to her room and found that it was closed by a little cheap lock which it would be perfectly easy to force open When she proposed this strong measure to Harold he demurred at first but finally yielded on his cousins saying that she wanted the money very much and would be unhappy if she could not get it A glovebox lined with quilted satin was offered him by way of immediate compensation and he was promised that his yellow sixpence should be repaid with ample interest in the shape of coin which would not share the inconvenient dignity of being property but might be freely spent
May felt as if she were a criminal as she wrenched open the little moneybox and took out the halfsovereign which lay glistening amid a small heap of pennies and sixpences Harold stood watching her intently
You do look funny Cousin May he said Your cheeks are quite white and your eyes are queer and your hand burns Mine is ever so cold Feel He put his little red cold hand on Mays forehead and the touch seemed deliciously refreshing to her
My head aches a little Harold I shall soon be well though I am going to see my dear granny I have often told you about her She is so good and kind She makes people well when they are sick or sorry
Harolds experience of being made well when he was sick was not of such a nature as to make this praise particularly attractive to him
I spose she gives you powders he said in a disparaging tone and then added gloomily I wouldnt go to her if I was you
May kissed him and assured him that Grannys methods were all pleasant ones
Wilfred—who had been kept outside the room during the financial transaction as being too young to be trusted with a secret of such importance—was now admitted in compliance with his reiterated petition and the two little fellows stood quietly watching their cousin as in a hurried feverish way she put a few articles into her little bag and took a furlined cloak out of the wardrobe and laid her hat and gloves ready on the bed
I say Cousin May said Harold all at once youll come back again shant you
She looked down at the childs upturned face with a start It had not occurred to her before but the thought now struck her that it was very likely she should never return to that house
I will see you again darlings if I live she said bending down to kiss and embrace the children
Wilfred always inclined to be tearful showed symptoms of setting up a sympathetic wail But Harold said with a dogged little setting of the lips—
Well if you dont come back I know what I shall do Ive got all those pennies left in the box and I shall buy a stick and a bundle and run away and go along the high road ever so far till I find you
I shall come too cried Wilfred Papa gave me sixpence
All three looked indeed almost equally childish and innocent Harold and Wilfred with their project of running away derived from a nursery storybook and May clutching the yellow sixpence as a talisman that was to carry her afar from all trouble and persecution
She did not of course mean to leave Aunt Pauline in any anxiety as to what had become of her but she wanted to get a good start After some deliberation she wrote a short note to her aunt and entrusted it to Harold His instructions were to keep it until luncheontime and then give it to his mother But in case he heard them asking for May in the house and wondering where she was he might deliver it sooner In any case he must not give it to Cécile or Smithson but place it in his mothers own hand This latter was a service which Harold felt to be a severe one but he undertook it with a feeling akin to that of a knight doing battle with giants and dragons on behalf of his liege lady Not that his mother would be harsh or cruel that was quite out of the question She would not even scold him much probably but she would look at him with that complaining air of disapproval as if he were an unmerited affliction and call him and his brother those dreadful little boys and send him away to the nursery all which things the child felt keenly in his heart although he was entirely unable to analyze them in his brain
May also wrote to Owen telling him of her departure and confessing that she had not written to Mr Bragg
What is the use of my remaining in London when we cannot meet she wrote We are as far apart really as when you were in Spain I am worn out dear Owen and feel that I need Grannys help Do not be angry with me for taking this step without consulting you You will know I am safe and wellcared for with Granny who is your friend instead of having to fight against the arguments of those who are hostile to you Then in a postscript she added Mrs Simpson came here yesterday She said she had seen you You did not send me any message by her Perhaps you did not know she meant to see me This note she put in her pocket to be posted at the station
It was now past twelve oclock for early hours were not kept in the DormerSmith household Mays nervous impatience to be gone was no longer to be resisted She took the children into the little back room where she had been accustomed to give them their lessons and on her own responsibility gave them a book full of coloured pictures which Cécile never entrusted to their mischievous little fingers without her personal supervision And this unusual indulgence delighted them and absorbed their attention Then she stole back to her own chamber and looked out of the window The rain was still falling at intervals in driving showers All the better There was the less chance of any one whom she knew in that neighbourhood being abroad to recognize her
She had told Smithson immediately after breakfast that she was going to her own room and did not wish to be disturbed until luncheontime She now put on her hat and gloves wrapped herself in the warm cloak and carrying a tiny umbrella which looked very unequal to offering much resistance to the wind and rain that were now sweeping along the street she crept downstairs and let herself out at the hall door
She had to walk some distance before reaching a cabstand and by the time she did so her feet were wet She had no boots fitted to keep out mud and damp Aunt Pauline considered thick boots superfluous in London In the country of course it was quite the right thing to tramp about in all weathers and proper chaussures must be provided for the purpose Although had it been a dogma laid down by the best people that one ought to march barefoot through the mire Aunt Pauline would have desired May to conform to that as well as to all other sacred ordinances of the social creed
May was driven to the railway station in due course by a cabman who on being asked what she had to pay contented himself with only twice his fare She found she was much too early for the express train But there was a slow train going within half an hour It would not reach Oldchester until after the express although starting before it but May decided to travel by it She was frightened at the idea of remaining in the big terminus where she might be seen and recognized by some passing acquaintance at any moment And the idea of being actually on the road to granny safely shut up in a railway carriage out of reach was tempting She took her ticket the purchase of which reduced her funds to the last shilling and was put into a carriage by herself—firstclass passengers by that train not being numerous
The girls head was throbbing and the damp chill to her feet made her shiver She leaned back in a corner of the carriage and closed her eyes The train trundled along its progress arrested by frequent stoppages The dim daylight faded At wayside stations the reflections from the lamps shone with a melancholy gleam in inky pools of rainwater May began to suffer from want of food She was not hungry but she felt the need although not the desire for some sustenance At one place where they stopped a quarter of an hour she thought of getting some tea but there was a crowd of men in front of a counter where beer and spirits were being sold but where she saw no tea and the steam from damp great coats mingled with tobaccosmoke and close air made her feel sick She tottered back to the carriage carrying with her a huge fossilized bun which she tried not very successfully to nibble at intervals and at length she fell into an uneasy doze
She was awakened by the opening of the carriagedoor and a voice saying Youll be all right here sir A dark lantern flashed in her eyes A hatbox and dressingbag were put into the carriage by an obsequious porter A gentleman entered and took his seat in the corner farthest away from her The door was slammed to and they moved on again
May put up her hand to her forehead in a dazed manner She felt confused and could not for the moment understand where she was Her head ached and throbbed painfully Then she recollected it all and wondered what oclock it was and whether they were drawing near Oldchester
Can you tell me what station that was she asked in a faint voice of her fellowtraveller
The gentleman turned his head sharply and peered at her where she sat in the darkness of her cornerseat He could not distinguish her face for before his entrance she had drawn the movable shade half across the lamp in the roof of the carriage Thinking he had not heard or had not understood her she repeated the question—
What is the name of that last station if you please
Upon which the gentleman instead of making any such reply as might have been expected exclaimed Lord bless my soul and leaving his place at the other extremity of the carriage he came and seated himself opposite to her It is Miss Cheffington he said in a tone of the utmost wonder And then May recognized Mr Bragg
My dear young lady how come you to be travelling alone—by this train Is anything the matter
His tone was so sincere and earnest his face and manner so gentle and fatherly that May at once felt she could trust him fully and fearlessly
I am so glad its you Mr Bragg and not a stranger she said putting her hand out to take his
Thank you said Mr Bragg simply Im glad it is me if I can be of any use to you Then he asked again Is anything the matter
N—no nothing very serious I have run away from Aunt Pauline——
Run away
And Im going to Granny You wont feel it your duty to give me up as a fugitive from justice will you she said trying to smile with very tremulous lips
Mrs DormerSmith has never been treating you bad or cruel said Mr Bragg wonderingly No no she couldnt
No truly she could not be consciously cruel to me or to any one but she has ideas which—she tried to persuade me——We dont understand one another thats the truth
Mr Bragg all at once remembered a certain private note despatched to his hotel in town by Mrs DormerSmith wherein she had assured him that May was an inexperienced child who didnt know her own mind and begged him not to take her too absolutely at her word He had never replied to that note having indeed nothing to say which it would be agreeable to his correspondent to hear But he recalled other instances in which ladies of the highest gentility had hunted him or rather not him—he had no illusions of vanity on that point—but his large fortune with a ruthless unscrupulosity which had amazed him and a gallant perseverance in the teeth of discouragement which almost extorted admiration And the question stole into his mind Could Mrs DormerSmith have been persecuting May on his account The idea was inexpressibly painful to him But anyway he was relieved and thankful to find that the girl did not shrink from him but was sweet and gracious as ever
Well to be sure he said in his slow pondering way tis a strange chance that we should meet just now isnt it For Ive just come from your family place you know
From where
From the home of your ancestors as Mr Theodore Bransby calls it You asked me the name of that station I got in at Well its Combe St Mildreds the station for Combe Park you know
Is it Then we cannot be far from Oldchester
Not very far in miles but this is an uncommon slow train—stops everywhere Stops just now at Wendhurst Junction the express runs through Im afraid youre very tired Miss Cheffington He could not see her at all distinctly but her voice betrayed great weariness he thought
Not very—yes rather It does not matter now we shall soon be there
Yes went on Mr Bragg Ive been attending the funeral
Oh yes Poor Lucius I had forgotten that it was for today said May with a selfreproachful feeling He was very kind to me although at first he seemed so dry and eccentric I think he liked me I know I liked him
Yes no doubt but what he liked you That cant be disputed And it does him honour in my opinion I suppose I ought to congratulate you Miss Cheffington—although congratulating may seem out of place with a crape band round your hat And yet I dont know
Congratulate me Do you mean because my father is the heir I think there is more sorrow in Lord Castlecombes heart than there can be satisfaction in any one elses answered May She was surprised at this manifestation of coarseness of feeling in Mr Bragg It was the first she had ever observed in him
Your father Lord bless me no Nothing to do with your father I was alluding to your cousins last will and testament I was present when it was read by Lord Castlecombes desire although having no particular claim that I know of Still when we came back from the old churchyard his lordship invited me into the library and the will was read out then by Wagget the lawyer poor Martin Bransbys successor
But what has all that to do with me asked May sitting upright and holding on by the elbows of the seat As she did so everything seemed to waver and swim before her eyes The cushions on which she sat seemed to be sinking down through the earth The long fast her broken sleep on the previous night the tears she had shed and all the emotions of this journey which to her was an adventure fraught with all kinds of anxieties were telling upon her But she made a desperate effort to listen—not to be ill not to give trouble The train was to stop shortly She would hold up her courage until then Had not the gloom caused by the lampshade baffled Mr Braggs observation he would have been startled by her countenance
As it was he merely answered Well because your cousin has left you all the little property he inherited from his mother It isnt a great fortune—a matter of four hundred and fifty or five hundred pound a year as well as I can make out But its all in sound investments—mostly Government securities—and its settled on you every penny of it
But May struggling against a sick sensation of faintness was scarcely able to grasp the meaning of what was said to her Her eyes grew dim she halfrose up from her seat made a vague movement with her hands such as one makes in falling and clutching at whatever is nearest and then sank down in a heap on the floor of the carriage like a wounded bird She was in a dead swoon and her young face looked piteously white and wan under the crude glare of the gas as the train moved slowly with much resounding clangour into the big station at Wendhurst Junction
CHAPTER XI
With that indescribably dreadful rushing whirling sensation in the brain which can never be forgotten by whoever has once experienced it May Cheffington recovered out of her swoon and her senses returned to her
She was lying on a cushioned seat in the ladies waitingroom at Wendhurst Junction Her dress had been loosened her own warm cloak had been spread over her as a coverlet a woollen shawl was thrown across her feet and an elderly woman was sprinkling water on her forehead She opened her eyes and then shut them again lazily The glare of the gas made her blink and the sense of rest was for the moment all she wanted
Shell do now said the elderly woman wiping Mays wet forehead with a handkerchief Then she went to the door of the room and half opening it said to some one outside Coming round beautiful sir shell be all right now
Whos there asked May in a little feeble drowsy voice
Your pa dear He has been in a taking about you But Im telling him youre as right as right can be So you are aint you Theres a pretty
Every second that passed was bringing more clearness to Mays mind more animation to her frame By the time the elderly woman had finished speaking May said—
Oh ask him to come in Ask him pray to come here and speak to me
This message being transmitted the door was opened and in walked Mr Bragg with a most disturbed and anxious countenance
May was lying with her head supported on a pillow formed of a great coat hastily rolled up which the attendant had covered with her own white apron The pretty soft brown hair dabbled here and there with water was hanging in disorder Her eyes looked very large and bright in her pale face Mr Bragg came and stood beside her and looked at her with a sort of tender pitying trepidation as an amiable giant might contemplate Ariel with a broken wing longing to help but fearing to hurt the delicate creature
May put out her hand and took hold of Mr Braggs as innocently as little Enid might have done Oh I am so sorry she said
Yes returned Mr Bragg in a subdued voice And Im so sorry too But you are feeling better now aint you
Oh but I mean I am sorry for you Sorry to frighten you and to give you so much trouble
Trouble Well I dont know about that This good lady here has been taking what trouble there was to take Not such a vast deal was it maam
The good lady who had begun to doubt the correctness of her assumption that these two were father and daughter smoothed the shawl over Mays feet and murmured that they were not to mention it
Mr Bragg pulled out his watch impatiently
What havent they found anybody yet he said I sent off a man in a fly ten minutes ago
The attendant observed apologetically that the first doctor theyd gone to might not have been at home and then theyd have to go on a goodish bit further
May started up on her elbow
Doctor she cried in dismay You havent sent for a doctor
Yes I have answered Mr Bragg dismayed in his turn by her evident distress I couldnt do less You might have been dying for anything I knew You dont know how bad you looked
But I dont want a doctor Im quite well I only want to go on I want to go on to Granny
And Mays head fell back on the pillow while a tear forced its way beneath the closed eyelids
You came by the slow down didnt you Ah well theres no passenger train going on that way before elevenfive tonight observed the elderly female
At this intelligence the tears poured down Mays cheeks and she turned away her head on the cushion
Dont cry Dont fret exclaimed Mr Bragg You shall be in Oldchester within an hour if the medical man says youre able to travel Ill speak to the stationmaster at once Only we must hear what the doctor says mustnt we I dursnt run a risk now durst I You see that yourself Youre what you might call laid on my conscience to take care of Good Lord will this fool of a fellow never come back I told him to drive as fast as he could pelt
May was crying now less from vexation than from exhaustion
Im not ill indeed she murmured trying to check her tears
But my dear young lady people dont faint dead away like that and look so white and ghastly without theres something the matter It wasnt the news I told you upset you like that surely
No of course not I think it was because I—I had had no dinner
Lord bless me cried Mr Bragg Why youre starving Thats what it is then
In his anxious solicitude for her Mr Bragg would have ordered everything eatable to be brought which the refreshmentroom afforded But he yielded to Mays entreaty that she might have a cup of tea and a piece of bread The attendant suggested a teaspoonful of brandy in the tea but at this May shook her head Mr Bragg however thought the suggestion a good one and producing a small flask from his travelling bag insisted on pouring a few drops of its contents into the cup of tea
Thats fine old Cognac he said like a cordial I wouldnt ask you to swallow the stuff they sell here but thisll do you nothing but good Dear me if Id only thought of giving you some of this before
He was quite selfreproachful and May had some difficulty in persuading him that no blame could possibly attach to him for not having administered a dose of brandy to her as soon as they met in the railway carriage
By this time the doctor sent for from Wendhurst had arrived A brief interview with his patient convinced him that she was perfectly well able to travel on as far as Oldchester
Rather delicate nervous organization you see said the doctor to Mr Bragg when he left May And there has been some mental distress family troubles she tells me and then the long fast and the journey quite sufficient to account—oh thanks thanks Shell be all right after a good nights rest I havent the least doubt And the doctor withdrew with a bow for Mr Bragg apologizing for having disturbed him and brought him so far through the rain had put a handsome fee into his hand
Mr Bragg had also mentioned in the hearing of the waitingroom attendant who was hovering inquisitively in the background that the young lady had been put under his charge and that he had just left the house of her greatuncle Lord Castlecombe He was aware that he himself was far too wellknown a man in those parts for the adventure not to be talked about And his experience of life had taught him that while it is as difficult to check gossip as to bring a runaway horse to a standstill yet that both may generally be turned to the right or left by a cool hand
His sagacity was amply justified For the waitingroom attendant for weeks afterwards would narrate to passing lady travellers how that sweet young lady Lord Castlecombes grandniece was so cut up by the death of her cousin that she fainted right away coming back from the funeral at Combe Park not having been able to touch food for more than twelve hours in consequence of her grief and how Mr Bragg the great Oldchester manufacturer who was taking charge of the young lady on her journey home was so kind and anxious and quite like a father to her and how they both repeatedly said Mrs Tupp if it hadnt been for your care and attention we dont know whatever we should have done
Soon after the doctor had departed Mr Bragg came back to May and informed her that arrangements had been made for their starting for Oldchester in threequarters of an hour if that would be agreeable to her And in reply to her wondering inquiry as to how that could have been managed he said quietly Oh Ive got a special train Im a director of this line and they know me here pretty well
May had always understood that a special train was an immensely costly matter But in her ignorance she was by no means sure that it might not be part of the privileges of a railway director to have special trains run for his service gratis whensoever he should require them Which probably was precisely what Mr Bragg desired her to suppose
He then called aside the attendant and held a short colloquy with her in the adjoining room the result of which was to put the worthy Mrs Tupp into a great fuss and flutter She dashed at a cupboard in the wall and plunged her hand into it drawing it out again with a battered old black bonnet dangling by one string as though she had been fishing at a venture and brought up that rather unexpectedly Further Mrs Tupp with many apologies took the checked shawl which had been laid over Mays feet and put it on her own shoulders and then assuring Mr Bragg in a speech which it took some time to deliver that she wouldnt be gone not ten minutes for her house was close by—better than half a mile before you really come into Wendhurst High Street going the shortest way from the station—she finally disappeared
Now Miss Cheffington said Mr Bragg I want you to do something to oblige me Will you
Most gladly if I can but Im afraid it will turn out to be something to oblige me answered May looking up at him timidly Dont you want some food I dare say you do
Why no Miss Cheffington I cant say I do I ate a most uncommon hearty luncheon I wonder why people always eat so much when theres a funeral going on Besides it isnt dinnertime yet you know
Isnt it I have no idea what oclock it is If you told me it was the middle of next week I dont think I should feel surprised and she smiled with one of her old bright looks
Thats right said Mr Bragg Youre picking up Well now I was going to say that I noticed in the refreshmentroom a cold roast fowl which didnt look at all nasty no really not at all nasty insisted Mr Bragg with the air of one who is aware that his statement may not unreasonably be received with incredulity And if youll let them bring it in here on a tray and try to eat a bit of it and drink another cup of tea—no I promise not to put any brandy in it—I shall esteem it a favour
Of course there was no refusing this But May said wistfully I was going to ask you—would you mind—I have something to say to you and if I dont say it soon that woman will be here She is coming back immediately
Why as to that Miss Cheffington I dont think she is From what I can make out shes the kind of person that never can realize to themselves that fifteen minutes one after the other end to end make up a quarter of an hour She lost a lot of time here talking and I saw her stop to tell the young woman at the bar over yonder what a hurry she was in No I make no doubt but what shell be back before we start but not just yet awhile
The roast chicken and some freshly made tea were brought in due course and Mr Bragg had the satisfaction of seeing May partake of both Then he professed his readiness to hear what she wished to say
Are you comfortable Light not too much for you There Now—provided you dont overtire yourself nor yet what you might call overtry yourself—Im listening
He sat down in a chair nearly opposite to the fire so that his profile was turned to May and looked thoughtfully into the hot coals folding his arms in an attitude of massive quietude which was characteristic of him
First of all you must let me thank you for all your kindness said May
No dont do that he answered without removing his gaze from the fire Then he repeated musingly No no dont do that Dont ye do that
Then ensued a pause It lasted so long that Mr Bragg glancing round at the girl said—
That wasnt all you had in your mind to say was it
No Mr Bragg
Perhaps youve changed your mind about speaking Well dont you worrit yourself You do just what you feel most agreeable to yourself you know
But I want to speak I was so anxious to tell you——This chance which I could never have expected or dreamt of gives me the opportunity and now—now I dont know how to begin
He was silent for a moment pondering Then he said Could I help you I wonder if it is about a certain conversation you and me had together a few days back
Yes—partly
Well now you remember that on that occasion I said to you that I hoped we might be friends you and me—real true friends You remember dont you
Gratefully
Well I meant what I said If you have been—— He was about to say persecuted but changed the word If you have been any way bothered in consequence of that conversation Im truly sorry for it But dont let it make any difference as between you and me Your aunt Mrs DormerSmith shes a most wellmeaning lady and has beautiful manners But shes liable to make mistakes like the rest of us And dont you fret you know Youre going to your grandmother Mrs Dobbs you tell me And shes a woman of wonderful good sense Shell understand some things better than what your aunt can Itll be all right Dont you worrit yourself
He spoke in a gentle soothing tone such as one might use to a child and kept nodding his head slowly as he spoke still with his eyes fixed on the fire
It isnt that I mean—I wanted to tell you something
He turned his head now quickly and looked at her Her eyes were cast down and she was plucking nervously at the fur lining of the cloak which lay on the seat beside her
Is it something about that confidence that you made me and that I look upon as an honour and always shall Well now if youre going to speak about that I shall take it as a sign that you really mean to be friends with me and trust me And theres nothing in the world would make me so proud as that you should trust me full and free
Then she told him all the story of her engagement to Owen How it had been kept secret for three months by her grandmothers express stipulation How when Owen returned to England they had revealed it to Mrs DormerSmith how that lady had disapproved and forbidden Owen the house and had written to Captain Cheffington requesting him to interpose his parental authority how finally May had felt so miserable and lonely that she had made up her mind to leave her aunts house and take refuge with her grandmother
Mr Bragg sat like a rock while she told her story hesitatingly and shyly at first but gathering courage as she went on When she first mentioned Owens name his brows contracted for a moment in a way which might mean anger or perplexity or simply surprise But he remained otherwise quite unmoved to all appearance and perfectly silent
When May had finished her little story she said timidly as she had said to him on that memorable day in her aunts house You are not angry Mr Bragg
He answered nearly as he had answered then but without looking at her and keeping his gaze on the fire Angry my child No how could I be angry with you You have never deceived me You have been true and honest from first to last
But I mean you are not—you are not angry with Owen
The answer did not come quite so promptly this time but after a few seconds he said I dont know that Ive the least right to be angry with Mr Rivers Only I should have liked it better if he had told me how things were plain and straightforward when we were talking about—something else He brought his speech to an abrupt conclusion
Upon this May assured him that Owen had never desired secrecy The engagement had been kept secret in deference to Granny And as soon as her aunt knew it Owen had urged her May to tell Mr Bragg also feeling himself in a false position until the truth was revealed
I ought to have written to you yesterday she said guiltily Its my fault indeed it is
Mr Bragg got up from his chair and muttering something about getting a little air walked out on to the long platform
There was certainly no lack of air outside there A damp raw wind was driving through the station making the lamps blink Mr Bragg had no great coat that garment having been rolled up to serve as Mays pillow But he marched up and down the long platform with his hands behind his back at a steady and by no means rapid pace apparently insensible to the cold
Owen Rivers So the man May was engaged to was his secretary Mr Rivers That was very surprising Mr Rivers was not at all the sort of man he should have expected that exquisite young creature to care about But Mr Bragg would have been puzzled to describe the sort of man he would have expected her to care about He had never seen any man he thought worthy of her and it might safely be predicted that he never would seeing that Mr Bragg was in love with May and would certainly never be in love with Mays husband let him be the finest fellow in the world
One suspicion he at once dismissed from his mind—that Owen had ever been in the least danger from Mrs Bransbys fascinations No when a man was betrothed to a girl like May Cheffington he was safe enough from anything of that kind argued Mr Bragg Indeed his visit to the widows house had given him a favourable impression of all its inmates It was impossible he thought to be in Mrs Bransbys presence without perceiving her to be worthy of respect Searching his memory he discovered that the first hint of her having any designs on young Rivers had come from Theodore Bransby and now the motive of the hint began to dawn upon him Theodore as he had long ago perceived hated Rivers Mr Bragg now understood why He paced up and down the draughty platform solitary and meditative for full ten minutes It was a dead time and the whole station seemed nearly deserted
Then he returned to the waitingroom of which May was still the sole occupant He stirred the fire into a blaze and then sat down opposite to it as before May looked at him nervously and anxiously She did not venture to speak first
Ill tell you one thing Miss Cheffington said Mr Bragg all at once What you told me has been a relief to my mind in one way
She looked up inquiringly
Yes it has been a relief to my mind and Im bound to acknowledge it I was afraid at one time—indeed Id almost made up my mind though terribly against the grain—that you was engaged to some one else
Some one else exclaimed May opening great eyes of wonder and speaking in a tone which conveyed her naïf persuasion that in that sense there did not exist any one else Why whom can you mean
Mr Bragg reflected an instant Then he said Ill tell you Yes Ill tell you for hes tried to thrust it in peoples faces as far as he dared Mr Theodore Bransby
May fell back on her seat with a gesture of mute astonishment
Ah yes youre wondering how I could be such a blockhead as to think that possible But if it had been true youd ha wondered how I could be such a blockhead as to think anything else possible said Mr Bragg It was the sole touch of bitterness which escaped him throughout the interview After a brief pause he went on Not you understand that I mean to deny Mr Rivers is far superior to young Bransby—out of all comparison superior to him I may perhaps consider Mr Rivers fortnate beyond his merits Thats a question we wont enter into because you and me cant help but look at it from different points of view But I must bear testimony that hes always behaved like a real gentleman in his duties with me and so far as I know hes thoroughly upright and honourable
May considered this to be but faint praise But she graciously made allowances Granny however knew better When Mr Braggs words were repeated to Granny she exclaimed Well done Joshua Bragg That was spoken like a generousminded man
By this time the engine which was to draw them to Oldchester was in readiness Mr Bragg inquired impatiently for the good lady of the waitingroom And then May learned that that person was to accompany them on the journey lest Miss Cheffington should need any attendance on the way
And indeed said Mrs Tupp afterwards if the young lady had been a princess royal there couldnt have been more fuss made over her Sloon carriage and everything Of course it was an effort for me to go along with em at such short notice and so entirely unexpected But as they said to me Mrs Tupp they said had it not have been for your kindness and attention we dont know what we should have done And the gentleman certainly made it worth my while As he certainly did
At the present moment however Mrs Tupp was by no means in a complacent frame of mind She was seen hurriedly approaching from the extremity of the station very breathless and exhausted attired in her Sunday bonnet and shawl to match confronting Mr Bragg who stood sternly watch in hand at the door of the carriage
I told you so Miss Cheffington said he to May who was already made luxuriously comfortable within the carriage Now maam No dont trouble yourself to explain please Because in exactly two seconds and a half were off Would you be so kind This to a guard who stood looking on beside the stationmaster In a moment they had taken Mrs Tupp between them and assisted from behind by a youthful porter managed to hoist her into the carriage by main force Mr Bragg took his place opposite to May The whistle sounded and they glided from beneath the roof of the station and at an increasing speed across the dark country through the streaming rain
CHAPTER XII
And you got jealous You actually were jealous of Owen and that poor dear pretty Mrs Bransby
Yes Granny
And you were such a goose—I wont use a stronger word though I could—as to pay any attention to what that idiot of an aunt of yours—Lord forgive me—chose to say in her anger and disappointment
Yes Granny
And you let the jabber of poor Amelia Simpson—as kind a soul as ever breathed but as profitable to listen to as the chirping of sparrows on the housetop—prey upon your mind and bias your common sense
Yes Granny
Why then Im ashamed of you May Downright ashamed—there now
Oh thank you Granny
And May seized her grandmothers hands one after the other as the old woman drew them away impatiently and kissed them in a kind of rapture
This little scene with but slight variations had been enacted several times since Mays arrival on the previous evening at Jessamine Cottage May had ceased to make any excuses for herself or to endeavour to describe and account for her state of mind She was only too thankful to have her doubts treated with supreme disdain To be scolded and chidden and told that she did not deserve such a true lover as Owen was such happiness as she could not be grateful enough for
Jealous of Owen because a parcel of mischievous magpies had nothing better to do than to dig their foolish bills into a poor widows reputation Why I think you must have had softening of the brain Mrs Dobbs would say Whereupon May would kneel down and bury her face in her grandmothers lap and laugh and cry and murmur in a smothered voice—
Bless you Granny darling
Not but what Mrs Dobbs admitted afterwards in a private confabulation with Jo Weatherhead not but what I do think its pretty well enough to soften any ones brain to undergo a long course of Mrs DormerSmith I thought I knew pretty well what she was and I told you so long ago Jo Weatherhead as you must well remember But mercy I hadnt an idea Her goings on from what the child tells me and that fool of a letter shes written to me display a wrongheadedness and an aggravating kind of imbecility that beats everything
Mr Weatherhead for his part was inclined to be seriously wrathful with everybody who had contributed to make May unhappy—not excluding Mr Owen Rivers who said Jo might have had more gumption than to rush to Mrs Bransbys the moment he returned to England and make such a fuss about her just as though she and not May were the object of his solicitude and affection
And I think Sarah said honest Jo that youre too hard on Miranda Its all very fine but it seems to me that she had enough and more than enough to make her uneasy What with disagreeable things being dinned into her ears from morning to night and facts that couldnt be denied interpreted all wrong and no friend near to interpret em right and her own modesty and humblemindedness making her suspect that the young man had offered to her before he was sure of his own mind and had begun to repent—take it altogether I consider its unkind and unfair to bully her as you do Sarah and so I tell you
You do do you answered Mrs Dobbs who had listened with much composure to this attack Well Im not likely to quarrel with you for that But you neednt worry yourself about May I think I understand the case pretty well If you doubt it just try sympathizing with her and telling her you think Mr Rivers behaved bad and thoughtless Youll see how pleased shell be with you and what a lot of gratitude youll get for taking her part Try it Jo
Mr Weatherhead on reflection did not try it
The unexpected legacy from Lucius Cheffington to his cousin was hailed by Mrs Dobbs with heartfelt thankfulness Mays account of it at first was a very vague one She had only imperfectly heard Mr Braggs communication in the railway carriage And indeed at that moment it had seemed to her an affair of very secondary importance But now when it occurred to her that this money would render them so independent as to put it out of the question for Owen to have to seek his fortune in South America or any other distant part of the world she was as elated by it as the best regulated mind could desire
And it isnt so very much money after all is it Granny she said with an air of satisfaction which Mrs Dobbs did not quite understand
Well she answered it seems a pretty good deal of money to me Between four and five hundred a year as I understand
Yes but it isnt a fortune Mr Bragg said it wasnt a fortune I mean—it is very little more than Owen has with what he earns Granny
Oh exclaimed Mrs Dobbs a light beginning to dawn upon her I see Well you cant have the proud satisfaction of marrying him without a penny belonging to you But perhaps he might take a situation for five years on the Guinea Coast so as to bring his income up above yours
Oh Granny
Why not It would be quite as natural and sensible as his wanting to marry poor Mrs Bransby and her five children Things are getting too comfortable to be let alone The least he can do is to undergo a course of yellow fever and——
Granny how can you And the young arms were round Granny and the blushing face hidden in Grannys breast
Was I ever so foolish about Dobbs I wonder murmured Mrs Dobbs as she stroked the girls hair He was a goodlooking young fellow was Isaac in our courting days and a temper like a sunshiny morning and we were over head and ears in love I know that and—yes I believe I was every bit as softhearted and silly the Lord be praised
Mr Bragg called at Jessamine Cottage about noon the day after Mays return He asked to see Mrs Dobbs and remained talking with her alone for some time He had made up his mind he told her to give Mr Rivers a permanent post in his employment if he chose to accept it He thought of offering him the management of the Oldchester office if after a three months trial he found it suited him and he suited it There was no technical knowledge of the manufacture needed for this post merely a clear head honesty the power of keeping accounts and of conducting a large business correspondence
I think he can do it said Mr Bragg and if he can he may Then he informed Mrs Dobbs that he had telegraphed to Mr Rivers to come down to Oldchester He would there find at the office in Friars Row a letter with all details As for me said Mr Bragg I shall cross him on the road I am going to town by the threethirty express You neednt mention what Ive told you to Miss C I thought perhaps shed like better to hear it—as an agreeable bit of news I hope—from him
What more may have passed between them Granny never reported He went away without seeing May merely leaving a message His kind regards and he hoped she was feeling well and rested
Oh I wish I had seen him exclaimed May when this message was faithfully delivered by Granny I wanted so much to thank him again Its too bad I wonder why he went away without seeing me
Do you said Granny shortly Well perhaps he thought hed had bother enough with you for one while Hes got other things to do besides dancing attendance on young ladies who wander about the world fainting from want of food and requiring special trains and all manner of dainties Privately she observed to Mr Weatherhead that innocence was mighty cruel sometimes as could be exemplified any day by trusting a young child with a kitten
Hm Mr Bragg isnt exactly a kitten Sarah returned Jo
True a kitten will scratch Hes a man and a good un and Ill tell you what Jo if Joshua Bragg wanted his shoes blacked Id go down on my old knees to do it for him
Mays legacy was a great piece of news for Mr Weatherhead He was not only delighted at it for her sake but he enjoyed the importance of disseminating it Jo went about the city from the house of one acquaintance to another He also looked in at the Black Bull where he ordered a glass of brandyandwater in honour of Mays good fortune The item of news he brought was a welcome contribution to the general fund of gossip The subjects of Mr Lucius Cheffingtons funeral and how the old lord had taken the death and whether Captain Cheffington would come back to England now that he was the heir and make it up with his uncle were by this time beginning to be worn a little threadbare or at all events had lost their first gloss
In this way it speedily became known to those interested in the matter that May Cheffington had arrived at her grandmothers house Among others the intelligence reached Theodore Bransby Theodore had been frequently in Oldchester of late on business of various kinds chiefly connected with the approaching election He had never relinquished the hope of winning May and he believed that the death of Lucius was a circumstance favourable to his hopes He did not doubt that the new turn of affairs would bring Captain Cheffington to England forthwith and he as little doubted that many doors—including Mr DormerSmiths—would be opened widely to Captain Cheffington now which had been closed to him for years Moreover Theodore was convinced that one immediate result of her fathers presence would be to separate May altogether from Mrs Dobbs and the unfitting associates who haunted her house and claimed acquaintanceship with Miss Cheffington May he knew had a weak affection for the vulgar old woman But her fathers authority would be strong enough to sever her from Mrs Dobbs and for the rest Captain Cheffington was his friend whereas he was instinctively aware that Mrs Dobbs was not Latterly too ever since his fathers death Mays manner to him had been very gentle
He was meditating these things as he walked up the garden path to Jessamine Cottage May caught sight of him from the window and sprang up in consternation crying to Granny to tell Martha he was not to be admitted Mrs Dobbs however told May to run upstairs out of the way and determined to receive the visitor herself
Im so afraid he will persist in asking for me He is wonderfully obstinate Granny said May ready to fly upstairs at the first sound of the expected knock at the door
Ah rejoined Mrs Dobbs setting her mouth rather grimly so am I Show the gentleman into the parlour Martha
Theodore was ushered into the little room and found Mrs Dobbs seated in state in her big chair The place was far smaller and poorer than the house in Friars Row but in Theodores eyes it was preferable There was the possibility of some pretentions to gentility on the part of a dweller in Jessamine Cottage whereas Friars Row though it might perhaps be comfortable was hopelessly ungenteel
Theodore when he entered the room made a low bow which unlike his salutation on a former occasion was distinctly a bow and not a nondescript gesture halfway between a bow and a nod He had learned by experience that it did not answer to treat Mrs Dobbs de haut en bas He also made a movement as if to shake hands but this Mrs Dobbs ignored and asked him to sit down in a coldly civil voice
She had been knitting when he came in but laid the needles and worsted aside on his entrance and sat looking at him with her hands folded in her lap
Theodore could scarcely tell why but this action seemed to prelude nothing pleasant There was an air of being armed at all points about the old woman as she sat there looking at him with a steady attention unshared by her knitting But possibly the work had been laid aside out of politeness In any case Theodore told himself that he was not likely to be disconcerted by such a trifle
How do you do Mrs Dobbs he asked when he was seated
Very well Im much obliged to you
Here ensued a pause
It is some time since we met Mrs Dobbs
Its over a twelvemonth since you called at my house in Friars Row Mr Theodore Bransby
Another pause
There has been trouble in the Cheffington family since then said Theodore at length Ah how strange and unexpected was the death of the eldest son Lucius of course was always delicate Still he might have lived His death has been a sad blow to Lord Castlecombe
Theodore considered himself to be condescending and conciliatory in thus assuming that Mrs Dobbs took some part in the affliction of the noble family In his heart he resented her having the most distant connection with them But he intended to be polite
There has been trouble in other families besides the Cheffingtons returned Mrs Dobbs gravely with her eyes on the young mans mourning garments
Oh Yes Of course But no trouble with which you can be expected to concern yourself he answered He was annoyed and preserved his smooth manner only by an effort
And anyway continued Mrs Dobbs Lord Castlecombes sons have left no fatherless children nor widows nor any one to be desolate and oppressed—like your poor father did
Theodore raised his eyebrows in his favourite supercilious fashion Your figurative language is a little stronger than the case requires he said
Widowhood is a desolate thing and poverty oppressive Theres no figure in that Im sorry to say
Oh really I was not aware said Theodore nettled in spite of himself into showing some hauteur that Mrs Bransby and her family had excited so much interest in you
No I dare say not I believe you were not I think it very likely youd be surprised if you knew how many folks in Oldchester and out of it are interested in them
The young man sat silent casting about for something to say which should put down this old woman without absolutely quarrelling with her He was glad to remember that he had always disliked her But he had come there with a purpose and he did not intend to be turned aside from it Seeing that he did not speak Mrs Dobbs said Might I ask if you did me the favour to call merely to condole upon the death of my late daughters husbands cousin
This was an opening for what he wanted to say and he availed himself of it He replied stiffly that the principal object of his visit had been to see Miss Cheffington who he was told had returned to Oldchester and that in one sense his visit might be held to be congratulatory inasmuch as Miss Cheffington inherited something worth having under her cousins will He did not fear being suspected of any interested motive here Besides that he was rich enough to make the money a matter of secondary importance his conscience was absolutely clear on this score He had desired and offered to marry May when she was penniless he still desired it but truly none the more for her inheritance
Oh So youve heard of the legacy have you said Mrs Dobbs
Heard of it My good lady I was present at the reading of the will There were very few persons at the funeral it was poor Luciuss wish that it should be private but I thought it my duty to attend There are peculiar relations between the family and myself which made me desirous of paying that compliment to his memory I think there was no other stranger present except Mr Bragg You have heard of him Of course All Oldchester persons are acquainted with the name of Bragg After the ceremony Lord Castlecombe invited us into the library and the will was read I understood that the deceased had wished its contents to be made known as soon as possible
This narration of his distinguished treatment at Combe Park was soothing to the young mans selfesteem He ended his speech with patronizing suavity But Mrs Dobbs remained silent and irresponsive
I wish said Theodore after vainly awaiting a word from her to see Miss Cheffington if you please
Mrs Dobbs slowly shook her head He repeated the request in a louder and more peremptory tone
Oh I heard you quite well before she said composedly but Im sorry to say your wish cant be complied with
Miss Cheffington is in this house is she not
Yes she is at home but you cant see her
Theodore grew a shade paler than usual and answered sharply But I insist upon seeing her He threw aside the mask of civility It evidently was wasted here
Insist is an unmannerly word to use and a ridiculous one under the circumstances—which perhaps youll mind more You cant see my granddaughter
He glared at her in a white rage Theodores anger was never of the blazing explosive sort If fire typifies that passion in most persons in him it resembled frost His metal turned cold in wrath but it would skin the fingers which incautiously touched it A fit of serious anger was apt also to make him feel ill and tremulous
May I ask why I cannot see her he said almost setting his teeth as he spoke
Because she wishes to avoid you She fled away when she saw you coming answered Mrs Dobbs with pitiless frankness
He drew two or three long breaths like a person who has been running hard before saying That is very strange It is only a few days ago that Miss Cheffington was sitting beside me at dinner talking to me in the sweetest and most gracious manner
As to sitting beside you I suppose she had to sit where she was put And as to sweetness—no doubt she was civil But at any rate she declines to see you now She has said so as plain as plain English can express it
Your statement is incredible Suppose I say I dont believe it What guarantee have I that you are telling me the truth
None at all she answered quietly
He stared blankly for a moment Then he said Mrs Dobbs for some reason or no reason you hate me That is a matter of perfect indifference to me His white lips twitching nostrils and icily gleaming eyes told a different tale But I am not accustomed to be treated with impertinence by persons of your class
Only by your betters interpolated Mrs Dobbs
And moreover I shall take immediate steps to inform Captain Cheffington of your behaviour He will scarcely approve his daughters remaining with a person who—who——
Says shed rather not see Mr Theodore Bransby
Who insults his friends With regard to Miss Cheffington I have no doubt you will endeavour to poison her mind against me But you may possibly find yourself baffled I have made proposals to Miss Cheffington—no doubt you are acquainted with the fact—which although not immediately accepted were not definitively rejected at least not by the young lady herself And I shall take an answer from no one else Miss Cheffingtons demeanour to me of late has been distinctly encouraging If it be now changed I shall know quite well to whose low cunning and insolent interference to attribute it But you may find yourself mistaken in your reckoning Mrs Dobbs Captain Cheffington is my friend and Captain Cheffington will hardly be disposed to leave his daughter in such hands when I tell him all
He was speaking in a laboured way and his lips and hands were tremulous
Mrs Dobbs looked at him gravely but with no trace of anger Look here she said when he paused apparently from want of breath—you may as well know it first as last—May is engaged to be married has been engaged more than three months
Theodore gave a kind of gasp and turned of so ghastly a pallor that Mrs Dobbs without another word went to a closet in the room unlocked it took out a decanter with some sherry in it poured out a brimming glassful of the wine and placing one hand behind the young mans head put the glass to his lips with the other He made a feeble movement to reject it
Off with it she said in the voice of a nurse talking to a refractory child
He swallowed the sherry without further resistance and a tinge of colour began to return to his face
You havent got too much strength observed Mrs Dobbs as she stood and watched him Your mother was delicate and I suppose you take after her
She had no intention no consciousness of doing so but in speaking thus she touched a sensitive chord Any allusion to his mothers feeble constitution made him nervous He closed his eyes and murmured that he feared he had caught a chill at the funeral that the sensation of shivering pointed to that
Mrs Dobbs stood looking down on him as he sat with his head thrown back in the chair
And so my lad you think I hate you she said Why I should be sorry to be obliged to hate your fathers son or for that matter your mothers son either She was a good quiet peaceable sort of young woman I remember her well and your grandfather old Rabbitt that kept the Castlecombe Arms when I was young No I dont hate you Not a bit But Ill tell you what I do hate I hate to see young creatures that ought by rights to be generous and trusting and affectionate and maybe a little bit foolish—theres a kind of foolishness thats better than overwisdom in the young—I hate to see em setting themselves up valuing themselves on their cuteness ashamed of them that have gone before em I hate to see em hardhearted to the helpless Young things may be cruel from thoughtlessness but to be cruel out of meanness—well Ill own I do hate that But as for you it comes into my head that perhaps Ive been a bit too hard on you
Mrs Dobbs here laid her broad hand on his shoulder He would fain have shaken it off But although the wine had greatly restored him he thought it prudent to remain quiet and recover himself completely before going away
You are but a lad to me continued Mrs Dobbs And perhaps Ive been hard on you Theres a deal of excuse to be made You love my granddaughter after your fashion—and nobody can love better than his best—and its bitter not to be loved again Youll get over it Folks with redder blood in their veins than you have got over it before today But I know you cant think so now and its bitter But if youll take an old womans advice—an old woman that knew your mother and grandmother and is old enough to be your grandmother herself—youll just make up your mind to bear a certain amount of pain without flinching—like as if youd got a bullet in battle or broke your collarbone out hunting—and turn your thoughts to helping other folks in their trouble Theres no cure for the heartache like that take my word for it Come now you just face it like a man and try my recipe Youve got good means and good abilities Do some good with em Some young fellows when theyre out of spirits take to climbing up mountains slaughtering wild beasts or getting into scrimmages with savages—by the way I did hear that you were going into Parliament—but theres your stepmother now with her five children your young brothers and sisters on her hands Just you go in for making her life easier Theres a good work ready and waiting for you
Theodore moved his shoulder brusquely and Mrs Dobbs immediately withdrew her hand He stood up and said stiffly I must offer you my acknowledgments for the wine you administered
Mrs Dobbs merely waved her hand as though putting that aside and continued to look at him with a grave expression which was not without a certain broad motherly compassion
I presume the name of the man to whom Miss Cheffington has engaged herself is not a secret
It is Mrs Hadlows nephew Mr Owen Rivers answered Mrs Dobbs simply
He had felt as sure of what she was going to say as though he had seen the words printed before him nevertheless the sound of the name seemed to pierce him like a swordblade He drew himself up with a strong effort to be cutting and contemptuous But as he went on speaking he lost his selfcommand and prudence
Miss Cheffington is to be congratulated indeed Captain Cheffington will no doubt be delighted at the alliance you have contrived for his daughter Mr Owen Rivers A clerk in Mr Braggs countinghouse—which however is probably the most respectable occupation he has ever followed Mr Owen Rivers whose name is scandalously connected throughout Oldchester with that of the person you were so kind as to recommend to my good offices just now A person whose conduct disgraces my family and dishonours my fathers memory Mr Owen Rivers who——
Hush Hold your tongue cried Mrs Dobbs fairly clapping one hand over his mouth and pointing with the other to the window
There at the bottom of the garden was Owen hurriedly alighting from a cab and May who had witnessed his arrival from an upper window presently came flying down the pathway into his arms
Theodore had but a lightningswift glimpse of this little scene for Mrs Dobbs saying Come along here resolutely pulled him by the arm into a back room and so to a door opening on to a lane behind the house He was astonished at this summary proceeding but he affected somewhat more bewilderment than he really felt so as to cover his retreat And he muttered something about having to deal with a mad woman
Now go said Mrs Dobbs opening the door I can forgive a deal to love and jealousy and disappointment but that cowardly lie is not to be forgiven To think that you—you—should be Martin Bransbys son Why its enough to make your father turn in his grave
And with that she thrust him out and shut the door upon him
CHAPTER XIII
Mrs DormerSmiths affectionate letter to her brother produced a result which she had not at all anticipated when she wrote it He arrived in England by the next steamboat from Ostend and took up his quarters in her house He had come ostensibly for the purpose of visiting Combe Park and patching up a reconciliation with his uncle This indeed was a pet scheme with Pauline She had hinted at it in writing to her brother Now that George and poor dear Lucius were gone Lord Castlecombe might not dislike to be on good terms with his heir He was old and lonely and as Paulines correspondents had assured her greatly broken down by the death of his sons
Frederick scarcely knew which to regret the most—his nieces departure or his brotherinlaws arrival He missed May very much but very shortly he began to be reconciled to her engagement Rivers was a gentleman and an honest fellow and might be trusted to take care of Mays money which Mr DormerSmith thought would be otherwise in imminent jeopardy from the arrival on the scene of Mays papa
That gentleman indeed who had at first taken the news of his daughters engagement with supreme indifference showed some lively symptoms of disapprobation on learning the fact of Luciuss bequest A daughter dependent on the bounty of Mrs Dobbs for food shelter and raiment was an uninteresting person enough but a daughter who possessed between four and five hundred ayear of her own ought not to be allowed to marry without her fathers consent Frederick dryly remarked that Mays capital was stringently tied up in the hands of trustees whether she were married or single Whereupon Augustus indulged in very strong language respecting his dead cousin and declared that the terms of the will were a pointed and intentional insult to him who was his childs natural guardian
Still although the capital was secure Frederick knew that the income was not And the more he observed his brotherinlaw the more he felt how desirable it was that May should have a husband to take care of her
Captain Cheffington had not improved during his years of exile He smoked all day long and even at night in his bed incensing Mays chamber which he occupied with clouds of tobaccosmoke He had contracted other unpleasant habits and his temper was diabolical He had not brought his wife to England with him He would sit for hours with his slippered feet on the fender in his sisters dressingroom railing at the absent Mrs Augustus Cheffington in a way which was most grievous to Pauline for he showed not the least reticence in the presence of Smithson Talk of floating—how would it be possible to float a woman of whom her own husband spoke in that way
He had no very grave charges to bring against La Bianca after all She had been faithful to him and stuck to him and worked for him But he bewailed his fate in having tied himself to a thirdrate Italian operasinger without an idea in her head beyond painting her face and squalling It was just his cursed luck Why couldnt Lucius die since he meant to die six months earlier
At another time he would openly rejoice in the death of his cousins and express a fervent hope that the old boy wasnt going to last much longer Pauline would remonstrate and put her handkerchief to her eyes and beg her brother not to speak so heartlessly of his own family especially of poor dear Lucius But Augustus poohpoohd this as confounded humbug He was uncommonly glad to be the heir of Combe Park and thought it about time that his family and his country and the human race generally made him some amends for the years he had passed under a cloud He would show them how to enjoy life when he came into possession of his property as he had taken to call Lord Castlecombes estate He planned out several changes in the disposal of the land and decided what rent he would take for the house and homepark For he did not intend to live in this d——d foggy little island where one had bronchitis if one hadnt got rheumatism and rheumatism if one hadnt got bronchitis In one respect his visions coincided with his sisters since he talked of having a villa on the Mediterranean coast not far from Monte Carlo but they differed from hers in several important points notably in providing no place for her in the villa
Frederick would sometimes throw a shade over these rosy dreams by observing doggedly that for his part he doubted the likelihood of Lord Castlecombes speedy decease and that looking at them both he was inclined to consider Uncle Georges life the better of the two so that on the whole domestic life in Mr DormerSmiths smart house at Kensington was by no means harmonious Meanwhile Pauline with considerable pains and earnest meditation composed a letter to her uncle on behalf of Augustus she did not venture to entrust the task to Augustus himself It would be impossible to persuade him to be as smooth and conciliatory as the case demanded But she wrote a letter which she thought combined diplomacy with pathos and from which she hoped for some satisfactory result But the reply she received by return of post was of such a nature that she hastily thrust it into the fire lest Augustus should see it and told him and her husband that poor dear Uncle George was not yet equal to the effort of seeing Augustus after the great shock he had suffered Uncle George had in fact stated in the plainest terms that if Captain Cheffington ventured to show himself in Combe Park the servants had orders to turn him out forcibly
The object for which Captain Cheffington had come to England at that time being thus baulked it would have appeared natural that he should return to his wife in Brussels But day followed day until nearly three weeks had elapsed since Lucius Cheffingtons death and still Augustus remained at Kensington Every morning with a dreadful regularity Mr DormerSmith inquired of his wife if she knew whether her brother were going away in the course of that day and every morning the shower of tears with which Mrs DormerSmith received the inquiry and which generally formed her only answer to it became more copious Augustus on the whole was the least uncomfortable of the trio He had contrived to raise a little ready money on his expectations he was well lodged and well fed the change to London now that he had a few pounds in his pocket was not unwelcome after Brussels and as to his brotherinlaws undisguised dislike to his presence he had grown far too callous to heed it so long as it suited him to ignore it Not but that he took note of it in his mind keenly enough and promised himself the pleasure of paying off Frederick with interest as soon as he should come into his property
All this time a humble household in Oldchester was a great deal happier than the wintry days were long The news of Captain Cheffingtons arrival in England had at first disturbed May Perhaps he might insist on seeing her and she shrank from seeing him But she thought it her duty to write to him and inform him herself of her engagement and neither Owen nor her grandmother opposed her doing so
If May had any lingering illusion about her father or any hope that he would manifest some gleam of parental tenderness towards her the illusion and the hope were shortlived The reply to her communications was a hurried scrawl haughtily regretting that Mr Owen Rivers had not thought proper to wait upon him and ask his consent to the marriage which he totally disapproved of And adding that although Rivers of Riversmead was undoubtedly good blood it appeared that the traditions of gentlemanlike behaviour had been lost by the present bearer of the name since he entered the service of a tradesman The letter ended with a peremptory demand for fifty pounds
May and Owen had planned that granny was to return to Friars Row on their marriage Mr Bragg was willing to break the lease which he held and to remove his office to another house hard by And Mrs Dobbs with all her goods and chattels was to be reinstated in her old home As this scheme was to be kept secret from Granny for the present it involved a vast deal of delightful mystery and plotting Jo Weatherhead was admitted to the conspiracy and enjoyed it with the keenest relish
A word or two had been said as to Mrs Dobbs taking up her abode with the young couple when they should be married But this Granny instantly and inflexibly refused
No no children Im not quite so foolish as that Its very well for Owen to take May for better for worse But it would be a little too much to take May and her grandmother for better for worse
Of course it was not long before Owen took his betrothed to see Canon and Mrs Hadlow They walked together to the old house in College Quad where however their news had preceded them The Hadlows were very cordial Both of them were very fond of May and Aunt Jane loudly hoped that Owen appreciated his good fortune and declared it was far above his deserts though in her heart she thought no girl in England too good for her favourite nephew The lovers were affectionately bidden to come again as often as they could and brighten up the old place with the sight of their happy young faces
They agreed as they walked home together that the home in College Quad seemed a little gloomy and lonely without Conny Conny was still away She had only been at home on a flying visit of a few days during several months past She was now staying with a Lady Belcraft who had a handsome house at Combe St Mildreds Mrs Hadlow had told them so and a word or two uttered in the same breath about Theodore Bransby being often in that neighbourhood suggested a suspicion that Theodore might be thinking of returning to his old love This idea annoyed Owen extremely The hint which suggested it had been dropped almost in the moment of saying goodbye to Mrs Hadlow or he would have attempted at once to sound her on the subject
He had interrogated his aunt privately—while May was being petted and made much of by the kind old canon—as to a rumour which was rife in Oldchester—namely that Constance had been betrothed to Lucius Cheffington But Aunt Jane positively denied this She admitted that the gossip bad reached her own ears and that she had spoken to her daughter about it
But Conny entirely disabused me of any such notion She said that in the first place nothing was farther from Luciuss thoughts than lovemaking and that in the second place it would have been a most imprudent marriage for her since she could only expect to be speedily left a widow with a very slender jointure Conny was never romantic you know said Aunt Jane with a quick halfhumorous glance at her nephew
Owen began to consider with himself whether it might not be his duty to acquaint Canon Hadlow with many parts of Theodores conduct which were certainly unknown to him All inquiries conducted either by himself or by Jo Weatherhead—who ferreted out information with untiring zeal and delight in the task—showed more and more plainly that the calumnies concerning Mrs Bransby could be traced for the most part to her stepson and in no single instance beyond him May had long ago acquitted Constance Hadlow of speaking or writing evil things of the widow Constance had not in fact expended any attention whatever on the Bransby family since their departure from Oldchester
She was spending her time very agreeably Her hostess Lady Belcraft was a widow She was a great crony of Mrs Griffins and delighted with Mrs Griffins protégée Having so to speak retired from business on her own account her two daughters being married and settled long ago Lady Belcraft was still most willing to renew the toils of the chase on behalf of a friend She and Mrs Griffin had carefully examined the county list of possible matches for Constance Hadlow and had agreed that there was good hope of a speedy find a capital run and a successful finish
It so happened that on the same afternoon when May and Owen were paying their visit to College Quad Theodore Bransby was making a call at the residence of Lady Belcraft in Combe St Mildreds
Ever since his interview with Mrs Dobbs—now several days ago—Theodore had been considering his own case with minute and concentrated attention We are all of us it must be owned supremely interesting to ourselves but Theodores interest in himself was of a jealously exclusive kind His health was undoubtedly delicate He had felt the loss of a home to which he could repair when he was ailing or out of sorts ever since his fathers death He found too that he was apt to become hipped and nervous when alone He came to the conclusion that he needed a wife to take care of him and after grave consideration he resolved to marry Constance Hadlow
If he could by a word have destroyed Rivers and obtained possession of May Cheffington he would have said that word without hesitation or remorse but since that could not be he did not intend to wear the willow He would marry Constance That she would have accepted him long ago he was well assured and his circumstances were far more prosperous now than in those days Canon and Mrs Hadlow could not but be impressed by his disinterestedness in coming forward now that he was in the enjoyment of a handsome independence And on his side he believed he was choosing prudently If he were ill the attentions of a wife—a refined and cultured woman dependent moreover on him for the comfort of her daily life—would be far preferable to those of a hireling nurse who would have the power of going away whenever she found her position disagreeable But this was only one side of the question When he grew stronger he always looked forward to growing stronger Constance would be an admirable helpmate from a social point of view She had acquired influential friends was received in the best houses and would do his taste infinite credit and whether as a politician or a barrister she might have it in her power to forward his ambitions
It was as the result of these meditations that he called at Lady Belcrafts
He had met her occasionally in society and she knew perfectly who he was But there was a distinct film of ice over the politeness with which she received him when he was ushered into her drawingroom She thought this little attorneys son was taking something like a liberty in appearing there uninvited She forgave him however immediately when in his most correct manner he asked for Miss Hadlow
Really it might do thought Lady Belcraft The young man was very well off and presentable and all that and dear Conny though simply charming had not a penny in the world neither was dear Conny her ladyships own daughter Yes she positively thought it might do She was so sorry that Miss Hadlow was not within but she expected her every moment She was walking she believed in the park The Park at Combe St Mildreds meant Combe Park Oh yes she was aware that Mr Bransby was an old acquaintance Playfellows from childhood Really That sort of thing always had such a hold on one—was so extremely——Oh there was dear Conny coming up the drive
Lady Belcraft sent a message by a servant begging Miss Hadlow to come into the drawingroom where she presently appeared
She was dressed in a winter toilet of carefullystudied simplicity and looked radiantly handsome Theodore gazed at her as if he had never seen her before Selfpossessed she had always been but she had now acquired something more than that—an air of conscious distinction—of being somebody as Theodore phrased it in his own mind which he admired and wondered at
Heres an old friend of yours Conny said Lady Belcraft
Constance had been pulling off her gloves as she entered the room and she now extended a white well caredfor hand to Theodore with a cool little Oh how dye do and the faintest of smiles
Her hostess thought within herself that if there really was anything between her and young Bransby Connys behaviour was marvellous and that all the training bestowed on her own daughters had left them far below the point of finish attained by this provincial clergymans daughter
Did you walk far Are you tired she asked
No thanks dear Lady Belcraft I am not at all tired I went to my favourite group of beeches Its a capital day for walking And what is the news in Oldchester Theodore
Her calling him Theodore in the old familiar way seemed to have the mysterious effect of putting him under her feet it implied such superiority and security Theodore was conscious of this but it did not displease him she had doubtless resented his not making the expected offer earlier He had thought when he met her in London that hurt amoure propre had much to do with her cavalier treatment of him But he had a charm to smoothe her ruffled plumes
After a little commonplace conversation Lady Belcraft recollected some orders which she wanted to give personally to her gardener and with a brief excuse left the room Constance perfectly understood why she had done so Theodore did not but he seized the occasion which he imagined hazard had thrown in his way
I am very glad of this opportunity of speaking with you alone Constance he began very solemnly
There was no trepidation such as he had felt in speaking to May He neither trembled nor stammered nor grew hot and cold by turns That chapter was closed He was turning over a new and quite different leaf
Yes said Constance Really She removed her hat smoothed the thick dark braids of her hair before a mirror and sat down with graceful composure
I dont think we have met Constance since—— He glanced at his black clothes
No I think not I was very sorry I begged mamma to give you a message from me when she wrote to condole with Mrs Bransby
I merely allude to that sad subject in order to assure you that I am not unmindful of what is proper and becoming under the circumstances and lest you should think me guilty of heartless precipitation
He was beginning to enjoy the rounding off of his sentences—a pleasure he had never tasted in Mays company strong emotion being unfavourable to polished periods
Oh I dont think you were ever guilty of precipitation answered Constance quietly But the mirror opposite reflected a flash of her handsome eyes
Nothing continued Theodore could be in worse taste than to neglect the accustomed forms of respect A period of twelve months would not be too long to mourn for a parent so excellent as my father but six months could not be considered to outrage decorum And I should not urge——
He paused He had been on the point of saying that he would not press for the marriage taking place before the summer when he happily remembered that he had not yet gone through the form of asking Constance whether she would marry him or not To him it seemed so like merely taking up the thread of a story temporarily interrupted that he had lost sight of the probability that Constances mind had not been keeping pace with his own on the subject But it recurred to him in time
Constance was sitting on a low couch near the fireside at some distance from him He now took his place beside her There was a certain awkwardness in making a proposal of marriage across a spacious room
There can be no need of many words between us Constance he began with as much tenderness of manner as he could call up Then he stopped Constance had drawn away the skirt of her gown on the side next to him and was examining it attentively What is the matter he asked
I thought you had accidentally set your boot on the hem of my frock she said And the roads are so muddy although it is fine overhead But its all right I beg your pardon you were saying——
This interruption was disconcerting He had had in his head an elaborate sentence which was now dispersed and irrecoverable He must begin all over again However when fairly started once more his eloquence did not fail him He offered his hand and fortune to Miss Hadlow in good set terms
She was silent when he had finished and he ventured to take her hand
Am I not to have an answer dearest Constance he asked
She drew her hand away very gently and with perfect composure before saying as she looked full at him with her fine dark eyes—
You are not joking then
Joking
Well I know you are not given to joking and this would certainly be an inconceivably bad joke but it is almost more inconceivable that you should be in earnest
He was fairly bewildered and doubtful of her meaning
However she continued if you really expect a serious answer you must have it No thank you
He stood up erect and stiff as if moved by a spring She remained leaning back in an easy attitude on the couch and looking at him
I——Constance—I dont understand you he exclaimed
I refuse you she replied in a gentle voice and with her best society drawl Distinctly decidedly and unhesitatingly I think you must understand that Wont you stay and see Lady Belcraft Theodore had taken up his hat and was moving towards the door Oh very well I will make your excuses
She rang the bell which was within reach of her hand and Theodore walked out of the room without proffering another word
CHAPTER XIV
Canon Hadlow had resolved that his daughter when she returned to Oldchester for Mays wedding to which she was of course invited should remain in her own home at least for some months He had grown very discontented with her prolonged and frequent absences Mrs Hadlow at the earnest request of Constance backed by a polite invitation from Lady Belcraft went to Combe St Mildreds to remain there one day and bring her daughter back with her
But instead of doing so she sent a telegram home desiring that a box of clothes might be packed and sent to her and most surprising of all the box was to be addressed to Dover This item of news was disseminated by the Hadlows servant whose duty it was to see the trunk conveyed to the railway station And the woman declared she believed from what she could make out that her mistress was going to France
Of course the canon knew the truth But the canon was not visible to callers He had a cold and kept his room All the circle of the Hadlows acquaintance—and the circle seemed to be immediately widened by the dropping into its midst of this puzzling bit of news as a stone dropped into water is surrounded by a ring of everincreasing circumference—were however spared further conjecture by the publication in due course of the supplement to the Times newspaper of Tuesday the twentyseventh of February It contained the announcement of the marriage at the British Embassy in Paris on the preceding Saturday of Viscount Castlecombe to Constance Jane only daughter of the Reverend Edward Hadlow Canon of Oldchester
The general public or as much of it as had ever heard of the parties concerned—for that vast entity the general public is really as divisible as a jellyfish each portion being perfect for all purposes of its existence when cut off from the rest—was ranged as is usual in such cases in two main camps those who couldnt have believed it beforehand though an angel from Heaven had announced it and those who had all along had their suspicions and were not so very much surprised as you expected But only the nearest friends and relatives of the family enjoyed the not inconsiderable advantage for judging the matter of really knowing anything about it
Owen was the first person whom his uncle admitted to see him The old man was greatly overcome His daughters marriage was a blow to him It gave a rude shock to the ideal Constance whom he had loved and admired with a sort of delicate paternal chivalry There could be no question of love in such a marriage as this—no question even of gratitude or reverence or any of the finer feelings To the purehearted simpleminded old man it seemed to be a sad degradation for his daughter Not a soul except his wife ever fully understood his state of mind on the subject for he spoke of it to no one Mrs Dobbs perhaps came nearest to doing so She had a great reverence and admiration for the canon and considerable sympathetic insight into his feelings And when afterwards people said in her presence how proud and elated Canon Hadlow must be at his daughters making so great a match she would tighten her lips and observe sotto voce that you might as well expect a Christian saint to be gratified by being decorated with the peacocks feather of a Chinese mandarin
When Mrs Hadlow came home of course more particulars were divulged Many came out by degrees in confidential talks with her nephew Mrs Hadlow spoke to him quite openly
Constance had earnestly begged her mother to go to her at Combe St Mildreds and almost immediately on her arrival there had announced that she was about to marry Lord Castlecombe and that everything was arranged for the ceremony to take place in Paris since under the circumstances they both felt that it could not be managed too quietly She much wished her mother and father to accompany her to Paris in order that everything might be en règle
When the first astonishment was over Mrs Hadlow impulsively tried to dissuade her daughter from taking this step It was dreadful it was really monstrous to think of her Conny marrying that old man who was several years the senior of her own father A man too of a hard unamiable character—one who was much feared little respected and loved not at all She was revolted by the idea And as to the canon she could not bear to think of what he would feel He would never allow it It was hopeless to think of gaining his consent
When her mothers tearful excitement had somewhat subsided Constance pointed out that she had a very sincere regard for Lord Castlecombe who had behaved in every way excellently towards her that as to falling in love as depicted by poets and novelists she had her private opinion which was briefly that all that was about as historically true as the adventures of Oberon and Titania and that at all events she was sufficiently acquainted with her own character to be persuaded that she was incapable of that species of temporary insanity Further with regard to her fathers consent she deeply regretted to hear that he was likely to withhold it since she would in that case be compelled to marry without it which would be very painful to her And when she said that it would be painful to her her mother knew that she spoke quite sincerely She was of full age to judge for herself in the matter and could not think of breaking her word to Lord Castlecombe She further pointed out that although of course Oldchester people would chatter about her—she spoke already as though she were looking down on those common mortals from the serene and luminous elevation of some fixed star—yet there could be nothing scandalous said if she were known to be accompanied to Paris by her mother As to papa his health and his duties and many other excuses might be alleged for his not undertaking a journey at that inclement season
Constance spoke with perfect calmness and without the slightest disrespect of manner But Mrs Hadlow was made aware within five minutes that nothing on earth which she had power to say or do would for an instant shake her daughters resolve to be a viscountess There was nothing to be done but to put the best face possible on the matter and go to Paris She could not allow her child to travel thither alone The bridegroom had already preceded them to make all needful preparations
Poor Mrs Hadlow was in such a whirl of confusion and emotion as scarcely to know what she was doing or saying Had Lady Belcraft known of this she asked Constance smiled rather scornfully as she replied that nobody would be more surprised than poor dear Lady Belcraft when she should learn the news No Conny was not going to share the glory of her capture with any one And in truth such glory as belonged to it was all her own
Mrs Griffin on hearing the news was at first half inclined to be sharp and spiteful at being kept in the dark Although of course she did not allow herself to continue in that vulgar frame of mind But Lady Belcraft was subdued and almost prostrate in spirit before this gifted young creature Shes a wonderful young woman my dear—a wonderful young woman declared Lady Belcraft
Just before they landed from the steamboat at Calais Constance said to her mother Mamma I do think you and papa are the most unworldly people I ever heard of You have never thought of saying a single word about settlements
Mrs Hadlow started and looked blankly at her daughter She stood rebuked I have felt ever since you told me as if I had received a stunning blow on the head which deprived me of half my faculties she answered But I ought to have thought of that It is not too late now perhaps to secure some provision for you is it Conny
I should not have thought of marrying Lord Castlecombe without a proper settlement mamma We might have been married a fortnight ago if it had not been for the delays of the lawyers although matters were simplified for them by my having nothing at all I am quite satisfied with the arrangements and I hope you and papa will be so too I think you will admit that Lord Castlecombe has been very generous
Mrs Hadlow was a woman of bright intelligence and she had been apt to consider Conny a little below the Rivers standard of brains but now as she looked and listened she felt tempted to exclaim like Lady Belcraft that this was a wonderful young woman
But what words can paint the effect of that fateful announcement in the Times on the family party assembled in Mr DormerSmiths house at Kensington
Augustus behaved so outrageously used such vituperative language and comported himself altogether with such violence that his brotherinlaw privately fortified himself by securing the presence of a policeman well in view of the windows on the opposite side of the way before requesting Captain Cheffington to withdraw at once from his house Much to his surprise and immensely to his relief the request was complied with promptly Captain Cheffington disappeared in a hansom cab with a smart travellingbag and followed by a second vehicle containing two wellfilled portmanteaus Whereas as James cynically remarked to the cook a cigarcase and a toothpick was about the amount of his luggage when he arrived James had not been feed Augustus asserted his claim to be considered one of the family by swearing at the servants and never giving any of them a sixpence The explanation of this speedy departure was shortly forthcoming in the shape of a variety of bills which poured in with astonishing rapidity Augustus also as has been stated had been clever enough to raise a little money on the strength of his heirship And Mr DormerSmith had to endure some contumely from creditors who had looked to getting something like twentyfive per cent above marketprices out of the captain and were roused to a frenzy of moral indignation when they discovered that he was safe out of England and beyond their reach
To Pauline the blow was the more severe because she persuaded herself that she had been the victim of black ingratitude on the part of Constance
That girl she would murmur weeping That girl whom I held up as a model—and who really did behave perfectly when she was here—quite perfectly—to think of that girl being the one to turn round on the family in this treacherous way I do not know how I shall endure to see her face again
Then dont see it suggested Frederick If you think she has behaved so badly cut her and have done with it
Cut her exclaimed Pauline sitting up from among the pillows in her chaise longue with a vinagrette in one hand and a pockethandkerchief in the other How can I cut my uncles wife She is now Lady Castlecombe Frederick You seem to have no idea that private feelings must give way to the duty one owes to society I wonder who will present her I dare say Mrs Griffin will persuade the duchess to do it It would not surprise me at all Probably they will open the town house now and come up every season Cut her Frederick you talk like that Nihilist who is going to marry poor darling May
Frederick more than ever thought that poor darling May was to be congratulated on having secured the love and protection of the honest young Englishman to whom his wife persisted in attributing anarchical principles He wrote a kind letter in which he proposed to come down to Oldchester and give his niece away at the marriage if that would be agreeable to her and Mr Rivers Mays affectionate heart was overjoyed by this proposal A joint letter signed by May and Owen was sent by return of post in which both Aunt Pauline and Uncle Frederick were warmly invited to the wedding And May put in a special petition that Harold and Wilfred should be allowed to be present Granny would find a nook for them in Jessamine Cottage
May also sent an invitation to Mrs Bransby to be present but she replied that she would not bring her black gown to be a blot on their brightness but that no more loving prayers would be breathed for their happiness than those of their affectionate friend Louisa Bransby
Neither did Aunt Pauline accept the invitation She did not write unkindly Her reply seemed to be indeed a sort of homily on the text—
How all unconscious of their doom
The little victims play
It was a sad business but she was mildly compassionate and forbearing But the best of all was that Harold and Wilfred were to be permitted to come In fact their father insisted on bringing them to their inexpressible rapture They took to Granny at once and she had to keep a watch upon her tongue lest she should let slip before Mr DormerSmith the words she had said on first seeing the children—
Poor dear motherless little fellows
On the wedding morning a letter arrived for Mrs Dobbs from Mr Bragg Mr Bragg was about to sail for Buenos Ayres on a twelvemonths visit to his son Before going away he thought it would be agreeable to May and her husband he wrote to be the means of communicating something to Mrs Bransby which he hoped would be to her advantage The new premises which he had taken for his office now removed from Friars Row were to be furnished throughout and a couple of rooms reserved for Mr Braggs use whenever he wished to come into Oldchester from his country house Under these circumstances a resident housekeeper would be required to look after the place and govern the servants Mr Bragg hoped that Mrs Bransby would do him the favour to accept this post and that she would find herself more comfortable among her old friends in Oldchester than in the wilderness of London Moreover he enclosed a cheque for a handsome sum of money as to the disposal of which he thus wrote—
The cheque I would ask Mr Rivers to apply to paying young Martin Bransbys school fees for the ensuing year And any little matter that may be over can be used for the boys books and so on He is a fine boy I think and worth helping Learning is a great thing I never had it myself but I dont undervalue it for that I have thought that this would perhaps be the best way I could find of what you might call testifying my appreciation of Mr Riverss services to me I hope he will accept it as a wedding present
To May he sent no gift
I could offer her nothing but dross he wrote and I dont want her thoughts of me to be mixed up with gold and diamonds and such poor things as are oftentimes the best a rich man has to give Some young ladies would be disappointed at this I dont believe she will When shes dressed and ready to go to church just you please kiss her forehead with a blessing in your mind and—you neednt say anything to her but just say to yourself this is from Joshua Bragg
Of the wedding it may be said that although it was no doubt in many respects like other weddings yet in several it was peculiar And its peculiarities were in such flagrant violation of the regulations of society that it was almost providential Mrs DormerSmith escaped witnessing it
In the first place although Uncle Frederick was present a welcome and an honoured guest May insisted that Mr Weatherhead should give her away And perhaps nothing she had ever done in her life had caused Granny more heartfelt satisfaction As to Uncle Jo the honour nearly overpowered him His appearance in wedding garments with an enormous white waistcoat and a bright rosecoloured tie was an abiding joy to all the little boys of the neighbourhood who were lucky enough to behold him
Then the Miss Pipers fluttered into the church in such extremely bridal attire with long white veils attached to their bonnets as utterly to eclipse May in her quiet travelling dress May however wore two ornaments of considerable value a pearl bracelet and brooch which had arrived the previous evening Inside each morocco case had been found a slip of paper bearing respectively the inscriptions—To Miranda Cheffington with the good wishes of her greatuncle and To dear May with the love of her affectionate friend Constance Castlecombe
Lastly Amelia Simpson was so florid in her raiment and so exuberant in her delight as to be the observed of all observers In her excitement she backed heavily upon people behind her and trod upon the gowns of people before her knelt down at the wrong moment and then discovering her mistake jumped up again at the very instant when the rest of the congregation were sinking on to their knees dropped her metalclasped prayerbook with a crash in a solemn pause of silence lost her pockethandkerchief and in her nearsightedness and confusion seized on Miss Polly Pipers long white veil to wipe her teardimmed spectacles and was altogether a severe trial to the nerves of the officiating clergyman
Many other friends were there Major Mitton with his amiable face and erect soldierly figure Dr Hatch who said he doubted whether he could snatch a moment to witness the ceremony but who remained to the very last to wish the young couple God speed when they drove away from the door of the church on their honeymoon trip Even Sebastian Bach Simpson was in a softened mood The entire absence of pretension about the whole affair conciliated his good will and he played Mendelssohns Wedding March as a voluntary when the bride and bridegroom walked down the church arminarm with unusual spirit and heartiness And so May and Owen began their voyage of life together followed by many good wishes and by less of envy hatred malice and uncharitableness than perhaps fall to the lot of most mortals
Marriage which is the end of most storybooks is but the beginning of many stories but this chronicle cannot follow the personages who have figured in it much beyond that fateful chapter of the weddingday
One or two facts may however be told and a few outlines sketched in to indicate the course of future events on a more or less distant horizon
For a long time Pauline clung with the soft pertinacity which was part of her character to the hope that poor dear Augustus might yet inherit the Castlecombe acres and resume his place in society Uncle George could not live for ever But one fine day the bells of Combe St Mildreds rang a merry peal and the news spread like wildfire through the village that an heir was born in a foreign city called Naples and that my lord and my lady—who was doing extremely well—and the allimportant baby were coming home to Combe Park as soon as ever my lady was strong enough to travel
Then indeed Pauline felt that Providence had decided against her brother and that her own duty to society lay plain and clear before her
During the following year or two she suffered considerable persecution in the shape of appeals for money from Augustus The first were in a haughty strain but before long they sank into the whine of the regular beggingletter writer She gave him what she could for to the last she had a soft place in her heart for her brother But her husband finding the case hopeless forbade her to give any more and as far as he could prevented Augustuss letters from reaching her
Captain Cheffington then brought his wife to London He had little fear of his creditors having by this time sunk so low as not to be worth powder and shot He got his wife engaged under her real name at a musichall of the third class and caused paragraphs to be inserted in sundry sporting and theatrical prints to the effect that the Mrs Augustus Cheffington whose Italian bravurasinging was so successful a feature in the nightly entertainment etc etc was the niece by marriage of a peer of the realm—Viscount Castlecombe of Combe Park and he furnished his relations liberally with copies of these papers Probably he had some hope that they would buy him off to save the honour of the family but in this he was totally at fault The old lord who in the joy of his little sons birth seemed to have taken a new lease of life merely chuckled at Guss making such a confounded ass of himself and cared not a snap of the fingers for anything he could say or do
Owen Rivers privately supplied his fatherinlaw with all the necessaries and some of the comforts of life on condition that he was never to annoy May by making any kind of appeal to her on the first infringement of this condition the supplies would be withdrawn And in order to secure its not being all lost at the gamingtable Owen paid the money into the hands of La Bianca who according to her lights was by no means a bad wife and was certainly a much better one than her selfish and graceless husband deserved
Mrs Bransby gratefully accepted the position offered to her and fulfilled its duties entirely to Mr Braggs satisfaction Indeed when the latter returned from Buenos Ayres he took the habit of spending a good deal of time in the apartment reserved for him over the office The house—one of the roomy oldfashioned mansions in Friars Row—contained ample accommodation for Mrs Bransbys family Miss Enid completed and maintained her conquest of Mr Bragg and some persons thought that it was this young ladys personal attractions which caused him to spend so much of his time in Friars Row but other observers thought differently And indeed quite latterly Mrs DormerSmith has had her illopinion of Mrs Bransby strengthened by certain rumours touching the likelihood of that ladys promotion to a higher position in Mr Braggs household than that of paid housekeeper
If that should ever come off says Mrs DormerSmith I suppose poor dear foolish Mays eyes will be opened at last and she may repent when it is too late having thrown away her magnificent opportunity to be picked up by that designing woman
When these mysterious forecasts are imparted to Lady Castlecombe she only smiles faintly and says in her quiet wellbred way Well but why not My lady has her own views on the subject—views in which the discomfiture and mortification of Theodore Bransby form a conspicuous and pleasing feature But hitherto nothing has happened to justify the previsions of either lady on this score
Theodore is not often seen in Oldchester now The place is full of disagreeable associations for him His political candidature was a failure the Castlecombe influence on his behalf having been suddenly withdrawn after his lordships marriage—greatly to the perplexity of his lordships agent
Nevertheless Mr Theodore Bransby by no means despairs of being able to write MP after his name at some future time But if he ever does enter Parliament it will probably be on what our Continental neighbours term the extreme Left of the Chamber For Theodores political opinions have undergone a great revulsion and he is now loftily contemptuous of the territorial aristocracy In fact he has been heard to support advanced theories of an almost Communistic complexion—stopping short however at the confiscation of other peoples property and maintaining the inviolability of Government Stock of which he is a large holder This sort of theory he finds to be quite compatible with the pursuit of fashionable society
Although surrounded by every luxury which can minister to his personal comfort he is not at all extravagant and indeed saves more than half his annual income This he does not from positive avarice but because he feels ever more and more strongly that money is power Moreover it will be well to have a handsome sum in hand whenever he marries for he is still firmly minded to find a wife who will devote herself to taking care of him Quite recently a paragraph has appeared in the Oldchester newspaper announcing the probability of a marriage between our distinguished townsman Mr Theodore Bransby whose career at the Bar is being watched with pride and pleasure in his native city and the Lady Euphemia Haggistown daughter of the Earl of Cauldkail etc etc etc
Lady Euphemia is a faded timid gentlewoman of some five or sixandthirty years of age with neither money nor beauty She is sometimes haunted by the ghost of a romantic attachment to a penniless young navy officer lost at sea hard upon twenty years ago But she has a soft submissive desire to win the kindly regard of the remarkably stiff and cold young gentleman whom her father has decided she is to marry whenever he shall see fit to ask her But poor Lady Effie does not succeed in softening the implacable correctness of her suitors demeanour into anything very humanly sympathetic Theodore is quite certain to make the most of his wifes title and social standing in dealing with the world in general but it is to be feared that he may think fit to balance matters by tyrannizing over her in private with some rigour
Mrs DormerSmith often moralizes her family history entangling herself in many metaphysical knots in the course of her cogitations as to what would have happened if something else had happened which never did happen
Of course if poor dear Augustus had not thrown himself away on Susan Dobbs things would have been very different But even in spite of that much might have been retrieved had he not made a second and still more shocking mésalliance with a strolling Italian singer because probably if Augustus had come home after the death of his cousin Lucius in a proper spirit and under not discreditable circumstances and had conducted himself so as to conciliate his uncle the old man would never have thought of marrying again Constance Hadlow would never have become Viscountess Castlecombe and no heir would have appeared to thrust Augustus from his inheritance
There was an everrecurring difficulty in fixing the exact point at which poor dear Augustuss misfortunes had become irretrievable So that although Pauline was on perfectly civil terms with the Castlecombes and although Frederick was asked down to Combe Park for the shooting every season and although my lady was happy to receive the DormerSmiths with the least little indefinable touch of condescension whenever she was at her house in town yet in her confidential moments Paulines intimate friends were never quite sure to which of the three momentous alliances she was alluding when she talked plaintively of That Unfortunate Marriage
THE END