George Eliot
Felix Holt the Radical
Authors Introduction
Fiveandthirty years ago the glory had not yet departed from the old
coachroads the great roadside inns were still brilliant with wellpolished
tankards the smiling glances of pretty barmaids and the repartees of jocose
ostlers the mail still announced itself by the merry notes of the horn the
hedgecutter or the rickthatcher might still know the exact hour by the
unfailing yet otherwise meteoric apparition of the peagreen Tallyho or the
yellow Independent and elderly gentlemen in ponychaises quartering nervously
to make way for the rolling swinging swiftness had not ceased to remark that
times were finely changed since they used to see the packhorses and hear the
tinkling of their bells on their very highway
In those days there were pocket boroughs a Birmingham unrepresented in
parliament and compelled to make strong representations out of it unrepealed
corn laws threeandsixpenny letters a brawny and manybreeding pauperism and
other departed evils but there were some pleasant things too which have also
departed Non omnia grandior ætas quæ fugiamus habet says the wise goddess you
have not the best of it in all things O youngsters the elderly man has his
enviable memories and not the least of them is the memory of a long journey in
midspring or autumn on the outside of a stagecoach Posterity may be shot
like a bullet through a tube by atmospheric pressure from Winchester to
Newcastle that is a fine result to have among our hopes but the slow
oldfashioned way of getting from one end of our country to the other is the
better thing to have in the memory The tubejourney can never lend much to
picture and narrative it is as barren as an exclamatory O Whereas the happy
outside passenger seated on the box from the dawn to the gloaming gathered
enough stories of English life enough of English labours in town and country
enough aspects of earth and sky to make episodes for a modern Odyssey Suppose
only that his journey took him through that central plain watered at one
extremity by the Avon at the other by the Trent As the morning silvered the
meadows with their long lines of bushy willows marking the watercourses or
burnished the golden cornricks clustered near the long roofs of some midland
homestead he saw the fulluddered cows driven from their pasture to the early
milking Perhaps it was the shepherd headservant of the farm who drove them
his sheepdog following with a heedless unofficial air of a beadle in undress
The shepherd with a slow and slouching walk timed by the walk of grazing
beasts moved aside as if unwillingly throwing out a monosyllabic hint to his
cattle his glance accustomed to rest on things very near the earth seemed to
lift itself with difficulty to the coachman Mail or stage coach for him
belonged to that mysterious distant system of things called Goverment which
whatever it might be was no business of his any more than the most outlying
nebula or the coalsacks of the southern hemisphere his solar system was the
parish the masters temper and the casualties of lambingtime were his region
of storms He cut his bread and bacon with his pocketknife and felt no
bitterness except in the matter of pauper labourers and the badluck that sent
contrarious seasons and the sheeprot He and his cows were soon left behind
and the homestead too with its pond overhung by eldertrees its untidy
kitchengarden and coneshaped yewtree arbour But everywhere the bushy
hedgerows wasted the land with their straggling beauty shrouded the grassy
borders of the pastures with catkined hazels and tossed their long blackberry
branches on the cornfields Perhaps they were white with May or starred with
pale pink dogroses perhaps the urchins were already nutting amongst them or
gathering the plenteous crabs It was worth the journey only to see those
hedgerows the liberal homes of unmarketable beauty of the purpleblossomed
rubyberried nightshade of the wild convulvulus climbing and spreading in
tendrilled strength till it made a great curtain of palegreen hearts and white
trumpets of the manytubed honeysuckle which in its most delicate fragrance
hid a charm more subtle and penetrating than beauty Even if it were winter the
hedgerows showed their coral the scarlet haws the deepcrimson hips with
lingering brown leaves to make a restingplace for the jewels of the hoarfrost
Such hedgerows were often as tall as the labourers cottages dotted along the
lanes or clustered into a small hamlet their little dingy windows telling
like thickfilmed eyes of nothing but the darkness within The passenger on the
coachbox bowled along above such a hamlet saw chiefly the roofs of it
probably it turned its back on the road and seemed to lie away from everything
but its own patch of earth and sky away from the parish church by long fields
and green lanes away from all intercourse except that of tramps If its face
could be seen it was most likely dirty but the dirt was Protestant dirt and
the big bold ginbreathing tramps were Protestant tramps There was no sign of
superstition near no crucifix or image to indicate a misguided reverence the
inhabitants were probably so free from superstition that they were in much less
awe of the parson than of the overseer Yet they were saved from the excesses of
Protestantism by not knowing how to read and by the absence of handlooms and
mines to be the pioneers of Dissent they were kept safely in the via media of
indifference and could have registered themselves in the census by a big black
mark as members of the Church of England
But there were trim cheerful villages too with a neat or handsome parsonage
and grey church set in the midst there was the pleasant tinkle of the
blacksmiths anvil the patient carthorses waiting at his door the
basketmaker peeling his willow wands in the sunshine the wheelwright putting
the last touch to a blue cart with red wheels here and there a cottage with
bright transparent windows showing pots of blooming balsams or geraniums and
little gardens in front all double daisies or dark wallflowers at the well
clean and comely women carrying yoked buckets and towards the free school small
Britons dawdling on and handling their marbles in the pockets of unpatched
corduroys adorned with brass buttons The land around was rich and marly great
cornstacks stood in the rickyards for the rickburners had not found their
way hither the homesteads were those of rich farmers who paid no rent or had
the rare advantage of a lease and could afford to keep their corn till prices
had risen The coach would be sure to overtake some of them on their way to
their outlying fields or to the markettown sitting heavily on their
wellgroomed horses or weighing down one side of an olivegreen gig They
probably thought of the coach with some contempt as an accommodation for people
who had not their own gigs or who wanting to travel to London and such distant
places belonged to the trading and less solid part of the nation The passenger
on the box could see that this was the district of protuberant optimists sure
that old England was the best of all possible countries and that if there were
any facts which had not fallen under their own observation they were facts not
worth observing the district of clean little markettowns without manufactures
of fat livings an aristocratic clergy and low poorrates But as the day wore
on the scene would change the land would begin to be blackened with coalpits
the rattle of handlooms to be heard in hamlets and villages Here were powerful
men walking queerly with knees bent outward from squatting in the mine going
home to throw themselves down in their blackened flannel and sleep through the
daylight then rise and spend much of their high wages at the alehouse with
their fellows of the Benefit Club here the pale eager faces of
handloomweavers men and women haggard from sitting up late at night to finish
the weeks work hardly begun till the Wednesday Everywhere the cottages and
the small children were dirty for the languid mothers gave their strength to
the loom pious Dissenting women perhaps who took life patiently and thought
that salvation depended chiefly on predestination and not at all on
cleanliness The gables of Dissenting chapels now made a visible sign of
religion and of a meetingplace to counterbalance the alehouse even in the
hamlets but if a couple of old termagants were seen tearing each others caps
it was a safe conclusion that if they had not received the sacraments of the
Church they had not at least given in to schismatic rites and were free from
the errors of Voluntaryism The breath of the manufacturing town which made a
cloudy day and a red gloom by night on the horizon diffused itself over all the
surrounding country filling the air with eager unrest Here was a population
not convinced that old England was as good as possible here were multitudinous
men and women aware that their religion was not exactly the religion of their
rulers who might therefore be better than they were and who if better might
alter many things which now made the world perhaps more painful than it need be
and certainly more sinful Yet there were the grey steeples too and the
churchyards with their grassy mounds and venerable headstones sleeping in the
sunlight there were broad fields and homesteads and fine old woods covering a
rising ground or stretching far by the roadside allowing only peeps at the
park and mansion which they shut in from the workingday world In these midland
districts the traveller passed rapidly from one phase of English life to
another after looking down on a village dingy with coaldust noisy with the
shaking of looms he might skirt a parish all of fields high hedges and
deeprutted lanes after the coach had rattled over the pavement of a
manufacturing town the scene of riots and tradesunion meetings it would take
him in another ten minutes into a rural region where the neighbourhood of the
town was only felt in the advantages of a near market for corn cheese and hay
and where men with a considerable banking account were accustomed to say that
»they never meddled with politics themselves« The busy scenes of the shuttle
and the wheel of the roaring furnace of the shaft and the pulley seemed to
make but crowded nests in the midst of the largespaced slowmoving life of
homesteads and faraway cottages and oaksheltered parks Looking at the
dwellings scattered amongst the woody flats and the ploughed uplands under the
low grey sky which overhung them with an unchanging stillness as if Time itself
were pausing it was easy for the traveller to conceive that town and country
had no pulse in common except where the handlooms made a farreaching
straggling fringe about the great centres of manufacture that till the
agitation about the Catholics in 29 rural Englishmen had hardly known more of
Catholics than of the fossil mammals and that their notion of Reform was a
confused combination of rickburners tradesunion Nottingham riots and in
general whatever required the callingout of the yeomanry It was still easier
to see that for the most part they resisted the rotation of crops and stood by
their fallows and the coachman would perhaps tell how in one parish an
innovating farmer who talked of Sir Humphrey Davy had been fairly driven out
by popular dislike as if he had been a confounded Radical and how the parson
having one Sunday preached from the words »Plough up the fallowground of your
hearts« the people thought he had made the text out of his own head otherwise
it would never have come so pat on a matter of business but when they found it
in the Bible at home some said it was an argument for fallows else why should
the Bible mention fallows but a few of the weaker sort were shaken and
thought it was an argument that fallows should be done away with else the Bible
would have said »Let your hearts lie fallow« and the next morning the parson
had a stroke of apoplexy which as coincident with a dispute about fallows so
set the parish against the innovating farmer and the rotation of crops that he
could stand his ground no longer and transferred his lease
The coachman was an excellent travelling companion and commentator on the
landscape he could tell the names of sites and persons and explained the
meaning of groups as well as the shade of Virgil in a more memorable journey
he had as many stories about parishes and the men and women in them as the
Wanderer in the »Excursion« only his style was different His view of life had
originally been genial and such as became a man who was well warmed within and
without and held a position of easy undisputed authority but the recent
initiation of railways had embittered him he now as in a perpetual vision saw
the ruined country strewn with shattered limbs and regarded Mr Huskissons
death as a proof of Gods anger against Stephenson »Why every inn on the road
would be shut up« and at that word the coachman looked before him with the
blank gaze of one who had driven his coach to the outermost edge of the
universe and saw his leaders plunging into the abyss Still he would soon
relapse from the high prophetic strain to the familiar one of narrative He knew
whose the land was wherever he drove what noblemen had halfruined themselves
by gambling who made handsome returns of rent and who was at daggersdrawn
with his eldest son He perhaps remembered the fathers of actual baronets and
knew stories of their extravagant or stingy housekeeping whom they had married
whom they had horsewhipped whether they were particular about preserving their
game and whether they had had much to do with canal companies About any actual
landed proprietor he could also tell whether he was a Reformer or an
antiReformer That was a distinction which had turned up in latter times and
along with it the paradox very puzzling to the coachmans mind that there were
men of old family and large estate who voted for the Bill He did not grapple
with the paradox he let it pass with all the discreetness of an experienced
theologian or learned scholiast preferring to point his whip at some object
which could raise no questions
No such paradox troubled our coachman when leaving the town of Treby Magna
behind him he drove between the hedges for a mile or so crossed the queer long
bridge over the river Lapp and then put his horses to a swift gallop up the
hill by the lownestled village of Little Treby till they were on the fine
level road skirted on one side by grand larches oaks and wych elms which
sometimes opened so far as to let the traveller see that there was a park behind
them
How many times in the year as the coach rolled past the neglectedlooking
lodges which interrupted the screen of trees and showed the river winding
through a finelytimbered park had the coachman answered the same questions or
told the same things without being questioned That oh that was Transome
Court a place there had been a fine sight of lawsuits about Generations back
the heir of the Transome name had somehow bargained away the estate and it fell
to the Durfeys very distant connections who only called themselves Transomes
because they had got the estate But the Durfeys claim had been disputed over
and over again and the coachman if he had been asked would have said though
he might have to fall down dead the next minute that property didnt always get
into the right hands However the lawyers had found their luck in it and
people who inherited estates that were lawed about often lived in them as poorly
as a mouse in a hollow cheese and by what he could make out that had been the
way with these present Durfeys or Transomes as they called themselves As for
Mr Transome he was as poor halfwitted a fellow as youd wish to see but she
was master had come of a high family and had a spirit you might see it in
her eye and the way she sat her horse Forty years ago when she came into this
country they said she was a pictur but her family was poor and so she took
up with a hatchetfaced fellow like this Transome And the eldest son had been
just such another as his father only worse a wild sort of halfnatural who
got into bad company They said his mother hated him and wished him dead for
shed got another son quite of a different cut who had gone to foreign parts
when he was a youngster and she wanted her favourite to be heir But heir or no
heir Lawyer Jermyn had had his picking out of the estate Not a door in his big
house but what was the finest polished oak all got off the Transome estate If
anybody liked to believe he paid for it they were welcome However Lawyer
Jermyn had sat on that boxseat many and many a time He had made the wills of
most people thereabout The coachman would not say that Lawyer Jermyn was not
the man he would choose to make his own will some day It was not so well for a
lawyer to be overhonest else he might not be up to other peoples tricks And
as for the Transome business there had been ins and outs in time gone by so
that you couldnt look into it straight backward At this Mr Sampson everybody
in North Loamshire knew Sampsons coach would screw his features into a grimace
expressive of entire neutrality and appear to aim his whip at a particular spot
on the horses flank If the passenger was curious for further knowledge
concerning the Transome affairs Sampson would shake his head and say there had
been fine stories in his time but he never condescended to state what the
stories were Some attributed this reticence to a wise incredulity others to a
want of memory others to simple ignorance But at least Sampson was right in
saying that there had been fine stories meaning ironically stories not
altogether creditable to the parties concerned
And such stories often come to be fine in a sense that is not ironical For
there is seldom any wrongdoing which does not carry along with it some downfall
of blindlyclimbing hopes some hard entail of suffering some quicklysatiated
desire that survives with the life in death of old paralytic vice to see
itself cursed by its woeful progeny some tragic mark of kinship in one brief
life to the farstretching life that went before and to the life that is to
come after such as has raised the pity and terror of men ever since they began
to discern between will and destiny But these things are often unknown to the
world for there is much pain that is quite noiseless and vibrations that make
human agonies are often a mere whisper in the roar of hurrying existence There
are glances of hatred that stab and raise no cry of murder robberies that leave
man or woman for ever beggared of peace and joy yet kept secret by the sufferer
committed to no sound except that of low moans in the night seen in no
writing except that made on the face by the slow months of suppressed anguish
and early morning tears Many an inherited sorrow that has marred a life has
been breathed into no human ear
The poets have told us of a dolorous enchanted forest in the under world
The thornbushes there and the thickbarked stems have human histories hidden
in them the power of unuttered cries dwells in the passionlessseeming
branches and the red warm blood is darkly feeding the quivering nerves of a
sleepless memory that watches through all dreams These things are a parable
Chapter 1
He left me when the down upon his lip
Lay like the shadow of a hovering kiss
»Beautiful mother do not grieve« he said
»I will be great and build our fortunes high
And you shall wear the longest train at court
And look so queenly all the lords shall say
She is a royal changeling theres some crown
Lacks the right head since hers wears nought
but braids«
O he is coming now but I am grey
And he
On the 1st of September in the memorable year 1832 some one was expected at
Transome Court As early as two oclock in the afternoon the aged lodgekeeper
had opened the heavy gate green as the tree trunks were green with natures
powdery paint deposited year after year Already in the village of Little
Treby which lay on the side of a steep hill not far off the lodge gates the
elder matrons sat in their best gowns at the few cottage doors bordering the
road that they might be ready to get up and make their curtsy when a travelling
carriage should come in sight and beyond the village several small boys were
stationed on the lookout intending to run a race to the barnlike old church
where the sexton waited in the belfry ready to set the one bell in joyful
agitation just at the right moment
The old lodgekeeper had opened the gate and left it in the charge of his
lame wife because he was wanted at the Court to sweep away the leaves and
perhaps to help in the stables For though Transome Court was a large mansion
built in the fashion of Queen Annes time with a park and grounds as fine as
any to be seen in Loamshire there were very few servants about it Especially
it seemed there must be a lack of gardeners for except on the terrace
surrounded with a stone parapet in front of the house where there was a
parterre kept with some neatness grass had spread itself over the gravel walks
and over all the low mounds once carefully cut as black beds for the shrubs and
larger plants Many of the windows had the shutters closed and under the grand
Scotch fir that stooped towards one corner the brown firneedles of many years
lay in a small stone balcony in front of two such darkened windows All round
both near and far there were grand trees motionless in the still sunshine
and like all large motionless things seeming to add to the stillness Here and
there a leaf fluttered down petals fell in a silent shower a heavy moth
floated by and when it settled seemed to fall wearily the tiny birds
alighted on the walks and hopped about in perfect tranquillity even a stray
rabbit sat nibbling a leaf that was to its liking in the middle of a grassy
space with an air that seemed quite impudent in so timid a creature No sound
was to be heard louder than a sleepy hum and the soft monotony of running water
hurrying on to the river that divided the park Standing on the south or east
side of the house you would never have guessed that an arrival was expected
But on the west side where the carriage entrance was the gates under the
stone archway were thrown open and so was the double door of the entrancehall
letting in the warm light on the scagliola pillars the marble statues and the
broad stone staircase with its matting worn into large holes And stronger
sign of expectation than all from one of the doors which surrounded the
entrancehall there came forth from time to time a lady who walked lightly
over the polished stone floor and stood on the doorsteps and watched and
listened She walked lightly for her figure was slim and finely formed though
she was between fifty and sixty She was a tall proudlooking woman with
abundant grey hair dark eyes and eyebrows and a somewhat eaglelike yet not
unfeminine face Her tightfitting black dress was much worn the fine lace of
her cuffs and collar and of the small veil which fell backwards over her high
comb was visibly mended but rare jewels flashed on her hands which lay on her
folded blackclad arms like finely cut onyx cameos
Many times Mrs Transome went to the doorsteps watching and listening in
vain Each time she returned to the same room it was a moderatesized
comfortable room with low ebony bookshelves round it and it formed an anteroom
to a large library of which a glimpse could be seen through an open doorway
partly obstructed by a heavy tapestry curtain drawn on one side There was a
great deal of tarnished gilding and dinginess on the walls and furniture of this
smaller room but the pictures above the bookcases were all of a cheerful kind
portraits in pastel of pearlyskinned ladies with hairpowder blue ribbons and
lowbodices a splendid portrait in oils of a Transome in the gorgeous dress of
the Restoration another of a Transome in his boyhood with his hand on the neck
of a small pony and a large Flemish battlepiece where war seemed only a
picturesque blueandred accident in a vast sunny expanse of plain and sky
Probably such cheerful pictures had been chosen because this was Mrs Transomes
usual sittingroom it was certainly for this reason that near the chair in
which she seated herself each time she reentered there hung a picture of a
youthful face which bore a strong resemblance to her own a beardless but
masculine face with rich brown hair hanging low on the forehead and undulating
beside each cheek down to the loose white cravat Near this same chair were her
writingtable with vellumcovered accountbooks on it the cabinet in which she
kept her neatlyarranged drugs her basket for her embroidery a folio volume of
architectural engravings from which she took her embroidery patterns a number
of the North Loamshire Herald and the cushion for her fat Blenheim which was
too old and sleepy to notice its mistresss restlessness For just now Mrs
Transome could not abridge the sunny tedium of the day by the feeble interest of
her usual indoor occupations Her consciousness was absorbed by memories and
prospects and except when she walked to the entrancedoor to look out she sat
motionless with folded arms involuntarily from time to time turning towards the
portrait close by her and as often when its young brown eyes met hers turning
away again with selfchecking resolution
At last prompted by some sudden thought or by some sound she rose and went
hastily beyond the tapestry curtain into the library She paused near the door
without speaking apparently she only wished to see that no harm was being done
A man nearer seventy than sixty was in the act of ranging on a large
librarytable a series of shallow drawers some of them containing dried
insects others mineralogical specimens His pale mild eyes receding lower jaw
and slight frame could never have expressed much vigour either bodily or
mental but he had now the unevenness of gait and feebleness of gesture which
tell of a past paralytic seizure His threadbare clothes were thoroughly
brushed his soft white hair was carefully parted and arranged he was not a
neglectedlooking old man and at his side a fine black retriever also old sat
on its haunches and watched him as he went to and fro But when Mrs Transome
appeared within the doorway her husband paused in his work and shrank like a
timid animal looked at in a cage where flight is impossible He was conscious of
a troublesome intention for which he had been rebuked before that of
disturbing all his specimens with a view to a new arrangement
After an interval in which his wife stood perfectly still observing him
he began to put back the drawers in their places in the row of cabinets which
extended under the bookshelves at one end of the library When they were all put
back and closed Mrs Transome turned away and the frightened old man seated
himself with Nimrod the retriever on an ottoman Peeping at him again a few
minutes after she saw that he had his arm round Nimrods neck and was uttering
his thoughts to the dog in a loud whisper as little children do to any object
near them when they believe themselves unwatched
At last the sound of the churchbell reached Mrs Transomes ear and she
knew that before long the sound of wheels must be within hearing but she did
not at once start up and walk to the entrancedoor She sat still quivering and
listening her lips became pale her hands were cold and trembling Was her son
really coming She was far beyond fifty and since her early gladness in this
bestloved boy the harvest of her life had been scanty Could it be that now
when her hair was grey when sight had become one of the days fatigues when
her young accomplishments seemed almost ludicrous like the tone of her first
harpsichord and the words of the songs long browned with age she was going to
reap an assured joy to feel that the doubtful deeds of her life were
justified by the result since a kind Providence had sanctioned them to be no
longer tacitly pitied by her neighbours for her lack of money her imbecile
husband her graceless eldestborn and the loneliness of her life but to have
at her side a rich clever possibly a tender son Yes but there were the
fifteen years of separation and all that had happened in that long time to
throw her into the background in her sons memory and affection And yet did
not men sometimes become more filial in their feeling when experience had
mellowed them and they had themselves become fathers Still if Mrs Transome
had expected only her son she would have trembled less she expected a little
grandson also and there were reasons why she had not been enraptured when her
son had written to her only when he was on the eve of returning that he already
had an heir born to him
But the facts must be accepted as they stood and after all the chief
thing was to have her son back again Such pride such affection such hopes as
she cherished in this fiftysixth year of her life must find their
gratification in him or nowhere Once more she glanced at the portrait The
young brown eyes seemed to dwell on her pleasantly but turning from it with a
son of impatience and saying aloud »Of course he will be altered« she rose
almost with difficulty and walked more slowly than before across the hall to
the entrancedoor
Already the sound of wheels was loud upon the gravel The momentary surprise
of seeing that it was only a postchaise without a servant or much luggage
that was passing under the stone archway and then wheeling round against the
flight of stone steps was at once merged in the sense that there was a dark
face under a red travellingcap looking at her from the window She saw nothing
else she was not even conscious that the small group of her own servants had
mustered or that old Hickes the butler had come forward to open the chaise
door She heard herself called »Mother« and felt a light kiss on each cheek
but stronger than all that sensation was the consciousness which no previous
thought could prepare her for that this son who had come back to her was a
stranger Three minutes before she had fancied that in spite of all changes
wrought by fifteen years of separation she should clasp her son again as she
had done at their parting but in the moment when their eyes met the sense of
strangeness came upon her like a terror It was not hard to understand that she
was agitated and the son led her across the hall to the sittingroom closing
the door behind them Then he turned towards her and said smiling
»You would not have known me eh mother«
It was perhaps the truth If she had seen him in a crowd she might have
looked at him without recognition not however without startled wonder for
though the likeness to herself was no longer striking the years had overlaid it
with another likeness which would have arrested her Before she answered him
his eyes with a keen restlessness as unlike as possible to the lingering gaze
of the portrait had travelled quickly over the room alighting on her again as
she said
»Everything is changed Harold I am an old woman you see«
»But straighter and more upright than some of the young ones« said Harold
inwardly however feeling that age had made his mothers face very anxious and
eager »The old women at Smyrna are like sacks Youve not got clumsy and
shapeless How is it I have the trick of getting fat« Here Harold lifted his
arm and spread out his plump hand »I remember my father was as thin as a
herring How is my father Where is he«
Mrs Transome just pointed to the curtained doorway and let her son pass
through it alone She was not given to tears but now under the pressure of
emotion that could find no other vent they burst forth She took care that they
should be silent tears and before Harold came out of the library again they
were dried Mrs Transome had not the feminine tendency to seek influence through
pathos she had been used to rule in virtue of acknowledged superiority The
consciousness that she had to make her sons acquaintance and that her
knowledge of the youth of nineteen might help her little in interpreting the man
of thirtyfour had fallen like lead on her soul but in this new acquaintance
of theirs she cared especially that her son who had seen a strange world
should feel that he was come home to a mother who was to be consulted on all
things and who could supply his lack of the local experience necessary to an
English landholder Her part in life had been that of the clever sinner and
she was equipped with the views the reasons and the habits which belonged to
that character life would have little meaning for her if she were to be gently
thrust aside as a harmless elderly woman And besides there were secrets which
her son must never know So by the time Harold came from the library again the
traces of tears were not discernible except to a very careful observer And he
did not observe his mother carefully his eyes only glanced at her on their way
to the North Loamshire Herald lying on the table near her which he took up
with his left hand as he said
»Gad what a wreck poor father is Paralysis eh Terribly shrunk and shaken
crawls about among his books and beetles as usual though Well its a slow
and easy death But hes not much over sixtyfive is he«
»Sixtyseven counting by birthdays but your father was born old I think«
said Mrs Transome a little flushed with the determination not to show any
unaskedfor feeling
Her son did not notice her All the time he had been speaking his eyes had
been running down the columns of the newspaper
»But your little boy Harold where is he How is it he has not come with
you«
»O I left him behind in town« said Harold still looking at the paper
»My man Dominic will bring him with the rest of the luggage Ah I see it is
young Debarry and not my old friend Sir Maximus who is offering himself as
candidate for North Loamshire«
»Yes You did not answer me when I wrote to you to London about your
standing There is no other Tory candidate spoken of and you would have all the
Debarry interest«
»I hardly think that« said Harold significantly
»Why Jermyn says a Tory candidate can never be got in without it«
»But I shall not be a Tory candidate«
Mrs Transome felt something like an electric shock
»What then« she said almost sharply »You will not call yourself a Whig«
»God forbid Im a Radical«
Mrs Transomes limbs tottered she sank into a chair Here was a distinct
confirmation of the vague but strong feeling that her son was a stranger to her
Here was a revelation to which it seemed almost as impossible to adjust her
hopes and notions of a dignified life as if her son had said that he had been
converted to Mahometanism at Smyrna and had four wives instead of one son
shortly to arrive under the care of Dominic For the moment she had a sickening
feeling that it was all of no use that the longdelayed good fortune had come at
last all of no use though the unloved Durfey was dead and buried and though
Harold had come home with plenty of money There were rich Radicals she was
aware as there were rich Jews and Dissenters but she had never thought of them
as county people Sir Francis Burdett had been generally regarded as a madman
It was better to ask no questions but silently to prepare herself for anything
else there might be to come
»Will you go to your rooms Harold and see if there is anything you would
like to have altered«
»Yes let us go« said Harold throwing down the newspaper in which he had
been rapidly reading almost every advertisement while his mother had been going
through her sharp inward struggle »Uncle Lingon is on the bench still I see«
he went on as he followed her across the hall »is he at home will he be here
this evening«
»He says you must go to the rectory when you want to see him You must
remember you have come back to a family who have oldfashioned notions Your
uncle thought I ought to have you to myself in the first hour or two He
remembered that I had not seen my son for fifteen years«
»Ah by Jove fifteen years so it is« said Harold taking his mothers
hand and drawing it under his arm for he had perceived that her words were
charged with an intention »And you are as straight as an arrow still you will
carry the shawls I have brought you as well as ever«
They walked up the broad stone steps together in silence Under the shock of
discovering her sons Radicalism Mrs Transome had no impulse to say one thing
rather than another as in a man who had just been branded on the forehead all
wonted motives would be uprooted Harold on his side had no wish opposed to
filial kindness but his busy thoughts were imperiously determined by habits
which had no reference to any womans feeling and even if he could have
conceived what his mothers feeling was his mind after that momentary arrest
would have darted forward on its usual course
»I have given you the south rooms Harold« said Mrs Transome as they
passed along a corridor lit from above and lined with old family pictures »I
thought they would suit you best as they all open into each other and this
middle one will make a pleasant sittingroom for you«
»Gad the furniture is in a bad state« said Harold glancing round at the
middle room which they had just entered »the moths seem to have got into the
carpets and hangings«
»I had no choice except moths or tenants who would pay rent« said Mrs
Transome »We have been too poor to keep servants for uninhabited rooms«
»What youve been rather pinched eh«
»You find us living as we have been living these twelve years«
»Ah youve had Durfeys debts as well as the lawsuits confound them It
will make a hole in sixty thousand pounds to pay off the mortgages However
hes gone now poor fellow and I suppose I should have spent more in buying an
English estate some time or other I always meant to be an Englishman and
thrash a lord or two who thrashed me at Eton«
»I hardly thought you could have meant that Harold when I found you had
married a foreign wife«
»Would you have had me wait for a consumptive lackadaisical Englishwoman
who would have hung all her relations round my neck I hate English wives they
want to give their opinion about everything They interfere with a mans life I
shall not marry again«
Mrs Transome bit her lip and turned away to draw up a blind She would not
reply to words which showed how completely any conception of herself and her
feelings was excluded from her sons inward world
As she turned round again she said »I suppose you have been used to great
luxury these rooms look miserable to you but you can soon make any alteration
you like«
»O I must have a private sittingroom fitted up for myself downstairs And
the rest are bedrooms I suppose« he went on opening a sidedoor »Ah I can
sleep here a night or two But theres a bedroom downstairs with an anteroom
I remember that would do for my man Dominic and the little boy I should like
to have that«
»Your father has slept there for years He will be like a distracted insect
and never know where to go if you alter the track he has to walk in«
»Tats a pity I hate going upstairs«
»There is the stewards room it is not used and might be turned into a
bedroom I cant offer you my room for I sleep upstairs« Mrs Transomes
tongue could be a whip upon occasion but the lash had not fallen on a sensitive
spot
»No Im determined not to sleep upstairs Well see about the stewards
room tomorrow and I daresay I shall find a closet of some sort for Dominic
Its a nuisance he had to stay behind for I shall have nobody to cook for me
Ah theres the old river I used to fish in I often thought when I was at
Smyrna that I would buy a park with a river through it as much like the Lapp as
possible Gad what fine oaks those are opposite Some of them must come down
though«
»Ive held every tree sacred on the demesne as I told you Harold I
trusted to your getting the estate some time and releasing it and I determined
to keep it worth releasing A park without fine timber is no better than a
beauty without teeth and hair«
»Bravo mother« said Harold putting his hand on her shoulder »Ah youve
had to worry yourself about things that dont properly belong to a woman my
father being weakly Well set all that right You shall have nothing to do now
but to be grandmamma on satin cushions«
»You must excuse me from the satin cushions That is a part of the old
womans duty I am not prepared for I am used to be chief bailiff and to sit in
the saddle two or three hours every day There are two farms on our hands
besides the Home Farm«
»Phewew Jermyn manages the estate badly then That will not last under my
reign« said Harold turning on his heel and feeling in his pockets for the keys
of his portmanteaus which had been brought up
»Perhaps when youve been in England a little longer« said Mrs Transome
colouring as if she had been a girl »you will understand better the
difficulties there is in letting farms in these times«
»I understand the difficulty perfectly mother To let farms a man must
have the sense to see what will make them inviting to farmers and to get sense
supplied on demand is just the most difficult transaction I know of I suppose
if I ring theres some fellow who can act as valet and learn to attend to my
hookah«
»There is Hickes the butler and there is Jabez the footman those are all
the men in the house They were here when you left«
»O I remember Jabez he was a dolt Ill have old Hickes He was a neat
little machine of a butler his words used to come like the clicks of an engine
He must be an old machine now though«
»You seem to remember some things about home wonderfully well Harold«
»Never forget places and people how they look and what can be done with
them All the country round here lies like a map in my brain A deuced pretty
country too but the people were a stupid set of old Whigs and Tories I suppose
they are much as they were«
»I am at least Harold You are the first of your family that ever talked
of being a Radical I did not think I was taking care of our old oaks for that
I always thought Radicals houses stood staring above poor sticks of young trees
and iron hurdles«
»Yes but the Radical sticks are growing mother and half the Tory oaks are
rotting« said Harold with gay carelessness »Youve arranged for Jermyn to be
early tomorrow«
»He will be here to breakfast at nine But I leave you to Hickes now we
dine in an hour«
Mrs Transome went away and shut herself in her own dressingroom It had
come to pass now this meeting with the son who had been the object of so much
longing whom she had longed for before he was born for whom she had sinned
from whom she had wrenched herself with pain at their parting and whose coming
again had been the one great hope of her years The moment was gone by there
had been no ecstasy no gladness even hardly half an hour had passed and few
words had been spoken yet with that quickness in weaving new futures which
belongs to women whose actions have kept them in habitual fear of consequences
Mrs Transome thought she saw with all the clearness of demonstration that her
sons return had not been a good for her in the sense of making her any happier
She stood before a tall mirror going close to it and looking at her face
with hard scrutiny as if it were unrelated to herself No elderly face can be
handsome looked at in that way every little detail is startlingly prominent
and the effect of the whole is lost She saw the driedup complexion and the
deep lines of bitter discontent about the mouth
»I am a hag« she said to herself she was accustomed to give her thoughts a
very sharp outline »an ugly old woman who happens to be his mother That is
what he sees in me as I see a stranger in him I shall count for nothing I was
foolish to expect anything else«
She turned away from the mirror and walked up and down her room
»What a likeness« she said in a loud whisper »yet perhaps no one will
see it besides me«
She threw herself into a chair and sat with a fixed look seeing nothing
that was actually present but inwardly seeing with painful vividness what had
been present with her a little more than thirty years ago the little
roundlimbed creature that had been leaning against her knees and stamping tiny
feet and looking up at her with gurgling laughter She had thought that the
possession of this child would give unity to her life and make some gladness
through the changing years that would grow up as fruit out of these early
maternal caresses But nothing had come just as she had wished The mothers
early raptures had lasted but a short time and even while they lasted there had
grown up in the midst of them a hungry desire like a black poisonous plant
feeding in the sunlight the desire that her first rickety ugly imbecile
child should die and leave room for her darling of whom she could be proud
Such desires make life a hideous lottery where every day may turn up a blank
where men and women who have the softest beds and the most delicate eating who
have a very large share of that sky and earth which some are born to have no
more of than the fraction to be got in a crowded entry yet grow haggard
fevered and restless like those who watch in other lotteries Day after day
year after year had yielded blanks new cares had come bringing other desires
for results quite beyond her grasp which must also be watched for in the
lottery and all the while the roundlimbed pet had been growing into a strong
youth who liked many things better than his mothers caresses and who had a
much keener consciousness of his independent existence than of his relation to
her the lizards egg that white rounded passive prettiness had become a
brown darting determined lizard The mothers love is at first an absorbing
delight blunting all other sensibilities it is an expansion of the animal
existence it enlarges the imagined range for self to move in but in after
years it can only continue to be joy on the same terms as other longlived love
that is by much suppression of self and power of living in the experience of
another Mrs Transome had darkly felt the pressure of that unchangeable fact
Yet she had clung to the belief that somehow the possession of this son was the
best thing she lived for to believe otherwise would have made her memory too
ghastly a companion Some time or other by some means the estate she was
struggling to save from the grasp of the law would be Harolds Somehow the
hated Durfey the imbecile eldest who seemed to have become tenacious of a
despicable squandering life would be got rid of vice might kill him Meanwhile
the estate was burthened there was no good prospect for any heir Harold must
go and make a career for himself and this was what he was bent on with a
precocious clearness of perception as to the conditions on which he could hope
for any advantages in life Like most energetic natures he had a strong faith
in his luck he had been gay at their parting and had promised to make his
fortune and in spite of past disappointments Harolds possible fortune still
made some ground for his mother to plant her hopes in His luck had not failed
him yet nothing had turned out according to her expectations Her life had been
like a spoiled shabby pleasureday in which the music and the processions are
all missed and nothing is left at evening but the weariness of striving after
what has been failed of Harold had gone with the Embassy to Constantinople
under the patronage of a high relative his mothers cousin he was to be a
diplomatist and work his way upward in public life But his luck had taken
another shape he had saved the life of an Armenian banker who in gratitude had
offered him a prospect which his practical mind had preferred to the problematic
promises of diplomacy and highborn cousinship Harold had become a merchant and
banker at Smyrna had let the years pass without caring to find the possibility
of visiting his early home and had shown no eagerness to make his life at all
familiar to his mother asking for letters about England but writing scantily
about himself Mrs Transome had kept up the habit of writing to her son but
gradually the unfruitful years had dulled her hopes and yearnings increasing
anxieties about money had worried her and she was more sure of being fretted by
bad news about her dissolute eldest son than of hearing anything to cheer her
from Harold She had begun to live merely in small immediate cares and
occupations and like all eagerminded women who advance in life without any
activity of tenderness or any large sympathy she had contracted small rigid
habits of thinking and acting she had her ways which must not be crossed and
had learned to fill up the great void of life with giving small orders to
tenants insisting on medicines for infirm cottagers winning small triumphs in
bargains and personal economies and parrying illnatured remarks of Lady
Debarrys by lancetedged epigrams So her life had gone on till more than a
year ago when the desire which had been so hungry while she was a blooming
young mother was at last fulfilled at last when her hair was grey and her
face looked bitter restless and unenjoying like her life The news came from
Jersey that Durfey the imbecile son was dead Now Harold was heir to the
estate now the wealth he had gained could release the land from its burthens
now he would think it worth while to return home A change had at last come over
her life and the sunlight breaking the clouds at evening was pleasant though
the sun must sink before long Hopes affections the sweeter part of her
memories started from their wintry sleep and it once more seemed a great good
to have had a second son who in some ways had cost her dearly But again there
were conditions she had not reckoned on When the good tidings had been sent to
Harold and he had announced that he would return so soon as he could wind up
his affairs he had for the first time informed his mother that he had been
married that his Greek wife was no longer living but that he should bring home
a little boy the finest and most desirable of heirs and grandsons Harold
seated in his distant Smyrna home considered that he was taking a rational view
of what things must have become by this time at the old place in England when
he figured his mother as a good elderly lady who would necessarily be delighted
with the possession on any terms of a healthy grandchild and would not mind
much about the particulars of the longconcealed marriage
Mrs Transome had torn up that letter in a rage But in the months which had
elapsed before Harold could actually arrive she had prepared herself as well as
she could to suppress all reproaches or queries which her son might resent and
to acquiesce in his evident wishes The return was still looked for with
longing affection and satisfied pride would again warm her later years She was
ignorant what sort of man Harold had become now and of course he must be
changed in many ways but though she told herself this still the image that she
knew the image fondness clung to necessarily prevailed over the negatives
insisted on by her reason
And so it was that when she had moved to the door to meet him she had been
sure that she should clasp her son again and feel that he was the same who had
been her boy her little one the loved child of her passionate youth An hour
seemed to have changed everything for her A womans hopes are woven of
sunbeams a shadow annihilates them The shadow which had fallen over Mrs
Transome in this first interview with her son was the presentiment of her
powerlessness If things went wrong if Harold got unpleasantly disposed in a
certain direction where her chief dread had always lain she seemed to foresee
that her words would be of no avail The keenness of her anxiety in this matter
had served as insight and Harolds rapidity decision and indifference to any
impressions in others which did not further or impede his own purposes had made
themselves felt by her as much as she would have felt the unmanageable strength
of a great bird which had alighted near her and allowed her to stroke its wing
for a moment because food lay near her
Under the cold weight of these thoughts Mrs Transome shivered That physical
reaction roused her from her reverie and she could now hear the gentle knocking
at the door to which she had been deaf before Notwithstanding her activity and
the fewness of her servants she had never dressed herself without aid nor
would that small neat exquisitely clean old woman who now presented herself
have wished that her labour should be saved at the expense of such a sacrifice
on her ladys part The small old woman was Mrs Hickes the butlers wife who
acted as housekeeper ladysmaid and superintendent of the kitchen the large
stony scene of inconsiderable cooking Forty years ago she had entered Mrs
Transomes service when that lady was beautiful Miss Lingon and her mistress
still called her Denner as she had done in the old days
»The bell has rung then Denner without my hearing it« said Mrs Transome
rising
»Yes madame« said Denner reaching from a wardrobe an old black velvet
dress trimmed with much mended point in which Mrs Transome was wont to look
queenly of an evening
Denner had still strong eyes of that shortsighted kind which sees through
the narrowest chink between the eyelashes The physical contrast between the
tall eaglefaced darkeyed lady and the little peering waitingwoman who had
been roundfeatured and of pale mealy complexion from her youth up had
doubtless had a strong influence in determining Denners feeling towards her
mistress which was of that worshipful sort paid to a goddess in ages when it
was not thought necessary or likely that a goddess should be very moral There
were different orders of beings so ran Denners creed and she belonged to
another order than that to which her mistress belonged She had a mind as sharp
as a needle and would have seen through and through the ridiculous pretensions
of a born servant who did not submissively accept the rigid fate which had given
her born superiors She would have called such pretensions the wrigglings of a
worm that tried to walk on its tail There was a tacit understanding that Denner
knew all her mistresss secrets and her speech was plain and unflattering yet
with wonderful subtlety of instinct she never said anything which Mrs Transome
could feel humiliated by as by a familiarity from a servant who knew too much
Denner identified her own dignity with that of her mistress She was a
hardheaded godless little woman but with a character to be reckoned on as you
reckon on the qualities of iron
Peering into Mrs Transomes face she saw clearly that the meeting with the
son had been a disappointment in some way She spoke with a refined accent in a
low quick monotonous tone
»Mr Harold is drest he shook me by the hand in the corridor and was very
pleasant«
»What an alteration Denner No likeness to me now«
»Handsome though spite of his being so browned and stout Theres a fine
presence about Mr Harold I remember you used to say madam there were some
people you would always know were in the room though they stood round a corner
and others you might never see till you ran against them Thats as true as
truth And as for likenesses thirtyfive and sixty are not much alike only to
peoples memories«
Mrs Transome knew perfectly that Denner had divined her thoughts
»I dont know how things will go on now but it seems something too good to
happen that they will go on well I am afraid of ever expecting anything good
again«
»Thats weakness madam Things dont happen because theyre bad or good
else all eggs would be addled or none at all and at the most it is but six to
the dozen Theres good chances and bad chances and nobodys luck is pulled
only by one string«
»What a woman you are Denner You talk like a French infidel It seems to
me you are afraid of nothing I have been full of fears all my life always
seeing something or other hanging over me that I couldnt bear to happen«
»Well madam put a good face on it and dont seem to be on the lookout
for crows else youll set the other people watching Here you have a rich son
come home and the debts will all be paid and you have your health and can ride
about and youve such a face and figure and will have if you live to be
eighty that everybody is cap in hand to you before they know who you are let
me fasten up your veil a little higher theres a good deal of pleasure in life
for you yet«
»Nonsense theres no pleasure for old women unless they get it out of
tormenting other people What are your pleasures Denner besides being a slave
to me«
»Oh theres pleasure in knowing ones not a fool like half the people one
sees about And managing ones husband is some pleasure and doing all ones
business well Why if Ive only got some orange flowers to candy I shouldnt
like to die till I see them all right Then theres the sunshine now and then I
like that as the cats do I look upon it life is like our game at whist when
Banks and his wife come to the stillroom of an evening I dont enjoy the game
much but I like to play my cards well and see what will be the end of it and
I want to see you make the best of your hand madam for your luck has been mine
these forty years now But I must go and see how Kitty dishes up the dinner
unless you have any more commands«
»No Denner I am going down immediately«
As Mrs Transome descended the stone staircase in her old black velvet and
point her appearance justified Denners personal compliment She had that
highborn imperious air which would have marked her as an object of hatred and
reviling by a revolutionary mob Her person was too typical of social
distinctions to be passed by with indifference by any one it would have fitted
an empress in her own right who had had to rule in spite of faction to dare
the violation of treaties and dread retributive invasions to grasp after new
territories to be defiant in desperate circumstances and to feel a womans
hunger of the heart for ever unsatisfied Yet Mrs Transomes cares and
occupations had not been at all of an imperial sort For thirty years she had
led the monotonous narrowing life which used to be the lot of our poorer gentry
who never went to town and were probably not on speaking terms with two out of
the five families whose parks lay within the distance of a drive When she was
young she had been thought wonderfully clever and accomplished and had been
rather ambitious of intellectual superiority had secretly picked out for
private reading the lighter parts of dangerous French authors and in company
had been able to talk of Mr Burkes style or of Chateaubriands eloquence had
laughed at the Lyrical Ballads and admired Mr Southeys »Thalaba« She always
thought that the dangerous French writers were wicked and that her reading of
them was a sin but many sinful things were highly agreeable to her and many
things which she did not doubt to be good and true were dull and meaningless
She found ridicule of Biblical characters very amusing and she was interested
in stories of illicit passion but she believed all the while that truth and
safety lay in due attendance on prayers and sermons in the admirable doctrines
and ritual of the Church of England equally remote from Puritanism and Popery
in fact in such a view of this world and the next as would preserve the
existing arrangements of English society quite unshaken keeping down the
obtrusiveness of the vulgar and the discontent of the poor The history of the
Jews she knew ought to be preferred to any profane history the Pagans of
course were vicious and their religions quite nonsensical considered as
religions but classical learning came from the Pagans the Greeks were famous
for sculpture the Italians for painting the middle ages were dark and
papistical but now Christianity went hand in hand with civilization and the
providential government of the world though a little confused and entangled in
foreign countries in our favoured land was clearly seen to be carried forward
on Tory and Church of England principles sustained by the succession of the
House of Brunswick and by sound English divines For Miss Lingon had had a
superior governess who held that a woman should be able to write a good letter
and to express herself with propriety on general subjects And it is astonishing
how effective this education appeared in a handsome girl who sat supremely well
on horseback sang and played a little painted small figures in watercolours
had a naughty sparkle in her eyes when she made a daring quotation and an air
of serious dignity when she recited something from her store of correct
opinions But however such a stock of ideas may be made to tell in elegant
society and during a few seasons in town no amount of bloom and beauty can
make them a perennial source of interest in things not personal and the notion
that what is true and in general good for mankind is stupid and druglike is
not a safe theoretic basis in circumstances of temptation and difficulty Mrs
Transome had been in her bloom before this century began and in the long
painful years since then what she had once regarded as her knowledge and
accomplishments had become as valueless as oldfashioned stucco ornaments of
which the substance was never worth anything while the form is no longer to the
taste of any living mortal Crosses mortifications moneycares conscious
blameworthiness had changed the aspect of the world for her there was anxiety
in the morning sunlight there was unkind triumph or disapproving pity in the
glances of greeting neighbours there was advancing age and a contracting
prospect in the changing seasons as they came and went And what could then
sweeten the days to a hungry muchexacting self like Mrs Transomes Under
protracted ill every living creature will find something that makes a
comparative ease and even when life seems woven of pain will convert the
fainter pang into a desire Mrs Transome whose imperious will had availed
little to ward off the great evils of her life found the opiate for her
discontent in the exertion of her will about smaller things She was not cruel
and could not enjoy thoroughly what she called the old womans pleasure of
tormenting but she liked every little sign of power her lot had left her She
liked that a tenant should stand bareheaded below her as she sat on horseback
She liked to insist that work done without her orders should be undone from
beginning to end She liked to be curtsied and bowed to by all the congregation
as she walked up the little barn of a church She liked to change a labourers
medicine fetched from the doctor and substitute a prescription of her own If
she had only been more haggard and less majestic those who had glimpses of her
outward life might have said she was a tyrannical griping harridan with a
tongue like a razor No one said exactly that but they never said anything like
the full truth about her or divined what was hidden under that outward life a
womans keen sensibility and dread which lay screened behind all her petty
habits and narrow notions as some quivering thing with eyes and throbbing heart
may lie crouching behind withered rubbish The sensibility and dread had
palpitated all the faster in the prospect of her sons return and now that she
had seen him she said to herself in her bitter way »It is a lucky eel that
escapes skinning The best happiness I shall ever know will be to escape the
worst misery«
Chapter 2
A jolly parson of the good old stock
By birth a gentleman yet homely too
Suiting his phrase to Hodge and Margery
Whom he once christened and has married since
A little lax in doctrine and in life
Not thinking God was captious in such things
As what a man might drink on holidays
But holding true religion was to do
As youd be done by which could never mean
That he should preach three sermons in a week
Harold Transome did not choose to spend the whole evening with his mother It
was his habit to compress a great deal of effective conversation into a short
space of time asking rapidly all the questions he wanted to get answered and
diluting no subject with irrelevancies paraphrase or repetitions He
volunteered no information about himself and his past life at Smyrna but
answered pleasantly enough though briefly whenever his mother asked for any
detail He was evidently illsatisfied as to his palate trying red pepper to
everything then asking if there were any relishing sauces in the house and
when Hickes brought various homefilled bottles trying several finding them
failures and finally falling back from his plate in despair Yet he remained
goodhumoured saying something to his father now and then for the sake of being
kind and looking on with a pitying shrug as he saw him watch Hickes cutting his
food Mrs Transome thought with some bitterness that Harold showed more feeling
for her feeble husband who had never cared in the least about him than for her
who had given him more than the usual share of mothers love An hour after
dinner Harold who had already been turning over the leaves of his mothers
accountbooks said
»I shall just cross the park to the parsonage to see my uncle Lingon«
»Very well He can answer more questions for you«
»Yes« said Harold quite deaf to the innuendo and accepting the words as a
simple statement of the fact »I want to hear all about the game and the North
Loamshire Hunt Im fond of sport we had a great deal of it at Smyrna and it
keeps down my fat«
The Reverend John Lingon became very talkative over his second bottle of
port which was opened on his nephews arrival He was not curious about the
manners of Smyrna or about Harolds experience but he unbosomed himself very
freely as to what he himself liked and disliked which of the farmers he
suspected of killing the foxes what game he had bagged that very morning what
spot he would recommend as a new cover and the comparative flatness of all
existing sport compared with cockfighting under which Old England had been
prosperous and glorious while so far as he could see it had gained little by
the abolition of a practice which sharpened the faculties of men gratified the
instincts of the fowl and carried out the designs of heaven in its admirable
device of spurs From these main topics which made his points of departure and
return he rambled easily enough at any new suggestion or query so that when
Harold got home at a late hour he was conscious of having gathered from amidst
the pompous fulltoned triviality of his uncles chat some impressions which
were of practical importance Among the rectors dislikes it appeared was Mr
Matthew Jermyn
»A fathanded glibtongued fellow with a scented cambric handkerchief one
of your educated lowbred fellows a foundling who got his Latin for nothing at
Christs Hospital one of your middleclass upstarts who want to rank with
gentlemen and think theyll do it with kid gloves and new furniture«
But since Harold meant to stand for the county Mr Lingon was equally
emphatic as to the necessity of his not quarrelling with Jermyn till the
election was over Jermyn must be his agent Harold must wink hard till he found
himself safely returned and even then it might be well to let Jermyn drop
gently and raise no scandal He himself had no quarrel with the fellow a
clergyman should have no quarrels and he made it a point to be able to take
wine with any man he met at table And as to the estate and his sisters going
too much by Jermyns advice he never meddled with business it was not his duty
as a clergyman That he considered was the meaning of Melchisedec and the
tithe a subject into which he had gone to some depth thirty years ago when he
preached the Visitation sermon
The discovery that Harold meant to stand on the Liberal side nay that he
boldly declared himself a Radical was rather startling but to his uncles
goodhumour beatified by the sipping of portwine nothing could seem highly
objectionable provided it did not disturb that operation In the course of half
an hour he had brought himself to see that anything really worthy to be called
British Toryism had been entirely extinct since the Duke of Wellington and Sir
Robert Peel had passed the Catholic Emancipation Bill that Whiggery with its
rights of man stopping short at tenpound householders and its policy of
pacifying a wild beast with a bite was a ridiculous monstrosity that
therefore since an honest man could not call himself a Tory which it was in
fact as impossible to be now as to fight for the old Pretender and could still
less become that execrable monstrosity a Whig there remained but one course
open to him »Why lad if the world was turned into a swamp I suppose we
should leave off shoes and stockings and walk about like cranes« whence it
followed plainly enough that in these hopeless times nothing was left to men
of sense and good family but to retard the national ruin by declaring themselves
Radical and take the inevitable process of changing everything out of the hands
of beggarly demagogues and purseproud tradesmen It is true the rector was
helped to this chain of reasoning by Harolds remarks but he soon became quite
ardent in asserting the conclusion
»If the mob cant be turned back a man of family must try and head the mob
and save a few homes and hearths and keep the country up on its last legs as
long as he can And youre a man of family my lad dash it Youre a Lingon
whatever else you may be and Ill stand by you Ive no great interest Im a
poor parson Ive been forced to give up hunting my pointers and a glass of
good wine are the only decencies becoming my station that I can allow myself
But Ill give you my countenance Ill stick to you as my nephew Theres no
need for me to change sides exactly I was born a Tory and I shall never be a
bishop But if anybody says youre in the wrong I shall say My nephew is in
the right he has turned Radical to save his country If William Pitt had been
living now hed have done the same for what did he say when he was dying Not
O save my party but O save my country heaven That was what they dinned in our
ears about Peel and the duke and now Ill turn it round upon them They shall
be hoist with their own petard Yes yes Ill stand by you«
Harold did not feel sure that his uncle would thoroughly retain this
satisfactory thread of argument in the uninspired hours of the morning but the
old gentleman was sure to take the facts easily in the end and there was no
fear of family coolness or quarrelling on this side Harold was glad of it He
was not to be turned aside from any course he had chosen but he disliked all
quarrelling as an unpleasant expenditure of energy that could have no good
practical result He was at once active and luxurious fond of mastery and
goodnatured enough to wish that every one about him should like his mastery
not caring greatly to know other peoples thoughts and ready to despise them as
blockheads if their thoughts differed from his and yet solicitous that they
should have no colourable reason for slight thoughts about him The blockheads
must be forced to respect him Hence in proportion as he foresaw that his
equals in the neighbourhood would be indignant with him for his political
choice he cared keenly about making a good figure before them in every other
way His conduct as a landholder was to be judicious his establishment was to
be kept up generously his imbecile father treated with careful regard his
family relations entirely without scandal He knew that affairs had been
unpleasant in his youth that there had been ugly lawsuits and that his
scapegrace brother Durfey had helped to lower still farther the depressed
condition of the family All this must be retrieved now that events had made
Harold the head of the Transome name
Jermyn must be used for the election and after that if he must be got rid
of it would be well to shake him loose quietly his uncle was probably right on
both those points But Harolds expectation that he should want to get rid of
Jermyn was founded on other reasons than his scented handkerchief and his
charityschool Latin
If the lawyer had been presuming on Mrs Transomes ignorance as a woman and
on the stupid rakishness of the original heir the new heir would prove to him
that he had calculated rashly Otherwise Harold had no prejudice against him
In his boyhood and youth he had seen Jermyn frequenting Transome Court but had
regarded him with that total indifference with which youngsters are apt to view
those who neither deny them pleasures nor give them any Jermyn used to smile at
him and speak to him affably but Harold half proud half shy got away from
such patronage as soon as possible he knew Jermyn was a man of business his
father his uncle and Sir Maximus Debarry did not regard him as a gentleman and
their equal He had known no evil of the man but he saw now that if he were
really a covetous upstart there had been a temptation for him in the management
of the Transome affairs and it was clear that the estate was in a bad
condition
When Mr Jermyn was ushered into the breakfastroom the next morning Harold
found him surprisingly little altered by the fifteen years He was grey but
still remarkably handsome fat but tall enough to bear that trial to mans
dignity There was as strong a suggestion of toilette about him as if he had
been fiveandtwenty instead of nearly sixty He chose always to dress in black
and was especially addicted to black satin waistcoats which carried out the
general sleekness of his appearance and this together with his white fat but
beautifullyshaped hands which he was in the habit of rubbing gently on his
entrance into a room gave him very much the air of a ladys physician Harold
remembered with some amusement his uncles dislike of those conspicuous hands
but as his own were soft and dimpled and as he too was given to the innocent
practice of rubbing those members his suspicions were not yet deepened
»I congratulate you Mrs Transome« said Jermyn with a soft and deferential
smile »all the more« he added turning towards Harold »now I have the pleasure
of actually seeing your son I am glad to perceive that an Eastern climate has
not been unfavourable to him«
»No« said Harold shaking Jermyns hand carelessly and speaking with more
than his usual rapid brusqueness »the question is whether the English climate
will agree with me Its deuced shifting and damp and as for the food it would
be the finest thing in the world for this country if the southern cooks would
change their religion get persecuted and fly to England as the old
silkweavers did«
»There are plenty of foreign cooks for those who are rich enough to pay for
them I suppose« said Mrs Transome »but they are unpleasant people to have
about ones house«
»Gad I dont think so« said Harold
»The old servants are sure to quarrel with them«
»Thats no concern of mine The old servants will have to put up with my man
Dominic who will show them how to cook and do everything else in a way that
will rather astonish them«
»Old people are not so easily taught to change all their ways Harold«
»Well they can give up and watch the young ones« said Harold thinking
only at that moment of old Mrs Hickes and Dominic But his mother was not
thinking of them only
»You have a valuable servant it seems« said Jermyn who understood Mrs
Transome better than her son did and wished to smoothen the current of their
dialogue
»O one of those wonderful southern fellows that make ones life easy Hes
of no country in particular I dont know whether hes most of a Jew a Greek
an Italian or a Spaniard He speaks five or six languages one as well as
another Hes cook valet majordomo and secretary all in one and whats
more hes an affectionate fellow I can trust to his attachment Thats a sort
of human specimen that doesnt grow here in England I fancy I should have been
badly off if I could not have brought Dominic«
They sat down to breakfast with such slight talk as this going on Each of
the party was preoccupied and uneasy Harolds mind was busy constructing
probabilities about what he should discover of Jermyns mismanagement or dubious
application of funds and the sort of selfcommand he must in the worst case
exercise in order to use the man as long as he wanted him Jermyn was closely
observing Harold with an unpleasant sense that there was an expression of
acuteness and determination about him which would make him formidable He would
certainly have preferred at that moment that there had been no second heir of
the Transome name to come back upon him from the East Mrs Transome was not
observing the two men rather her hands were cold and her whole person shaken
by their presence she seemed to hear and see what they said and did with
preternatural acuteness and yet she was also seeing and hearing what had been
said and done many years before and feeling a dim terror about the future
There were piteous sensibilities in this faded woman who thirtyfour years ago
in the splendour of her bloom had been imperious to one of these men and had
rapturously pressed the other as an infant to her bosom and now knew that she
was of little consequence to either of them
»Well what are the prospects about the election« said Harold as the
breakfast was advancing »There are two Whigs and one Conservative likely to be
in the field I know What is your opinion of the chances«
Mr Jermyn had a copious supply of words which often led him into
periphrase but he cultivated a hesitating stammer which with a handsome
impassiveness of face except when he was smiling at a woman or when the latent
savageness of his nature was thoroughly roused he had found useful in many
relations especially in business No one could have found out that he was not
at his ease »My opinion« he replied »is in a state of balance at present
This division of the county you are aware contains one manufacturing town of
the first magnitude and several smaller ones The manufacturing interest is
widely dispersed So far a there is a presumption a in favour of the two
Liberal candidates Still with a careful canvass of the agricultural districts
such as those we have round us at Treby Magna I think a the auguries a
would not be unfavourable to the return of a Conservative A fourth candidate of
good position who should coalesce with Mr Debarry a «
Here Mr Jermyn hesitated for the third time and Harold broke in
»That will not be my line of action so we need not discuss it If I put up
it will be as a Radical and I fancy in any county that would return Whigs
there would be plenty of voters to be combed off by a Radical who offered
himself with good pretensions«
There was the slightest possible quiver discernible across Jermyns face
Otherwise he sat as he had done before with his eyes fixed abstractedly on the
frill of a ham before him and his hand trifling with his fork He did not
answer immediately but when he did he looked round steadily at Harold
»Im delighted to perceive that you have kept yourself so thoroughly
acquainted with English politics«
»O of course« said Harold impatiently »Im aware how things have been
going on in England I always meant to come back ultimately I suppose I know
the state of Europe as well as if Id been stationary at Little Treby for the
last fifteen years If a man goes to the East people seem to think he gets
turned into something like the oneeyed calender in the Arabian Nights«
»Yet I should think there are some things which people who have been
stationary at Little Treby could tell you Harold« said Mrs Transome »It did
not signify about your holding Radical opinions at Smyrna but you seem not to
imagine how your putting up as a Radical will affect your position here and the
position of your family No one will visit you And then the sort of people
who will support you You really have no idea what an impression it conveys when
you say you are a Radical There are none of our equals who will not feel that
you have disgraced yourself«
»Pooh« said Harold rising and walking along the room
But Mrs Transome went on with growing anger in her voice »It seems to me
that a man owes something to his birth and station and has no right to take up
this notion or the other just as it suits his fancy still less to work at the
overthrow of his class That was what everyone said of Lord Grey and my family
at least is as good as Lord Greys You have wealth now and might distinguish
yourself in the county and if you had been true to your colours as a gentleman
you would have had all the greater opportunity because the times are so bad The
Debarrys and Lord Wyvern would have set all the more store by you For my part
I cant conceive what good you propose to yourself I only entreat you to think
again before you take any decided step«
»Mother« said Harold not angrily or with any raising of his voice but in
a quick impatient manner as if the scene must be got through as quickly as
possible »it is natural that you should think in this way Women very
properly dont change their views but keep to the notions in which they have
been brought up It doesnt signify what they think they are not called upon
to judge or to act You must really leave me to take my own course in these
matters which properly belong to men Beyond that I will gratify any wish you
choose to mention You shall have a new carriage and a pair of bays all to
yourself you shall have the house done up in firstrate style and I am not
thinking of marrying But let us understand that there shall be no further
collision between us on subjects in which I must be master of my own actions«
»And you will put the crown to the mortifications of my life Harold I
dont know who would be a mother if she could foresee what a slight thing she
will be to her son when she is old«
Mrs Transome here walked out of the room by the nearest way the glass door
open towards the terrace Mr Jermyn had risen too and his hands were on the
back of his chair He looked quite impassive it was not the first time he had
seen Mrs Transome angry but now for the first time he thought the outburst of
her temper would be useful for him She poor woman knew quite well that she
had been unwise and that she had been making herself disagreeable to Harold to
no purpose But half the sorrows of women would be averted if they could repress
the speech they know to be useless nay the speech they have resolved not to
utter Harold continued his walking a moment longer and then said to Jermyn
»You smoke«
»No I always defer to the ladies Mrs Jermyn is peculiarly sensitive on
such matters and doesnt like tobacco«
Harold who underneath all the tendencies which had made him a Liberal had
intense personal pride thought »Confound the fellow with his Mrs Jermyn
Does he think we are on a footing for me to know anything about his wife«
»Well I took my hookah before breakfast« he said aloud »so if you like
well go into the library My father never gets up till midday I find«
»Sit down sit down« said Harold as they entered the handsome spacious
library But he himself continued to stand before a map of the county which he
had opened from a series of rollers occupying a compartment among the
bookshelves »The first question Mr Jermyn now you know my intentions is
whether you will undertake to be my agent in this election and help me through
Theres no time to be lost and I dont want to lose my chance as I may not
have another for seven years I understand« he went on flashing a look
straight at Jermyn »that you have not taken any conspicuous course in politics
and I know that Labron is agent for the Debarrys«
»O a my dear sir a man necessarily has his political convictions but
of what use is it for a professional man a of some education to talk of
them in a little country town There really is no comprehension of public
questions in such places Party feeling indeed was quite asleep here before
the agitation about the Catholic Relief Bill It is true that I concurred with
our incumbent in getting up a petition against the Reform Bill but I did not
state my reasons The weak points in that Bill are a too palpable and I
fancy you and I should not differ much on that head The fact is when I knew
that you were to come back to us I kept myself in reserve though I was much
pressed by the friends of Sir James Clement the Ministerial candidate who is
«
»However you will act for me thats settled« said Harold
»Certainly« said Jermyn inwardly irritated by Harolds rapid manner of
cutting him short
»Which of the Liberal candidates as they call themselves has the better
chance eh«
»I was going to observe that Sir James Clement has not so good a chance as
Mr Garstin supposing that a third Liberal candidate presents himself There are
two senses in which a politician can be liberal« here Mr Jermyn smiled »Sir
James Clement is a poor baronet hoping for an appointment and cant be
expected to be liberal in that wider sense which commands majorities«
»I wish this man were not so much of a talker« thought Harold »hell bore
me We shall see« he said aloud »what can be done in the way of combination
Ill come down to your office after one oclock if it will suit you«
»Perfectly«
»Ah and youll have all the lists and papers and necessary information
ready for me there I must get up a dinner for the tenants and we can invite
whom we like besides the tenants Just now Im going over one of the farms on
hand with the bailiff By the way thats a desperately bad business having
three farms unlet how comes that about eh«
»That is precisely what I wanted to say a few words about to you You have
observed already how strongly Mrs Transome takes certain things to heart You
can imagine that she has been severely tried in many ways Mr Transomes want of
health Mr Durfeys habits a «
»Yes yes«
»She is a woman for whom I naturally entertain the highest respect and she
has had hardly any gratification for many years except the sense of having
affairs to a certain extent in her own hands She objects to changes she will
not have a new style of tenants she likes the old stock of farmers who milk
their own cows and send their younger daughters out to service all this makes
it difficult to do the best with the estate I am aware things are not as they
ought to be for in point of fact an improved agricultural management is a
matter in which I take considerable interest and the farm which I myself hold
on the estate you will see I think to be in a superior condition But Mrs
Transome is a woman of strong feeling and I would urge you my dear sir to
make the changes which you have but which I had not the right to insist on as
little painful to her as possible«
»I shall know what to do sir never fear« said Harold much offended
»You will pardon I hope a perhaps undue freedom of suggestion from a man
of my age who has been so long in a close connection with the family affairs
a I have never considered that connection simply in the light of a business
a «
»Damn him Ill soon let him know that I do« thought Harold But in
proportion as he found Jermyns manners annoying he felt the necessity of
controlling himself He despised all persons who defeated their own projects by
the indulgence of momentary impulses
»I understand I understand« he said aloud »Youve had more awkward
business on your hands than usually falls to the share of the family lawyer We
shall set everything right by degrees But now as to the canvassing Ive made
arrangements with a firstrate man in London who understands these matters
thoroughly a solicitor of course he has carried no end of men into
parliament Ill engage him to meet us at Duffield say when«
The conversation after this was driven carefully clear of all angles and
ended with determined amicableness When Harold in his ride an hour or two
afterwards encountered his uncle shouldering a gun and followed by one black
and one liverspotted pointer his muscular person with its red eagle face set
off by a velveteen jacket and leather leggings Mr Lingons first question was
»Well lad how have you got on with Jermyn«
»O I dont think I shall like the fellow Hes a sort of amateur gentleman
But I must make use of him I expect whatever I get out of him will only be
something short of fair pay for what he has got out of us But I shall see«
»Ay ay use his gun to bring down your game and after that beat the thief
with the buttend Thats wisdom and justice and pleasure all in one talking
between ourselves as uncle and nephew But I say Harold I was going to tell
you now I come to think of it this is rather a nasty business your calling
yourself a Radical Ive been turning it over in afterdinner speeches but it
looks awkward its not what people are used to it wants a good deal of Latin
to make it go down I shall be worried about it at the sessions and I can think
of nothing neat enough to carry about in my pocket by way of answer«
»Nonsense uncle I remember what a good speechifier you always were youll
never be at a loss You only want a few more evenings to think of it«
»But youll not be attacking the church and the institutions of the country
youll not be going to those lengths youll keep up the bulwarks and so on
eh«
»No I shant attack the church only the incomes of the bishops perhaps
to make them eke out the incomes of the poor clergy«
»Well well I have no objection to that Nobody likes our bishop hes all
Greek and greediness too proud to dine with his own father You may pepper the
bishops a little But youll respect the constitution handed down etc and
youll rally round the throne and the king God bless him and the usual
toasts eh«
»Of course of course I am a Radical only in rooting out abuses«
»Thats the word I wanted my lad« said the vicar slapping Harolds knee
»Thats a spool to wind a speech on Abuses is the very word and if anybody
shows himself offended hell put the cap on for himself«
»I remove the rotten timbers« said Harold inwardly amused »and substitute
fresh oak thats all«
»Well done my boy By George youll be a speaker But I say Harold I
hope youve got a little Latin left This young Debarry is a tremendous fellow
at the classics and walks on stilts to any length Hes one of the new
Conservatives Old Sir Maximus doesnt understand him at all«
»That wont do at the hustings« said Harold »Hell get knocked off his
stilts pretty quickly there«
»Bless me its astonishing how well youre up in the affairs of the
country my boy But rub up a few quotations Quod turpe bonis decebat
Crispinum and that sort of thing just to show Debarry what you could do if
you liked But you want to ride on«
»Yes I have an appointment at Treby Goodbye«
»Hes a cleverish chap« muttered the vicar as Harold rode away »When hes
had plenty of English exercise and brought out his knuckle a bit hell be a
Lingon again as he used to be I must go and see how Arabella takes his being a
Radical Its a little awkward but a clergyman must keep peace in a family
Confound it Im not bound to love Toryism better than my own flesh and blood
and the manor I shoot over Thats a heathenish Brutuslike sort of thing as
if Providence couldnt take care of the country without my quarrelling with my
own sisters son«
Chapter 3
Twas town yet country too you felt the warmth
Of clustering houses in the wintry time
Supped with a friend and went by lantern home
Yet from your chamber window you could hear
The tiny bleat of newyeaned lambs or see
The children bend beside the hedgerow banks
To pluck the primroses
Treby Magna on which the Reform Bill had thrust the new honour of being a
pollingplace had been at the beginning of the century quite a typical old
markettown lying in pleasant sleepiness among green pastures with a
rushfringed river meandering through them Its principal street had various
handsome and tallwindowed brick houses with walled gardens behind them and at
the end where it widened into the marketplace there was the cheerful
roughstuccoed front of that excellent inn the Marquis of Granby where the
farmers put up their gigs not only on fair and market days but on exceptional
Sundays when they came to church And the church was one of those fine old
English structures worth travelling to see standing in a broad churchyard with
a line of solemn yewtrees beside it and lifting a majestic tower and spire far
above the redandpurple roofs of the town It was not large enough to hold all
the parishioners of a parish which stretched over distant villages and hamlets
but then they were never so unreasonable as to wish to be all in at once and
had never complained that the space of a large sidechapel was taken up by the
tombs of the Debarrys and shut in by a handsome iron screen For when the black
Benedictines ceased to pray and chant in this church when the Blessed Virgin
and St Gregory were expelled the Debarrys as lords of the manor naturally
came next to Providence and took the place of the saints Long before that time
indeed there had been a Sir Maximus Debarry who had been at the fortifying of
the old castle which now stood in ruins in the midst of the green pastures and
with its sheltering wall towards the north made an excellent strawyard for the
pigs of Wace amp Co brewers of the celebrated Treby beer Wace amp Co did
not stand alone in the town as prosperous traders on a large scale to say
nothing of those who had retired from business and in no country town of the
same small size as Treby was there a larger proportion of families who had
handsome sets of china without handles hereditary punchbowls and large silver
ladles with a Queen Annes guinea in the centre Such people naturally took tea
and supped together frequently and as there was no professional man or
tradesman in Treby who was not connected by business if not by blood with the
farmers of the district the richer sort of these were much invited and gave
invitations in their turn They played at whist ate and drank generously
praised Mr Pitt and the war as keeping up prices and religion and were very
humorous about each others property having much the same coy pleasure in
allusions to their secret ability to purchase as blushing lasses sometimes have
in jokes about their secret preferences The rector was always of the Debarry
family associated only with county people and was much respected for his
affability a clergyman who would have taken tea with the townspeople would have
given a dangerous shock to the mind of a Treby churchman
Such was the oldfashioned grazing brewing woolpacking cheeseloading
life of Treby Magna until there befell new conditions complicating its
relating with the rest of the world and gradually awakening in it that higher
consciousness which is known to bring higher pains First came the canal next
the working of the coalmines at Sproxton two miles off the town and thirdly
the discovery of a saline spring which suggested to a too constructive brain
the possibility of turning Treby Magna into a fashionable wateringplace So
daring an idea was not originated by a native Trebian but by a young lawyer who
came from a distance knew the dictionary by heart and was probably an
illegitimate son of somebody or other The idea although it promised an
increase of wealth to the town was not well received at first ladies objected
to seeing objects drawn about in handcarriages the doctor foresaw the advent
of unsound practitioners and most retail tradesmen concurred with him that new
doings were usually for the advantage of new people The more unanswerable
reasons urged that Treby had prospered without baths and it was yet to be seen
how it would prosper with them while a report that the proposed name for them
was Bethesda Spa threatened to give the whole affair a blasphemous aspect Even
Sir Maximus Debarry who was to have an unprecedented return for the thousands
he would lay out on a pumproom and hotel regarded the thing as a little too
new and held back for some time But the persuasive powers of the young lawyer
Mr Matthew Jermyn together with the opportune opening of a stonequarry
triumphed at last the handsome buildings were erected an excellent guidebook
and descriptive cards surmounted by vignettes were printed and Treby Magna
became conscious of certain facts in its own history of which it had previously
been in contented ignorance
But it was all in vain The Spa for some mysterious reason did not
succeed Some attributed the failure to the coalmines and the canal others to
the peace which had had ruinous effects on the country and others who
disliked Jermyn to the original folly of the plan Among these last was Sir
Maximus himself who never forgave the too persuasive attorney it was Jermyns
fault not only that a useless hotel had been built but that he Sir Maximus
being straitened for money had at last let the building with the adjacent land
lying on the river on a long lease on the supposition that it was to be turned
into a benevolent college and had seen himself subsequently powerless to
prevent its being turned into a tape manufactory a bitter thing to any
gentleman and especially to the representative of one of the oldest families in
England
In this way it happened that Treby Magna gradually passed from being simply
a respectable markettown the heart of a great rural district where the trade
was only such as had close relations with the local landed interest and took
on the more complex life brought by mines and manufactures which belong more
directly to the great circulating system of the nation than to the local system
to which they have been superadded and in this way it was that Trebian Dissent
gradually altered its character Formerly it had been of a quiescent welltodo
kind represented architecturally by a small venerable darkpewed chapel
built by Presbyterians but long occupied by a sparse congregation of
Independents who were as little moved by doctrinal zeal as their churchgoing
neighbours and did not feel themselves deficient in religious liberty inasmuch
as they were not hindered from occasionally slumbering in their pews and were
not obliged to go regularly to the weekly prayermeeting But when stonepits
and coalpits made new hamlets that threatened to spread up to the very town
when the tapeweavers came with their newsreading inspectors and bookkeepers
the Independent chapel began to be filled with eager men and women to whom the
exceptional possession of religious truth was the condition which reconciled
them to a meagre existence and made them feel in secure alliance with the
unseen but supreme rule of a world in which their own visible part was small
There were Dissenters in Treby now who could not be regarded by the church
people in the light of old neighbours to whom the habit of going to chapel was
an innocent unenviable inheritance along with a particular house and garden a
tanyard or a grocery business Dissenters who in their turn without meaning
to be in the least abusive spoke of the highbred rector as a blind leader of
the blind And Dissent was not the only thing that the times had altered prices
had fallen poorrates had risen rent and tithe were not elastic enough and
the farmers fat sorrow had become lean he began to speculate on causes and to
trace things back to that causeless mystery the cessation of onepound notes
Thus when political agitation swept in a great current through the country
Treby Magna was prepared to vibrate The Catholic Emancipation Bill opened the
eyes of neighbours and made them aware how very injurious they were to each
other and to the welfare of mankind generally Mr Tiliot the church
spiritmerchant knew now that Mr Nuttwood the obliging grocer was one of
those Dissenters Deists Socinians Papists and Radicals who were in league to
destroy the constitution A retired old London tradesman who was believed to
understand politics said that thinking people must wish George the Third alive
again in all his early vigour of mind and even the farmers became less
materialistic in their view of causes and referred much to the agency of the
devil and the Irish Romans The rector the Rev Augustus Debarry really a fine
specimen of the oldfashioned aristocratic clergyman preaching short sermons
understanding business and acting liberally about his tithe had never before
found himself in collision with Dissenters but now he began to feel that these
people were a nuisance in the parish that his brother Sir Maximus must take
care lest they should get land to build more chapels and that it might not have
been a bad thing if the law had furnished him as a magistrate with a power of
putting a stop to the political sermons of the Independent preacher which in
their way were as pernicious sources of intoxication as the beerhouses The
Dissenters on their side were not disposed to sacrifice the cause of truth and
freedom to a temporizing mildness of language but they defended themselves from
the charge of religious indifference and solemnly disclaimed any lax
expectations that Catholics were likely to be saved urging on the contrary
that they were not too hopeful about Protestants who adhered to a bloated and
worldly prelacy Thus Treby Magna which had lived quietly through the great
earthquakes of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars which had remained
unmoved by the Rights of Man and saw little in Mr Cobbetts Weekly Register
except that he held eccentric views about potatoes began at last to know the
higher pains of a dim political consciousness and the development had been
greatly helped by the recent agitation about the Reform Bill Tory Whig and
Radical did not perhaps become clearer in their definition of each other but
the names seemed to acquire so strong a stamp of honour or infamy that
definitions would only have weakened the impression As to the short and easy
method of judging opinions by the personal character of those who held them it
was liable to be much frustrated in Treby It so happened in that particular
town that the Reformers were not all of them largehearted patriots or ardent
lovers of justice indeed one of them in the very midst of the agitation was
detected in using unequal scales a fact to which many Tories pointed with
disgust as showing plainly enough without further argument that the cry for a
change in the representative system was hollow trickery Again the Tories were
far from being all oppressors disposed to grind down the working classes into
serfdom and it was undeniable that the inspector at the tape manufactory who
spoke with much eloquence on the extension of the suffrage was a more
tyrannical personage than openhanded Mr Wace whose chief political tenet was
that it was all nonsense giving men votes when they had no stake in the country
On the other hand there were some Tories who gave themselves a great deal of
leisure to abuse hypocrites Radicals Dissenters and atheism generally but
whose inflamed faces theistic swearing and frankness in expressing a wish to
borrow certainly did not mark them out strongly as holding opinions likely to
save society
The Reformers had triumphed it was clear that the wheels were going whither
they were pulling and they were in fine spirits for exertion But if they were
pulling towards the countrys ruin there was the more need for others to hang
on behind and get the wheels to stick if possible In Treby as elsewhere
people were told they must rally at the coming election but there was now a
large number of waverers men of flexible practical minds who were not such
bigots as to cling to any views when a good tangible reason could be urged
against them while some regarded it as the most neighbourly thing to hold a
little with both sides and were not sure that they should rally or vote at all
It seemed an invidious thing to vote for one gentleman rather than another
These social changes in Treby parish are comparatively public matters and
this history is chiefly concerned with the private lot of a few men and women
but there is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public
life from the time when the primeval milkmaid had to wander with the wanderings
of her clan because the cow she milked was one of a herd which had made the
pastures bare Even in that conservatory existence where the fair Camelia is
sighed for by the noble young Pineapple neither of them needing to care about
the frost or rain outside there is a nether apparatus of hotwater pipes liable
to cool down on a strike of the gardeners or a scarcity of coal And the lives
we are about to look back upon do not belong to those conservatory species they
are rooted in the common earth having to endure all the ordinary chances of
past and present weather As to the weather of 1832 the Zadkiel of that time
had predicted that the electrical condition of the clouds in the political
hemisphere would produce unusual perturbations in organic existence and he
would perhaps have seen a fulfilment of his remarkable prophecy in that mutual
influence of dissimilar destinies which we shall see gradually unfolding itself
For if the mixed political conditions of Treby Magna had not been acted on by
the passing of the Reform Bill Mr Harold Transome would not have presented
himself as a candidate for North Loamshire Treby would not have been a
pollingplace Mr Matthew Jermyn would not have been on affable terms with a
Dissenting preacher and his flock and the venerable town would not have been
placarded with handbills more or less complimentary and retrospective
conditions in this case essential to the where and the what without which as
the learned know there can be no event whatever
For example it was through these conditions that a young man named Felix
Holt made a considerable difference in the life of Harold Transome though
nature and fortune seemed to have done what they could to keep the lots of the
two men quite aloof from each other Felix was heir to nothing better than a
quack medicine his mother lived up a back street in Treby Magna and her
sittingroom was ornamented with her best teatray and several framed
testimonials to the virtues of Holts Cathartic Lozenges and Holts Restorative
Elixir There could hardly have been a lot less like Harold Transomes than this
of the quack doctors son except in the superficial facts that he called
himself a Radical that he was the only son of his mother and that he had
lately returned to his home with ideas and resolves not a little disturbing to
that mothers mind
But Mrs Holt unlike Mrs Transome was much disposed to reveal her troubles
and was not without a counsellor into whose ear she could pour them On this 2nd
of September when Mr Harold Transome had had his first interview with Jermyn
and when the attorney went back to his office with new views of canvassing in
his mind Mrs Holt had put on her bonnet as early as nine oclock in the
morning and had gone to see the Rev Rufus Lyon minister of the Independent
Chapel usually spoken of as Malthouse Yard
Chapter 4
»A Pious and Painful Preacher«
Fuller
Mr Lyon lived in a small house not quite so good as the parish clerks
adjoining the entry which led to the Chapel Yard The new prosperity of Dissent
at Treby had led to an enlargement of the chapel which absorbed all extra funds
and left none for the enlargement of the ministers income He sat this morning
as usual in a low upstairs room called his study which by means of a closet
capable of holding his bed served also as a sleepingroom The bookshelves did
not suffice for his store of old books which lay about him in piles so arranged
as to leave narrow lanes between them for the minister was much given to
walking about during his hours of meditation and very narrow passages would
serve for his small legs unencumbered by any other drapery than his black silk
stockings and the flexible though prominent bows of black ribbon that tied his
kneebreeches He was walking about now with his hands clasped behind him an
attitude in which his body seemed to bear about the same proportion to his head
as the lower part of a stone Hermes bears to the carven image that crowns it
His face looked old and worn yet the curtain of hair that fell from his bald
crown and hung about his neck retained much of its original auburn tint and his
large brown shortsighted eyes were still clear and bright At the first
glance every one thought him a very oddlooking rusty old man the freeschool
boys often hooted after him and called him Revelations and to many respectable
church people old Lyons little legs and large head seemed to make Dissent
additionally preposterous But he was too shortsighted to notice those who
tittered at him too absent from the world of small facts and petty impulses in
which titterers live With Satan to argue against on matters of vital experience
as well as of church government with great texts to meditate on which seemed
to get deeper as he tried to fathom them it had never occurred to him to
reflect what sort of image his small person made on the retina of a lightminded
beholder The good Rufus had his ire and his egoism but they existed only as
the red heat which gave force to his belief and his teaching He was susceptible
concerning the true office of deacons in the primitive church and his small
nervous body was jarred from head to foot by the concussion of an argument to
which he saw no answer In fact the only moments when he could be said to be
really conscious of his body were when he trembled under the pressure of some
agitating thought
He was meditating on the text for his Sunday morning sermon »And all the
people said Amen« a mere mustardseed of a text which had split at first
only into two divisions »What was said« and »Who said it« but these were
growing into a manybranched discourse and the preachers eyes dilated and a
smile played about his mouth till as his manner was when he felt happily
inspired he had begun to utter his thoughts aloud in the varied measure and
cadence habitual to him changing from a rapid but distinct undertone to a loud
emphatic rallentando
»My brethren do you think that great shout was raised in Israel by each
mans waiting to say amen till his neighbours had said amen Do you think there
will ever be a great shout for the right the shout of a nation as of one man
rounded and whole like the voice of the archangel that bound together all the
listeners of earth and heaven if every Christian of you peeps round to see
what his neighbours in good coats are doing or else puts his hat before his
face that he may shout and never be heard But this is what you do when the
servant of God stands up to deliver his message do you lay your souls beneath
the Word as you set out your plants beneath the falling rain No one of you
sends his eyes to all corners he smothers his soul with small questions What
does brother Y think Is this doctrine high enough for brother Z Will the
church members be pleased And another «
Here the door was opened and old Lyddy the ministers servant put in her
head to say in a tone of despondency finishing with a groan »Here is Mrs Holt
wanting to speak to you she says she comes out of season but shes in
trouble«
»Lyddy« said Mr Lyon falling at once into a quiet conversational tone »if
you are wrestling with the enemy let me refer you to Ezekiel the thirteenth and
twentysecond and beg of you not to groan It is a stumblingblock and offence
to my daughter she would take no broth yesterday because she said you had
cried into it Thus you cause the truth to be lightly spoken of and make the
enemy rejoice If your faceache gives him an advantage take a little warm ale
with your meat I do not grudge the money«
»If I thought my drinking warm ale would hinder poor dear Miss Esther from
speaking light but she hates the smell of it«
»Answer not again Lyddy but send up Mistress Holt to me«
Lyddy closed the door immediately
»I lack grace to deal with these weak sisters« said the minister again
thinking aloud and walking »Their needs lie too much out of the track of my
meditations and take me often unawares Mistress Holt is another who darkens
counsel by words without knowledge and angers the reason of the natural man
Lord give me patience My sins were heavier to bear than this womans folly
Come in Mistress Holt come in«
He hastened to disencumber a chair of Matthew Henrys Commentary and begged
his visitor to be seated She was a tall elderly woman dressed in black with a
lightbrown front and a black band over her forehead She moved the chair a
little and seated herself in it with some emphasis looking fixedly at the
opposite wall with a hurt and argumentative expression Mr Lyon had placed
himself in the chair against his desk and waited with the resolute resignation
of a patient who is about to undergo an operation But his visitor did not
speak
»You have something on your mind Mistress Holt« he said at last
»Indeed I have sir else I shouldnt be here«
»Speak freely«
»Its well known to you Mr Lyon that my husband Mr Holt came from the
north and was a member in Malthouse Yard long before you began to be pastor of
it which was seven year ago last Michaelmas Its the truth Mr Lyon and Im
not that woman to sit here and say it if it wasnt true«
»Certainly it is true«
»And if my husband had been alive when youd come to preach upon trial hed
have been as good a judge of your gifts as Mr Nuttwood and Mr Muscat though
whether hed have agreed with some that your doctrine wasnt high enough I
cant say For myself Ive my opinion about high doctrine«
»Was it my preaching you came to speak about« said the minister hurrying
in the question
»No Mr Lyon Im not that woman But this I will say for my husband died
before your time that he had a wonderful gift in prayer as the old members
well know if anybody likes to ask em not believing my words and he believed
himself that the receipt for the Cancer Cure which Ive sent out in bottles
till this very last April before September as now is and have bottles standing
by me he believed it was sent him in answer to prayer and nobody can deny
it for he prayed most regular and read out of the green baize Bible«
Mrs Holt paused appearing to think that Mr Lyon had been successfully
confuted and should show himself convinced
»Has any one been aspersing your husbands character« said Mr Lyon with a
slight initiative towards that relief of groaning for which he had reproved
Lyddy
»Sir they darednt For though he was a man of prayer he didnt want skill
and knowledge to find things out for himself and that was what I used to say to
my friends when they wondered at my marrying a man from Lancashire with no
trade or fortune but what hed got in his head But my husbands tongue ud have
been a fortune to anybody and there was many a one said it was as good as a
dose of physic to hear him talk not but what that got him into trouble in
Lancashire but he always said if the worst came to the worst he could go and
preach to the blacks But he did better than that Mr Lyon for he married me
and this I will say that for age and conduct and managing «
»Mistress Holt« interrupted the minister »these are not the things whereby
we may edify one another Let me beg of you to be as brief as you can My time
is not my own«
»Well Mr Lyon Ive a right to speak to my own character and Im one of
your congregation though Im not a church member for I was born in the general
Baptist connection and as for being saved without works theres a many I
daresay cant do without that doctrine but I thank the Lord I never needed to
put myself on a level with the thief on the cross Ive done my duty and more
if anybody comes to that for Ive gone without my bit of meat to make broth for
a sick neighbour and if theres any of the church members say theyve done the
same Id ask them if they had the sinking at the stomach as I have for Ive
ever strove to do the right thing and more for goodnatured I always was and
I little thought after being respected by everybody I should come to be
reproached by my own son And my husband said when he was adying Mary he
said the elixir and the pills and the cure will support you for theyve a
great name in all the country round and youll pray for a blessing on them And
so I have done Mr Lyon and to say theyre not good medicines when theyve
been taken for fifty miles round by high and low and rich and poor and nobody
speaking against em but Dr Lukin it seems to me its a flying in the face of
Heaven for if it was wrong to take medicine couldnt the blessed Lord have
stopped it«
Mrs Holt was not given to tears she was much sustained by conscious
unimpeachableness and by an argumentative tendency which usually checks the too
great activity of the lachrymal gland nevertheless her eyes had become moist
her fingers played on her knee in an agitated manner and she finally plucked a
bit of her gown and held it with great nicety between her thumb and finger Mr
Lyon however by listening attentively had begun partly to divine the source
of her trouble
»Am I wrong in gathering from what you say Mistress Holt that your son has
objected in some way to your sale of your late husbands medicines«
»Mr Lyon hes masterful beyond everything and he talks more than his
father did Ive got my reason Mr Lyon and if anybody talks sense I can follow
him but Felix talks so wild and contradicts his mother And what do you think
he says after giving up his prenticeship and going off to study at Glasgow
and getting through all the bit of money his father saved for his bringingup
what has all his learning come to He says Id better never open my Bible for
its as bad poison to me as the pills are to half the people as swallow em
Youll not speak of this again Mr Lyon I dont think ill enough of you to
believe that For I suppose a Christian can understand the word o God without
going to Glasgow and theres texts upon texts about ointment and medicine and
theres one as might have been made for a receipt of my husbands its just as
if it was a riddle and Holts Elixir was the answer«
»Your son uses rash words Mistress Holt« said the minister »but it is
quite true that we may err in giving a too private interpretation to the
Scripture The word of God has to satisfy the larger needs of His people like
the rain and the sunshine which no man must think to be meant for his own
patch of seed solely Will it not be well that I should see your son and talk
with him on these matters He was at chapel I observed and I suppose I am to
be his pastor«
»That was what I wanted to ask you Mr Lyon For perhaps hell listen to
you and not talk you down as he does his poor mother For after wed been to
chapel he spoke better of you than he does of most he said you was a fine old
fellow and an oldfashioned Puritan he uses dreadful language Mr Lyon but I
saw he didnt mean you ill for all that He calls most folks religion
rottenness and yet another time hell tell me I ought to feel myself a sinner
and do Gods will and not my own But its my belief he says first one thing and
then another only to abuse his mother Or else hes going off his head and must
be sent to a sylum But if he writes to the North Loamshire Herald first to
tell everybody the medicines are good for nothing how can I ever keep him and
myself«
»Tell him I shall feel favoured if he will come and see me this evening«
said Mr Lyon not without a little prejudice in favour of the young man whose
language about the preacher in Malthouse Yard did not seem to him to be
altogether dreadful »Meanwhile my friend I counsel you to send up a
supplication which I shall not fail to offer also that you may receive a
spirit of humility and submission so that you may not be hindered from seeing
and following the divine guidance in this matter by any false lights of pride
and obstinacy Of this more when I have spoken with your son«
»Im not proud or obstinate Mr Lyon I never did say I was everything that
was bad and I never will And why this trouble should be sent on me above
everybody else for I havent told you all Hes made himself a journeyman to
Mr Prowd the watchmaker after all this learning and he says hell go with
patches on his knees and he shall like himself the better And as for his
having little boys to teach theyll come in all weathers with dirty shoes If
its madness Mr Lyon its no use your talking to him«
»We shall see Perhaps it may even be the disguised working of grace within
him We must not judge rashly Many eminent servants of God have been led by
ways as strange«
»Then Im sorry for their mothers thats all Mr Lyon and all the more if
theyd been wellspokenon women For not my biggest enemy whether its he or
she if theyll speak the truth can turn round and say Ive deserved this
trouble And when everybody gets their due and peoples doings are spoke of on
the housetops as the Bible says they will be itll be known what Ive gone
through with those medicines the pounding and the pouring and the letting
stand and the weighing up early and down late theres nobody knows yet but
One thats worthy to know and the pasting o the printed labels right side
upwards Theres few women would have gone through with it and its reasonable
to think itll be made up to me for if theres promised and purchased
blessings I should think this trouble is purchasing em For if my son Felix
doesnt have a straitwaistcoat put on him hell have his way But I say no
more I wish you goodmorning Mr Lyon and thank you though I well know its
your duty to act as youre doing And I never troubled you about my own soul as
some do who look down on me for not being a church member«
»Farewell Mistress Holt farewell I pray that a more powerful teacher than
I am may instruct you«
The door was closed and the muchtried Rufus walked about again saying
aloud groaningly
»This woman has sat under the gospel all her life and she is as blind as a
heathen and as proud and stiffnecked as a Pharisee yet she is one of the
souls I watch for Tis true that even Sara the chosen mother of Gods people
showed a spirit of unbelief and perhaps of selfish anger and it is a passage
that bears the unmistakable signet doing honour to the wife or woman as unto
the weaker vessel For therein is the greatest check put on the ready scorn of
the natural man«
Chapter 5
1ST CITIZEN
Sir theres a hurry in the veins of youth
That makes a vice of virtue by excess
2ND CITIZEN
What if the coolness of our tardier veins
Be loss of virtue
1ST CITIZEN
All things cool with time
The sun itself they say till heat shall find
A general level nowhere in excess
2ND CITIZEN
Tis a poor climax to my weaker thought
That future middlingness
In the evening when Mr Lyon was expecting the knock at the door that would
announce Felix Holt he occupied his cushionless armchair in the sittingroom
and was skimming rapidly in his shortsighted way by the light of one candle
the pages of a missionary report emitting occasionally a slight »Hmm« that
appeared to be expressive of criticism rather than of approbation The room was
dismally furnished the only objects indicating an intention of ornament being a
bookcase a map of the Holy Land an engraved portrait of Dr Doddridge and a
black bust with a coloured face which for some reason or other was covered with
green gauze Yet any one whose attention was quite awake must have been aware
even on entering of certain things that were incongruous with the general air
of sombreness and privation There was a delicate scent of dried roseleaves
the light by which the minister was reading was a waxcandle in a white
earthenware candlestick and the table on the opposite side of the fireplace
held a dainty workbasket frilled with blue satin
Felix Holt when he entered was not in an observant mood and when after
seating himself at the ministers invitation near the little table which held
the workbasket he stared at the waxcandle opposite to him he did so without
any wonder or consciousness that the candle was not of tallow But the
ministers sensitiveness gave another interpretation to the gaze which he
divined rather than saw and in alarm lest this inconsistent extravagance should
obstruct his usefulness he hastened to say
»You are doubtless amazed to see me with a waxlight my young friend but
this undue luxury is paid for with the earnings of my daughter who is so
delicately framed that the smell of tallow is loathsome to her«
»I heeded not the candle sir I thank Heaven I am not a mouse to have a
nose that takes note of wax or tallow«
The loud abrupt tones made the old man vibrate a little He had been
stroking his chin gently before with a sense that he must be very quiet and
deliberate in his treatment of the eccentric young man but now quite
unreflectingly he drew forth a pair of spectacles which he was in the habit of
using when he wanted to observe his interlocutor more closely than usual
»And I myself in fact am equally indifferent« he said as he opened and
adjusted his glasses »so that I have a sufficient light on my book« Here his
large eyes looked discerningly through the spectacles
»Tis the quality of the page you care about not of the candle« said
Felix smiling pleasantly enough at his inspector »Youre thinking that you
have a roughlywritten page before you now«
That was true The minister accustomed to the respectable air of provincial
townsmen and especially to the sleek wellclipped gravity of his own male
congregation felt a slight shock as his glasses made perfectly clear to him the
shaggyheaded largeeyed stronglimbed person of this questionable young man
without waistcoat or cravat But the possibility supported by some of Mrs
Holts words that a disguised work of grace might be going forward in the son
of whom she complained so bitterly checked any hasty interpretations
»I abstain from judging by the outward appearance only« he answered with
his usual simplicity »I myself have experienced that when the spirit is much
exercised it is difficult to remember neckbands and strings and such small
accidents of our vesture which are nevertheless decent and needful so long as
we sojourn in the flesh And you too my young friend as I gather from your
mothers troubled and confused report are undergoing some travail of mind You
will not I trust object to open yourself fully to me as to an aged pastor who
has himself had much inward wrestling and has especially known much temptation
from doubt«
»As to doubt« said Felix loudly and brusquely as before »if it is those
absurd medicines and gulling advertisements that my mother has been talking of
to you and I suppose it is Ive no more doubt about them than I have about
pocketpicking I know theres a stage of speculation in which a man may doubt
whether a pickpocket is blameworthy but Im not one of your subtle fellows
who keep looking at the world through their own legs If I allowed the sale of
those medicines to go on and my mother to live out of the proceeds when I can
keep her by the honest labour of my hands Ive not the least doubt that I
should be a rascal«
»I would fain inquire more particularly into your objection to these
medicines« said Mr Lyon gravely Notwithstanding his conscientiousness and a
certain originality in his own mental disposition he was too little used to
high principle quite dissociated from sectarian phraseology to be as immediately
in sympathy with it as he would otherwise have been »I know they have been well
reported of and many wise persons have tried remedies providentially discovered
by those who are not regular physicians and have found a blessing in the use of
them I may mention the eminent Mr Wesley who though I hold not altogether
with his Arminian doctrine nor with the usages of his institution was
nevertheless a man of God and the journals of various Christians whose names
have left a sweet savour might be cited in the same sense Moreover your
father who originally concocted these medicines and left them as a provision
for your mother was as I understand a man whose walk was not unfaithful«
»My father was ignorant« said Felix bluntly »He knew neither the
complication of the human system nor the way in which drugs counteract each
other Ignorance is not so damnable as humbug but when it prescribes pills it
may happen to do more harm I know something about these things I was prentice
for five miserable years to a stupid brute of a country apothecary my poor
father left money for that he thought nothing could be finer for me No
matter I know that the Cathartic Pills are a drastic compound which may be as
bad as poison to half the people who swallow them that the Elixir is an absurd
farrago of a dozen incompatible things and that the Cancer Cure might as well
be bottled ditchwater«
Mr Lyon rose and walked up and down the room His simplicity was strongly
mixed with sagacity as well as sectarian prejudice and he did not rely at once
on a loudspoken integrity Satan might have flavoured it with ostentation
Presently he asked in a rapid low tone »How long have you known this young
man«
»Well put sir« said Felix »Ive known it a good deal longer than Ive
acted on it like plenty of other things But you believe in conversion«
»Yea verily«
»So do I I was converted by six weeks debauchery«
The minister started »Young man« he said solemnly going up close to
Felix and laying a hand on his shoulder »speak not lightly of the divine
operations and restrain unseemly words«
»Im not speaking lightly« said Felix »If I had not seen that I was making
a hog of myself very fast and that pigwash even if could have got plenty of
it was a poor sort of thing I should never have looked life fairly in the face
to see what was to be done with it I laughed out loud at last to think of a
poor devil like me in a Scotch garret with my stockings out at heel and a
shilling or two to be dissipated upon with a smell of raw haggis mounting from
below and old women breathing gin as they passed me on the stairs wanting to
turn my life into easy pleasure Then I began to see what else it could be
turned into Not much perhaps This world is not a very fine place for a good
many of the people in it But Ive made up my mind it shant be the worse for
me if I can help it They may tell me I cant alter the world that there must
be a certain number of sneaks and robbers in it and if I dont lie and filch
somebody else will Well then somebody else shall for I wont Thats the
upshot of my conversion Mr Lyon if you want to know it«
Mr Lyon removed his hand from Felixs shoulder and walked about again »Did
you sit under any preacher at Glasgow young man«
»No I heard most of the preachers once but I never wanted to hear them
twice«
The good Rufus was not without a slight rising of resentment at this young
mans want of reverence It was not yet plain whether he wanted to hear twice
the preacher in Malthouse Yard But the resentful feeling was carefully
repressed a soul in so peculiar a condition must be dealt with delicately
»And now may I ask« he said »what course you mean to take after
hindering your mother from making and selling these drugs I speak no more in
their favour after what you have said God forbid that I should strive to hinder
you from seeking whatsoever things are honest and honourable But your mother is
advanced in years she needs comfortable sustenance you have doubtless
considered how you may make her amends He that provideth not for his own I
trust you respect the authority that so speaks And I will not suppose that
after being tender of conscience towards strangers you will be careless towards
your mother There be indeed some who taking a mighty charge on their
shoulders must perforce leave their households to Providence and to the care
of humbler brethren but in such a case the call must be clear«
»I shall keep my mother as well nay better than she has kept herself
She has always been frugal With my watch and clock cleaning and teaching one
or two little chaps that Ive got to come to me I can earn enough As for me I
can live on bran porridge I have the stomach of a rhinoceros«
»But for a young man so well furnished as you who can questionless write a
good hand and keep books were it not well to seek some higher situation as
clerk or assistant I could speak to Brother Muscat who is well acquainted with
all such openings Any place in Pendrells Bank I fear is now closed against
such as are not Churchmen It used not to be so but a year ago he discharged
Brother Bodkin although he was a valuable servant Still something might be
found There are ranks and degrees and those who can serve in the higher must
not unadvisedly change what seems to be a providential appointment Your poor
mother is not altogether «
»Excuse me Mr Lyon Ive had all that out with my mother and I may as well
save you any trouble by telling you that my mind has been made up about that a
long while ago Ill take no employment that obliges me to prop up my chin with
a high cravat and wear straps and pass the livelong day with a set of fellows
who spend their spare money on shirtpins That sort of work is really lower
than many handicrafts it only happens to be paid out of proportion Thats why
I set myself to learn the watchmaking trade My father was a weaver first of
all It would have been better for him if he had remained a weaver I came home
through Lancashire and saw an uncle of mine who is a weaver still I mean to
stick to the class I belong to people who dont follow the fashions«
Mr Lyon was silent a few moments This dialogue was far from plain sailing
he was not certain of his latitude and longitude If the despiser of Glasgow
preachers had been arguing in favour of gin and Sabbathbreaking Mr Lyons
course would have been clearer »Well well« he said deliberately »it is true
that St Paul exercised the trade of tentmaking though he was learned in all
the wisdom of the Rabbis«
»St Paul was a wise man« said Felix »Why should I want to get into the
middle class because I have some learning The most of the middle class are as
ignorant as the working people about everything that doesnt belong to their own
Brummagem life Thats how the working men are left to foolish devices and keep
worsening themselves the best heads among them forsake their born comrades and
go in for a house with a high doorstep and a brass knocker«
Mr Lyon stroked his mouth and chin perhaps because he felt some disposition
to smile and it would not be well to smile too readily at what seemed but a
weedy resemblance of Christian unworldliness On the contrary there might be a
dangerous snare in an unsanctified outstepping of average Christian practice
»Nevertheless« he observed gravely »it is by such selfadvancement that
many have been enabled to do good service to the cause of liberty and to the
public wellbeing The ring and the robe of Joseph were no objects for a good
mans ambition but they were the signs of that credit which he won by his
divinelyinspired skill and which enabled him to act as a saviour to his
brethren«
»O yes your ringed and scented men of the people I wont be one of them
Let a man once throttle himself with a satin stock and hell get new wants and
new motives Metamorphosis will have begun at his neckjoint and it will go on
till it has changed his likings first and then his reasoning which will follow
his likings as the feet of a hungry dog follow his nose Ill have none of your
clerkly gentility I might end by collecting greasy pence from poor men to buy
myself a fine coat and a gluttons dinner on pretence of serving the poor men
Id sooner be Paleys fat pigeon than a demagogue all tongue and stomach
though« here Felix changed his voice a little »I should like well enough to
be another sort of demagogue if I could«
»Then you have a strong interest in the great political movements of these
times« said Mr Lyon with a perceptible flashing of the eyes
»I should think so I despise every man who has not or having it doesnt
try to rouse it in other men«
»Right my young friend right« said the minister in a deep cordial tone
Inevitably his mind was drawn aside from the immediate consideration of Felix
Holts spiritual interest by the prospect of political sympathy In those days
so many instruments of Gods cause in the fight for religious and political
liberty held creeds that were painfully wrong and indeed irreconcilable with
salvation »That is my own view which I maintain in the face of some opposition
from brethren who contend that a share in public movements is a hindrance to the
closer walk and that the pulpit is no place for teaching men their duties as
members of the commonwealth I have had much puerile blame cast upon me because
I have uttered such names as Brougham and Wellington in the pulpit Why not
Wellington as well as Rabshakeh and why not Brougham as well as Balaam Does
God know less of men than He did in the days of Hezekiah and Moses is His arm
shortened and is the world become too wide for His providence But they say
there are no politics in the New Testament «
»Well theyre right enough there« said Felix with his usual
unceremoniousness
»What you are of those who hold that a Christian minister should not meddle
with public matters in the pulpit« said Mr Lyon colouring »I am ready to join
issue on that point«
»Not I sir« said Felix »I should say teach any truth you can whether
its in the Testament or out of it Its little enough anybody can get hold of
and still less what he can drive into the skulls of a pencecounting
parceltying generation such as mostly fill your chapels«
»Young man« said Mr Lyon pausing in front of Felix He spoke rapidly as
he always did except when his words were specially weighted with emotion he
overflowed with matter and in his mind matter was always completely organised
into words »I speak not on my own behalf for not only have I no desire that
any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be but I am aware of
much that should make me patient under a disesteem resting even on too hasty a
construction I speak not as claiming reverence for my own age and office not
to shame you but to warn you It is good that you should use plainness of
speech and I am not of those who would enforce a submissive silence on the
young that they themselves being elders may be heard at large for Elihu was
the youngest of Jobs friends yet was there a wise rebuke in his words and the
aged Eli was taught by a revelation to the boy Samuel I have to keep a special
watch over myself in this matter inasmuch as I have a need of utterance which
makes the thought within me seem as a pentup fire until I have shot it forth
as it were in arrowy words each one hitting its mark Therefore I pray for a
listening spirit which is a great mark of grace Nevertheless my young friend
I am bound as I said to warn you The temptations that most beset those who
have great natural gifts and are wise after the flesh are pride and scorn
more particularly towards those weak things of the world which have been chosen
to confound the things which are mighty The scornful nostril and the high head
gather not the odours that lie on the track of truth The mind that is too ready
at contempt and reprobation is «
Here the door opened and Mr Lyon paused to look round but seeing only
Lyddy with the teatray he went on
»Is I may say as a clenched fist that can give blows but is shut up from
receiving and holding ought that is precious though it were heavensent
manna«
»I understand you sir« said Felix goodhumouredly putting out his hand
to the little man who had come close to him as he delivered the last sentence
with sudden emphasis and slowness »But Im not inclined to clench my fist at
you«
»Well well« said Mr Lyon shaking the proffered hand »we shall see more
of each other and I trust shall have much profitable communing You will stay
and have a dish of tea with us we take the meal late on Thursdays because my
daughter is detained by giving a lesson in the French tongue But she is
doubtless returned now and will presently come and pour out tea for us«
»Thank you Ill stay« said Felix not from any curiosity to see the
ministers daughter but from a liking for the society of the minister himself
for his quaint looks and ways and the transparency of his talk which gave a
charm even to his weaknesses The daughter was probably some prim Miss neat
sensible pious but all in a small feminine way in which Felix was no more
interested than in Dorcas meetings biographies of devout women and that amount
of ornamental knitting which was not inconsistent with Nonconforming
seriousness
»Im perhaps a little too fond of banging and smashing« he went on »a
phrenologist at Glasgow told me I had large veneration another man there who
knew me laughed out and said I was the most blasphemous iconoclast living
That says my phrenologist is because of his large Ideality which prevents him
from finding anything perfect enough to be venerated Of course I put my ears
down and wagged my tail at that stroking«
»Yes yes I have had my own head explored with somewhat similar results It
is I fear but a vain show of fulfilling the heathen precept Know thyself and
too often leads to a selfestimate which will subsist in the absence of that
fruit by which alone the quality of the tree is made evident Nevertheless
Esther my dear this is Mr Holt whose acquaintance I have even now been making
with more than ordinary interest He will take tea with us«
Esther bowed slightly as she walked across the room to fetch the candle and
place it near her tray Felix rose and bowed also with an air of indifference
which was perhaps exaggerated by the fact that he was inwardly surprised The
ministers daughter was not the sort of person he expected She was quite
incongruous with his notion of ministers daughters in general and though he
had expected something nowise delightful the incongruity repelled him A very
delicate scent the faint suggestion of a garden was wafted as she went He
would not observe her but he had a sense of an elastic walk the tread of small
feet a long neck and a high crown of shining brown plaits with curls that
floated backward things in short that suggested a fine lady to him and
determined him to notice her as little as possible A fine lady was always a
sort of spunglass affair not natural and with no beauty for him as art but
a fine lady as the daughter of this rusty old Puritan was especially offensive
»Nevertheless« continued Mr Lyon who rarely let drop any thread of
discourse »that phrenological science is not irreconcilable with the revealed
dispensations And it is undeniable that we have our varying native dispositions
which even grace will not obliterate I myself from my youth up have been
given to question too curiously concerning the truth to examine and sift the
medicine of the soul rather than to apply it«
»If your truth happens to be such medicine as Holts Pills and Elixir the
less you swallow of it the better« said Felix »But truthvendors and
medicinevendors usually recommend swallowing When a man sees his livelihood in
a pill or a proposition he likes to have orders for the dose and not curious
inquiries«
This speech verged on rudeness but it was delivered with a brusque openness
that implied the absence of any personal intention The ministers daughter was
now for the first time startled into looking at Felix But her survey of this
unusual speaker was soon made and she relieved her father from the need to
reply by saying
»The tea is poured out father«
That was the signal for Mr Lyon to advance towards the table raise his
right hand and ask a blessing at sufficient length for Esther to glance at the
visitor again There seemed to be no danger of his looking at her he was
observing her father She had time to remark that he was a peculiarlooking
person but not insignificant which was the quality that most hopelessly
consigned a man to perdition He was massively built The striking points in his
face were large clear grey eyes and full lips
»Will you draw up to the table Mr Holt« said the minister
In the act of rising Felix pushed back his chair too suddenly against the
rickety table close by him and down went the bluefrilled workbasket flying
open and dispersing on the floor reels thimble muslin work a small sealed
bottle of atta of rose and something heavier than these a duodecimo volume
which fell close to him between the table and the fender
»O my stars« said Felix »I beg your pardon« Esther had already started
up and with wonderful quickness had picked up half the small rolling things
while Felix was lifting the basket and the book This last had opened and had
its leaves crushed in falling and with the instinct of a bookish man he saw
nothing more pressing to be done than to flatten the corners of the leaves
»Byrons Poems« he said in a tone of disgust while Esther was recovering
all the other articles »The Dream hed better have been asleep and snoring
What do you stuff your memory with Byron Miss Lyon«
Felix on his side was led at last to look straight at Esther but it was
with a strong denunciatory and pedagogic intention Of course he saw more
clearly than ever that she was a fine lady
She reddened drew up her long neck and said as she retreated to her chair
again
»I have a great admiration for Byron«
Mr Lyon had paused in the act of drawing his chair to the teatable and was
looking on at this scene wrinkling the corners of his eyes with a perplexed
smile Esther would not have wished him to know anything about the volume of
Byron but she was too proud to show any concern
»He is a worldly and vain writer I fear« said Mr Lyon He knew scarcely
anything of the poet whose books embodied the faith and ritual of many young
ladies and gentlemen
»A misanthropic debauchee« said Felix lifting a chair with one hand and
holding the book open in the other »whose notion of a hero was that he should
disorder his stomach and despise mankind His corsairs and renegades his Alps
and Manfreds are the most paltry puppets that were ever pulled by the strings
of lust and pride«
»Hand the book to me« said Mr Lyon
»Let me beg of you to put it aside till after tea father« said Esther
»However objectionable Mr Holt may find its pages they would certainly be made
worse by being greased with breadandbutter«
»That is true my dear« said Mr Lyon laying down the book on the small
table behind him He saw that his daughter was angry
»Ho ho« thought Felix »her father is frightened at her How came he to
have such a nicestepping longnecked peacock for his daughter but she shall
see that I am not frightened« Then he said aloud »I should like to know how
you will justify your admiration for such a writer Miss Lyon«
»I should not attempt it with you Mr Holt« said Esther »You have such
strong words at command that they make the smallest argument seem formidable
If I had ever met the giant Cormoran I should have made a point of agreeing
with him in his literary opinions«
Esther had that excellent thing in woman a soft voice with a clear fluent
utterance Her sauciness was always charming because it was without emphasis
and was accompanied with graceful little turns of the head
Felix laughed at her thrust with young heartiness
»My daughter is a critic of words Mr Holt« said the minister smiling
complacently »and often corrects mine on the ground of niceties which I
profess are as dark to me as if they were the reports of a sixth sense which I
possess not I am an eager seeker for precision and would fain find language
subtle enough to follow the utmost intricacies of the souls pathways but I see
not why a round word that means some object made and blessed by the Creator
should be branded and banished as a malefactor«
»O your niceties I know what they are« said Felix in his usual
fortissimo »They all go on your system of makebelieve Rottenness may suggest
what is unpleasant so youd better say sugarplums or something else such a
long way off the fact that nobody is obliged to think of it Those are your
roundabout euphuisms that dress up swindling till it looks as well as honesty
and shoot with boiled pease instead of bullets I hate your gentlemanly
speakers«
»Then you would not like Mr Jermyn I think« said Esther »That reminds me
father that today when I was giving Miss Louisa Jermyn her lesson Mr Jermyn
came in and spoke to me with grand politeness and asked me at what times you
were likely to be disengaged because he wished to make your better
acquaintance and consult you on matters of importance He never took the least
notice of me before Can you guess the reason of his sudden ceremoniousness«
»Nay child« said the minister ponderingly
»Politics of course« said Felix »Hes on some committee An election is
coming Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in
prolonging the lives of the poultry Eh Mr Lyon Isnt that it«
»Nay not so He is the close ally of the Transome family who are blind
hereditary Tories like the Debarrys and will drive their tenants to the poll as
if they were sheep And it has even been hinted that the heir who is coming from
the East may be another Tory candidate and coalesce with the younger Debarry
It is said that he has enormous wealth and could purchase every vote in the
county that has a price«
»He is come« said Esther »I heard Miss Jermyn tell her sister that she had
seen him going out of her fathers room«
»Tis strange« said Mr Lyon
»Something extraordinary must have happened« said Esther »for Mr Jermyn to
intend courting us Miss Jermyn said to me only the other day that she could not
think how I came to be so well educated and ladylike She always thought
Dissenters were ignorant vulgar people I said so they were usually and
Church people also in small towns She considers herself a judge of what is
ladylike and she is vulgarity personified with large feet and the most
odious scent on her handkerchief and a bonnet that looks like The Fashion
printed in capital letters«
»One sort of fine ladyism is as good as another« said Felix
»No indeed Pardon me« said Esther »A real finelady does not wear
clothes that flare in peoples eyes or use importunate scents or make a noise
as she moves she is something refined and graceful and charming and never
obtrusive«
»O yes« said Felix contemptuously »And she reads Byron also and admires
Childe Harold gentlemen of unspeakable woes who employ a hairdresser and
look seriously at themselves in the glass«
Esther reddened and gave a little toss Felix went on triumphantly »A fine
lady is a squirrelheaded thing with small airs and small notions about as
applicable to the business of life as a pair of tweezers to the clearing of a
forest Ask your father what those old persecuted emigrant Puritans would have
done with finelady wives and daughters«
»O there is no danger of such misalliances« said Esther »Men who are
unpleasant companions and make frights of themselves are sure to get wives
tasteless enough to suit them«
»Esther my dear« said Mr Lyon »let not your playfulness betray you into
disrespect towards those venerable pilgrims They struggled and endured in order
to cherish and plant anew the seeds of scriptural doctrine and of a pure
discipline«
»Yes I know« said Esther hastily dreading a discourse on the pilgrim
fathers
»O they were an ugly lot« Felix burst in making Mr Lyon start »Miss
Medora wouldnt have minded if they had all been put into the pillory and lost
their ears She would have said Their ears did stick out so I shouldnt wonder
if thats a bust of one of them« Here Felix with sudden keenness of
observation nodded at the black bust with the gauze over its coloured face
»No« said Mr Lyon »that is the eminent George Whitfield who you well
know had a gift of oratory as of one on whom the tongue of flame had rested
visibly But Providence doubtless for wise ends in relation to the inner man
for I would not inquire too closely into minutiae which carry too many plausible
interpretations for any one of them to be stable Providence I say ordained
that the good man should squint and my daughter has not yet learned to bear
with this infirmity«
»So she has put a veil over it Suppose you had squinted yourself« said
Felix looking at Esther
»Then doubtless you could have been more polite to me Mr Holt« said
Esther rising and placing herself at her worktable »You seem to prefer what is
unusual and ugly«
»A peacock« thought Felix »I should like to come and scold her every day
and make her cry and cut her fine hair off«
Felix rose to go and said »I will not take up more of your valuable time
Mr Lyon I know that you have not many spare evenings«
»That is true my young friend for I now go to Sproxton one evening in the
week I do not despair that we may some day need a chapel there though the
hearers do not multiply save among the women and there is no work as yet begun
among the miners themselves I shall be glad of your company in my walk thither
tomorrow at five oclock if you would like to see how that population has
grown of late years«
»O Ive been to Sproxton already several times I had a congregation of my
own there last Sunday evening«
»What do you preach« said Mr Lyon with a brightened glance
»Not exactly I went to the alehouse«
Mr Lyon started »I trust you are putting a riddle to me young man even as
Samson did to his companions From what you said but lately it cannot be that
you are given to tippling and to taverns«
»O I dont drink much I order a pint of beer and I get into talk with the
fellows over their pots and pipes Somebody must take a little knowledge and
common sense to them in this way else how are they to get it I go for
educating the nonelectors so I put myself in the way of my pupils my academy
is the beerhouse Ill walk with you tomorrow with great pleasure«
»Do so do so« said Mr Lyon shaking hands with his old acquaintance »We
shall understand each other better byandby I doubt not«
»I wish you goodevening Miss Lyon«
Esther bowed very slightly without speaking
»That is a singular young man Esther« said the minister walking about
after Felix was gone »I discern in him a love for whatsoever things are honest
and true which I would fain believe to be an earnest of further endowment with
the wisdom that is from on high It is true that as the traveller in the desert
is often lured by a false vision of water and freshness to turn aside from the
track which leads to the tried and established fountains so the Evil One will
take advantage of a natural yearning towards the better to delude the soul with
a selfflattering belief in a visionary virtue higher than the ordinary fruits
of the Spirit But I trust it is not so here I feel a great enlargement in this
young mans presence notwithstanding a certain licence in his language which I
shall use my efforts to correct«
»I think he is very coarse and rude« said Esther with a touch of temper in
her voice »But he speaks better English than most of our visitors What is his
occupation«
»Watch and clock making by which together with a little teaching as I
understand he hopes to maintain his mother not thinking it right that she
should live by the sale of medicines whose virtues he distrusts It is no common
scruple«
»Dear me« said Esther »I thought he was something higher than that« She
was disappointed
Felix on his side as he strolled out in the evening air said to himself
»Now by what fine meshes of circumstance did that queer devout old man with his
awful creed which makes this world a vestibule with double doors to hell and a
narrow stair on one side whereby the thinner sort may mount to heaven by what
subtle play of flesh and spirit did he come to have a daughter so little in his
own likeness Married foolishly I suppose Ill never marry though I should
have to live on raw turnips to subdue my flesh Ill never look back and say I
had a fine purpose once I meant to keep my hands clean and my soul upright
and to look truth in the face but pray excuse me I have a wife and children
I must lie and simper a little else theyll starve or My wife is nice she
must have her bread well buttered and her feelings will be hurt if she is not
thought genteel That is the lot Miss Esther is preparing for some man or other
I could grind my teeth at such selfsatisfied minxes who think they can tell
everybody what is the correct thing and the utmost stretch of their ideas will
not place them on a level with the intelligent fleas I should like to see if
she could be made ashamed of herself«
Chapter 6
»Though she be dead yet let me think she lives
And feed my mind that dies for want of her«
Marlowe Tamburlaine the Great
Hardly any one in Treby who thought at all of Mr Lyon and his daughter had not
felt the same sort of wonder about Esther as Felix felt She was not much liked
by her fathers church and congregation The less serious observed that she had
too many airs and graces and held her head much too high the stricter sort
feared greatly that Mr Lyon had not been sufficiently careful in placing his
daughter among Godfearing people and that being led astray by the melancholy
vanity of giving her exceptional accomplishments he had sent her to a French
school and allowed her to take situations where she had contracted notions not
only above her own rank but of too worldly a kind to be safe in any rank But
no one knew what sort of woman her mother had been for Mr Lyon never spoke of
his past domesticities When he was chosen as pastor at Treby in 1825 it was
understood that he had been a widower many years and he had no companion but
the tearful and muchexercised Lyddy his daughter being still at school It was
only two years ago that Esther had come home to live permanently with her
father and take pupils in the town Within that time she had excited a passion
in two young Dissenting breasts that were clad in the best style of Treby
waistcoat a garment which at that period displayed much design both in the
stuff and the wearer and she had secured an astonished admiration of her
cleverness from the girls of various ages who were her pupils indeed her
knowledge of French was generally held to give a distinction to Treby itself as
compared with other markettowns But she had won little regard of any other
kind Wise Dissenting matrons were divided between fear lest their sons should
want to marry her and resentment that she should treat those undeniable young
men with a distant scorn which was hardly to be tolerated in a ministers
daughter not only because that parentage appeared to entail an obligation to
show an exceptional degree of Christian humility but because looked at from a
secular point of view a poor minister must be below the substantial
householders who kept him For at that time the preacher who was paid under the
Voluntary system was regarded by his flock with feelings not less mixed than the
spiritual person who still took his tithepig or his modus His gifts were
admired and tears were shed under best bonnets at his sermons but the weaker
tea was thought good enough for him and even when he went to preach a charity
sermon in a strange town he was treated with homemade wine and the smaller
bedroom As the good churchmans reverence was often mixed with growling and
was apt to be given chiefly to an abstract parson who was what a parson ought to
be so the good Dissenter sometimes mixed his approval of ministerial gifts with
considerable criticism and cheapening of the human vessel which contained these
treasures Mrs Muscat and Mrs Nuttwood applied the principle of Christian
equality by remarking that Mr Lyon had his oddities and that he ought not to
allow his daughter to indulge in such unbecoming expenditure on her gloves
shoes and hosiery even if she did pay for them out of her earnings As for the
Church people who engaged Miss Lyon to give lessons in their families their
imaginations were altogether prostrated by the incongruity between
accomplishments and Dissent between weekly prayermeetings and a conversance
with so lively and altogether worldly a language as the French Esthers own
mind was not free from a sense of irreconcilableness between the objects of her
taste and the conditions of her lot She knew that Dissenters were looked down
upon by those whom she regarded as the most refined classes her favourite
companions both in France and at an English school where she had been a junior
teacher had thought it quite ridiculous to have a father who was a Dissenting
preacher and when an ardently admiring schoolfellow induced her parents to take
Esther as a governess to the younger children all her native tendencies towards
luxury fastidiousness and scorn of mock gentility were strengthened by
witnessing the habits of a wellborn and wealthy family Yet the position of
servitude was irksome to her and she was glad at last to live at home with her
father for though throughout her girlhood she had wished to avoid this lot a
little experience had taught her to prefer its comparative independence But she
was not contented with her life she seemed to herself to be surrounded with
ignoble uninteresting conditions from which there was no issue for even if
she had been unamiable enough to give her father pain deliberately it would
have been no satisfaction to her to go to Treby church and visibly turn her
back on Dissent It was not religious differences but social differences that
Esther was concerned about and her ambitious taste would have been no more
gratified in the society of the Waces than in that of the Muscats The Waces
spoke imperfect English and played whist the Muscats spoke the same dialect and
took in the Evangelical Magazine Esther liked neither of these amusements She
had one of those exceptional organisations which are quick and sensitive without
being in the least morbid she was alive to the finest shades of manner to the
nicest distinctions of tone and accent she had a little code of her own about
scents and colours textures and behaviour by which she secretly condemned or
sanctioned all things and persons And she was well satisfied with herself for
her fastidious taste never doubting that hers was the highest standard She was
proud that the bestborn and handsomest girls at school had always said that she
might be taken for a born lady Her own pretty instep clad in a silk stocking
her little heel just rising from a kid slipper her irreproachable nails and
delicate wrist were the objects of delighted consciousness to her and she felt
that it was her superiority which made her unable to use without disgust any but
the finest cambric handkerchiefs and freshest gloves Her money all went in the
gratification of these nice tastes and she saved nothing from her earnings I
cannot say that she had any pangs of conscience on this score for she felt sure
that she was generous she hated all meanness would empty her purse impulsively
on some sudden appeal to her pity and if she found out that her father had a
want she would supply it with some pretty device of a surprise But then the
good man so seldom had a want except the perpetual desire which she could
never gratify of seeing her under convictions and fit to become a member of
the church
As for little Mr Lyon he loved and admired this unregenerate child more he
feared than was consistent with the due preponderance of impersonal and
ministerial regards he prayed and pleaded for her with tears humbling himself
for her spiritual deficiencies in the privacy of his study and then he came
downstairs to find himself in timorous subjection to her wishes lest as he
inwardly said he should give his teaching an ill savour by mingling it with
outward crossing There will be queens in spite of Salic or other laws of later
date than Adam and Eve and here in this small dingy house of the minister in
Malthouse Yard there was a lightfooted sweetvoiced Queen Esther
The stronger will always rule say some with an air of confidence which is
like a lawyers flourish forbidding exceptions or additions But what is
strength Is it blind wilfulness that sees no terrors no manylinked
consequences no bruises and wounds of those whose cords it tightens Is it the
narrowness of a brain that conceives no needs differing from its own and looks
to no results beyond the bargains of today that tugs with emphasis for every
small purpose and thinks it weakness to exercise the sublime power of resolved
renunciation There is a sort of subjection which is the peculiar heritage of
largeness and of love and strength is often only another name for willing
bondage to irremediable weakness
Esther had affection for her father she recognised the purity of his
character and a quickness of intellect in him which responded to her own
liveliness in spite of what seemed a dreary piety which selected everything
that was least interesting and romantic in life and history But his old clothes
had a smoky odour and she did not like to walk with him because when people
spoke to him in the street it was his wont instead of remarking on the weather
and passing on to pour forth in an absent manner some reflections that were
occupying his mind about the traces of the divine government or about a
peculiar incident narrated in the life of the eminent Mr Richard Baxter Esther
had a horror of appearing ridiculous even in the eyes of vulgar Trebians She
fancied that she should have loved her mother better than she was able to love
her father and she wished she could have remembered that mother more
thoroughly
But she had no more than a broken vision of the time before she was five
years old the time when the word oftenest on her lips was Mamma when a low
voice spoke caressing French words to her and she in her turn repeated the
words to her ragdoll when a very small white hand different from any that
came after used to pat her and stroke her and tie on her frock and pinafore
and when at last there was nothing but sitting with a doll on a bed where mamma
was lying till her father once carried her away Where distinct memory began
there was no longer the low caressing voice and the small white hand She knew
that her mother was a Frenchwoman that she had been in want and distress and
that her maiden name was Annette Ledru Her father had told her no more than
this and once in her childhood when she had asked him some question he had
said »My Esther until you are a woman we will only think of your mother when
you are about to be married and leave me we will speak of her and I will
deliver to you her ring and all that was hers but without a great command laid
upon me I cannot pierce my heart by speaking of that which was and is lost«
Esther had never forgotten these words and the older she became the more
impossible she felt it that she should urge her father with questions about the
past
His inability to speak of that past to her depended on manifold causes
Partly it came from an initial concealment He had not the courage to tell
Esther that he was not really her father he had not the courage to renounce
that hold on her tenderness which the belief in his natural fatherhood must help
to give him or to incur any resentment that her quick spirit might feel at
having been brought up under a false supposition But there were other things
yet more difficult for him to be quite open about deep sorrows of his life as
a Christian minister that were hardly to be told to a girl
Twentytwo years before when Rufus Lyon was no more than thirtysix years
old he was the admired pastor of a large Independent congregation in one of our
southern seaport towns He was unmarried and had met all exhortations of
friends who represented to him that a bishop ie the overseer of an
Independent church and congregation should be the husband of one wife by
saying that St Paul meant this particular as a limitation and not as an
injunction that a minister was permitted to have one wife but that he Rufus
Lyon did not wish to avail himself of that permission finding his studies and
other labours of his vocation allabsorbing and seeing that mothers in Israel
were sufficiently provided by those who had not been set apart for a more
special work His church and congregation were proud of him he was put forward
on platforms was made a deputation and was requested to preach anniversary
sermons in faroff towns Wherever noteworthy preachers were discussed Rufus
Lyon was almost sure to be mentioned as one who did honour to the Independent
body his sermons were said to be full of study yet full of fire and while he
had more of human knowledge than many of his brethren he showed in an eminent
degree the marks of a true ministerial vocation But on a sudden this burning
and shining light seemed to be quenched Mr Lyon voluntarily resigned his charge
and withdrew from the town
A terrible crisis had come upon him a moment in which religious doubt and
newlyawakened passion had rushed together in a common flood and had paralysed
his ministerial gifts His life of thirtysix years had been a story of purely
religious and studious fervour his passion had been for doctrines for
argumentative conquest on the side of right the sins he had had chiefly to pray
against had been those of personal ambition under such forms as ambition takes
in the mind of a man who has chosen the career of an Independent preacher and
those of a too restless intellect ceaselessly urging questions concerning the
mystery of that which was assuredly revealed and thus hindering the due
nourishment of the soul on the substance of the truth delivered Even at that
time of comparative youth his unworldliness and simplicity in small matters
for he was keenly awake to the larger affairs of this world gave a certain
oddity to his manners and appearance and though his sensitive face had much
beauty his person altogether seemed so irrelevant to a fashionable view of
things that welldressed ladies and gentlemen usually laughed at him as they
probably did at Mr John Milton after the Restoration and ribbons had come in
and still more at that apostle of weak bodily presence who preached in the
back streets of Ephesus and elsewhere a new view of a new religion that hardly
anybody believed in Rufus Lyon was the singularlooking apostle of the meeting
in Skippers Lane Was it likely that any romance should befall such a man
Perhaps not but romance did befall him
One winters evening in 1812 Mr Lyon was returning from a village
preaching He walked at his usual rapid rate with busy thoughts undistracted by
any sight more distinct than the bushes and hedgerow trees black beneath a
faint moonlight until something suggested to him that he had perhaps omitted to
bring away with him a thin accountbook in which he recorded certain
subscriptions He paused unfastened his outer coat and felt in all his pockets
then he took off his hat and looked inside it The book was not to be found and
he was about to walk on when he was startled by hearing a low sweet voice say
with a strong foreign accent
»Have pity on me sir«
Searching with his shortsighted eyes he perceived some one on a sidebank
and approaching he found a young woman with a baby on her lap She spoke again
more faintly than before
»Sir I die with hunger in the name of God take the little one«
There was no distrusting the pale face and the sweet low voice Without
pause Mr Lyon took the baby in his arms and said »Can you walk by my side
young woman«
She rose but seemed tottering »Lean on me« said Mr Lyon And so they
walked slowly on the minister for the first time in his life carrying a baby
Nothing better occurred to him than to take his charge to his own house it
was the simplest way of relieving the womans wants and finding out how she
could be helped further and he thought of no other possibilities She was too
feeble for more words to be spoken between them till she was seated by his
fireside His elderly servant was not easily amazed at anything her master did
in the way of charity and at once took the baby while Mr Lyon unfastened the
mothers damp bonnet and shawl and gave her something warm to drink Then
waiting by her till it was time to offer her more he had nothing to do but to
notice the loveliness of her face which seemed to him as that of an angel with
a benignity in its repose that carried a more assured sweetness than any smile
Gradually she revived lifted up her delicate hands between her face and the
firelight and looked at the baby which lay opposite to her on the old servants
lap taking in spoonfuls with much content and stretching out naked feet
towards the warmth Then as her consciousness of relief grew into contrasting
memory she lifted up her eyes to Mr Lyon who stood close by her and said in
her pretty broken way
»I knew you had a good heart when you took your hat off You seemed to me as
the image of the bienaimé Saint Jean«
The grateful glance of those bluegrey eyes with their long shadowmaking
eyelashes was a new kind of good to Rufus Lyon it seemed to him as if a woman
had never really looked at him before Yet this poor thing was apparently a
blind French Catholic of delicate nurture surely judging from her hands He
was in a tremor he felt that it would be rude to question her and he only
urged her now to take a little food She accepted it with evident enjoyment
looking at the child continually and then with a fresh burst of gratitude
leaning forward to press the servants hand and say »O you are good« Then
she looked up at Mr Lyon again and said »Is there in the world a prettier
marmot«
The evening passed a bed was made up for the strange woman and Mr Lyon had
not asked her so much as her name He never went to bed himself that night He
spent it in misery enduring a horrible assault of Satan He thought a frenzy
had seized him Wild visions of an impossible future thrust themselves upon him
He dreaded lest the woman had a husband he wished that he might call her his
own that he might worship her beauty that she might love and caress him And
what to the mass of men would have been only one of many allowable follies a
transient fascination to be dispelled by daylight and contact with those common
facts of which commonsense is the reflex was to him a spiritual convulsion
He was as one who raved and knew that he raved These mad wishes were
irreconcilable with what he was and must be as a Christian minister nay
penetrating his soul as tropic heat penetrates the frame and changes for it all
aspects and all flavours they were irreconcilable with that conception of the
world which made his faith All the busy doubt which had before been mere impish
shadows flitting around a belief that was strong with the strength of an
unswerving moral bias had now gathered blood and substance The questioning
spirit had become suddenly bold and blasphemous it no longer insinuated
scepticism it prompted defiance it no longer expressed cool inquisitive
thought but was the voice of a passionate mood Yet he never ceased to regard
it as the voice of the tempter the conviction which had been the law of his
better life remained within him as a conscience
The struggle of that night was an abridgment of all the struggles that came
after Quick souls have their intensest life in the first anticipatory sketch of
what may or will be and the pursuit of their wish is the pursuit of that
paradisaic vision which only impelled them and is left farther and farther
behind vanishing for ever even out of hope in the moment which is called
success
The next morning Mr Lyon heard his guests history She was the daughter of
a French officer of considerable rank who had fallen in the Russian campaign
She had escaped from France to England with much difficulty in order to rejoin
her husband a young Englishman to whom she had become attached during his
detention as a prisoner of war on parole at Vesoul where she was living under
the charge of some relatives and to whom she had been married without the
consent of her family Her husband had served in the Hanoverian army had
obtained his discharge in order to visit England on some business with the
nature of which she was not acquainted and had been taken prisoner as a
suspected spy A short time after their marriage he and his fellowprisoners had
been moved to a town nearer the coast and she had remained in wretched
uncertainty about him until at last a letter had come from him telling her that
an exchange of prisoners had occurred that he was in England that she must use
her utmost effort to follow him and that on arriving on English ground she must
send him word under a cover which he enclosed bearing an address in London
Fearing the opposition of her friends she started unknown to them with a very
small supply of money and after enduring much discomfort and many fears in
waiting for a passage which she at last got in a small trading smack she
arrived at Southampton ill Before she was able to write her baby was born
and before her husbands answer came she had been obliged to pawn some clothes
and trinkets He desired her to travel to London where he would meet her at the
Belle Sauvage adding that he was himself in distress and unable to come to her
when once he was in London they would take ship and quit the country Arrived at
the Belle Sauvage the poor thing waited three days in vain for her husband on
the fourth a letter came in a strange hand saying that in his last moments he
had desired this letter to be written to inform her of his death and recommend
her to return to her friends She could choose no other course but she had soon
been reduced to walking that she might save her pence to buy bread with and on
the evening when she made her appeal to Mr Lyon she had pawned the last thing
over and above needful clothing that she could persuade herself to part with
The things she had not borne to part with were her marriagering and a locket
containing her husbands hair and bearing his baptismal name This locket she
said exactly resembled one worn by her husband on his watchchain only that
his bore the name Annette and contained a lock of her hair The precious trifle
now hung round her neck by a cord for she had sold the small gold chain which
formerly held it
The only guarantee of this story besides the exquisite candour of her face
was a small packet of papers which she carried in her pocket consisting of her
husbands few letters the letter which announced his death and her marriage
certificate It was not so probable a story as that of many an inventive
vagrant but Mr Lyon did not doubt it for a moment It was impossible to him to
suspect this angelicfaced woman but he had strong suspicions concerning her
husband He could not help being glad that she had not retained the address he
had desired her to send to in London as that removed any obvious means of
learning particulars about him But inquiries might have been made at Vesoul by
letter and her friends there might have been appealed to A consciousness not
to be quite silenced told Mr Lyon that this was the course he ought to take
but it would have required an energetic selfconquest and he was excused from
it by Annettes own disinclination to return to her relatives if any other
acceptable possibility could be found
He dreaded with a violence of feeling which surmounted all struggles lest
anything should take her away and place such barriers between them as would
make it unlikely or impossible that she should ever love him well enough to
become his wife Yet he saw with perfect clearness that unless he tore up this
mad passion by the roots his ministerial usefulness would be frustrated and
the repose of his soul would be destroyed This woman was an unregenerate
Catholic ten minutes listening to her artless talk made that plain to him
even if her position had been less equivocal to unite himself to such a woman
was nothing less than a spiritual fall It was already a fall that he had wished
there was no high purpose to which he owed an allegiance that he had longed to
fly to some backwoods where there was no church to reproach him and where he
might have this sweet woman to wife and know the joys of tenderness Those
sensibilities which in most lives are diffused equally through the youthful
years were aroused suddenly in Mr Lyon as some men have their special genius
revealed to them by a tardy concurrence of conditions His love was the first
love of a fresh young heart full of wonder and worship But what to one man is
the virtue which he has sunk below the possibility of aspiring to is to another
the backsliding by which he forfeits his spiritual crown
The end was that Annette remained in his house He had striven against
himself so far as to represent her position to some chief matrons in his
congregations praying and yet dreading that they would so take her by the hand
as to impose on him that denial of his own longing not to let her go out of his
sight which he found it too hard to impose on himself But they regarded the
case coldly the woman was after all a vagrant Mr Lyon was observed to be
surprisingly weak on the subject his eagerness seemed disproportionate and
unbecoming and this young Frenchwoman unable to express herself very clearly
was no more interesting to those matrons and their husbands than other pretty
young women suspiciously circumstanced They were willing to subscribe something
to carry her on her way or if she took some lodgings they would give her a
little sewing and endeavour to convert her from papistry If however she was
a respectable person as she said the only proper thing for her was to go back
to her own country and friends In spite of himself Mr Lyon exulted There
seemed a reason now that he should keep Annette under his own eyes He told
himself that no real object would be served by his providing food and lodging
for her elsewhere an expense which he could ill afford And she was apparently
so helpless except as to the one task of attending to her baby that it would
have been folly to think of her exerting herself for her own support
But this course of his was severely disapproved by his church There were
various signs that the minister was under some evil influence his preaching
wanted its old fervour he seemed to shun the intercourse of his brethren and
very mournful suspicions were entertained A formal remonstrance was presented
to him but he met it as if he had already determined to act in anticipation of
it He admitted that external circumstances conjoined with a peculiar state of
mind were likely to hinder the fruitful exercise of his ministry and he
resigned it There was much sorrowing much expostulation but he declared that
for the present he was unable to unfold himself more fully he only wished to
state solemnly that Annette Ledru though blind in spiritual things was in a
worldly sense a pure and virtuous woman No more was to be said and he departed
to a distant town Here he maintained himself Annette and the child with the
remainder of his stipend and with the wages he earned as a printers reader
Annette was one of those angelicfaced helpless women who take all things as
manna from heaven the good image of the wellbeloved Saint John wished her to
stay with him and there was nothing else that she wished for except the
unattainable Yet for a whole year Mr Lyon never dared to tell Annette that he
loved her he trembled before this woman he saw that the idea of his being her
lover was too remote from her mind for her to have any idea that she ought not
to live with him She had never known never asked the reason why he gave up his
ministry She seemed to entertain as little concern about the strange world in
which she lived as a bird in its nest an avalanche had fallen over the past
but she sat warm and uncrushed there was food for many morrows and her baby
flourished She did not seem even to care about a priest or about having her
child baptised and on the subject of religion Mr Lyon was as timid and shrank
as much from speaking to her as on the subject of his love He dreaded anything
that might cause her to feel a sudden repulsion towards him He dreaded
disturbing her simple gratitude and content In these days his religious faith
was not slumbering it was awake and achingly conscious of having fallen in a
struggle He had had a great treasure committed to him and had flung it away
he held himself a backslider His unbelieving thoughts never gained the full ear
and consent of his soul His prayers had been stifled by the sense that there
was something he preferred to complete obedience they had ceased to be anything
but intermittent cries and confessions and a submissive presentiment rising at
times even to an entreaty that some great discipline might come that the
dulled spiritual sense might be roused to full vision and hearing as of old and
the supreme facts become again supreme in his soul Mr Lyon will perhaps seem a
very simple personage with pitiably narrow theories but none of our theories
are quite large enough for all the disclosures of time and to the end of mens
struggles a penalty will remain for those who sink from the ranks of the heroes
into the crowd for whom the heroes fight and die
One day however Annette learned Mr Lyons secret The baby had a tooth
coming and being large and strong now was noisily fretful Mr Lyon though he
had been working extra hours and was much in need of repose took the child from
its mother immediately on entering the house and walked about with it patting
and talking soothingly to it The stronger grasp the new sensations were a
successful anodyne and baby went to sleep on his shoulder But fearful lest any
movement should disturb it he sat down and endured the bondage of holding it
still against his shoulder
»You do nurse baby well« said Annette approvingly »Yet you never nursed
before I came«
»No« said Mr Lyon »I had no brothers and sisters«
»Why were you not married« Annette had never thought of asking that
question before
»Because I never loved any woman till now I thought I should never marry
Now I wish to marry«
Annette started She did not see at once that she was the woman he wanted to
marry what had flashed on her mind was that there might be a great change in
Mr Lyons life It was as if the lightning had entered into her dream and half
awakened her
»Do you think it foolish Annette that I should wish to marry«
»I did not expect it« she said doubtfully »I did not know you thought
about it«
»You know the woman I should like to marry«
»I know her« she said interrogatively blushing deeply
»It is you Annette you whom I have loved better than my duty I forsook
everything for you«
Mr Lyon paused he was about to do what he felt would be ignoble to urge
what seemed like a claim
»Can you love me Annette Will you be my wife« Annette trembled and looked
miserable
»Do not speak forget it« said Mr Lyon rising suddenly and speaking with
loud energy »No no I do not want it I do not wish it«
The baby awoke as he started up he gave the child into Annettes arms and
left her
His work took him away early the next morning and the next again They did
not need to speak much to each other The third day Mr Lyon was too ill to go to
work His frame had been overwrought he had been too poor to have sufficiently
nourishing food and under the shattering of his longdeferred hope his health
had given way They had no regular servant only occasional help from an old
woman who lit the fires and put on the kettles Annette was forced to be the
sicknurse and this sudden demand on her shook away some of her torpor The
illness was a serious one and the medical man one day hearing Mr Lyon in his
delirium raving with an astonishing fluency in Biblical language suddenly
looked round with increased curiosity at Annette and asked if she were the sick
mans wife or some other relative
»No no relation« said Annette shaking her head »He has been good to
me«
»How long have you lived with him«
»More than a year«
»Was he a preacher once«
»Yes«
»When did he leave off being a preacher«
»Soon after he took care of me«
»Is that his child«
»Sir« said Annette colouring indignantly »I am a widow«
The doctor she thought looked at her oddly but he asked no more
questions
When the sick man was getting better and able to enjoy invalids food he
observed one day while he was taking some broth that Annette was looking at
him he paused to look at her in return and was struck with a new expression in
her face quite distinct from the merely passive sweetness which usually
characterised it She laid her little hand on his which was now transparently
thin and said »I am getting very wise I have sold some of the books to make
money the doctor told me where and I have looked into the shops where they
sell caps and bonnets and pretty things and I can do all that and get more
money to keep us And when you are well enough to get up we will go out and be
married shall we not See and la petite the baby had never been named
anything else shall call you papa and then we shall never part«
Mr Lyon trembled This illness something else perhaps had made a great
change in Annette A fortnight after that they were married The day before he
had ventured to ask her if she felt any difficulty about her religion and if
she would consent to have la petite baptised and brought up as a Protestant She
shook her head and said very simply
»No in France in other days I would have minded but all is changed I
never was fond of religion but I knew it was right Jaimais les fleurs les
bals la musique et mon mari qui était beau But all that is gone away There
is nothing of my religion in this country But the good God must be here for
you are good I leave all to you«
It was clear that Annette regarded her present life as a sort of death to
the world an existence on a remote island where she had been saved from wreck
She was too indolent mentally too little interested to acquaint herself with
any secrets of the isle The transient energy the more vivid consciousness and
sympathy which had been stirred in her during Mr Lyons illness had soon
subsided into the old apathy to everything except her child She withered like a
plant in strange air and the three years of life that remained were but a slow
and gentle death Those three years were to Mr Lyon a period of such
selfsuppression and life in another as few men know Strange that the passion
for this woman which he felt to have drawn him aside from the right as much as
if he had broken the most solemn vows for that only was right to him which he
held the best and highest the passion for a being who had no glimpse of his
thoughts induced a more thorough renunciation than he had ever known in the time
of his complete devotion to his ministerial career He had no flattery now
either from himself or the world he knew that he had fallen and his world had
forgotten him or shook their heads at his memory The only satisfaction he had
was the satisfaction of his tenderness which meant untiring work untiring
patience untiring wakefulness even to the dumb signs of feeling in a creature
whom he alone cared for
The day of parting came and he was left with little Esther as the one
visible sign of that four years break in his life A year afterwards he entered
the ministry again and lived with the utmost sparingness that Esther might be
so educated as to be able to get her own bread in case of his death Her
probable facility in acquiring French naturally suggested his sending her to a
French school which would give her a special advantage as a teacher It was a
Protestant school and French Protestantism had the high recommendation of being
nonprelatical It was understood that Esther would contract no papistical
superstitions and this was perfectly true but she contracted as we see a
good deal of nonpapistical vanity
Mr Lyons reputation as a preacher and devoted pastor had revived but some
dissatisfaction beginning to be felt by his congregation at a certain laxity
detected by them in his views as to the limits of salvation which he had in one
sermon even hinted might extend to unconscious recipients of mercy he had found
it desirable seven years ago to quit this ten years pastorate and accept a call
from the less important church in Malthouse Yard Treby Magna
This was Rufus Lyons history at that time unknown in its fulness to any
human being besides himself We can perhaps guess what memories they were that
relaxed the stringency of his doctrine on the point of salvation In the deepest
of all senses his heart said
»Though she be dead yet let me think she lives
And feed my mind that dies for want of her«
Chapter 7
M It was but yesterday you spoke him well
Youve changed your mind so soon
N Not I tis he
That changing to my thought has changed my mind
No man puts rotten apples in his pouch
Because their upper side looked fair to him
Constancy in mistake is constant folly
The news that the rich heir of the Transomes was actually come back and had
been seen at Treby was carried to some one else who had more reasons for being
interested in it than the Reverend Rufus Lyon was yet conscious of having It
was owing to this that at three oclock two days afterwards a carriage and
pair with coachman and footman in crimson and drab passed through the
lodgegates of Transome Court Inside there was a hale goodnaturedlooking man
of sixty whose hands rested on a knotted stick held between his knees and a
blueeyed wellfeatured lady fat and middleaged a mountain of satin lace
and exquisite muslin embroidery They were not persons of highly remarkable
appearance but to most Trebians they seemed absolutely unique and likely to be
known anywhere If you had looked down on them from the box of Sampsons coach
he would have said after lifting his hat »Sir Maximus and his lady did you
see« thinking it needless to add the surname
»We shall find her greatly elated doubtless« Lady Debarry was saying »She
has been in the shade so long«
»Ah poor thing« said Sir Maximus »A fine woman she was in her bloom I
remember the first county ball she attended we were all ready to fight for the
sake of dancing with her I always liked her from that time I never swallowed
the scandal about her myself«
»If we are to be intimate with her« said Lady Debarry »I wish you would
avoid making such allusions Sir Maximus I should not like Selina and Harriet
to hear them«
»My dear I should have forgotten all about the scandal only you remind me
of it sometimes« retorted the baronet smiling and taking out his snuffbox
»These sudden turns of fortune are often dangerous to an excitable
constitution« said Lady Debarry not choosing to notice her husbands epigram
»Poor Lady Alicia Methurst got heartdisease from a sudden piece of luck the
death of her uncle you know If Mrs Transome were wise she would go to town
she can afford it now and consult Dr Truncheon I should say myself he would
order her digitalis I have often guessed exactly what a prescription would be
But it certainly was always one of her weak points to think that she understood
medicine better than other people«
»Shes a healthy woman enough surely see how upright she is and she rides
about like a girl of twenty«
»She is so thin that she makes me shudder«
»Pooh shes slim and active women are not bid for by the pound«
»Pray dont be so coarse«
Sir Maximus laughed and showed his good teeth which made his laughter very
becoming The carriage stopped and they were soon ushered into Mrs Transomes
sittingroom where she was working at her worsted embroidery A little daily
embroidery had been a constant element in Mrs Transomes life that soothing
occupation of taking stitches to produce what neither she nor any one else
wanted was then the resource of many a wellborn and unhappy woman
She received much warm congratulation and pressure of her hand with perfect
composure of manner but she became paler than usual and her hands turned quite
cold The Debarrys did not yet know what Harolds politics were
»Well our lucky youngster is come in the nick of time« said Sir Maximus
»if hell stand he and Philip can run in harness together and keep out both the
Whigs«
»It is really quite a providential thing his returning just now« said
Lady Debarry »I couldnt help thinking that something would occur to prevent
Philip from having such a man as Peter Garstin for his colleague«
»I call my friend Harold a youngster« said Sir Maximus »for you know I
remember him only as he was when that portrait was taken«
»That is a long while ago« said Mrs Transome »My son is much altered as
you may imagine«
There was a confused sound of voices in the library while this talk was
going on Mrs Transome chose to ignore that noise but her face from being
pale began to flush a little
»Yes yes on the outside I daresay But he was a fine fellow I always
liked him And if anybody had asked me what I should choose for the good of the
county I couldnt have thought of anything better than having a young Transome
for a neighbour who will take an active part The Transomes and the Debarrys
were always on the right side together in old days Of course hell stand he
has made up his mind to it«
The need for an answer to this embarrassing question was deferred by the
increase of inarticulate sounds accompanied by a bark from the library and the
sudden appearance at the tapestryhung doorway of old Mr Transome with a cord
round his waist playing a very poorpaced horse for a blackmaned little boy
about three years old who was urging him on with loud encouraging noises and
occasional thumps from a stick which he wielded with some difficulty The old
man paused with a vague gentle smile at the doorway while the baronet got up to
speak to him Nimrod snuffed at his masters legs to ascertain that he was not
hurt and the little boy finding something new to be looked at let go the cord
and came round in front of the company dragging his stick and standing at a
safe wardancing distance as he fixed his great black eyes on Lady Debarry
»Dear me what a splendid little boy Mrs Transome why it cannot be can
it be that you have the happiness to be a grandmamma«
»Yes that is my sons little boy«
»Indeed« said Lady Debarry really amazed »I never heard you speak of his
marriage He has brought you home a daughterinlaw then«
»No« said Mrs Transome coldly »she is dead«
»Oooh« said Lady Debarry in a tone ludicrously undecided between
condolence satisfaction and general mistiness »How very singular I mean
that we should not have heard of Mr Harolds marriage But hes a charming
little fellow come to me you roundcheeked cherub«
The black eyes continued fixed as if by a sort of fascination on Lady
Debarrys face and her affable invitation was unheeded At last putting his
head forward and pouting his lips the cherub gave forth with marked intention
the sounds Nauooom many times repeated apparently they summed up his
opinion of Lady Debarry and may perhaps have meant naughty old woman but his
speech was a broken lisping polyglot of hazardous interpretation Then he turned
to pull at the Blenheim spaniel which being old and peevish gave a little
snap
»Go go Harry let poor Puff alone hell bite you« said Mrs Transome
stooping to release her aged pet
Her words were too suggestive for Harry immediately laid hold of her arm
with his teeth and bit with all his might Happily the stuffs upon it were some
protection but the pain forced Mrs Transome to give a low cry and Sir Maximus
who had now turned to reseat himself shook the little rascal off whereupon he
burst away and trotted into the library again
»I fear you are hurt« said Lady Debarry with sincere concern »What a
little savage Do have your arm attended to my dear I recommend fomentation
dont think of me«
»O thank you it is nothing« said Mrs Transome biting her lip and smiling
alternately »it will soon go off The pleasures of being a grandmamma you
perceive The child has taken a dislike to me but he makes quite a new life for
Mr Transome they were playfellows at once«
»Bless my heart« said Sir Maximus »it is odd to think of Harold having
been a family man so long I made up my mind he was a young bachelor What an
old stager I am to be sure And whom has he married I hope we shall soon have
the pleasure of seeing Mrs Harold Transome« Sir Maximus occupied with old Mr
Transome had not overheard the previous conversation on that subject
»She is no longer living« Lady Debarry hastily interposed »but now my
dear Sir Maximus we must not hinder Mrs Transome from attending to her arm I
am sure she is in pain Dont say another word my dear we shall see you again
you and Mr Harold will come and dine with us on Thursday say yes only yes
Sir Maximus is longing to see him and Philip will be down«
»Yes yes« said Sir Maximus »he must lose no time in making Philips
acquaintance Tell him Philip is a fine fellow carried everything before him
at Oxford And your son must be returned along with him for North Loamshire You
said he meant to stand«
»I will write and let you know if Harold has any engagement for Thursday he
would of course be happy otherwise« said Mrs Transome evading the question
»If not Thursday the next day the very first day he can«
The visitors left and Mrs Transome was almost glad of the painful bite
which had saved her from being questioned further about Harolds politics »This
is the last visit I shall receive from them« she said to herself as the door
closed behind them and she rang for Denner
»That poor creature is not happy Sir Maximus« said Lady Debarry as they
drove along »Something annoys her about her son I hope there is nothing
unpleasant in his character Either he kept his marriage a secret from her or
she was ashamed of it He is thirtyfour at least by this time After living in
the East so long he may have become a sort of person one would not care to be
intimate with and that savage boy he doesnt look like a ladys child«
»Pooh my dear« said Sir Maximus »women think so much of those minutiæ In
the present state of the country it is our duty to look at a mans position and
politics Philip and my brother are both of that opinion and I think they know
whats right if any man does We are bound to regard every man of our party as
a public instrument and to pull all together The Transomes have always been a
good Tory family but it has been a cipher of late years This young fellow
coming back with a fortune to give the family a head and a position is a clear
gain to the county and with Philip hell get into the right hands of course
he wants guiding having been out of the country so long All we have to ask is
whether a mans a Tory and will make a stand for the good of the country
thats the plain English of the matter And I do beg of you my dear to set
aside all these gossiping niceties and exert yourself like a woman of sense
and spirit as you are to bring the right people together«
Here Sir Maximus gave a deep cough took out his snuffbox and tapped it
he had made a serious marital speech an exertion to which he was rarely urged
by anything smaller than a matter of conscience And this outline of the whole
duty of a Tory was matter of conscience with him though the Duffield Watchman
had pointed expressly to Sir Maximus Debarry amongst others in branding the
cooperation of the Tories as a conscious selfishness and reckless immorality
which however would be defeated by the cooperation of all the friends of
truth and liberty who the Watchman trusted would subordinate all
nonpolitical differences in order to return representatives pledged to support
the present government
»I am sure Sir Maximus« Lady Debarry answered »you could not have
observed that anything was wanting in my manners to Mrs Transome«
»No no my dear but I say this by way of caution Never mind what was done
at Smyrna or whether Transome likes to sit with his heels tucked up We may
surely wink at a few things for the sake of the public interest if God Almighty
does and if He didnt I dont know what would have become of the country
government could never have been carried on and many a good battle would have
been lost Thats the philosophy of the matter and the common sense too«
Good Sir Maximus gave a deep cough and tapped his box again inwardly
remarking that if he had not been such a lazy fellow he might have made as good
a figure as his son Philip
But at this point the carriage which was rolling by a turn towards Treby
Magna passed a welldressed man who raised his hat to Sir Maximus and called
to the coachman to stop
»Excuse me Sir Maximus« said this personage standing uncovered at the
carriagedoor »but I have just learned something of importance at Treby which
I thought you would like to know as soon as possible«
»Ah whats that Something about Garstin or Clement« said Sir Maximus
seeing the other draw a poster from his pocket
»No rather worse I fear you will think A new Radical candidate I got
this by a stratagem from the printers boy Theyre not posted yet«
»A Radical« said Sir Maximus in a tone of incredulous disgust as he took
the folded bill »What fool is he hell have no chance«
»They say hes richer than Garstin«
»Harold Transome« shouted Sir Maximus as he read the name in threeinch
letters »I dont believe it its a trick its a squib why why weve
just been to his place eh do you know any more Speak sir speak dont
deal out your story like a damned mountebank who wants to keep people gaping«
»Sir Maximus pray dont give way so« said Lady Debarry
»Im afraid theres no doubt about it sir« said Christian »After getting
the bill I met Mr Labrons clerk and he said he had just had the whole story
from Jermyns clerk The Ram Inn is engaged already and a committee is being
made up He says Jermyn goes like a steamengine when he has a mind although
he makes such longwinded speeches«
»Jermyn be hanged for a twofaced rascal Tell Mitchell to drive on Its of
no use to stay chattering here Jump up on the box and go home with us I may
want you«
»You see I was right Sir Maximus« said the baronets wife »I had an
instinct that we should find him an unpleasant person«
»Fudge if you had such a fine instinct why did you let us go to Transome
Court and make fools of ourselves«
»Would you have listened to me But of course you will not have him to dine
with you«
»Dine with me I should think not Id sooner he should dine off me I see
how it is clearly enough He has become a regular beast among those Mahometans
hes got neither religion nor morals left He cant know anything about English
politics Hell go and cut his own nose off as a landholder and never know
However he wont get in hell spend his money for nothing«
»I fear he is a very licentious man« said Lady Debarry »We know now why
his mother seemed so uneasy I should think she reflects a little poor
creature«
»Its a confounded nuisance we didnt meet Christian on our way instead of
coming back but better now than later Hes an uncommonly adroit useful
fellow that factotum of Philips I wish Phil would take my man and give me
Christian Id make him housesteward he might reduce the accounts a little«
Perhaps Sir Maximus would not have been so sanguine as to Mr Christians
economical virtues if he had seen that gentleman relaxing himself the same
evening among the other distinguished dependants of the family and frequenters
of the stewards room But a man of Sir Maximuss rank is like those
antediluvian animals whom the system of things condemned to carry such a huge
bulk that they really could not inspect their bodily appurtenance and had no
conception of their own tails their parasites doubtless had a merry time of it
and after did extremely well when the highbred saurian himself was ill at ease
Treby Manor measured from the front saloon to the remotest shed was as large
as a moderatesized village and there were certainly more lights burning in it
every evening more wine spirits and ale drunk more waste and more folly
than could be found in some large villages There was fast revelry in the
stewards room and slow revelry in the Scotch bailiffs room short whist
costume and flirtation in the housekeepers room and the same at a lower price
in the servants hall a select Olympian feast in the private apartment of the
cook who was a much grander person than her ladyship and wore gold and
jewellery to a vast amount of suet a gambling group in the stables and the
coachman perhaps the most innocent member of the establishment tippling in
majestic solitude by a fire in the harness room For Sir Maximus as every one
said was a gentleman of the right sort condescended to no mean inquiries
greeted his headservants with a good evening gentlemen when he met them in
the park and only snarled in a subdued way when he looked over the accounts
willing to endure some personal inconvenience in order to keep up the
institutions of the country to maintain his hereditary establishment and do
his duty in that station of life the station of the longtailed saurian to
which it had pleased Providence to call him
The focus of brilliancy at Treby Manor that evening was in no way the
diningroom where Sir Maximus sipped his port under some mental depression as
he discussed with his brother the Reverend Augustus the sad fact that one of
the oldest names in the county was to be on the wrong side not in the
drawingroom where Miss Debarry and Miss Selina quietly elegant in their dress
and manners were feeling rather dull than otherwise having finished Mr
Bulwers Eugene Aram and being thrown back on the last great prose work of Mr
Southey while their mamma slumbered a little on the sofa No the centre of
eager talk and enjoyment was the stewards room where Mr Scales housesteward
and headbutler a man most solicitous about his boots wristbands the roll of
his whiskers and other attributes of a gentleman distributed cigars cognac
and whisky to various colleagues and guests who were discussing with that
freedom of conjecture which is one of our inalienable privileges as Britons the
probable amount of Harold Transomes fortune concerning which fame had already
been busy long enough to have acquired vast magnifying power
The chief part in this scene was undoubtedly Mr Christians although he had
hitherto been comparatively silent but he occupied two chairs with so much
grace throwing his right leg over the seat of the second and resting his right
hand on the back he held his cigar and displayed a splendid sealring with such
becoming nonchalance and had his grey hair arranged with so much taste that
experienced eyes would at once have seen even the great Scales himself to be but
a secondary character
»Why« said Mr Crowder an old respectable tenant though much in arrear as
to his rent who condescended frequently to drink in the stewards room for the
sake of the conversation »why I suppose they get money so fast in the East
its wonderful Why« he went on with a hesitating look towards Mr Scales
»this Transome has praps got a matter of a hundred thousand«
»A hundred thousand my dear sir fiddlesticks end of a hundred thousand«
said Mr Scales with a contempt very painful to be borne by a modest man
»Well« said Mr Crowder giving way under torture as the allknowing butler
puffed and stared at him »perhaps not so much as that«
»Not so much sir I tell you that a hundred thousand pounds is a
bagatelle«
»Well I know its a big sum« said Mr Crowder deprecatingly
Here there was a general laugh All the other intellects present were more
cultivated than Mr Crowders
»Bagatelle is the French for trifle my friend« said Mr Christian »Dont
talk over peoples heads so Scales I shall have hard work to understand you
myself soon«
»Come thats a good one« said the headgardener who was a ready admirer
»I should like to hear the thing you dont understand Christian«
»Hes a firstrate hand at sneering« said Mr Scales rather nettled
»Dont be waspish man Ill ring the bell for lemons and make some punch
Thats the thing for putting people up to the unknown tongues« said Mr
Christian starting up and slapping Scaless shoulder as he passed him
»What I mean Mr Crowder is this« Here Mr Scales paused to puff and pull
down his waistcoat in a gentlemanly manner and drink He was wont in this way
to give his hearers time for meditation
»Come then speak English Im not against being taught« said the
reasonable Crowder
»What I mean is that in a large way of trade a man turns his capital over
almost as soon as he can turn himself Bless your soul I know something about
these matters eh Brent«
»To be sure you do few men more« said the gardener who was the person
appealed to
»Not that Ive had anything to do with commercial families myself Ive
those feelings that I look to other things besides lucre But I cant say that
Ive not been intimate with parties who have been less nice than I am myself
and knowing what I know I shouldnt wonder if Transome had as much as five
hundred thousand Bless your soul sir people who get their money out of land
are as long scraping five pounds together as your trading men are in turning
five pounds into a hundred«
»Thats a wicked thing though« said Mr Crowder meditatively »However«
he went on retreating from this difficult ground »trade or no trade the
Transomes have been poor enough this many a long year Ive a brother a tenant
on their estate I ought to know a little bit about that«
»Theyve kept up no establishment at all« said Mr Scales with disgust
»Theyve even let their kitchen gardens I suppose it was the eldest sons
gambling Ive seen something of that A man who has always lived in firstrate
families is likely to know a thing or two on that subject«
»Ah but it wasnt gambling did the first mischief« said Mr Crowder with a
slight smile feeling that it was his turn to have some superiority »Newcomers
dont know what happened in this country twenty and thirty year ago Im turned
fifty myself and my father lived under Sir Maximuss father But if anybody
from London can tell me more than I know about this countryside Im willing to
listen«
»What was it then if it wasnt gambling« said Mr Scales with some
impatience »I dont pretend to know«
»It was law law thats what it was Not but what the Transomes always
won«
»And always lost« said the tooready Scales »Yes yes I think we all know
the nature of law«
»There was the last suit of all made the most noise as I understood«
continued Mr Crowder »but it wasnt tried hereabout They said there was a deal
o false swearing Some young man pretended to be the true heir let me see I
cant justly remember the names hed got two He swore he was one man and
they swore he was another However Lawyer Jermyn won it they say hed win a
game against the Old One himself and the young fellow turned out to be a
scamp Stop a bit his name was Scaddon Henry Scaddon«
Mr Christian here let a lemon slip from his hand into the punchbowl with a
plash which sent some of the nectar into the companys faces
»Hallo What a bungler I am« he said looking as if he were quite jarred by
this unusual awkwardness of his »Go on with your tale Mr Crowder a scamp
named Harry Scaddon«
»Well thats the tale« said Mr Crowder »He was never seen nothing of any
more It was a deal talked of at the time and Ive sat by and my father used
to shake his head and always when this Mrs Transome was talked of he used to
shake his head and say she carried things with a high hand once But Lord it
was before the battle of Waterloo and Im a poor hand at tales I dont see
much good in em myself but if anybodyll tell me a cure for the sheeprot
Ill thank him«
Here Mr Crowder relapsed into smoking and silence a little discomfited that
the knowledge of which he had been delivered had turned out rather a shapeless
and insignificant birth
»Well well bygones should be bygones there are secrets in most good
families« said Mr Scales winking »and this young Transome coming back with a
fortune to keep up the establishment and have things done in a decent and
gentlemanly way it would all have been right if hed not been this sort of
Radical madman But now hes done for himself I heard Sir Maximus say at dinner
that he would be excommunicated and thats a pretty strong word I take it«
»What does it mean Scales« said Mr Christian who loved tormenting
»Ay whats the meaning« insisted Mr Crowder encouraged by finding that
even Christian was in the dark
»Well its a law term speaking in a figurative sort of way meaning that
a Radical was no gentleman«
»Perhaps its partly accounted for by his getting his money so fast and in
foreign countries« said Mr Crowder tentatively »Its reasonable to think hed
be against the land and this country eh Sircome«
Sircome was an eminent miller who had considerable business transactions at
the manor and appreciated Mr Scaless merits at a handsome percentage on the
yearly account He was a highly honourable tradesman but in this and in other
matters submitted to the institutions of his country for great houses as he
observed must have great butlers He replied to his friend Crowder
sententiously
»I say nothing Before I bring words to market I should like to see em a
bit scarcer Theres the land and theres trade I hold with both I swim with
the stream«
»Heyday Mr Sircome thats a Radical maxim« said Mr Christian who knew
that Mr Sircomes last sentence was his favourite formula »I advise you to give
it up else it will injure the quality of your flour«
»A Radical maxim« said Mr Sircome in a tone of angry astonishment »I
should like to hear you prove that Its as old as my grandfather anyhow«
»Ill prove it in one minute« said the glib Christian »Reform has set in
by the will of the majority thats the rabble you know and the
respectability and good sense of the country which are in the minority are
afraid of Reform running on too fast So the stream must be running towards
Reform and Radicalism and if you swim with it Mr Sircome youre a Reformer
and a Radical and your flour is objectionable and not full weight and being
tried by Scales will be found wanting«
There was a roar of laughter This pun upon Scales was highly appreciated by
every one except the miller and the butler The latter pulled down his
waistcoat and puffed and stared in rather an excited manner Mr Christians
wit in general seemed to him a poor kind of quibbling
»What a fellow you are for fence Christian« said the gardener »Hang me
if I dont think youre up to everything«
»Thats a compliment you might pay Old Nick if you come to that« said Mr
Sircome who was in the painful position of a man deprived of his formula
»Yes yes« said Mr Scales »Im no fool myself and could parry a thrust if
I liked but I shouldnt like it to be said of me that I was up to everything
Ill keep a little principle if you please«
»To be sure« said Christian ladling out the punch »What would justice be
without Scales«
The laughter was not quite so fullthroated as before Such excessive
cleverness was a little Satanic
»A jokes a joke among gentlemen« said the butler getting exasperated »I
think there has been quite liberties enough taken with my name But if you must
talk about names Ive heard of a party before now calling himself a Christian
and being anything but it«
»Come thats beyond a joke« said the surgeons assistant a fast man
whose chief scene of dissipation was the Manor »Let it drop Scales«
»Yes I daresay its beyond a joke Im not a harlequin to talk nothing but
jokes I leave that to other Christians who are up to everything and have been
everywhere to the hulks for what I know and more than that they come from
nobody knows where and try to worm themselves into gentlemens confidence to
the prejudice of their betters«
There was a stricter sequence in Mr Scaless angry eloquence than was
apparent some chief links being confined to his own breast as is often the
case in energetic discourse The company were in a state of expectation There
was something behind worth knowing and something before them worth seeing In
the general decay of other fine British pugnacious sports a quarrel between
gentlemen was all the more exciting and though no one would himself have liked
to turn on Scales no one was sorry for the chance of seeing him put down But
the amazing Christian was unmoved He had taken out his handkerchief and was
rubbing his lips carefully After a slight pause he spoke with perfect
coolness
»I dont intend to quarrel with you Scales Such talk as this is not
profitable to either of us It makes you purple in the face you are
apoplectic you know and it spoils good company Better tell a few fibs about
me behind my back it will heat you less and do me more harm Ill leave you
to it I shall go and have a game at whist with the ladies«
As the door closed behind the questionable Christian Mr Scales was in a
state of frustration that prevented speech Every one was rather embarrassed
»Thats a most uncommon sort o fellow« said Mr Crowder in an undertone
to his next neighbour the gardener »Why Mr Philip picked him up in foreign
parts didnt he«
»He was a courier« said the gardener »Hes had a deal of experience And I
believe by what I can make out for hes been pretty free with me sometimes
there was a time when he was in that rank of life that he fought a duel«
»Ah that makes him such a cool chap« said Mr Crowder
»Hes what I call an overbearing fellow« said Mr Sircome also sotto voce
to his next neighbour Mr Filmore the surgeons assistant »He runs you down
with a sort of talk thats neither here nor there Hes got a deal too many
samples in his pocket for me«
»All I know is hes a wonderful hand at cards« said Mr Filmore whose
whiskers and shirtpin were quite above the average »I wish I could play écarté
as he does its beautiful to see him he can make a man look pretty blue
hell empty his pocket for him in no time«
»Thats none to his credit« said Mr Sircome
The conversation had in this way broken up into têteàtête and the
hilarity of the evening might be considered a failure Still the punch was
drunk the accounts were duly swelled and notwithstanding the innovating
spirit of the time Sir Maximus Debarrys establishment was kept up in a sound
hereditary British manner
Chapter 8
»Rumour doth double like the voice and echo«
Shakspeare
The mind of a man is as a country which was once open to squatters
who have bred and multiplied and become masters of the land But
then happeneth a time when new and hungry comers dispute the land
and there is trial of strength and the stronger wins Nevertheless
the first squatters be they who have prepared the ground and the
crops to the end will be sequent though chiefly on the nature of
the soil as of light sand mixed loam or heavy clay yet somewhat
on the primal labour and sowing
That talkative maiden Rumour though in the interest of art she is figured as a
youthful winged beauty with flowing garments soaring above the heads of men
and breathing worldthrilling news through a gracefullycurved trumpet is in
fact a very old maid who puckers her silly face by the fireside and really
does no more than chirp a wrong guess or a lame story into the ear of a
fellowgossip all the rest of the work attributed to her is done by the
ordinary working of those passions against which men pray in the Litany with
the help of a plentiful stupidity against which we have never yet had any
authorised form of prayer
When Mr Scaless strong need to make an impressive figure in conversation
together with his very slight need of any other premise than his own sense of
his wide general knowledge and probable infallibility led him to specify five
hundred thousand as the lowest admissible amount of Harold Transomes
commerciallyacquired fortune it was not fair to put this down to poor old Miss
Rumour who had only told Scales that the fortune was considerable And again
when the curt Mr Sircome found occasion at Treby to mention the five hundred
thousand as a fact that folks seemed pretty sure about this expansion of the
butler into folks was entirely due to Mr Sircomes habitual preference for words
which could not be laid hold of or give people a handle over him It was in this
simple way that the report of Harold Transomes fortune spread and was
magnified adding much lustre to his opinions in the eyes of Liberals and
compelling even men of the opposite party to admit that it increased his
eligibility as a member for North Loamshire It was observed by a sound thinker
in these parts that property was ballast and when once the aptness of that
metaphor had been perceived it followed that a man was not fit to navigate the
sea of politics without a great deal of such ballast and that rightly
understood whatever increased the expense of election inasmuch as it virtually
raised the property qualification was an unspeakable boon to the country
Meanwhile the fortune that was getting larger in the imagination of
constituents was shrinking a little in the imagination of its owner It was
hardly more than a hundred and fifty thousand and there were not only the heavy
mortgages to be paid off but also a large amount of capital was needed in order
to repair the farmbuildings all over the estate to carry out extensive
draining and make allowances to incoming tenants which might remove the
difficulty of newly letting the farms in a time of agricultural depression The
farms actually tenanted were held by men who had begged hard to succeed their
fathers in getting a little poorer every year on land which was also getting
poorer where the highest rate of increase was in the arrears of rent and where
the master in crushed hat and corduroys looked pitiably lean and careworn by
the side of pauper labourers who showed that superior assimilating power often
observed to attend nourishment by the public money Mr Goffe of Rabbits End
had never had it explained to him that according to the true theory of rent
land must inevitably be given up when it would not yield a profit equal to the
ordinary rate of interest so that from want of knowing what was inevitable and
not from a Titanic spirit of opposition he kept on his land He often said of
himself with a melancholy wipe of his sleeve across his brow that he didnt
know whichaway to turn and he would have been still more at a loss on the
subject if he had quitted Rabbits End with a waggonful of furniture and
utensils a file of receipts a wife with five children and a shepherddog in
low spirits
It took no long time for Harold Transome to discover this state of things
and to see moreover that except on the demesne immediately around the house
the timber had been mismanaged The woods had been recklessly thinned and there
had been insufficient planting He had not yet thoroughly investigated the
various accounts kept by his mother by Jermyn and by Banks the bailiff but
what had been done with the large sums which had been received for timber was a
suspicious mystery to him He observed that the farm held by Jermyn was in
firstrate order that a good deal had been spent on the buildings and that the
rent had stood unpaid Mrs Transome had taken an opportunity of saying that
Jermyn had had some of the mortgagedeeds transferred to him and that his rent
was set against so much interest Harold had only said in his careless yet
decisive way »O Jermyn be hanged It seems to me if Durfey hadnt died and
made room for me Jermyn would have ended by coming to live here and you would
have had to keep the lodge and open the gate for his carriage But I shall pay
him off mortgages and all byandby Ill owe him nothing not even a
curse« Mrs Transome said no more Harold did not care to enter fully into the
subject with his mother The fact that she had been active in the management of
the estate had ridden about it continually had busied herself with accounts
had been headbailiff of the vacant farms and had yet allowed things to go
wrong was set down by him simply to the general futility of womens attempts
to transact mens business He did not want to say anything to annoy her he was
only determined to let her understand as quietly as possible that she had
better cease all interference
Mrs Transome did understand this and it was very little that she dared to
say on business though there was a fierce struggle of her anger and pride with
a dread which was nevertheless supreme As to the old tenants she only
observed on hearing Harold burst forth about their wretched condition »that
with the estate so burthened the yearly loss by arrears could better be borne
than the outlay and sacrifice necessary in order to let the farms anew«
»I was really capable of calculating Harold« she ended with a touch of
bitterness »It seems easy to deal with farmers and their affairs when you only
see them in print I daresay but its not quite so easy when you live among
them You have only to look at Sir Maximuss estate you will see plenty of the
same thing The times have been dreadful and old families like to keep their
old tenants But I daresay that is Toryism«
»Its a hash of odds and ends if that is Toryism my dear mother However
I wish you had kept three more old tenants for then I should have had three
more fiftypound voters And in a hard run one may be beaten by a head But«
Harold added smiling and handing her a ball of worsted which had fallen »a
woman ought to be a Tory and graceful and handsome like you I should hate a
woman who took up my opinions and talked for me Im an Oriental you know I
say mother shall we have this room furnished with rosecolour I notice that
it suits your bright grey hair«
Harold thought it was only natural that his mother should have been in a
sort of subjection to Jermyn throughout the awkward circumstances of the family
It was the way of women and all weak minds to think that what they had been
used to was inalterable and any quarrel with a man who managed private affairs
was necessarily a formidable thing He himself was proceeding very cautiously
and preferred not even to know too much just at present lest a certain personal
antipathy he was conscious of toward Jermyn and an occasional liability to
exasperation should get the better of a calm and clearsighted resolve not to
quarrel with the man while he could be of use Harold would have been disgusted
with himself if he had helped to frustrate his own purpose And his strongest
purpose now was to get returned for parliament to make a figure there as a
Liberal member and to become on all grounds a personage of weight in North
Loamshire
How Harold Transome came to be a Liberal in opposition to all the traditions
of his family was a more subtle inquiry than he had ever cared to follow out
The newspapers undertook to explain it The North Loamshire Herald witnessed
with a grief and disgust certain to be shared by all persons who were actuated
by wholesome British feeling an example of defection in the inheritor of a
family name which in times past had been associated with attachment to right
principle and with the maintenance of our constitution in Church and State and
pointed to it as an additional proof that men who had passed any large portion
of their lives beyond the limits of our favoured country usually contracted not
only a laxity of feeling towards Protestantism nay towards religion itself a
latitudinarian spirit hardly distinguishable from atheism but also a levity of
disposition inducing them to tamper with those institutions by which alone
Great Britain had risen to her preeminence among the nations Such men
infected with outlandish habits intoxicated with vanity grasping at momentary
power by flattery of the multitude fearless because godless liberal because
unEnglish were ready to pull one stone from under another in the national
edifice till the great structure tottered to its fall On the other hand the
Duffield Watchman saw in this signal instance of selfliberation from the
trammels of prejudice a decisive guarantee of intellectual preeminence united
with a generous sensibility to the claims of man as man which had burst
asunder and cast off by a spontaneous exertion of energy the cramping
outworn shell of hereditary bias and class interest
But these largeminded guides of public opinion argued from wider data than
could be furnished by any knowledge of the particular case concerned Harold
Transome was neither the dissolute cosmopolitan so vigorously sketched by the
Tory Herald nor the intellectual giant and moral lobster suggested by the
liberal imagination of the Watchman Twenty years ago he had been a bright
active goodtempered lad with sharp eyes and a good aim he delighted in
success and in predominance but he did not long for an impossible predominance
and become sour and sulky because it was impossible He played at the games he
was clever in and usually won all other games he let alone and thought them
of little worth At home and at Eton he had been side by side with his stupid
elder brother Durfey whom he despised and he very early began to reflect that
since this Caliban in miniature was older than himself he must carve out his
own fortune That was a nuisance and on the whole the world seemed rather
illarranged at Eton especially where there were many reasons why Harold made
no great figure He was not sorry the money was wanting to send him to Oxford
he did not see the good of Oxford he had been surrounded by many things during
his short life of which he had distinctly said to himself that he did not see
the good and he was not disposed to venerate on the strength of any good that
others saw He turned his back on home very cheerfully though he was rather
fond of his mother and very fond of Transome Court and the river where he had
been used to fish but he said to himself as he passed the lodgegates »Ill
get rich somehow and have an estate of my own and do what I like with it«
This determined aiming at something not easy but clearly possible marked the
direction in which Harolds nature was strong he had the energetic will and
muscle the selfconfidence the quick perception and the narrow imagination
which make what is admiringly called the practical mind
Since then his character had been ripened by a various experience and also
by much knowledge which he had set himself deliberately to gain But the man was
no more than the boy writ large with an extensive commentary The years had
nourished an inclination to as much opposition as would enable him to assert his
own independence and power without throwing himself into that tabooed condition
which robs power of its triumph And this inclination had helped his shrewdness
in forming judgments which were at once innovating and moderate He was addicted
at once to rebellion and to conformity and only an intimate personal knowledge
could enable any one to predict where his conformity would begin The limit was
not defined by theory but was drawn in an irregular zigzag by early disposition
and association and his resolution of which he had never lost hold to be a
thorough Englishman again some day had kept up the habit of considering all his
conclusions with reference to English politics and English social conditions He
meant to stand up for every change that the economical condition of the country
required and he had an angry contempt for men with coronets on their coaches
but too small a share of brains to see when they had better make a virtue of
necessity His respect was rather for men who had no coronets but who achieved
a just influence by furthering all measures which the common sense of the
country and the increasing selfassertion of the majority peremptorily
demanded He could be such a man himself
In fact Harold Transome was a clever frank goodnatured egoist not
stringently consistent but without any disposition to falsity proud but with
a pride that was moulded in an individual rather than an hereditary form
unspeculative unsentimental unsympathetic fond of sensual pleasures but
disinclined to all vice and attached as a healthy clearsighted person to all
conventional morality construed with a certain freedom like doctrinal articles
to which the public order may require subscription A character is apt to look
but indifferently written out in this way Reduced to a map our premises seem
insignificant but they make nevertheless a very pretty freehold to live in
and walk over and so if Harold Transome had been among your acquaintances and
you had observed his qualities through the medium of his agreeable person
bright smile and a certain easy charm which accompanies sensuousness when
unsullied by coarseness through the medium also of the many opportunities in
which he would have made himself useful or pleasant to you you would have
thought him a good fellow highly acceptable as a guest a colleague or a
brotherinlaw Whether all mothers would have liked him as a son is another
question
It is a fact perhaps kept a little too much in the background that mothers
have a self larger than their maternity and that when their sons have become
taller than themselves and are gone from them to college or into the world
there are wide spaces of their time which are not filled with praying for their
boys reading old letters and envying yet blessing those who are attending to
their shirtbuttons Mrs Transome was certainly not one of those bland adoring
and gently tearful women After sharing the common dream that when a beautiful
manchild was born to her her cup of happiness would be full she had travelled
through long years apart from that child to find herself at last in the presence
of a son of whom she was afraid who was utterly unmanageable by her and to
whose sentiments in any given case she possessed no key Yet Harold was a kind
son he kissed his mothers brow offered her his arm let her choose what she
liked for the house and garden asked her whether she would have bays or greys
for her new carriage and was bent on seeing her make as good a figure in the
neighbourhood as any other woman of her rank She trembled under this kindness
it was not enough to satisfy her still if it should ever cease and give place
to something else she was too uncertain about Harolds feelings to imagine
clearly what that something would be The finest threads such as no eye sees
if bound cunningly about the sensitive flesh so that the movement to break them
would bring torture may make a worse bondage than any fetters Mrs Transome
felt the fatal threads about her and the bitterness of this helpless bondage
mingled itself with the new elegancies of the dining and drawing rooms and all
the household changes which Harold had ordered to be brought about with magical
quickness Nothing was as she had once expected it would be If Harold had shown
the least care to have her stay in the room with him if he had really cared
for her opinion if he had been what she had dreamed he would be in the eyes of
those people who had made her world if all the past could be dissolved and
leave no solid trace of itself mighty ifs that were all impossible she would
have tasted some joy but now she began to look back with regret to the days
when she sat in loneliness among the old drapery and still longed for something
that might happen Yet save in a bitter little speech or in a deep sigh heard
by no one besides Denner she kept all these things hidden in her heart and
went out in the autumn sunshine to overlook the alterations in the
pleasuregrounds very much as a happy woman might have done One day however
when she was occupied in this way an occasion came on which she chose to
express indirectly a part of her inward care
She was standing on the broad gravel in the afternoon the long shadows lay
on the grass the light seemed the more glorious because of the reddened and
golden trees The gardeners were busy at their pleasant work the newlyturned
soil gave out an agreeable fragrance and little Harry was playing with Nimrod
round old Mr Transome who sat placidly on a low gardenchair The scene would
have made a charming picture of English domestic life and the handsome
majestic greyhaired woman obviously grandmamma would have been especially
admired But the artist would have felt it requisite to turn her face towards
her husband and little grandson and to have given her an elderly amiability of
expression which would have divided remark with his exquisite rendering of her
Indian shawl Mrs Transomes face was turned the other way and for this reason
she only heard an approaching step and did not see whose it was yet it
startled her it was not quick enough to be her sons step and besides Harold
was away at Duffield It was Mr Jermyns
Chapter 9
»A woman naturally born to fears«
King John
»Methinks
Some unborn sorrow ripe in fortunes womb
Is coming towards me and my inward soul
With nothing trembles«
King Richard II
Matthew Jermyn approached Mrs Transome taking off his hat and smiling She did
not smile but said
»You knew Harold was not at home«
»Yes I came to see you to know if you had any wishes that I could further
since I have not had an opportunity of consulting you since he came home«
»Let us walk towards the Rookery then«
They turned together Mr Jermyn still keeping his hat off and holding it
behind him the air was so soft and agreeable that Mrs Transome herself had
nothing but a large veil over her head
They walked for a little while in silence till they were out of sight under
tall trees and treading noiselessly on fallen leaves What Jermyn was really
most anxious about was to learn from Mrs Transome whether anything had
transpired that was significant of Harolds disposition towards him which he
suspected to be very far from friendly Jermyn was not naturally flintyhearted
at fiveandtwenty he had written verses and had got himself wet through in
order not to disappoint a darkeyed woman whom he was proud to believe in love
with him but a family man with grownup sons and daughters a man with a
professional position and complicated affairs that make it hard to ascertain the
exact relation between property and liabilities necessarily thinks of himself
and what may be impending
»Harold is remarkably acute and clever« he began at last since Mrs
Transome did not speak »If he gets into parliament I have no doubt he will
distinguish himself He has a quick eye for business of all kinds«
»That is no comfort to me« said Mrs Transome Today she was more conscious
than usual of that bitterness which was always in her mind in Jermyns presence
but which was carefully suppressed suppressed because she could not endure
that the degradation she inwardly felt should ever become visible or audible in
acts or words of her own should ever be reflected in any word or look of his
For years there had been a deep silence about the past between them on her
side because she remembered on his because he more and more forgot
»I trust he is not unkind to you in any way I know his opinions pain you
but I trust you find him in everything else disposed to be a good son«
»O to be sure good as men are disposed to be to women giving them
cushions and carriages and recommending them to enjoy themselves and then
expecting them to be contented under contempt and neglect I have no power over
him remember that none«
Jermyn turned to look in Mrs Transomes face it was long since he had heard
her speak to him as if she were losing her selfcommand
»Has he shown any unpleasant feeling about your management of the affairs«
»My management of the affairs« Mrs Transome said with concentrated rage
flashing a fierce look at Jermyn She checked herself she felt as if she were
lighting a torch to flare on her own past folly and misery It was a resolve
which had become a habit that she would never quarrel with this man never
tell him what she saw him to be She had kept her womans pride and sensibility
intact through all her life there had vibrated the maiden need to have her hand
kissed and be the object of chivalry And so she sank into silence again
trembling
Jermyn felt annoyed nothing more There was nothing in his mind
corresponding to the intricate meshes of sensitiveness in Mrs Transomes He was
anything but stupid yet he always blundered when he wanted to be delicate or
magnanimous he constantly sought to soothe others by praising himself Moral
vulgarity cleaved to him like an hereditary odour He blundered now
»My dear Mrs Transome« he said in a tone of bland kindness »you are
agitated you appear angry with me Yet I think if you consider you will see
that you have nothing to complain of in me unless you will complain of the
inevitable course of mans life I have always met your wishes both in happy
circumstances and in unhappy ones I should be ready to do so now if it were
possible«
Every sentence was as pleasant to her as if it had been cut in her bared
arm Some mens kindness and lovemaking are more exasperating more humiliating
than others derision but the pitiable woman who has once made herself secretly
dependent on a man who is beneath her in feeling must bear that humiliation for
fear of worse Coarse kindness is at least better than coarse anger and in all
private quarrels the duller nature is triumphant by reason of its dulness Mrs
Transome knew in her inmost soul that those relations which had sealed her lips
on Jermyns conduct in business matters had been with him a ground for
presuming that he should have impunity in any lax dealing into which
circumstances had led him She knew that she herself had endured all the more
privation because of his dishonest selfishness And now Harolds longdeferred
heirship and his return with startlingly unexpected penetration activity and
assertion of mastery had placed them both in the full presence of a difficulty
which had been prepared by the years of vague uncertainty as to issues In this
position with a great dread hanging over her which Jermyn knew and ought to
have felt that he had caused her she was inclined to lash him with indignation
to scorch him with the words that were just the fit names for his doings
inclined all the more when he spoke with an insolent blandness ignoring all
that was truly in her heart But no sooner did the words »You have brought it on
me« rise within her than she heard within also the retort »You brought it on
yourself« Not for all the world beside could she bear to hear that retort
uttered from without What did she do With strange sequence to all that rapid
tumult after a few moments silence she said in a gentle and almost tremulous
voice
»Let me take your arm«
He gave it immediately putting on his hat and wondering For more than
twenty years Mrs Transome had never chosen to take his arm
»I have but one thing to ask Make me a promise«
»What is it«
»That you will never quarrel with Harold«
»You must know that it is my wish not to quarrel with him«
»But make a vow fix it in your mind as a thing not to be done Bear
anything from him rather than quarrel with him«
»A man cant make a vow not to quarrel« said Jermyn who was already a
little irritated by the implication that Harold might be disposed to use him
roughly »A mans temper may get the better of him at any moment I am not
prepared to bear anything«
»Good God« said Mrs Transome taking her hand from his arm »is it possible
you dont feel how horrible it would be«
As she took away her hand Jermyn let his arm fall put both his hands in
his pockets and shrugging his shoulders said »I shall use him as he uses me«
Jermyn had turned round his savage side and the blandness was out of sight
It was this that had always frightened Mrs Transome there was a possibility of
fierce insolence in this man who was to pass with those nearest to her as her
indebted servant but whose brand she secretly bore She was as powerless with
him as she was with her son
This woman who loved rule dared not speak another word of attempted
persuasion They were both silent taking the nearest way into the sunshine
again There was a halfformed wish in both their minds even in the mothers
that Harold Transome had never been born
»We are working hard for the election« said Jermyn recovering himself as
they turned into the sunshine again »I think we shall get him returned and in
that case he will be in high goodhumour Everything will be more propitious
than you are apt to think You must persuade yourself« he added smiling at
her »that it is better for a man of his position to be in parliament on the
wrong side than not be in at all«
»Never« said Mrs Transome »I am too old to learn to call bitter sweet and
sweet bitter But what I may think or feel is of no consequence now I am as
unnecessary as a chimney ornament«
And in this way they parted on the gravel in that pretty scene where they
had met Mrs Transome shivered as she stood alone all around her where there
had once been brightness and warmth there were white ashes and the sunshine
looked dreary as it fell on them
Mr Jermyns heaviest reflections in riding homeward turned on the
possibility of incidents between himself and Harold Transome which would have
disagreeable results requiring him to raise money and perhaps causing scandal
which in its way might also help to create a monetary deficit A man of sixty
with a wife whose Duffield connections were of the highest respectability with
a family of tall daughters an expensive establishment and a large professional
business owed a great deal more to himself as the mainstay of all those
solidities than to feelings and ideas which were quite unsubstantial There
were many unfortunate coincidences which placed Mr Jermyn in an uncomfortable
position just now he had not been much to blame he considered if it had not
been for a sudden turn of affairs no one would have complained He defied any
man to say that he had intended to wrong people he was able to refund to make
reprisals if they could be fairly demanded Only he would certainly have
preferred that they should not be demanded
A German poet was intrusted with a particularly fine sausage which he was
to convey to the donors friend at Paris In the course of the long journey he
smelt the sausage he got hungry and desired to taste it he pared a morsel
off then another and another in successive moments of temptation till at
last the sausage was humanly speaking at an end The offence had not been
premeditated The poet had never loved meanness but he loved sausage and the
result was undeniably awkward
So it was with Matthew Jermyn He was far from liking that ugly abstraction
rascality but he had liked other things which had suggested nibbling He had
had to do many things in law and in daily life which in the abstract he would
have condemned and indeed he had never been tempted by them in the abstract
Here in fact was the inconvenience he had sinned for the sake of particular
concrete things and particular concrete consequences were likely to follow
But he was a man of resolution who having made out what was the best
course to take under a difficulty went straight to his work The election must
be won that would put Harold in goodhumour give him something to do and
leave himself more time to prepare for any crisis
He was in anything but low spirits that evening It was his eldest
daughters birthday and the young people had a dance Papa was delightful
stood up for a quadrille and a countrydance told stories at supper and made
humorous quotations from his early readings if these were Latin he apologised
and translated to the ladies so that a deaf ladyvisitor from Duffield kept her
trumpet up continually lest she should lose any of Mr Jermyns conversation
and wished that her niece Maria had been present who was young and had a good
memory
Still the party was smaller than usual for some families in Treby refused
to visit Jermyn now that he was concerned for a Radical candidate
Chapter 10
»He made love neither with roses nor with apples nor with locks of
hair«
Theocritus
One Sunday afternoon Felix Holt rapped at the door of Mr Lyons house although
he could hear the voice of the minister preaching in the chapel He stood with a
book under his arm apparently confident that there was some one in the house to
open the door for him In fact Esther never went to chapel in the afternoon
that exercise made her head ache
In these September weeks Felix had got rather intimate with Mr Lyon They
shared the same political sympathies and though to Liberals who had neither
freehold nor copyhold nor leasehold the share in a county election consisted
chiefly of that prescriptive amusement of the majority known as looking on
there was still something to be said on the occasion if not to be done Perhaps
the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement much
disputation and yet more personal liking and the advent of the
publicspirited contradictory yet affectionate Felix into Treby life had
made a welcome epoch to the minister To talk with this young man who though
hopeful had a singularity which some might at once have pronounced heresy but
which Mr Lyon persisted in regarding as orthodoxy in the making was like a good
bite to strong teeth after a too plentiful allowance of spoon meat To cultivate
his society with a view to checking his erratic tendencies was a laudable
purpose but perhaps if Felix had been rapidly subdued and reduced to
conformity little Mr Lyon would have found the conversation much flatter
Esther had not seen so much of their new acquaintance as her father had But
she had begun to find him amusing and also rather irritating to her womans
love of conquest He always opposed and criticised her and besides that he
looked at her as if he never saw a single detail about her person quite as if
she were a middleaged woman in a cap She did not believe that he had ever
admired her hands or her long neck or her graceful movements which had made
all the girls at school call her Calypso doubtless from their familiarity with
Télémaque Felix ought properly to have been a little in love with her never
mentioning it of course because that would have been disagreeable and his
being a regular lover was out of the question But it was quite clear that
instead of feeling any disadvantage on his own side he held himself to be
immeasurably her superior and what was worse Esther had a secret
consciousness that he was her superior She was all the more vexed at the
suspicion that he thought slightly of her and wished in her vexation that she
could have found more fault with him that she had not been obliged to admire
more and more the varying expressions of his open face and his deliciously
goodhumoured laugh always loud at a joke against himself Besides she could
not help having her curiosity roused by the unusual combinations both in his
mind and in his outward position and she had surprised herself as well as her
father one day by suddenly starting up and proposing to walk with him when he
was going to pay an afternoon visit to Mrs Holt to try and soothe her
concerning Felix »What a mother he has« she said to herself when they came
away again »but rude and queer as he is I cannot say there is anything vulgar
about him Yet I dont know if I saw him by the side of a finished
gentleman« Esther wished that finished gentleman were among her acquaintances
he would certainly admire her and make her aware of Felixs inferiority
On this particular Sunday afternoon when she heard the knock at the door
she was seated in the kitchen corner between the fire and the window reading
Réné Certainly in her wellfitting lightblue dress she almost always wore
some shade of blue with her delicate sandalled slipper stretched towards the
fire her little gold watch which had cost her nearly a quarters earnings
visible at her side her slender fingers playing with a shower of brown curls
and a coronet of shining plaits at the summit of her head she was a remarkable
Cinderella When the rap came she coloured and was going to shut her book and
put it out of the way on the windowledge behind her but she desisted with a
little toss laid it open on the table beside her and walked to the outer door
which opened into the kitchen There was rather a mischievous gleam in her face
the rap was not a small one it came probably from a large personage with a
vigorous arm
»Good afternoon Miss Lyon« said Felix taking off his cloth cap he
resolutely declined the expensive ugliness of a hat and in a poked cap and
without a cravat made a figure at which his mother cried every Sunday and
thought of with a slow shake of the head at several passages in the ministers
prayer
»Dear me it is you Mr Holt I fear you will have to wait some time before
you can see my father The sermon is not ended yet and there will be the hymn
and the prayer and perhaps other things to detain him«
»Well will you let me sit down in the kitchen I dont want to be a bore«
»O no« said Esther with her pretty light laugh »I always give you credit
for not meaning it Pray come in if you dont mind waiting I was sitting in
the kitchen the kettle is singing quite prettily It is much nicer than the
parlour not half so ugly«
»There I agree with you«
»How very extraordinary But if you prefer the kitchen and dont want to
sit with me I can go into the parlour«
»I came on purpose to sit with you« said Felix in his blunt way »but I
thought it likely you might be vexed at seeing me I wanted to talk to you but
Ive got nothing pleasant to say As your father would have it Im not given to
prophesy smooth things to prophesy deceit«
»I understand« said Esther sitting down »Pray be seated You thought I
had no afternoon sermon so you came to give me one«
»Yes« said Felix seating himself sideways in a chair not far off her and
leaning over the back to look at her with his large clear grey eyes »and my
text is something you said the other day You said you didnt mind about people
having right opinions so that they had good taste Now I want you to see what
shallow stuff that is«
»Oh I dont doubt it if you say so I know you are a person of right
opinions«
»But by opinions you mean mens thoughts about great subjects and by taste
you mean their thoughts about small ones dress behaviour amusements
ornaments«
»Well yes or rather their sensibilities about those things«
»It comes to the same thing thoughts opinions knowledge are only a
sensibility to facts and ideas If I understand a geometrical problem it is
because I have a sensibility to the way in which lines and figures are related
to each other and I want you to see that the creature who has the sensibilities
that you call taste and not the sensibilities that you call opinions is simply
a lower pettier sort of being an insect that notices the shaking of the
table but never notices the thunder«
»Very well I am an insect yet I notice that you are thundering at me«
»No you are not an insect That is what exasperates me at your making a
boast of littleness You have enough understanding to make it wicked that you
should add one more to the women who hinder mens lives from having any
nobleness in them«
Esther coloured deeply she resented this speech yet she disliked it less
than many Felix had addressed to her
»What is my horrible guilt« she said rising and standing as she was wont
with one foot on the fender and looking at the fire If it had been any one but
Felix who was near her it might have occurred to her that this attitude showed
her to advantage but she had only a mortified sense that he was quite
indifferent to what others praised her for
»Why do you read this mawkish stuff on a Sunday for example« he said
snatching up Réné and running his eye over the pages
»Why dont you always go to chapel Mr Holt and read Howes Living Temple
and join the church«
»Theres just the difference between us I know why I dont do those
things I distinctly see that I can do something better I have other
principles and should sink myself by doing what I dont recognise as the best«
»I understand« said Esther as lightly as she could to conceal her
bitterness »I am a lower kind of being and could not so easily sink myself«
»Not by entering into your fathers ideas If a woman really believes
herself to be a lower kind of being she should place herself in subjection she
should be ruled by the thoughts of her father or husband If not let her show
her power of choosing something better You must know that your fathers
principles are greater and worthier than what guides your life You have no
reason but idle fancy and selfish inclination for shirking his teaching and
giving your soul up to trifles«
»You are kind enough to say so But I am not aware that I have ever confided
my reasons to you«
»Why what worth calling a reason could make any mortal hang over this
trash idiotic immorality dressed up to look fine with a little bit of
doctrine tacked to it like a hares foot on a dish to make believe the mess is
not cats flesh Look here Estce ma faute si je trouve partout les bornes si
ce qui est fini na pour moi aucune valeur Yes sir distinctly your fault
because youre an ass Your dunce who cant do his sums always has a taste for
the infinite Sir do you know what a rhomboid is Oh no I dont value these
things with limits Cependant jaime la monotonie des sentimens de la vie et
si javais encore la folie de croire au bonheur «
»O pray Mr Holt dont go on reading with that dreadful accent it sets
ones teeth on edge« Esther smarting helplessly under the previous lashes was
relieved by this diversion of criticism
»There it is« said Felix throwing the book on the table and getting up to
walk about »You are only happy when you can spy a tag or a tassel loose to turn
the talk and get rid of any judgment that must carry grave action after it«
»I think I have borne a great deal of talk without turning it«
»Not enough Miss Lyon not all that I came to say I want you to change
Of course I am a brute to say so I ought to say you are perfect Another man
would perhaps But I say I want you to change«
»How am I to oblige you By joining the church«
»No but by asking yourself whether life is not as solemn a thing as your
father takes it to be in which you may be either a blessing or a curse to
many You know you have never done that You dont care to be better than a bird
trimming its feathers and pecking about after what pleases it You are
discontented with the world because you cant get just the small things that
suit your pleasure not because its a world where myriads of men and women are
ground by wrong and misery and tainted with pollution«
Esther felt her heart swelling with mingled indignation at this liberty
wounded pride at this depreciation and acute consciousness that she could not
contradict what Felix said He was outrageously illbred but she felt that she
should be lowering herself by telling him so and manifesting her anger in that
way she would be confirming his accusation of a littleness that shrank from
severe truth and besides through all her mortification there pierced a sense
that this exasperation of Felix against her was more complimentary than anything
in his previous behaviour She had selfcommand enough to speak with her usual
silvery voice
»Pray go on Mr Holt Relieve yourself of these burning truths I am sure
they must be troublesome to carry unuttered«
»Yes they are« said Felix pausing and standing not far off her »I cant
bear to see you going the way of the foolish women who spoil mens lives Men
cant help loving them and so they make themselves slaves to the petty desires
of petty creatures Thats the way those who might do better spend their lives
for nought get checked in every great effort toil with brain and limb for
things that have no more to do with a manly life than tarts and confectionery
Thats what makes women a curse all life is stunted to suit their littleness
Thats why Ill never love if I can help it and if I love Ill bear it and
never marry«
The tumult of feeling in Esthers mind mortification anger the sense of
a terrible power over her that Felix seemed to have as his angry words vibrated
through her was getting almost too much for her selfcontrol She felt her
lips quivering but her pride which feared nothing so much as the betrayal of
her emotion helped her to a desperate effort She pinched her own hand to
overcome her tremor and said in a tone of scorn
»I ought to be very much obliged to you for giving me your confidence so
freely«
»Ah now you are offended with me and disgusted with me I expected it
would be so A woman doesnt like a man who tells her the truth«
»I think you boast a little too much of your truthtelling Mr Holt« said
Esther flashing out at last »That virtue is apt to be easy to people when they
only wound others and not themselves Telling the truth often means no more than
taking a liberty«
»Yes I suppose I should have been taking a liberty if I had tried to drag
you back by the skirt when I saw you running into a pit«
»You should really found a sect Preaching is your vocation It is a pity
you should ever have an audience of only one«
»I see I have made a fool of myself I thought you had a more generous mind
that you might be kindled to a better ambition But Ive set your vanity
aflame nothing else Im going Goodbye«
»Goodbye« said Esther not looking at him He did not open the door
immediately He seemed to be adjusting his cap and pulling it down Esther
longed to be able to throw a lasso round him and compel him to stay that she
might say what she chose to him her very anger made this departure irritating
especially as he had the last word and that a very bitter one But soon the
latch was lifted and the door closed behind him She ran up to her bedroom and
burst into tears Poor maiden There was a strange contradiction of impulses in
her mind in those first moments She could not bear that Felix should not
respect her yet she could not bear that he should see her bend before his
denunciation She revolted against his assumption of superiority yet she felt
herself in a new kind of subjection to him He was illbred he was rude he had
taken an unwarrantable liberty yet his indignant words were a tribute to her
he thought she was worth more pains than the women of whom he took no notice It
was excessively impertinent in him to tell her of his resolving not to love
not to marry as if she cared about that as if he thought himself likely to
inspire an affection that would incline any woman to marry him after such
eccentric steps as he had taken Had he ever for a moment imagined that she had
thought of him in the light of a man who would make love to her But did he
love her one little bit and was that the reason why he wanted her to change
Esther felt less angry at that form of freedom though she was quite sure that
she did not love him and that she could never love any one who was so much of a
pedagogue and a master to say nothing of his oddities But he wanted her to
change For the first time in her life Esther felt herself seriously shaken in
her selfcontentment She knew there was a mind to which she appeared trivial
narrow selfish Every word Felix had said to her seemed to have burnt itself
into her memory She felt as if she should for evermore be haunted by
selfcriticism and never do anything to satisfy those fancies on which she had
simply piqued herself before without being dogged by inward questions Her
fathers desire for her conversion had never moved her she saw that he adored
her all the while and he never checked her unregenerate acts as if they
degraded her on earth but only mourned over them as unfitting her for heaven
Unfitness for heaven spoken of as Jerusalem and glory the prayers of a good
little father whose thoughts and motives seemed to her like the Life of Dr
Doddridge which she was content to leave unread did not attack her
selfrespect and selfsatisfaction But now she had been stung stung even into
a new consciousness concerning her father Was it true that his life was so much
worthier than her own She could not change for anything Felix said but she
told herself he was mistaken if he supposed her incapable of generous thoughts
She heard her father coming into the house She dried her tears tried to
recover herself hurriedly and went down to him
»You want your tea father how your forehead burns« she said gently
kissing his brow and then putting her cool hand on it
Mr Lyon felt a little surprise such spontaneous tenderness was not quite
common with her it reminded him of her mother
»My sweet child« he said gratefully thinking with wonder of the treasures
still left in our fallen nature
Chapter 11
Truth is the precious harvest of the earth
But once when harvest waved upon a land
The noisome cankerworm and caterpillar
Locusts and all the swarming foulborn broods
Fastened upon it with swift greedy jaws
And turned the harvest into pestilence
Until men said What profits it to sow
Felix was going to Sproxton that Sunday afternoon He always enjoyed his walk to
that outlying hamlet it took him by a short cut through a corner of Sir
Maximus Debarrys park then across a piece of common broken here and there
into red ridges below dark masses of furze and for the rest of the way
alongside the canal where the Sunday peacefulness that seemed to rest on the
bordering meadows and pastures was hardly broken if a horse pulled into sight
along the towingpath and a boat with a little curl of blue smoke issuing from
its tin chimney came slowly gliding behind Felix retained something of his
boyish impression that the days in a canalboat were all like Sundays but the
horse if it had been put to him would probably have preferred a more Judaic or
Scotch rigour with regard to canalboats or at least that the Sunday towing
should be done by asses as a lower order
This canal was only a branch of the grand trunk and ended among the
coalpits where Felix crossing a network of black tramroads soon came to his
destination that public institute of Sproxton known to its frequenters
chiefly as Chubbs but less familiarly as the Sugar Loaf or the New Pits this
last being the name for the more modern and lively nucleus of the Sproxton
hamlet The other nucleus known as the Old Pits also supported its public but
it had something of the forlorn air of an abandoned capital and the company at
the Blue Cow was of an inferior kind equal of course in the fundamental
attributes of humanity such as desire for beer but not equal in ability to pay
for it
When Felix arrived the great Chubb was standing at the door Mr Chubb was a
remarkable publican none of your stock Bonifaces red bloated jolly and
joking He was thin and sallow and was never as his constant guests observed
seen to be the worse or the better for liquor indeed as among soldiers an
eminent general was held to have a charmed life Chubb was held by the members
of the Benefit Club to have a charmed sobriety a vigilance over his own
interest that resisted all narcotics His very dreams as stated by himself had
a method in them beyond the waking thoughts of other men Pharaohs dream he
observed was nothing to them and as lying so much out of ordinary experience
they were held particularly suitable for narration on Sunday evenings when the
listening colliers well washed and in their best coats shook their heads with
a sense of that peculiar edification which belongs to the inexplicable Mr
Chubbs reasons for becoming landlord of the Sugar Loaf were founded on the
severest calculation Having an active mind and being averse to bodily labour
he had thoroughly considered what calling would yield him the best livelihood
with the least possible exertion and in that sort of line he had seen that a
public amongst miners who earned high wages was a fine opening He had prospered
according to the merits of such judicious calculation was already a
fortyshilling freeholder and was conscious of a vote for the county He was
not one of those meanspirited men who found the franchise embarrassing and
would rather have been without it he regarded his vote as part of his
investment and meant to make the best of it He called himself a
straightforward man and at suitable moments expressed his views freely in
fact he was known to have one fundamental division for all opinion my idee
and humbug
When Felix approached Mr Chubb was standing as usual with his hands
nervously busy in his pockets his eyes glancing round with a detective
expression at the black landscape and his lipless mouth compressed yet in
constant movement On a superficial view it might be supposed that so
eagerseeming a personality was unsuited to the publicans business but in fact
it was a great provocative to drinking Like the shrill biting talk of a
vixenish wife it would have compelled you to take a little something by way of
dulling your sensibility
Hitherto notwithstanding Felix drank so little ale the publican had
treated him with high civility The coming election was a great opportunity for
applying his political idee which was that society existed for the sake of the
individual and that the name of that individual was Chubb Now from a
conjunction of absurd circumstances inconsistent with that idea it happened
that Sproxton had been hitherto somewhat neglected in the canvass The head
member of the company that worked the mines was Mr Peter Garstin and the same
company received the rent for the Sugar Loaf Hence as the person who had the
most power of annoying Mr Chubb and being of detriment to him Mr Garstin was
naturally the candidate for whom he had reserved his vote But where there is
this intention of ultimately gratifying a gentleman by voting for him in an open
British manner on the day of the poll a man whether publican or pharisee Mr
Chubb used this generic classification of mankind as one that was sanctioned by
Scripture is all the freer in his relations with those deluded persons who
take him for what he is not and imagine him to be a waverer But for some time
opportunity had seemed barren There were but three dubious votes besides Mr
Chubbs in the small district of which the Sugar Loaf could be regarded as the
centre of intelligence and inspiration the colliers of course had no votes
and did not need political conversion consequently the interests of Sproxton
had only been tacitly cherished in the breasts of candidates But ever since it
had been known that a Radical candidate was in the field that in consequences
of this Mr Debarry had coalesced with Mr Garstin and that Sir James Clement
the poor baronet had retired Mr Chubb had been occupied with the most
ingenious mental combinations in order to ascertain what possibilities of profit
to the Sugar Loaf might lie in this altered state of the canvass
He had a cousin in another county also a publican but in a larger way and
resident in a borough and from him Mr Chubb had gathered more detailed
political information than he could find in the Loamshire newspapers He was now
enlightened enough to know that there was a way of using voteless miners and
navvies at nominations and elections He approved of that it entered into his
political idee and indeed he would have been for extending the franchise to
this class at least in Sproxton If any one had observed that you must draw a
line somewhere Mr Chubb would have concurred at once and would have given
permission to draw it at a radius of two miles from his own tap
From the first Sunday evening when Felix had appeared at the Sugar Loaf Mr
Chubb had made up his mind that this cute man who kept himself sober was an
electioneering agent That he was hired for some purpose or other there was not
a doubt a man didnt come and drink nothing without a good reason In
proportion as Felixs purpose was not obvious to Chubbs mind it must be deep
and this growing conviction had even led the publican on the last Sunday evening
privately to urge his mysterious visitor to let a little ale be chalked up for
him it was of no consequence Felix knew his man and had taken care not to
betray too soon that his real object was so to win the ear of the best fellows
about him as to induce them to meet him on a Saturday evening in the room where
Mr Lyon or one of his deacons habitually held his Wednesday preachings Only
women and children three old men a journeyman tailor and a consumptive youth
attended those preachings not a collier had been won from the strong ale of the
Sugar Loaf not even a navvy from the muddier drink of the Blue Cow Felix was
sanguine he saw some pleasant faces among the miners when they were washed on
Sundays they might be taught to spend their wages better At all events he was
going to try he had great confidence in his powers of appeal and it was quite
true that he never spoke without arresting attention There was nothing better
than a dame school in the hamlet he thought that if he could move the fathers
whose blackened weekday persons and flannel caps ornamented with tallow
candles by way of plume were a badge of hard labour for which he had a more
sympathetic fibre than for any ribbon in the buttonhole if he could move
these men to save something from their drink and pay a schoolmaster for their
boys a greater service would be done them than if Mr Garstin and his company
were persuaded to establish a school
»Ill lay hold of them by their fatherhood« said Felix »Ill take one of
their little fellows and set him in the midst Till they can show theres
something they love better than swilling themselves with ale extension of the
suffrage can never mean anything for them but extension of boozing One must
begin somewhere Ill begin at what is under my nose Ill begin at Sproxton
Thats what a man would do if he had a redhot superstition Cant one work for
sober truth as hard as for megrims«
Felix Holt had his illusions like other young men though they were not of
a fashionable sort referring neither to the impression his costume and
horsemanship might make on beholders nor to the ease with which he would pay
the Jews when he gave a loose to his talents and applied himself to work He had
fixed his choice on a certain Mike Brindle not that Brindle was his real name
each collier had his sobriquet as the man whom he would induce to walk part of
the way home with him this very evening and get to invite some of his comrades
for the next Saturday Brindle was one of the head miners he had a bright
goodnatured face and had given especial attention to certain performances with
a magnet which Felix carried in his pocket
Mr Chubb who had also his illusions smiled graciously as the enigmatic
customer came up to the doorstep
»Well sir Sunday seems to be your day I begin to look for you on a Sunday
now«
»Yes Im a working man Sunday is my holiday« said Felix pausing at the
door since the host seemed to expect this
»Ah sir theres many ways of working I look at it youre one of those as
work with your brains Thats what I do myself«
»One may do a good deal of that and work with ones hands too«
»Ah sir« said Mr Chubb with a certain bitterness in his smile »Ive that
sort of head that Ive often wished I was stupider I use things up sir I see
into things a deal too quick I eat my dinner as you may say at
breakfasttime Thats why I hardly ever smoke a pipe No sooner do I stick a
pipe in my mouth than I puff and puff till its gone before other folks are well
lit and then where am I I might as well have let it alone In this world its
better not to be too quick But you know what it is sir«
»Not I« said Felix rubbing the back of his head with a grimace »I
generally feel myself rather a blockhead This worlds a largish place and I
havent turned everything inside out yet«
»Ah thats your deepness I think we understand one another And about this
here election I lay two to one we should agree if we was to come to talk about
it«
»Ah« said Felix with an air of caution
»Youre none of a Tory eh sir You wont go to vote for Debarry That was
what I said at the very first gooff Says I hes no Tory I think I was right
sir eh«
»Certainly Im no Tory«
»No no you dont catch me wrong in a hurry Well between you and me I
care no more for the Debarrys than I care for Johnny Groats I live on none o
their land and not a pots worth did they ever send to the Sugar Loaf Im not
frightened at the Debarrys theres no man more independent than me Ill plump
or Ill split for them as treat me the handsomest and are the most of what I
call gentlemen thats my idee And in the way of hacting for any man them are
fools that dont employ me«
We mortals sometimes cut a pitiable figure in our attempts at display We
may be sure of our own merits yet fatally ignorant of the point of view from
which we are regarded by our neighbour Our fine patterns in tattooing may be
far from throwing him into a swoon of admiration though we turn ourselves all
round to show them Thus it was with Mr Chubb
»Yes« said Felix dryly »I should think there are some sorts of work for
which you are just fitted«
»Ah you see that Well we understand one another Youre no Tory no more
am I And if Id got four hands to show at a nomination the Debarrys shouldnt
have one of em My idee is theres a deal too much of their scutchins and
their moniments in Treby church Whats their scutchins mean Theyre a sign
with little liquor behind em thats how I take it Theres nobody can give
account of em as I ever heard«
Mr Chubb was hindered from further explaining his views as to the historical
element in society by the arrival of new guests who approached in two groups
The foremost group consisted of wellknown colliers in their good Sunday
beavers and coloured handkerchiefs serving as cravats with the long ends
floating The second group was a more unusual one and caused Mr Chubb to
compress his mouth and agitate the muscles about it in rather an excited manner
First came a smartlydressed personage on horseback with a conspicuous
expansive shirtfront and figured satin stock He was a stout man and gave a
strong sense of broadcloth A wild idea shot through Mr Chubbs brain could
this grand visitor be Harold Transome Excuse him he had been given to
understand by his cousin from the distant borough that a Radical candidate in
the condescension of canvassing had even gone the length of eating
breadandtreacle with the children of an honest freeman and declaring his
preference for that simple fare Mr Chubbs notion of a Radical was that he was
a new and agreeable kind of lickspittle who fawned on the poor instead of on
the rich and so was likely to send customers to a public so that he argued
well enough from the premises at his command
The mounted man of broadcloth had followers several shabbylooking men and
Sproxton boys of all sizes whose curiosity had been stimulated by unexpected
largesse A stranger on horseback scattering halfpence on a Sunday was so
unprecedented that there was no knowing what he might do next and the smallest
hindmost fellows in sealskin caps were not without hope that an entirely new
order of things had set in
Every one waited outside for the stranger to dismount and Mr Chubb advanced
to take the bridle
»Well Mr Chubb« were the first words when the great man was safely out of
the saddle »Ive often heard of your fine tap and Im come to taste it«
»Walk in sir pray walk in« said Mr Chubb giving the horse to the
stableboy »I shall be proud to draw for you If anybodys been praising me I
think my ale will back him«
All entered in the rear of the stranger except the boys who peeped in at
the window
»Wont you please to walk into the parlour sir« said Chubb obsequiously
»No no Ill sit down here This is what I like to see« said the stranger
looking round at the colliers who eyed him rather shyly »a bright hearth
where working men can enjoy themselves However Ill step into the other room
for three minutes just to speak halfadozen words with you«
Mr Chubb threw open the parlour door and then stepping back took the
opportunity of saying in a low tone to Felix »Do you know this gentleman«
»Not I no«
Mr Chubbs opinion of Felix Holt sank from that moment The parlour door was
closed but no one sat down or ordered beer
»I say master« said Mike Brindle going up to Felix »dont you think
thats one o the lection men«
»Very likely«
»I heard a chap say theyre up and down everywhere« said Brindle »and
nows the time they say when a man can get beer for nothing«
»Ay thats sin the Reform« said a big redwhiskered man called Dredge
»Thats brought the lections and the drink into these parts for afore that it
was all kep up the Lord knows wheer«
»Well but the Reforms niver come anigh Sproxon« said a greyhaired but
stalwart man called Old Sleck »I dont believe nothing aboutn I dont«
»Dont you« said Brindle with some contempt »Well I do Theres folks
wont believe beyond the end o their own pickaxes You cant drive nothing into
em not if you split their skulls I know for certain sure from a chap in the
cartin way as hes got money and drink too only for hollering Eh master
what do you say« Brindle ended turning with some deference to Felix
»Should you like to know all about the Reform« said Felix using his
opportunity »If you would I can tell you«
»Ay ay tells you know Ill be bound« said several voices at once
»Ah but it will take some little time And we must be quiet The cleverest
of you those who are looked up to in the club must come and meet me at Peggy
Buttons cottage next Saturday at seven oclock after dark And Brindle you
must bring that little yellowhaired lad of yours And anybody thats got a
little boy a very little fellow who wont understand what is said may bring
him But you must keep it close you know We dont want fools there But
everybody who hears me may come I shall be at Peggy Buttons«
»Why thats where the Wednesday preachin is« said Dredge »Ive been
aforced to give my wife a black eye to hinder her from going to the preachin
Lorsamassy she thinks she knows better nor me and I cant make head nor tail
of her talk«
»Why cant you let the woman alone« said Brindle with some disgust »Id
be ashamed to beat a poor crawling thing cause she likes preaching«
»No more I did beat her afore not if she scrat me« said Dredge in
vindication »but if she jabbers at me I cant abide it Howsomever Ill bring
my Jack to Peggys o Saturday His mother shall wash him He is but four year
old and hell swear and square at me a good un if I set him on«
»There you go blatherin« said Brindle intending a mild rebuke
This dialogue which was in danger of becoming too personal was interrupted
by the reopening of the parlour door and the reappearance of the impressive
stranger with Mr Chubb whose countenance seemed unusually radiant
»Sit you down here Mr Johnson« said Chubb moving an armchair »This
gentleman is kind enough to treat the company« he added looking round »and
whats more hell take a cup with em and I think theres no man but whatll
say thats a honour«
The company had nothing equivalent to a hear hear at command but they
perhaps felt the more as they seated themselves with an expectation unvented by
utterance There was a general satisfactory sense that the hitherto shadowy
Reform had at length come to Sproxton in a good round shape with broadcloth and
pockets Felix did not intend to accept the treating but he chose to stay and
hear taking his pint as usual
»Capital ale capital ale« said Mr Johnson as he set down his glass
speaking in a quick smooth treble »Now« he went on with a certain pathos in
his voice looking at Mr Chubb who sat opposite »theres some satisfaction to
me in finding an establishment like this at the Pits For what would higher
wages do for the working man if he couldnt get a good article for his money
Why gentlemen« here he looked round »Ive been into alehouses where Ive
seen a fine fellow of a miner or a stonecutter come in and have to lay down
money for beer that I should be sorry to give to my pigs« Here Mr Johnson
leaned forward with squared elbows hands placed on his knees and a defiant
shake of the head
»Aw like at the Blue Cow« fell in the irrepressible Dredge in a deep
bass but he was rebuked by a severe nudge from Brindle
»Yes yes you know what it is my friend« said Mr Johnson looking at
Dredge and restoring his selfsatisfaction »But it wont last much longer
thats one good thing Bad liquor will be swept away with other bad articles
Trade will prosper and whats trade now without steam and what is steam
without coal And mark you this gentlemen theres no man and no government
can make coal«
A brief loud »Haw haw« showed that this fact was appreciated
»Nor freeston nayther« said a widemouthed wiry man called Gills who
wished for an exhaustive treatment of the subject being a stonecutter
»Nor freestone as you say else I think if coal could be made
aboveground honest fellows who are the pith of our population would not have to
bend their backs and sweat in a pit six days out of the seven No no I say as
this country prospers it has more and more need of you sirs It can do without
a pack of lazy lords and ladies but it can never do without brave colliers And
the country will prosper I pledge you my word sirs this country will rise to
the tiptop of everything and there isnt a man in it but what shall have his
joint in the pot and his spare money jingling in his pocket if we only exert
ourselves to send the right men to parliament men who will speak up for the
collier and the stonecutter and the navvy« Mr Johnson waved his hand
liberally »and will stand no nonsense This is a crisis and we must exert
ourselves Weve got Reform gentlemen but now the thing is to make Reform
work Its a crisis I pledge you my word its a crisis«
Mr Johnson threw himself back as if from the concussion of that great noun
He did not suppose that one of his audience knew what a crisis meant but he had
large experience in the effect of uncomprehended words and in this case the
colliers were thrown into a state of conviction concerning they did not know
what which was a fine preparation for hitting out or any other act carrying a
due sequence to such a conviction
Felix felt himself in danger of getting into a rage There is hardly any
mental misery worse than that of having our own serious phrases our own rooted
beliefs caricatured by a charlatan or a hireling He began to feel the sharp
lower edge of his tin pintmeasure and to think it a tempting missile
Mr Johnson certainly had some qualifications as an orator After this
impressive pause he leaned forward again and said in a lowered tone looking
round
»I think you all know the good news«
There was a movement of shoesoles on the quarried floor and a scrape of
some chair legs but no other answer
»The good news I mean is that a firstrate man Mr Transome of Transome
Court has offered himself to represent you in parliament sirs I say you in
particular for what he has at heart is the welfare of the working man of the
brave fellows that wield the pickaxe and the saw and the hammer Hes rich
has more money than Garstin but he doesnt want to keep it to himself What he
wants is to make a good use of it gentlemen Hes come back from foreign parts
with his pockets full of gold He could buy up the Debarrys if they were worth
buying but hes got something better to do with his money He means to use it
for the good of the working men in these parts I know there are some men who
put up for parliament and talk a little too big They may say they want to
befriend the colliers for example But I should like to put a question to them
I should like to ask them What colliers There are colliers up at Newcastle
and there are colliers down in Wales Will it do any good to honest Tom who is
hungry in Sproxton to hear that Jack at Newcastle has his bellyful of beef and
pudding«
»It ought to do him good« Felix burst in with his loud abrupt voice in
odd contrast with glib Mr Johnsons »If he knows its a bad thing to be hungry
and not have enough to eat he ought to be glad that another fellow who is not
idle is not suffering in the same way«
Every one was startled The audience was much impressed with the grandeur
the knowledge and the power of Mr Johnson His brilliant promises confirmed the
impression that Reform had at length reached the New Pits and Reform if it
were good for anything must at last resolve itself into spare money meaning
sport and drink and keeping away from work for several days in the week These
brave men of Sproxton liked Felix as one of themselves only much more knowing
as a working man who had seen many distant parts but who must be very poor
since he never drank more than a pint or so They were quite inclined to hear
what he had got to say on another occasion but they were rather irritated by
his interruption at the present moment Mr Johnson was annoyed but he spoke
with the same glib quietness as before though with an expression of contempt
»I call it a poorspirited thing to take up a mans straightforward words
and twist them What I meant to say was plain enough that no man can be saved
from starving by looking on while others eat I think thats common sense eh
sirs«
There was again an approving Haw haw To hear anything said and understand
it was a stimulus that had the effect of wit Mr Chubb cast a suspicious and
viperous glance at Felix who felt that he had been a simpleton for his pains
»Well then« continued Mr Johnson »I suppose I may go on But if there is
any one here better able to inform the company than I am I give way I give
way«
»Sir« said Mr Chubb magisterially »no man shall take the words out of
your mouth in this house And« he added looking pointedly at Felix »company
thats got no more orders to give and wants to turn up rusty to them that has
had better be making room than filling it Love an armonys the word on our
clubs flag an love an armonys the meaning of The Sugar Loaf William
Chubb Folks of a different mind had better seek another house of call«
»Very good« said Felix laying down his money and taking his cap »Im
going« He saw clearly enough that if he said more there would be a disturbance
which could have no desirable end
When the door had closed behind him Mr Johnson said »What is that persons
name«
»Does anybody know it« said Mr Chubb
A few noes were heard
»Ive heard him speak like a downright Reformer else I should have looked a
little sharper after him But you may see hes nothing particlar«
»It looks rather bad that no one knows his name« said Mr Johnson »Hes
most likely a Tory in disguise a Tory spy You must be careful sirs of men
who come to you and say theyre Radicals and yet do nothing for you Theyll
stuff you with words no lack of words but words are wind Now a man like
Transome comes forward and says to the working men of this country Here I am
ready to serve you and to speak for you in parliament and to get the laws made
all right for you and in the meanwhile if theres any of you who are my
neighbours who want a days holiday or a cup to drink with friends or a copy
of the kings likeness why Im your man Im not a paper handbill all words
and no substance nor a man with land and nothing else Ive got bags of gold
as well as land I think you know what I mean by the kings likeness«
Here Mr Johnson took a halfcrown out of his pocket and held the head
towards the company
»Well sirs there are some men who like to keep this pretty picture a great
deal too much to themselves I dont know whether Im right but I think Ive
heard of such a one not a hundred miles from here I think his name was Spratt
and he managed some companys coalpits«
»Haw haw Spratt Spratts his name« was rolled forth to an accompaniment
of scraping shoesoles
»A screwing fellow by what I understand a domineering fellow who would
expect men to do as he liked without paying them for it I think theres not an
honest man who wouldnt like to disappoint such an upstart«
There was a murmur which was interpreted by Mr Chubb »Ill answer for em
sir«
»Now listen to me Heres Garstin hes one of the company you work under
Whats Garstin to you who sees him and when they do see him they see a thin
miserly fellow who keeps his pockets buttoned He calls himself a Whig yet
hell split votes with a Tory hell drive with the Debarrys Now gentlemen
if I said Id got a vote and anybody asked me what I should do with it I
should say Ill plump for Transome Youve got no votes and thats a shame
But you will have some day if such men as Transome are returned and then
youll be on a level with the first gentleman in the land and if he wants to
sit in Parliament he must take off his hat and ask your leave But though you
havent got a vote you can give a cheer for the right man and Transomes not a
man like Garstin if you lost a days wages by giving a cheer for Transome
hell make you amends Thats the way a man who has no vote can yet serve
himself and his country he can lift up his hand and shout Transome for ever
hurray for Transome Let the working men let colliers and navvies and
stonecutters who between you and me have a good deal too much the worst of it
as things are now let them join together and give their hands and voices for
the right man and theyll make the great people shake in their shoes a little
and when you shout for Transome remember you shout for more wages and more of
your rights and you shout to get rid of rats and sprats and such small animals
who are the tools the rich make use of to squeeze the blood out of the poor
man«
»I wish thered be a row Id pommel him« said Dredge who was generally
felt to be speaking to the question
»No no my friend there youre a little wrong No pommelling no
striking first There you have the law and the constable against you A little
rolling in the dust and knocking hats off a little pelting with soft things
thatll stick and not bruise all that doesnt spoil the fun If a man is to
speak when you dont like to hear him it is but fair you should give him
something he doesnt like in return And the same if hes got a vote and doesnt
use it for the good of the country I see no harm in splitting his coat in a
quiet way A man must be taught whats right if he doesnt know it But no
kicks no knocking down no pommelling«
»It ud be good fun though if sobe« said Old Sleck allowing himself an
imaginative pleasure
»Well well if a Spratt wants you to say Garstin its some pleasure to
think you can say Transome Now my notion is this You are men who can put two
and two together I dont know a more solid lot of fellows than you are and
what I say is let the honest men in this country whove got no vote show
themselves in a body when they have the chance Why sirs for every Tory sneak
thats got a vote theres fiftyfive fellows who must stand by and be expected
to hold their tongues But I say let em hiss the sneaks let em groan at the
sneaks and the sneaks will be ashamed of themselves The men whove got votes
dont know how to use them Theres many a fool with a vote who is not sure in
his mind whether he shall poll say for Debarry or Garstin or Transome
whether hell plump or whether hell split a straw will turn him Let him know
your mind if he doesnt know his own Whats the reason Debarry gets returned
Because people are frightened at the Debarrys Whats that to you You dont
care for the Debarrys If people are frightened at the Tories well turn round
and frighten them You know what a Tory is one who wants to drive the working
men as hed drive cattle Thats what a Tory is and a Whig is no better if
hes like Garstin A Whig wants to knock the Tory down and get the whip thats
all But Transomes neither Whig nor Tory hes the working mans friend the
colliers friend the friend of the honest navvy And if he gets into
Parliament let me tell you it will be the better for you I dont say it will
be the better for overlookers and screws and rats and sprats but it will be
the better for every good fellow who takes his pot at the Sugar Loaf«
Mr Johnsons exertions for the political education of the Sproxton men did
not stop here which was the more disinterested in him as he did not expect to
see them again and could only set on foot an organisation by which their
instruction could be continued without him In this he was quite successful A
man known among the butties as Pack who had already been mentioned by Mr Chubb
presently joined the party and had a private audience of Mr Johnson that he
might be instituted as the shepherd of this new flock
»Thats a right down genelman« said Pack as he took the seat vacated by
the orator who had ridden away
»Whats his trade think you« said Gills the wiry stonecutter
»Trade« said Mr Chubb »Hes one of the topsawyers of the country He
works with his head you may see that«
»Lets have our pipes then« said Old Sleek »Im pretty well tired o
jaw«
»So am I« said Dredge »Its wriggling work like follering a stoat It
makes a man dry Id as lief hear preaching ony theres nought to be got byt
I shouldnt know which end I stood on if it wasnt for the tickets and the
treatin«
Chapter 12
»Oh sir twas that mixture of spite and over fed merriment which
passes for humour with the vulgar In their fun they have much
resemblance to a turkeycock It has a cruel beak and a silly
iteration of ugly sounds it spreads its tail in selfglorification
but shows you the wrong side of that ornament liking admiration
but knowing not what is admirable«
This Sunday evening which promised to be so memorable in the experience of the
Sproxton miners had its drama also for those unsatisfactory objects to Mr
Johnsons moral sense the Debarrys Certain incidents occurring at Treby Manor
caused an excitement there which spread from the diningroom to the stables but
no one underwent such agitating transitions of feeling as Mr Scales At six
oclock that superior butler was chuckling in triumph at having played a fine
and original practical joke on his rival Mr Christian Some two hours after that
time he was frightened sorry and even meek he was on the brink of a
humiliating confession his cheeks were almost livid his hair was flattened for
want of due attention from his fingers and the fine roll of his whiskers which
was too firm to give way seemed only a sad reminiscence of past splendour and
felicity His sorrow came about in this wise
After service on that Sunday morning Mr Philip Debarry had left the rest of
the family to go home in the carriage and had remained at the Rectory to lunch
with his uncle Augustus that he might consult him touching some letters of
importance He had returned the letters to his pocketbook but had not returned
the book to his pocket and he finally walked away leaving the enclosure of
private papers and banknotes on his uncles escritoire After his arrival at
home he was reminded of his omission and immediately despatched Christian with
a note begging his uncle to seal up the pocketbook and send it by the bearer
This commission which was given between three and four oclock happened to be
very unwelcome to the courier The fact was that Mr Christian who had been
remarkable through life for that power of adapting himself to circumstances
which enables a man to fall safely on allfours in the most hurried expulsions
and escapes was not exempt from bodily suffering a circumstance to which
there is no known way of adapting ones self so as to be perfectly comfortable
under it or to push it off on to other peoples shoulders He did what he
could he took doses of opium when he had an access of nervous pains and he
consoled himself as to future possibilities by thinking that if the pains ever
became intolerably frequent a considerable increase in the dose might put an end
to them altogether He was neither Cato nor Hamlet and though he had learned
their soliloquies at his first boardingschool he would probably have increased
his dose without reciting those masterpieces Next to the pain itself he
disliked that any one should know of it defective health diminished a mans
market value he did not like to be the object of the sort of pity he himself
gave to a poor devil who was forced to make a wry face or give in altogether
He had felt it expedient to take a slight dose this afternoon and still he
was not altogether relieved at the time he set off to the rectory On returning
with the valuable case safely deposited in his hind pocket he felt increasing
bodily uneasiness and took another dose Thinking it likely that he looked
rather pitiable he chose not to proceed to the house by the carriageroad The
servants often walked in the park on a Sunday and he wished to avoid any
meeting He would make a circuit get into the house privately and after
delivering his packet to Mr Debarry shut himself up till the ringing of the
halfhour bell But when he reached an elbowed seat under some sycamores he
felt so ill at ease that he yielded to the temptation of throwing himself on it
to rest a little He looked at his watch it was but five he had done his
errand quickly hitherto and Mr Debarry had not urged haste But in less than
ten minutes he was in a sound sleep Certain conditions of his system had
determined a stronger effect than usual from the opium
As he had expected there were servants strolling in the park but they did
not all choose the most frequented part Mr Scales in pursuit of a slight
flirtation with the younger ladysmaid had preferred a more sequestered walk
in the company of that agreeable nymph And it happened to be this pair of all
others who alighted on the sleeping Christian a sight which at the very first
moment caused Mr Scales a vague pleasure as at an incident that must lead to
something clever on his part To play a trick and make some one or other look
foolish was held the most pointed form of wit throughout the back regions of
the Manor and served as a constant substitute for theatrical entertainment
what the farce wanted in costume or make up it gained in the reality of the
mortification which excited the general laughter And lo here was the
offensive the exasperatingly cool and superior Christian caught comparatively
helpless with his head hanging on his shoulder and one coattail hanging out
heavily below the elbow of the rustic seat It was this coattail which served
as a suggestion to Mr Scaless genius Putting his finger up in warning to Mrs
Cherry and saying »Hush be quiet I see a fine bit of fun« he took a
knife from his pocket stepped behind the unconscious Christian and quickly cut
off the pendent coattail Scales knew nothing of the errand to the rectory and
as he noticed that there was something in the pocket thought it was probably a
large cigarcase So much the better he had no time to pause He threw the
coattail as far as he could and noticed that it fell among the elms under
which they had been walking Then beckoning to Mrs Cherry he hurried away with
her towards the more open part of the park not daring to explode in laughter
until it was safe from the chance of waking the sleeper And then the vision of
the graceful wellappointed Mr Christian who sneered at Scales about his
getup having to walk back to the house with only one tail to his coat was a
source of so much enjoyment to the butler that the fair Cherry began to be
quite jealous of the joke Still she admitted that it really was funny tittered
intermittently and pledged herself to secrecy Mr Scales explained to her that
Christian would try to creep in unobserved but that this must be made
impossible and he requested her to imagine the figure this interloping fellow
would cut when everybody was asking what had happened »Hallo Christian
wheres your coattail« would become a proverb at the Manor where jokes kept
remarkably well without the aid of salt and Mr Christians comb would be cut so
effectually that it would take a long time to grow again Exit Scales laughing
and presenting a fine example of dramatic irony to any one in the secret of
Fate
When Christian awoke he was shocked to find himself in the twilight He
started up shook himself missed something and soon became aware what it was
he missed He did not doubt that he had been robbed and he at once foresaw that
the consequence would be highly unpleasant In no way could the cause of the
accident be so represented to Mr Philip Debarry as to prevent him from viewing
his hitherto unimpeachable factotum in a new and unfavourable light And though
Mr Christian did not regard his present position as brilliant he did not see
his way to anything better A man nearly fifty who is not always quite well is
seldom ardently hopeful he is aware that this is a world in which merit is
often overlooked With the idea of robbery in full possession of his mind to
peer about and search in the dimness even if it had occurred to him would have
seemed a preposterous waste of time and energy He knew it was likely that Mr
Debarrys pocketbook had important and valuable contents and that he should
deepen his offence by deferring his announcement of the unfortunate fact He
hastened back to the house relieved by the obscurity from that mortification of
his vanity on which the butler had counted Indeed to Scales himself the affair
had already begun to appear less thoroughly jocose than he had anticipated For
he observed that Christians nonappearance before dinner had caused Mr Debarry
some consternation and he gathered that the courier had been sent on a
commission to the rectory »My uncle must have detained him for some reason or
other« he heard Mr Philip say »but it is odd If he were less trusty about
commissions or had ever seemed to drink too much I should be uneasy«
Altogether the affair was not taking the turn Mr Scales had intended At last
when dinner had been removed and the butlers chief duties were at an end it
was understood that Christian had entered without his coattail looking serious
and even agitated that he had asked leave at once to speak to Mr Debarry and
that he was even then in parley with the gentlemen in the diningroom Scales
was in alarm it must have been some property of Mr Debarrys that had weighted
the pocket He took a lantern got a groom to accompany him with another
lantern and with the utmost practicable speed reached the fatal spot in the
park He searched under the elms he was certain that the pocket had fallen
there and he found the pocket but he found it empty and in spite of further
search did not find the contents though he had at first consoled himself with
thinking that they had fallen out and would be lying not far off He returned
with the lanterns and the coattail and a most uncomfortable consciousness in
that great seat of a butlers emotion the stomach He had no sooner reentered
than he was met by Mrs Cherry pale and anxious who drew him aside to say that
if he didnt tell everything she would that the constables were to be sent
for that there had been no end of banknotes and letters and things in Mr
Debarrys pocketbook which Christian was carrying in that very pocket Scales
had cut off that the rector was sent for the constable was coming and they
should all be hanged Mr Scaless own intellect was anything but clear as to the
possible issues Crestfallen and with the coaltail in his hands as an
attestation that he was innocent of anything more than a joke he went and made
his confession His story relieved Christian a little but did not relieve Mr
Debarry who was more annoyed at the loss of the letters and the chance of
their getting into hands that might make use of them than at the loss of the
banknotes Nothing could be done for the present but that the rector who was
a magistrate should instruct the constables and that the spot in the park
indicated by Scales should again be carefully searched This was done but in
vain and many of the family at the manor had disturbed sleep that night
Chapter 13
»Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me
To this submission«
Richard II
Meanwhile Felix Holt had been making his way back from Sproxton to Treby in some
irritation and bitterness of spirit For a little while he walked slowly along
the direct road hoping that Mr Johnson would overtake him in which case he
would have the pleasure of quarrelling with him and telling him what he thought
of his intentions in coming to cant at the Sugar Loaf But he presently checked
himself in this folly and turned off again towards the canal that he might
avoid the temptation of getting into a passion to no purpose
»Wheres the good« he thought »of pulling at such a tangled skein as this
electioneering trickery As long as threefourths of the men in this country see
nothing in an election but selfinterest and nothing in selfinterest but some
form of greed one might as well try to purify the proceedings of the fishes and
say to a hungry codfish My good friend abstain dont goggle your eyes so
or show such a stupid gluttonous mouth or think the little fishes are worth
nothing except in relation to your own inside Hed be open to no argument short
of crimping him I should get into a rage with this fellow and perhaps end by
thrashing him Theres some reason in me as long as I keep my temper but my
rash humour is drunkenness without wine I shouldnt wonder if he upsets all my
plans with these colliers Of course hes going to treat them for the sake of
getting up a posse at the nomination and speechifyings Theyll drink double
and never come near me on a Saturday evening I dont know what sort of man
Transome really is Its no use my speaking to anybody else but if I could get
at him he might put a veto on this thing Though when once the men have been
promised and set agoing the mischief is likely to be past mending Hang the
Liberal codfish I shouldnt have minded so much if hed been a Tory«
Felix went along in the twilight struggling in this way with the intricacies
of life which would certainly be greatly simplified if corrupt practices were
the invariable mark of wrong opinions When he had crossed the common and had
entered the park the overshadowing trees deepened the grey gloom of the
evening it was useless to try and keep the blind path and he could only be
careful that his steps should be bent in the direction of the parkgate He was
striding along rapidly now whistling »Bannockburn« in a subdued way as an
accompaniment to his inward discussion when something smooth and soft on which
his foot alighted arrested him with an unpleasant startling sensation and made
him stoop to examine the object he was treading on He found it to be a large
leather pocketbook swelled by its contents and fastened with a sealed ribbon
as well as a clasp In stooping he saw about a yard off something whitish and
square lying on the dark grass This was an ornamental notebook of pale leather
stamped with gold Apparently it had burst open in falling and out of the
pocket formed by the cover there protruded a small gold chain about four
inches long with various seals and other trifles attached to it by a ring at
the end Felix thrust the chain back and finding that the clasp of the
notebook was broken he closed it and thrust it into his sidepocket walking
along under some annoyance that fortune had made him the finder of articles
belonging most probably to one of the family at Treby Manor He was much too
proud a man to like any contact with the aristocracy and he could still less
endure coming within speech of their servants Some plan must be devised by
which he could avoid carrying these things up to the Manor himself he thought
at first of leaving them at the lodge but he had a scruple against placing
property of which the ownership was after all uncertain in the hands of
persons unknown to him It was possible that the large pocketbook contained
papers of high importance and that it did not belong to any of the Debarry
family He resolved at last to carry his findings to Mr Lyon who would perhaps
be goodnatured enough to save him from the necessary transactions with the
people at the Manor by undertaking those transactions himself With this
determination he walked straight to Malthouse Yard and waited outside the
chapel until the congregation was dispersing when he passed along the aisle to
the vestry in order to speak to the minister in private
But Mr Lyon was not alone when Felix entered Mr Nuttwood the grocer who
was one of the deacons was complaining to him about the obstinate demeanour of
the singers who had declined to change the tunes in accordance with a change in
the selection of hymns and had stretched short metre into long out of pure
wilfulness and defiance irreverently adapting the most sacred monosyllables to
a multitude of wandering quavers arranged it was to be feared by some
musician who was inspired by conceit rather than by the true spirit of psalmody
»Come in my friend« said Mr Lyon smiling at Felix and then continuing in
a faint voice while he wiped the perspiration from his brow and bald crown
»Brother Nuttwood we must be content to carry a thorn in our sides while the
necessities of our imperfect state demand that there should be a body set apart
and called a choir whose special office it is to lead the singing not because
they are more disposed to the devout uplifting of praise but because they are
endowed with better vocal organs and have attained more of the musicians art
For all office unless it be accompanied by peculiar grace becomes as it were
a diseased organ seeking to make itself too much of a centre Singers
specially so called are it must be confessed an anomaly among us who seek to
reduce the church to its primitive simplicity and to cast away all that may
obstruct the direct communion of spirit with spirit«
»They are so headstrong« said Mr Nuttwood in a tone of sad perplexity
»that if we dealt not warily with them they might end in dividing the church
even now that we have had the chapel enlarged Brother Kemp would side with
them and draw the half part of the members after him I cannot but think it a
snare when a professing Christian has a bass voice like Brother Kemps It makes
him desire to be heard of men but the weaker song of the humble may have more
power in the ear of God«
»Do you think it any better vanity to flatter yourself that God likes to
hear you though men dont« said Felix with unwarrantable bluntness
The civil grocer was prepared to be scandalised by anything that came from
Felix In common with many hearers in Malthouse Yard he already felt an
objection to a young man who was notorious for having interfered in a question
of wholesale and retail which should have been left to Providence Old Mr Holt
being a church member had probably had leadings which were more to be relied on
than his sons boasted knowledge In any case a little visceral disturbance and
inward chastisement to the consumers of questionable medicines would tend less
to obscure the divine glory than a show of punctilious morality in one who was
not a professor Besides how was it to be known that the medicines would not be
blessed if taken with due trust in a higher influence A Christian must
consider not the medicines alone in their relation to our frail bodies which
are dust but the medicines with Omnipotence behind them Hence a pious vendor
will look for leadings and he is likely to find them in the cessation of demand
and the disproportion of expenses and returns The grocer was thus on his guard
against the presumptuous disputant
»Mr Lyon may understand you sir« he replied »He seems to be fond of your
conversation But you have too much of the pride of human learning for me I
follow no new lights«
»Then follow an old one« said Felix mischievously disposed towards a sleek
tradesman »Follow the light of the oldfashioned Presbyterians that Ive heard
sing at Glasgow The preacher gives out the psalm and then everybody sings a
different tune as it happens to turn up in their throats Its a domineering
thing to set a tune and expect everybody else to follow it Its a denial of
private judgement«
»Hush hush my young friend« said Mr Lyon hurt by this levity which
glanced at himself as well as at the deacon »Play not with paradoxes That
caustic which you handle in order to scorch others may happen to sear your own
fingers and make them dead to the quality of things Tis difficult enough to
see our way and keep our torch steady in this dim labyrinth to whirl the torch
and dazzle the eyes of our fellowseekers is a poor daring and may end in total
darkness You yourself are a lover of freedom and a bold rebel against usurping
authority But the right to rebellion is the right to seek a higher rule and
not to wander in mere lawlessness Wherefore I beseech you seem not to say
that liberty is licence And I apprehend though I am not endowed with an ear
to seize those earthly harmonies which to some devout souls have seemed as it
were the broken echoes of the heavenly choir I apprehend that there is a law
in music disobedience whereunto would bring us in our singing to the level of
shrieking maniacs or howling beasts so that herein we are well instructed how
true liberty can be nought but the transfer of obedience from the will of one or
of a few men to that will which is the norm or rule for all men And though the
transfer may sometimes be but an erroneous direction of search yet is the
search good and necessary to the ultimate finding And even as in music where
all obey and concur to one end so that each has the joy of contributing to a
whole whereby he is ravished and lifted up into the courts of heaven so will it
be in that crowning time of the millennial reign when our daily prayer will be
fulfilled and one law shall be written on all hearts and be the very structure
of all thought and be the principle of all action«
Tired even exhausted as the minister had been when Felix Holt entered the
gathering excitement of speech gave more and more energy to his voice and
manner he walked away from the vestry table he paused and came back to it he
walked away again then came back and ended with his deepesttoned largo
keeping his hands clasped behind him while his brown eyes were bright with the
lasting youthfulness of enthusiastic thought and love But to any one who had no
share in the energies that were thrilling his little body he would have looked
queer enough No sooner had he finished his eager speech than he held out his
hand to the deacon and said in his former faint tone of fatigue
»God be with you brother We shall meet tomorrow and we will see what can
be done to subdue these refractory spirits«
When the deacon was gone Felix said »Forgive me Mr Lyon I was wrong and
you are right«
»Yes yes my friend you have that mark of grace within you that you are
ready to acknowledge the justice of a rebuke Sit down you have something to
say some packet there«
They sat down at a corner of the small table and Felix drew the notebook
from his pocket to lay it down with the pocketbook saying
»Ive had the illluck to be the finder of these things in the Debarrys
Park Most likely they belong to one of the family at the Manor or to some
grandee who is staying there I hate having anything to do with such people
Theyll think me a poor rascal and offer me money You are a known man and I
thought you would be kind enough to relieve me by taking charge of these things
and writing to Debarry not mentioning me and asking him to send some one for
them I found them on the grass in the park this evening about halfpast seven
in the corner we cross going to Sproxton«
»Stay« said Mr Lyon »this little book is open we may venture to look in
it for some sign of ownership There be others who possess property and might
be crossing that end of the park beside the Debarrys«
As he lifted the notebook close to his eyes the chain again slipped out
He arrested it and held it in his hand while he examined some writing which
appeared to be a name on the inner leather He looked long as if he were trying
to decipher something that was partly rubbed out and his hands began to tremble
noticeably He made a movement in an agitated manner as if he were going to
examine the chain and seals which he held in his hand But he checked himself
closed his hand again and rested it on the table while with the other hand he
pressed sides of the notebook together
Felix observed his agitation and was much surprised but with a delicacy of
which he was capable under all his abruptness he said »You are overcome with
fatigue sir I was thoughtless to tease you with these matters at the end of
Sunday when you have been preaching three sermons«
Mr Lyon did not speak for a few moments but at last he said
»It is true I am overcome It was a name I saw a name that called up a
past sorrow Fear not I will do what is needful with these things You may
trust them to me«
With trembling fingers he replaced the chain and tied both the large
pocketbook and the notebook in his handkerchief He was evidently making a
great effort over himself But when he had gathered the knot of the handkerchief
in his hand he said
»Give me your arm to the door my friend I feel ill Doubtless I am
overwearied«
The door was already open and Lyddy was watching for her masters return
Felix therefore said »Goodnight« and passed on sure that this was what Mr Lyon
would prefer The ministers supper of warm porridge was ready by the
kitchenfire where he always took it on a Sunday evening and afterwards smoked
his weekly pipe up the broad chimney the one great relaxation he allowed
himself Smoking he considered was a recreation of the travailed spirit
which if indulged in might endear this world to us by the ignoble bonds of
mere sensuous ease Daily smoking might be lawful but it was not expedient And
in this Esther concurred with a doctrinal eagerness that was unusual in her It
was her habit to go to her own room professedly to bed very early on Sundays
immediately on her return from chapel that she might avoid her fathers pipe
But this evening she had remained at home under a true plea of not feeling
well and when she heard him enter she ran out of the parlour to meet him
»Father you are ill« she said as he tottered to the wickerbottomed
armchair while Lyddy stood by shaking her head
»No my dear« he answered feebly as she took off his hat and looked in his
face inquiringly »I am weary«
»Let me lay these things down for you« said Esther touching the bundle in
the handkerchief
»No they are matters which I have to examine« he said laying them on the
table and putting his arm across them
»Go you to bed Lyddy«
»Not me sir If ever a man looked as if he was struck with death its you
this very night as here is«
»Nonsense Lyddy« said Esther angrily »Go to bed when my father desires
it I will stay with him«
Lyddy was electrified by surprise at this new behaviour of Miss Esthers
She took her candle silently and went
»Go you too my dear« said Mr Lyon tenderly giving his hand to Esther
when Lyddy was gone »It is your wont to go early Why are you up«
»Let me lift your porridge from before the fire and stay with you father
You think Im so naughty that I dont like doing anything for you« said Esther
smiling rather sadly at him
»Child what has happened you have become the image of your mother
tonight« said the minister in a loud whisper The tears came and relieved
him while Esther who had stooped to lift the porridge from the fender paused
on one knee and looked up at him
»She was very good to you« asked Esther softly
»Yes dear She did not reject my affection She thought not scorn of my
love She would have forgiven me if I had erred against her from very
tenderness Could you forgive me child«
»Father I have not been good to you but I will be I will be« said
Esther laying her head on his knee
He kissed her head »Go to bed my dear I would be alone«
When Esther was lying down that night she felt as if the little incidents
between herself and her father on this Sunday had made it an epoch Very slight
words and deeds may have a sacramental efficacy if we can cast our selflove
behind us in order to say or do them And it has been well believed through
many ages that the beginning of compunction is the beginning of a new life that
the mind which sees itself blameless may be called dead in trespasses in
trespasses on the love of others in trespasses on their weakness in trespasses
on all those great claims which are the image of our own need
But Esther persisted in assuring herself that she was not bending to any
criticism from Felix She was full of resentment against his rudeness and yet
more against his too harsh conception of her character She was determined to
keep as much at a distance from him as possible
Chapter 14
This mans metallic at a sudden blow
His soul rings hard I cannot lay my palm
Trembling with life upon that jointed brass
I shudder at the cold unanswering touch
But if it press me in response Im bruised
The next morning when the Debarrys including the rector who had ridden over
to the Manor early were still seated at breakfast Christian came in with a
letter saying that it had been brought by a man employed at the chapel in
Malthouse Yard who had been ordered by the minister to use all speed and care
in the delivery
The letter was addressed to Sir Maximus
»Stay Christian it may possibly refer to the lost pocketbook« said
Philip Debarry who was beginning to feel rather sorry for his factotum as a
reaction from previous suspicions and indignation
Sir Maximus opened the letter and felt for his glasses but then said
»Here you read it Phil the man writes a hand like small print«
Philip cast his eyes over it and then read aloud in a tone of satisfaction
Sir I send this letter to apprise you that I have now in my
possession certain articles which last evening at about halfpast
seven oclock were found lying on the grass at the western extremity of
your park The articles are 1° a wellfilled pocketbook of brown
leather fastened with a black ribbon and with a seal of red wax 2° a
small notebook covered with gilded vellum whereof the clasp was
burst and from out whereof had partly escaped a small gold chain with
seals and a locket attached the locket bearing on the back a device
and round the face a female name
Wherefore I request that you will further my effort to place these
articles in the right hands by ascertaining whether any person within
your walls claims them as his property and by sending that person to me
if such be found for I will on no account let them pass from my care
save into that of one who declaring himself to be the owner can state
to me what is the impression on the seal and what the device and name
upon the locket I am Sir yours to command in all right dealing
RUFUS LYON
Malthouse Yard Oct 3 1832
»Well done old Lyon« said the rector »I didnt think that any composition of
his would ever give me so much pleasure«
»What an old fox it is« said Sir Maximus »Why couldnt he send the things
to me at once along with the letter«
»No no Max he uses a justifiable caution« said the rector a refined and
rather severe likeness of his brother with a ring of fearlessness and decision
in his voice which startled all flaccid men and unruly boys »What are you going
to do Phil« seeing his nephew rise
»To write of course Those other matters are yours I suppose« said Mr
Debarry looking at Christian
»Yes sir«
»I shall send you with a letter to the preacher You can describe your own
property And the seal uncle was it your coatofarms«
»No it was this head of Achilles Here I can take it off the ring and you
can carry it Christian But dont lose that for Ive had it ever since
eighteen hundred I should like to send my compliments with it« the rector went
on looking at his brother »and beg that since he has so much wise caution at
command he would exercise a little in more public matters instead of making
himself a firebrand in my parish and teaching hucksters and tapeweavers that
its their business to dictate to statesmen«
»How did Dissenters and Methodists and Quakers and people of that sort
first come up uncle« said Miss Selina a radiant girl of twenty who had given
much time to the harp
»Dear me Selina« said her elder sister Harriet whose forte was general
knowledge »dont you remember Woodstock They were in Cromwells time«
»O Holdenough and those people Yes but they preached in the churches
they had no chapels Tell me uncle Gus I like to be wise« said Selina
looking up at the face which was smiling down on her with a sort of severe
benignity »Phil says Im an ignorant puss«
»The seeds of Nonconformity were sown at the Reformation my dear when some
obstinate men made scruples about surplices and the place of the
communiontable and other trifles of that sort But the Quakers came up about
Cromwells time and the Methodists only in the last century The first
Methodists were regular clergymen the mores the pity«
»But all those wrong things why didnt government put them down«
»Ah to be sure« fell in Sir Maximus in a cordial tone of corroboration
»Because error is often strong and government is often weak my dear Well
Phil have you finished your letter«
»Yes I will read it to you« said Philip turning and leaning over the back
of his chair with the letter in his hand
There is a portrait of Mr Philip Debarry still to be seen at Treby Manor
and a very fine bust of him at Rome where he died fifteen years later a
convert to Catholicism His face would have been plain but for the exquisite
setting of his hazel eyes which fascinated even the dogs of the household The
other features though slight and irregular were redeemed from triviality by
the stamp of gravity and intellectual preoccupation in his face and bearing As
he read aloud his voice was what his uncles might have been if it had been
modulated by delicate health and a visitation of selfdoubt
Sir In reply to the letter with which you have favoured me this
morning I beg to state that the articles you describe were lost from
the pocket of my servant who is the bearer of this letter to you and
is the claimant of the vellum notebook and the gold chain The large
leathern pocket book is my own property and the impression on the wax
a helmeted head of Achilles was made by my uncle the Rev Augustus
Debarry who allows me to forward his seal to you in proof that I am not
making a mistaken claim
I feel myself under deep obligation to you sir for the care and
trouble you have taken in order to restore to its right owner a piece of
property which happens to be of particular importance to me And I shall
consider myself doubly fortunate if at any time you can point out to me
some method by which I may procure you as lively a satisfaction as I am
now feeling in that full and speedy relief from anxiety which I owe to
your considerate conduct
I remain sir your obliged and faithful servant
PHILIP DEBARRY
»You know best Phil of course« said Sir Maximus pushing his plate from him
by way of interjection »But it seems to me you exaggerate preposterously every
little service a man happens to do for you Why should you make a general offer
of that sort How do you know what he will be asking you to do Stuff and
nonsense Tell Willis to send him a few head of game You should think twice
before you give a blank cheque of that sort to one of these quibbling
meddlesome Radicals«
»You are afraid of my committing myself to the bottomless perjury of an et
cetera« said Philip smiling as he turned to fold his letter »But I think I
am not doing any mischief at all events I could not be content to say less And
I have a notion that he would regard a present of game just now as an insult I
should in his place«
»Yes yes you but you dont make yourself a measure of dissenting
preachers I hope« said Sir Maximus rather wrathfully »What do you say Gus«
»Phil is right« said the rector in an absolute tone »I would not deal
with a Dissenter or put profits into the pocket of a Radical which I might put
into the pocket of a good churchman and a quiet subject But if the greatest
scoundrel in the world made way for me or picked my hat up I would thank him
So would you Max«
»Pooh I didnt mean that one shouldnt behave like a gentleman« said Sir
Maximus in some vexation He had great pride in his sons superiority even to
himself but he did not enjoy having his own opinion argued down as it always
was and did not quite trust the dim vision opened by Phils new words and new
notions He could only submit in silence while the letter was delivered to
Christian with the order to start for Malthouse Yard immediately
Meanwhile in that somewhat dim locality the possible claimant of the
notebook and the chain was thought of and expected with palpitating agitation
Mr Lyon was seated in his study looking haggard and already aged from a
sleepless night He was so afraid lest his emotion should deprive him of the
presence of mind necessary to the due attention to particulars in the coming
interview that he continued to occupy his sight and touch with the objects
which had stirred the depths not only of memory but of dread Once again he
unlocked a small box which stood beside his desk and took from it a little oval
locket and compared this with one which hung with the seals on the stray gold
chain There was the same device in enamel on the back of both clasped hands
surrounded with blue flowers Both had round the face a name in gold italics on
a blue ground the name on the locket taken from the drawer was Maurice the
name on the locket which hung with the seals was Annette and within the circle
of this name there was a lovers knot of lightbrown hair which matched a curl
that lay in the box The hair in the locket which bore the name of Maurice was
of a very dark brown and before returning it to the drawer Mr Lyon noted the
colour and quality of this hair more carefully than ever Then he recurred to
the notebook undoubtedly there had been something probably a third name
beyond the names Maurice Christian which had themselves been rubbed and
slightly smeared as if by accident and from the very first examination in the
vestry Mr Lyon could not prevent himself from transferring the mental image of
the third name in faint lines to the rubbed leather The leaves of the notebook
seemed to have been recently inserted they were of fresh white paper and only
bore some abbreviations in pencil with a notation of small sums Nothing could
be gathered from the comparison of the writing in the book with that of the
yellow letters which lay in the box the smeared name had been carefully
printed and so bore no resemblance to the signature of those letters and the
pencil abbreviations and figures had been made too hurriedly to bear any
decisive witness »I will ask him to write to write a description of the
locket« had been one of Mr Lyons thoughts but he faltered in that intention
His power of fulfilling it must depend on what he saw in this visitor of whose
coming he had a horrible dread at the very time he was writing to demand it In
that demand he was obeying the voice of his rigid conscience which had never
left him perfectly at rest under his one act of deception the concealment from
Esther that he was not her natural father the assertion of a false claim upon
her »Let my path be henceforth simple« he had said to himself in the anguish
of that night »let me seek to know what is and if possible to declare it« If
he was really going to find himself face to face with the man who had been
Annettes husband and who was Esthers father if that wandering of his from
the light had brought the punishment of a blind sacrilege as the issue of a
conscious transgression he prayed that he might be able to accept all
consequences of pain to himself But he saw other possibilities concerning the
claimant of the book and chain His ignorance and suspicions as to the history
and character of Annettes husband made it credible that he had laid a plan for
convincing her of his death as a means of freeing himself from a burthensome
tie but it seemed equally probable that he was really dead and that these
articles of property had been a bequest or a payment or even a sale to their
present owner Indeed in all these years there was no knowing into how many
hands such pretty trifles might have passed And the claimant might after all
have no connection with the Debarrys he might not come on this day or the next
There might be more time left for reflection and prayer
All these possibilities which would remove the pressing need for difficult
action Mr Lyon represented to himself but he had no effective belief in them
his belief went with his strongest feeling and in these moments his strongest
feeling was dread He trembled under the weight that seemed already added to his
own sin he felt himself already confronted by Annettes husband and Esthers
father Perhaps the father was a gentleman on a visit to the Debarrys There was
no hindering the pang with which the old man said to himself
»The child will not be sorry to leave this poor home and I shall be guilty
in her sight«
He was walking about among the rows of books when there came a loud rap at
the outer door The rap shook him so that he sank into his chair feeling almost
powerless Lyddy presented herself
»Heres ever such a fine man from the Manor wants to see you sir Dear
heart dear heart shall I tell him youre too bad to see him«
»Show him up« said Mr Lyon making an effort to rally When Christian
appeared the minister half rose leaning on an arm of his chair and said »Be
seated sir« seeing nothing but that a tall man was entering
»Ive brought you a letter from Mr Debarry« said Christian in an offhand
manner This rusty little man in his dismal chamber seemed to the Ulysses of
the stewards room a pitiable sort of human curiosity to whom a man of the
world would speak rather loudly in accommodation to an eccentricity which was
likely to be accompanied with deafness One cannot be eminent in everything and
if Mr Christian had dispersed his faculties in study that would have enabled him
to share unconventional points of view he might have worn a mistaken kind of
boot and been less competent to win at écarté or at betting or in any other
contest suitable to a person of figure
As he seated himself Mr Lyon opened the letter and held it close to his
eyes so that his face was hidden But at the word servant he could not avoid
starting and looking off the letter towards the bearer Christian knowing what
was in the letter conjectured that the old man was amazed to learn that so
distinguishedlooking a personage was a servant he leaned forward with his
elbows on his knees balanced his cane on his fingers and began a whispering
whistle The minister checked himself finished the reading of the letter and
then slowly and nervously put on his spectacles to survey this man between
whose fate and his own there might be a terrible collision The word servant had
been a fresh caution to him He must do nothing rashly Esthers lot was deeply
concerned
»Here is the seal mentioned in the letter« said Christian
Mr Lyon drew the pocketbook from his desk and after comparing the seal
with the impression said »It is right sir I deliver the pocketbook to you«
He held it out with the seal and Christian rose to take them saying
carelessly »The other things the chain and the little book are mine«
»Your name then is «
»Maurice Christian«
A spasm shot through Mr Lyon It had seemed possible that he might hear
another name and be freed from the worse half of his anxiety His next words
were not wisely chosen but escaped him impulsively
»And you have no other name«
»What do you mean« said Christian sharply
»Be so good as to reseat yourself«
Christian did not comply »Im rather in a hurry sir« he said recovering
his coolness »If it suits you to restore to me those small articles of mine I
shall be glad but I would rather leave them behind than be detained« He had
reflected that the minister was simply a punctilious old bore The question
meant nothing else But Mr Lyon had wrought himself up to the task of finding
out then and there if possible whether or not this were Annettes husband
How could he lay himself and his sin before God if he wilfully declined to learn
the truth
»Nay sir I will not detain you unreasonably« he said in a firmer tone
than before »How long have these articles been your property«
»Oh for more than twenty years« said Christian carelessly He was not
altogether easy under the ministers persistence but for that very reason he
showed no more impatience
»You have been in France and in Germany«
»I have been in most countries on the continent«
»Be so good as to write me your name« said Mr Lyon dipping a pen in the
ink and holding it out with a piece of paper
Christian was much surprised but not now greatly alarmed In his rapid
conjectures as to the explanation of the ministers curiosity he had alighted
on one which might carry advantage rather than inconvenience But he was not
going to commit himself
»Before I oblige you there sir« he said laying down the pen and looking
straight at Mr Lyon »I must know exactly the reasons you have for putting these
questions to me You are a stranger to me an excellent person I daresay but
I have no concern about you farther than to get from you those small articles
Do you still doubt that they are mine You wished I think that I should tell
you what the locket is like It has a pair of hands and blue flowers on one
side and the name Annette round the hair on the other side That is all I have
to say If you wish for anything more from me you will be good enough to tell
me why you wish it Now then sir what is your concern with me«
The cool stare the hard challenging voice with which these words were
uttered made them fall like the beating cutting chill of heavy hail on Mr
Lyon He sank back in his chair in utter irresolution and helplessness How was
it possible to lay bare the sad and sacred past in answer to such a call as
this The dread with which he had thought of this mans coming the
stronglyconfirmed suspicion that he was really Annettes husband intensified
the antipathy created by his gestures and glances The sensitive little minister
knew instinctively that words which would cost him efforts as painful as the
obedient footsteps of a wounded bleeding hound that wills a foreseen throe
would fall on this man as the pressure of tender fingers falls on a brazen
glove And Esther if this man was her father every additional word might
help to bring down irrevocable perhaps cruel consequences on her A thick mist
seemed to have fallen where Mr Lyon was looking for the track of duty the
difficult question how far he was to care for consequences in seeking and
avowing the truth seemed anew obscured All these things like the vision of a
coming calamity were compressed into a moment of consciousness Nothing could
be done today everything must be deferred He answered Christian in a low
apologetic tone
»It is true sir you have told me all I can demand I have no sufficient
reason for detaining your property further«
He handed the notebook and chain to Christian who had been observing him
narrowly and now said in a tone of indifference as he pocketed the articles
»Very good sir I wish you a goodmorning«
»Goodmorning« said Mr Lyon feeling while the door closed behind his
guest that mixture of uneasiness and relief which all procrastination of
difficulty produces in minds capable of strong forecast The work was still to
be done He had still before him the task of learning everything that could be
learned about this mans relation to himself and Esther
Christian as he made his way back along Malthouse Lane was thinking »This
old fellow has got some secret in his head Its not likely he can know anything
about me it must be about Bycliffe But Bycliffe was a gentleman how should he
ever have had anything to do with such a seedy old ranter as that«
Chapter 15
And doubt shall be as lead upon the feet
Of thy most anxious will
Mr Lyon was careful to look in at Felix as soon as possible after Christians
departure to tell him that his trust was discharged During the rest of the day
he was somewhat relieved from agitating reflections by the necessity of
attending to his ministerial duties the rebuke of rebellious singers being one
of them and on his return from the Monday evening prayermeeting he was so
overcome with weariness that he went to bed without taking note of any objects
in his study But when he rose the next morning his mind once more eagerly
active was arrested by Philip Debarrys letter which still lay open on his
desk and was arrested by precisely that portion which had been unheeded the day
before »I shall consider myself doubly fortunate if at any time you can point
out to me some method by which I may procure you as lively a satisfaction as I
am now feeling in that full and speedy relief from anxiety which I owe to your
considerate conduct«
To understand how these words could carry the suggestion they actually had
for the minister in a crisis of peculiar personal anxiety and struggle we must
bear in mind that for many years he had walked through life with the sense of
having for a space been unfaithful to what he esteemed the highest trust ever
committed to man the ministerial vocation In a mind of any nobleness a lapse
into transgression against an object still regarded as supreme issues in a new
and purer devotedness chastised by humility and watched over by a passionate
regret So it was with that ardent spirit which animated the little body of
Rufus Lyon Once in his life he had been blinded deafened hurried along by
rebellious impulse he had gone astray after his own desires and had let the
fire die out on the altar and as the true penitent hating his selfbesotted
error asks from all coming life duty instead of joy and service instead of
ease so Rufus was perpetually on the watch lest he should ever again postpone
to some private affection a great public opportunity which to him was equivalent
to a command
Now here was an opportunity brought by a combination of that unexpected
incalculable kind which might be regarded as the divine emphasis invoking
especial attention to trivial events an opportunity of securing what Rufus
Lyon had often wished for as a means of honouring truth and exhibiting error in
the character of a stammering halting shortbreathed usurper of office and
dignity What was more exasperating to a zealous preacher with whom copious
speech was not a difficulty but a relief who never lacked argument but only
combatants and listeners than to reflect that there were thousands on
thousands of pulpits in this kingdom supplied with handsome soundingboards
and occupying an advantageous position in buildings far larger than the chapel
in Malthouse Yard buildings sure to be places of resort even as the markets
were if only from habit and interest and that these pulpits were filled or
rather made vacuous by men whose privileged education in the ancient centres of
instruction issued in twenty minutes formal reading of tepid exhortation or
probably infirm deductions from premises based on rotten scaffolding And it is
in the nature of exasperation gradually to concentrate itself The sincere
antipathy of a dog towards cats in general necessarily takes the form of
indignant barking at the neighbours black cat which makes daily trespass the
bark at imagined cats though a frequent exercise of the canine mind is yet
comparatively feeble Mr Lyons sarcasm was not without an edge when he dilated
in general on an elaborate education for teachers which issued in the minimum of
teaching but it found a whetstone in the particular example of that bad system
known as the rector of Treby Magna There was nothing positive to be said
against the Rev Augustus Debarry his life could not be pronounced blameworthy
except for its negatives And the good Rufus was too pureminded not to be glad
of that He had no delight in vice as discrediting wicked opponents he shrank
from dwelling on the images of cruelty or of grossness and his indignation was
habitually inspired only by those moral and intellectual mistakes which darken
the soul but do not injure or degrade the temple of the body If the rector had
been a less respectable man Rufus would have more reluctantly made him an
object of antagonism but as an incarnation of souldestroying error
dissociated from those baser sins which have no good repute even with the
worldly it would be an argumentative luxury to get into close quarters with
him and fight with a dialectic shortsword in the eyes of the Treby world
sending also a written account thereof to the chief organs of dissenting
opinion Vice was essentially stupid a deaf and eyeless monster
insusceptible to demonstration the Spirit might work on it by unseen ways and
the unstudied sallies of sermons were often as the arrows which pierced and
awakened the brutified conscience but illuminated thought finelydividing
speech were the choicer weapons of the divine armoury which whoso could wield
must be careful not to leave idle
Here then was the longedfor opportunity Here was an engagement an
expression of a strong wish on the part of Philip Debarry if it were in his
power to procure a satisfaction to Rufus Lyon How had that man of God and
exemplary Independent minister Mr Ainsworth of persecuted sanctity conducted
himself when a similar occasion had befallen him at Amsterdam He had thought of
nothing but the glory of the highest cause and had converted the offer of
recompense into a public debate with a Jew on the chief mysteries of the faith
Here was a model the case was nothing short of a heavenly indication and he
Rufus Lyon would seize the occasion to demand a public debate with the rector
on the constitution of the true church
What if he were inwardly torn by doubt and anxiety concerning his own
private relations and the facts of his past life That danger of absorption
within the narrow bounds of self only urged him the more towards action which
had a wider bearing and might tell on the welfare of England at large It was
decided Before the minister went down to his breakfast that morning he had
written the following letter to Mr Philip Debarry
Sir Referring to your letter of yesterday I find the following
words »I shall consider myself doubly fortunate if at any time you can
point out to me some method by which I may procure you as lively a
satisfaction as I am now feeling in that full and speedy relief from
anxiety which I owe to your considerate conduct«
I am not unaware sir that in the usage of the world there are
words of courtesy so called which are understood by those amongst
whom they are current to have no precise meaning and to constitute no
bond or obligation I will not now insist that this is an abuse of
language wherein our fallible nature requires the strictest safeguards
against laxity and misapplication for I do not apprehend that in
writing the words I have above quoted you were open to the reproach of
using phrases which while seeming to carry a specific meaning were
really no more than what is called a polite form I believe sir that
you used these words advisedly sincerely and with an honourable
intention of acting on them as a pledge should such action be demanded
No other supposition on my part would correspond to the character you
bear as a young man who aspires albeit mistakenly to engraft the
finest fruits of public virtue on a creed and institutions whereof the
sap is composed rather of human selfseeking than of everlasting truth
Wherefore I act on this my belief in the integrity of your written
word and I beg you to procure for me as it is doubtless in your power
that I may be allowed a public discussion with your near relative the
rector of this parish the Reverend Augustus Debarry to be held in the
large room of the Free School or in the Assembly Room of the Marquis of
Granby these being the largest covered spaces at our command For I
presume he would neither allow me to speak within his church nor would
consent himself to speak within my chapel and the probable inclemency
of the approaching season forbids an assured expectation that we could
discourse in the open air The subjects I desire to discuss are
first the constitution of the true church and secondly the bearing
thereupon of the English Reformation Confidently expecting that you
will comply with this request which is the sequence of your expressed
desire I remain sir yours with the respect offered to a sincere
withstander
RUFUS LYON
Malthouse Yard
After writing this letter the good Rufus felt that serenity and elevation of
mind which is infallibly brought by a preoccupation with the wider relations of
things Already he was beginning to sketch the course his argument might most
judiciously take in the coming debate his thoughts were running into sentences
and marking off careful exceptions in parentheses and he had come down and
seated himself at the breakfasttable quite automatically without expectation
of toast or coffee when Esthers voice and touch recalled him to an inward
debate of another kind in which he felt himself much weaker Again there arose
before him the image of that cool hardeyed worldly man who might be this
dear childs father and one against whose rights he had himself greviously
offended Always as the image recurred to him Mr Lyons heart sent forth a
prayer for guidance but no definite guidance had yet made itself visible for
him It could not be guidance it was a temptation that said »Let the matter
rest seek to know no more know only what is thrust upon you« The remembrance
that in his time of wandering he had wilfully remained in ignorance of facts
which he might have inquired after deepened the impression that it was now an
imperative duty to seek the fullest attainable knowledge And the inquiry might
possibly issue in a blessed repose by putting a negative on all his suspicions
But the more vividly all the circumstances became present to him the more unfit
he felt himself to set about any investigation concerning this man who called
himself Maurice Christian He could seek no confidant or helper among the
brethren he was obliged to admit to himself that the members of his church
with whom he hoped to go to heaven were not easy to converse with on earth
touching the deeper secrets of his experience and were still less able to
advise him as to the wisest procedure in a case of high delicacy with a
worldling who had a carefullytrimmed whisker and a fashionable costume For the
first time in his life it occurred to the minister that he should be glad of an
adviser who had more worldly than spiritual experience and that it might not be
inconsistent with his principles to seek some light from one who had studied
human law But it was a thought to be paused upon and not followed out rashly
some other guidance might intervene
Esther noticed that her father was in a fit of abstraction that he seemed
to swallow his coffee and toast quite unconsciously and that he vented from
time to time a low guttural interjection which was habitual with him when he
was absorbed by an inward discussion She did not disturb him by remarks and
only wondered whether anything unusual had occurred on Sunday evening But at
last she thought it needful to say »You recollect what I told you yesterday
father«
»Nay child what« said Mr Lyon rousing himself
»That Mr Jermyn asked me if you would probably be at home this morning
before one oclock«
Esther was surprised to see her father start and change colour as if he had
been shaken by some sudden collision before he answered
»Assuredly I do not intend to move from my study after I have once been out
to give this letter to Zachary«
»Shall I tell Lyddy to take him up at once to your study if he comes If
not I shall have to stay in my own room because I shall be at home all this
morning and it is rather cold now to sit without a fire«
»Yes my dear let him come up to me unless indeed he should bring a
second person which might happen seeing that in all likelihood he is coming
as hitherto on electioneering business And I could not well accommodate two
visitors upstairs«
While Mr Lyon went out to Zachary the pewopener to give him a second time
the commission of carrying a letter to Treby Manor Esther gave her injunction
to Lyddy that if one gentleman came he was to be shown upstairs if two they
were to be shown into the parlour But she had to resolve various questions
before Lyddy clearly saw what was expected of her as that »if it was the
gentleman as came on Thursday in the pepperandsalt coat was he to be shown
upstairs And the gentleman from the Manor yesterday as went out whistling
had Miss Esther heard about him There seemed no end of these great folks coming
to Malthouse Yard since there was talk of the election but they might be poor
lost creatures the most of em« Whereupon Lyddy shook her head and groaned
under an edifying despair as to the future lot of gentlemen callers
Esther always avoided asking questions of Lyddy who found an answer as she
found a key by pouring out a pocketful of miscellanies But she had remarked so
many indications that something had happened to cause her father unusual
excitement and mental preoccupation that she could not help connecting with
them the fact of this visit from the Manor which he had not mentioned to her
She sat down in the dull parlour and took up her netting for since Sunday
she had felt unable to read when she was alone being obliged in spite of
herself to think of Felix Holt to imagine what he would like her to be and
what sort of views he took of life so as to make it seem valuable in the absence
of all elegance luxury gaiety or romance Had he yet reflected that he had
behaved very rudely to her on Sunday Perhaps not Perhaps he had dismissed her
from his mind with contempt And at that thought Esthers eyes smarted
unpleasantly She was fond of netting because it showed to advantage both her
hand and her foot and across this image of Felix Holts indifference and
contempt there passed the vaguer image of a possible somebody who would admire
her hands and feet and delight in looking at their beauty and long yet not
dare to kiss them Life would be much easier in the presence of such a love
But it was precisely this longing after her own satisfaction that Felix had
reproached her with Did he want her to be heroic That seemed impossible
without some great occasion Her life was a heap of fragments and so were her
thoughts some great energy was needed to bind them together Esther was
beginning to lose her complacency at her own wit and criticism to lose the
sense of superiority in an awakening need for reliance on one whose vision was
wider whose nature was purer and stronger than her own But then she said to
herself that one must be tender to her not rude and predominating in his
manners A man with any chivalry in him could never adopt a scolding tone
towards a woman that is towards a charming woman But Felix had no chivalry
in him He loved lecturing and opinion too well ever to love any woman
In this way Esther strove to see that Felix was thoroughly in the wrong at
least if he did not come again expressly to show that he was sorry
Chapter 16
TRUEBLUE These men have no votes Why should I court them
GREYFOX No votes but power
TRUEBLUE What over charities
GREYFOX No over brains which disturbs the canvass In a natural
state of things the average price of a vote at Paddlebrook is nine
andsixpence throwing the fiftypound tenants who cost nothing
into the divisor But these talking men cause an artificial rise of
prices
The expected important knock at the door came about twelve oclock and Esther
could hear that there were two visitors Immediately the parlour door was opened
and the shaggyhaired cravatless image of Felix Holt which was then just full
in the mirror of Esthers mind was displaced by the highlycontrasted
appearance of a personage whose name she guessed before Mr Jermyn had announced
it The perfect morning costume of that day differed much from our present
ideal it was essential that a gentlemans chin should be well propped that his
collar should have a voluminous roll that his waistcoat should imply much
discrimination and that his buttons should be arranged in a manner which would
now expose him to general contempt And it must not be forgotten that at the
distant period when Treby Magna first knew the excitements of an election there
existed many other anomalies now obsolete besides shortwaisted coats and broad
stiffeners
But we have some notions of beauty and fitness which withstand the
centuries and quite irrespective of dates it would be pronounced that at the
age of thirtyfour Harold Transome was a striking and handsome man He was one
of those people as Denner had remarked to whose presence in the room you could
not be indifferent if you do not hate or dread them you must find the touch of
their hands nay their very shadows agreeable
Esther felt a pleasure quite new to her as she saw his finelyembrowned face
and full bright eyes turned towards her with an air of deference by which
gallantry must commend itself to a refined woman who is not absolutely free from
vanity Harold Transome regarded women as slight things but he was fond of
slight things in the intervals of business and he held it among the chief arts
of life to keep these pleasant diversions within such bonds that they should
never interfere with the course of his serious ambition Esther was perfectly
aware as he took a chair near her that he was under some admiring surprise at
her appearance and manner How could it be otherwise She believed that in the
eyes of a high man no young lady in Treby could equal her she felt a glow of
delight at the sense that she was being looked at
»My father expected you« she said to Mr Jermyn »I delivered your letter to
him yesterday He will be down immediately«
She disentangled her foot from her netting and wound it up
»I hope you are not going to let us disturb you« said Harold noticing her
action »We come to discuss election affairs and particularly desire to
interest the ladies«
»I have no interest with any one who is not already on the right side« said
Esther smiling
»I am happy to see at least that you wear the Liberal colours«
»I fear I must confess that it is more from love of blue than from love of
Liberalism Yellow opinions could only have brunettes on their side« Esther
spoke with her usual pretty fluency but she had no sooner uttered the words
than she thought how angry they would have made Felix
»If my cause is to be recommended by the becomingness of my colours then I
am sure you are acting in my interest by wearing them«
Esther rose to leave the room
»Must you really go« said Harold preparing to open the door for her
»Yes I have an engagement a lesson at halfpast twelve« said Esther
bowing and floating out like a bluerobed Naïad but not without a suffused
blush as she passed through the doorway
It was a pity the room was so small Harold Transome thought this girl
ought to walk in a house where there were halls and corridors But he had soon
dismissed this chance preoccupation with Esther for before the door was closed
again Mr Lyon had entered and Harold was entirely bent on what had been the
object of his visit The minister though no elector himself had considerable
influence over Liberal electors and it was the part of wisdom in a candidate to
cement all political adhesion by a little personal regard if possible Garstin
was a harsh and wiry fellow he seemed to suggest that sour whey which some say
was the original meaning of Whig in the Scottish and it might assist the
theoretic advantages of Radicalism if it could be associated with a more
generous presence What would conciliate the personal regard of old Mr Lyon
became a curious problem to Harold now the little man made his appearance But
canvassing makes a gentleman acquainted with many strange animals together with
the ways of catching and taming them and thus the knowledge of natural history
advances amongst the aristocracy and the wealthy commoners of our land
»I am very glad to have secured this opportunity of making your personal
acquaintance Mr Lyon« said Harold putting out his hand to the minister when
Jermyn had mentioned his name »I am to address the electors here in the
MarketPlace tomorrow and I should have been sorry to do so without first
paying my respects privately to my chief friends as there may be points on
which they particularly wish me to explain myself«
»You speak civilly sir and reasonably« said Mr Lyon with a vague
shortsighted gaze in which a candidates appearance evidently went for nothing
»Pray be seated gentlemen It is my habit to stand«
He placed himself at right angle with his visitors his worn look of
intellectual eagerness slight frame and rusty attire making an odd contrast
with their flourishing persons unblemished costume and comfortable freedom
from excitement The group was fairly typical of the difference between the men
who are animated by ideas and the men who are expected to apply them Then he
drew forth his spectacles and began to rub them with the thin end of his
coattail He was inwardly exercising great selfmastery suppressing the
thought of his personal needs which Jermyns presence tended to suggest in
order that he might be equal to the larger duties of this occasion
»I am aware Mr Jermyn has told me« said Harold »what good service you
have done me already Mr Lyon The fact is a man of intellect like you was
especially needed in my case The race I am running is really against Garstin
only who calls himself a Liberal though he cares for nothing and understands
nothing except the interests of the wealthy traders And you have been able to
explain the difference between Liberal and Liberal which as you and I know is
something like the difference between fish and fish«
»Your comparison is not unapt sir« said Mr Lyon still holding his
spectacles in his hand »at this epoch when the mind of the nation has been
strained on the passing of one measure Where a great weight has to be moved we
require not so much selected instruments as abundant horsepower But it is an
unavoidable evil of these massive achievements that they encourage a coarse
undiscriminatingness obstructive of more nicelywrought results and an
exaggerated expectation inconsistent with the intricacies of our fallen and
struggling condition I say not that compromise is unnecessary but it is an
evil attendant on our imperfection and I would pray every one to mark that
where compromise broadens intellect and conscience are thrust into narrower
room Wherefore it has been my object to show our people that there are many who
have helped to draw the car of Reform whose ends are but partial and who
forsake not the ungodly principle of selfish alliances but would only
substitute Syria for Egypt thinking chiefly of their own share in peacocks
gold and ivory«
»Just so« said Harold who was quick at new languages and still quicker at
translating other mens generalities into his own special and immediate
purposes »men who will be satisfied if they can only bring in a plutocracy buy
up the land and stick the old crests on their new gateways Now the practical
point to secure against these false Liberals at present is that our electors
should not divide their votes As it appears that many who vote for Debarry are
likely to split their votes in favour of Garstin it is of the first consequence
that my voters should give me plumpers If they divide their votes they cant
keep out Debarry and they may help to keep out me I feel some confidence in
asking you to use your influence in this direction Mr Lyon We candidates have
to praise ourselves more than is graceful but you are aware that while I
belong by my birth to the classes that have their roots in tradition and all the
old loyalties my experience has lain chiefly among those who make their own
career and depend on the new rather than the old I have had the advantage of
considering national welfare under varied lights I have wider views than those
of a mere cotton lord On questions connected with religious liberty I would
stop short at no measure that was not thorough«
»I hope not sir I hope not« said Mr Lyon gravely finally putting on
his spectacles and examining the face of the candidate whom he was preparing to
turn into a catechumen For the good Rufus conscious of his political
importance as an organ of persuasion felt it his duty to catechise a little
and also to do his part towards impressing a probable legislator with a sense of
his responsibility But the latter branch of duty somewhat obstructed the
catechising for his mind was so urged by considerations which he held in danger
of being overlooked that the questions and answers bore a very slender
proportion to his exposition It was impossible to leave the question of
churchrates without noting the grounds of their injustice and without a brief
enumeration of reasons why Mr Lyon for his own part would not present that
passive resistance to a legal imposition which had been adopted by the Friends
whose heroism in this regard was nevertheless worthy of all honour
Comprehensive talkers are apt to be tiresome when we are not athirst for
information but to be quite fair we must admit that superior reticence is a
good deal due to the lack of matter Speech is often barren but silence also
does not necessarily brood over a full nest Your still fowl blinking at you
without remark may all the while be sitting on one addled nestegg and when it
takes to cackling will have nothing to announce but that addled delusion
Harold Transome was not at all a patient man but in matters of business he
was quite awake to his cue and in this case it was perhaps easier to listen
than to answer questions But Jermyn who had plenty of work on his hands took
an opportunity of rising and saying as he looked at his watch
»I must really be at the office in five minutes You will find me there Mr
Transome you have probably still many things to say to Mr Lyon«
»I beseech you sir« said the minister changing colour and by a quick
movement laying his hand on Jermyns arm »I beseech you to favour me with an
interview on some private business this evening if it were possible«
Mr Lyon like others who are habitually occupied with impersonal subjects
was liable to this impulsive sort of action He snatched at the details of life
as if they were darting past him as if they were like the ribbons at his
knees which would never be tied all day if they were not tied on the instant
Through these spasmodic leaps out of his abstractions into real life it
constantly happened that he suddenly took a course which had been the subject of
too much doubt with him ever to have been determined on by continuous thought
And if Jermyn had not startled him by threatening to vanish just when he was
plunged in politics he might never have made up his mind to confide in a
worldly attorney
»An odd man« as Mrs Muscat observed »to have such a gift in the pulpit
But theres One knows better than we do « which in a lady who rarely felt her
judgment at a loss was a concession that showed much piety
Jermyn was surprised at the little mans eagerness »By all means« he
answered quite cordially »Could you come to my office at eight oclock«
»For several reasons I must beg you to come to me«
»O very good Ill walk out and see you this evening if possible I shall
have much pleasure in being of any use to you« Jermyn felt that in the eyes of
Harold he was appearing all the more valuable when his services were thus in
request He went out and Mr Lyon easily relapsed into politics for he had been
on the brink of a favourite subject on which he was at issue with his
fellowLiberals
At that time when faith in the efficacy of political change was at
feverheat in ardent Reformers many measures which men are still discussing
with little confidence on either side were then talked about and disposed of
like property in near reversion Crying abuses bloated paupers bloated
pluralists and other corruptions hindering men from being wise and happy had
to be fought against and slain Such a time is a time of hope Afterwards when
the corpses of those monsters have been held up to the public wonder and
abhorrence and yet wisdom and happiness do not follow but rather a more
abundant breeding of the foolish and unhappy comes a time of doubt and
despondency But in the great Reform year hope was mighty the prospect of
reform had even served the voters instead of drink and in one place at least
there had been a dry election And now the speakers at Reform banquets were
exuberant in congratulation and promise Liberal clergymen of the Establishment
toasted Liberal Catholic clergymen without any allusion to scarlet and Catholic
clergymen replied with a like tender reserve Some dwelt on the abolition of all
abuses and on millennial blessedness generally others whose imaginations were
less suffused with exhalations of the dawn insisted chiefly on the ballotbox
Now on this question of the ballot the minister strongly took the negative
side Our pet opinions are usually those which place us in a minority of a
minority amongst our own party very happily else those poor opinions born
with no silver spoon in their mouths how would they get nourished and fed So
it was with Mr Lyon and his objection to the ballot But he had thrown out a
remark on the subject which was not quite clear to his hearer who interpreted
it according to his best calculation of probabilities
»I have no objection to the ballot« said Harold »but I think that is not
the sort of thing we have to work at just now We shouldnt get it And other
questions are imminent«
»Then sir you would vote for the ballot« said Mr Lyon stroking his chin
»Certainly if the point came up I have too much respect for the freedom of
the voter to oppose anything which offers a chance of making that freedom more
complete«
Mr Lyon looked at the speaker with a pitying smile and a subdued hmmm
which Harold took for a sign of satisfaction He was soon undeceived
»You grieve me sir you grieve me much And I pray you to reconsider this
question for it will take you to the root as I think of political morality I
engage to show to any impartial mind duly furnished with the principles of
public and private rectitude that the ballot would be pernicious and that if
it were not pernicious it would still be futile I will show first that it
would be futile as a preservative from bribery and illegitimate influence and
secondly that it would be in the worst kind pernicious as shutting the door
against those influences whereby the soul of a man and the character of a
citizen are duly educated for their great functions Be not alarmed if I detain
you sir It is well worth the while«
»Confound this old man« thought Harold »Ill never make a canvassing call
on a preacher again unless he has lost his voice from a cold« He was going to
excuse himself as prudently as he could by deferring the subject till the
morrow and inviting Mr Lyon to come to him in the committeeroom before the
time appointed for his public speech but he was relieved by the opening of the
door Lyddy put in her head to say
»If you please sir heres Mr Holt wants to know if he may come in and
speak to the gentleman He begs your pardon but youre to say no if you dont
like him to come«
»Nay show him in at once Lyddy A young man« Mr Lyon went on speaking to
Harold »whom a representative ought to know no voter but a man of ideas and
study«
»He is thoroughly welcome« said Harold truthfully enough though he felt
little interest in the voteless man of ideas except as a diversion from the
subject of the ballot He had been standing for the last minute or two feeling
less of a victim in that attitude and more able to calculate on means of
escape
»Mr Holt sir« said the minister as Felix entered »is a young friend of
mine whose opinions on some points I hope to see altered but who has a zeal
for public justice which I trust he will never lose«
»I am glad to see Mr Holt« said Harold bowing He perceived from the way
in which Felix bowed to him and turned to the most distant spot in the room
that the candidates shake of the hand would not be welcome here »A formidable
fellow« he thought »capable of mounting a cart in the marketplace tomorrow
and crossexamining me if I say anything that doesnt please him«
»Mr Lyon« said Felix »I have taken a liberty with you in asking to see Mr
Transome when he is engaged with you But I have to speak to him on a matter
which I shouldnt care to make public at present and it is one on which I am
sure you will back me I heard that Mr Transome was here so I ventured to come
I hope you will both excuse me as my business refers to some electioneering
measures which are being taken by Mr Transomes agents«
»Pray go on« said Harold expecting something unpleasant
»Im not going to speak against treating voters« said Felix »I suppose
buttered ale and grease of that sort to make the wheels go belong to the
necessary humbug of representation But I wish to ask you Mr Transome whether
it is with your knowledge that agents of yours are bribing rough fellows who are
no voters the colliers and navvies at Sproxton with the chance of extra
drunkenness that they may make a posse on your side at the nomination and
polling«
»Certainly not« said Harold »You are aware my dear sir that a candidate
is very much at the mercy of his agents as to the means by which he is returned
especially when many years absence has made him a stranger to the men actually
conducting business But are you sure of your facts«
»As sure as my senses can make me« said Felix who then briefly described
what had happened on Sunday »I believed that you were ignorant of all this Mr
Transome« he ended »and that was why I thought some good might be done by
speaking to you If not I should be tempted to expose the whole affair as a
disgrace to the Radical party Im a Radical myself and mean to work all my
life long against privilege monopoly and oppression But I would rather be a
liveryservant proud of my masters title than I would seem to make common
cause with scoundrels who turn the best hopes of men into bywords for cant and
dishonesty«
»Your energetic protest is needless here sir« said Harold offended at
what sounded like a threat and was certainly premature enough to be in bad
taste In fact this error of behaviour in Felix proceeded from a repulsion
which was mutual It was a constant source of irritation to him that the public
men on his side were on the whole not conspicuously better than the public men
on the other side that the spirit of innovation which with him was a part of
religion was in many of its mouthpieces no more of a religion than the faith in
rotten boroughs and he was thus predisposed to distrust Harold Transome
Harold in his turn disliked impracticable notions of loftiness and purity
disliked all enthusiasm and he thought he saw a very troublesome vigorous
incorporation of that nonsense in Felix But it would be foolish to exasperate
him in any way
»If you choose to accompany me to Jermyns office« he went on »the matter
shall be inquired into in your presence I think you will agree with me Mr
Lyon that this will be the most satisfactory course«
»Doubtless« said the minister who liked the candidate very well and
believed that he would be amenable to argument »and I would caution my young
friend against a too great hastiness of words and action Davids cause against
Saul was a righteous one nevertheless not all who clave unto David were
righteous men«
»The more was the pity sir« said Felix »Especially if he winked at their
malpractices«
Mr Lyon smiled shook his head and stroked his favourites arm
deprecatingly
»It is rather too much for any man to keep the consciences of all his
party« said Harold »If you had lived in the East as I have you would be more
tolerant More tolerant for example of an active industrious selfishness such
as we have here though it may not always be quite scrupulous you would see how
much better it is than an idle selfishness I have heard it said a bridge is a
good thing worth helping to make though half the men who worked at it were
rogues«
»O yes« said Felix scornfully »give me a handful of generalities and
analogies and Ill undertake to justify Burke and Hare and prove them
benefactors of their species Ill tolerate no nuisances but such as I cant
help and the question now is not whether we can do away with all the nuisances
in the world but with a particular nuisance under our noses«
»Then we had better cut the matter short as I propose by going at once to
Jermyns« said Harold »In that case I must bid you goodmorning Mr Lyon«
»I would fain« said the minister looking uneasy »I would fain have had a
further opportunity of considering that question of the ballot with you The
reasons against it need not be urged lengthily they only require complete
enumeration to prevent any seeming hiatus where an opposing fallacy might
thrust itself in«
»Never fear sir« said Harold shaking Mr Lyons hand cordially »there
will be opportunities Shall I not see you in the committeeroom tomorrow«
»I think not« said Mr Lyon rubbing his brow with a sad remembrance of his
personal anxieties »But I will send you if you will permit me a brief
writing on which you can meditate at your leisure«
»I shall be delighted Goodbye«
Harold and Felix went out together and the minister going up to his dull
study asked himself whether under the pressure of conflicting experience he
had faithfully discharged the duties of the past interview
If a cynical sprite were present riding on one of the motes in that dusty
room he may have made himself merry at the illusions of the little minister who
brought so much conscience to bear on the production of so slight an effect I
confess to smiling myself being sceptical as to the effect of ardent appeals
and nice distinctions on gentlemen who are got up both inside and out as
candidates in the style of the period but I never smiled at Mr Lyons trustful
energy without falling to penitence and veneration immediately after For what
we call illusions are often in truth a wider vision of past and present
realities a willing movement of a mans soul with the larger sweep of the
worlds forces a movement towards a more assured end than the chances of a
single life We see human heroism broken into units and say this unit did
little might as well not have been But in this way we might break up a great
army into units in this way we might break the sunlight into fragments and
think that this and the other might be cheaply parted with Let us rather raise
a monument to the soldiers whose brave hearts only kept the ranks unbroken and
met death a monument to the faithful who were not famous and who are precious
as the continuity of the sunbeams is precious though some of them fall unseen
and on barrenness
At present looking back on that day at Treby it seems to me that the
sadder illusion lay with Harold Transome who was trusting in his own skill to
shape the success of his own morrows ignorant of what many yesterdays had
determined for him beforehand
Chapter 17
It is a good and soothfast saw
Halfroasted never will be raw
No dough is dried once more to meal
No crock newshapen by the wheel
You cant turn curds to milk again
Nor Now by wishing back to Then
And having tasted stolen honey
You cant buy innocence for money
Jermyn was not particularly pleased that some chance had apparently hindered
Harold Transome from making other canvassing visits immediately after leaving Mr
Lyon and so had sent him back to the office earlier than he had been expected
to come The inconvenient chance he guessed at once to be represented by Felix
Holt whom he knew very well by Trebian report to be a young man with so little
of the ordinary Christian motives as to making an appearance and getting on in
the world that he presented no handle to any judicious and respectable person
who might be willing to make use of him
Harold Transome on his side was a good deal annoyed at being worried by
Felix into an inquiry about electioneering details The real dignity and honesty
there was in him made him shrink from this necessity of satisfying a man with a
troublesome tongue it was as if he were to show indignation at the discovery of
one barrel with a false bottom when he had invested his money in a manufactory
where a larger or smaller number of such barrels had always been made A
practical man must seek a good end by the only possible means that is to say
if he is to get into parliament he must not be too particular It was not
disgraceful to be neither a Quixote nor a theorist aiming to correct the moral
rules of the world but whatever actually was or might prove to be
disgraceful Harold held in detestation In this mood he pushed on
unceremoniously to the inner office without waiting to ask questions and when
he perceived that Jermyn was not alone he said with haughty quickness
»A question about the electioneering at Sproxton Can you give your
attention to it at once Here is Mr Holt who has come to me about the
business«
»A yes a certainly« said Jermyn who as usual was the more cool and
deliberate because he was vexed He was standing and as he turned round his
broad figure concealed the person who was seated writing at the bureau »Mr Holt
a will doubtless a make a point of saving a busy mans time You can
speak at once This gentleman« here Jermyn made a slight backward movement of
his head »is one of ourselves he is a trueblue«
»I have simply to complain« said Felix »that one of your agents has been
sent on a bribing expedition to Sproxton with what purpose you sir may know
better than I do Mr Transome it appears was ignorant of the affair and does
not approve it«
Jermyn looking gravely and steadily at Felix while he was speaking at the
same time drew forth a small sheaf of papers from his sidepocket and then as
he turned his eyes slowly on Harold felt in his waistcoatpocket for his
pencilcase
»I dont approve it at all« said Harold who hated Jermyns calculated
slowness and conceit in his own impenetrability »Be good enough to put a stop
to it will you«
»Mr Holt I know is an excellent Liberal« said Jermyn just inclining his
head to Harold and then alternately looking at Felix and docketing his bills
»but he is perhaps too inexperienced to be aware that no canvass a can be
conducted without the action of able men who must a be trusted and not
interfered with And as to any possibility of promising to put a stop a to
any procedure a that depends If he had ever held the coachmans ribbons in
his hands as I have in my younger days a he would know that stopping is not
always easy«
»I know very little about holding ribbons« said Felix »but I saw clearly
enough at once that more mischief had been done than could be well mended
Though I believe if it were heartily tried the treating might be reduced and
something might be done to hinder the men from turning out in a body to make a
noise which might end in worse«
»They might be hindered from making a noise on our side« said Jermyn
smiling »That is perfectly true But if they made a noise on the other would
your purpose be answered better sir«
Harold was moving about in an irritated manner while Felix and Jermyn were
speaking He preferred leaving the talk to the attorney of whose talk he
himself liked to keep as clear as possible
»I can only say« answered Felix »that if you make use of those heavy
fellows when the drink is in them I shouldnt like your responsibility You
might as well drive bulls to roar on our side as bribe a set of colliers and
navvies to shout and groan«
»A lawyer may well envy your command of language Mr Holt« said Jermyn
pocketing his bills again and shutting up his pencil »but he would not be
satisfied with the accuracy a of your terms You must permit me to check
your use of the word bribery The essence of bribery is that it should be
legally proved there is not such a thing a in rerum natura a as
unproved bribery There has been no such thing as bribery at Sproxton Ill
answer for it The presence of a body of stalwart fellows on a the Liberal
side will tend to preserve order for we know that the benefit clubs from the
Pitchley district will show for Debarry Indeed the gentleman who has conducted
the canvass at Sproxton is experienced in parliamentary affairs and would not
exceed a the necessary measures that a rational judgment would dictate«
»What you mean the man who calls himself Johnson« said Felix in a tone of
disgust
Before Jermyn chose to answer Harold broke in saying quickly and
peremptorily »The long and short of it is this Mr Holt I shall desire and
insist that whatever can be done by way of remedy shall be done Will that
satisfy you You see now some of a candidates difficulties« said Harold
breaking into his most agreeable smile »I hope you will have some pity for me«
»I suppose I must be content« said Felix not thoroughly propitiated »I
bid you goodmorning gentlemen«
When he was gone out and had closed the door behind him Harold turning
round and flashing in spite of himself an angry look at Jermyn said
»And who is Johnson an alias I suppose It seems you are fond of the
name«
Jermyn turned perceptibly paler but disagreeables of this sort between
himself and Harold had been too much in his anticipations of late for him to be
taken by surprise He turned quietly round and just touched the shoulder of the
person seated at the bureau who now rose
»On the contrary« Jermyn answered »the Johnson in question is this
gentleman whom I have the pleasure of introducing to you as one of my most
active helpmates in electioneering business Mr Johnson of Bedford Row
London I am comparatively a novice a in these matters But he was engaged
with James Putty in two hardlycontested elections and there could scarcely be
a better initiation Putty is one of the first men of the country as an agent
a on the Liberal side a eh Johnson I think Makepiece is a not
altogether a match for him not quite of the same calibre a haud consimili
ingenio a in tactics a and in experience«
»Makepiece is a wonderful man and so is Putty« said the glib Johnson too
vain not to be pleased with an opportunity of speaking even when the situation
was rather awkward »Makepiece for scheming but Putty for management Putty
knows men sir« he went on turning to Harold »its a thousand pities that you
have not had his talents employed in your service Hes beyond any man for
saving a candidates money does half the work with his tongue Hell talk of
anything from the Areopagus and that sort of thing down to the joke about
Where are you going Paddy you know what I mean sir Back again says Paddy
an excellent electioneering joke Putty understands these things He has said
to me Johnson bear in mind there are two ways of speaking an audience will
always like one is to tell them what they dont understand and the other is
to tell them what theyre used to I shall never be the man to deny that I owe a
great deal to Putty I always say it was a most providential thing in the Mugham
election last year that Putty was not on the Tory side He managed the women
and if youll believe me sir one fourth of the men would never have voted if
their wives hadnt driven them to it for the good of their families And as for
speaking its currently reported in our London circles that Putty writes
regularly for the Times He has that kind of language and I neednt tell you
Mr Transome that its the apex which I take it means the tiptop and nobody
can get higher than that I think Ive belonged to a political debating society
myself Ive heard a little language in my time but when Mr Jermyn first spoke
to me about having the honour to assist in your canvass of North Loamshire«
here Johnson played with his watch and balanced himself a moment on his toes
»the very first thing I said was And theres Garstin has got Putty No Whig
could stand against a Whig I said who had Putty on his side I hope Mr
Transome goes in for something of a deeper colour I dont say that as a
general rule opinions go for much in a return Mr Transome it depends on who
are in the field before you and on the skill of your agents But as a Radical
and a moneyed Radical you are in a fine position sir and with care and
judgment with care and judgment «
It had been impossible to interrupt Johnson before without the most
impolite rudeness Jermyn was not sorry that he should talk even if he made a
fool of himself for in that solid shape exhibiting the average amount of human
foibles he seemed less of the alias which Harold had insinuated him to be and
had all the additional plausibility of a lie with a circumstance
Harold had thrown himself with contemptuous resignation into a chair had
drawn off one of his buff gloves and was looking at his hand But when Johnson
gave his iteration with a slightly slackened pace Harold looked up at him and
broke in
»Well then Mr Johnson I shall be glad if you will use your care and
judgment in putting an end as well as you can to this Sproxton affair else it
may turn out an ugly business«
»Excuse me sir I must beg you to look at the matter a little more closely
You will see that it is impossible to take a single step backward at Sproxton
It was a matter of necessity to get the Sproxton men else I know to a certainty
the other side would have laid hold of them first and now Ive undermined
Garstins people Theyll use their authority and give a little shabby
treating but Ive taken all the wind out of their sails But if by your
orders I or Mr Jermyn here were to break promise with the honest fellows and
offend Chubb the publican what would come of it Chubb would leave no stone
unturned against you sir he would egg on his customers against you the
colliers and navvies would be at the nomination and at the election all the
same or rather not all the same for they would be there against us and
instead of hustling people goodhumouredly by way of a joke and
counterbalancing Debarrys cheers theyd help to kick the cheering and the
voting out of our men and instead of being let us say halfadozen ahead of
Garstin youd be halfadozen behind him thats all I speak plain English to
you Mr Transome though Ive the highest respect for you as a gentleman of
firstrate talents and position But sir to judge of these things a man must
know the English voter and the English publican and it would be a poor tale
indeed« here Mr Johnsons mouth took an expression at once bitter and pathetic
»that a gentleman like you to say nothing of the good of the country should
have gone to the expense and trouble of a canvass for nothing but to find
himself out of parliament at the end of it Ive seen it again and again it
looks bad in the cleverest man to have to sing small«
Mr Johnsons argument was not the less stringent because his idioms were
vulgar It requires a conviction and resolution amounting to heroism not to
wince at phrases that class our foreshadowed endurance among those common and
ignominious troubles which the world is more likely to sneer at than to pity
Harold remained a few moments in angry silence looking at the floor with one
hand on his knee and the other on his hat as if he were preparing to start up
»As to undoing anything thats been done down there« said Johnson throwing
in this observation as something into the bargain »I must wash my hands of it
sir I couldnt work knowingly against your interest And that young man who is
just gone out you dont believe that he need be listened to I hope Chubb
the publican hates him Chubb would guess he was at the bottom of your having
the treating stopped and hed set halfadozen of the colliers to duck him in
the canal or break his head by mistake Im an experienced man sir I hope
Ive put it clear enough«
»Certainly the exposition befits the subject« said Harold scornfully his
dislike of the man Johnsons personality being stimulated by causes which Jermyn
more than conjectured »Its a damned unpleasant ravelled business that you
and Mr Jermyn have knit up between you Ive no more to say«
»Then sir if youve no more commands I dont wish to intrude I shall
wish you goodmorning sir« said Johnson passing out quickly
Harold knew that he was indulging his temper and he would probably have
restrained it as a foolish move if he had thought there was great danger in it
But he was beginning to drop much of his caution and selfmastery where Jermyn
was concerned under the growing conviction that the attorney had very strong
reasons for being afraid of him reasons which would only be reinforced by any
action hostile to the Transome interest As for a sneak like this Johnson a
gentleman had to pay him not to please him Harold had smiles at command in the
right place but he was not going to smile when it was neither necessary nor
agreeable He was one of those goodhumoured yet energetic men who have the
gift of anger hatred and scorn upon occasion though they are too healthy and
selfcontented for such feelings to get generated in them without external
occasion And in relation to Jermyn the gift was coming into fine exercise
»A pardon me Mr Harold« said Jermyn speaking as soon as Johnson went
out »but I am sorry a you should behave disobligingly to a man who has it
in his power to do much service who in fact holds many threads in his hands
I admit that a nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit as we say a «
»Speak for yourself« said Harold »I dont talk in tags of Latin which
might be learned by a schoolmasters footboy I find the Kings English express
my meaning better«
»In the Kings English then« said Jermyn who could be idiomatic enough
when he was stung »a candidate should keep his kicks till hes a member«
»O I suppose Johnson will bear a kick if you bid him Youre his principal
I believe«
»Certainly thus far a he is my London agent But he is a man of
substance and «
»I shall know what he is if its necessary I daresay But I must jump into
the carriage again Ive no time to lose I must go to Hawkins at the factory
Will you go«
When Harold was gone Jermyns handsome face gathered blackness He hardly
ever wore his worst expression in the presence of others and but seldom when he
was alone for he was not given to believe that any game would ultimately go
against him His luck had been good New conditions might always turn up to give
him new chances and if affairs threatened to come to an extremity between
Harold and himself he trusted to finding some sure resource
»He means to see to the bottom of everything if he can thats quite plain«
said Jermyn to himself »I believe he has been getting another opinion he has
some new light about those annuities on the estate that are held in Johnsons
name He has inherited a deuced faculty for business theres no denying that
But I shall beg leave to tell him that Ive propped up the family I dont know
where they would have been without me and if it comes to balancing I know into
which scale the gratitude ought to go Not that hes likely to feel any but he
can feel something else and if he makes signs of setting the dogs on me I
shall make him feel it The people named Transome owe me a good deal more than I
owe them«
In this way Mr Jermyn inwardly appealed against an unjust construction which
he foresaw that his old acquaintance the Law might put on certain items in his
history
I have known persons who have been suspected of undervaluing gratitude and
excluding it from the list of virtues but on closer observation it has been
seen that if they have never felt grateful it has been for want of an
opportunity and that far from despising gratitude they regard it as the
virtue most of all incumbent on others towards them
Chapter 18
»The little nameless unremembered acts
Of kindness and of love«
Wordsworth Tintern Abbey
Jermyn did not forget to pay his visit to the minister in Malthouse Yard that
evening The mingled irritation dread and defiance which he was feeling
towards Harold Transome in the middle of the day depended on too many and
farstretching causes to be dissipated by eight oclock but when he left Mr
Lyons house he was in a state of comparative triumph in the belief that he and
he alone was now in possession of facts which once grouped together made a
secret that gave him new power over Harold
Mr Lyon in his need for help from one who had that wisdom of the serpent
which he argued is not forbidden but is only of hard acquirement to dovelike
innocence had been gradually led to pour out to the attorney all the reasons
which made him desire to know the truth about the man who called himself Maurice
Christian he had shown all the precious relics the locket the letters and
the marriage certificate And Jermyn had comforted him by confidently promising
to ascertain without scandal or premature betrayals whether this man were
really Annettes husband Maurice Christian Bycliffe
Jermyn was not rash in making this promise since he had excellent reasons
for believing that he had already come to a true conclusion on the subject But
he wished both to know a little more of this man himself and to keep Mr Lyon in
ignorance not a difficult precaution in an affair which it cost the minister
so much pain to speak of An easy opportunity of getting an interview with
Christian was sure to offer itself before long might even offer itself
tomorrow Jermyn had seen him more than once though hitherto without any
reason for observing him with interest he had heard that Philip Debarrys
courier was often busy in the town and it seemed especially likely that he
would be seen there when the market was to be agitated by politics and the new
candidate was to show his paces
The world of which Treby Magna was the centre was naturally curious to see
the young Transome who had come from the East was as rich as a Jew and called
himself a Radical characteristics all equally vague in the minds of various
excellent ratepayers who drove to market in their taxed carts or in their
hereditary gigs Places at convenient windows had been secured beforehand for a
few best bonnets but in general a Radical candidate excited no ardent
feminine partisanship even among the Dissenters in Treby if they were of the
prosperous and longresident class Some chapelgoing ladies were fond of
remembering that their family had been Church others objected to politics
altogether as having spoiled old neighbourliness and sundered friends who had
kindred views as to cowslip wine and Michaelmas cleaning others of the
melancholy sort said it would be well if people would think less of reforming
parliament and more of pleasing God Irreproachable Dissenting matrons like Mrs
Muscat whose youth had been passed in a shortwaisted bodice and tight skirt
had never been animated by the struggle for liberty and had a timid suspicion
that religion was desecrated by being applied to the things of this world Since
Mr Lyon had been in Malthouse Yard there had been far too much mixing up of
politics with religion but at any rate these ladies had never yet been to
hear speechifying in the marketplace and they were not going to begin that
practice
Esther however had heard some of her feminine acquaintances say that they
intended to sit at the druggists upper window and she was inclined to ask her
father if he could think of a suitable place where she also might see and hear
Two inconsistent motives urged her She knew that Felix cared earnestly for all
public questions and she supposed that he held it one of her deficiencies not
to care about them well she would try to learn the secret of this ardour
which was so strong in him that it animated what she thought the dullest form of
life She was not too stupid to find it out But this selfcorrecting motive was
presently displaced by a motive of a different sort It had been a pleasant
variety in her monotonous days to see a man like Harold Transome with a
distinguished appearance and polished manners and she would like to see him
again he suggested to her that brighter and more luxurious life on which her
imagination dwelt without the painful effort it required to conceive the mental
condition which would place her in complete sympathy with Felix Holt It was
this less unaccustomed prompting of which she was chiefly conscious when she
awaited her fathers coming down to breakfast Why indeed should she trouble
herself so much about Felix
Mr Lyon more serene now that he had unbosomed his anxieties and obtained a
promise of help was already swimming so happily in the deep water of polemics
in expectation of Philip Debarrys answer to his challenge that in the
occupation of making a few notes lest certain felicitous inspirations should be
wasted he had forgotten to come down to breakfast Esther suspecting his
abstraction went up to his study and found him at his desk looking up with
wonder at her interruption
»Come father you have forgotten your breakfast«
»It is true child I will come« he said lingering to make some final
strokes
»O you naughty father« said Esther as he got up from his chair »your
coatcollar is twisted your waistcoat is buttoned all wrong and you have not
brushed your hair Sit down and let me brush it again as I did yesterday«
He sat down obediently while Esther took a towel which she threw over his
shoulders and then brushed the thick long fringe of soft auburn hair This very
trifling act which she had brought herself to for the first time yesterday
meant a great deal in Esthers little history It had been her habit to leave
the mending of her fathers clothes to Lyddy she had not liked even to touch
his cloth garments still less had it seemed a thing she would willingly
undertake to correct his toilette and use a brush for him But having once done
this under her new sense of faulty omission the affectionateness that was in
her flowed so pleasantly as she saw how much her father was moved by what he
thought a great act of tenderness that she quite longed to repeat it This
morning as he sat under her hands his face had such a calm delight in it that
she could not help kissing the top of his bald head and afterwards when they
were seated at breakfast she said merrily
»Father I shall make a petit maître of you byandby your hair looks so
pretty and silken when it is well brushed«
»Nay child I trust that while I would willingly depart from my evil habit
of a somewhat slovenly forgetfulness in my attire I shall never arrive at the
opposite extreme For though there is that in apparel which pleases the eye and
I deny not that your neat gown and the colour thereof which is that of certain
little flowers that spread themselves in the hedgerows and make a blueness
there as of the sky when it is deepened in the water I deny not I say that
these minor strivings after a perfection which is as it were an irrecoverable
yet haunting memory are a good in their proportion Nevertheless the brevity
of our life and the hurry and crush of the great battle with error and sin
often oblige us to an advised neglect of what is less momentous This I
conceive is the principle on which my friend Felix Holt acts and I cannot but
think the light comes from the true fount though it shines through
obstructions«
»You have not seen Mr Holt since Sunday have you father«
»Yes he was here yesterday He sought Mr Transome having a matter of some
importance to speak upon with him And I saw him afterwards in the street when
he agreed that I should call for him this morning before I go into the
marketplace He will have it« Mr Lyon went on smiling »that I must not walk
about in the crowd without him to act as my special constable«
Esther felt vexed with herself that her heart was suddenly beating with
unusual quickness and that her last resolution not to trouble herself about
what Felix thought had transformed itself with magic swiftness into
mortification that he evidently avoided coming to the house when she was there
though he used to come on the slightest occasion He knew that she was always at
home until the afternoon on market days that was the reason why he would not
call for her father Of course it was because he attributed such littleness to
her that he supposed she would retain nothing else than a feeling of offence
towards him for what he had said to her Such distrust of any good in others
such arrogance of immeasurable superiority was extremely ungenerous But
presently she said
»I should have liked to hear Mr Transome speak but I suppose it is too late
to get a place now«
»I am not sure I would fain have you go if you desire it my dear« said Mr
Lyon who could not bear to deny Esther any lawful wish »Walk with me to
Mistress Holts and we will learn from Felix who will doubtless already have
been out whether he could lead you in safety to Friend Lamberts«
Esther was glad of the proposal because if it answered no other purpose
it would be an easy way of obliging Felix to see her and of showing him that it
was not she who cherished offence But when later in the morning she was
walking towards Mrs Holts with her father they met Mr Jermyn who stopped them
to ask in his most affable manner whether Miss Lyon intended to hear the
candidate and whether she had secured a suitable place And he ended by
insisting that his daughters who were presently coming in an open carriage
should call for her if she would permit them It was impossible to refuse this
civility and Esther turned back to await the carriage pleased with the
certainty of hearing and seeing yet sorry to miss Felix There was another day
for her to think of him with unsatisfied resentment mixed with some longings
for a better understanding and in our springtime every day has its hidden
growths in the mind as it has in the earth when the little folded blades are
getting ready to pierce the ground
Chapter 19
Consistency I never changed my mind
Which is and always was to live at ease
It was only in the time of the summer fairs that the marketplace had ever
looked more animated than it did under that autumn midday sun There were
plenty of blue cockades and streamers faces at all the windows and a crushing
buzzing crowd urging each other backwards and forwards round the small hustings
in front of the Ram Inn which showed its more plebeian sign at right angles
with the venerable Marquis of Granby Sometimes there were scornful shouts
sometimes a rolling cascade of cheers sometimes the shriek of a penny whistle
but above all these fitful and feeble sounds the fine old churchtower which
looked down from above the trees on the other side of the narrow stream sent
vibrating at every quarter the sonorous tones of its great bell the Good
Queen Bess
Two carriages with blue ribbons on the harness were conspicuous near the
hustings One was Jermyns filled with the brilliantlyattired daughters
accompanied by Esther whose quieter dress helped to mark her out for attention
as the most striking of the group The other was Harold Transomes but in this
there was no lady only the oliveskinned Dominic whose acute yet mild face
was brightened by the occupation of amusing little Harry and rescuing from his
tyrannies a King Charles puppy with big eyes much after the pattern of the
boys
This Trebian crowd did not count for much in the political force of the
nation but it was not the less determined as to lending or not lending its
ears No man was permitted to speak from the platform except Harold and his
uncle Lingon though in the interval of expectation several Liberals had come
forward Among these illadvised persons the one whose attempt met the most
emphatic resistance was Rufus Lyon This might have been taken for resentment at
the unreasonableness of the cloth that not content with pulpits from whence
to tyrannise over the ears of men wishes to have the larger share of the
platforms but it was not so for Mr Lingon was heard with much cheering and
would have been welcomed again
The rector of Little Treby had been a favourite in the neighbourhood since
the beginning of the century A clergyman thoroughly unclerical in his habits
had a piquancy about him which made him a sort of practical joke He had always
been called Jack Lingon or Parson Jack sometimes in older and less serious
days even Cockfighting Jack He swore a little when the point of a joke seemed
to demand it and was fond of wearing a coloured bandana tied loosely over his
cravat together with large brown leather leggings he spoke in a pithy familiar
way that people could understand and had none of that frigid mincingness called
dignity which some have thought a peculiar clerical disease In fact he was a
character something cheerful to think of not entirely out of connection with
Sunday and sermons And it seemed in keeping that he should have turned sharp
round in politics his opinions being only part of the excellent joke called
Parson Jack When his red eagle face and white hair were seen on the platform
the Dissenters hardly cheered this questionable Radical but to make amends all
the Tory farmers gave him a friendly hurray »Lets hear what old Jack will say
for himself« was the predominant feeling among them »hell have something
funny to say Ill bet a penny«
It was only Lawyer Labrons young clerks and their hangerson who were
sufficiently dead to Trebian traditions to assail the parson with various
sharpedged interjections such as broken shells and cries of
»Cockadoodledoo«
»Come now my lads« he began in his full pompous yet jovial tones
thrusting his hands into the stuffedout pockets of his greatcoat »Ill tell
you what Im a parson you know I ought to return good for evil So here are
some good nuts for you to crack in return for your shells«
There was a roar of laughter and cheering as he threw handfuls of nuts and
filberts among the crowd
»Come now youll say I used to be a Tory and some of you whose faces I
know as well as I know the head of my own crabstick will say thats why Im a
good fellow But now Ill tell you something else Its for that very reason
that I used to be a Tory and am a good fellow that I go along with my nephew
here who is a thoroughgoing Liberal For will anybody here come forward and
say A good fellow has no need to tack about and change his road No theres
not one of you such a Tomnoddy Whats good for one time is bad for another If
anybody contradicts that ask him to eat pickled pork when hes thirsty and to
bathe in the Lapp there when the spikes of ice are shooting And thats the
reason why the men who are the best Liberals now are the very men who used to be
the best Tories There isnt a nastier horse than your horse thatll jib and
back and turn round when there is but one road for him to go and thats the
road before him
And my nephew here he comes of a Tory breed you know Ill answer for
the Lingons In the old Tory times there was never a pup belonging to a Lingon
but would howl if a Whig came near him The Lingon blood is good rich old Tory
blood like good rich milk and thats why when the right time comes it
throws up a Liberal cream The best sort of Tory turns to the best sort of
Radical Theres plenty of Radical scum I say beware of the scum and look
out for the cream And heres my nephew some of the cream if there is any
none of your Whigs none of your painted water that looks as if it ran and its
standing still all the while none of your spinningjenny fellows A gentleman
but up to all sorts of business Im no fool myself Im forced to wink a good
deal for fear of seeing too much for a neighbourly man must let himself be
cheated a little But though Ive never been out of my own country I know less
about it than my nephew does You may tell what he is and only look at him
Theres one sort of fellow sees nothing but the end of his own nose and another
sort that sees nothing but the hinder side of the moon but my nephew Harold is
of another sort he sees everything thats at hitting distance and hes not one
to miss his mark A goodlooking man in his prime Not a greenhorn not a
shrivelled old fellow wholl come to speak to you and find hes left his teeth
at home by mistake Harold Transome will do you credit if anybody says the
Radicals are a set of sneaks Brummagem halfpennies scamps who want to play
pitch and toss with the property of the country you can say Look at the member
for North Loamshire And mind what youll hear him say hell go in for making
everything right Poorlaws and charities and church he wants to reform em
all Perhaps youll say Theres that Parson Lingon talking about church reform
why he belongs to the church himself he wants reforming too Well well
wait a bit and youll hear byandby that old Parson Lingon is reformed
shoots no more cracks his joke no more has drunk his last bottle the dogs
the old pointers will be sorry but youll hear that the parson at Little Treby
is a new man Thats what church reform is sure to come to before long So now
here are some more nuts for you lads and I leave you to listen to your
candidate Here he is give him a good hurray wave your hats and Ill begin
Hurray«
Harold had not been quite confident beforehand as to the good effect of his
uncles introduction but he was soon reassured There was no acrid partisanship
among the oldfashioned Tories who mustered strong about the Marquis of Granby
and Parson Jack had put them in a good humour Harolds only interruption came
from his own party The oratorical clerk at the factory acting as the tribune
of the dissenting interest and feeling bound to put questions might have been
troublesome but his voice being unpleasantly sharp while Harolds was full and
penetrating the questioning was cried down Harolds speech did it was not of
the glibnonsensical sort not ponderous not hesitating which is as much as
to say that it was remarkable among British speeches Read in print the next
day perhaps it would be neither pregnant nor conclusive which is saying no
more than that its excellence was not of an abnormal kind but such as is
usually found in the best efforts of eloquent candidates Accordingly the
applause drowned the opposition and content predominated
But perhaps the moment of most diffusive pleasure from public speaking is
that in which the speech ceases and the audience can turn to commenting on it
The one speech sometimes uttered under great responsibility as to missiles and
other consequences has given a text to twenty speakers who are under no
responsibility Even in the days of duelling a man was not challenged for being
a bore nor does this quality apparently hinder him from being much invited to
dinner which is the great index of social responsibility in a less barbarous
age
Certainly the crowd in the marketplace seemed to experience this
culminating enjoyment when the speaking on the platform in front of the Ram had
ceased and there were no less than three orators holding forth from the
elevation of chance vehicles not at all to the prejudice of the talking among
those who were on a level with their neighbours There was little illhumour
among the listeners for Queen Bess was striking the last quarter before two
and a savoury smell from the inn kitchens inspired them with an agreeable
consciousness that the speakers were helping to trifle away the brief time
before dinner
Two or three of Harolds committee had lingered talking to each other on the
platform instead of reentering and Jermyn after coming out to speak to one
of them had tunred to the corner near which the carriages were standing that
he might tell the Transomes coachman to drive round to the side door and
signal to his own coachman to follow But a dialogue which was going on below
induced him to pause and instead of giving the order to assume the air of a
careless gazer Christian whom the attorney had already observed looking out of
a window at the Marquis of Granby was talking to Dominic The meeting appeared
to be one of new recognition for Christian was saying
»Youve not got grey as I have Mr Lenoni youre not a day older for the
sixteen years But no wonder you didnt know me Im bleached like a dried
bone«
»Not so It is true I was confused a meenute I could put your face
nowhere but after that Naples came behind it and I said Mr Creestian And so
you reside at the Manor and I am at Transome Court«
»Ah its a thousand pities youre not on our side else we might have dined
together at the Marquis« said Christian »Eh could you manage it« he added
languidly knowing there was no chance of a yes
»No much obliged couldnt leave the leetle boy Ahi Arry Arry pinch
not poor Moro«
While Dominic was answering Christian had stared about him as his manner
was when he was being spoken to and had had his eyes arrested by Esther who
was leaning forward to look at Mr Harold Transomes extraordinary little gipsy
of a son But happening to meet Christians stare she felt annoyed drew back
and turned away her head colouring
»Who are those ladies« said Christian in a low tone to Dominic as if he
had been startled into a sudden wish for this information
»They are Meester Jermyns daughters« said Dominic who knew nothing either
of the lawyers family or of Esther
Christian looked puzzled a moment or two and was silent
»O well au revoir« he said kissing the tips of his fingers as the
coachman having had Jermyns order began to urge on the horses
»Does he see some likeness in the girl« thought Jermyn as he turned away
»I wish I hadnt invited her to come in the carriage as it happens«
Chapter 20
»Good earthenware pitchers sir of an excellent quaint pattern
and sober colour«
The market dinner at the Marquis was in high repute in Treby and its
neighbourhood The frequenters of this threeandsixpenny ordinary liked to
allude to it as men allude to anything which implies that they move in good
society and habitually converse with those who are in the secret of the highest
affairs The guests were not only such rural residents as had driven to market
but some of the most substantial townsmen who had always assured their wives
that business required this weekly sacrifice of domestic pleasure The poorer
farmers who put up at the Ram or the Seven Stars where there was no fish felt
their disadvantage bearing it modestly or bitterly as the case might be and
although the Marquis was a Tory house devoted to Debarry it was too much to
expect that such tenants of the Transomes as had always been used to dine there
should consent to eat a worse dinner and sit with worse company because they
suddenly found themselves under a Radical landlord opposed to the political
party known as Sir Maxims Hence the recent political divisions had not reduced
the handsome length of the table at the Marquis and the many gradations of
dignity from Mr Wace the brewer to the rich butcher from Leek Malton who
always modestly took the lowest seat though without the reward of being asked
to come up higher had not been abbreviated by any secessions
Today there was an extra table spread for expected supernumeraries and it
was at this that Christian took his place with some of the younger farmers who
had almost a sense of dissipation in talking to a man of his questionable
station and unknown experience The provision was especially liberal and on the
whole the presence of a minority destined to vote for Transome was a ground for
joking which added to the goodhumour of the chief talkers A respectable old
acquaintance turned Radical rather against his will was rallied with even
greater gusto than if his wife had had twins twice over The best Trebian Tories
were far too sweetblooded to turn against such old friends and to make no
distinction between them and the Radical Dissenting Papistical Deistical set
with whom they never dined and probably never saw except in their imagination
But the talk was necessarily in abeyance until the more serious business of
dinner was ended and the wine spirits and tobacco raised mere satisfaction
into beatitude
Among the frequent though not regular guests whom every one was glad to
see was Mr Nolan the retired London hosier a wiry old gentleman past seventy
whose square tight forehead with its rigid hedge of grey hair whose bushy
eyebrows sharp dark eyes and remarkable hooked nose gave a handsome
distinction to his face in the midst of rural physiognomies He had married a
Miss Pendrell early in life when he was a poor young Londoner and the match
had been thought as bad as ruin by her family but fifteen years ago he had had
the satisfaction of bringing his wife to settle amongst her own friends and of
being received with pride as a brotherinlaw retired from business possessed
of unknown thousands and of a most agreeable talent for anecdote and
conversation generally No question had ever been raised as to Mr Nolans
extraction on the strength of his hooked nose or of his name being Baruch
Hebrew names ran in the best Saxon families the Bible accounted for them and
no one among the uplands and hedgerows of that district was suspected of having
an Oriental origin unless he carried a pedlars jewelbox Certainly whatever
genealogical research might have discovered the worthy Baruch Nolan was so free
from any distinctive marks of religious persuasion he went to church with so
ordinary an irregularity and so often grumbled at the sermon that there was
no ground for classing him otherwise than with good Trebian Churchmen He was
generally regarded as a goodlooking old gentleman and a certain thin eagerness
in his aspect was attributed to the life of the metropolis where narrow space
had the same sort of effect on men as on thicklyplanted trees Mr Nolan always
ordered his pint of port which after he had sipped it a little was wont to
animate his recollections of the Royal Family and the various ministries which
had been contemporary with the successive stages of his prosperity He was
always listened to with interest a man who had been born in the year when good
old King George came to the throne who had been acquainted with the nude leg
of the Prince Regent and hinted at private reasons for believing that the
Princess Charlotte ought not to have died had conversational matter as special
to his auditors as Marco Polo could have had on his return from Asiatic travel
»My good sir« he said to Mr Wace as he crossed his knees and spread his
silk handkerchief over them »Transome may be returned or he may not be
returned thats a question for North Loamshire but it makes little difference
to the kingdom I dont want to say things which may put younger men out of
spirits but I believe this country has seen its best days I do indeed«
»I am sorry to hear it from one of your experience Mr Nolan« said the
brewer a large happylooking man »Id make a good fight myself before Id
leave a worse world for my boys than Ive found for myself There isnt a
greater pleasure than doing a bit of planting and improving ones buildings and
investing ones money in some pretty acres of land when it turns up here and
there land youve known from a boy Its a nasty thought that these Radicals
are to turn things round so as one can calculate on nothing One doesnt like it
for ones self and one doesnt like it for ones neighbours But somehow I
believe it wont do if we cant trust the government just now theres
providence and the good sense of the country and theres a right in things
thats what Ive always said theres a right in things The heavy end will get
downmost And if church and king and every man being sure of his own are
things good for this country theres a God above will take care of em«
»It wont do my dear sir« said Mr Nolan »it wont do When Peel and the
duke turned round about the Catholics in 29 I saw it was all over with us We
could never trust ministers any more It was to keep off a rebellion they said
but I say it was to keep their places Theyre monstrously fond of place both
of them that I know« Here Mr Nolan changed the crossing of his legs and gave
a deep cough conscious of having made a point Then he went on »What we want
is a king with a good will of his own If wed had that we shouldnt have heard
what weve heard today reform would never have come to this pass When our
good old King George the Third heard his ministers talking about Catholic
Emancipation he boxed their ears all round Ah poor soul he did indeed
gentlemen« ended Mr Nolan shaken by a deep laugh of admiration
»Well now thats something like a king« said Mr Crowder who was an eager
listener
»It was uncivil though How did they take it« said Mr Timothy Rose a
gentleman farmer from Leek Malton against whose independent position nature had
provided the safeguard of a spontaneous servility His large porcine cheeks
round twinkling eyes and thumbs habitually twirling expressed a concentrated
effort not to get into trouble and to speak everybody fair except when they
were safely out of hearing
»Take it theyd be obliged to take it« said the impetuous young Joyce a
farmer of superior information »Have you ever heard of the kings prerogative«
»I dont say but what I have« said Rose retreating »Ive nothing against
it nothing at all«
»No but the Radicals have« said young Joyce winking »The prerogative is
what they want to clip close They want us to be governed by delegates from the
tradesunions who are to dictate to everybody and make everything square to
their mastery«
»Theyre a pretty set now those delegates« said Mr Wace with disgust »I
once heard two of em spouting away Theyre a sort of fellow Id never employ
in my brewery or anywhere else Ive seen it again and again If a man takes to
tonguework its all over with him Everythings wrong says he Thats a big
text But does he want to make everything right Not he Hed lose his text We
want every mans good say they Why they never knew yet what a mans good is
How should they Its working for his victual not getting a slice of other
peoples«
»Ay ay« said young Joyce cordially »I should just have liked all the
delegates in the country mustered for our yeomanry to go into thats all
Theyd see where the strength of Old England lay then You may tell what it is
for a country to trust to trade when it breeds such spindling fellows as those«
»That isnt the fault of trade my good sir« said Mr Nolan who was often a
little pained by the defects of provincial culture »Trade properly conducted
is good for a mans constitution I could have shown you in my time weavers
past seventy with all their faculties as sharp as a penknife doing without
spectacles Its the new system of trade thats to blame a country cant have
too much trade if its properly managed Plenty of sound Tories have made their
fortune by trade Youve heard of Calibut amp Co everybody has heard of
Calibut Well sir I knew old Mr Calibut as well as I know you He was once a
crony of mine in a city warehouse and now Ill answer for it he has a larger
rentroll than Lord Wyvern Bless your soul his subscriptions to charities
would make a fine income for a nobleman And hes as good a Tory as I am And as
for his town establishment why how much butter do you think is consumed there
annually«
Mr Nolan paused and then his face glowed with triumph as he answered his
own question »Why gentlemen not less than two thousand pounds of butter
during the few months the family is in town Trade makes property my good sir
and property is Conservative as they say now Calibuts soninlaw is Lord
Fortinbras He paid me a large debt on his marriage Its all one web sir The
prosperity of the country is one web«
»To be sure« said Christian who smoking his cigar with his chair turned
away from the table was willing to make himself agreeable in the conversation
»We cant do without nobility Look at France When they got rid of the old
nobles they were obliged to make new«
»True very true« said Mr Nolan who thought Christian a little too wise
for his position but could not resist the rare gift of an instance in point
»Its the French Revolution that has done us harm here It was the same at the
end of the last century but the war kept it off Mr Pitt saved us I knew Mr
Pitt I had a particular interview with him once He joked me about getting the
length of his foot Mr Nolan said he there are those on the other side of the
water whose name begins with N who would be glad to know what you know I was
recommended to send an account of that to the newspapers after his death poor
man but Im not fond of that kind of show myself« Mr Nolan swung his upper leg
a little and pinched his lip between thumb and finger naturally pleased with
his own moderation
»No no very right« said Mr Wace cordially »But you never said a truer
word than that about property If a mans got a bit of property a stake in the
country hell want to keep things square Where Jack isnt safe Toms in
danger But thats what makes it such an uncommonly nasty thing that a man like
Transome should take up with these Radicals Its my belief he does it only to
get into parliament hell turn round when he gets there Come Dibbs theres
something to put you in spirits« added Mr Wace raising his voice a little and
looking at a guest lower down »Youve got to vote for a Radical with one side
of your mouth and make a wry face with the other but hell turn round
byandby As Parson Jack says hes got the right sort of blood in him«
»I dont care two straws who I vote for« said Dibbs sturdily »Im not
going to make a wry face It stands to reason a man should vote for his
landlord My farms in good condition and Ive got the best pasture on the
estate The rots never come nigh me Let them grumble as are on the wrong side
of the hedge«
»I wonder if Jermynll bring him in though« said Mr Sircome the great
miller »Hes an uncommon fellow for carrying things through I know he brought
me through that suit about my weir it cost a pretty penny but he brought me
through«
»Its a bit of a pill for him too having to turn Radical« said Mr Wace
»They say he counted on making friends with Sir Maximus by this young one
coming home and joining with Mr Philip«
»But Ill bet a penny he brings Transome in« said Mr Sircome »Folks say he
hasnt got many votes hereabout but towards Duffield and all there where the
Radicals are everybodys for him Eh Mr Christian Come youre at the
fountainhead what do they say about it now at the Manor«
When general attention was called to Christian young Joyce looked down at
his own legs and touched the curves of his own hair as if measuring his own
approximation to that correct copy of a gentleman Mr Wace turned his head to
listen for Christians answer with that tolerance of inferiority which becomes
men in places of public resort
»They think it will be a hard run between Transome and Garstin« said
Christian »It depends on Transomes getting plumpers«
»Well I know I shall not split for Garstin« said Mr Wace »Its nonsense
for Debarrys voters to split for a Whig A mans either a Tory or not a Tory«
»It seems reasonable there should be one of each side« said Mr Timothy
Rose »I dont like showing favour either way If one side cant lower the
poors rates and take off the tithe let the other try«
»But theres this in it Wace« said Mr Sircome »Im not altogether against
the Whigs For they dont want to go so far as the Radicals do and when they
find theyve slipped a bit too far theyll hold on all the tighter And the
Whigs have got the upper hand now and its no use fighting with the current I
run with the «
Mr Sircome checked himself looked furtively at Christian and to divert
criticism ended with »eh Mr Nolan«
»There have been eminent Whigs sir Mr Fox was a Whig« said Mr Nolan »Mr
Fox was a great orator He gambled a good deal He was very intimate with the
Prince of Wales Ive seen him and the Duke of York too go home by daylight
with their hats crushed Mr Fox was a great leader of the Opposition Government
requires an Opposition The Whigs should always be in opposition and the Tories
on the ministerial side Thats what the country used to like The Whigs for
salt and mustard the Tories for meat Mr Gottlib the banker used to say to me
Mr Gottlib was a worthy man When there was a great run on Gottlibs bank in
16 I saw a gentleman come in with bags of gold and say Tell Mr Gottlib
theres plenty more where that came from It stopped the run gentlemen it did
indeed«
This anecdote was received with great admiration but Mr Sircome returned to
the previous question
»There now you see Wace its right there should be Whigs as well as
Tories Pitt and Fox Ive always heard them go together«
»Well I dont like Garstin« said the brewer »I didnt like his conduct
about the canal company Of the two I like Transome best If a nag is to throw
me I say let him have some blood«
»As for blood Wace« said Mr Salt the woolfactor a bilious man who only
spoke when there was a good opportunity of contradicting »ask my brother
Labron a little about that These Transomes are not the old blood«
»Well theyre the oldest thats forthcoming I suppose« said Mr Wace
laughing »Unless you believe in mad old Tommy Trounsem I wonder where that old
poaching fellow is now«
»I saw him halfdrunk the other day« said young Joyce »Hed got a
flagbasket with handbills in it over his shoulder«
»I thought the old fellow was dead« said Mr Wace »Hey why Jermyn« he
went on merrily as he turned round and saw the attorney entering »you Radical
how dare you show yourself in this Tory house Come this is going a bit too
far We dont mind Old Harry managing our law for us thats his proper
business from time immemorial but «
»But a « said Jermyn smiling always ready to carry on a joke to which
his slow manner gave the piquancy of surprise »if he meddles with politics he
must be a Tory«
Jermyn was not afraid to show himself anywhere in Treby He knew many people
were not exactly fond of him but a man can do without that if he is
prosperous A provincial lawyer in those oldfashioned days was as independent
of personal esteem as if he had been a Lord Chancellor
There was a goodhumoured laugh at this upper end of the room as Jermyn
seated himself at about an equal angle between Mr Wace and Christian
»We were talking about old Tommy Trounsem you remember him They say hes
turned up again« said Mr Wace
»Ah« said Jermyn indifferently »But a Wace Im very busy today
but I wanted to see you about that bit of land of yours at the corner of Pods
End Ive had a handsome offer for you Im not at liberty to say from whom
but an offer that ought to tempt you«
»It wont tempt me« said Mr Wace peremptorily »if Ive got a bit of land
Ill keep it Its hard enough to get hereabouts«
»Then Im to understand that you refuse all negotiation« said Jermyn who
had ordered a glass of sherry and was looking round slowly as he sipped it
till his eyes seemed to rest for the first time on Christian though he had seen
him at once on entering the room
»Unless one of the confounded railways should come But then Ill stand out
and make em bleed for it«
There was a murmur of approbation the railways were a public wrong much
denunciated in Treby
»A Mr Philip Debarry at the Manor now« said Jermyn suddenly questioning
Christian in a haughty tone of superiority which he often chose to use
»No« said Christian »he is expected tomorrow morning«
»Ah « Jermyn paused a moment or two and then said »You are sufficiently
in his confidence I think to carry a message to him with a small document«
»Mr Debarry has often trusted me so far« said Christian with much
coolness »but if the business is yours you can probably find some one you know
better«
There was a little winking and grimacing among those of the company who
heard this answer
»A true a« said Jermyn not showing any offence »if you decline But I
think if you will do me the favour to step round to my residence on your way
back and learn the business you will prefer carrying it yourself At my
residence if you please not my office«
»O very well« said Christian »I shall be very happy« Christian never
allowed himself to be treated as a servant by any one but his master and his
master treated a servant more deferentially than an equal
»Will it be five oclock what hour shall we say« said Jermyn
Christian looked at his watch and said »About five I can be there«
»Very good« said Jermyn finishing his sherry
»Well a Wace a so you will hear nothing about Pods End«
»Not I«
»A mere pockethandkerchief not enough to swear by a « here Jermyns
face broke into a smile »without a magnifyingglass«
»Never mind Its mine into the bowels of the earth and up to the sky I can
build the Tower of Babel on it if I like eh Mr Nolan«
»A bad investment my good sir« said Mr Nolan who enjoyed a certain
flavour of infidelity in this smart reply and laughed much at it in his inward
way
»See now how blind you Tories are« said Jermyn rising »if I had been
your lawyer Id have had you make another fortyshilling freeholder with that
land and all in time for this election But a the verbum sapientibus comes
a little too late now«
Jermyn was moving away as he finished speaking but Mr Wace called out after
him »Were not so badly off for votes as you are good sound votes thatll
stand the revising barrister Debarry at the top of the poll«
The lawyer was already out of the doorway
Chapter 21
Tis grievous that with all amplification of travel both by sea and
land a man can never separate himself from his past history
Mr Jermyns handsome house stood a little way out of the town surrounded by
garden and lawn and plantations of hopeful trees As Christian approached it he
was in a perfectly easy state of mind the business he was going on was none of
his otherwise than as he was well satisfied with any opportunity of making
himself valuable to Mr Philip Debarry As he looked at Jermyns length of wall
and iron railing he said to himself »These lawyers are the fellows for getting
on in the world with the least expense of civility With this cursed conjuring
secret of theirs called Law they think everybodys frightened at them My Lord
Jermyn seems to have his insolence as ready as his soft sawder Hes as sleek as
a rat and has as vicious a tooth I know the sort of vermin well enough Ive
helped to fatten one or two«
In this mood of conscious contemptuous penetration Christian was shown by
the footman into Jermyns private room where the attorney sat surrounded with
massive oaken bookcases and other furniture to correspond from the
thickestlegged librarytable to the calendar frame and cardrack It was the
sort of room a man prepares for himself when he feels sure of a long and
respectable future He was leaning back in his leather chair against the broad
window opening on the lawn and had just taken off his spectacles and let the
newspaper fall on his knees in despair of reading by the fading light
When the footman opened the door and said »Mr Christian« Jermyn said
»Good evening Mr Christian Be seated« pointing to a chair opposite himself
and the window »Light the candles on the shelf John but leave the blinds
alone«
He did not speak again till the man was gone out but appeared to be
referring to a document which lay on the bureau before him When the door was
closed he drew himself up again began to rub his hands and turned towards his
visitor who seemed perfectly indifferent to the fact that the attorney was in
shadow and that the light fell on himself
»A your name a is Henry Scaddon«
There was a start through Christians frame which he was quick enough
almost simultaneously to try and disguise as a change of position He uncrossed
his legs and unbuttoned his coat But before he had time to say anything Jermyn
went on with slow emphasis
»You were born on the 16th of December 1782 at Blackheath Your father was
a clothmerchant in London he died when you were barely of age leaving an
extensive business before you were fiveandtwenty you had run through the
greater part of the property and had compromised your safety by an attempt to
defraud your creditors Subsequently you forged a cheque on your fathers elder
brother who had intended to make you his heir«
Here Jermyn paused a moment and referred to the document Christian was
silent
»In 1808 you found it expedient to leave this country in a military
disguise and were taken prisoner by the French On the occasion of an exchange
of prisoners you had the opportunity of returning to your own country and to
the bosom of your own family You were generous enough to sacrifice that
prospect in favour of a fellowprisoner of about your own age and figure who
had more pressing reasons than yourself for wishing to be on this side of the
water You exchanged dress luggage and names with him and he passed to
England instead of you as Henry Scaddon Almost immediately afterwards you
escaped from your imprisonment after feigning an illness which prevented your
exchange of names from being discovered and it was reported that you that is
you under the name of your fellowprisoner were drowned in an open boat
trying to reach a Neapolitan vessel bound for Malta Nevertheless I have to
congratulate you on the falsehood of that report and on the certainty that you
are now after the lapse of more than twenty years seated here in perfect
safety«
Jermyn paused so long that he was evidently awaiting some answer At last
Christian replied in a dogged tone
»Well sir Ive heard much longer stories than that told quite as solemnly
when there was not a word of truth in them Suppose I deny the very peg you hang
your statement on Suppose I say I am not Henry Scaddon«
»A in that case a« said Jermyn with a wooden indifference »you would
lose the advantage which a may attach to your possession of Henry Scaddons
knowledge And at the same time if it were in the least a inconvenient to
you that you should be recognised as Henry Scaddon your denial would not
prevent me from holding the knowledge and evidence which I possess on that
point it would only prevent us from pursuing the present conversation«
»Well sir suppose we admit for the sake of the conversation that your
account of the matter is the true one what advantage have you to offer the man
named Henry Scaddon«
»The advantage a is problematical but it may be considerable It might
in fact release you from the necessity of acting as courier or a valet or
whatever other office you may occupy which prevents you from being your own
master On the other hand my acquaintance with your secret is not necessarily a
disadvantage to you To put the matter in a nutshell I am not inclined a
gratuitously to do you any harm and I may be able to do you a considerable
service«
»Which you want me to earn somehow« said Christian »You offer me a turn in
a lottery«
»Precisely The matter in question is of no earthly interest to you except
a as it may yield you a prize We lawyers have to do with complicated
questions and a legal subtleties which are never a fully known even to
the parties immediately interested still less to the witnesses Shall we agree
then that you continue to retain twothirds of the name which you gained by
exchange and that you oblige me by answering certain questions as to the
experience of Henry Scaddon«
»Very good Go on«
»What articles of property once belonging to your fellowprisoner Maurice
Christian Bycliffe do you still retain«
»This ring« said Christian twirling round the fine sealring on his
finger »his watch and the little matters that hung with it and a case of
papers I got rid of a gold snuffbox once when I was hardup The clothes are
all gone of course We exchanged everything it was all done in a hurry
Bycliffe thought we should meet again in England before long and he was mad to
get there But that was impossible I mean that we should meet soon after I
dont know whats become of him else I would give him up his papers and the
watch and so on though you know it was I who did him the service and he
felt that«
»You were at Vesoul together before being moved to Verdun«
»Yes«
»What else do you know about Bycliffe«
»O nothing very particular« said Christian pausing and rapping his boot
with his cane »Hed been in the Hanoverian army a highspirited fellow took
nothing easily not overstrong in health He made a fool of himself with
marrying at Vesoul and there was the devil to pay with the girls relations
and then when the prisoners were ordered off they had to part Whether they
ever got together again I dont know«
»Was the marriage all right then«
»O all on the square civil marriage church everything Bycliffe was a
fool a goodnatured proud headstrong fellow«
»How long did the marriage take place before you left Vesoul«
»About three months I was a witness to the marriage«
»And you know no more about the wife«
»Not afterwards I knew her very well before pretty Annette Annette
Ledru was her name She was of a good family and they had made up a fine match
for her But she was one of your meek little diablesses who have a will of
their own once in their lives the will to choose their own master«
»Bycliffe was not open to you about his other affairs«
»O no a fellow you wouldnt dare to ask a question of People told him
everything but he told nothing in return If Madame Annette ever found him
again she found her lord and master with a vengeance but she was a regular
lapdog However her family shut her up made a prisoner of her to prevent
her running away«
»Ah good Much of what you have been so obliging as to say is irrelevant
to any possible purpose of mine which in fact has to do only with a mouldy
lawcase that might be aired some day You will doubtless on your own account
maintain perfect silence on what has passed between us and with that condition
duly preserved a it is possible that a the lottery you have put into
as you observe may turn up a prize«
»This then is all the business you have with me« said Christian rising
»All You will of course preserve carefully all the papers and other
articles which have so many a recollections a attached to them«
»O yes If theres any chance of Bycliffe turning up again I shall be sorry
to have parted with the snuffbox but I was hardup at Naples In fact as you
see I was obliged at last to turn courier«
»An exceedingly agreeable life for a man of some a accomplishments and
a no income« said Jermyn rising and reaching a candle which he placed
against his desk
Christian knew this was a sign that he was expected to go but he lingered
standing with one hand on the back of his chair At last he said rather
sulkily
»I think youre too clever Mr Jermyn not to perceive that Im not a man to
be made a fool of«
»Well a it may perhaps be a still better guarantee for you« said
Jermyn smiling »that I see no use in attempting that a metamorphosis«
»The old gentleman who ought never to have felt himself injured is dead
now and Im not afraid of creditors after more than twenty years«
»Certainly not a there may indeed be claims which cant assert
themselves a legally which yet are molesting to a man of some reputation
But you may perhaps be happily free from such fears«
Jermyn drew round his chair towards the bureau and Christian too acute to
persevere uselessly said »Goodday« and left the room
After leaning back in his chair to reflect a few minutes Jermyn wrote the
following letter
Dear Johnson I learn from your letter received this morning that
you intend returning to town on Saturday
While you are there be so good as to see Medwin who used to be
with Batt amp Cowley and ascertain from him indirectly and in the
course of conversation on other topics whether in that old business in
181011 Scaddon alias Bycliffe or Bycliffe alias Scaddon before his
imprisonment gave Batt amp Cowley any reason to believe that he was
married and expected to have a child The question as you know is of
no practical importance but I wish to draw up an abstract of the
Bycliffe case and the exact position in which it stood before the suit
was closed by the death of the plaintiff in order that if Mr Harold
Transome desires it he may see how the failure of the last claim has
secured the DurfeyTransome title and whether there is a hairsbreadth
of a chance that another claim should be set up
Of course there is not a shadow of such a chance For even if Batt
amp Cowley were to suppose that they had alighted on a surviving
representative of the Bycliffes it would not enter into their heads to
set up a new claim since they brought evidence that the last life which
suspended the Bycliffe remainder was extinct before the case was closed
a good twenty years ago
Still I want to show the present heir of the DurfeyTransomes the
exact condition of the family title to the estates So get me an answer
from Medwin on the abovementioned point
I shall meet you at Duffield next week We must get Transome
returned Never mind his having been a little rough the other day but
go on doing what you know is necessary for his interest His interest is
mine which I need not say is John Johnsons Yours faithfully
MATTHEW JERMYN
When the attorney had sealed this letter and leaned back in his chair again he
was inwardly saying
»Now Mr Harold I shall shut up this affair in a private drawer till you
choose to take any extreme measures which will force me to bring it out I have
the matter entirely in my own power No one but old Lyon knows about the girls
birth No one but Scaddon can clinch the evidence about Bycliffe and Ive got
Scaddon under my thumb No soul except myself and Johnson who is a limb of
myself knows that there is one halfdead life which may presently leave the
girl a new claim to the Bycliffe heirship I shall learn through Methurst
whether Batt amp Cowley knew through Bycliffe of this woman having come to
England I shall hold all the threads between my thumb and finger I can use the
evidence or I can nullify it
And so if Mr Harold pushes me to extremity and threatens me with Chancery
and ruin I have an opposing threat which will either save me or turn into a
punishment for him«
He rose put out his candles and stood with his back to the fire looking
out on the dim lawn with its black twilight fringe of shrubs still meditating
Quick thought was gleaming over fiveandthirty years filled with devices more
or less clever more or less desirable to be avowed Those which might be avowed
with impunity were not always to be distinguished as innocent by comparison with
those which it was advisable to conceal In a profession where much that is
noxious may be done without disgrace is a conscience likely to be without balm
when circumstances have urged a man to overstep the line where his good
technical information makes him aware that with discovery disgrace is likely
to begin
With regard to the Transome affairs the family had been in pressing need of
money and it had lain with him to get it for them was it to be expected that
he would not consider his own advantage where he had rendered services such as
are never fully paid If it came to a question of right and wrong instead of
law the least justifiable things he had ever done had been done on behalf of
the Transomes It had been a deucedly unpleasant thing for him to get Bycliffe
arrested and thrown into prison as Henry Scaddon perhaps hastening the mans
death in that way But if it had not been done by dint of his Jermyns
exertions and tact he would like to know where the DurfeyTransomes might have
been by this time As for right or wrong if the truth were known the very
possession of the estate by the DurfeyTransomes was owing to lawtricks that
took place nearly a century ago when the original old Durfey got his base fee
But inward argument of this sort now as always was merged in anger in
exasperation that Harold precisely Harold Transome should have turned out to
be the probable instrument of a visitation which would be bad luck not justice
for is there any justice where ninetynine out of a hundred escape He felt
himself beginning to hate Harold as he had never
Just then Jermyns third daughter a tall slim girl wrapped in a white
woollen shawl which she had hung over her blanketwise skipped across the lawn
towards the greenhouse to get a flower Jermyn was startled and did not
identify the figure or rather he identified it falsely with another tall
whitewrapped figure which had sometimes set his heart beating quickly more than
thirty years before For a moment he was fully back in those distant years when
he and another brighteyed person had seen no reason why they should not indulge
their passion and their vanity and determine for themselves how their lives
should be made delightful in spite of unalterable external conditions The
reasons had been unfolding themselves gradually ever since through all the years
which had converted the handsome softeyed slim young Jermyn with a touch of
sentiment into a portly lawyer of sixty for whom life had resolved itself into
the means of keeping up his head among his professional brethren and maintaining
an establishment into a greyhaired husband and father whose third
affectionate and expensive daughter now rapped at the window and called to him
»Papa papa get ready for dinner dont you remember the Lukyns are coming«
Chapter 22
Her gentle looks shot arrows piercing him
As gods are pierced with poison of sweet pity
The evening of the marketday had passed and Felix had not looked in at
Malthouse Yard to talk over the public events with Mr Lyon When Esther was
dressing the next morning she had reached a point of irritated anxiety to see
Felix at which she found herself devising little schemes for attaining that end
in some way that would be so elaborate as to seem perfectly natural Her watch
had a longstanding ailment of losing possibly it wanted cleaning Felix would
tell her if it merely wanted regulating whereas Mr Prowd might detain it
unnecessarily and cause her useless inconvenience Or could she not get a
valuable hint from Mrs Holt about the homemade bread which was something as
sad as Lyddy herself Or if she came home that way at twelve oclock Felix
might be going out she might meet him and not be obliged to call Or but it
would be very much beneath her to take any steps of this sort Her watch had
been losing for the last two months why should it not go on losing a little
longer She could think of no devices that were not so transparent as to be
undignified All the more undignified because Felix chose to live in a way that
would prevent any one from classing him according to his education and mental
refinement »which certainly are very high« said Esther inwardly colouring
as if in answer to some contrary allegation »else I should not think his
opinion of any consequence« But she came to the conclusion that she could not
possibly call at Mrs Holts
It followed that up to a few minutes past twelve when she reached the
turning towards Mrs Holts she believed that she should go home the other way
but at the last moment there is always a reason not existing before namely
the impossibility of further vacillation Esther turned the corner without any
visible pause and in another minute was knocking at Mrs Holts door not
without an inward flutter which she was bent on disguising
»Its never you Miss Lyon whod have thought of seeing you at this time
Is the minister ill I thought he looked creechy If you want help Ill put my
bonnet on«
»Dont keep Miss Lyon at the door mother ask her to come in« said the
ringing voice of Felix surmounting various small shufflings and babbling voices
within
»Its my wish for her to come in Im sure« said Mrs Holt making way »but
what is there for her to come in to a floor worse than any public But step in
pray if youre so inclined When Ive been forced to take my bit of carpet up
and have benches I dont see why I need mind nothing no more«
»I only came to ask Mr Holt if he would look at my watch for me« said
Esther entering and blushing a general rosecolour
»Hell do that fast enough« said Mrs Holt with emphasis »thats one of
the things he will do«
»Excuse my rising Miss Lyon« said Felix »Im binding up Jobs finger«
Job was a small fellow about five with a germinal nose large round blue
eyes and red hair that curled close to his head like the wool on the back of an
infantine lamb He had evidently been crying and the corners of his mouth were
still dolorous Felix held him on his knee as he bound and tied up very cleverly
a tiny forefinger There was a table in front of Felix and against the window
covered with his watchmaking implements and some open books Two benches stood
at right angles on the sanded floor and six or seven boys of various ages up to
twelve were getting their caps and preparing to go home They huddled themselves
together and stood still when Esther entered Felix could not look up till he
had finished his surgery but he went on speaking
»This is a hero Miss Lyon This is Job Tudge a bold Briton whose finger
hurts him but who doesnt mean to cry Good morning boys Dont lose your
time Get out into the air«
Esther seated herself on the end of the bench near Felix much relieved that
Job was the immediate object of attention and the other boys rushed out behind
her with a brief chant of »Good morning«
»Did you ever see« said Mrs Holt standing to look on »how wonderful Felix
is at that small work with his large fingers And thats because he learnt
doctoring It isnt for want of cleverness he looks like a poor man Miss Lyon
Ive left off speaking else I should say its a sin and a shame«
»Mother« said Felix who often amused himself and kept goodhumoured by
giving his mother answers that were unintelligible to her »you have an
astonishing readiness in the Ciceronian antiphrasis considering you have never
studied oratory There Job thou patient man sit still if thou wilt and now
we can look at Miss Lyon«
Esther had taken off her watch and was holding it in her hand But he looked
at her face or rather at her eyes as he said »You want me to doctor your
watch«
Esthers expression was appealing and timid as it had never been before in
Felixs presence but when she saw the perfect calmness which to her seemed
coldness of his clear grey eyes as if he saw no reason for attaching any
emphasis to this first meeting a pang swift as an electric shock darted through
her She had been very foolish to think so much of it It seemed to her as if
her inferiority to Felix made a great gulf between them She could not at once
rally her pride and selfcommand but let her glance fall on her watch and
said rather tremulously »It loses It is very troublesome It has been losing
a long while«
Felix took the watch from her hand then looking round and seeing that his
mother was gone out of the room he said very gently
»You look distressed Miss Lyon I hope there is no trouble at home« Felix
was thinking of the ministers agitation on the previous Sunday »But I ought
perhaps to beg your pardon for saying so much«
Poor Esther was quite helpless The mortification which had come like a
bruise to all the sensibilities that had been in keen activity insisted on some
relief Her eyes filled instantly and a great tear rolled down while she said
in a loud sort of whisper as involuntary as her tears
»I wanted to tell you that I was not offended that I am not ungenerous I
thought you might think but you have not thought of it«
Was there ever more awkward speaking or any behaviour less like that of
the graceful selfpossessed Miss Lyon whose phrases were usually so well
turned and whose repartees were so ready
For a moment there was silence Esther had her two little delicatelygloved
hands clasped on the table The next moment she felt one hand of Felix covering
them both and pressing them firmly but he did not speak The tears were both on
her cheeks now and she could look up at him His eyes had an expression of
sadness in them quite new to her Suddenly little Job who had his mental
exercises on the occasion called out impatiently
»Shes tut her finger«
Felix and Esther laughed and drew their hands away and as Esther took her
handkerchief to wipe the tears from her cheeks she said
»You see Job I am a naughty coward I cant help crying when Ive hurt
myself«
»Zoo soodnt kuy« said Job energetically being much impressed with a
moral doctrine which had come to him after a sufficient transgression of it
»Job is like me« said Felix »fonder of preaching than of practice But let
us look at this same watch« he went on opening and examining it »These little
Geneva toys are cleverly constructed to go always a little wrong But if you
wind them up and set them regularly every night you may know at least that its
not noon when the hand points there«
Felix chatted that Esther might recover herself but now Mrs Holt came back
and apologised
»Youll excuse my going away I know Miss Lyon But there were the
dumplings to see to and what little Ive got left on my hands now I like to do
well Not but what Ive more cleaning to do than ever I had in my life before
as you may tell soon enough if you look at this floor But when youve been used
to doing things and theyve been taken away from you its as if your hands had
been cut off and you felt the fingers as are of no use to you«
»Thats a great image mother« said Felix as he snapped the watch
together and handed it to Esther »I never heard you use such an image before«
»Yes I know youve always some fault to find with what your mother says
But if ever there was a woman could talk with the open Bible before her and not
be afraid its me I never did tell stories and I never will though I know
its done Miss Lyon and by church members too when they have candles to sell
as I could bring you the proof But I never was one of em let Felix say what
he will about the printing on the tickets His father believed it was gospel
truth and its presumptious to say it wasnt For as for curing how can
anybody know Theres no physicll cure without a blessing and with a blessing
I know Ive seen a mustard plaister work when there was no more smell nor
strength in the mustard than so much flour And reason good for the mustard
had laid in paper nobody knows how long so Ill leave you to guess«
Mrs Holt looked hard out of the window and gave a slight inarticulate sound
of scorn
Felix had leaned back in his chair with a resigned smile and was pinching
Jobs ears
Esther said »I think I had better go now« not knowing what else to say
yet not wishing to go immediately lest she should seem to be running away from
Mrs Holt She felt keenly how much endurance there must be for Felix And she
had often been discontented with her father and called him tiresome
»Where does Job Tudge live« she said still sitting and looking at the
droll little figure set off by a ragged jacket with a tail about two inches
deep sticking out above the funniest of corduroys
»Job has two mansions« said Felix »He lives here chiefly but he has
another home where his grandfather Mr Tudge the stonebreaker lives My
mother is very good to Job Miss Lyon She has made him a little bed in a
cupboard and she gives him sweetened porridge«
The exquisite goodness implied in these words of Felix impressed Esther the
more because in her hearing his talk had usually been pungent and denunciatory
Looking at Mrs Holt she saw that her eyes had lost their bleak northeasterly
expression and were shining with some mildness on little Job who had turned
round towards her propping his head against Felix
»Well why shouldnt I be motherly to the child Miss Lyon« said Mrs Holt
whose strong powers of argument required the file of an imagined contradiction
if there were no real one at hand »I never was hardhearted and I never will
be It was Felix picked the child up and took to him you may be sure for
theres nobody else master where he is but I wasnt going to beat the orphin
child and abuse him because of that and him as straight as an arrow when hes
stript and me so fond of children and only had one of my own to live Id
three babies Miss Lyon but the blessed Lord only spared Felix and him the
masterfullest and the brownest of em all But I did my duty by him and I said
hell have more schooling than his father and hell grow up a doctor and marry
a woman with money to furnish as I was myself spoons and everything and I
shall have the grandchildren to look up to me and be drove out in the gig
sometimes like old Mrs Lukyn And you see what its all come to Miss Lyon
heres Felix made a common man of himself and says hell never be married
which is the most unreasonable thing and him never easy but when hes got the
child on his lap or when «
»Stop stop mother« Felix burst in »pray dont use that limping argument
again that a man should marry because hes fond of children Thats a reason
for not marrying A bachelors children are always young theyre immortal
children always lisping waddling helpless and with a chance of turning out
good«
»The Lord above may know what you mean And havent other folks children a
chance of turning out good«
»O they grow out of it very fast Heres Job Tudge now« said Felix
turning the little one round on his knee and holding his head by the back
»Jobs limbs will get lanky this little fist that looks like a puffball and
can hide nothing bigger than a gooseberry will get large and bony and perhaps
want to clutch more than its share these wide blue eyes that tell me more truth
than Job knows will narrow and narrow and try to hide truth that Job would be
better without knowing this little negative nose will become long and
selfasserting and this little tongue put out thy tongue Job« Job
awestruck under this ceremony put out a little red tongue very timidly »this
tongue hardly bigger than a roseleaf will get large and thick wag out of
season do mischief brag and cant for gain or vanity and cut as cruelly for
all its clumsiness as if it were a sharpedge blade Big Job will perhaps be
naughty « As Felix speaking with the loud emphatic distinctness habitual to
him brought out this terribly familiar word Jobs sense of mystification
became too painful he hung his lip and began to cry
»See there« said Mrs Holt »youre frightening the innicent child with such
talk and its enough to frighten them that think themselves the safest«
»Look here Job my man« said Felix setting the boy down and turning him
towards Esther »go to Miss Lyon ask her to smile at you and that will dry up
your tears like the sunshine«
Job put his two brown fists on Esthers lap and she stooped to kiss him
Then holding his face between her hands she said »Tell Mr Holt we dont mean
to be naughty Job He should believe in us more But now I must really go
home«
Esther rose and held out her hand to Mrs Holt who kept it while she said a
little to Esthers confusion
»Im very glad its took your fancy to come here sometimes Miss Lyon I
know youre thought to hold your head high but I speak of people as I find em
And Im sure anybody had need be humble that comes where theres a floor like
this for Ive put by my best teatrays theyre so out of all charicter I
must look Above for comfort now but I dont say Im not worthy to be called on
for all that«
Felix had risen and moved towards the door that he might open it and shield
Esther from more last words on his mothers part
»Goodbye Mr Holt«
»Will Mr Lyon like me to sit with him an hour this evening do you think«
»Why not He always likes to see you«
»Then I will come Goodbye«
»Shes a very straight figure« said Mrs Holt »How she carries herself But
I doubt theres some truth in what our people say If she wont look at young
Muscat its the better for him Hed need have a big fortune that marries her«
»Thats true mother« said Felix sitting down snatching up little Job
and finding a vent for some unspeakable feeling in the pretence of worrying him
Esther was rather melancholy as she went home yet happier withal than she
had been for many days before She thought »I need not mind having shown so
much anxiety about his opinion He is too clearsighted to mistake our mutual
position he is quite above putting a false interpretation on what I have done
Besides he had not thought of me at all I saw that plainly enough Yet he was
very kind There is something greater and better in him than I had imagined His
behaviour today to his mother and me too I should call it the highest
gentlemanliness only it seems in him to be something deeper But he has chosen
an intolerable life though I suppose if I had a mind equal to his and if he
loved me very dearly I should choose the same life«
Esther felt that she had prefixed an impossible if to that result But now
she had known Felix her conception of what a happy love must be had become like
a dissolving view in which the onceclear images were gradually melting into
new forms and new colours The favourite Byronic heroes were beginning to look
something like last nights decorations seen in the sober dawn So fast does a
little leaven spread within us so incalculable is the effect of one
personality on another Behind all Esthers thoughts like an unacknowledged yet
constraining presence there was the sense that if Felix Holt were to love her
her life would be exalted into something quite new into a sort of difficult
blessedness such as one may imagine in beings who are conscious of painfully
growing into the possession of higher powers
It was quite true that Felix had not thought the more of Esther because of
that Sunday afternoons interview which had shaken her mind to the very roots
He had avoided intruding on Mr Lyon without special reason because he believed
the minister to be preoccupied with some private care He had thought a great
deal of Esther with a mixture of strong disapproval and strong liking which
both together made a feeling the reverse of indifference but he was not going
to let her have any influence on his life Even if his determination had not
been fixed he would have believed that she would utterly scorn him in any other
light than that of an acquaintance and the emotion she had shown today did not
change that belief But he was deeply touched by this manifestation of her
better qualities and felt that there was a new tie of friendship between them
That was the brief history Felix would have given of his relation to Esther And
he was accustomed to observe himself But very close and diligent looking at
living creatures even through the best microscope will leave room for new and
contradictory discoveries
Felix found Mr Lyon particularly glad to talk to him The minister had never
yet disburthened himself about his letter to Mr Philip Debarry concerning the
public conference and as by this time he had all the heads of his discussion
thoroughly in his mind it was agreeable to recite them as well as to express
his regret that time had been lost by Mr Debarrys absence from the Manor which
had prevented the immediate fulfilment of his pledge
»I dont see how he can fulfil it if the rector refuses« said Felix
thinking it well to moderate the little mans confidence
»The rector is of a spirit that will not incur earthly impeachment and he
cannot refuse what is necessary to his nephews honourable discharge of an
obligation« said Mr Lyon »My young friend it is a case wherein the
prearranged conditions tend by such a beautiful fitness to the issue I have
sought that I should have for ever held myself a traitor to my charge had I
neglected the indication«
Chapter 23
»I will not excuse you you shall not be excused excuses shall not
be admitted theres no excuse shall serve you shall not be
excused«
Henry IV
When Philip Debarry had come home that morning and read the letters which had
not been forwarded to him he laughed so heartily at Mr Lyons that he
congratulated himself on being in his private room Otherwise his laughter would
have awakened the curiosity of Sir Maximus and Philip did not wish to tell any
one the contents of the letter until he had shown them to his uncle He
determined to ride over to the rectory to lunch for as Lady Mary was away he
and his uncle might be têteàtête
The rectory was on the other side of the river close to the church of which
it was the fitting companion a fine old brickandstone house with a great
bowwindow opening from the library on to the deepturfed lawn one fat dog
sleeping on the doorstone another fat dog waddling on the gravel the autumn
leaves duly swept away the lingering chrysanthemums cherished tall trees
stooping or soaring in the most picturesque variety and a Virginian creeper
turning a little rustic hut into a scarlet pavilion It was one of those
rectories which are among the bulwarks of our venerable institutions which
arrest disintegrating doubt serve as a double embankment against Popery and
Dissent and rally feminine instinct and affection to reinforce the decisions of
masculine thought
»What makes you look so merry Phil« said the rector as his nephew entered
the pleasant library
»Something that concerns you« said Philip taking out the letter »A
clerical challenge Heres an opportunity for you to emulate the divines of the
sixteenth century and have a theological duel Read this letter«
»What answer have you sent the crazy little fellow« said the rector
keeping the letter in his hand and running over it again and again with brow
knit but eyes gleaming without any malignity
»O I sent no answer I awaited yours«
»Mine« said the rector throwing down the letter on the table »You dont
suppose Im going to hold a public debate with a schismatic of that sort I
should have an infidel shoemaker next expecting me to answer blasphemies
delivered in bad grammar«
»But you see how he puts it« said Philip With all his gravity of nature he
could not resist a slightly michievous prompting though he had a serious
feeling that he should not like to be regarded as failing to fulfil his pledge
»I think if you refuse I shall be obliged to offer myself«
»Nonsense Tell him he is himself acting a dishonourable part in
interpreting your words as a pledge to do any preposterous thing that suits his
fancy Suppose he had asked you to give him land to build a chapel on doubtless
that would have given him a lively satisfaction A man who puts a nonnatural
strained sense on a promise is no better than a robber«
»But he has not asked for land I daresay he thinks you wont object to his
proposal I confess theres a simplicity and quaintness about the letter that
rather pleases me«
»Let me tell you Phil hes a crazy little firefly that does a great deal
of harm in my parish He inflames the Dissenters minds on politics Theres no
end to the mischief done by these busy prating men They make the ignorant
multitude the judges of the largest questions both political and religious
till we shall soon have no institution left that is not on a level with the
comprehension of a huckster or a drayman There can be nothing more retrograde
losing all the results of civilisation all the lessons of Providence letting
the windlass run down after men have been turning at it painfully for
generations If the instructed are not to judge for the uninstructed why let
us set Dick Stubbs to make our almanacs and have a President of the Royal
Society elected by universal suffrage«
The rector had risen placed himself with his back to the fire and thrust
his hands in his pockets ready to insist further on this wide argument Philip
sat nursing one leg listening respectfully as he always did though often
listening to the sonorous echo of his own statements which suited his uncles
needs so exactly that he did not distinguish them from his old impressions
»True« said Philip »but in special cases we have to do with special
conditions You know I defend the casuists And it may happen that for the
honour of the church in Treby and a little also for my honour circumstances may
demand a concession even to some notions of a dissenting preacher«
»Not at all I should be making a figure which my brother clergy might well
take as an affront to themselves The character of the establishment has
suffered enough already through the Evangelicals with their extempore
incoherence and their pipesmoking piety Look at Wimple the man who is vicar
of Shuttleton without his gown and bands anybody would take him for a grocer
in mourning«
»Well I shall cut a still worse figure and so will you in the dissenting
magazines and newspapers It will go the round of the kingdom There will be a
paragraph headed Tory Falsehood and Clerical Cowardice or else The Meanness of
the Aristocracy and the Incompetence of the Beneficed Clergy«
»There would be a worse paragraph if I were to consent to the debate Of
course it would be said that I was beaten hollow and that now the question had
been cleared up at Treby Magna the church had not a sound leg to stand on
Besides« the rector went on frowning and smiling »its all very well for you
to talk Phil but this debating is not so easy when a mans close upon sixty
What one writes or says must be something good and scholarly and after all had
been done this little Lyon would buzz about one like a wasp and crossquestion
and rejoin Let me tell you a plain truth may be so worried and mauled by
fallacies as to get the worst of it Theres no such thing as tiring a talking
machine like Lyon«
»Then you absolutely refuse«
»Yes I do«
»You remember that when I wrote my letter of thanks to Lyon you approved my
offer to serve him if possible«
»Certainly I remember it But suppose he had asked you to vote for civil
marriage or to go and hear him preach every Sunday«
»But he has not asked that«
»Something as unreasonable though«
»Well« said Philip taking up Mr Lyons letter and looking graver looking
even vexed »it is rather an unpleasant business for me I really felt obliged
to him I think theres a sort of worth in the man beyond his class Whatever
may be the reason of the case I shall disappoint him instead of doing him the
service I offered«
»Well thats a misfortune we cant help it«
»The worst of it is I should be insulting him to say I will do anything
else but not just this that you want He evidently feels himself in company
with Luther and Zwingli and Calvin and considers our letters part of the history
of Protestantism«
»Yes yes I know its rather an unpleasant thing Phil You are aware that
I would have done anything in reason to prevent you from becoming unpopular
here I consider your character a possession to all of us«
»I think I must call on him forthwith and explain and apologise«
»No sit still Ive thought of something« said the rector with a sudden
revival of spirits »Ive just seen Sherlock coming in He is to lunch with me
today It would do no harm for him to hold the debate a curate and a young
man hell gain by it and it would release you from any awkwardness Phil
Sherlock is not going to stay here long you know hell soon have his title
Ill put the thing to him He wont object if I wish it Its a capital idea It
will do Sherlock good Hes a clever fellow but he wants confidence«
Philip had not time to object before Mr Sherlock appeared a young divine
of good birth and figure of sallow complexion and bashful address
»Sherlock you have come in most opportunely« said the rector »A case has
turned up in the parish in which you can be of eminent use I know that is what
you have desired ever since you have been with me But Im about so much myself
that there really has not been sphere enough for you You are a studious man I
know I daresay you have all the necessary matter prepared at your
fingerends if not on paper«
Mr Sherlock smiled with rather a trembling lip willing to distinguish
himself but hoping that the rector only alluded to a dialogue on baptism by
aspersion or some other pamphlet suited to the purposes of the Christian
Knowledge Society But as the rector proceeded to unfold the circumstances under
which his eminent service was to be rendered he grew more and more nervous
»Youll oblige me very much Sherlock« the rector ended »by going into
this thing zealously Can you guess what time you will require because it will
rest with us to fix the day«
»I should be rejoiced to oblige you Mr Debarry but I really think I am not
competent to «
»Thats your modesty Sherlock Dont let me hear any more of that I know
Filmore of Corpus said you might be a firstrate man if your diffidence didnt
do you injustice And you can refer anything to me you know Come you will set
about the thing at once But Phil you must tell the preacher to send a scheme
of the debate all the different heads and he must agree to keep rigidly
within the scheme There sit down at my desk and write the letter now Thomas
shall carry it«
Philip sat down to write and the rector with his firm ringing voice went
on at his ease giving indications to his agitated curate
»But you can begin at once preparing a good cogent clear statement and
considering the probable points of assault You can look into Jewel Hall
Hooker Whitgift and the rest youll find them all here My library wants
nothing in English divinity Sketch the lower ground taken by Usher and those
men but bring all your force to bear on marking out the true HighChurch
doctrine Expose the wretched cavils of the Nonconformists and the noisy
futility that belongs to schismatics generally I will give you a telling
passage from Burke on the Dissenters and some good quotations which I brought
together in two sermons of my own on the Position of the English Church in
Christendom How long do you think it will take you to bring your thoughts
together You can throw them afterwards into the form of an essay well have
the thing printed it will do you good with the bishop«
With all Mr Sherlocks timidity there was fascination for him in this
distinction He reflected that he could take coffee and sit up late and perhaps
produce something rather fine It might be a first step towards that eminence
which it was no more than his duty to aspire to Even a polemical fame like that
of a Philpotts must have had a beginning Mr Sherlock was not insensible to the
pleasure of turning sentences successfully and it was a pleasure not always
unconnected with preferment A diffident man likes the idea of doing something
remarkable which will create belief in him without any immediate display of
brilliancy Celebrity may blush and be silent and win a grace the more Thus Mr
Sherlock was constrained trembling all the while and much wishing that his
essay were already in print
»I think I could hardly be ready under a fortnight«
»Very good Just write that Phil and tell him to fix the precise day and
place And then well go to lunch«
The rector was quite satisfied He had talked himself into thinking that he
should like to give Sherlock a few useful hints look up his own earlier
sermons and benefit the curate by his criticism when the argument had been got
into shape He was a healthynatured man but that was not at all a reason why
he should not have those sensibilities to the odour of authorship which belong
to almost everybody who is not expected to be a writer and especially to that
form of authorship which is called suggestion and consists in telling another
man that he might do a great deal with a given subject by bringing a sufficient
amount of knowledge reasoning and wit to bear upon it
Philip would have had some twinges of conscience about the curate if he had
not guessed that the honour thrust upon him was not altogether disagreeable The
church might perhaps have had a stronger supporter but for himself he had done
what he was bound to do he had done his best towards fulfilling Mr Lyons
desire
Chapter 24
»If he come not the play is marred«
Midsummer Nights Dream
Rufus Lyon was very happy on that mild November morning appointed for the great
conference in the larger room at the Free School between himself and the Rev
Theodore Sherlock B A The disappointment of not contending with the rector in
person which had at first been bitter had been gradually lost sight of in the
positive enjoyment of an opportunity for debating on any terms Mr Lyon had two
grand elements of pleasure on such occasions confidence in the strength of his
case and confidence in his own power of advocacy Not to use his own phrase
not that he glorified himself herein for speech and exposition were so easy to
him that if he argued forcibly he believed it to be simply because the truth
was forcible He was not proud of moving easily in his native medium A panting
man thinks of himself as a clever swimmer but a fish swims much better and
takes his performance as a matter of course
Whether Mr Sherlock were that panting selfgratulating man remained a
secret Philip Debarry much occupied with his electioneering affairs had only
once had an opportunity of asking his uncle how Sherlock got on and the rector
had said curtly »I think hell do Ive supplied him well with references I
advise him to read only and decline everything else as out of order Lyon will
speak to a point and then Sherlock will read it will be all the more telling
It will give variety« But on this particular morning peremptory business
connected with the magistracy called the rector away
Due notice had been given and the feminine world of Treby Magna was much
more agitated by the prospect than by that of any candidates speech Mrs
Pendrell at the Bank Mrs Tiliot and the church ladies generally felt bound to
hear the curate who was known apparently by an intuition concerning the nature
of curates to be a very clever young man and he would show them what learning
had to say on the right side One or two Dissenting ladies were not without
emotion at the thought that seated on the front benches they should be brought
near to old Church friends and have a longer greeting than had taken place
since the Catholic Emancipation Mrs Muscat who had been a beauty and was as
nice in her millinery as any Trebian lady belonging to the establishment
reflected that she should put on her best large embroidered collar and that she
should ask Mrs Tiliot where it was in Duffield that she once got her
bedhangings dyed so beautifully When Mrs Tiliot was Mary Salt the two ladies
had been bosom friends but Mr Tiliot had looked higher and higher since his gin
had become so famous and in the year 29 he had in Mr Muscats hearing spoken
of Dissenters as sneaks a personality which could not be overlooked
The debate was to begin at eleven for the rector would not allow the
evening to be chosen when low men and boys might want to be admitted out of
mere mischief This was one reason why the female part of the audience
outnumbered the males But some chief Trebians were there even men whose means
made them as independent of theory as Mr Pendrell and Mr Wace encouraged by
reflecting that they were not in a place of worship and would not be obliged to
stay longer than they chose There was a muster of all Dissenters who could
spare the morning time and on the back benches were all the aged churchwomen
who shared the remnants of the sacrament wine and who were humbly anxious to
neglect nothing ecclesiastical or connected with going to a better place
At eleven the arrival of listeners seemed to have ceased Mr Lyon was seated
on the school tribune or daïs at his particular round table another round
table with a chair awaited the curate with whose superior position it was
quite in keeping that he should not be first on the ground A couple of extra
chairs were placed further back and more than one important personage had been
requested to act as chairman but no churchman would place himself in a position
so equivocal as to dignity of aspect and so unequivocal as to the obligation of
sitting out the discussion and the rector had beforehand put a veto on any
Dissenting chairman
Mr Lyon sat patiently absorbed in his thoughts with his notes in minute
handwriting lying before him seeming to look at the audience but not seeing
them Every one else was contented that there should be an interval in which
there could be a little neighbourly talk
Esther was particularly happy seated on a sidebench near her fathers side
of the tribune with Felix close behind her so that she could turn her head and
talk to him He had been very kind ever since that morning when she had called
at his home more disposed to listen indulgently to what she had to say and
less blind to her looks and movements If he had never railed at her or ignored
her she would have been less sensitive to the attention he gave her but as it
was the prospect of seeing him seemed to light up her life and to disperse the
old dulness She looked unusually charming today from the very fact that she
was not vividly conscious of anything but of having a mind near her that asked
her to be something better than she actually was The consciousness of her own
superiority amongst the people around her was superseded and even a few brief
weeks had given a softened expression to her eyes a more feminine
beseechingness and selfdoubt to her manners Perhaps however a little new
defiance was rising in place of the old contempt defiance of the Trebian views
concerning Felix Holt
»What a very nicelooking young woman your ministers daughter is« said Mrs
Tiliot in an undertone to Mrs Muscat who as she had hoped had found a seat
next to her quondam friend »quite the lady«
»Rather too much so considering« said Mrs Muscat »Shes thought proud
and thats not pretty in a girl even if there was anything to back it up But
now she seems to be encouraging that young Holt who scoffs at everything as
you may judge by his appearance She has despised his betters before now but I
leave you to judge whether a young man who has taken to low ways of getting his
living can pay for fine cambric handkerchiefs and light kid gloves«
Mrs Muscat lowered her blond eyelashes and swayed her neat head just
perceptibly from side to side with a sincere desire to be moderate in her
expressions not withstanding any shock that facts might have given her
»Dear dear« said Mrs Tiliot »What that is young Holt leaning forward now
without a cravat Ive never seen him before to notice him but Ive heard
Tiliot talking about him They say hes a dangerous character and goes stirring
up the working men at Sproxton And well to be sure such great eyes and such
a great head of hair it is enough to frighten one What can she see in him
Quite below her«
»Yes and brought up a governess« said Mrs Muscat »youd have thought
shed know better how to choose But the minister has let her get the upper hand
sadly too much Its a pity in a man of God I dont deny hes that«
»Well I am sorry« said Mrs Tiliot »for I meant her to give my girls
lessons when they came from school«
Mr Wace and Pendrell meanwhile were standing up and looking round at the
audience nodding to their fellowtownspeople with the affability due from men
in their position
»Its time he came now« said Mr Wace looking at his watch and comparing it
with the schoolroom clock »This debating is a newfangled sort of thing but the
rector would never have given in to it if there hadnt been good reasons Nolan
said he wouldnt come He says this debating is an atheistical sort of thing
the Atheists are very fond of it Theirs is a bad book to take a leaf out of
However we shall hear nothing but whats good from Mr Sherlock He preaches a
capital sermon for such a young man«
»Well it was our duty to support him not to leave him alone among the
Dissenters« said Mr Pendrell »You see everybody hasnt felt that Labron
might have shown himself if not Lukyn I could have alleged business myself if
I had thought proper«
»Here he comes I think« said Mr Wace turning round on hearing a movement
near the small door on a level with the platform »By George its Mr Debarry
Come now this is handsome«
Mr Wace and Mr Pendrell clapped their hands and the example was followed
even by most of the Dissenters Philip was aware that he was doing a popular
thing of a kind that Treby was not used to from the elder Debarrys but his
appearance had not been long premeditated He was driving through the town
towards an engagement at some distance but on calling at Labrons office he had
found that the affair which demanded his presence had been deferred and so had
driven round to the Free School Christian came in behind him
Mr Lyon was now roused from his abstraction and stepping from his slight
elevation begged Mr Debarry to act as moderator or president on the occasion
»With all my heart« said Philip »But Mr Sherlock has not arrived
apparently«
»He tarries somewhat unduly« said Mr Lyon »Nevertheless there may be a
reason of which we know not Shall I collect the thoughts of the assembly by a
brief introductory address in the interval«
»No no no« said Mr Wace who saw a limit to his powers of endurance »Mr
Sherlock is sure to be here in a minute or two«
»Christian« said Philip Debarry who felt a slight misgiving »just be so
good but stay Ill go myself Excuse me gentlemen Ill drive round to Mr
Sherlocks lodgings He may be under a little mistake as to the time Studious
men are sometimes rather absent You neednt come with me Christian«
As Mr Debarry went out Rufus Lyon stepped on to the tribune again in rather
an uneasy state of mind A few ideas had occurred to him eminently fitted to
engage the audience profitably and so to wrest some edification out of an
unforeseen delay But his native delicacy made him feel that in this assembly
the church people might fairly decline any deliverance on his part which
exceeded the programme and Mr Waces negative had been energetic But the
little man suffered from imprisoned ideas and was as restless as a racer held
in He could not sit down again but walked backwards and forwards stroking his
chin emitting his low guttural interjection under the pressure of clauses and
sentences which he longed to utter aloud as he would have done in his own
study There was a low buzz in the room which helped to deepen the ministers
sense that the thoughts within him were as divine messengers unheeded or
rejected by a trivial generation Many of the audience were standing all
except the old churchwomen on the back seats and a few devout Dissenters who
kept their eyes shut and gave their bodies a gentle oscillating motion were
interested in chat
»Your father is uneasy« said Felix to Esther
»Yes and now I think he is feeling for his spectacles I hope he has not
left them at home he will not be able to see anything two yards before him
without them and it makes him so unconscious of what people expect or want«
»Ill go and ask him whether he has them« said Felix striding over the
form in front of him and approaching Mr Lyon whose face showed a gleam of
pleasure at this relief from his abstracted isolation
»Miss Lyon is afraid that you are at a loss for your spectacles sir« said
Felix
»My dear young friend« said Mr Lyon laying his hand on Felix Holts
forearm which was about on a level with the ministers shoulder »it is a very
glorious truth albeit made somewhat painful to me by the circumstances of the
present moment that as a counterpoise to the brevity of our mortal life
wherein as I apprehend our powers are being trained not only for the
transmission of an improved heritage as I have heard you insist but also for
our own entrance into a higher initiation in the divine scheme it is I say
a very glorious truth that even in what are called the waste minutes of our
time like those of expectation the soul may soar and range as in some of our
dreams which are brief as a broken rainbow in duration yet seem to comprise a
long history of terror or of joy And again each moment may be a beginning of a
new spiritual energy and our pulse would doubtless be a coarse and clumsy
notation of the passage from that which was not to that which is even in the
finer processes of the material world and how much more «
Esther was watching her father and Felix and though she was not within
hearing of what was being said she guessed the actual state of the case that
the inquiry about the spectacles had been unheeded and that her father was
losing himself and embarrassing Felix in the intricacies of a dissertation
There was not the stillness around her that would have made a movement on her
part seem conspicuous and she was impelled by her anxiety to step on the
tribune and walk up to her father who paused a little startled
»Pray see whether you have forgotten your spectacles father If so I will
go home at once and look for them«
Mr Lyon was automatically obedient to Esther and he began immediately to
feel in his pockets
»How is it that Miss Jermyn is so friendly with the Dissenting parson« said
Christian to Quorlen the Tory printer who was an intimate of his »Those grand
Jermyns are not Dissenters surely«
»What Miss Jermyn«
»Why dont you see that fine girl who is talking to him«
»Miss Jermyn Why thats the little parsons daughter«
»His daughter« Christian gave a low brief whistle which seemed a natural
expression of surprise that »the rusty old ranter« should have a daughter of
such distinguished appearance
Meanwhile the search for the spectacles had proved vain »Tis a grievous
fault in me my dear« said the little man humbly »I become thereby sadly
burthensome to you«
»I will go at once« said Esther refusing to let Felix go instead of her
But she had scarcely stepped off the tribune when Mr Debarry reentered and
there was a commotion which made her wait After a low conversation with Mr
Pendrell and Mr Wace Philip Debarry stepped on to the tribune with his hat in
his hand and said with an air of much concern and annoyance
»I am sorry to have to tell you ladies and gentlemen that doubtless
owing to some accidental cause which I trust will soon be explained as nothing
serious Mr Sherlock is absent from his residence and is not to be found He
went out early his landlady informs me to refresh himself by a walk on this
agreeable morning as is his habit she tells me when he has been kept up late
by study and he has not returned Do not let us be too anxious I shall cause
inquiry to be made in the direction of his walk It is easy to imagine many
accidents not of a grave character by which he might nevertheless be
absolutely detained against his will Under these circumstances Mr Lyon«
continued Philip turning to the minister »I presume that the debate must be
adjourned«
»The debate doubtless« began Mr Lyon but his further speech was drowned
by a general rising of the church people from their seats many of them feeling
that even if the cause were lamentable the adjournment was not altogether
disagreeable
»Good gracious me« said Mrs Tiliot as she took her husbands arm »I hope
the poor young man hasnt fallen into the river or broken his leg«
But some of the more acrid Dissenters whose temper was not controlled by
the habits of retail business had begun to hiss implying that in their
interpretation the curates absence had not depended on any injury to life or
limb
»Hes turned tail sure enough« said Mr Muscat to the neighbour behind him
lifting his eyebrows and shoulders and laughing in a way that showed that
deacon as he was he looked at the affair in an entirely secular light
But Mrs Muscat thought it would be nothing but right to have all the waters
dragged agreeing in this with the majority of the church ladies
»I regret sincerely Mr Lyon« said Philip Debarry addressing the minister
with politeness »that I must say goodmorning to you with the sense that I
have not been able at present to contribute to your satisfaction as I had
wished«
»Speak not of it in the way of apology sir« said Mr Lyon in a tone of
depression »I doubt not that you yourself have acted in good faith Nor will I
open any door of egress to constructions such as anger often deems ingenious
but which the disclosure of the simple truth may expose as erroneous and
uncharitable fabrications I wish you goodmorning sir«
When the room was cleared of the church people Mr Lyon wished to soothe his
own spirit and that of his flock by a few reflections introductory to a parting
prayer But there was a general resistance to this effect The men mustered
round the minister and declared their opinion that the whole thing was
disgraceful to the church Some said the curates absence had been contrived
from the first Others more than hinted that it had been a folly in Mr Lyon to
set on foot any procedure in common with Tories and clergymen who if they ever
aped civility to Dissenters would never do anything but laugh at them in their
sleeves Brother Kemp urged in his heavy bass that Mr Lyon should lose no time
in sending an account of the affair to the Patriot and Brother Hawkins in his
high tenor observed that it was an occasion on which some stinging things might
be said with all the extra effect of an apropos
The position of receiving a manyvoiced lecture from the members of his
church was familiar to Mr Lyon but now he felt weary frustrated and doubtful
of his own temper Felix who stood by and saw that this man of sensitive fibre
was suffering from talkers whose noisy superficiality cost them nothing got
exasperated »It seems to me sirs« he burst in with his predominant voice
»that Mr Lyon has hitherto had the hard part of the business while you of his
congregation have had the easy one Punish the church clergy if you like they
can take care of themselves But dont punish your own minister Its no
business of mine perhaps except so far as fairplay is everybodys business
but it seems to me the time to ask Mr Lyon to take a little rest instead of
setting on him like so many wasps«
By this speech Felix raised a displeasure which fell on the minister as well
as on himself but he gained his immediate end The talkers dropped off after a
slight show of persistence and Mr Lyon quitted the field of no combat with a
small group of his less imperious friends to whom he confided his intention of
committing his argument fully to paper and forwarding it to a discriminating
editor
»But regarding personalities« he added »I have not the same clear showing
For say that this young man was pusillanimous I were but ill provided with
arguments if I took my stand even for a moment on so poor an irrelevancy as that
because one curate is ill furnished therefore episcopacy is false If I held up
any one to just obloquy it would be the welldesignated incumbent of this
parish who calling himself one of the church militant sends a young and
weakkneed substitute to take his place in the fight«
Mr Philip Debarry did not neglect to make industrious inquiry concerning the
accidents which had detained the Rev Theodore Sherlock on his morning walk
That wellintentioned young divine was seen no more in Treby Magna But the
river was not dragged for by the evening coach the rector received an
explanatory letter The Rev Theodores agitation had increased so much during
his walk that the passing coach had been a means of deliverance not to be
resisted and literally at the eleventh hour he had hailed and mounted the
cheerful Tallyho and carried away his portion of the debate in his pocket
But the rector had subsequently the satisfaction of receiving Mr Sherlocks
painstaking production in print with a dedication to the Rev Augustus Debarry
a motto from St Chrysostum and other additions the fruit of ripening leisure
He was »sorry for poor Sherlock who wanted confidence« but he was convinced
that for his own part he had taken the course which under the circumstances was
the least compromising to the church Sir Maximus however observed to his son
and brother that he had been right and they had been wrong as to the danger of
vague enormous expressions of gratitude to a Dissenting preacher and on any
differences of opinion seldom failed to remind them of that precedent
Chapter 25
Your fellowman Divide the epithet
Say rather youre the fellow he the man
When Christian quitted the Free School with the discovery that the young lady
whose appearance had first startled him with an indefinable impression in the
marketplace was the daughter of the old Dissenting preacher who had shown so
much agitated curiosity about his name he felt very much like an uninitiated
chessplayer who sees that the pieces are in a peculiar position on the board
and might open the way for him to give checkmate if he only knew how Ever
since his interview with Jermyn his mind had been occupied with the charade it
offered to his ingenuity What was the real meaning of the lawyers interest in
him and in his relations with Maurice Christian Bycliffe Here was a secret
and secrets were often a source of profit of that agreeable kind which involved
little labour Jermyn had hinted at profit which might possibly come through
him but Christian said inwardly with wellsatisfied selfesteem that he was
not so pitiable a nincompoop as to trust Jermyn On the contrary the only
problem before him was to find out by what combination of independent knowledge
he could outwit Jermyn elude any purchase the attorney had on him through his
past history and get a handsome bonus by which a somewhat shattered man of
pleasure might live well without a master Christian having early exhausted the
more impulsive delights of life had become a sober calculator and he had made
up his mind that for a man who had long ago run through his own money
servitude in a great family was the best kind of retirement after that of a
pensioner but if a better chance offered a person of talent must not let it
slip through his fingers He held various ends of threads but there was danger
in pulling at them too impatiently He had not forgotten the surprise which had
made him drop the punchladle when Mr Crowder talking in the stewards room
had said that a scamp named Henry Scaddon had been concerned in a lawsuit about
the Transome estate Again Jermyn was the family lawyer of the Transomes he
knew about the exchange of names between Scaddon and Bycliffe he clearly wanted
to know as much as he could about Bycliffes history The conclusion was not
remote that Bycliffe had had some claim on the Transome property and that a
difficulty had arisen from his being confounded with Henry Scaddon But hitherto
the other incident which had been apparently connected with the interchange of
names Mr Lyons demand that he should write down the name Maurice Christian
accompanied with the question whether that were his whole name had had no
visible link with the inferences arrived at through Crowder and Jermyn
The discovery made this morning at the Free School that Esther was the
daughter of the Dissenting preacher at last suggested a possible link Until
then Christian had not known why Esthers face had impressed him so peculiarly
but the ministers chief association for him was with Bycliffe and that
association served as a flash to show him that Esthers features and expression
and still more her bearing now she stood and walked revived Bycliffes image
Daughter There were various ways of being a daughter Suppose this were a case
of adoption suppose Bycliffe were known to be dead or thought to be dead
»Begad if the old parson had fancied the original father was come to life
again it was enough to frighten him a little Slow and steady« Christian said
to himself »Ill get some talk with the old man again Hes safe enough one
can handle him without cutting ones self Ill tell him I knew Bycliffe and
was his fellowprisoner Ill worm out the truth about this daughter Could
pretty Annette have married again and married this little scarecrow Theres no
knowing what a woman will not do«
Christian could see no distinct result for himself from his industry but if
there were to be any such result it must be reached by following out every
clue and to the nonlegal mind there are dim possibilities in law and heirship
which prevent any issue from seeming too miraculous
The consequence of these meditations was that Christian hung about Treby
more than usual in his leisure time and that on the first opportunity he
accosted Mr Lyon in the street with suitable civility stating that since the
occasion which had brought them together some weeks before he had often wished
to renew their conversation and with Mr Lyons permission would now ask to do
so After being assured as he had been by Jermyn that this courier who had
happened by some accident to possess the memorable locket and pocketbook was
certainly not Annettes husband and was ignorant whether Maurice Christian
Bycliffe were living or dead the ministers mind had become easy again his
habitual lack of interest in personal details rendering him gradually oblivious
of Jermyns precautionary statement that he was pursuing inquiries and that if
anything of interest turned up Mr Lyon should be made acquainted with it
Hence when Christian addressed him the minister taken by surprise and shaken
by the recollections of former anxieties said helplessly
»If it is business sir you would perhaps do better to address yourself to
Mr Jermyn«
He could not have said anything that was a more valuable hint to Christian
He inferred that the minister had made a confidant of Jermyn and it was needful
to be wary
»On the contrary sir« he answered »it may be of the utmost importance to
you that what passes between us should not be known to Mr Jermyn«
Mr Lyon was perplexed and felt at once that he was no more in clear
daylight concerning Jermyn than concerning Christian He dared not neglect the
possible duty of hearing what this man had to say and he invited him to proceed
to Malthouse Yard where they could converse in private
Once in Mr Lyons study Christian opened the dialogue by saying that since
he was in this room before it had occurred to him that the anxiety he had
observed in Mr Lyon might be owing to some acquaintance with Maurice Christian
Bycliffe a fellowprisoner in France whom he Christian had assisted in
getting freed from his imprisonment and who in fact had been the owner of the
trifles which Mr Lyon had recently had in his possession and had restored
Christian hastened to say that he knew nothing of Bycliffes history since they
had parted in France but that he knew of his marriage with Annette Ledru and
had been acquainted with Annette herself He would be very glad to know what
became of Bycliffe if he could for he liked him uncommonly
Here Christian paused but Mr Lyon only sat changing colour and trembling
This mans bearing and tone of mind were made repulsive to him by being brought
in contact with keenlyfelt memories and he could not readily summon the
courage to give answers or ask questions
»May I ask if you knew my friend Bycliffe« said Christian trying a more
direct method
»No sir I never saw him«
»Ah well you have seen a very striking likeness of him Its wonderful
unaccountable but when I saw Miss Lyon at the Free School the other day I
could have sworn she was Bycliffes daughter«
»Sir« said Mr Lyon in his deepest tone half rising and holding by the
arms of his chair »these subjects touch me with too sharp a point for you to be
justified in thrusting them on me out of mere levity Is there any good you seek
or any injury you fear in relation to them«
»Precisely sir We shall come now to an understanding Suppose I believed
that the young lady who goes by the name of Miss Lyon was the daughter of
Bycliffe«
Mr Lyon moved his lips silently
»And suppose I had reason to suspect that there would be some great
advantage for her if the law knew who was her father«
»Sir« said Mr Lyon shaken out of all reticence »I would not conceal it
She believes herself to be my daughter But I will bear all things rather than
deprive her of a right Nevertheless I will appeal to the pity of any
fellowman not to thrust himself between her and me but to let me disclose the
truth to her myself«
»All in good time« said Christian »We must do nothing rash Then Miss Lyon
is Annettes child«
The minister shivered as if the edge of a knife had been drawn across his
hand But the tone of the question by the very fact that it intensified his
antipathy to Christian enabled him to collect himself for what must be simply
the endurance of a painful operation After a moment or two he said more coolly
»It is true sir Her mother became my wife Proceed with any statement which
may concern my duty«
»I have no more to say than this If theres a prize that the law might hand
over to Bycliffes daughter I am much mistaken if there isnt a lawyer wholl
take precious good care to keep the law hoodwinked And that lawyer is Mat
Jermyn Why my good sir if youve been taking Jermyn into your confidence
youve been setting the fox to keep off the weasel It strikes me that when you
were made a little anxious about those articles of poor Bycliffes you put
Jermyn on making inquiries of me Eh I think I am right«
»I do not deny it«
»Ah it was very well you did for by that means Ive found out that hes
got hold of some secrets about Bycliffe which he means to stifle Now sir if
you desire any justice for your daughter stepdaughter I should say dont so
much as wink to yourself before Jermyn and if youve got any papers or things
of that sort that may come in evidence as these confounded rescals the lawyers
call it clutch them tight for if they get into Jermyns hands they may soon
fly up the chimney Have I said enough«
»I had not purposed any further communication with Mr Jermyn sir indeed I
have nothing further to communicate Except that one fact concerning my
daughters birth which I have erred in concealing from her I neither seek
disclosures nor do I tremble before them«
»Then I have your word that you will be silent about this conversation
between us It is for your daughters interest mind«
»Sir I shall be silent« said Mr Lyon with cold gravity »Unless« he
added with an acumen as to possibilities rather disturbing to Christians
confident contempt for the old man »unless I were called upon by some tribunal
to declare the whole truth in this relation in which case I should submit
myself to that authority of investigation which is a requisite of social order«
Christian departed feeling satisfied that he had got the utmost to be
obtained at present out of the Dissenting preacher whom he had not dared to
question more closely He must look out for chance lights and perhaps too he
might catch a stray hint by stirring the sediment of Mr Crowders memory But he
must not venture on inquiries that might be noticed He was in awe of Jermyn
When Mr Lyon was alone he paced up and down among his books and thought
aloud in order to relieve himself after the constraint of this interview »I
will not wait for the urgency of necessity« he said more than once »I will
tell the child without compulsion And then I shall fear nothing And an
unwonted spirit of tenderness has filled her of late She will forgive me«
Chapter 26
»Consideration like an angel came
And whipped the offending Adam out of her
Leaving her body as a paradise
To envelop and contain celestial spirits«
Shakspeare Henry V
The next morning after much prayer for the needful strength and wisdom Mr Lyon
came downstairs with the resolution that another day should not pass without the
fulfilment of the task he had laid on himself but what hour he should choose
for his solemn disclosure to Esther must depend on their mutual occupations
Perhaps he must defer it till they sat up alone together after Lyddy was gone
to bed But at breakfast Esther said
»Today is a holiday father My pupils are all going to Duffield to see the
wild beasts What have you got to do today Come you are eating no breakfast
O Lyddy Lyddy the eggs are hard again I wish you would not read Alleynes
Alarm before breakfast it makes you cry and forget the eggs«
»They are hard and thats the truth but theres hearts as are harder Miss
Esther« said Lyddy
»I think not« said Esther »This is leathery enough for the heart of the
most obdurate Jew Pray give it little Zachary for a football«
»Dear dear dont you be so light miss We may all be dead before night«
»You speak out of season my good Lyddy« said Mr Lyon wearily »depart
into the kitchen«
»What have you got to do today father« persisted Esther »I have a
holiday«
Mr Lyon felt as if this were a fresh summons not to delay »I have something
of great moment to do my dear and since you are not otherwise demanded I will
ask you to come and sit with me upstairs«
Esther wondered what there could be on her fathers mind more pressing than
his morning studies
She soon knew Motionless but mentally stirred as she had never been
before Esther listened to her mothers story and to the outpouring of her
stepfathers longpentup experience The rays of the morning sun which fell
athwart the books the sense of the beginning day had deepened the solemnity
more than night would have done All knowledge which alters our lives penetrates
us more when it comes in the early morning the day that has to be travelled
with something new and perhaps for ever sad in its light is an image of the
life that spreads beyond But at night the time of rest is near
Mr Lyon regarded his narrative as a confession as a revelation to this
beloved child of his own miserable weakness and error But to her it seemed a
revelation of another sort her mind seemed suddenly enlarged by a vision of
passion and struggle of delight and renunciation in the lot of beings who had
hitherto been a dull enigma to her And in the act of unfolding to her that he
was not her real father but had only striven to cherish her as a father had
only longed to be loved as a father the odd wayworn unworldly man became the
object of a new sympathy in which Esther felt herself exalted Perhaps this
knowledge would have been less powerful within her but for the mental
preparation that had come during the last two months from her acquaintance with
Felix Holt which had taught her to doubt the infallibility of her own standard
and raised a presentiment of moral depths that were hidden from her
Esther had taken her place opposite to her father and had not moved even
her clasped hands while he was speaking But after the long outpouring in which
he seemed to lose the sense of everything but the memories he was giving
utterance to he paused a little while and then said timidly
»This is a late retrieval of a long error Esther I make not excuses for
myself for we ought to strive that our affections be rooted in the truth
Nevertheless you «
Esther had risen and had glided on to the wooden stool on a level with her
fathers chair where he was accustomed to lay books She wanted to speak but
the floodgates could not be opened for words alone She threw her arms round the
old mans neck and sobbed out with a passionate cry »Father father forgive me
if I have not loved you enough I will I will«
The old mans little delicate frame was shaken by a surprise and joy that
were almost painful in their intensity He had been going to ask forgiveness of
her who asked it for herself In that moment of supreme complex emotion one ray
of the ministers joy was the thought »Surely the work of grace is begun in her
surely here is a heart that the Lord hath touched«
They sat so enclasped in silence while Esther relieved her full heart
When she raised her head she sat quite still for a minute or two looking
fixedly before her and keeping one little hand in the ministers Presently she
looked at him and said
»Then you lived like a working man father you were very very poor Yet my
mother had been used to luxury She was well born she was a lady«
»It is true my dear it was a poor life that I could give her«
Mr Lyon answered in utter dimness as to the course Esthers mind was taking
He had anticipated before his disclosure from his longstanding discernment of
tendencies in her which were often the cause of silent grief to him that the
discovery likely to have the keenest interest for her would be that her parents
had a higher rank than that of the poor Dissenting preacher but she had shown
that other and better sensibilities were predominant He rebuked himself now for
a hasty and shallow judgment concerning the childs inner life and waited for
new clearness
»But that must be the best life father« said Esther suddenly rising with
a flush across her paleness and standing with her head thrown a little
backward as if some illumination had given her a new decision »That must be
the best life«
»What life my dear child«
»Why that where one bears and does everything because of some great and
strong feeling so that this and that in ones circumstances dont signify«
»Yea verily but the feeling that should be thus supreme is devotedness to
the Divine Will«
Esther did not speak her fathers words did not fit on to the impressions
wrought in her by what he had told her She sat down again and said more
quietly
»Mamma did not speak much of my first father«
»Not much dear She said he was beautiful to the eye and good and
generous and that his family was of those who have been long privileged among
their fellows But now I will deliver to you the letters which together with a
ring and locket are the only visible memorials she retained of him«
Mr Lyon reached and delivered to Esther the box containing the relics »Take
them and examine them in privacy my dear And that I may no more err by
concealment I will tell you some late occurrences that bear on these memorials
though to my present apprehension doubtfully and confusedly«
He then narrated to Esther all that had passed between himself and
Christian The possibility to which Mr Lyons alarms had pointed that her
real father might still be living was a new shock She could not speak about it
to her present father but it was registered in silence as a painful addition to
the uncertainties which she suddenly saw hanging over her life
»I have little confidence in this mans allegations« Mr Lyon ended »I
confess his presence and speech are to me as the jarring of metal He bears the
stamp of one who has never conceived aught of more sanctity than the lust of the
eye and the pride of life He hints at some possible inheritance for you and
denounces mysteriously the devices of Mr Jermyn All this may or may not have a
true foundation But it is not my part to move in this matter save on a clearer
showing«
»Certainly not father« said Esther eagerly A little while ago these
problematic prospects might have set her dreaming pleasantly but now for some
reasons that she could not have put distinctly into words they affected her
with dread
Chapter 27
»To hear with eyes is part of loves rare wit«
Shakspeare Sonnets
»Custom calls me tot
What custom wills in all things should we dot
The dust on antique time would lie unswept
And mountainous error be too highly heaped
For truth to overpeer«
Coriolanus
In the afternoon Mr Lyon went out to see the sick amongst his flock and Esther
who had been passing the morning in dwelling on the memories and the few
remaining relics of her parents was left alone in the parlour amidst the
lingering odours of the early dinner not easily got rid of in that small house
Rich people who know nothing of these vulgar details can hardly imagine their
significance in the history of multitudes of human lives in which the
sensibilities are never adjusted to the external conditions Esther always felt
so much discomfort from those odours that she usually seized any possibility of
escaping from them and today they oppressed her the more because she was weary
with longcontinued agitation Why did she not put on her bonnet as usual and
get out into the open air It was one of those pleasant November afternoons
pleasant in the wide country when the sunshine is on the clinging brown leaves
of the young oaks and the last yellow leaves of the elms flutter down in the
fresh but not eager breeze But Esther sat still on the sofa pale and with
reddened eyelids her curls all pushed back carelessly and her elbow resting on
the ridgy black horsehair which usually almost set her teeth on edge if she
pressed it even through her sleeve while her eyes rested blankly on the dull
street Lyddy had said »Miss you look sadly if you cant take a walk go and
lie down« She had never seen the curls in such disorder and she reflected that
there had been a death from typhus recently But the obstinate miss only shook
her head
Esther was waiting for the sake of not a probability but a mere
possibility which made the brothy odours endurable Apparently in less than
half an hour the possibility came to pass for she changed her attitude almost
started from her seat sat down again and listened eagerly If Lyddy should
send him away could she herself rush out and call him back Why not Such
things were permissible where it was understood from the necessity of the case
that there was only friendship But Lyddy opened the door and said »Heres Mr
Holt miss wants to know if youll give him leave to come in I told him you
was sadly«
»O yes Lyddy beg him to come in«
»I should not have persevered« said Felix as they shook hands »only I
know Lyddys dismal way But you do look ill« he went on as he seated himself
at the other end of the sofa »Or rather for thats a false way of putting it
you look as if you had been very much distressed Do you mind about my taking
notice of it«
He spoke very kindly and looked at her more persistently than he had ever
done before when her hair was perfect
»You are quite right I am not at all ill But I have been very much
agitated this morning My father has been telling me things I never heard before
about my mother and giving me things that belonged to her She died when I was
a very little creature«
»Then it is no new pain or trouble for you and Mr Lyon I could not help
being anxious to know that«
Esther passed her hand over her brow before she answered »I hardly know
whether it is pain or something better than pleasure It has made me see things
I was blind to before depths in my fathers nature«
As she said this she looked at Felix and their eyes met very gravely
»It is such a beautiful day« he said »it would do you good to go into the
air Let me take you along the river towards Little Treby will you«
»I will put my bonnet on« said Esther unhesitatingly though they had
never walked out together before
It is true that to get into the fields they had to pass through the street
and when Esther saw some acquaintances she reflected that her walking alone
with Felix might be a subject of remark all the more because of his cap
patched boots no cravat and thick stick Esther was a little amazed herself at
what she had come to So our lives glide on the river ends we dont know where
and the sea begins and then there is no more jumping ashore
When they were in the streets Esther hardly spoke Felix talked with his
usual readiness as easily as if he were not doing it solely to divert her
thoughts first about Job Tudges delicate chest and the probability that the
little whitefaced monkey would not live long and then about a miserable
beginning of a nightschool which was all he could get together at Sproxton
and the dismalness of that hamlet which was a sort of lip to the coalpit on one
side and the public on the other and yet a paradise compared with the wynds of
Glasgow where there was little more than a chink of daylight to show the hatred
in womens faces
But soon they got into the fields where there was a right of way towards
Little Treby now following the course of the river now crossing towards a
lane and now turning into a carttrack through a plantation
»Here we are« said Felix when they had crossed the wooden bridge and were
treading on the slanting shadows made by the elm trunks »I think this is
delicious I never feel less unhappy than in these late autumn afternoons when
they are sunny«
»Less unhappy There now« said Esther smiling at him with some of her
habitual sauciness »I have caught you in selfcontradiction I have heard you
quite furious against puling melancholy people If I had said what you have
just said you would have given me a long lecture and told me to go home and
interest myself in the reason of the rule of three«
»Very likely« said Felix beating the weeds according to the foible of our
common humanity when it has a stick in its hand »But I dont think myself a
fine fellow because Im melancholy I dont measure my force by the negations in
me and think my soul must be a mighty one because it is more given to idle
suffering than to beneficent activity Thats what your favourite gentlemen do
of the Byronicbilious style«
»I dont admit that those are my favourite gentlemen«
»Ive heard you defend them gentlemen like your Rénés who have no
particular talent for the finite but a general sense that the infinite is the
right thing for them They might as well boast of nausea as a proof of a strong
inside«
»Stop stop You run on in that way to get out of my reach I convicted you
of confessing that you are melancholy«
»Yes« said Felix thrusting his left hand into his pocket with a shrug
»as I could confess to a great many other things Im not proud of The fact is
there are not many easy lots to be drawn in the world at present and such as
they are I am not envious of them I dont say life is not worth having it is
worth having to a man who has some sparks of sense and feeling and bravery in
him And the finest fellow of all would be the one who could be glad to have
lived because the world was chiefly miserable and his life had come to help
some one who needed it He would be the man who had the most powers and the
fewest selfish wants But Im not up to the level of what I see to be best Im
often a hungry discontented fellow«
»Why have you made life so hard then« said Esther rather frightened as she
asked the question »It seems to me you have tried to find just the most
difficult task«
»Not at all« said Felix with curt decision »My course was a very simple
one It was pointed out to me by conditions that I saw as clearly as I see the
bars of this stile Its a difficult stile too« added Felix striding over
»Shall I help you or will you be left to yourself«
»I can do without help thank you«
»It was all simple enough« continued Felix as they walked on »If I meant
to put a stop to the sale of those drugs I must keep my mother and of course
at her age she would not leave the place she had been used to And I had made up
my mind against what they call genteel businesses«
»But suppose every one did as you do Please to forgive me for saying so
but I cannot see why you could not have lived as honourably with some employment
that presupposes education and refinement«
»Because you cant see my history or my nature« said Felix bluntly »I
have to determine for myself and not for other men I dont blame them or
think I am better than they their circumstances are different I would never
choose to withdraw myself from the labour and common burthen of the world but I
do choose to withdraw myself from the push and the scramble for money and
position Any man is at liberty to call me a fool and say that mankind are
benefited by the push and the scramble in the longrun But I care for the
people who live now and will not be living when the longrun comes As it is I
prefer going shares with the unlucky«
Esther did not speak and there was silence between them for a minute or
two till they passed through a gate into a plantation where there was no large
timber but only thinstemmed trees and underwood so that the sunlight fell on
the mossy spaces which lay open here and there
»See how beautiful those stooping birchstems are with the light on them«
said Felix »Here is an old felled trunk they have not thought worth carrying
away Shall we sit down a little while«
»Yes the mossy ground with the dry leaves sprinkled over it is delightful
to ones feet« Esther sat down and took off her bonnet that the light breeze
might fall on her head Felix too threw down his cap and stick lying on the
ground with his back against the felled trunk
»I wish I felt more as you do« she said looking at the point of her foot
which was playing with a tuft of moss »I cant help caring very much what
happens to me And you seem to care so little about yourself«
»You are thoroughly mistaken« said Felix »It is just because Im a very
ambitious fellow with very hungry passions wanting a great deal to satisfy me
that I have chosen to give up what people call worldly good At least that has
been one determining reason It all depends on what a man gets into his
consciousness what life thrusts into his mind so that it becomes present to
him as remorse is present to the guilty or a mechanical problem to an inventive
genius There are two things Ive got present in that way one of them is the
picture of what I should hate to be Im determined never to go about making my
face simpering or solemn and telling professional lies for profit or to get
tangled in affairs where I must wink at dishonesty and pocket the proceeds and
justify that knavery as part of a system that I cant alter If I once went into
that sort of struggle for success I should want to win I should defend the
wrong that I had once identified myself with I should become everything that I
see now beforehand to be detestable And whats more I should do this as men
are doing it every day for a ridiculously small prize perhaps for none at all
perhaps for the sake of two parlours a rank eligible for the
churchwardenship a discontented wife and several unhopeful children«
Esther felt a terrible pressure on her heart the certainty of her
remoteness from Felix the sense that she was utterly trivial to him
»The other thing thats got into my mind like a splinter« said Felix after
a pause »is the life of the miserable the spawning life of vice and hunger
Ill never be one of the sleek dogs The old Catholics are right with their
higher rule and their lower Some are called to subject themselves to a harder
discipline and renounce things voluntarily which are lawful for others It is
the old word necessity is laid upon me«
»It seems to me you are stricter than my father is«
»No I quarrel with no delight that is not base or cruel but one must
sometimes accommodate ones self to a small share That is the lot of the
majority I would wish the minority joy only they dont want my wishes«
Again there was silence Esthers cheeks were hot in spite of the breeze
that sent her hair floating backward She felt an inward strain a demand on her
to see things in a light that was not easy or soothing When Felix had asked her
to walk he had seemed so kind so alive to what might be her feelings that she
had thought herself nearer to him than she had ever been before but since they
had come out he had appeared to forget all that And yet she was conscious that
this impatience of hers was very petty Battling in this way with her own little
impulses and looking at the birchstems opposite till her gaze was too wide for
her to see anything distinctly she was unaware how long they had remained
without speaking She did not know that Felix had changed his attitude a little
and was resting his elbow on the treetrunk while he supported his head which
was turned towards her Suddenly he said in a lower tone than was habitual to
him
»You are very beautiful«
She started and looked round at him to see whether his face would give some
help to the interpretation of this novel speech He was looking up at her quite
calmly very much as a reverential Protestant might look at a picture of the
Virgin with a devoutness suggested by the type rather than by the image
Esthers vanity was not in the least gratified she felt that somehow or other
Felix was going to reproach her
»I wonder« he went on still looking at her »whether the subtle measuring
of forces will ever come to measuring the force there would be in one beautiful
woman whose mind was as noble as her face was beautiful who made a mans
passion for her rush in one current with all the great aims of his life«
Esthers eyes got hot and smarting It was no use trying to be dignified
She had turned away her head and now said rather bitterly »It is difficult
for a woman ever to try to be anything good when she is not believed in when
it is always supposed that she must be contemptible«
»No dear Esther« it was the first time Felix had been prompted to call
her by her Christian name and as he did so he laid his large hand on her two
little hands which were clasped on her knees »You dont believe that I think
you contemptible When I first saw you «
»I know I know« said Esther interrupting him impetuously but still
looking away »You mean you did think me contemptible then But it was very
narrow of you to judge me in that way when my life had been so different from
yours I have great faults I know I am selfish and think too much of my own
small tastes and too little of what affects others But I am not stupid I am
not unfeeling I can see what is better«
»But I have not done you injustice since I knew more of you« said Felix
gently
»Yes you have« said Esther turning and smiling at him through her tears
»You talk to me like an angry pedagogue Were you always wise Remember the time
when you were foolish or naughty«
»That is not far off« said Felix curtly taking away his hand and clasping
it with the other at the back of his head The talk which seemed to be
introducing a mutual understanding such as had not existed before seemed to
have undergone some check
»Shall we get up and walk back now« said Esther after a few moments
»No« said Felix entreatingly »Dont move yet I daresay we shall never
walk together or sit here again«
»Why not«
»Because I am a man who am warned by visions Those old stories of visions
and dreams guiding men have their truth we are saved by making the future
present to ourselves«
»I wish I could get visions then« said Esther smiling at him with an
effort at playfulness in resistance to something vaguely mournful within her
»That is what I want« said Felix looking at her very earnestly »Dont
turn your head Do look at me and then I shall know if I may go on speaking I
do believe in you but I want you to have such a vision of the future that you
may never lose your best self Some charm or other may be flung about you some
of your attaofrose fascinations and nothing but a good strong terrible
vision will save you And if it did save you you might be that woman I was
thinking of a little while ago when I looked at your face the woman whose
beauty makes a great task easier to men instead of turning them away from it I
am not likely to see such fine issues but they may come where a womans spirit
is finely touched I should like to be sure they would come to you«
»Why are you not likely to know what becomes of me« said Esther turning
away her eyes in spite of his command »Why should you not always be my fathers
friend and mine«
»O I shall go away as soon as I can to some large town« said Felix in his
more usual tone »some ugly wicked miserable place I want to be a demagogue
of a new sort an honest one if possible who will tell the people they are
blind and foolish and neither flatter them nor fatten on them I have my
heritage an order I belong to I have the blood of a line of handicraftsmen in
my veins and I want to stand up for the lot of the handicraftsmen as a good
lot in which a man may be better trained to all the best functions of his
nature than if he belonged to the grimacing set who have visitingcards and are
proud to be thought richer than their neighbours«
»Would nothing ever make it seem right to you to change your mind« said
Esther she had rapidly woven some possibilities out of the new uncertainties in
her own lot though she would not for the world have had Felix know of her
weaving »Suppose by some means or other a fortune might come to you
honourably by marriage or in any other unexpected way would you see no
change in your course«
»No« said Felix peremptorily »I will never be rich I dont count that as
any peculiar virtue Some men do well to accept riches but that is not my
inward vocation I have no fellowfeeling with the rich as a class the habits
of their lives are odious to me Thousands of men have wedded poverty because
they expect to go to heaven for it I dont expect to go to heaven for it but I
wed it because it enables me to do what I most want to do on earth Whatever the
hopes for the world may be whether great or small I am a man of this
generation I will try to make life less bitter for a few within my reach It is
held reasonable enough to toil for the fortunes of a family though it may turn
to imbecility in the third generation I choose a family with more chances in
it«
Esther looked before her dreamily till she said »That seems a hard lot yet
it is a great one« She rose to walk back
»Then you dont think Im a fool« said Felix loudly starting to his feet
and then stooping to gather up his cap and stick
»Of course you suspected me of that stupidity«
»Well women unless they are Saint Theresas or Elizabeth Frys generally
think this sort of thing madness unless when they read of it in the Bible«
»A woman can hardly ever choose in that way she is dependent on what
happens to her She must take meaner things because only meaner things are
within her reach«
»Why can you imagine yourself choosing hardship as the better lot« said
Felix looking at her with a sudden question in his eyes
»Yes I can« she said flushing over neck and brow
Their words were charged with a meaning dependent entirely on the secret
consciousness of each Nothing had been said which was necessarily personal
They walked a few yards along the road by which they had come without further
speech till Felix said gently »Take my arm« She took it and they walked home
so entirely without conversation Felix was struggling as a firm man struggles
with a temptation seeing beyond it and disbelieving its lying promise Esther
was struggling as a woman struggles with the yearning for some expression of
love and with vexation under that subjection to a yearning which is not likely
to be satisfied Each was conscious of a silence which each was unable to break
till they entered Malthouse Lane and were within a few yards of the ministers
door
»It is getting dusk« Felix then said »will Mr Lyon be anxious about you«
»No I think not Lyddy would tell him that I went out with you and that
you carried a large stick« said Esther with her light laugh
Felix went in with Esther to take tea but the conversation was entirely
between him and Mr Lyon about the tricks of canvassing and foolish personality
of the placards and the probabilities of Transomes return as to which Felix
declared himself to have become indifferent This scepticism made the minister
uneasy he had great belief in the old political watchwords had preached that
universal suffrage and no ballot were agreeable to the will of God and liked to
believe that a visible instrument was forthcoming in the Radical candidate who
had pronounced emphatically against Whig finality Felix being in a perverse
mood contended that universal suffrage would be equally agreeable to the devil
that he would change his politics a little having a larger traffic and see
himself more fully represented in parliament
»Nay my friend« said the minister »you are again sporting with paradox
for you will not deny that you glory in the name of Radical or Rootandbranch
man as they said in the great times when Nonconformity was in its giant youth«
»A Radical yes but I want to go to some roots a good deal lower down than
the franchise«
»Truly there is a work within which cannot be dispensed with but it is our
preliminary work to free men from the stifled life of political nullity and
bring them into what Milton calls the liberal air wherein alone can be wrought
the final triumphs of the Spirit«
»With all my heart But while Caliban is Caliban though you multiply him by
a million hell worship every Trinculo that carries a bottle I forget though
you dont read Shakspeare Mr Lyon«
»I am bound to confess that I have so far looked into a volume of Esthers
as to conceive your meaning but the fantasies therein were so little to be
reconciled with a steady contemplation of that divine economy which is hidden
from sense and revealed to faith that I forbore the reading as likely to
perturb my ministrations«
Esther sat by in unusual silence The conviction that Felix willed her
exclusion from his life was making it plain that something more than friendship
between them was not so thoroughly out of the question as she had always
inwardly asserted In her pain that his choice lay aloof from her she was
compelled frankly to admit to herself the longing that it had been otherwise
and that he had entreated her to share his difficult life He was like no one
else to her he had seemed to bring at once a law and the love that gave
strength to obey the law Yet the next moment stung by his independence of her
she denied that she loved him she had only longed for a moral support under the
negations of her life If she were not to have that support all effort seemed
useless
Esther had been so long used to hear the formulas of her fathers belief
without feeling or understanding them that they had lost all power to touch
her The first religious experience of her life the first selfquestioning
the first voluntary subjection the first longing to acquire the strength of
greater motives and obey the more strenuous rule had come to her through Felix
Holt No wonder that she felt as if the loss of him were inevitable backsliding
But was it certain that she should lose him She did not believe that he was
really indifferent to her
Chapter 28
»TITUS But what says Jupiter I ask thee
CLOWN Alas sir I know not Jupiter
I never drank with him in all my life«
Titus Andronicus
The multiplication of uncomplimentary placards noticed by Mr Lyon and Felix Holt
was one of several signs that the days of nomination and election were
approaching The presence of the revising barrister in Treby was not only an
opportunity for all persons not otherwise busy to show their zeal for the
purification of the votinglists but also to reconcile private ease and public
duty by standing about the streets and lounging at doors
It was no light business for Trebians to form an opinion the mere fact of a
public functionary with an unfamiliar title was enough to give them pause as a
premiss that was not to be quickly started from To Mr Pink the saddler for
example until some distinct injury or benefit had accrued to him the existence
of the revising barrister was like the existence of the young giraffe which
Wombwell had lately brought into those parts it was to be contemplated and
not criticised Mr Pink professed a deepdyed Toryism but he regarded all
faultfinding as Radical and somewhat impious as disturbing to trade and
likely to offend the gentry or the servants through whom their harness was
ordered there was a Nemesis in things which made objection unsafe and even the
Reform Bill was a sort of electric eel which a thriving tradesman had better
leave alone It was only the Papists who lived far enough off to be spoken of
uncivilly
But Mr Pink was fond of news which he collected and retailed with perfect
impartiality noting facts and rejecting comments Hence he was well pleased to
have his shop so constant a place of resort for loungers that to many Trebians
there was a strong association between the pleasures of gossip and the smell of
leather He had the satisfaction of chalking and cutting and of keeping his
journeymen close at work at the very time that he learned from his visitors who
were those whose votes had been called in question before His Honour how Lawyer
Jermyn had been too much for Lawyer Labron about Todds cottages and how in
the opinion of some townsmen this looking into the value of peoples property
and swearing it down below a certain sum was a nasty inquisitorial kind of
thing while others observed that being nice to a few pounds was all nonsense
they should put the figure high enough and then never mind if a voters
qualification was thereabouts But said Mr Sims the auctioneer everything was
done for the sake of the lawyers Mr Pink suggested impartially that lawyers
must live but Mr Sims having a ready auctioneering wit did not see that so
many of them need live or that babies were born lawyers Mr Pink felt that this
speculation was complicated by the ordering of sidesaddles for lawyers
daughters and returning to the firm ground of fact stated that it was getting
dusk
The dusk seemed deepened the next moment by a tall figure obstructing the
doorway at sight of whom Mr Pink rubbed his hands and smiled and bowed more
than once with evident solicitude to show honour where honour was due while he
said
»Mr Christian sir how do you do sir«
Christian answered with the condescending familiarity of a superior »Very
badly I can tell you with these confounded braces that you were to make such a
fine job of See old fellow theyve burst out again«
»Very sorry sir Can you leave them with me«
»O yes Ill leave them Whats the news eh« said Christian half seating
himself on a high stool and beating his boot with a handwhip
»Well sir we look to you to tell us that« said Mr Pink with a knowing
smile »Youre at headquarters eh sir That was what I said to Mr Scales the
other day He came for some straps Mr Scales did and he asked that question in
pretty near the same terms that youve done sir and I answered him as I may
say ditto Not meaning any disrespect to you sir but a way of speaking«
»Come thats gammon Pink« said Christian »You know everything You can
tell me if you will who is the fellow employed to paste up Transomes
handbills«
»What do you say Mr Sims« said Pink looking at the auctioneer
»Why you know and I know well enough Its Tommy Trounsem an old
crippling halfmad fellow Most people know Tommy Ive employed him myself for
charity«
»Where shall I find him« said Christian
»At the CrossKeys in Pollards End most likely« said Mr Sims »I dont
know where he puts himself when he isnt at the public«
»He was a stoutish fellow fifteen year ago when he carried pots« said Mr
Pink
»Ay and has snared many a hare in his time« said Mr Sims »But he was
always a little cracked Lord bless you he used to swear hed a right to the
Transome estate«
»Why what put that notion into his head« said Christian who had learned
more than he expected
»The lawing sir nothing but the lawing about the estate There was a deal
of it twenty year ago« said Mr Pink »Tommy happened to turn up hereabout at
that time a big lungeous fellow who would speak disrespectfully of hanybody«
»O he meant no harm« said Mr Simms »He was fond of a drop to drink and
not quite right in the upper story and he could hear no difference between
Trounsem and Transome Its an odd way of speaking they have in that part where
he was born a little northard Youll hear it in his tongue now if you talk
to him«
»At the CrossKeys I shall find him eh« said Christian getting off his
stool »Goodday Pink goodday«
Christian went straight from the saddlers to Quorlens the Tory printers
with whom he had contrived a political spree Quorlen was a new man in Treby
who had so reduced the trade of Dow the old hereditary printer that Dow had
lapsed to Whiggery and Radicalism and opinions in general so far as they were
contented to express themselves in a small stock of types Quorlen had brought
his Duffield wit with him and insisted that religion and joking were the
handmaids of politics on which principle he and Christian undertook the joking
and left the religion to the rector The joke at present in question was a
practical one Christian turning into the shop merely said »Ive found him
out give me the placards« and tucking a thickish flat bundle wrapped in a
black glazed cotton bag under his arm walked out into the dusk again
»Suppose now« he said to himself as he strode along »suppose there
should be some secret to be got out of this old scamp or some notion thats as
good as a secret to those who know how to use it That would be virtue rewarded
But Im afraid the old tosspot is not likely to be good for much Theres truth
in wine and there may be some in gin and muddy beer but whether its truth
worth my knowing is another question Ive got plenty of truth in my time out
of men who were halfseasover but never any that was worth a sixpence to me«
The CrossKeys was a very oldfashioned public its bar was a big rambling
kitchen with an undulating brick floor the smallpaned windows threw an
interesting obscurity over the faroff dresser garnished with pewter and tin
and with large dishes that seemed to speak of better times the two settles were
half pushed under the widemouthed chimney and the grate with its brick hobs
massive iron crane and various pothooks suggested a generous plenty possibly
existent in all moods and tenses except the indicative present One way of
getting an idea of our fellowcountrymens miseries is to go and look at their
pleasures The CrossKeys had a fungousfeatured landlord and a yellow sickly
landlady with a napkin bound round her head like a resuscitated Lazarus it had
doctored ale an odour of bad tobacco and remarkably strong cheese It was not
what Astræa when come back might be expected to approve as the scene of
ecstatic enjoyment for the beings whose special prerogative it is to lift their
sublime faces towards heaven Still there was ample space on the hearth
accommodation for narrative bagmen or boxmen room for a man to stretch his
legs his brain was not pressed upon by a white wall within a yard of him and
the light did not stare in mercilessly on bare ugliness turning the fire to
ashes Compared with some beerhouses of this more advanced period the
CrossKeys of that day presented a high standard of pleasure
But though this venerable public had not failed to share in the recent
political excitement of drinking the pleasures it offered were not at this
early hour of the evening sought by a numerous company There were only three or
four pipes being smoked by the firelight but it was enough for Christian when
he found that one of these was being smoked by the billsticker whose large
flat basket stuffed with placards leaned near him against the settle So
splendid an apparition as Christian was not a little startling at the
CrossKeys and was gazed at in expectant silence but he was a stranger in
Pollards End and was taken for the highest style of traveller when he declared
that he was deucedly thirsty ordered sixpennyworth of gin and a large jug of
water and putting a few drops of the spirit into his own glass invited Tommy
Trounsem who sat next him to help himself Tommy was not slower than a shaking
hand obliged him to be in accepting this invitation He was a tall
broadshouldered old fellow who had once been goodlooking but his cheeks and
chest were both hollow now and his limbs were shrunken
»Youve got some bills there master eh« said Christian pointing to the
basket »Is there an auction coming on«
»Auction no« said Tommy with a gruff hoarseness which was the remnant of
a jovial bass and with an accent which differed from the Trebian fitfully as
an early habit is wont to reassert itself »Ive nought to do wi auctions Im
a poltical charicter Its me am getting Trounsem into parliament«
»Trounsem says he« the landlord observed taking out his pipe with a low
laugh »Its Transome sir Maybe you dont belong to this part Its the
candidate ull do most for the working men ands proved it too in the way o
being openhanded and wishing em to enjoy themselves If Id twenty votes Id
give one for Transome and I dont care who hears me«
The landlord peeped out from his fungous cluster of features with a beery
confidence that the high figure of twenty had somehow raised the hypothetic
value of his vote
»Spilkins now« said Tommy waving his hand to the landlord »you let one
genelman speak to another will you This genelman wants to know about my bills
Does he or doesnt he«
»What then I spoke according« said the landlord mildly holding his own
»Youre all very well Spilkins« returned Tommy »but yarent me I know
what the bills are Its public business Im none o your common billstickers
master Ive left off sticking up ten guineas reward for a sheepstealer or low
stuff like that These are Trounsems bills and Im the rightful family and so
I give him a lift A Trounsem I am and a Trounsem Ill be buried and if Old
Nick tries to lay hold on me for poaching Ill say You be hanged for a lawyer
Old Nick every hare and pheasant on the Trounsems land is mine and what rises
the family rises old Tommy and were going to get into parlment thats the
long and the short ont master And Im the head o the family and I stick the
bills Theres Johnsons and Thomsons and Jacksons and Billsons but Im a
Trounsem I am What do you say to that master«
This appeal accompanied by a blow on the table while the landlord winked
at the company was addressed to Christian who answered with severe gravity
»I say there isnt any work more honourable than billsticking«
»No no« said Tommy wagging his head from side to side »I thought youd
come in to that I thought youd know better than say contrairy But Ill shake
hands wi you I dont want to knock any mans head off Im a good chap a
sound crock an old family kep out o my rights I shall go to heaven for all
Old Nick«
As these celestial prospects might imply that a little extra gin was
beginning to tell on the billsticker Christian wanted to lose no time in
arresting his attention He laid his hand on Tommys arm and spoke emphatically
»But Ill tell you what you billstickers are not up to You should be on
the lookout when Debarrys side have stuck up fresh bills and go and paste
yours over them I know where theres a lot of Debarrys bills now Come along
with me and Ill show you Well paste them over and then well come back and
treat the company«
»Hooray« said Tommy »Lets be off then«
He was one of the thoroughly inured originally hale drunkards and did not
easily lose his head or legs or the ordinary amount of method in his talk
Strangers often supposed that Tommy was tipsy when he had only taken what he
called one blessed pint chiefly from that glorious contentment with himself and
his adverse fortunes which is not usually characteristic of the sober Briton He
knocked the ashes out of his pipe seized his pastevessel and his basket and
prepared to start with a satisfactory promise that he could know what he was
about
The landlord and some others had confidently concluded that they understood
all about Christian now He was a Transomes man come to see after the
billsticking in Transomes interest The landlord telling his yellow wife
snappishly to open the door for the gentleman hoped soon to see him again
»This is a Transomes house sir« he observed »in respect of entertaining
customers of that colour I do my duty as a publican which if I know it is to
turn back no genelmans money I say give every genelman a chanch and the more
the merrier in parlment and out of it And if anybody says they want but two
parlment men I say it ud be better for trade if there was six of em and
voters according«
»Ay ay« said Christian »youre a sensible man landlord You dont mean
to vote for Debarry then eh«
»Not nohow« said the landlord thinking that where negatives were good the
more you heard of them the better
As soon as the door had closed behind Christian and his new companion Tommy
said
»Now master if youre to be my lantern dont you be a Jacky Lantern
which I take to mean one as leads you the wrong way For Ill tell you what if
youve had the luck to fall in wi Tommy Trounsem dont you let him drop«
»No no to be sure not« said Christian »Come along here Well go to the
Back Brewery wall first«
»No no dont you let me drop Give me a shilling any day you like and
Ill tell you more nor youll hear from Spilkins in a week There isna many men
like me I carried pots for fifteen years off and on what do you think o that
now for a man as might ha lived up there at Trounsem Park and snared his own
game Which Id ha done« said Tommy wagging his head at Christian in the
dimness undisturbed by gas »None o your shooting for me its two to one
youll miss Snarings more fishinglike You bait your hook and if it isna the
fishes goodwill to come thats nothing again the sporting genelman And
thats what I say by snaring«
»But if youd a right to the Transome estate how was it you were kept out
of it old boy It was some foul shame or other eh«
»Its the law thats what it is Youre a good sort o chap I dont mind
telling you Theres folks born to property and theres folks catch hold on it
and the laws made for them as catch hold Im pretty deep I see a good deal
further than Spilkins There was Ned Patch the pedlar used to say to me You
canna read Tommy says he No thank you says I Im not going to crack my
headpiece to make myself as big a fool as you I was fond o Ned Manys the pot
weve had together«
»I see well enough youre deep Tommy How came you to know you were born to
property«
»It was the regester the parish regester« said Tommy with his knowing
wag of the head »that shows as you was born I allays felt it inside me as I
was somebody and I could see other chaps thought it on me too and so one day
at Littleshaw where I kept ferrets and a little bit of a public there comes a
fine man looking after me and walking me up and down wi questions And I made
out from the clerk as hed been at the regester and I gave the clerk a pot or
two and he got it of our parson as the name o Trounsem was a great name
hereabout And I waits a bit for my fine man to come again Thinks I if theres
property wants a right owner I shall be called for for I didnt know the law
then And I waited and waited till I seed no fun i waiting So I parted wi
my public and my ferrets for she was dead aready my wife was and I hadnt
no cumbrance And off I started a pretty long walk to this countryside for I
could walk for a wager in them days«
»Ah well here we are at the Back Brewery wall Put down your paste and
your basket now old boy and Ill help you You paste and Ill give you the
bills and then you can go on talking«
Tommy obeyed automatically for he was now carried away by the rare
opportunity of talking to a new listener and was only eager to go on with his
story As soon as his back was turned and he was stooping over his pastepot
Christian with quick adroitness exchanged the placards in his own bag for
those in Tommys basket Christians placards had not been printed at Treby but
were a new lot which had been sent from Duffield that very day »highly
spiced« Quorlen had said »coming from a pen that was up to that sort of
thing« Christian had read the first of the sheaf and supposed they were all
alike He proceeded to hand one to Tommy and said
»Here old boy paste this over the other And so when you got into this
countryside what did you do«
»Do Why I put up at a good public and ordered the best for Id a bit o
money in my pocket and I axed about and they said to me if its Trounsem
business youre after you go to Lawyer Jermyn And I went and says I going
along hes maybe the fine man as walked me up and down But no such thing Ill
tell you what Lawyer Jermyn was He stands you there and holds you away from
him wi a pole three yards long He stares at you and says nothing till you
feel like a Tomfool and then he threats you to set the justice on you and then
hes sorry for you and hands you money and preaches you a sarmint and tells
you youre a poor man and hell give you a bit of advice and youd better not
be meddling wi things belonging to the law else youll be catched up in a big
wheel and fly to bits And I went of a cold sweat and I wished I might never
come i sight o Lawyer Jermyn again But he says if you keep i this
neighbourhood behave yourself well and Ill pertect you I were deep enough
but its no use being deep cause you can never know the law And theres times
when the deepest fellows worst frightened«
»Yes yes There Now for another placard And so that was all«
»All« said Tommy turning round and holding the pastebrush in suspense
»Dont you be running too quick Thinks I Ill meddle no more Ive got a bit
o money Ill buy a basket and be a potman Its a pleasant life I shall
live at publics and see the world and pick up quaintance and get a chanch
penny But when Id turned into the Red Lion and got myself warm again wi a
drop o hot something jumps into my head Thinks I Tommy youve done finely
for yourself youre a rat as has broke up your house to take a journey and
show yourself to a ferret And then it jumps into my head Id once two ferrets
as turned on one another and the little un killed the big un Says I to the
landlady Missis could you tell me of a lawyer says I not very big or fine
but a second size a pigpotato like That I can says she theres one now in
the barparlour Be so kind as bring us together says I And she cries out I
think I hear her now Mr Johnson And what do you think«
At this crisis in Tommys story the grey clouds which had been gradually
thinning opened sufficiently to let down the sudden moonlight and show his
poor battered old figure and face in the attitude and with the expression of a
narrator sure of the coming effect on his auditor his body and neck stretched a
little on one side and his pastebrush held out with an alarming intention of
tapping Christians coatsleeve at the right moment Christian started to a safe
distance and said
»Its wonderful I cant tell what to think«
»Then never do you deny Old Nick« said Tommy with solemnity »Ive
believed in him more ever since Who was Johnson Why Johnson was the fine man
as had walked me up and down with questions And I out with it to him then and
there And he speaks me civil and says Come away wi me my good fellow And
he told me a deal o law And he says whether youre a Tommy Trounsem or no
its no good to you but only to them as have got hold o the property If you
was a Tommy Trounsem twenty times over it ud be no good for the laws bought
you out and your lifes no good only to them as have catched hold o the
property The more you live the more theyll stick in Not as they want you
now says he youre no good to anybody and you might howl like a dog for
iver and the law ud take no notice on you Says Johnson Im doing a kind
thing by you to tell you For thats the law And if you want to know the law
master you ask Johnson I heard em say after as he was an understrapper at
Jermyns Ive never forgot it from that day to this But I saw clear enough as
if the law hadnt been again me the Trounsem estate ud ha been mine But
folks are fools hereabouts and Ive left off talking The more you tell em the
truth the more theyll niver believe you And I went and bought my basket and
the pots and «
»Come then fire away« said Christian »Heres another placard«
»Im getting a bit dry master«
»Well then make haste and youll have something to drink all the sooner«
Tommy turned to his work again and Christian continuing his help said
»And how long has Mr Jermyn been employing you«
»Oh no particular time off and on but a week or two ago he sees me upo
the road and speaks to me uncommon civil and tells me to go up to his office
and hell give me employ And I was noways unwilling to stick the bills to get
the family into parlment For theres no man can help the law And the familys
the family whether you carry pots or no Master Im uncommon dry my heads a
turning round its talking so long on end«
The unwonted excitement of poor Tommys memory was producing a reaction
»Well Tommy« said Christian who had just made a discovery among the
placards which altered the bent of his thoughts »you may go back to the
CrossKeys now if you like heres a halfcrown for you to spend handsomely I
cant go back there myself just yet but you may give my respects to Spilkins
and mind you paste the rest of the bills early tomorrow morning«
»Ay ay But dont you believe too much i Spilkins« said Tommy pocketing
the halfcrown and showing his gratitude by giving this advice »hes no harm
much but weak He thinks hes at the bottom o things because he scores you
up But I bear him no illwill Tommy Trounsems a good chap and any day you
like to give me halfacrown Ill tell you the same story over again Not now
Im dry Come help me up wi these things youre a younger chap than me Well
Ill tell Spilkins youll come again another day«
The moonlight which had lit up poor Tommys oratorical attitude had served
to light up for Christian the print of the placards He had expected the copies
to be various and had turned them half over at different depths of the sheaf
before drawing out those he offered to the billsticker Suddenly the clear
light had shown him on one of them a name which was just then especially
interesting to him and all the more when occurring in a placard intended to
dissuade the electors of North Loamshire from voting for the heir of the
Transomes He hastily turned over the lists that preceded and succeeded that he
might draw out and carry away all of this pattern for it might turn out to be
wiser for him not to contribute to the publicity of handbills which contained
allusions to Bycliffe versus Transome There were about a dozen of them he
pressed them together and thrust them into his pocket returning all the rest to
Tommys basket To take away this dozen might not be to prevent similar bills
from being posted up elsewhere but he had reason to believe that these were all
of the same kind which had been sent to Treby from Duffield
Christians interest in his practical joke had died out like a morning
rushlight Apart from this discovery in the placards old Tommys story had some
indications in it that were worth pondering over Where was that wellinformed
Johnson now Was he still an understrapper of Jermyns
With this matter in his thoughts Christian only turned in hastily at
Quorlens threw down the black bag which contained the captured Radical
handbills said he had done the job and hurried back to the Manor that he might
study his problem
Chapter 29
»I doe believe that as the gall has severall receptacles in several
creatures soe theres scarce any creature but hath that emunctorye
somewhere«
Sir Thomas Browne
Fancy what a game at chess would be if all the chessmen had passions and
intellects more or less small and cunning if you were not only uncertain about
your adversarys men but a little uncertain also about your own if your knight
could shuffle himself on to a new square by the sly if your bishop in disgust
at your castling could wheedle your pawns out of their places and if your
pawns hating you because they are pawns could make away from their appointed
posts that you might get checkmate on a sudden You might be the longestheaded
of deductive reasoners and yet you might be beaten by your own pawns You would
be especially likely to be beaten if you depended arrogantly on your
mathematical imagination and regarded your passionate pieces with contempt
Yet this imaginary chess is easy compared with the game a man has to play
against his fellowmen with other fellowmen for his instruments He thinks
himself sagacious perhaps because he trusts no bond except that of
selfinterest but the only selfinterest he can safely rely on is what seems to
be such to the mind he would use or govern Can he ever be sure of knowing this
Matthew Jermyn was under no misgivings as to the fealty of Johnson He had
been the making of Johnson and this seems to many men a reason for expecting
devotion in spite of the fact that they themselves though very fond of their
own persons and lives are not at all devoted to the Maker they believe in
Johnson was a most serviceable subordinate Being a man who aimed at
respectability a family man who had a good churchpew subscribed for
engravings of banquet pictures where there were portraits of political
celebrities and wished his children to be more unquestionably genteel than
their father he presented all the more numerous handles of worldly motive by
which a judicious superior might keep a hold on him But this useful regard to
respectability had its inconvenience in relation to such a superior it was a
mark of some vanity and some pride which if they were not touched just in the
right handlingplace were liable to become raw and sensitive Jermyn was aware
of Johnsons weaknesses and thought he had flattered them sufficiently But on
the point of knowing when we are disagreeable our human nature is fallible Our
lavenderwater our smiles our compliments and other polite falsities are
constantly offensive when in the very nature of them they can only be meant to
attract admiration and regard Jermyn had often been unconsciously disagreeable
to Johnson over and above the constant offence of being an ostentatious patron
He would never let Johnson dine with his wife and daughters he would not
himself dine at Johnsons house when he was in town He often did what was
equivalent to poohpoohing his conversation by not even appearing to listen and
by suddenly cutting it short with a query on a new subject Jermyn was able and
politic enough to have commanded a great deal of success in his life but he
could not help being handsome arrogant fond of being heard indisposed to any
kind of comradeship amorous and bland towards women cold and selfcontained
towards men You will hear very strong denials that an attorneys being handsome
could enter into the dislike he excited but conversation consists a good deal
in the denial of what is true From the British point of view masculine beauty
is regarded very much as it is in the drapery business as good solely for the
fancy department for young noblemen artists poets and the clergy Some one
who like Mr Lingon was disposed to revile Jermyn perhaps it was Sir Maximus
had called him a cursed sleek handsome longwinded overbearing sycophant
epithets which expressed rather confusedly the mingled character of the
dislike he excited And serviceable John Johnson himself sleek and mindful
about his broadcloth and his cambric fronts had what he considered spirit
enough within him to feel that dislike of Jermyn gradually gathering force
through years of obligation and subjection till it had become an actuating
motive disposed to use an opportunity if not to watch for one
It was not this motive however but rather the ordinary course of business
which accounted for Johnsons playing a double part as an electioneering agent
What men do in elections is not to be classed either among sins or marks of
grace it would be profane to include business in religion and conscience
refers to failure not to success Still the sense of being galled by Jermyns
harness was an additional reason for cultivating all relations that were
independent of him and pique at Harold Transomes behaviour to him in Jermyns
office perhaps gave all the more zest to Johnsons use of his pen and ink when
he wrote a handbill in the service of Garstin and Garstins incomparable agent
Putty full of innuendoes against Harold Transome as a descendant of the
DurfeyTransomes It is a natural subject of selfcongratulation to a man when
special knowledge gained long ago without any forecast turns out to afford a
special inspiration in the present and Johnson felt a new pleasure in the
consciousness that he of all people in the world next to Jermyn had the most
intimate knowledge of the Transome affairs Still better some of these affairs
were secrets of Jermyns If in an uncomplimentary spirit he might have been
called Jermyns man of straw it was a satisfaction to know that the unreality
of the man John Johnson was confined to his appearance in annuity deeds and
that elsewhere he was solid locomotive and capable of remembering anything for
his own pleasure and benefit To act with doubleness towards a man whose own
conduct was double was so near an approach to virtue that it deserved to be
called by no meaner name than diplomacy
By such causes it came to pass that Christian held in his hands a bill in
which Jermyn was playfully alluded to as Mr German Cozen who won games by
clever shuffling and odd tricks without any honour and backed Durfeys crib
against Bycliffe in which it was adroitly implied that the socalled head of
the Transomes was only the tail of the Durfeys and that some said the Durfeys
would have died out and left their nest empty if it had not been for their
German Cozen
Johnson had not dared to use any recollections except such as might credibly
exist in other minds besides his own In the truth of the case no one but
himself had the prompting to recall these outworn scandals but it was likely
enough that such foulwinged things should be revived by election heats for
Johnson to escape all suspicion
Christian could gather only dim and uncertain inferences from this flat
irony and heavy joking but one chief thing was clear to him He had been right
in his conjecture that Jermyns interest about Bycliffe had its source in some
claim of Bycliffes on the Transome property And then there was that story of
the old billstickers which closely considered indicated that the right of
the present Transomes depended or at least had depended on the continuance of
some other lives Christian in his time had gathered enough legal notions to be
aware that possession by one man sometimes depended on the life of another that
a man might sell his own interest in property and the interest of his
descendants while a claim on that property would still remain to some one else
than the purchaser supposing the descendants became extinct and the interest
they had sold were at an end But under what conditions the claim might be valid
or void in any particular case was all darkness to him Suppose Bycliffe had
any such claim on the Transome estates how was Christian to know whether at the
present moment it was worth anything more than a bit of rotten parchment Old
Tommy Trounsem had said that Johnson knew all about it But even if Johnson were
still aboveground and all Johnsons are mortal he might still be an
understrapper of Jermyns in which case his knowledge would be on the wrong
side of the hedge for the purposes of Henry Scaddon His immediate care must be
to find out all he could about Johnson He blamed himself for not having
questioned Tommy further while he had him at command but on this head the
billsticker could hardly know more than the less dilapidated denizens of Treby
Now it had happened that during the weeks in which Christian had been at
work in trying to solve the enigma of Jermyns interest about Bycliffe
Johnsons mind also had been somewhat occupied with suspicion and conjecture as
to new information on the subject of the old Bycliffe claims which Jermyn
intended to conceal from him The letter which after his interview with
Christian Jermyn had written with a sense of perfect safety to his faithful
ally Johnson was as we know written to a Johnson who had found his selflove
incompatible with that faithfulness of which it was supposed to be the
foundation Anything that the patron felt it inconvenient for his obliged friend
and servant to know became by that very fact an object of peculiar curiosity
The obliged friend and servant secretly doted on his patrons inconvenience
provided that he himself did not share it and conjecture naturally became
active
Johnsons legal imagination being very differently furnished from
Christians was at no loss to conceive conditions under which there might arise
a new claim on the Transome estates He had before him the whole history of the
settlement of those estates made a hundred years ago by John Justus Transome
entailing them whilst in his possession on his son Thomas and his heirsmale
with remainder to the Bycliffes in fee He knew that Thomas son of John Justus
proving a prodigal had without the knowledge of his father the tenant in
possession sold his own and his descendants rights to a lawyercousin named
Durfey that therefore the title of the DurfeyTransomes in spite of that old
Durfeys tricks to show the contrary depended solely on the purchase of the
base fee thus created by Thomas Transome and that the Bycliffes were the
remaindermen who might fairly oust the DurfeyTransomes if ever the issue of
the prodigal Thomas went clean out of existence and ceased to represent a right
which he had bargained away from them
Johnson as Jermyns subordinate had been closely cognisant of the details
concerning the suit instituted by successive Bycliffes of whom Maurice
Christian Bycliffe was the last on the plea that the extinction of Thomas
Transomes line had actually come to pass a weary suit which had eaten into
the fortunes of two families and had only made the cankerworms fat The suit
had closed with the death of Maurice Christian Bycliffe in prison but before
his death Jermyns exertions to get evidence that there was still issue of
Thomas Transomes line surviving as a security of the Durfey title had issued
in the discovery of a Thomas Transome at Littleshaw in Stonyshire who was the
representative of a pawned inheritance The death of Maurice had made this
discovery useless had made it seem the wiser part to say nothing about it and
the fact had remained a secret known only to Jermyn and Johnson No other
Bycliffe was known or believed to exist and the DurfeyTransomes might be
considered safe unless yes there was an unless which Johnson could conceive
an heir or heiress of the Bycliffes if such a personage turned out to be in
existence might some time raise a new and valid claim when once informed that
wretched old Tommy Trounsem the billsticker tottering drunkenly on the edge of
the grave was the last issue remaining above ground from that dissolute Thomas
who played his Esau part a century before While the poor old billsticker
breathed the DurfeyTransomes could legally keep their possession in spite of a
possible Bycliffe proved real but not when the parish had buried the
billsticker
Still it is one thing to conceive conditions and another to see any chance
of proving their existence Johnson at present had no glimpse of such a chance
and even if he ever gained the glimpse he was not sure that he should ever make
any use of it His inquiries of Medwin in obedience to Jermyns letter had
extracted only a negative as to any information possessed by the lawyers of
Bycliffe concerning a marriage or expectation of offspring on his part But
Johnson felt not the less stung by curiosity to know what Jermyn had found out
that he had found something in relation to a possible Bycliffe Johnson felt
pretty sure And he thought with satisfaction that Jermyn could not hinder him
from knowing what he already knew about Thomas Transomes issue Many things
might occur to alter his policy and give a new value to facts Was it certain
that Jermyn would always be fortunate
When greed and unscrupulousness exhibit themselves on a grand historical
scale and there is question of peace or war or amicable partition it often
occurs that gentlemen of high diplomatic talents have their minds bent on the
same object from different points of view Each perhaps is thinking of a
certain duchy or province with a view to arranging the ownership in such a way
as shall best serve the purposes of the gentleman with high diplomatic talents
in whom each is more especially interested But these select minds in high
office can never miss their aims from ignorance of each others existence or
whereabouts Their high titles may be learned even by common people from every
pocket almanac
But with meaner diplomatists who might be mutually useful such ignorance
is often obstructive Mr John Johnson and Mr Christian otherwise Henry Scaddon
might have had a concentration of purpose and an ingenuity of device fitting
them to make a figure in the parcelling of Europe and yet they might never have
met simply because Johnson knew nothing of Christian and because Christian did
not know where to find Johnson
Chapter 30
»His nature is too noble for the world
He would not flatter Neptune for his trident
Or Jove for his power to thunder His hearts
his mouth
What his breast forges that his tongue must vent
And being angry doth forget that ever
He heard the name of death«
Coriolanus
Christian and Johnson did meet however by means that were quite incalculable
The incident which brought them into communication was due to Felix Holt who of
all men in the world had the least affinity either for the industrious or the
idle parasite
Mr Lyon had urged Felix to go to Duffield on the 15th of December to
witness the nomination of the candidates for North Loamshire The minister
wished to hear what took place and the pleasure of gratifying him helped to
outweigh some opposing reasons
»I shall get into a rage at something or other« Felix had said »Ive told
you one of my weak points Where I have any particular business I must incur
the risks my nature brings But Ive no particular business at Duffield
However Ill make a holiday and go By dint of seeing folly I shall get
lessons in patience«
The weak point to which Felix referred was his liability to be carried
completely out of his own mastery by indignant anger His strong health his
renunciation of selfish claims his habitual preoccupation with large thoughts
and with purposes independent of everyday casualties secured him a fine and
even temper free from moodiness or irritability He was full of longsuffering
towards his unwise mother who pressed him daily with her words and urged him
so that his soul was vexed he had chosen to fill his days in a way that
required the utmost exertion of patience that required those little rilllike
outflowings of goodness which in minds of great energy must be fed from deep
sources of thought and passionate devotedness In this way his energies served
to make him gentle and now in this twentysixth year of his life they had
ceased to make him angry except in the presence of something that roused his
deep indignation When once exasperated the passionateness of his nature threw
off the yoke of a longtrained consciousness in which thought and emotion had
been more and more completely mingled and concentrated itself in a rage as
ungovernable as that of boyhood He was thoroughly aware of the liability and
knew that in such circumstances he could not answer for himself Sensitive
people with feeble frames have often the same sort of fury within them but they
are themselves shattered and shatter nothing Felix had a terrible arm he knew
that he was dangerous and he avoided the conditions that might cause him
exasperation as he would have avoided intoxicating drinks if he had been in
danger of intemperance
The nominationday was a great epoch of successful trickery or to speak in
a more parliamentary manner of warstratagem on the part of skilful agents
And Mr Johnson had his share of inward chuckling and selfapproval as one who
might justly expect increasing renown and be some day in as general request as
the great Putty himself To have the pleasure and the praise of electioneering
ingenuity and also to get paid for it without too much anxiety whether the
ingenuity will achieve its ultimate end perhaps gives to some select persons a
sort of satisfaction in their superiority to their more agitated fellowmen that
is worthy to be classed with those generous enjoyments of having the truth
chiefly to yourself and of seeing others in danger of drowning while you are
high and dry which seem to have been regarded as unmixed privileges by
Lucretius and Lord Bacon
One of Mr Johnsons great successes was this Spratt the hated manager of
the Sproxton Colliery in careless confidence that the colliers and other
labourers under him would follow his orders had provided carts to carry some
loads of voteless enthusiasm to Duffield on behalf of Garstin enthusiasm which
being already paid for by the recognised benefit of Garstins existence as a
capitalist with a share in the Sproxton mines was not to cost much in the form
of treating A capitalist was held worthy of pious honour as the cause why
working men existed But Mr Spratt did not sufficiently consider that a cause
which has to be proved by argument or testimony is not an object of passionate
devotion to colliers a visible cause of beer acts on them much more strongly
And even if there had been any love of the faroff Garstin hatred of the
tooimmediate Spratt would have been the stronger motive Hence Johnsons
calculations made long ago with Chubb the remarkable publican had been well
founded and there had been diligent care to supply treating at Duffield in the
name of Transome After the election was over it was not improbable that there
would be much friendly joking between Putty and Johnson as to the success of
this trick against Puttys employer and Johnson would be conscious of rising in
the opinion of his celebrated senior
For the show of hands and the cheering the hustling and the pelting the
roaring and the hissing the hard hits with small missiles and the soft hits
with small jokes were strong enough on the side of Transome to balance the
similar demonstrations for Garstin even with the Debarry interest in his
favour And the inconvenient presence of Spratt was early got rid of by a
dexterously managed accident which sent him bruised and limping from the scene
of action Mr Chubb had never before felt so thoroughly that the occasion was up
to a level with his talents while the clear daylight in which his virtue would
appear when at the election he voted as his duty to himself bound him for
Garstin only gave him thorough repose of conscience
Felix Holt was the only person looking on at the senseless exhibitions of
this nominationday who knew from the beginning the history of the trick with
the Sproxton men He had been aware all along that the treating at Chubbs had
been continued and that so far Harold Transomes promise had produced no good
fruits and what he was observing today as he watched the uproarious crowd
convinced him that the whole scheme would be carried out just as if he had never
spoken about it He could be fair enough to Transome to allow that he might have
wished and yet have been unable with his notions of success to keep his
promise and his bitterness towards the candidate only took the form of
contemptuous pity for Felix was not sparing in his contempt for men who put
their inward honour in pawn by seeking the prizes of the world His scorn fell
too readily on the fortunate But when he saw Johnson passing to and fro and
speaking to Jermyn on the hustings he felt himself getting angry and jumped
off the wheel of the stationary cart on which he was mounted that he might no
longer be in sight of this man whose vitiating cant had made his blood hot and
his fingers tingle on the first day of encountering him at Sproxton It was a
little too exasperating to look at this pinkfaced rotund specimen of
prosperity to witness the power for evil that lay in his vulgar cant backed by
another mans money and to know that such stupid iniquity flourished the flags
of Reform and Liberalism and justice to the needy While the roaring and the
scuffling were still going on Felix with his thick stick in his hand made his
way through the crowd and walked on through the Duffield streets till he came
out on a grassy suburb where the houses surrounded a small common Here he
walked about in the breezy air and ate his bread and apples telling himself
that this angry haste of his about evils that could only be remedied slowly
could be nothing else than obstructive and might some day he saw it so
clearly that the thought seemed like a presentiment be obstructive of his own
work
»Not to waste energy to apply force where it would tell to do small work
close at hand not waiting for speculative chances of heroism but preparing for
them« these were the rules he had been constantly urging on himself But what
could be a greater waste than to beat a scoundrel who had law and opodeldoc at
command After this meditation Felix felt cool and wise enough to return into
the town not however intending to deny himself the satisfaction of a few
pungent words wherever there was place for them Blows are sarcasms turned
stupid wit is a form of force that leaves the limbs at rest
Anything that could be called a crowd was no longer to be seen The show of
hands having been pronounced to be in favour of Debarry and Transome and a poll
having been demanded for Garstin the business of the day might be considered at
an end But in the street where the hustings were erected and where the great
hotels stood there were many groups as well as strollers and steady walkers to
and fro Men in superior greatcoats and wellbrushed hats were awaiting with
more or less impatience an important dinner either at the Crown which was
Debarrys house or at the Three Cranes which was Garstins or at the Fox and
Hounds which was Transomes Knots of sober retailers who had already dined
were to be seen at some shopdoors men in very shabby coats and miscellaneous
headcoverings inhabitants of Duffield and not county voters were lounging
about in dull silence or listening some to a grimy man in a flannel shirt
hatless and with turbid red hair who was insisting on political points with
much more ease than had seemed to belong to the gentlemen speakers on the
hustings and others to a Scotch vendor of articles useful to sell whose
unfamiliar accent seemed to have a guarantee of truth in it wanting as an
association with everyday English Some roughlooking pipesmokers or
distinguished cigarsmokers chose to walk up and down in isolation and silence
But the majority of those who had shown a burning interest in the nomination had
disappeared and cockades no longer studded a closepressed crowd like and
also very unlike meadow flowers among the grass The street pavement was
strangely painted with fragments of perishable missiles ground flat under heavy
feet but the workers were resting from their toil and the buzz and tread and
the fitfully discernible voices seemed like stillness to Felix after the roar
with which the wide space had been filled when he left it
The group round the speaker in the flannel shirt stood at the corner of a
sidestreet and the speaker himself was elevated by the head and shoulders
above his hearers not because he was tall but because he stood on a projecting
stone At the opposite corner of the turning was the great inn of the Fox and
Hounds and this was the ultraLiberal quarter of the High Street Felix was at
once attracted by this group he liked the look of the speaker whose bare arms
were powerfully muscular though he had the pallid complexion of a man who lives
chiefly amidst the heat of furnaces He was leaning against the dark stone
building behind him with folded arms the grimy paleness of his shirt and skin
standing out in high relief against the dark stone building behind him He
lifted up one forefinger and marked his emphasis with it as he spoke His
voice was high and not strong but Felix recognised the fluency and the method
of a habitual preacher or lecturer
»Its the fallacy of all monopolists« he was saying »We know what
monopolists are men who want to keep a trade all to themselves under the
pretence that theyll furnish the public with a better article We know what
that comes to in some countries a poor man cant afford to buy a spoonful of
salt and yet theres salt enough in the world to pickle every living thing in
it Thats the sort of benefit monopolists do to mankind And these are the men
who tell us were to let politics alone theyll govern us better without our
knowing anything about it We must mind our business we are ignorant weve no
time to study great questions But I tell them this the greatest question in
the world is how to give every man a mans share in what goes on in life «
»Hear hear« said Felix in his sonorous voice which seemed to give a new
impressiveness to what the speaker had said Every one looked at him the
wellwashed face and its educated expression along with a dress more careless
than that of most welltodo workmen on a holiday made his appearance strangely
arresting
»Not a pigs share« the speaker went on »not a horses share not the
share of a machine fed with oil only to make it work and nothing else It isnt
a mans share just to mind your pinmaking or your glassblowing and higgle
about your own wages and bring up your family to be ignorant sons of ignorant
fathers and no better prospect thats a slaves share we want a freemans
share and that is to think and speak and act about what concerns us all and
see whether these fine gentlemen who undertake to govern us are doing the best
they can for us Theyve got the knowledge say they Very well weve got the
wants Theres many a one who would be idle if hunger didnt pinch him but the
stomach sets us to work Theres a fable told where the nobles are the belly and
the people the members But I make another sort of fable I say we are the
belly that feels the pinches and well set these aristocrats these great
people who call themselves our brains to work at some way of satisfying us a
bit better The aristocrats are pretty sure to try and govern for their own
benefit but how are we to be sure theyll try and govern for ours They must be
looked after I think like other workmen We must have what we call inspectors
to see whether the works well done for us We want to send our inspectors to
parliament Well they say youve got the Reform Bill what more can you want
Send your inspectors But I say the Reform Bill is a trick its nothing but
swearingin special constables to keep the aristocrats safe in their monopoly
its bribing some of the people with votes to make them hold their tongues about
giving votes to the rest I say if a man doesnt beg or steal but works for
his bread the poorer and the more miserable he is the more hed need have a
vote to send an inspector to parliament else the man who is worst off is
likely to be forgotten and I say hes the man who ought to be first
remembered Else what does their religion mean Why do they build churches and
endow them that their sons may get well paid for preaching a Saviour and making
themselves as little like Him as can be If I want to believe in Jesus Christ I
must shut my eyes for fear I should see a parson And whats a bishop A
bishops a parson dressed up who sits in the House of Lords to help and throw
out Reform Bills And because its hard to get anything in the shape of a man to
dress himself up like that and do such work they gave him a palace for it and
plenty of thousands ayear And then they cry out The church is in danger
the poor mans church And why is it the poor mans church Because he can have
a seat for nothing I think it is for nothing for it would be hard to tell what
he gets by it If the poor man had a vote in the matter I think hed choose a
different sort of a church to what that is But do you think the aristocrats
will ever alter it if the belly doesnt pinch them Not they Its part of
their monopoly Theyll supply us with our religion like everything else and
get a profit on it Theyll give us plenty of heaven We may have land there
Thats the sort of religion they like a religion that gives us working men
heaven and nothing else But well offer to change with em Well give them
back some of their heaven and take it out in something for us and our children
in this world They dont seem to care so much about heaven themselves till they
feel the gout very bad but you wont get them to give up anything else if you
dont pinch em for it And to pinch them enough we must get the suffrage we
must get votes that we may send the men to parliament who will do our work for
us and we must have parliament dissolved every year that we may change our man
if he doesnt do what we want him to do and we must have the country divided so
that the little kings of the counties cant do as they like but must be shaken
up in one bag with us I say if we working men are ever to get a mans share
we must have universal suffrage and annual parliaments and the vote by ballot
and electoral districts«
»No something else before all that« said Felix again startling the
audience into looking at him But the speaker glanced coldly at him and went on
»Thats what Sir Francis Burdett went in for fifteen years ago and its the
right thing for us if it was Tomfool who went in for it You must lay hold of
such handles as you can I dont believe much in Liberal aristocrats but if
theres any fine carved goldheaded stick of an aristocrat will make a
broomstick of himself Ill lose no time but Ill sweep with him And thats
what I think about Transome And if any of you have acquaintance among county
voters give em a hint that you wish em to vote for Transome«
At the last word the speaker stepped down from his slight eminence and
walked away rapidly like a man whose leisure was exhausted and who must go
about his business But he had left an appetite in his audience for further
oratory and one of them seemed to express a general sentiment as he turned
immediately to Felix and said »Come sir what do you say«
Felix did at once what he would very likely have done without being asked
he stepped on to the stone and took off his cap by an instinctive prompting
that always led him to speak uncovered The effect of his figure in relief
against the stone background was unlike that of the previous speaker He was
considerably taller his head and neck were more massive and the expression of
his mouth and eyes was something very different from the mere acuteness and
rather hardlipped antagonism of the tradesunion man Felix Holts face had the
look of the habitual meditative abstraction from objects of mere personal vanity
or desire which is the peculiar stamp of culture and makes a very roughlycut
face worthy to be called the human face divine Even lions and dogs know a
distinction between mens glances and doubtless those Duffield men in the
expectation with which they looked up at Felix were unconsciously influenced by
the grandeur of his full yet firm mouth and the calm clearness of his grey
eyes which were somehow unlike what they were accustomed to see along with an
old brown velveteen coat and an absence of chinpropping When he began to
speak the contrast of voice was still stronger than that of appearance The man
in the flannel shirt had not been heard had probably not cared to be heard
beyond the immediate group of listeners But Felix at once drew the attention of
persons comparatively at a distance
»In my opinion« he said almost the moment after he was addressed »that
was a true word spoken by our friend when he said the great question was how to
give every man a mans share in life But I think he expects voting to do more
towards it than I do I want the working men to have power Im a working man
myself and I dont want to be anything else But there are two sorts of power
Theres a power to do mischief to undo what has been done with great expense
and labour to waste and destroy to be cruel to the weak to lie and quarrel
and to talk poisonous nonsense Thats the sort of power that ignorant numbers
have It never made a joint stool or planted a potato Do you think its likely
to do much towards governing a great country and making wise laws and giving
shelter food and clothes to millions of men Ignorant power comes in the end
to the same thing as wicked power it makes misery Its another sort of power
that I want us working men to have and I can see plainly enough that our all
having votes will do little towards it at present I hope we or the children
that come after us will get plenty of political power some time I tell
everybody plainly I hope there will be great changes and that some time
whether we live to see it or not men will have come to be ashamed of things
theyre proud of now But I should like to convince you that votes would never
give you political power worth having while things are as they are now and that
if you go the right way to work you may get power sooner without votes Perhaps
all you who hear me are sober men who try to learn as much of the nature of
things as you can and to be as little like fools as possible A fool or idiot
is one who expects things to happen that never can happen he pours milk into a
can without a bottom and expects the milk to stay there The more of such vain
expectations a man has the more he is of a fool or idiot And if any working
man expects a vote to do for him what it never can do hes foolish to that
amount if no more I think thats clear enough eh«
»Hear hear« said several voices but they were not those of the original
group they belonged to some strollers who had been attracted by Felix Holts
vibrating voice and were Tories from the Crown Among them was Christian who
was smoking a cigar with a pleasure he always felt in being among people who did
not know him and doubtless took him to be something higher than he really was
Hearers from the Fox and Hounds also were slowly adding themselves to the
nucleus Felix accessible to the pleasure of being listened to went on with
more and more animation
»The way to get rid of folly is to get rid of vain expectations and of
thoughts that dont agree with the nature of things The men who have had true
thoughts about water and what it will do when it is turned into steam and under
all sorts of circumstances have made themselves a great power in the world
they are turning the wheels of engines that will help to change most things But
no engines would have done if there had been false notions about the way water
would act Now all the schemes about voting and districts and annual
parliaments and the rest are engines and the water or steam the force that
is to work them must come out of human nature out of mens passions
feelings desires Whether the engines will do good work or bad depends on these
feelings and if we have false expectations about mens characters we are very
much like the idiot who thinks hell carry milk in a can without a bottom In my
opinion the notions about what mere voting will do are very much of that sort«
»Thats very fine« said a man in dirty fustian with a scornful laugh »But
how are we to get the power without votes«
»Ill tell you whats the greatest power under heaven« said Felix »and
that is public opinion the ruling belief in society about what is right and
what is wrong what is honourable and what is shameful Thats the steam that is
to work the engines How can political freedom make us better any more than a
religion we dont believe in if people laugh and wink when they see men abuse
and defile it And while public opinion is what it is while men have no better
beliefs about public duty while corruption is not felt to be a damning
disgrace while men are not ashamed in parliament and out of it to make public
questions which concern the welfare of millions a mere screen for their own
petty private ends I say no fresh scheme of voting will much mend our
condition For take us working men of all sorts Suppose out of every hundred
who had a vote there were thirty who had some soberness some sense to choose
with some good feeling to make them wish the right thing for all And suppose
there were seventy out of the hundred who were half of them not sober who had
no sense to choose one thing in politics more than another and who had so
little good feeling in them that they wasted on their own drinking the money
that should have helped to feed and clothe their wives and children and another
half of them who if they didnt drink were too ignorant or mean or stupid to
see any good for themselves better than pocketing a fiveshilling piece when it
was offered them Where would be the political power of the thirty sober men
The power would lie with the seventy drunken and stupid votes and Ill tell you
what sort of men would get the power what sort of men would end by returning
whom they pleased to parliament«
Felix had seen every face around him and had particularly noticed a recent
addition to his audience but now he looked before him without appearing to fix
his glance on any one In spite of his cooling meditations an hour ago his
pulse was getting quickened by indignation and the desire to crush what he
hated was likely to vent itself in articulation His tone became more biting
»They would be men who would undertake to do the business for a candidate
and return him men who have no real opinions but who pilfer the words of every
opinion and turn them into a cant which will serve their purpose at the moment
men who look out for dirty work to make their fortunes by because dirty work
wants little talent and no conscience men who know all the ins and outs of
bribery because there is not a cranny in their own souls where a bribe cant
enter Such men as these will be the masters wherever theres a majority of
voters who care more for money more for drink more for some mean little end
which is their own and nobody elses than for anything that has ever been
called Right in the world For suppose theres a poor voter named Jack who has
seven children and twelve or fifteen shillings aweek wages perhaps less Jack
cant read I dont say whose fault that is he never had the chance to learn
he knows so little that he perhaps thinks God made the poorlaws and if anybody
said the pattern of the workhouse was laid down in the Testament he wouldnt be
able to contradict them What is poor Jack likely to do when he sees a smart
stranger coming to him who happens to be just one of those men that I say will
be the masters till public opinion gets too hot for them Hes a middlesized
man well say stout with coat upon coat of fine broadcloth open enough to
show a fine gold chain none of your dark scowling men but one with an
innocent pinkandwhite skin and very smooth light hair a most respectable
man who calls himself by a good sound wellknown English name as Green or
Baker or Wilson or let us say Johnson «
Felix was interrupted by an explosion of laughter from a majority of the
bystanders Some eyes had been turned on Johnson who stood on the right hand of
Felix at the very beginning of the description and these were gradually
followed by others till at last every hearers attention was fixed on him and
the first burst of laughter from the two or three who knew the attorneys name
let every one sufficiently into the secret to make the amusement common
Johnson who had kept his ground till his name was mentioned now turned away
looking unusually white after being unusually red and feeling by an attorneys
instinct for his pocketbook as if he felt it was a case for taking down the
names of witnesses
All the welldressed hearers turned away too thinking they had had the
cream of the speech in the joke against Johnson which as a thing worth
telling helped to recall them to the scene of dinner
»Who is this Johnson« said Christian to a young man who had been standing
near him and had been one of the first to laugh Christians curiosity had
naturally been awakened by what might prove a golden opportunity
»O a London attorney He acts for Transome That tremendous fellow at the
corner there is some redhot Radical demagogue and Johnson has offended him I
suppose else he wouldnt have turned in that way on a man of their own party«
»I had heard there was a Johnson who was an understrapper of Jermyns« said
Christian
»Well so this man may have been for what I know But hes a London man now
a very busy fellow on his own legs in Bedford Row Ha ha Its capital
though when these Liberals get a slap in the face from the working men theyre
so very fond of«
Another turn along the street enabled Christian to come to a resolution
Having seen Jermyn drive away an hour before he was in no fear he walked at
once to the Fox and Hounds and asked to speak to Mr Johnson A brief interview
in which Christian ascertained that he had before him the Johnson mentioned by
the billsticker issued in the appointment of a longer one at a later hour and
before they left Duffield they had come not exactly to a mutual understanding
but to an exchange of information mutually welcome
Christian had been very cautious in the commencement only intimating that
he knew something important which some chance hints had induced him to think
might be interesting to Mr Johnson but that this entirely depended on how far
he had a common interest with Mr Jermyn Johnson replied that he had much
business in which that gentleman was not concerned but that to a certain extent
they had a common interest Probably then Christian observed the affairs of
the Transome estate were part of the business in which Mr Jermyn and Mr Johnson
might be understood to represent each other in which case he need not detain
Mr Johnson At this hint Johnson could not conceal that he was becoming eager
He had no idea what Christians information was but there were many grounds on
which Johnson desired to know as much as he could about the Transome affairs
independently of Jermyn By little and little an understanding was arrived at
Christian told of his interview with Tommy Trounsem and stated that if Johnson
could show him whether the knowledge could have any legal value he could bring
evidence that a legitimate child of Bycliffes existed he felt certain of this
fact and of his proof Johnson explained that in this case the death of the
old billsticker would give the child the first valid claim to the Bycliffe
heirship that for his own part he should be glad to further a true claim but
that caution must be observed How did Christian know that Jermyn was informed
on this subject Christian more and more convinced that Johnson would be glad
to counteract Jermyn at length became explicit about Esther but still withheld
his own real name and the nature of his relations with Bycliffe He said he
would bring the rest of his information when Mr Johnson took the case up
seriously and placed it in the hands of Bycliffes old lawyers of course he
would do that Johnson replied that he would certainly do that but that there
were legal niceties which Mr Christian was probably not acquainted with that
Esthers claim had not yet accrued and that hurry was useless
The two men parted each in distrust of the other but each well pleased to
have learned something Johnson was not at all sure how he should act but
thought it likely that events would soon guide him Christian was beginning to
meditate a way of securing his own ends without depending in the least on
Johnsons procedure It was enough for him that he was now assured of Esthers
legal claim on the Transome estates
Chapter 31
»In the copia of the factious language the word Tory was
entertained and being a vocal cleversounding word readily
pronounced it kept its hold and took possession of the foul mouths
of the faction The Loyalists began to cheer up and to take
heart of grace and in the working of this crisis according to the
common laws of scolding they considered which way to make payment
for so much of Tory as they had been treated with to clear scores
Immediately the train took and ran like wildfire and became
general And so the account of Tory was balanced and soon began to
run up a sharp score on the other side«
Norths Examen p 321
At last the great epoch of the election for North Loamshire had arrived The
roads approaching Treby were early traversed by a large number of vehicles
horsemen and also footpassengers than were ever seen there at the annual
fair Treby was the pollingplace for many voters whose faces were quite strange
in the town and if there were some strangers who did not come to poll though
they had business not unconnected with the election they were not liable to be
regarded with suspicion or especial curiosity It was understood that no
division of a county had ever been more thoroughly canvassed and that there
would be a hard run between Garstin and Transome Mr Johnsons headquarters
were at Duffield but it was a maxim which he repeated after the great Putty
that a capable agent makes himself omnipresent and quite apart from the express
between him and Jermyn Mr John Johnsons presence in the universe had potent
effects on this December day at Treby Magna
A slight drizzling rain which was observed by some Tories who looked out of
their bedroom windows before six oclock made them hope that after all the
day might pass off better than alarmists had expected The rain was felt to be
somehow on the side of quiet and Conservatism but soon the breaking of the
clouds and the mild gleams of a December sun brought back previous
apprehensions As there were already precedents for riot at a Reformed election
and as the Trebian district had had its confidence in the natural course of
things somewhat shaken by a landed proprietor with an old name offering himself
as a Radical candidate the election had been looked forward to by many with a
vague sense that it would be an occasion something like a fighting match when
bad characters would probably assemble and there might be struggles and alarms
for respectable men which would make it expedient for them to take a little
neat brandy as a precaution beforehand and a restorative afterwards The tenants
on the Transome estate were comparatively fearless poor Mr Goffe of Rabbits
End considered that one thing was as mauling as another and that an election
was no worse than the sheeprot while Mr Dibbs taking the more cheerful view
of a prosperous man reflected that if the Radicals were dangerous it was safer
to be on their side It was the voters for Debarry and Garstin who considered
that they alone had the right to regard themselves as targets for evilminded
men and Mr Crowder if he could have got his ideas countenanced would have
recommended a muster of farmservants with defensive pitchforks on the side of
church and king But the bolder men were rather gratified by the prospect of
being groaned at so that they might face about and groan in return
Mr Crow the high constable of Treby inwardly rehearsed a brief address to
a riotous crowd in case it should be wanted having been warned by the rector
that it was a primary duty on these occasions to keep a watch against
provocation as well as violence The rector with a brother magistrate who was
on the spot had thought it desirable to swear in some special constables but
the presence of loyal men not absolutely required for the polling was not looked
at in the light of a provocation The benefit clubs from various quarters made a
show some with the orangecoloured ribbons and streamers of the true Tory
candidate some with the mazarine of the Whig The orangecoloured bands played
»Auld Langsyne« and a louder mazarine band came across them with »O whistle and
I will come to thee my lad« probably as the tune the most symbolical of
Liberalism which their repertory would furnish There was not a single club
bearing the Radical blue the Sproxton Club members wore the mazarine and Mr
Chubb wore so much of it that he looked at a sufficient distance like a very
large gentianella It was generally understood that these brave fellows
representing the fine institution of benefit clubs and holding aloft the motto
»Let brotherly love continue« were a civil force calculated to encourage voters
of sound opinions and keep up their spirits But a considerable number of
unadorned heavy navvies colliers and stonepit men who used their freedom as
British subjects to be present in Treby on this great occasion looked like a
possibly uncivil force whose politics were dubious until it was clearly seen for
whom they cheered and for whom they groaned
Thus the way up to the pollingbooths was variously lined and those who
walked it to whatever side they belonged had the advantage of hearing from the
opposite side what were the most marked defects or excesses in their personal
appearance for the Trebians of that day held without being aware that they had
Ciceros authority for it that the bodily blemishes of an opponent were a
legitimate ground for ridicule but if the voter frustrated wit by being
handsome he was groaned at and satirised according to a formula in which the
adjective was Tory Whig or Radical as the case might be and the substantive
blank to be filled up after the taste of the speaker
Some of the more timid had chosen to go through this ordeal as early as
possible in the morning One of the earliest was Mr Timothy Rose the
gentlemanfarmer from Leek Malton He had left home with some foreboding having
swathed his more vital parts in layers of flannel and put on two greatcoats as
a soft kind of armour But reflecting with some trepidation that there were no
resources for protecting his head he once more wavered in his intention to
vote he once more observed to Mrs Rose that these were hard times when a man of
independent property was expected to vote willynilly but finally coerced by
the sense that he should be looked ill on in these times if he did not stand by
the gentlemen round about he set out in his gig taking with him a powerful
waggoner whom he ordered to keep him in sight as he went to the pollingbooth
It was hardly more than nine oclock when Mr Rose having thus come up to the
level of his times cheered himself with a little cherrybrandy at the Marquis
drove away in a much more courageous spirit and got down at Mr Nolans just
outside the town The retired Londoner he considered was a man of experience
who would estimate properly the judicious course he had taken and could make it
known to others Mr Nolan was superintending the removal of some shrubs in his
garden
»Well Mr Nolan« said Rose twinkling a selfcomplacent look over the red
prominence of his cheeks »have you been to give your vote yet«
»No all in good time I shall go presently«
»Well I wouldnt lose an hour I wouldnt I said to myself if Ive got to
do gentlemen a favour Ill do it at once You see Ive got no landlord Nolan
Im in that position o life that I can be independent«
»Just so my dear sir« said the wiryfaced Nolan pinching his underlip
between his thumb and finger and giving one of those wonderful universal
shrugs by which he seemed to be recalling all his garments from a tendency to
disperse themselves »Come in and see Mrs Nolan«
»No no thankye Mrs Rose expects me back But as I was saying Im an
independent man and I consider its not my part to show favour to one more than
another but to make things as even as I can If Id been a tenant to anybody
well in course I must have voted for my landlord that stands to sense But I
wish everybody well and if ones returned to parliament more than another
nobody can say its my doing for when you can vote for two you can make things
even So I gave one to Debarry and one to Transome and I wish Garstin no ill
but I cant help the odd number and he hangs on to Debarry they say«
»God bless me sir« said Mr Nolan coughing down a laugh »dont you
perceive that you might as well have stayed at home and not voted at all
unless you would rather send a Radical to parliament than a sober Whig«
»Well Im sorry you should have anything to say against what Ive done
Nolan« said Mr Rose rather crestfallen though sustained by inward warmth »I
thought youd agree with me as youre a sensible man But the most an
independent man can do is to try and please all and if he hasnt the luck
heres wishing I may do it another time« added Mr Rose apparently confounding
a toast with a salutation for he put out his hand for a passing shake and then
stepped into his gig again
At the time that Mr Timothy Rose left the town the crowd in King Street and
in the marketplace where the pollingbooths stood was fluctuating Voters as
yet were scanty and brave fellows who had come from any distance this morning
or who had sat up late drinking the night before required some reinforcement of
their strength and spirits Every publichouse in Treby not excepting the
venerable and sombre CrossKeys was lively with changing and numerous company
Not of course that there was any treating treating necessarily had stopped
from moral scruples when once the writs were out but there was drinking which
did equally well under any name
Poor Tommy Trounsem breakfasting here on Falstaffs proportion of bread
and something which for gentilitys sake I will call sack was more than
usually victorious over the ills of life and felt himself one of the heroes of
the day He had an immense lightblue cockade in his hat and an amount of
silver in a dirty little canvas bag which astonished himself For some reason
at first inscrutable to him he had been paid for his billsticking with great
liberality at Mr Jermyns office in spite of his having been the victim of a
trick by which he had once lost his own bills and pasted up Debarrys but he
soon saw that this was simply a recognition of his merit as an old family kept
out of its rights and also of his peculiar share in an occasion when the family
was to get into parliament Under these circumstances it was due from him that
he should show himself prominently where business was going forward and give
additional value by his presence to every vote for Transome With this view he
got a halfpint bottle filled with his peculiar kind of sack and hastened back
to the marketplace feeling goodnatured and patronising towards all political
parties and only so far partial as his family bound him to be
But a disposition to concentrate at that extremity of King Street which
issued in the marketplace was not universal among the increasing crowd Some of
them seemed attracted towards another nucleus at the other extremity of King
Street near the Seven Stars This was Garstins chief house where his
committee sat and it was also a point which must necessarily be passed by many
voters entering the town on the eastern side It seemed natural that the
mazarine colours should be visible here and that Pack the tall shepherd of the
Sproxton men should be seen moving to and fro where there would be a frequent
opportunity of cheering the voters for a gentleman who had the chief share in
the Sproxton mines But the side lanes and entries out of King Street were
numerous enough to relieve any pressure if there was need to make way The lanes
had a distinguished reputation Two of them had odours of brewing one had a
side entrance to Mr Tiliots wine and spirit vaults up another Mr Muscats
cheeses were frequently being unloaded and even some of the entries had those
cheerful suggestions of plentiful provision which were among the characteristics
of Treby
Between ten and eleven the voters came in more rapid succession and the
whole scene became spirited Cheers sarcasms and oaths which seemed to have a
flavour of wit for many hearers were beginning to be reinforced by more
practical demonstrations dubiously jocose There was a disposition in the crowd
to close and hem in the way for voters either going or coming until they had
paid some kind of toll It was difficult to see who set the example in the
transition from words to deeds Some thought it was due to Jacob Cuff a Tory
charityman who was a wellknown ornament of the pothouse and gave his mind
much leisure for amusing devices but questions of origination in stirring
periods are notoriously hard to settle It is by no means necessary in human
things that there should be only one beginner This however is certain that
Mr Chubb who wished it to be noticed that he voted for Garstin solely was one
of the first to get rather more notice than he wished and that he had his hat
knocked off and crushed in the interest of Debarry by Tories opposed to
coalition On the other hand some said it was at the same time that Mr Pink
the saddler being stopped on his way and made to declare that he was going to
vote for Debarry got himself well chalked as to his coat and pushed up an
entry where he remained the prisoner of terror combined with the want of any
back outlet and never gave his vote that day
The second Tory joke was performed with much gusto The majority of the
Transome tenants came in a body from the Ram Inn with Mr Banks the bailiff
leading them Poor Goffe was the last of them and his worn melancholy look and
forwardleaning gait gave the jocose Cuff the notion that the farmer was not
what he called compus Mr Goffe was cut off from his companions and hemmed in
asked by voices with hot breath close to his ear how many horses he had how
many cows how many fat pigs then jostled from one to another who made
trumpets with their hands and deafened him by telling him to vote for Debarry
In this way the melancholy Goffe was hustled on till he was at the pollingbooth
filled with confused alarms the immediate alarm being that of having to go
back in still worse fashion than he had come Arriving in this way after the
other tenants had left he astonished all hearers who knew him for a tenant of
the Transomes by saying »Debarry« and was jostled back trembling amid shouts of
laughter
By stages of this kind the fun grew faster and was in danger of getting
rather serious The Tories began to feel that their jokes were returned by
others of a heavier sort and that the main strength of the crowd was not on the
side of sound opinion but might come to be on the side of sound cudgelling and
kicking The navvies and pitmen in dishabille seemed to be multiplying and to
be clearly not belonging to the party of Order The shops were freely resorted
to for various forms of playful missiles and weapons and news came to the
magistrates watching from the large window of the Marquis that a gentleman
coming in on horseback at the other end of the street to vote for Garstin had
had his horse turned round and frightened into a headlong gallop out of it
again
Mr Crow and his subordinates and all the special constables felt that it
was necessary to make some energetic effort or else every voter would be
intimidated and the poll must be adjourned The rector determined to get on
horseback and go amidst the crowd with the constables and he sent a message to
Mr Lingon who was at the Ram calling on him to do the same Sporting Jack was
sure the good fellows meant no harm but he was courageous enough to face any
bodily dangers and rode out in his brown leggings and coloured bandanna
speaking persuasively
It was nearly twelve oclock when this sally was made the constables and
magistrates tried the most pacific measures and they seemed to succeed There
was a rapid thinning of the crowd the most boisterous disappeared or seemed to
do so by becoming quiet missiles ceased to fly and a sufficient way was
cleared for voters along King Street The magistrates returned to their
quarters and the constables took convenient posts of observation Mr Wace who
was one of Debarrys committee had suggested to the rector that it might be
wise to send for the military from Duffield with orders that they should
station themselves at Hathercote three miles off there was so much property in
the town that it would be better to make it secure against risks But the rector
felt that this was not the part of a moderate and wise magistrate unless the
signs of riot recurred He was a brave man and fond of thinking that his own
authority sufficed for the maintenance of the general good in Treby
Chapter 32
»Go from me Yet I feel that I shall stand
Henceforward in thy shadow Never more
Alone upon the threshold of my door
Of individual life I shall command
The uses of my soul nor lift my hand
Serenely in the sunshine as before
Without the sense of that which I forbore
Thy touch upon the palm The widest land
Doom takes to part us leaves thy heart in mine
With pulses that beat double What I do
And what I dream include thee as the wine
Must taste of its own grapes And when I sue
God for myself He hears that name of thine
And sees within my eyes the tears of two«
Mrs Browning
Felix Holt seated at his work without his pupils who had asked for a holiday
with a notion that the wooden booths promised some sort of show noticed about
eleven oclock that the noises which reached him from the main street were
getting more and more tumultuous He had long seen bad auguries for this
election but like all people who dread the prophetic wisdom that ends in
desiring the fulfilment of its own evil forebodings he had checked himself with
remembering that though many conditions were possible which might bring on
violence there were just as many which might avert it There would perhaps be
no other mischief than what he was already certain of With these thoughts he
had sat down quietly to his work meaning not to vex his soul by going to look
on at things he would fain have made different if he could But he was of a
fibre that vibrated too strongly to the life around him to shut himself away in
quiet even from suffering and irremediable wrong As the noises grew louder
and wrought more and more strongly on his imagination he was obliged to lay
down his delicate wheelwork His mother came from her turnipparing in the
kitchen where little Job was her companion to observe that they must be
killing everybody in the High Street and that the election which had never
been before at Treby must have come for a judgment that there were mercies
where you didnt look for them and that she thanked God in His wisdom for
making her live up a back street
Felix snatched his cap and rushed out But when he got to the turning into
the marketplace the magistrates were already on horseback there the constables
were moving about and Felix observed that there was no strong spirit of
resistance to them He stayed long enough to see the partial dispersion of the
crowd and the restoration of tolerable quiet and then went back to Mrs Holt to
tell her that there was nothing to fear now he was going out again and she
must not be in any anxiety at his absence She might set by his dinner for him
Felix had been thinking of Esther and her probable alarm at the noises that
must have reached her more distinctly than they had reached him for Malthouse
Yard was removed but a little way from the main street Mr Lyon was away from
home having been called to preach charity sermons and attend meetings in a
distant town and Esther with the plaintive Lyddy for her sole companion was
not cheerfully circumstanced Felix had not been to see her yet since her
fathers departure but today he gave way to new reasons
»Miss Esther was in the garret« Lyddy said trying to see what was going
on But before she was fetched she came running down the stairs drawn by the
knock at the door which had shaken the small dwelling
»I am so thankful to see you« she said eagerly »Pray come in«
When she had shut the parlour door behind him Felix said »I suspected that
you might have been made anxious by the noises I came to tell you that things
are quiet now Though indeed you can hear that they are«
»I was frightened« said Esther »The shouting and roaring of rude men is so
hideous It is a relief to me that my father is not at home that he is out of
the reach of any danger he might have fallen into if he had been here But I
gave you credit for being in the midst of the danger« she added smiling with
a determination not to show much feeling »Sit down and tell me what has
happened«
They sat down at the extremities of the old black sofa and Felix said
»To tell you the truth I had shut myself up and tried to be as indifferent
to the election as if Id been one of the fishes in the Lapp till the noises
got too strong for me But I only saw the tail end of the disturbance The poor
noisy simpletons seemed to give way before the magistrates and the constables I
hope nobody has been much hurt The fear is that they may turn out again
byandby their giving way so soon may not be altogether a good sign Theres a
great number of heavy fellows in the town If they go and drink more the last
end may be worse than the first However «
Felix broke off as if this talk were futile clasped his hands behind his
head and leaning backward looked at Esther who was looking at him
»May I stay here a little while« he said after a moment which seemed
long
»Pray do« said Esther colouring To relieve herself she took some work and
bowed her head over her stitching It was in reality a little heaven to her that
Felix was there but she saw beyond it saw that byandby he would be gone
and that they should be farther on their way not towards meeting but parting
His will was impregnable He was a rock and she was no more to him than the
white clinging mistcloud
»I wish I could be sure that you see things just as I do« he said
abruptly after a minutes silence
»I am sure you see them much more wisely than I do« said Esther almost
bitterly without looking up
»There are some people one must wish to judge one truly Not to wish it
would be mere hardness I know you think I am a man without feeling at least
without strong affections You think I love nothing but my own resolutions«
»Suppose I reply in the same sort of strain« said Esther with a little
toss of the head
»How«
»Why that you think me a shallow woman incapable of believing what is best
in you setting down everything that is too high for me as a deficiency«
»Dont parry what I say Answer me« There was an expression of painful
beseeching in the tone with which Felix said this Esther let her work fall on
her lap and looked at him but she was unable to speak
»I want you to tell me once that you know it would be easier to me to
give myself up to loving and being loved as other men do when they can than
to «
This breakingoff in speech was something quite new in Felix For the first
time he had lost his selfpossession and turned his eyes away He was at
variance with himself He had begun what he felt that he ought not to finish
Esther like a woman as she was a woman waiting for love never able to
ask for it had her joy in these signs of her power but they made her
generous not chary as they might have done if she had had a pettier
disposition She said with deep yet timid earnestness
»What you have chosen to do has only convinced me that your love would be
the better worth having«
All the finest part of Esthers nature trembled in those words To be right
in great memorable moments is perhaps the thing we need most desire for
ourselves
Felix as quick as lightning turned his look upon her again and leaning
forward took her sweet hand and held it to his lips some moments before he let
it fall again and raised his head
»We shall always be the better for thinking of each other« he said leaning
his elbow on the back of the sofa and supporting his head as he looked at her
with calm sadness »This thing can never come to me twice over It is my
knighthood That was always a business of great cost«
He smiled at her but she sat biting her inner lip and pressing her hands
together She desired to be worthy of what she reverenced in Felix but the
inevitable renunciation was too difficult She saw herself wandering through the
future weak and forsaken The charming sauciness was all gone from her face but
the memory of it made this childlike dependent sorrow all the more touching
»Tell me what you would « Felix burst out leaning nearer to her but the
next instant he started up went to the table took his cap in his hand and
came in front of her
»Goodbye« he said very gently not daring to put out his hand But Esther
put up hers instead of speaking He just pressed it and then went away
She heard the doors close behind him and felt free to be miserable She
cried bitterly If she might have married Felix Holt she could have been a good
woman She felt no trust that she could ever be good without him
Felix reproached himself He would have done better not to speak in that
way But the prompting to which he had chiefly listened had been the desire to
prove to Esther that he set a high value on her feelings He could not help
seeing that he was very important to her and he was too simple and sincere a
man to ape a sort of humility which would not have made him any the better if he
had possessed it Such pretences turn our lives into sorry dramas And Felix
wished Esther to know that her love was dear to him as the beloved dead are
dear He felt that they must not marry that they would ruin each others
lives But he had longed for her to know fully that his will to be always apart
from her was renunciation not an easy preference In this he was thoroughly
generous and yet now some subtle mysterious conjuncture of impressions and
circumstances had made him speak he questioned the wisdom of what he had done
Express confessions give definiteness to memories that might more easily melt
away without them and Felix felt for Esthers pain as the strong soldier who
can march on hungering without fear that he shall faint feels for the young
brother the maidencheeked conscript whose load is too heavy for him
Chapter 33
»Mischief thou art afoot«
Julius Caesar
Felix could not go home again immediately after quitting Esther He got out of
the town skirted it a little while looking across the December stillness of
the fields and then reentered it by the main road into the marketplace
thinking that after all it would be better for him to look at the busy doings
of men than to listen in solitude to the voices within him and he wished to
know how things were going on
It was now nearly halfpast one and Felix perceived that the street was
filling with more than the previous crowd By the time he got in front of the
booths he was himself so surrounded by men who were being thrust hither and
thither that retreat would have been impossible and he went where he was
obliged to go although his height and strength were above the average even in a
crowd where there were so many heavyarmed workmen used to the pickaxe Almost
all shabbycoated Trebians must have been there but the entries and
backstreets of the town did not supply the mass of the crowd and besides the
rural incomers both of the more decent and the rougher sort Felix as he was
pushed along thought he discerned here and there men of that keener aspect
which is only common in manufacturing towns
But at present there was no evidence of any distinctly mischievous design
There was only evidence that the majority of the crowd were excited with drink
and that their action could hardly be calculated on more than those of oxen and
pigs congregated amidst hootings and pushings The confused deafening shouts
the incidental fighting the knocking over pulling and scuffling seemed to
increase every moment Such of the constables as were mixed with the crowd were
quite helpless and if an official staff was seen above the heads it moved
about fitfully showing as little sign of a guiding hand as the summit of a buoy
on the waves Doubtless many hurts and bruises had been received but no one
could know the amount of injuries that were wildly scattered
It was clear that no more voting could be done and the poll had been
adjourned The probabilities of serious mischief had grown strong enough to
prevail over the rectors objection to getting military aid within reach and
when Felix reentered the town a galloping messenger had already been
despatched to Duffield The rector wished to ride out again and read the Riot
Act from a point where he could be better heard than from the window of the
Marquis but Mr Crow the high constable who had returned from closer
observation insisted that the risk would be too great New special constables
had been sworn in but Mr Crow said prophetically that if once mischief began
the mob was past caring for constables
But the rectors voice was ringing and penetrating and when he appeared on
the narrow balcony and read the formula commanding all men to go to their homes
or about their lawful business there was a strong transient effect Every one
within hearing listened and for a few moments after the final words »God save
the King« the comparative silence continued Then the people began to move the
buzz rose again and grew and grew till it turned to shouts and roaring as
before The movement was that of a flood hemmed in it carried nobody away
Whether the crowd would obey the order to disperse themselves within an hour
was a doubt that approached nearer and nearer to a negative certainty
Presently Mr Crow who held himself a tactician took a wellintentioned
step which went far to fulfill his own prophecy He had arrived with the
magistrates by a back way at the Seven Stars and here again the Riot Act was
read from a window with much the same result as before The rector had returned
by the same way to the Marquis as the headquarters most suited for
administration but Mr Crow remained at the other extremity of King Street
where some awestriking presence was certainly needed Seeing that the time was
passing and all effect from the voice of law had disappeared he showed himself
at an upper window and addressed the crowd telling them that the soldiers had
been sent for and that if they did not disperse they would have cavalry upon
them instead of constables
Mr Crow like some other high constables more celebrated in history enjoyed
a bad reputation that is to say he enjoyed many things which caused his
reputation to be bad and he was anything but popular in Treby It is probable
that a pleasant message would have lost something from his lips and what he
actually said was so unpleasant that instead of persuading the crowd it
appeared to enrage them Some one snatching a raw potato from a sack in the
greengrocers shop behind him threw it at the constable and hit him on the
mouth Straightway raw potatoes and turnips were flying by twenties at the
windows of the Seven Stars and the panes were smashed Felix who was halfway
up the street heard the voices turning to a savage roar and saw a rush towards
the hardware shop which furnished more effective weapons and missiles than
turnips and potatoes Then a cry ran along that the Tories had sent for the
soldiers and if those among the mob who called themselves Tories as willingly
as anything else were disposed to take whatever called itself the Tory side
they only helped the main result of reckless disorder
But there were proofs that the predominant will of the crowd was against
Debarrys men and in favour of Transome Several shops were invaded and they
were all of them Tory shops The tradesmen who could do so now locked their
doors and barricaded their windows within There was a panic among the
householders of this hitherto peaceful town and a general anxiety for the
military to arrive The rector was in painful anxiety on this head he had sent
out two messengers as secretly as he could towards Hathercote to order the
soldiers to ride straight to the town but he feared that these messengers had
been somehow intercepted
It was three oclock more than an hour had elapsed since the reading of the
Riot Act The rector of Treby Magna wrote an indignant message and sent it to
the Ram to Mr Lingon the rector of Little Treby saying that there was
evidently a Radical animus in the mob and that Mr Transomes party should hold
themselves peculiarly responsible Where was Mr Jermyn
Mr Lingon replied that he was going himself out towards Duffield to see
after the soldiers As for Jermyn he was not that attorneys sponsor he
believed that Jermyn was gone away somewhere on business to fetch voters
A serious effort was now being made by all the civil force at command The
December day would soon be passing into evening and all disorder would be
aggravated by obscurity The horrors of fire were as likely to happen as any
minor evil The constables as many of them as could do so armed themselves
with carbines and sabres all the respectable inhabitants who had any courage
prepared themselves to struggle for order and many felt with Mr Wace and Mr
Tiliot that the nearest duty was to defend the breweries and the spirit and wine
vaults where the property was of a sort at once most likely to be threatened
and most dangerous in its effects The rector with fine determination got on
horseback again as the best mode of leading the constables who could only act
efficiently in a close body By his direction the column of armed men avoided
the main street and made their way along a back road that they might occupy
the two chief lanes leading to the winevaults and the brewery and bear down on
the crowd from these openings which it was especially desirable to guard
Meanwhile Felix Holt had been hotly occupied in King Street After the first
windowsmashing at the Seven Stars there was a sufficient reason for damaging
that inn to the utmost The destructive spirit tends towards completeness and
any object once maimed or otherwise injured is as readily doomed by unreasoning
men as by unreasoning boys Also the Seven Stars sheltered Spratt and to some
Sproxton men in front of that inn it was exasperating that Spratt should be safe
and sound on a day when blows were going and justice might be rendered And
again there was the general desirableness of being inside a publichouse
Felix had at last been willingly urged on to this spot Hitherto swayed by
the crowd he had been able to do nothing but defend himself and keep on his
legs but he foresaw that the people would burst into the inn he heard cries of
»Spratt« »Fetch him out« »Well pitch him out« »Pummel him« It was not
unlikely that lives might be sacrificed and it was intolerable to Felix to be
witnessing the blind outrages of this mad crowd and yet be doing nothing to
counteract them Even some vain effort would satisfy him better than mere
gazing Within the walls of the inn he might save some one He went in with a
miscellaneous set who dispersed themselves with different objects some to the
taproom and to search for the cellar some upstairs to search in all rooms for
Spratt or any one else perhaps as a temporary scapegoat for Spratt Guided by
the screams of women Felix at last got to a high upstairs passage where the
landlady and some of her servants were running away in helpless terror from two
or three halftipsy men who had been emptying a spiritdecanter in the bar
Assuming the tone of a mobleader he cried out »Here boys heres better fun
this way come with me« and drew the men back with him along the passage They
reached the lower staircase in time to see the unhappy Spratt being dragged
coatless and screaming down the steps No one at present was striking or
kicking him it seemed as if he were being reserved for punishment on some wider
area where the satisfaction might be more generally shared Felix followed
close determined if he could to rescue both assailers and assaulted from the
worst consequences His mind was busy with possible devices
Down the stairs out along the stones through the gateway Spratt was
dragged as a mere heap of linen and cloth rags When he was got outside the
gateway there was an immense hooting and roaring though many there had no
grudge against him and only guessed that others had the grudge But this was
the narrower part of the street it widened as it went onwards and Spratt was
dragged on his enemies crying »Well make a ring well see how frightened he
looks«
»Kick him and have done with him« Felix heard another say »Lets go to
Tiliots vaults theres more gin there«
Here were two hideous threats In dragging Spratt onward the people were
getting very near to the lane leading up to Tiliots Felix kept as close as he
could to the threatened victim He had thrown away his own stick and carried a
bludgeon which had escaped from the hands of an invader at the Seven Stars his
head was bare he looked to undiscerning eyes like a leading spirit of the
mob In this condition he was observed by several persons looking anxiously from
their upper windows and finally observed to push himself by violent efforts
close behind the dragged man
Meanwhile the foremost among the constables who coming by the back way
had now reached the opening of Tiliots Lane discerned that the crowd had a
victim amongst them One spirited fellow named Tucker who was a regular
constable feeling that no time was to be lost in meditation called on his
neighbour to follow him and with the sabre that happened to be his weapon got a
way for himself where he was not expected by dint of quick resolution At this
moment Spratt had been let go had been dropped in fact almost lifeless with
terror on the street stones and the men round him had retreated for a little
space as if to amuse themselves with looking at him Felix had taken his
opportunity and seeing the first step towards a plan he was bent on he sprang
forward close to the cowering Spratt As he did this Tucker had cut his way to
the spot and imagining Felix to be the destined executioner of Spratt for any
discrimination of Tuckers lay in his muscles rather than his eyes he rushed
up to Felix meaning to collar him and throw him down But Felix had rapid
senses and quick thoughts he discerned the situation he chose between two
evils Quick as lightning he frustrated the constable fell upon him and tried
to master his weapon In the struggle which was watched without interference
the constable fell undermost and Felix got his weapon He started up with the
bare sabre in his hand The crowd round him cried »Hurray« with a sense that he
was on their side against the constable Tucker did not rise immediately but
Felix did not imagine that he was much hurt
»Dont touch him« said Felix »Let him go Here bring Spratt and follow
me«
Felix was perfectly conscious that he was in the midst of a tangled
business But he had chiefly before his imagination the horrors that might come
if the mass of wild chaotic desires and impulses around him were not diverted
from any further attack on places where they would get in the midst of
intoxicating and inflammable materials It was not a moment in which a spirit
like his could calculate the effect of misunderstanding as to himself nature
never makes men who are at once energetically sympathetic and minutely
calculating He believed he had the power and he was resolved to try to carry
the dangerous mass out of mischief till the military came to awe them which he
supposed from Mr Crows announcement long ago must be a near event
He was followed the more willingly because Tiliots Lane was seen by the
hindmost to be now defended by constables some of whom had firearms and where
there is no strong countermovement any proposition to do something unspecified
stimulates stupid curiosity To many of the Sproxton men who were within sight
of him Felix was known personally and vaguely believed to be a man who meant
many queer things not at all of an everyday kind Pressing along like a
leader with the sabre in his hand and inviting them to bring on Spratt there
seemed a better reason for following him than for doing anything else A man
with a definite will and an energetic personality acts as a sort of flag to draw
and bind together the foolish units of a mob It was on this sort of influence
over men whose mental state was a mere medley of appetites and confused
impressions that Felix had dared to count He hurried them along with words of
invitation telling them to hold up Spratt and not drag him and those behind
followed him with a growing belief that he had some design worth knowing while
those in front were urged along partly by the same notion partly by the sense
that there was a motive in those behind them not knowing what the motive was
It was that mixture of pushing forward and being pushed forward which is a
brief history of most human things
What Felix really intended to do was to get the crowd by the nearest way
out of the town and induce them to skirt it on the north side with him keeping
up in them the idea that he was leading them to execute some strategem by which
they would surprise something worth attacking and circumvent the constables who
were defending the lanes In the meantime he trusted that the soldiers would
have arrived and with this sort of mob which was animated by no real political
passion or fury against social distinctions it was in the highest degree
unlikely that there would be any resistance to a military force The presence of
fifty soldiers would probably be enough to scatter the rioting hundreds How
numerous the mob was no one ever knew many inhabitants afterwards were ready
to swear that there must have been at least two thousand rioters Felix knew he
was incurring great risks but his blood was up we hardly allow enough in
common life for the results of that enkindled passionate enthusiasm which under
other conditions makes worldfamous deeds
He was making for a point where the street branched off on one side towards
a speedy opening between hedgerows on the other towards the shabby wideness of
Pollards End At this forking of the street there was a large space in the
centre of which there was a small stone platform mounting by three steps with
an old green fingerpost upon it Felix went straight to this platform and
stepped upon it crying »Halt« in a loud voice to the men behind and before
him and calling to those who held Spratt to bring him there All came to a
stand with faces towards the fingerpost and perhaps for the first time the
extremities of the crowd got a definite idea that a man with a sabre in his hand
was taking the command
»Now« said Felix when Spratt had been brought on to the stone platform
faint and trembling »has anybody got cord if not handkerchiefs knotted fast
give them to me«
He drew out his own handkerchief and two or three others were mustered and
handed to him He ordered them to be knotted together while curious eyes were
fixed on him Was he going to have Spratt hanged Felix kept fast hold of his
weapon and ordered others to act
»Now put it round his waist wind his arms in draw them a little backward
so and tie it fast on the other side of the post«
When that was done Felix said imperatively
»Leave him there we shall come back to him let us make haste march
along lads Up Park Street and down Hobbs Lane«
It was the best chance he could think of for saving Spratts life And he
succeeded The pleasure of seeing the helpless man tied up sufficed for the
moment if there were any who had ferocity enough to count much on coming back
to him Nobodys imagination represented the certainty that some one out of the
houses at hand would soon come and untie him when he was left alone
And the rioters pushed up Park Street a noisy stream with Felix still in
the midst of them though he was labouring hard to get his way to the front He
wished to determine the course of the crowd along a byroad called Hobbs Lane
which would have taken them to the other the Duffield end of the town He
urged several of the men round him one of whom was no less a person than the
big Dredge our old Sproxton acquaintance to get forward and be sure that all
the fellows would go down the lane else they would spoil sport Hitherto Felix
had been successful and he had gone along with an unbroken impulse But soon
something occurred which brought with a terrible shock the sense that his plan
might turn out to be as mad as all bold projects are seen to be when they have
failed
Mingled with the more headlong and halfdrunken crowd there were some
sharpvisaged men who loved the irrationality of riots for something else than
its own sake and who at present were not so much the richer as they desired to
be for the pains they had taken in coming to the Treby election induced by
certain prognostics gathered at Duffield on the nominationday that there might
be the conditions favourable to that confusion which was always a harvesttime
It was known to some of these sharp men that Park Street led out towards the
grand house of Treby Manor which was as good nay better for their purpose
than the bank While Felix was entertaining his ardent purpose these other sons
of Adam were entertaining another ardent purpose of their peculiar sort and the
moment was come when they were to have their triumph
From the front ranks backward towards Felix there ran a new summons a new
invitation
»Let us go to Treby Manor«
From that moment Felix was powerless a new definite suggestion overrode his
vaguer influence There was a determined rush past Hobbs Lane and not down it
Felix was carried along too He did not know whether to wish the contrary Once
on the road out of the town with openings into fields and with the wide park
at hand it would have been easy for him to liberate himself from the crowd At
first it seemed to him the better part to do this and to get back to the town
as fast as he could in the hope of finding the military and getting a
detachment to come and save the Manor But he reflected that the course of the
mob had been sufficiently seen and that there were plenty of people in Park
Street to carry the information faster than he could It seemed more necessary
that he should secure the presence of some help for the family at the Manor by
going there himself The Debarrys were not of the class he was wont to be
anxious about but Felix Holts conscience was alive to the accusation that any
danger they might be in now was brought on by a deed of his In these moments of
bitter vexation and disappointment it did occur to him that very unpleasant
consequences might be hanging over him of a kind quite different from inward
dissatisfaction but it was useless now to think of averting such consequences
As he was pressed along with the multitude into Treby Park his very movement
seemed to him only an image of the days fatalities in which the multitudinous
small wickednesses of small selfish ends really undirected towards any larger
result had issued in widelyshared mischief that might yet be hideous
The light was declining already the candles shone through many windows of
the Manor Already the foremost part of the crowd had burst into the offices
and adroit men were busy in the right places to find plate after setting others
to force the butler into unlocking the cellars and Felix had only just been
able to force his way on to the front terrace with the hope of getting to the
rooms where he would find the ladies of the household and comfort them with the
assurance that rescue must soon come when the sound of horses feet convinced
him that the rescue was nearer than he had expected Just as he heard the
horses he had approached the large window of a room where a brilliant light
suspended from the ceiling showed him a group of women clinging together in
terror Others of the crowd were pushing their way up the terracesteps and
gravelslopes at various points Hearing the horses he kept his post in front
of the window and motioning with his sabre cried out to the oncomers »Keep
back I hear the soldiers coming« Some scrambled back some paused
automatically
The louder and louder sound of the hoofs changed its pace and distribution
»Halt Fire« Bang bang bang came deafening the ears of the men on the
terrace
Before they had time or nerve to move there was a rushing sound closer to
them again »Fire« a bullet whizzed and passed through Felix Holts shoulder
the shoulder of the arm that held the naked weapon which shone in the light
from the window
Felix fell The rioters ran confusedly like terrified sheep Some of the
soldiers turning drove them along with the flat of their swords The greater
difficulty was to clear the invaded offices
The rector who with another magistrate and several other gentlemen on
horseback had accompanied the soldiers now jumped on to the terrace and
hurried to the ladies of the family
Presently there was a group round Felix who had fainted and reviving had
fainted again He had had little food during the day and had been overwrought
Two of the group were civilians but only one of them knew Felix the other
being a magistrate not resident in Treby The one who knew Felix was Mr John
Johnson whose zeal for the public peace had brought him from Duffield when he
heard that the soldiers were summoned
»I know this man very well« said Mr Johnson »He is a dangerous character
quite revolutionary«
It was a weary night and the next day Felix whose wound was declared
trivial was lodged in Loamford Jail He was committed on three counts for
having assaulted a constable for having committed manslaughter Tucker was dead
from spinal concussion and for having led a riotous onslaught on a
dwellinghouse
Four other men were committed one of them for possessing himself of a gold
cup with the Debarry arms on it the three others one of whom was the collier
Dredge for riot and assault
That morning Treby town was no longer in terror but it was in much sadness
Other men more innocent than the hated Spratt were groaning under severe
bodily injuries And poor Tuckers corpse was not the only one that had been
lifted from the pavement It is true that none grieved much for the other dead
man unless it be grief to say »Poor old fellow« He had been trampled upon
doubtless where he fell drunkenly near the entrance of the Seven Stars This
second corpse was old Tommy Trounsem the billsticker otherwise Thomas
Transome the last of a very old familyline
Chapter 34
The fields are hoary with Decembers frost
I too am hoary with the chills of age
But through the fields and through the
untrodden woods
Is rest and stillness only in my heart
The pall of winter shrouds a throbbing life
A week after that Treby Riot Harold Transome was at Transome Court He had
returned from a hasty visit to town to keep his Christmas at this delightful
country home not in the best Christmas spirits He had lost the election but
if that had been his only annoyance he had good humour and good sense enough to
have borne it as well as most men and to have paid the eight or nine thousand
which had been the price of ascertaining that he was not to sit in the next
parliament without useless grumbling But the disappointments of life can
never any more than its pleasures be estimated singly and the healthiest and
most agreeable of men is exposed to that coincidence of various vexations each
heightening the effect of the other which may produce in him something
corresponding to the spontaneous and externally unaccountable moodiness of the
morbid and disagreeable
Harold might not have grieved much at a small riot in Treby even if it had
caused some expenses to fall on the county but the turn which the riot had
actually taken was a bitter morsel for rumination on more grounds than one
However the disturbances had arisen and been aggravated and probably no one
knew the whole truth on these points the conspicuous gravest incidents had
all tended to throw the blame on the Radical party that is to say on Transome
and on Transomes agents and so far the candidateship and its results had done
Harold dishonour in the county precisely the opposite effect to that which was
a dear object of his ambition More than this Harolds conscience was active
enough to be very unpleasantly affected by what had befallen Felix Holt His
memory always good was particularly vivid in its retention of Felix Holts
complaint to him about the treating of the Sproxton men and of the subsequent
irritating scene in Jermyns office when the personage with the inauspicious
name of Johnson had expounded to him the impossibility of revising an
electioneering scheme once begun and of turning your vehicle back when it had
already begun to roll downhill Remembering Felix Holts words of indignant
warning about hiring men with drink in them to make a noise Harold could not
resist the urgent impression that the offences for which Felix was committed
were fatalities not brought about by any willing cooperation of his with the
rioters but arising probably from some illjudged efforts to counteract their
violence And this impression which insisted on growing into a conviction
became in one of its phases an uneasy sense that he held evidence which would at
once tend to exonerate Felix and to place himself and his agents in anything
but a desirable light It was likely that some one else could give equivalent
evidence in favour of Felix the little talkative Dissenting preacher for
example but anyhow the affair with the Sproxton men would be ripped open and
made the worst of by the opposite parties The man who has failed in the use of
some indirectness is helped very little by the fact that his rivals are men to
whom that indirectness is a something human very far from being alien There
remains this grand distinction that he has failed and that the jet of light is
thrown entirely on his misdoings
In this matter Harold felt himself a victim Could he hinder the tricks of
his agents In this particular case he had tried to hinder them and had tried
in vain He had not loved the two agents in question to begin with and now at
this later stage of events he was more innocent than ever of bearing them
anything but the most sincere illwill He was more utterly exasperated with
them than he would probably have been if his one great passion had been for
public virtue Jermyn with his John Johnson had added this ugly dirty business
of the Treby election to all the longaccumulating list of offences which
Harold was resolved to visit on him to the utmost He had seen some handbills
carrying the insinuation that there was a discreditable indebtedness to Jermyn
on the part of the Transomes If any such notions existed apart from
electioneering slander there was all the more reason for letting the world see
Jermyn severely punished for abusing his power over the family affairs and
tampering with the family property And the world certainly should see this with
as little delay as possible The cool confident assuming fellow should be bled
to the last drop in compensation and all connection with him be finally got rid
of Now that the election was done with Harold meant to devote himself to
private affairs till everything lay in complete order under his own
supervision
This morning he was seated as usual in his private room which had now been
handsomely fitted up for him It was but the third morning after the first
Christmas he had spent in his English home for fifteen years and the home
looked like an eminently desirable one The white frost lay on the broad lawn
on the manyformed leaves of the evergreens and on the giant trees at a
distance Logs of dry oak blazed on the hearth the carpet was like warm moss
under his feet he had breakfasted just according to his taste and he had the
interesting occupations of a large proprietor to fill the morning All through
the house now steps were noiseless on carpets or on fine matting there was
warmth in hall and corridors there were servants enough to do everything and
to do it at the right time Skilful Dominic was always at hand to meet his
masters demands and his bland presence diffused itself like a smile over the
household infecting the gloomy English mind with the belief that life was easy
and making his real predominance seem as soft and light as a down quilt Old Mr
Transome had gathered new courage and strength since little Harry and Dominic
had come and since Harold had insisted on his taking drives Mrs Transome
herself was seen on a fresh background with a gown of rich new stuff And if in
spite of this she did not seem happy Harold either did not observe it or
kindly ignored it as the necessary frailty of elderly women whose lives have had
too much of dulness and privation Our minds get tricks and attitudes as our
bodies do thought Harold and age stiffens them into unalterableness »Poor
mother I confess I should not like to be an elderly woman myself One requires
a good deal of the purring cat for that or else of the loving grandame I wish
she would take more to little Harry I suppose she has her suspicions about the
lads mother and is as rigid in those matters as in her Toryism However I do
what I can it would be difficult to say what there is wanting to her in the way
of indulgence and luxury to make up for the old niggardly life«
And certainly Transome Court was now such a home as many women would covet
Yet even Harolds own satisfaction in the midst of its elegant comfort needed at
present to be sustained by the expectation of gratified resentment He was
obviously less bright and enjoying than usual and his mother who watched him
closely without daring to ask questions had gathered hints and drawn inferences
enough to make her feel sure that there was some storm gathering between him and
Jermyn She did not dare to ask questions and yet she had not resisted the
temptation to say something bitter about Harolds failure to get returned as a
Radical helping with feminine selfdefeat to exclude herself more completely
from any consultation by him In this way poor women whose power lies solely in
their influence make themselves like music out of tune and only move men to
run away
This morning Harold had ordered his letters to be brought to him at the
breakfasttable which was not his usual practice His mother could see that
there were London business letters about which he was eager and she found out
that the letter brought by a clerk the day before was to make an appointment
with Harold for Jermyn to come to Transome Court at eleven this morning She
observed Harold swallow his coffee and push away his plate with an early
abstraction from the business of breakfast which was not at all after his usual
manner She herself ate nothing her sips of tea seemed to excite her her
cheeks flushed and her hands were cold She was still young and ardent in her
terrors the passions of the past were living in her dread
When Harold left the table she went into the long drawingroom where she
might relieve her restlessness by walking up and down and catch the sound of
Jermyns entrance into Harolds room which was close by Here she moved to and
fro amongst the rosecoloured satin of chairs and curtains the great story of
this world reduced for her to the little tale of her own existence dull
obscurity everywhere except where the keen light fell on the narrow track of
her own lot wide only for a womans anguish At last she heard the expected
ring and footstep and the opening and closing door Unable to walk about any
longer she sank into a large cushioned chair helpless and prayerless She was
not thinking of Gods anger or mercy but of her sons She was thinking of what
might be brought not by death but by life
Chapter 35
M Check to your queen
N Nay your own king is bare
And moving so you give yourself checkmate
When Jermyn entered the room Harold who was seated at his library table
examining papers with his back towards the light and his face towards the door
moved his head coldly Jermyn said an ungracious »Goodmorning« as little as
possible like a salutation to one who might regard himself as a patron On the
attorneys handsome face there was a black cloud of defiant determination
slightly startling to Harold who had expected to feel that the overpowering
weight of temper in the interview was on his own side Nobody was ever prepared
beforehand for this expression of Jermyns face which seemed as strongly
contrasted with the cold inpenetrableness which he preserved under the ordinary
annoyances of business as with the bland radiance of his lighter moments
Harold himself did not look amiable just then but his anger was of the sort
that seeks a vent without waiting to give a fatal blow it was that of a nature
more subtly mixed than Jermyns less animally forcible less unwavering in
selfishness and with more of highbred pride He looked at Jermyn with
increased disgust and secret wonder
»Sit down« he said curtly
Jermyn seated himself in silence opened his greatcoat and took some papers
from a sidepocket
»I have written to Makepeace« said Harold »to tell him to take the entire
management of the election expenses So you will transmit your accounts to him«
»Very well I am come this morning on other business«
»If its about the riot and the prisoners I have only to say that I shall
enter into no plans If I am called on I shall say what I know about that young
fellow Felix Holt People may prove what they can about Johnsons damnable
tricks or yours either«
»I am not come to speak about the riot I agree with you in thinking that
quite a subordinate subject« When Jermyn had the black cloud over his face he
never hesitated or drawled and made no Latin quotations
»Be so good then as to open your business at once« said Harold in a tone
of imperious indifference
»That is precisely what I wish to do I have here information from a London
correspondent that you are about to file a bill against me in Chancery« Jermyn
as he spoke laid his hand on the papers before him and looked straight at
Harold
»In that case the question for you is how far your conduct as the family
solicitor will bear investigation But it is a question which you will consider
quite apart from me«
»Doubtless But prior to that there is a question which we must consider
together«
The tone in which Jermyn said this gave an unpleasant shock to Harolds
sense of mastery Was it possible that he should have the weapon wrenched out of
his hand
»I shall know what to think of that« he replied as haughtily as ever
»when you have stated what the question is«
»Simply whether you will choose to retain the family estates or lay
yourself open to be forthwith legally deprived of them«
»I presume you refer to some underhand scheme of your own on a par with the
annuities you have drained us by in the name of Johnson« said Harold feeling a
new movement of anger »If so you had better state your scheme to my lawyers
Dymock and Halliwell«
»No I think you will approve of my stating in your own ear first of all
that it depends on my will whether you remain an important landed proprietor in
North Loamshire or whether you retire from the county with the remainder of the
fortune you have acquired in trade«
Jermyn paused as if to leave time for this morsel to be tasted
»What do you mean« said Harold sharply
»Not any scheme of mine but a state of the facts resulting from the
settlement of the estate made in 1729 a state of the facts which renders your
fathers title and your own title to the family estates utterly worthless as
soon as the true claimant is made aware of his right«
»And you intend to inform him«
»That depends I am the only person who has the requisite knowledge It
rests with you to decide whether I shall use that knowledge against you or
whether I shall use it in your favour by putting an end to the evidence that
would serve to oust you in spite of your robust title of occupancy«
Jermyn paused again He had been speaking slowly but without the least
hesitation and with a bitter definiteness of enunciation There was a moment or
two before Harold answered and then he said abruptly
»I dont believe you«
»I thought you were more shrewd« said Jermyn with a touch of scorn »I
thought you understood that I had had too much experience to waste my time in
telling fables to persuade a man who has put himself into the attitude of my
deadly enemy«
»Well then say at once what your proofs are« said Harold shaking in
spite of himself and getting nervous
»I have no inclination to be lengthy It is not more than a few weeks since
I ascertained that there is in existence an heir of the Bycliffes the old
adversaries of your family More curiously it is only a few days ago in fact
only since the day of the riot that the Bycliffe claim has become valid and
that the right of remainder accrues to the heir in question«
»And how pray« said Harold rising from his chair and making a turn in the
room with his hands thrust in his pockets Jermyn rose too and stood near the
hearth facing Harold as he moved to and fro
»By the death of an old fellow who got drunk and was trampled to death in
the riot He was the last of that Thomas Transomes line by the purchase of
whose interest your family got its title to the estate Your title died with
him It was supposed that the line had become extinct before and on that
supposition the old Bycliffes founded their claim But I hunted up this man just
about the time the last suit was closed His death would have been of no
consequence to you if there had not been a Bycliffe in existence but I happen
to know that there is and that the fact can be legally proved«
For a minute or two Harold did not speak but continued to pace the room
while Jermyn kept his position holding his hands behind him At last Harold
said from the other end of the room speaking in a scornful tone
»That sounds alarming But it is not to be proved simply by your statement«
»Clearly I have here a document with a copy which will back my statement
It is the opinion given on the case more than twenty years ago and it bears the
signature of the AttorneyGeneral and the first conveyancer of the day«
Jermyn took up the papers he had laid on the table opening them slowly and
coolly as he went on speaking and as Harold advanced towards him
»You may suppose that we spared no pains to ascertain the state of the title
in the last suit against Maurice Christian Bycliffe which threatened to be a
hard run This document is the result of a consultation it gives an opinion
which must be taken as a final authority You may cast your eyes over that if
you please I will wait your time Or you may read the summingup here« Jermyn
ended holding out one of the papers to Harold and pointing to a final passage
Harold took the paper with a slight gesture of impatience He did not
choose to obey Jermyns indication and confine himself to the summingup He
ran through the document But in truth he was too much excited really to follow
the details and was rather acting than reading till at length he threw himself
into his chair and consented to bend his attention on the passage to which
Jermyn had pointed The attorney watched him as he read and twice reread
To sum up we are of opinion that the title of the present possessors
of the Transome estates can be strictly proved to rest solely upon a
base fee created under the original settlement of 1729 and to be good
so long only as issue exists of the tenant in tail by whom that base fee
was created We feel satisfied by the evidence that such issue exists in
the person of Thomas Transome otherwise Trounsem of Littleshaw But
upon his decease without issue we are of opinion that the right in
remainder of the Bycliffe family will arise which right would not be
barred by any statute of limitation
When Harolds eyes were on the signatures to this document for the third time
Jermyn said
»As it turned out the case being closed by the death of the claimant we
had no occasion for producing Thomas Transome who was the old fellow I tell you
of The inquiries about him set him agog and after they were dropped he came
into this neighbourhood thinking there was something fine in store for him
Here if you like to take it is a memorandum about him I repeat that he died
in the riot The proof is ready And I repeat that to my knowledge and mine
only there is a Bycliffe in existence and that I know how the proof can be
made out«
Harold rose from his chair again and again paced the room He was not
prepared with any defiance
»And where is he this Bycliffe« he said at last stopping in his walk
and facing round towards Jermyn
»I decline to say more till you promise to suspend proceedings against me«
Harold turned again and looked out of the window without speaking for a
moment or two It was impossible that there should not be a conflict within him
and at present it was a very confused one At last he said
»This person is in ignorance of his claim«
»Yes«
»Has been brought up in an inferior station«
»Yes« said Jermyn keen enough to guess part of what was going on in
Harolds mind »There is no harm in leaving him in ignorance The question is a
purely legal one And as I said before the complete knowledge of the case as
one of evidence lies exclusively with me I can nullify the evidence or I can
make it tell with certainty against you The choice lies with you«
»I must have time to think of this« said Harold conscious of a terrible
pressure
»I can give you no time unless you promise me to suspend proceedings«
»And then when I ask you you will lay the details before me«
»Not without a thorough understanding beforehand If I engage not to use my
knowledge against you you must engage in writing that on being satisfied by the
details you will cancel all hostile proceedings against me and will not
institute fresh ones on the strength of any occurrences now past«
»Well I must have time« said Harold more than ever inclined to thrash the
attorney but feeling bound hand and foot with knots that he was not sure he
could ever unfasten
»That is to say« said Jermyn with his blackbrowed persistence »you will
write to suspend proceedings«
Again Harold paused He was more than ever exasperated but he was
threatened mortified and confounded by the necessity for an immediate decision
between alternatives almost equally hateful to him It was with difficulty that
he could prevail on himself to speak any conclusive words He walked as far as
he could from Jermyn to the other end of the room then walked back to his
chair and threw himself into it At last he said without looking at Jermyn »I
agree I must have time«
»Very well It is a bargain«
»No further than this« said Harold hastily flashing a look at Jermyn
»no further than this that I require time and therefore I give it to you«
»Of course You require time to consider whether the pleasure of trying to
ruin me me to whom you are really indebted is worth the loss of the Transome
estates I shall wish you goodmorning«
Harold did not speak to him or look at him again and Jermyn walked out of
the room As he appeared outside the door and closed it behind him Mrs Transome
showed her white face at another door which opened on a level with Harolds in
such a way that it was just possible for Jermyn not to see her He availed
himself of that possibility and walked straight across the hall where there
was no servant in attendance to let him out as if he believed that no one was
looking at him who could expect recognition He did not want to speak to Mrs
Transome at present he had nothing to ask from her and one disagreeable
interview had been enough for him this morning
She was convinced that he had avoided her and she was too proud to arrest
him She was as insignificant now in his eyes as in her sons »Men have no
memories in their hearts« she said to herself bitterly Turning into her
sittingroom she heard the voices of Mr Transome and little Harry at play
together She would have given a great deal at this moment if her feeble husband
had not always lived in dread of her temper and her tyranny so that he might
have been fond of her now She felt herself loveless if she was important to
any one it was only to her old waitingwoman Denner
Chapter 36
»Are these things then necessities
Then let us meet them like necessities«
Shakspeare Henry IV
See now the virtue living in a word
Hobson will think of swearing it was noon
When he saw Dobson at the Mayday fair
To prove poor Dobson did not rob the mail
Tis neighbourly to save a neighbours neck
What harm is lying when you mean no harm
But say tis perjury then Hobson quakes
Hell none of perjury
Thus words embalm
The conscience of mankind and Roman laws
Bring still a conscience to poor Hobsons aid
Few men would have felt otherwise than Harold Transome felt if having a
reversion tantamount to possession of a fine estate carrying an association
with an old name and considerable social importance they were suddenly informed
that there was a person who had a legal right to deprive them of these
advantages that persons right having never been contemplated by any one as
more than a chance and being quite unknown to himself In ordinary cases a
shorter possession than Harolds family had enjoyed was allowed by the law to
constitute an indefeasible right and if in rare and peculiar instances the law
left the possessor of a long inheritance exposed to deprivation as a consequence
of old obscure transactions the moral reasons for giving legal validity to the
title of long occupancy were not the less strong Nobody would have said that
Harold was bound to hunt out this alleged remainderman and urge his rights upon
him on the contrary all the world would have laughed at such conduct and he
would have been thought an interesting patient for a maddoctor The unconscious
remainderman was probably much better off left in his original station Harold
would not have been called upon to consider his existence if it had not been
presented to him in the shape of a threat from one who had power to execute the
threat
In fact what he would have done had the circumstances been different was
much clearer than what he should choose to do or feel himself compelled to do in
the actual crisis He would not have been disgraced if on a valid claim being
urged he had got his lawyers to fight it out for him on the chance of eluding
the claim by some adroit technical management Nobody off the stage could be
sentimental about these things or pretend to shed tears of joy because an
estate was handed over from a gentleman to a mendicant sailor with a wooden leg
And this chance remainderman was perhaps some such specimen of inheritance as
the drunken fellow killed in the riot All the world would think the actual
Transomes in the right to contest any adverse claim to the utmost But then it
was not certain that they would win in the contest and not winning they would
incur other loss besides that of the estate There had been a little too much of
such loss already
But why if it were not wrong to contest the claim should he feel the most
uncomfortable scruples about robbing the claim of its sting by getting rid of
its evidence It was a mortal disappointment it was a sacrifice of
indemnification to abstain from punishing Jermyn But even if he brought his
mind to contemplate that as the wiser course he still shrank from what looked
like complicity with Jermyn he still shrank from the secret nullification of a
just legal claim If he had only known the details if he had known who this
alleged heir was he might have seen his way to some course that would not have
grated on his sense of honour and dignity But Jermyn had been too acute to let
Harold know this he had even carefully kept to the masculine pronoun And he
believed that there was no one besides himself who would or could make Harold
any wiser He went home persuaded that between this interview and the next which
they would have together Harold would be left to an inward debate founded
entirely on the information he himself had given And he had not much doubt that
the result would be what he desired Harold was no fool there were many good
things he liked better in life than an irrational vindictiveness
And it did happen that after writing to London in fulfilment of his pledge
Harold spent many hours over that inward debate which was not very different
from what Jermyn imagined He took it everywhere with him on foot and on
horseback and it was his companion through a great deal of the night His
nature was not of a kind given to internal conflict and he had never before
been long undecided and puzzled This unaccustomed state of mind was so
painfully irksome to him he rebelled so impatiently against the oppression of
circumstances in which his quick temperament and habitual decision could not
help him that it added tenfold to his hatred of Jermyn who was the cause of
it And thus as the temptation to avoid all risk of losing the estate grew and
grew till scruples looked minute by the side of it the difficulty of bringing
himself to make a compact with Jermyn seemed more and more insurmountable
But we have seen that the attorney was much too confident in his
calculations And while Harold was being galled by his subjection to Jermyns
knowledge independent information was on its way to him The messenger was
Christian who after as complete a survey of probabilities as he was capable
of had come to the conclusion that the most profitable investment he could make
of his peculiar experience and testimony in relation to Bycliffe and Bycliffes
daughter was to place them at the disposal of Harold Transome He was afraid of
Jermyn he utterly distrusted Johnson but he thought he was secure in relying
on Harold Transomes care for his own interest and he preferred above all
issues the prospect of forthwith leaving the country with a sum that at least
for a good while would put him at his ease
When only three mornings after the interview with Jermyn Dominic opened
the door of Harolds sittingroom and said that »Meester Chreestian« Mr Philip
Debarrys courier and an acquaintance of his own at Naples requested to be
admitted on business of importance Harolds immediate thought was that the
business referred to the socalled political affairs which were just now his
chief association with the name of Debarry though it seemed an oddness
requiring explanation that a servant should be personally an intermediary He
assented expecting something rather disagreeable than otherwise
Christian wore this morning those perfect manners of a subordinate who is
not servile which he always adopted towards his unquestionable superiors Mr
Debarry who preferred having some one about him with as little resemblance as
possible to a regular servant had a singular liking for the adroit
quietmannered Christian and would have been amazed to see the insolent
assumption he was capable of in the presence of people like Lyon who were of no
account in society Christian had that sort of cleverness which is said to know
the world that is to say he knew the pricecurrent of most things
Aware that he was looked at as a messenger while he remained standing near
the door with his hat in his hand he said with respectful ease
»You will probably be surprised sir at my coming to speak to you on my own
account and in fact I could not have thought of doing so if my business did
not happen to be something of more importance to you than to any one else«
»You dont come from Mr Debarry then« said Harold with some surprise
»No sir My business is a secret and if you please must remain so«
»Is it a pledge you are demanding from me« said Harold rather
suspiciously having no ground for confidence in a man of Christians position
»Yes sir I am obliged to ask no less than that you will pledge yourself
not to take Mr Jermyn into confidence concerning what passes between us«
»With all my heart« said Harold something like a gleam passing over his
face His circulation had become more rapid »But what have you had to do with
Jermyn«
»He has not mentioned me to you then has he sir«
»No certainly not never«
Christian thought »Aha Mr Jermyn you are keeping the secret well are
you« He said aloud
»Then Mr Jermyn has never mentioned to you sir what I believe he is aware
of that there is danger of a new suit being raised against you on the part of
a Bycliffe to get the estate«
»Aha« said Harold starting up and placing himself with his back against
the mantelpiece He was electrified by surprise at the quarter from which this
information was coming Any fresh alarm was counteracted by the flashing thought
that he might be enabled to act independently of Jermyn and in the rush of
feelings he could utter no more than an interjection Christian concluded that
Harold had had no previous hint
»It is this fact sir that I came to tell you of«
»From some other motive than kindness to me I presume« said Harold with a
slight approach to a smile
»Certainly« said Christian as quietly as if he had been stating
yesterdays weather »I should not have the folly to use any affectation with
you Mr Transome I lost considerable property early in life and am now in the
receipt of a salary simply In the affair I have just mentioned to you I can
give evidence which will turn the scale against you I have no wish to do so if
you will make it worth my while to leave the country«
Harold listened as if he had been a legendary hero selected for peculiar
solicitation by the Evil One Here was temptation in a more alluring form than
before because it was sweetened by the prospect of eluding Jermyn But the
desire to gain time served all the purposes of caution and resistance and his
indifference to the speaker in this case helped him to preserve perfect
selfcommand
»You are aware« he said coolly »that silence is not a commodity worth
purchasing unless it is loaded There are many persons I dare say who would
like me to pay their travelling expenses for them But they might hardly be able
to show me that it was worth my while«
»You wish me to state what I know«
»Well that is a necessary preliminary to any further conversation«
»I think you will see Mr Transome that as a matter of justice the
knowledge I can give is worth something quite apart from my future appearance
or nonappearance as a witness I must take care of my own interest and if
anything should hinder you from choosing to satisfy me for taking an essential
witness out of the way I must at least be paid for bringing you the
information«
»Can you tell me who and where this Bycliffe is«
»I can«
» And give me a notion of the whole affair«
»Yes I have talked to a lawyer not Jermyn who is at the bottom of the
law in the affair«
»You must not count on any wish of mine to suppress evidence or remove a
witness But name your price for the information«
»In that case I must be paid the higher for my information Say two
thousand pounds«
»Two thousand devils« burst out Harold throwing himself into his chair
again and turning his shoulder towards Christian New thoughts crowded upon
him »This fellow may want to decamp for some reason or other« he said to
himself »More people besides Jermyn know about his evidence it seems The
whole thing may look black for me if it comes out I shall be believed to have
bribed him to run away whether or not« Thus the outside conscience came in aid
of the inner
»I will not give you one sixpence for your information« he said
resolutely »until time has made it clear that you do not intend to decamp but
will be forthcoming when you are called for On those terms I have no objection
to give you a note specifying that after the fulfilment of that condition
that is after the occurrence of a suit or the understanding that no suit is to
occur I will pay you a certain sum in consideration of the information you now
give me«
Christian felt himself caught in a vice In the first instance he had
counted confidently on Harolds ready seizure of his offer to disappear and
after some words had seemed to cast a doubt on this presupposition he had
inwardly determined to go away whether Harold wished it or not if he could get
a sufficient sum He did not reply immediately and Harold waited in silence
inwardly anxious to know what Christian could tell but with a vision at present
so far cleared that he was determined not to risk incurring the imputation of
having anything to do with scoundrelism We are very much indebted to such a
linking of events as makes a doubtful action look wrong
Christian was reflecting that if he stayed and faced some possible
inconveniences of being known publicly as Henry Scaddon for the sake of what he
might get from Esther it would at least be wise to be certain of some money
from Harold Transome since he turned out to be of so peculiar a disposition as
to insist on a punctilious honesty to his own disadvantage Did he think of
making a bargain with the other side If so he might be content to wait for the
knowledge till it came in some other way Christian was beginning to be afraid
lest he should get nothing by this clever move of coming to Transome Court At
last he said
»I think sir two thousand would not be an unreasonable sum on those
conditions«
»I will not give two thousand«
»Allow me to say sir you must consider that there is no one whose interest
it is to tell you as much as I shall even if they could since Mr Jermyn who
knows it has not thought fit to tell you There may be use you dont think of
in getting the information at once«
»Well«
»I think a gentleman should act liberally under such circumstances«
»So I will«
»I could not take less than a thousand pounds It really would not be worth
my while If Mr Jermyn knew I gave you the information he would endeavour to
injure me«
»I will give you a thousand« said Harold immediately for Christian had
unconsciously touched a sure spring »At least Ill give you a note to the
effect I spoke of«
He wrote as he had promised and gave the paper to Christian
»Now dont be circuitous« said Harold »You seem to have a businesslike
gift of speech Who and where is this Bycliffe«
»You will be surprised to hear sir that she is supposed to be the daughter
of the old preacher Lyon in Malthouse Yard«
»Good God How can that be« said Harold At once the first occasion on
which he had seen Esther rose in his memory the little dark parlour the
graceful girl in blue with the surprisingly distinguished manners and
appearance
»In this way Old Lyon by some strange means or other married Bycliffes
widow when this girl was a baby And the preacher didnt want the girl to know
that he was not her real father he told me that himself But she is the image
of Bycliffe whom I knew well an uncommonly fine woman steps like a queen«
»I have seen her« said Harold more than ever glad to have purchased this
knowledge »But now go on«
Christian proceeded to tell all he knew including his conversation with
Jermyn except so far as it had an unpleasant relation to himself
»Then« said Harold as the details seemed to have come to a close »you
believe that Miss Lyon and her supposed father are at present unaware of the
claims that might be urged for her on the strength of her birth«
»I believe so But I need not tell you that where the lawyers are on the
scent you can never be sure of anything long together I must remind you sir
that you have promised to protect me from Mr Jermyn by keeping my confidence«
»Never fear Depend upon it I shall betray nothing to Mr Jermyn«
Christian was dismissed with a goodmorning and while he cultivated some
friendly reminiscences with Dominic Harold sat chewing the cud of his new
knowledge and finding it not altogether so bitter as he had expected
From the first after his interview with Jermyn the recoil of Harolds mind
from the idea of strangling a legal right threw him on the alternative of
attempting a compromise Some middle course might be possible which would be a
less evil than a costly lawsuit or than the total renunciation of the estates
And now he had learned that the new claimant was a woman a young woman
brought up under circumstances that would make the fourth of the Transome
property seem to her an immense fortune Both the sex and the social condition
were of the sort that lies open to many softening influences And having seen
Esther it was inevitable that amongst the various issues agreeable and
disagreeable depicted by Harolds imagination there should present itself a
possibility that would unite the two claims his own which he felt to be the
rational and Esthers which apparently was the legal claim
Harold as he had constantly said to his mother was »not a marrying man«
he did not contemplate bringing a wife to Transome Court for many years to come
if at all Having little Harry as an heir he preferred freedom Western women
were not to his taste they showed a transition from the feebly animal to the
thinking being which was simply troublesome Harold preferred a slowwitted
largeeyed woman silent and affectionate with a load of black hair weighing
much more heavily than her brains He had seen no such woman in England except
one whom he had brought with him from the East
Therefore Harold did not care to be married until or unless some surprising
chance presented itself and now that such a chance had occurred to suggest
marriage to him he would not admit to himself that he contemplated marrying
Esther as a plan he was only obliged to see that such an issue was not
inconceivable He was not going to take any step expressly directed towards that
end what he had made up his mind to as the course most satisfactory to his
nature under present urgencies was to behave to Esther with a frank
gentlemanliness which must win her goodwill and incline her to save his
family interest as much as possible He was helped to this determination by the
pleasure of frustrating Jermyns contrivance to shield himself from punishment
and his most distinct and cheering prospect was that within a very short space
of time he should not only have effected a satisfactory compromise with Esther
but should have made Jermyn aware by a very disagreeable form of announcement
that Harold Transome was no longer afraid of him Jermyn should bite the dust
At the end of these meditations he felt satisfied with himself and
lighthearted He had rejected two dishonest propositions and he was going to
do something that seemed eminently graceful But he needed his mothers
assistance and it was necessary that he should both confide in her and persuade
her
Within two hours after Christian left him Harold begged his mother to come
into his private room and there he told her the strange and startling story
omitting however any particulars which would involve the identification of
Christian as his informant Harold felt that his engagement demanded this
reticence and he told his mother that he was bound to conceal the source of
that knowledge which he had got independently of Jermyn
Mrs Transome said little in the course of the story she made no
exclamations but she listened with close attention and asked a few questions
so much to the point as to surprise Harold When he showed her the copy of the
legal opinion which Jermyn had left with him she said she knew it very well
she had a copy herself The particulars of that last lawsuit were too well
engraven on her mind it happened at a time when there was no one to supersede
her and she was the virtual head of the family affairs She was prepared to
understand how the estate might be in danger but nothing had prepared her for
the strange details for the way in which the new claimant had been reared and
brought within the range of converging motives that had led to this revelation
least of all for the part Jermyn had come to play in the revelation Mrs
Transome saw these things through the medium of certain dominant emotions that
made them seem like a longripening retribution Harold perceived that she was
painfully agitated that she trembled and that her white lips would not readily
lend themselves to speech And this was hardly more than he expected He had not
liked the revelation himself when it had first come to him
But he did not guess what it was in his narrative which had most pierced his
mother It was something that made the threat about the estate only a secondary
alarm Now for the first time she heard of the intended proceedings against
Jermyn Harold had not chosen to speak of them before but having at last called
his mother into consultation there was nothing in his mind to hinder him from
speaking without reserve of his determination to visit on the attorney his
shameful maladministration of the family affairs
Harold went through the whole narrative of what he called Jermyns scheme
to catch him in a vice and his power of triumphantly frustrating that scheme
in his usual rapid way speaking with a final decisiveness of tone and his
mother felt that if she urged any counterconsideration at all she could only
do so when he had no more to say
»Now what I want you to do mother if you can see this matter as I see
it« Harold said in conclusion »is to go with me to call on this girl in
Malthouse Yard I will open the affair to her it appears she is not likely to
have been informed yet and you will invite her to visit you here at once that
all scandal all hatching of lawmischief may be avoided and the thing may be
brought to an amicable conclusion«
»It seems almost incredible extraordinary a girl in her position« said
Mrs Transome with difficulty It would have seemed the bitterest humiliating
penance if another sort of suffering had left any room in her heart
»I assure you she is a lady I saw her when I was canvassing and was amazed
at the time You will be quite struck with her It is no indignity for you to
invite her«
»Oh« said Mrs Transome with lowtoned bitterness »I must put up with all
things as they are determined for me When shall we go«
»Well« said Harold looking at his watch »it is hardly two yet We could
really go today when you have lunched It is better to lose no time Ill
order the carriage«
»Stay« said Mrs Transome making a desperate effort »There is plenty of
time I shall not lunch I have a word to say«
Harold withdrew his hand from the bell and leaned against the mantelpiece
to listen
»You see I comply with your wish at once Harold«
»Yes mother Im much obliged to you for making no difficulties«
»You ought to listen to me in return«
»Pray go on« said Harold expecting to be annoyed
»What is the good of having these Chancery proceedings against Jermyn«
»Good This good that fellow has burdened the estate with annuities and
mortgages to the extent of three thousand ayear and the bulk of them I am
certain he holds himself under the name of another man And the advances this
yearly interest represents have not been much more than twenty thousand Of
course he has hoodwinked you and my father never gave attention to these
things He has been up to all sorts of devils work with the deeds he didnt
count on my coming back from Smyrna to fill poor Durfeys place He shall feel
the difference And the good will be that I shall save almost all the annuities
for the rest of my fathers life which may be ten years or more and I shall
get back some of the money and I shall punish a scoundrel That is the good«
»He will be ruined«
»Thats what I intend« said Harold sharply
»He exerted himself a great deal for us in the old suits every one said he
had wonderful zeal and ability« said Mrs Transome getting courage and warmth
as she went on Her temper was rising
»What he did he did for his own sake you may depend on that« said Harold
with a scornful laugh
»There were very painful things in that last suit You seem anxious about
this young woman to avoid all further scandal and contests in the family Why
dont you wish to do it in this case Jermyn might be willing to arrange things
amicably to make restitution as far as he can if he has done anything
wrong«
»I will arrange nothing amicably with him« said Harold decisively »If he
has ever done anything scandalous as our agent let him bear the infamy And the
right way to throw the infamy on him is to show the world that he has robbed us
and that I mean to punish him Why do you wish to shield such a fellow mother
It has been chiefly through him that you have had to lead such a thrifty
miserable life you who used to make as brilliant a figure as a woman need
wish«
Mrs Transomes rising temper was turned into a horrible sensation as
painful as a sudden concussion from something hard and immovable when we have
struck out with our fist intending to hit something warm soft and breathing
like ourselves Poor Mrs Transomes strokes were sent jarring back on her by a
hard unalterable past She did not speak in answer to Harold but rose from the
chair as if she gave up the debate
»Women are frightened at everything I know« said Harold kindly feeling
that he had been a little harsh after his mothers compliance »And you have
been used for so many years to think Jermyn a law of nature Come mother« he
went on looking at her gently and resting his hands on her shoulders »look
cheerful We shall get through all these difficulties And this girl I daresay
she will be quite an interesting visitor for you You have not had any young
girl about you for a long while Who knows she may fall deeply in love with me
and I may be obliged to marry her«
He spoke laughingly only thinking how he could make his mother smile But
she looked at him seriously and said »Do you mean that Harold«
»Am I not capable of making a conquest Not too fat yet a handsome
wellrounded youth of thirtyfour«
She was forced to look straight at the beaming face with its rich dark
colour just bent a little over her Why could she not be happy in this son
whose future she had once dreamed of and who had been as fortunate as she had
ever hoped The tears came not plenteously but making her dark eyes as large
and bright as youth had once made them without tears
»There there« said Harold coaxingly »Dont be afraid You shall not have
a daughterinlaw unless she is a pearl Now we will get ready to go«
In half an hour from that time Mrs Transome came down looking majestic in
sables and velvet ready to call on the girl in Malthouse Yard She had composed
herself to go through this task She saw there was nothing better to be done
After the resolutions Harold had taken some sort of compromise with this
oddlyplaced heiress was the result most to be hoped for if the compromise
turned out to be a marriage well she had no reason to care much she was
already powerless It remained to be seen what this girl was
The carriage was to be driven round the back way to avoid too much
observation But the late election affairs might account for Mr Lyons receiving
a visit from the unsuccessful Radical candidate
Chapter 37
»I also could speak as ye do if your soul were in my souls stead
I could heap up words against you and shake mine head at you«
Book of Job
In the interval since Esther parted with Felix Holt on the day of the riot she
had gone through so much emotion and had already had so strong a shock of
surprise that she was prepared to receive any new incident of an unwonted kind
with comparative equanimity
When Mr Lyon had got home again from his preaching excursion Felix was
already on his way to Loamford Jail The little minister was terribly shaken by
the news He saw no clear explanation of Felix Holts conduct for the
statements Esther had heard were so conflicting that she had not been able to
gather distinctly what had come out in the examination by the magistrates But
Mr Lyon felt confident that Felix was innocent of any wish to abet a riot or the
infliction of injuries what he chiefly feared was that in the fatal encounter
with Tucker he had been moved by a rash temper not sufficiently guarded against
by a prayerful and humble spirit
»My poor young friend is being taught with mysterious severity the evil of a
too confident selfreliance« he said to Esther as they sat opposite to each
other listening and speaking sadly
»You will go and see him father«
»Verily will I But I must straightway go and see that poor afflicted woman
whose soul is doubtless whirled about in this trouble like a shapeless and
unstable thing driven by divided winds« Mr Lyon rose and took his hat hastily
ready to walk out with his greatcoat flying open and exposing his small person
to the keen air
»Stay father pray till you have had some food« said Esther putting her
hand on his arm »You look quite weary and shattered«
»Child I cannot stay I can neither eat bread nor drink water till I have
learned more about this young mans deeds what can be proved and what cannot be
proved against him I fear he has none to stand by him in this town for even by
the friends of our church I have been oft times rebuked because he seemed dear
to me But Esther my beloved child «
Here Mr Lyon grasped her arm and seemed in the need of speech to forget his
previous haste »I bear in mind this the Lord knoweth them that are His but we
we are left to judge by uncertain signs that so we may learn to exercise hope
and faith towards one another and in this uncertainty I cling with awful hope
to those whom the world loves not because their conscience albeit mistakenly
is at war with the habits of the world Our great faith my Esther is the faith
of martyrs I will not lightly turn away from any man who endures harshness
because he will not lie nay though I would not wantonly grasp at ease of mind
through an arbitrary choice of doctrine I cannot but believe that the merits of
the divine sacrifice are wider than our utmost charity I once believed
otherwise but not now not now«
The minister paused and seemed to be abstractedly gazing at some memory he
was always liable to be snatched away by thoughts from the pursuit of a purpose
which had seemed pressing Esther seized the opportunity and prevailed on him to
fortify himself with some of Lyddys porridge before he went out on his tiring
task of seeking definite trustworthy knowledge from the lips of various
witnesses beginning with that feminine darkener of counsel poor Mrs Holt
She regarding all her trouble about Felix in the light of a fulfilment of
her own prophecies treated the sad history with a preference for edification
above accuracy and for mystery above relevance worthy of a commentator on the
Apocalypse She insisted chiefly not on the important facts that Felix had sat
at his work till after eleven like a deaf man had rushed out in surprise and
alarm had come back to report with satisfaction that things were quiet and had
asked her to set by his dinner for him facts which would tell as evidence that
Felix was disconnected with any project of disturbances and was averse to them
These things came out incidentally in her long plaint to the minister but what
Mrs Holt felt it essential to state was that long before Michaelmas was turned
sitting in her chair she had said to Felix that there would be a judgment on
him for being so certain sure about the pills and the elixir
»And now Mr Lyon« said the poor woman who had dressed herself in a gown
previously cast off a front all out of curl and a cap with no starch in it
while she held little coughing Job on her knee »and now you see my words
have come true sooner than I thought they would Felix may contradict me if he
will but there he is in prison and here am I with nothing in the world to
bless myself with but halfacrown aweek as Ive saved by my own scraping and
this house Ive got to pay rent for Its not me has done wrong Mr Lyon
theres nobody can say it of me not the orphin child on my knee is more
innicent o riot and murder and anything else as is bad But when youve got a
son so masterful and stopping medicines as providence has sent and his betters
have been taking up and down the country since before he was a baby its o no
use being good here below But he was a baby Mr Lyon and I gave him the
breast« here poor Mrs Holts motherly love overcame her expository eagerness
and she fell more and more to crying as she spoke »And to think theres folks
saying now as hell be transported and his hair shaved off and the treadmill
and everything O dear«
As Mrs Holt broke off into sobbing little Job also who had got a confused
yet profound sense of sorrow and of Felix being hurt and gone away set up a
little wail of wondering misery
»Nay Mistress Holt« said the minister soothingly »enlarge not your grief
by more than warrantable grounds I have good hope that my young friend your son
will be delivered from any severe consequences beyond the death of the man
Tucker which I fear will ever be a sore burthen on his memory I feel confident
that a jury of his countrymen will discern between misfortune or it may be
misjudgment and an evil will and that he will be acquitted of any grave
offence«
»He never stole anything in his life Mr Lyon« said Mrs Holt reviving
»Nobody can throw it in my face as my son ran away with money like the young man
at the bank though he looked most respectable and far different on a Sunday
to what Felix ever did And I know its very hard fighting with constables but
they say Tuckers wifell be a deal better off than she was before for the
great folksll pension her and shell be put on all the charities and her
children at the Free School and everything Your troubles easy borne when
everybody gives it a lift for you and if judge and jury wants to do right by
Felix theyll think of his poor mother with the bread took out of her mouth
all but halfacrown aweek and furniture which to be sure is most
excellent and of my own buying and got to keep this orphin child as Felix
himself brought on me And I might send him back to his old grandfather on
parish pay but Im not that woman Mr Lyon Ive a tender heart And heres his
little feet and toes like marbil do but look« here Mrs Holt drew off Jobs
sock and shoe and showed a wellwashed little foot »and youll perhaps say I
might take a lodger but its easy talking it isnt everybody at a looseend
wants a parlour and a bedroom and if anything bad happens to Felix I may as
well go and sit in the parish pound and nobody to buy me out for its beyond
everything how the church members find fault with my son But I think they might
leave his mother to find fault for queer and masterful he might be and flying
in the face of the very Scripture about the physic but he was most clever
beyond anything that I will say and was his own fathers lawful child and
me his mother that was Mary Wall thirty years before ever I married his
father« Here Mrs Holts feelings again became too much for her but she
struggled on to say sobbingly »And if theyre to transport him I should like
to go to the prison and take the orphin child for he was most fond of having
him on his lap and said hed never marry and there was One above overheard
him for hes been took at his word«
Mr Lyon listened with low groans and then tried to comfort her by saying
that he would himself go to Loamford as soon as possible and would give his
soul no rest till he had done all he could do for Felix
On one point Mrs Holts plaint tallied with his own forebodings and he
found them verified the state of feeling in Treby among the Liberal dissenting
flock was unfavourable to Felix None who had observed his conduct from the
windows saw anything tending to excuse him and his own account of his motives
given on his examination was spoken of with headshaking if it had not been
for his habit of always thinking himself wiser than other people he would never
have entertained such a wild scheme He had set himself up for something
extraordinary and had spoken ill of respectable tradespeople He had put a stop
to the making of saleable drugs contrary to the nature of buying and selling
and to a due reliance on what providence might effect in the human inside
through the instrumentality of remedies unsuitable to the stomach looked at in
a merely secular light and the result was what might have been expected He had
brought his mother to poverty and himself into trouble And what for He had
done no good to the cause if he had fought about churchrates or had been
worsted in some struggle in which he was distinctly the champion of Dissent and
Liberalism his case would have been one for gold silver and copper
subscriptions in order to procure the best defence sermons might have been
preached on him and his name might have floated on flags from Newcastle to
Dorchester But there seemed to be no edification in what had befallen Felix
The riot at Treby turn it which way you would as Mr Muscat observed was no
great credit to Liberalism and what Mr Lyon had to testify as to Felix Holts
conduct in the matter of the Sproxton men only made it clear that the defence
of Felix was the accusation of his party The whole affair Mr Nuttwood said
was dark and inscrutable and seemed not to be one in which the interference of
Gods servants would tend to give the glory where the glory was due That a
candidate for whom the richer church members had all voted should have his name
associated with the encouragement of drunkenness riot and plunder was an
occasion for the enemy to blaspheme and it was not clear how the enemys mouth
would be stopped by exertions in favour of a rash young man whose interference
had made things worse instead of better Mr Lyon was warned lest his human
partialities should blind him to the interests of truth it was Gods cause that
was endangered in this matter
The little ministers soul was bruised he himself was keenly alive to the
complication of public and private regards in this affair and suffered a good
deal at the thought of Tory triumph in the demonstration that excepting the
attack on the Seven Stars which called itself a Whig house all damage to
property had been borne by Tories He cared intensely for his opinions and
would have liked events to speak for them in a sort of picturewriting that
everybody could understand The enthusiasms of the world are not to be
stimulated by a commentary in small and subtle characters which alone can tell
the whole truth and the picturewriting in Felix Holts troubles was of an
entirely puzzling kind if he were a martyr neither side wanted to claim him
Yet the minister as we have seen found in his Christian faith a reason for
clinging the more to one who had not a large party to back him That little
mans heart was heroic he was not one of those Liberals who make their anxiety
for the cause of Liberalism a plea for cowardly desertion
Besides himself he believed there was no one who could bear testimony to
the remonstrances of Felix concerning the treating of the Sproxton men except
Jermyn Johnson and Harold Transome Though he had the vaguest idea of what
could be done in the case he fixed his mind on the probability that Mr Transome
would be moved to the utmost exertion if only as an atonement but he dared not
take any step until he had consulted Felix who he foresaw was likely to have a
very strong determination as to the help he would accept or not accept
This last expectation was fulfilled Mr Lyon returned to Esther after his
days journey to Loamford and back with less of trouble and perplexity in his
mind he had at least got a definite course marked out to which he must resign
himself Felix had declared that he would receive no aid from Harold Transome
except the aid he might give as an honest witness There was nothing to be done
for him but what was perfectly simple and direct Even if the pleading of
counsel had been permitted and at that time it was not on behalf of a prisoner
on trial for felony Felix would have declined it he would in any case have
spoken in his own defence He had a perfectly simple account to give and needed
not to avail himself of any legal adroitness He consented to accept the
services of a respectable solicitor in Loamford who offered to conduct his case
without any fees The work was plain and easy Felix said The only witnesses
who had to be hunted up at all were some who could testify that he had tried to
take the crowd down Hobbs Lane and that they had gone to the Manor in spite of
him
»Then he is not so much cast down as you feared father« said Esther
»No child albeit he is pale and much shaken for one so stalwart He hath
no grief he says save for the poor man Tucker and for his mother otherwise
his heart is without a burthen We discoursed greatly on the sad effect of all
this for his mother and on the perplexed condition of human things whereby
even right action seems to bring evil consequences if we have respect only to
our own brief lives and not to that larger rule whereby we are stewards of the
eternal dealings and not contrivers of our own success«
»Did he say nothing about me father« said Esther trembling a little but
unable to repress her egoism
»Yea he asked if you were well and sent his affectionate regards Nay he
bade me say something which appears to refer to your discourse together when I
was not present Tell her he said whatever they sentence me to she knows they
cant rob me of my vocation With poverty for my bride and preaching and
pedagogy for my business I am sure of a handsome establishment He laughed
doubtless bearing in mind some playfulness of thine«
Mr Lyon seemed to be looking at Esther as he smiled but she was not near
enough for him to discern the expression of her face Just then it seemed made
for melancholy rather than for playfulness Hers was not a childish beauty and
when the sparkle of mischief wit and vanity was out of her eyes and the large
look of abstracted sorrow was there you would have been surprised by a certain
grandeur which the smiles had hidden That changing face was the perfect symbol
of her mixed susceptible nature in which battle was inevitable and the side of
victory uncertain
She began to look on all that had passed between herself and Felix as
something not buried but embalmed and kept as a relic in a private sanctuary
The very entireness of her preoccupation about him the perpetual repetition in
her memory of all that had passed between them tended to produce this effect
She lived with him in the past in the future she seemed shut out from him He
was an influence above her life rather than a part of it some time or other
perhaps he would be to her as if he belonged to the solemn admonishing skies
checking her selfsatisfied pettiness with the suggestion of a wider life
But not yet not while her trouble was so fresh For it was still her
trouble and not Felix Holts Perhaps it was a subtraction from his power over
her that she could never think of him with pity because he always seemed to
her too great and strong to be pitied he wanted nothing He evaded calamity by
choosing privation The best part of a womans love is worship but it is hard
to her to be sent away with her precious spikenard rejected and her long
tresses too that were let fall ready to soothe the wearied feet
While Esther was carrying these things in her heart the January days were
beginning to pass by with their wonted wintry monotony except that there was
rather more of good cheer than usual remaining from the feast of Twelfth Night
among the triumphant Tories and rather more scandal than usual excited among
the mortified Dissenters by the wilfulness of their minister He had actually
mentioned Felix Holt by name in his evening sermon and offered up a petition
for him in the evening prayer also by name not as »a young Ishmaelite whom
we would fain see brought back from the lawless life of the desert and seated
in the same fold even with the sons of Judah and of Benjamin« a suitable
periphrasis which Brother Kemp threw off without any effort and with all the
felicity of a suggestive critic Poor Mrs Holt indeed even in the midst of her
grief experienced a proud satisfaction that though not a church member she was
now an object of congregational remark and ministerial allusion Feeling herself
a spotless character standing out in relief on a dark background of affliction
and a practical contradiction to that extreme doctrine of human depravity which
she had never given in to she was naturally gratified and soothed by a notice
which must be a recognition But more influential hearers were of opinion that
in a man who had so many long sentences at command as Mr Lyon so many
parentheses and modifying clauses this naked use of a nonscriptural Treby name
in an address to the Almighty was all the more offensive In a low unlettered
local preacher of the Wesleyan persuasion such things might pass but a certain
style in prayer was demanded from Independents the most educated body in the
ranks of orthodox Dissent To Mr Lyon such notions seemed painfully perverse
and the next morning he was declaring to Esther his resolution stoutly to
withstand them and to count nothing common or unclean on which a blessing could
be asked when the tenor of his thoughts was completely changed by a great shock
of surprise which made both himself and Esther sit looking at each other in
speechless amazement
The cause was a letter brought by a special messenger from Duffield a heavy
letter addressed to Esther in a businesslike manner quite unexampled in her
correspondence And the contents of the letter were more startling than its
exterior It began
Madam Herewith we send you a brief abstract of evidence which has
come within our knowledge that the right of remainder whereby the
lineal issue of Edward Bycliffe can claim possession of the estates of
which the entail was settled by John Justus Transome in 1729 now first
accrues to you as the sole and lawful issue of Maurice Christian
Bycliffe We are confident of success in the prosecution of this claim
which will result to you in the possession of estates to the value at
the lowest of from five to six thousand per annum
It was at this point that Esther who was reading aloud let her hand fall with
the letter on her lap and with a palpitating heart looked at her father who
looked again in silence that lasted for two or three minutes A certain terror
was upon them both though the thoughts that laid that weight on the tongue of
each were different
It was Mr Lyon who spoke first
»This then is what the man named Christian referred to I distrusted him
yet it seems he spoke truly«
»But« said Esther whose imagination ran necessarily to those conditions of
wealth which she could best appreciate »do they mean that the Transomes would
be turned out of Transome Court and that I should go and live there It seems
quite an impossible thing«
»Nay child I know not I am ignorant in these things and the thought of
worldly grandeur for you hath more of terror than of gladness for me
Nevertheless we must duly weigh all things not considering aught that befalls
us as a bare event but rather as an occasion for faithful stewardship Let us
go to my study and consider this writing further«
How this announcement which to Esther seemed as unprepared as if it had
fallen from the skies came to be made to her by solicitors other than Batt
amp Cowley the old lawyers of the Bycliffes was by a sequence as natural
that is to say as legallynatural as any in the world The secret worker of
the apparent wonder was Mr Johnson who on the very day when he wrote to give
his patron Mr Jermyn the serious warning that a bill was likely to be filed in
Chancery against him had carried forward with added zeal the business already
commenced of arranging with another firm his share in the profits likely to
result from the prosecution of Esther Bycliffes claim
Jermyns star was certainly going down and Johnson did not feel an
unmitigated grief Beyond some troublesome declarations as to his actual share
in transactions in which his name had been used Johnson saw nothing formidable
in prospect for himself He was not going to be ruined though Jermyn probably
was he was not a highflyer but a mere climbingbird who could hold on and get
his livelihood just as well if his wings were clipped a little And in the
meantime here was something to be gained in this Bycliffe business which it
was not unpleasant to think was a nut that Jermyn had intended to keep for his
own particular cracking and which would be rather a severe astonishment to Mr
Harold Transome whose manners towards respectable agents were such as leave a
smart in a man of spirit
Under the stimulus of small manymixed motives like these a great deal of
business has been done in the world by wellclad and in 1833 cleanshaven men
whose names are on charitylists and who do not know that they are base Mr
Johnsons character was not much more exceptional than his double chin
No system religious or political I believe has laid it down as a
principle that all men are alike virtuous or even that all the people rated for
£80 houses are an honour to their species
Chapter 38
The down we rest on in our aëry dreams
Has not been plucked from birds that live and smart
Tis but warm snow that melts not
The story and the prospect revealed to Esther by the lawyers letter which she
and her father studied together had made an impression on her very different
from what she had been used to figure to herself in her many daydreams as to the
effect of a sudden elevation in rank and fortune In her daydreams she had not
traced out the means by which such a change could be brought about in fact the
change had seemed impossible to her except in her little private Utopia which
like other Utopias was filled with delightful results independent of
processes But her mind had fixed itself habitually on the signs and luxuries of
ladyhood for which she had the keenest perception She had seen the very mat in
her carriage had scented the dried roseleaves in her corridors had felt the
soft carpets under her pretty feet and seen herself as she rose from her sofa
cushions in the crystal panel that reflected a long drawingroom where the
conservatory flowers and the pictures of fair women left her still with the
supremacy of charm She had trodden the marblefirm gravel of her gardenwalks
and the soft deep turf of her lawn she had had her servants about her filled
with adoring respect because of her kindness as well as her grace and beauty
and she had had several accomplished cavaliers all at once suing for her hand
one of whom uniting very high birth with long dark eyelashes and the most
distinguished talents she secretly preferred though his pride and hers
hindered an avowal and supplied the inestimable interest of retardation The
glimpses she had had in her brief life as a family governess supplied her ready
faculty with details enough of delightful still life to furnish her daydreams
and no one who has not like Esther a strong natural prompting and
susceptibility towards such things and has at the same time suffered from the
presence of opposite conditions can understand how powerfully those minor
accidents of rank which please the fastidious sense can preoccupy the
imagination
It seemed that almost everything in her daydreams cavaliers apart must
be found at Transome Court But now that fancy was becoming real and the
impossible appeared possible Esther found the balance of her attention
reversed now that her ladyhood was not simply in Utopia she found herself
arrested and painfully grasped by the means through which the ladyhood was to be
obtained To her inexperience this strange story of an alienated inheritance of
such a last representative of pureblooded lineage as old Thomas Transome the
billsticker above all of the dispossession hanging over those who actually
held and had expected always to hold the wealth and position which were
suddenly announced to be rightfully hers all these things made a picture not
for her own tastes and fancies to float in with Elysian indulgence but in which
she was compelled to gaze on the degrading hard experience of other human
beings and on a humiliating loss which was the obverse of her own proud gain
Even in her times of most untroubled egoism Esther shrank from anything
ungenerous and the fact that she had a very lively image of Harold Transome and
his gipsyeyed boy in her mind gave additional distinctness to the thought that
if she entered they must depart Of the elder Transomes she had a dimmer vision
and they were necessarily in the background to her sympathy
She and her father sat with their hands locked as they might have done if
they had been listening to a solemn oracle in the days of old revealing unknown
kinship and rightful heirdom It was not that Esther had any thought of
renouncing her fortune she was incapable in these moments of condensing her
vague ideas and feelings into any distinct plan of action nor indeed did it
seem that she was called upon to act with any promptitude It was only that she
was conscious of being strangely awed by something that was called good fortune
and the awe shut out any scheme of rejection as much as any triumphant joy in
acceptance Her first father she learned had died disappointed and in wrongful
imprisonment and an undefined sense of Nemesis seemed half to sanctify her
inheritance and counteract its apparent arbitrariness
Felix Holt was present in her mind throughout what he would say was an
imaginary commentary that she was constantly framing and the words that she
most frequently gave him for she dramatised under the inspiration of a sadness
slightly bitter were of this kind »That is clearly your destiny to be
aristocratic to be rich I always saw that our lots lay widely apart You are
not fit for poverty or any work of difficulty But remember what I once said to
you about a vision of consequences take care where your fortune leads you«
Her father had not spoken since they had ended their study and discussion of
the story and the evidence as it was presented to them Into this he had entered
with his usual penetrating activity but he was so accustomed to the impersonal
study of narrative that even in these exceptional moments the habit of half a
century asserted itself and he seemed sometimes not to distinguish the case of
Esthers inheritance from a story in ancient history until some detail recalled
him to the profound feeling that a great great change might be coming over the
life of this child who was so close to him At last he relapsed into total
silence and for some time Esther was not moved to interrupt it He had sunk
back in his chair with his hand locked in hers and was pursuing a sort of
prayerful meditation he lifted up no formal petition but it was as if his soul
travelled again over the facts he had been considering in the company of a guide
ready to inspire and correct him He was striving to purify his feeling in this
matter from selfish or worldly dross a striving which is that prayer without
ceasing sure to wrest an answer by its sublime importunity
There is no knowing how long they might have sat in this way if it had not
been for the inevitable Lyddy reminding them dismally of dinner
»Yes Lyddy we come« said Esther and then before moving
»Is there any advice you have in your mind for me father« The sense of awe
was growing in Esther Her intensest life was no longer in her dreams where she
made things to her own mind she was moving in a world charged with forces
»Not yet my dear save this that you will seek special illumination in
this juncture and above all be watchful that your soul be not lifted up
within you by what rightly considered is rather an increase of charge and a
call upon you to walk along a path which is indeed easy to the flesh but
dangerous to the spirit«
»You would always live with me father« Esther spoke under a strong impulse
partly affection partly the need to grasp at some moral help But she had no
sooner uttered the words than they raised a vision showing as by a flash of
lightning the incongruity of that past which had created the sanctities and
affections of her life with that future which was coming to her The little
rusty old minister with the one luxury of his Sunday evening pipe smoked up
the kitchen chimney coming to live in the midst of grandeur but no her
father with the grandeur of his past sorrow and his long struggling labours
forsaking his vocation and vulgarly accepting an existence unsuited to him
Esthers face flushed with the excitement of this vision and its reversed
interpretation which five months ago she would have been incapable of seeing
Her question to her father seemed like a mockery she was ashamed He answered
slowly
»Touch not that chord yet child I must learn to think of thy lot according
to the demands of Providence We will rest a while from the subject and I will
seek calmness in my ordinary duties«
The next morning nothing more was said Mr Lyon was absorbed in his
sermonmaking for it was near the end of the week and Esther was obliged to
attend to her pupils Mrs Holt came by invitation with little Job to share their
dinner of roastmeat and after much of what the minister called unprofitable
discourse she was quitting the house when she hastened back with an astonished
face to tell Mr Lyon and Esther who were already in wonder at crashing
thundering sounds on the pavement that there was a carriage stopping and
stamping at the entry into Malthouse Yard with all sorts of fine liveries and
a lady and gentleman inside Mr Lyon and Esther looked at each other both
having the same name in their minds
»If its Mr Transome or somebody else as is great Mr Lyon« urged Mrs Holt
»youll remember my son and say hes got a mother with a character they may
inquire into as much as they like And never mind what Felix says for hes so
masterful hed stay in prison and be transported whether or no only to have his
own way For its not to be thought but what the great people could get him off
if they would and its very hard with a king in the country and all the texts
in Proverbs about the kings countenance and Solomon and the live baby «
Mr Lyon lifted up his hand deprecatingly and Mrs Holt retreated from the
parlourdoor to a corner of the kitchen the outer doorway being occupied by
Dominic who was inquiring if Mr and Miss Lyon were at home and could receive
Mrs Transome and Mr Harold Transome While Dominic went back to the carriage Mrs
Holt escaped with her tiny companion to Zacharys the pewopener observing to
Lyddy that she knew herself and was not that woman to stay where she might not
be wanted whereupon Lyddy differing fundamentally admonished her parting ear
that it was well if she knew herself to be dust and ashes silently extending
the application of this remark to Mrs Transome as she saw the tall lady sweep in
arrayed in her rich black and fur with that fine gentleman behind her whose
thick topknot of wavy hair sparkling ring dark complexion and general air of
worldly exaltation unconnected with chapel were painfully suggestive to Lyddy
of Herod Pontius Pilate or the muchquoted Gallio
Harold Transome greeting Esther gracefully presented his mother whose
eaglelike glance fixed on her from the first moment of entering seemed to
Esther to pierce her through Mrs Transome hardly noticed Mr Lyon not from
studied haughtiness but from sheer mental inability to consider him as a
person ignorant of natural history is unable to consider a freshwater polype
otherwise than as a sort of animated weed certainly not fit for table But
Harold saw that his mother was agreeably struck by Esther who indeed showed to
much advantage She was not at all taken by surprise and maintained a dignified
quietude but her previous knowledge and reflection about the possible
dispossession of these Transomes gave her a softened feeling towards them which
tinged her manners very agreeably
Harold was carefully polite to the minister throwing out a word to make him
understand that he had an important part in the important business which had
brought this unannounced visit and the four made a group seated not far off
each other near the window Mrs Transome and Esther being on the sofa
»You must be astonished at a visit from me Miss Lyon« Mrs Transome began
»I seldom come to Treby Magna Now I see you the visit is an unexpected
pleasure but the cause of my coming is business of a serious nature which my
son will communicate to you«
»I ought to begin by saying that what I have to announce to you is the
reverse of disagreeable Miss Lyon« said Harold with lively ease »I dont
suppose the world would consider it very good news for me but a rejected
candidate Mr Lyon« Harold went on turning graciously to the minister »begins
to be inured to loss and misfortune«
»Truly sir« said Mr Lyon with a rather sad solemnity »your allusion hath
a grievous bearing for me but I will not retard your present purpose by further
remark«
»You will never guess what I have to disclose« said Harold again looking
at Esther »unless indeed you have had some previous intimation of it«
»Does it refer to law and inheritance« said Esther with a smile She was
already brightened by Harolds manner The news seemed to be losing its
chillness and to be something really belonging to warm comfortable
interesting life
»Then you have already heard of it« said Harold inwardly vexed but
sufficiently prepared not to seem so
»Only yesterday« said Esther quite simply »I received a letter from some
lawyers with a statement of many surprising things showing that I was an
heiress« here she turned very prettily to address Mrs Transome »which as
you may imagine is one of the last things I could have supposed myself to be«
»My dear« said Mrs Transome with elderly grace just laying her hand for an
instant on Esthers »it is a lot that would become you admirably«
Esther blushed and said playfully
»O I know what to buy with fifty pounds ayear but I know the price of
nothing beyond that«
Her father sat looking at her through his spectacles stroking his chin It
was amazing to herself that she was taking so lightly now what had caused her
such deep emotion yesterday
»I daresay then« said Harold »you are more fully possessed of particulars
than I am So that my mother and I need only tell you what no one else can tell
you that is what are her and my feelings and wishes under these new and
unexpected circumstances«
»I am most anxious« said Esther with a grave beautiful look of respect to
Mrs Transome »most anxious on that point Indeed being of course in
uncertainty about it I have not yet known whether I could rejoice« Mrs
Transomes glance had softened She liked Esther to look at her
»Our chief anxiety« she said knowing what Harold wished her to say »is
that there may be no contest no useless expenditure of money Of course we will
surrender what can be rightfully claimed«
»My mother expresses our feeling precisely Miss Lyon« said Harold »And
Im sure Mr Lyon you will understand our desire«
»Assuredly sir My daughter would in any case have had my advice to seek a
conclusion which would involve no strife We endeavour sir in our body to
hold to the apostolic rule that one Christian brother should not go to law with
another and I for my part would extend this rule to all my fellowmen
apprehending that the practice of our courts is little consistent with the
simplicity that is in Christ«
»If it is to depend on my will« said Esther »there is nothing that would
be more repugnant to me than any struggle on such a subject But cant the
lawyers go on doing what they will in spite of me It seems that this is what
they mean«
»Not exactly« said Harold smiling »Of course they live by such struggles
as you dislike But we can thwart them by determining not to quarrel It is
desirable that we should consider the affair together and put it into the hands
of honourable solicitors I assure you we Transomes will not contend for what is
not our own«
»And this is what I have come to beg of you« said Mrs Transome »It is that
you will come to Transome Court and let us take full time to arrange matters
Do oblige me you shall not be teased more than you like by an old woman you
shall do just as you please and become acquainted with your future home since
it is to be yours I can tell you a world of things that you will want to know
and the business can proceed properly«
»Do consent« said Harold with winning brevity
Esther was flushed and her eyes were bright It was impossible for her not
to feel that the proposal was a more tempting step towards her change of
condition than she could have thought of beforehand She had forgotten that she
was in any trouble But she looked towards her father who was again stroking
his chin as was his habit when he was doubting and deliberating
»I hope you do not disapprove of Miss Lyons granting us this favour« said
Harold to the minister
»I have nothing to oppose to it sir if my daughters own mind is clear as
to her course«
»You will come now with us« said Mrs Transome persuasively »You will
go back with us in the carriage«
Harold was highly gratified with the perfection of his mothers manner on
this occasion which he had looked forward to as difficult Since he had come
home again he had never seen her so much at her ease or with so much
benignancy in her face The secret lay in the charm of Esthers sweet young
deference a sort of charm that had not before entered into Mrs Transomes
elderly life Esthers pretty behaviour it must be confessed was not fed
entirely from lofty moral sources over and above her really generous feeling
she enjoyed Mrs Transomes accent the highbred quietness of her speech the
delicate odour of her drapery She had always thought that life must be
particularly easy if one could pass it among refined people and so it seemed at
this moment She wished unmixedly to go to Transome Court
»Since my father has no objection« she said »and you urge me so kindly
But I must beg for time to pack up a few clothes«
»By all means« said Mrs Transome »We are not at all pressed«
When Esther had left the room Harold said »Apart from our immediate reason
for coming Mr Lyon I could have wished to see you about these unhappy
consequences of the election contest But you will understand that I have been
much preoccupied with private affairs«
»You have well said that the consequences are unhappy sir And but for a
reliance on something more than human calculation I know not which I should
most bewail the scandal which wrongdealing has brought on right principles
or the snares which it laid for the feet of a young man who is dear to me One
soweth and another reapeth is a verity that applies to evil as well as good«
»You are referring to Felix Holt I have not neglected steps to secure the
best legal help for the prisoners but I am given to understand that Holt
refuses any aid from me I hope he will not go rashly to work in speaking in his
own defence without any legal instruction It is an opprobrium of our law that
no counsel is allowed to plead for the prisoner in cases of felony A ready
tongue may do a man as much harm as good in a court of justice He piques
himself on making a display and displays a little too much«
»Sir you know him not« said the little minister in his deeper tone »He
would not accept even if it were accorded a defence wherein the truth was
screened or avoided not from a vainglorious spirit of selfexhibition for he
hath a singular directness and simplicity of speech but from an averseness to a
profession wherein a man may without shame seek to justify the wicked for
reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him«
»Its a pity a fine young fellow should do himself harm by fanatical notions
of that sort I could at least have procured the advantage of firstrate
consultation He didnt look to me like a dreamy personage«
»Nor is he dreamy rather his excess lies in being too practical«
»Well I hope you will not encourage him in such irrationality the question
is not one of misrepresentation but of adjusting fact so as to raise it to the
power of evidence Dont you see that«
»I do I do But I distrust not Felix Holts discernment in regard to his
own case He builds not on doubtful things and hath no illusory hopes on the
contrary he is of a tooscornful incredulity where I would fain see a more
childlike faith But we will hold no belief without action corresponding
thereto and the occasion of his return to this his native place at a time which
has proved fatal was no other than his resolve to hinder the sale of some
drugs which had chiefly supported his mother but which his better knowledge
showed him to be pernicious to the human frame He undertook to support her by
his own labour but sir I pray you to mark and old as I am I will not deny
that this young man instructs me herein I pray you to mark the poisonous
confusion of good and evil which is the widespreading effect of vicious
practices Through the use of undue electioneering means concerning which
however I do not accuse you farther than of having acted the part of him who
washes his hands when he delivers up to others the exercise of an iniquitous
power Felix Holt is I will not scruple to say the innocent victim of a riot
and that deed of strict honesty whereby he took on himself the charge of his
aged mother seems now to have deprived her of sufficient bread and is even an
occasion of reproach to him from the weaker brethren«
»I shall be proud to supply her as amply as you think desirable« said
Harold not enjoying this lecture
»I will pray you to speak of this question with my daughter who it
appears may herself have large means at command and would desire to minister
to Mistress Holts needs with all friendship and delicacy For the present I
can take care that she lacks nothing essential«
As Mr Lyon was speaking Esther reentered equipped for her drive She laid
her hand on her fathers arm and said »You will let my pupils know at once
will you father«
»Doubtless my dear« said the old man trembling a little under the feeling
that this departure of Esthers was a crisis Nothing again would be as it had
been in their mutual life But he feared that he was being mastered by a
tootender selfregard and struggled to keep himself calm
Mrs Transome and Harold had both risen
»If you are quite ready Miss Lyon« said Harold divining that the father
and daughter would like to have an unobserved moment »I will take my mother to
the carriage and come back for you«
When they were alone Esther put her hands on her fathers shoulders and
kissed him
»This will not be a grief to you I hope father You think it is better
that I should go«
»Nay child I am weak But I would fain be capable of a joy quite apart
from the accidents of my aged earthly existence which indeed is a petty and
almost driedup fountain whereas to the receptive soul the river of life
pauseth not nor is diminished«
»Perhaps you will see Felix Holt again and tell him everything«
»Shall I say aught to him for you«
»O no only that Job Tudge has a little flannel shirt and a box of
lozenges« said Esther smiling »Ah I hear Mr Transome coming back I must say
goodbye to Lyddy else she will cry over my hard heart«
In spite of all the grave thoughts that had been Esther felt it a very
pleasant as well as new experience to be led to the carriage by Harold Transome
to be seated on soft cushions and bowled along looked at admiringly and
deferentially by a person opposite whom it was agreeable to look at in return
and talked to with suavity and liveliness Towards what prospect was that easy
carriage really leading her She could not be always asking herself Mentorlike
questions Her young bright nature was rather weary of the sadness that had
grown heavier in these last weeks like a chill white mist hopelessly veiling
the day Her fortune was beginning to appear worthy of being called good
fortune She had come to a new stage in her journey a new day had arisen on new
scenes and her young untired spirit was full of curiosity
Chapter 39
No man believes that manytextured knowledge and skill as a just
idea of the solar system or the power of painting flesh or of
reading written harmonies can come late and of a sudden yet many
will not stick at believing that happiness can come at any day and
hour solely by a new disposition of events though there is nought
less capable of a magical production than a mortals happiness
which is mainly a complex of habitual relations and dispositions not
to be wrought by news from foreign parts or any whirling of
fortunes wheel for one on whose brow Time has written legibly
Some days after Esthers arrival at Transome Court Denner coming to dress Mrs
Transome before dinner a labour of love for which she had ample leisure now
found her mistress seated with more than ever of that marble aspect of
selfabsorbed suffering which to the waitingwomans keen observation had been
gradually intensifying itself during the past week She had tapped at the door
without having been summoned and she had ventured to enter though she had heard
no voice saying »Come in«
Mrs Transome had on a dark warm dressinggown hanging in thick folds about
her and she was seated before a mirror which filled a panel from the floor to
the ceiling The room was bright with the light of the fire and of wax candles
For some reason contrary to her usual practice Mrs Transome had herself
unfastened her abundant grey hair which rolled backward in a pale sunless
stream over her dark dress She was seated before the mirror apparently looking
at herself her brow knit in one deep furrow and her jewelled hands laid one
above the other on her knee Probably she had ceased to see the reflection in
the mirror for her eyes had the fixed wideopen look that belongs not to
examination but to reverie Motionless in that way her clearcut features
keeping distinct record of past beauty she looked like an image faded dried
and bleached by uncounted suns rather than a breathing woman who had numbered
the years as they passed and had a consciousness within her which was the slow
deposit of those ceaseless rolling years
Denner with all her ingrained and systematic reserve could not help
showing signs that she was startled when peering from between her halfclosed
eyelids she saw the motionless image in the mirror opposite to her as she
entered Her gentle opening of the door had not roused her mistress to whom the
sensations produced by Denners presence were as little disturbing as those of a
favourite cat But the slight cry and the start reflected in the glass were
unusual enough to break the reverie Mrs Transome moved leaned back in her
chair and said
»So youre come at last Denner«
»Yes madam it is not late Im sorry you should have undone your hair
yourself«
»I undid it to see what an old hag I am These fine clothes you put on me
Denner are only a smart shroud«
»Pray dont talk so madam If theres anybody doesnt think it pleasant to
look at you so much the worse for them For my part Ive seen no young ones
fit to hold up your train Look at your likeness down below and though youre
older now what signifies I wouldnt be Letty in the scullery because shes got
red cheeks She maynt know shes a poor creature but I know it and thats
enough for me I know what sort of a dowdy draggletail shell be in ten years
time I would change with nobody madam And if troubles were put up to market
Id sooner buy old than new Its something to have seen the worst«
»A woman never has seen the worst till she is old Denner« said Mrs
Transome bitterly
The keen little waitingwoman was not clear as to the cause of her
mistresss added bitterness but she rarely brought herself to ask questions
when Mrs Transome did not authorise them by beginning to give her information
Banks the bailiff and the headservant had nodded and winked a good deal over
the certainty that Mr Harold was none so fond of Jermyn but this was a subject
on which Mrs Transome had never made up her mind to speak and Denner knew
nothing definite Again she felt quite sure that there was some important
secret connected with Esthers presence in the house she suspected that the
close Dominic knew the secret and was more trusted than she was in spite of
her forty years service but any resentment on this ground would have been an
entertained reproach against her mistress inconsistent with Denners creed and
character She inclined to the belief that Esther was the immediate cause of the
new discontent
»If theres anything worse coming to you I should like to know what it is
madam« she said after a moments silence speaking always in the same low
quick way and keeping up her quiet labours »When I awake at cockcrow Id
sooner have one real grief on my mind than twenty false Its better to know
youre robbed than to think ones going to be murdered«
»I believe you are the creature in the world that loves me best Denner yet
you will never understand what I suffered Its of no use telling you Theres
no folly in you and no heartache You are made of iron You have never had any
trouble«
»Ive had some of your trouble madam«
»Yes you good thing But as a sicknurse that never caught the fever You
never even had a child«
»I can feel for things I never went through I used to be sorry for the poor
French queen when I was young Id have lain cold for her to lie warm I know
people have feelings according to their birth and station And you always took
things to heart madam beyond anybody else But I hope theres nothing new to
make you talk of the worst«
»Yes Denner there is there is« said Mrs Transome speaking in a low
tone of misery while she bent for her headdress to be pinned on
»Is it this young lady«
»Why what do you think about her Denner« said Mrs Transome in a tone of
more spirit rather curious to hear what the old woman would say
»I dont deny shes graceful and she has a pretty smile and very good
manners its quite unaccountable by what Banks says about her father I know
nothing of those Treby townsfolk myself but for my part Im puzzled Im fond
of Mr Harold I always shall be madam I was at his bringing into the world
and nothing but his doing wrong by you would turn me against him But the
servants all say hes in love with Miss Lyon«
»I wish it were true Denner« said Mrs Transome energetically »I wish he
were in love with her so that she could master him and make him do what she
pleased«
»Then it is not true what they say«
»Not true that she will ever master him No woman ever will He will make
her fond of him and afraid of him Thats one of the things you have never gone
through Denner A womans love is always freezing into fear She wants
everything she is secure of nothing This girl has a fine spirit plenty of
fire and pride and wit Men like such captives as they like horses that champ
the bit and paw the ground they feel more triumph in their mastery What is the
use of a womans will if she tries she doesnt get it and she ceases to be
loved God was cruel when he made women«
Denner was used to such outbursts as this Her mistresss rhetoric and
temper belonged to her superior rank her grand person and her piercing black
eyes Mrs Transome had a sense of impiety in her words which made them all the
more tempting to her impotent anger The waitingwoman had none of that awe
which could be turned into defiance the Sacred Grove was a common thicket to
her
»It maynt be goodluck to be a woman« she said »But one begins with it
from a baby one gets used to it And I shouldnt like to be a man to cough so
loud and stand straddling about on a wet day and be so wasteful with meat and
drink Theyre a coarse lot I think Then I neednt make a trouble of this
young lady madam« she added after a moments pause
»No Denner I like her If that were all I should like Harold to marry
her It would be the best thing If the truth were known and it will be known
soon the estate is hers by law such law as it is Its a strange story
shes a Bycliffe really«
Denner did not look amazed but went on fastening her mistresss dress as
she said
»Well madam I was sure there was something wonderful at the bottom of it
And turning the old lawsuits and everything else over in my mind I thought the
law might have something to do with it Then she is a born lady«
»Yes she has good blood in her veins«
»We talked that over in the housekeepers room what a hand and an instep
she has and how her head is set on her shoulders almost like your own madam
But her lightish complexion spoils her to my thinking And Dominic said Mr
Harold never admired that sort of woman before Theres nothing that smooth
fellow couldnt tell you if he would he knows the answers to riddles before
theyre made However he knows how to hold his tongue Ill say that for him
And so do I madam«
»Yes yes you will not talk of it till other people are talking of it«
»And so if Mr Harold married her it would save all fuss and mischief«
»Yes about the estate«
»And he seems inclined and shell not refuse him Ill answer for it And
you like her madam Theres everything to set your mind at rest«
Denner was putting the finishingtouch to Mrs Transomes dress by throwing
an Indian scarf over her shoulders and so completing the contrast between the
majestic lady in costume and the dishevelled Hecubalike woman whom she had
found half an hour before
»I am not at rest« Mrs Transome said with slow distinctness moving from
the mirror to the window where the blind was not drawn down and she could see
the chill white landscape and the faroff unheeding stars
Denner more distressed by her mistresss suffering than she could have been
by anything else took up with the instinct of affection a gold vinaigrette
which Mrs Transome often liked to carry with her and going up to her put it
into her hand gently Mrs Transome grasped the little womans hand hard and
held it so
»Denner« she said in a low tone »if I could choose at this moment I
would choose that Harold should never have been born«
»Nay my dear« Denner had only once before in her life said »my dear« to
her mistress »it was a happiness to you then«
»I dont believe I felt the happiness then as I feel the misery now It is
foolish to say people cant feel much when they are getting old Not pleasure
perhaps little comes But they can feel they are forsaken why every fibre
in me seems to be a memory that makes a pang They can feel that all the love in
their lives is turned to hatred or contempt«
»Not mine madam not mine Let what would be I should want to live for
your sake for fear you should have nobody to do for you as I would«
»Ah then you are a happy woman Denner you have loved somebody for forty
years who is old and weak now and cant do without you«
The sound of the dinnergong resounded below and Mrs Transome let the
faithful hand fall again
Chapter 40
»Shes beautiful and therefore to be wooed
She is a woman therefore to be won«
Henry VI
If Denner had had a suspicion that Esthers presence at Transome Court was not
agreeable to her mistress it was impossible to entertain such a suspicion with
regard to the other members of the family Between her and little Harry there
was an extraordinary fascination This creature with the soft broad brown
cheeks low forehead great black eyes tiny welldefined nose fierce biting
tricks towards every person and thing he disliked and insistence on entirely
occupying those he liked was a human specimen such as Esther had never seen
before and she seemed to be equally original in Harrys experience At first
sight her light complexion and her blue gown probably also her sunny smile and
her hands stretched out towards him seemed to make a show for him as of a new
sort of bird he threw himself backward against his Gappa as he called old Mr
Transome and stared at this newcomer with the gravity of a wild animal But
she had no sooner sat down on the sofa in the library than he climbed up to her
and began to treat her as an attractive object in natural history snatched up
her curls with his brown fist and discovering that there was a little ear
under them pinched it and blew into it pulled at her coronet of plaits and
seemed to discover with satisfaction that it did not grow at the summit of her
head but could be dragged down and altogether undone Then finding that she
laughed tossed him back kissed and pretended to bite him in fact was an
animal that understood fun he rushed off and made Dominic bring a small
menagerie of whitemice squirrels and birds with Moro the black spaniel to
make her acquaintance Whomsoever Harry liked it followed that Mr Transome must
like Gappa along with Nimrod the retriever was part of the menagerie and
perhaps endured more than all the other live creatures in the way of being
tumbled about Seeing that Esther bore having her hair pulled down quite
merrily and that she was willing to be harnessed and beaten the old man began
to confide in her in his feeble smiling and rather jerking fashion Harrys
remarkable feats how he had one day when Gappa was asleep unpinned a whole
drawerful of beetles to see if they would fly away then disgusted with their
stupidity was about to throw them all on the ground and stamp on them when
Dominic came in and rescued these valuable specimens also how he had subtly
watched Mrs Transome at the cabinet where she kept her medicines and when she
had left it for a little while without locking it had gone to the drawers and
scattered half the contents on the floor But what old Mr Transome thought the
most wonderful proof of an almost preternatural cleverness was that Harry would
hardly ever talk but preferred making inarticulate noises or combining
syllables after a method of his own
»He can talk well enough if he likes« said Gappa evidently thinking that
Harry like the monkeys had deep reasons for his reticence
»You mind him« he added nodding at Esther and shaking with lowtoned
laughter »Youll hear he knows the right names of things well enough but he
likes to make his own Hell give you one all to yourself before long«
And when Harry seemed to have made up his mind distinctly that Esthers name
was Boo Mr Transome nodded at her with triumphant satisfaction and then told
her in a low whisper looking round cautiously beforehand that Harry would
never call Mrs Transome Gamma but always Bite
»Its wonderful« said he laughing slyly
The old man seemed so happy now in the new world created for him by Dominic
and Harry that he would perhaps have made a holocaust of his flies and beetles
if it had been necessary in order to keep this living lively kindness about
him He no longer confined himself to the library but shuffled along from room
to room staying and looking on at what was going forward wherever he did not
find Mrs Transome alone
To Esther the sight of this feebleminded timid paralytic man who had
long abdicated all mastery over the things that were his was something piteous
Certainly this had never been part of the furniture she had imagined for the
delightful aristocratic dwelling in her Utopia and the sad irony of such a lot
impressed her the more because in her father she was accustomed to age
accompanied with mental acumen and activity Her thoughts went back in
conjecture over the past life of Mr and Mrs Transome a couple so strangely
different from each other She found it impossible to arrange their existence in
the seclusion of this fine park and in this lofty largeroomed house where it
seemed quite ridiculous to be anything so small as a human being without
finding it rather dull Mr Transome had always had his beetles but Mrs Transome
It was not easy to conceive that the husband and wife had ever been very fond
of each other
Esther felt at her ease with Mrs Transome she was gratified by the
consciousness for on this point Esther was very quick that Mrs Transome
admired her and looked at her with satisfied eyes But when they were together
in the early days of her stay the conversation turned chiefly on what happened
in Mrs Transomes youth what she wore when she was presented at Court who
were the most distinguished and beautiful women at that time the terrible
excitement of the French Revolution the emigrants she had known and the
history of various titled members of the Lingon family And Esther from native
delicacy did not lead to more recent topics of a personal kind She was
copiously instructed that the Lingon family was better than that even of the
elder Transomes and was privileged with an explanation of the various
quarterings which proved that the Lingon blood had been continually enriched
Poor Mrs Transome with her secret bitterness and dread still found a flavour
in this sort of pride none the less because certain deeds of her own life had
been in fatal inconsistency with it Besides genealogies entered into her stock
of ideas and her talk on such subjects was as necessary as the notes of the
linnet or the blackbird She had no ultimate analysis of things that went beyond
blood and family the Herons of Fenshore or the Badgers of Hillbury She had
never seen behind the canvas with which her life was hung In the dim background
there was the burning mount and the tables of the law in the foreground there
was Lady Debarry privately gossiping about her and Lady Wyvern finally deciding
not to send her invitations to dinner Unlike that Semiramis who made laws to
suit her practical licence she lived poor soul in the midst of desecrated
sanctities and of honours that looked tarnished in the light of monotonous and
weary suns Glimpses of the Lingon heraldry in their freshness were interesting
to Esther but it occurred to her that when she had known about them a good
while they would cease to be succulent themes of converse or meditation and Mrs
Transome having known them all along might have felt a vacuum in spite of
them
Nevertheless it was entertaining at present to be seated on soft cushions
with her netting before her while Mrs Transome went on with her embroidery and
told in that easy phrase and with that refined highbred tone and accent which
she possessed in perfection family stories that to Esther were like so many
novelettes what diamonds were in the earls family own cousins to Mrs
Transome how poor Lady Saras husband went off into jealous madness only a
month after their marriage and dragged that sweet blueeyed thing by the hair
and how the brilliant Fanny having married a country parson became so
niggardly that she had gone about almost begging for fresh eggs from the
farmers wives though she had done very well with her six sons as there was a
bishop and no end of interest in the family and two of them got appointments in
India
At present Mrs Transome did not touch at all on her own time of privation
or her troubles with her eldest son or on anything that lay very close to her
heart She conversed with Esther and acted the part of hostess as she performed
her toilette and went on with her embroidery these things were to be done
whether one were happy or miserable Even the patriarch Job if he had been a
gentleman of the modern West would have avoided picturesque disorder and
poetical laments and the friends who called on him though not less disposed
than Bildad the Shuhite to hint that their unfortunate friend was in the wrong
would have sat on chairs and held their hats in their hands The harder problems
of our life have changed less than our manners we wrestle with the old sorrows
but more decorously Esthers inexperience prevented her from divining much
about this fine greyhaired woman whom she could not help perceiving to stand
apart from the family group as if there were some cause of isolation for her
both within and without To her young heart there was a peculiar interest in Mrs
Transome An elderly woman whose beauty position and graceful kindness
towards herself made deference to her spontaneous was a new figure in Esthers
experience Her quick light movement was always ready to anticipate what Mrs
Transome wanted her bright apprehension and silvery speech were always ready to
cap Mrs Transomes narratives or instructions even about doses and liniments
with some lively commentary She must have behaved charmingly for one day when
she had tripped across the room to put the screen just in the right place Mrs
Transome said taking her hand »My dear you make me wish I had a daughter«
That was pleasant and so it was to be decked by Mrs Transomes own hands in
a set of turquoise ornaments which became her wonderfully worn with a white
Cashmere dress which was also insisted on Esther never reflected that there
was a double intention in these pretty ways towards her with young generosity
she was rather preoccupied by the desire to prove that she herself entertained
no low triumph in the fact that she had rights prejudicial to this family whose
life she was learning And besides through all Mrs Transomes perfect manners
there pierced some indefinable indications of a hidden anxiety much deeper than
anything she could feel about this affair of the estate to which she often
alluded slightly as a reason for informing Esther of something It was
impossible to mistake her for a happy woman and young speculation is always
stirred by discontent for which there is no obvious cause When we are older we
take the uneasy eyes and the bitter lips more as a matter of course
But Harold Transome was more communicative about recent years than his
mother was He thought it well that Esther should know how the fortune of his
family had been drained by law expenses owing to suits mistakenly urged by her
family he spoke of his mothers lonely life and pinched circumstances of her
lack of comfort in her elder son and of the habit she had consequently acquired
of looking at the gloomy side of things He hinted that she had been accustomed
to dictate and that as he had left her when he was a boy she had perhaps
indulged the dream that he would come back a boy She was still sore on the
point of his politics These things could not be helped but so far as he
could he wished to make the rest of her life as cheerful as possible
Esther listened eagerly and took these things to heart The claim to an
inheritance the sudden discovery of a right to a fortune held by others was
acquiring a very distinct and unexpected meaning for her Every day she was
getting more clearly into her imagination what it would be to abandon her own
past and what she would enter into in exchange for it what it would be to
disturb a long possession and how difficult it was to fix a point at which the
disturbance might begin so as to be contemplated without pain
Harold Transomes thoughts turned on the same subject but accompanied by a
different state of feeling and with more definite resolutions He saw a mode of
reconciling all difficulties which looked pleasanter to him the longer he looked
at Esther When she had been hardly a week in the house he had made up his mind
to marry her and it had never entered into that mind that the decision did not
rest entirely with his inclination It was not that he thought slightly of
Esthers demands he saw that she would require considerable attractions to
please her and that there were difficulties to be overcome She was clearly a
girl who must be wooed but Harold did not despair of presenting the requisite
attractions and the difficulties gave more interest to the wooing than he could
have believed When he had said that he would not marry an Englishwoman he had
always made a mental reservation in favour of peculiar circumstances and now
the peculiar circumstances were come To be deeply in love was a catastrophe not
likely to happen to him but he was readily amorous No woman could make him
miserable but he was sensitive to the presence of women and was kind to them
not with grimaces like a man of mere gallantry but beamingly easily like a
man of genuine good And each day that he was near Esther the solution of all
difficulties by marriage became a more pleasing prospect though he had to
confess to himself that the difficulties did not diminish on a nearer view in
spite of the flattering sense that she brightened at his approach
Harold was not one to fail in a purpose for want of assiduity After an hour
or two devoted to business in the morning he went to look for Esther and if he
did not find her at play with Harry and old Mr Transome or chatting with his
mother he went into the drawingroom where she was usually either seated with
a book on her knee and making a bed for her cheek with one little hand while
she looked out of the window or else standing in front of one of the
fulllength family portraits with an air of rumination Esther found it
impossible to read in these days her life was a book which she seemed herself
to be constructing trying to make character clear before her and looking into
the ways of destiny
The active Harold had almost always something definite to propose by way of
filling the time if it were fine she must walk out with him and see the
grounds and when the snow melted and it was no longer slippery she must get on
horseback and learn to ride If they stayed indoors she must learn to play at
billiards or she must go over the house and see the pictures he had hung anew
or the costumes he had brought from the East or come into his study and look at
the map of the estate and hear what if it had remained in his family he had
intended to do in every corner of it in order to make the most of its
capabilities
About a certain time in the morning Esther had learned to expect him Let
every wooer make himself strongly expected he may succeed by dint of being
absent but hardly in the first instance One morning Harold found her in the
drawingroom leaning against a consol table and looking at the fulllength
portrait of a certain Lady Betty Transome who had lived a century and a half
before and had the usual charm of ladies in Sir Peter Lelys style
»Dont move pray« he said on entering »you look as if you were standing
for your own portrait«
»I take that as an insinuation« said Esther laughing and moving towards
her seat on an ottoman near the fire »for I notice almost all the portraits are
in a conscious affected attitude That fair Lady Betty looks as if she had been
drilled into that posture and had not will enough of her own ever to move again
unless she had a little push given to her«
»She brightens up that panel well with her long satin skirt« said Harold
as he followed Esther »but alive I daresay she would have been less cheerful
company«
»One would certainly think that she had just been unpacked from silver
paper Ah how chivalrous you are« said Esther as Harold kneeling on one
knee held her silken nettingstirrup for her to put her foot through She had
often fancied pleasant scenes in which such homage was rendered to her and the
homage was not disagreeable now it was really come but strangely enough a
little darting sensation at that moment was accompanied by the vivid remembrance
of some one who had never paid the least attention to her foot There had been a
slight blush such as often came and went rapidly and she was silent a moment
Harold naturally believed that it was he himself who was filling the field of
vision He would have liked to place himself on the ottoman near Esther and
behave very much more like a lover but he took a chair opposite to her at a
circumspect distance He dared not do otherwise Along with Esthers playful
charm she conveyed an impression of personal pride and high spirit which warned
Harolds acuteness that in the delicacy of their present position he might
easily make a false move and offend her A woman was likely to be credulous
about adoration and to find no difficulty in referring it to her intrinsic
attractions but Esther was too dangerously quick and critical not to discern
the least awkwardness that looked like offering her marriage as a convenient
compromise for himself Beforehand he might have said that such characteristics
as hers were not lovable in a woman but as it was he found that the hope of
pleasing her had a piquancy quite new to him
»I wonder« said Esther breaking her silence in her usual light silvery
tones »I wonder whether the woman who looked in that way ever felt any
troubles I see there are two old ones upstairs in the billiardroom who have
only got fat the expression of their faces is just of the same sort«
»A woman ought never to have any trouble There should always be a man to
guard her from it« Harold Transome was masculine and fallible he had
incautiously sat down this morning to pay his addresses by talk about nothing in
particular and clever experienced man as he was he fell into nonsense
»But suppose the man himself got into trouble you would wish her to mind
about that Or suppose« added Esther suddenly looking up merrily at Harold
»the man himself was troublesome«
»O you must not strain probabilities in that way The generality of men are
perfect Take me for example«
»You are a perfect judge of sauces« said Esther who had her triumphs in
letting Harold know that she was capable of taking notes
»That is perfection number one Pray go on«
»O the catalogue is too long I should be tired before I got to your
magnificent ruby ring and your gloves always of the right colour«
»If you would let me tell you your perfections I should not be tired«
»That is not complimentary it means that the list is short«
»No it means that the list is pleasant to dwell upon«
»Pray dont begin« said Esther with her pretty toss of the head »it would
be dangerous to our good understanding The person I liked best in the world was
one who did nothing but scold me and tell me of my faults«
When Esther began to speak she meant to do no more than make a remote
unintelligible allusion feeling it must be owned a naughty will to flirt and
be saucy and thwart Harolds attempts to be felicitous in compliment But she
had no sooner uttered the words than they seemed to her like a confession A
deep flush spread itself over her face and neck and the sense that she was
blushing went on deepening her colour Harold felt himself unpleasantly
illuminated as to a possibility that had never yet occurred to him His surprise
made an uncomfortable pause in which Esther had time to feel much vexation
»You speak in the past tense« said Harold at last »yet I am rather
envious of that person I shall never be able to win your regard in the same
way Is it any one at Treby Because in that case I can inquire about your
faults«
»O you know I have always lived among grave people« said Esther more able
to recover herself now she was spoken to »Before I came home to be with my
father I was nothing but a schoolgirl first and then a teacher in different
stages of growth People in those circumstances are not usually flattered But
there are varieties in faultfinding At our Paris school the master I liked
best was an old man who stormed at me terribly when I read Racine but yet
showed that he was proud of me«
Esther was getting quite cool again But Harold was not entirely satisfied
if there was any obstacle in his way he wished to know exactly what it was
»That must have been a wretched life for you at Treby« he said »a person
of your accomplishments«
»I used to be dreadfully discontented« said Esther much occupied with
mistakes she had made in her netting »But I was becoming less so I have had
time to get rather wise you know I am twoandtwenty«
»Yes« said Harold rising and walking a few paces backwards and forwards
»you are past your majority you are empress of your own fortunes and more
besides«
»Dear me« said Esther letting her work fall and leaning back against the
cushions »I dont think I know very well what to do with my empire«
»Well« said Harold pausing in front of her leaning one arm on the
mantelpiece and speaking very gravely »I hope that in any case since you
appear to have no near relative who understands affairs you will confide in me
and trust me with all your intentions as if I had no other personal concern in
the matter than a regard for you I hope you believe me capable of acting as the
guardian of your interest even where it turns out to be inevitably opposed to
my own«
»I am sure you have given me reason to believe it« said Esther with
seriousness putting out her hand to Harold She had not been left in ignorance
that he had had opportunities twice offered of stifling her claims
Harold raised the hand to his lips but dared not retain it more than an
instant Still the sweet reliance in Esthers manner made an irresistible
temptation to him After standing still a moment or two while she bent over her
work he glided to the ottoman and seated himself close by her looking at her
busy hands
»I see you have made mistakes in your work« he said bending still nearer
for he saw that she was conscious yet not angry
»Nonsense you know nothing about it« said Esther laughing and crushing
up the soft silk under her palms »Those blunders have a design in them«
She looked round and saw a handsome face very near her Harold was looking
as he felt thoroughly enamoured of this bright woman who was not at all to his
preconceived taste Perhaps a touch of hypothetic jealousy now helped to
heighten the effect But he mastered all indiscretion and only looked at her as
he said
»I am wondering whether you have any deep wishes and secrets that I cant
guess«
»Pray dont speak of my wishes« said Esther quite overmastered by this new
and apparently involuntary manifestation in Harold »I could not possibly tell
you one at this moment I think I shall never find them out again O yes« she
said abruptly struggling to relieve herself from the oppression of
unintelligible feelings »I do know one wish distinctly I want to go and see
my father He writes me word that all is well with him but still I want to see
him«
»You shall be driven there when you like«
»May I go now I mean as soon as it is convenient« said Esther rising
»I will give the order immediately if you wish it« said Harold
understanding that the audience was broken up
Chapter 41
He rates me as a merchant does the wares
He will not purchase »quality not high
Twill lose its colour opened to the sun
Has no aroma and in fine is naught
I barter not for such commodities
There is no ratio betwixt sand and gems«
Tis wicked judgment for the soul can grow
As embryos that live and move but blindly
Burst from the dark emerge regenerate
And lead a life of vision and of choice
Esther did not take the carriage into Malthouse Lane but left it to wait for
her outside the town and when she entered the house she put her finger on her
lip to Lyddy and ran lightly upstairs She wished to surprise her father by this
visit and she succeeded The little minister was just then almost surrounded by
a wall of books with merely his head peeping above them being much embarrassed
to find a substitute for tables and desks on which to arrange the volumes he
kept open for reference He was absorbed in mastering all those painstaking
interpretations of the Book of Daniel which are by this time well gone to the
limbo of mistaken criticism and Esther as she opened the door softly heard
him rehearsing aloud a passage in which he declared with some parenthetic
provisoes that he conceived not how a perverse ingenuity could blunt the edge
of prophetic explicitness or how an open mind could fail to see in the
chronology of the little horn the resplendent lamp of an inspired symbol
searching out the germinal growth of an antichristian power
»You will not like me to interrupt you father« said Esther slyly
»Ah my beloved child« he exclaimed upsetting a pile of books and thus
unintentionally making a convenient breach in his wall through which Esther
could get up to him and kiss him »Thy appearing is as a joy despaired of I had
thought of thee as the blinded think of the daylight which indeed is a thing
to rejoice in like all other good though we see it not nigh«
»Are you sure you have been as well and comfortable as you said you were in
your letters« said Esther seating herself close in front of her father and
laying her hand on his shoulder
»I wrote truly my dear according to my knowledge at the time But to an
old memory like mine the present days are but as a little water poured on the
deep It seems now that all has been as usual except my studies which have
gone somewhat curiously into prophetic history But I fear you will rebuke me
for my negligent apparel« said the little man feeling in front of Esthers
brightness like a bat overtaken by the morning
»That is Lyddys fault who sits crying over her want of Christian assurance
instead of brushing your clothes and putting out your clean cravat She is
always saying her righteousness is filthy rags and really I dont think that is
a very strong expression for it Im sure it is dusty clothes and furniture«
»Nay my dear your playfulness glances too severely on our faithful Lyddy
Doubtless I am myself deficient in that I do not aid her infirm memory by
admonition But now tell me aught that you have left untold about yourself Your
heart has gone out somewhat towards this family the old man and the child
whom I had not reckoned of«
»Yes father It is more and more difficult to me to see how I can make up
my mind to disturb these people at all«
»Something should doubtless be devised to lighten the loss and the change to
the aged father and mother I would have you in any case seek to temper a
vicissitude which is nevertheless a providential arrangement not to be wholly
set aside«
»Do you think father do you feel assured that a case of inheritance like
this of mine is a sort of providential arrangement that makes a command«
»I have so held it« said Mr Lyon solemnly »in all my meditations I have
so held it For you have to consider my dear that you have been led by a
peculiar path and into experience which is not ordinarily the lot of those who
are seated in high places and what I have hinted to you already in my letters
on this head I shall wish on a future opportunity to enter into more at large«
Esther was uneasily silent On this great question of her lot she saw doubts
and difficulties in which it seemed as if her father could not help her There
was no illumination for her in this theory of providential arrangement She said
suddenly what she had not thought of at all suddenly
»Have you been again to see Felix Holt father You have not mentioned him
in your letters«
»I have been since I last wrote my dear and I took his mother with me
who I fear made the time heavy to him with her plaints But afterwards I
carried her away to the house of a brother minister of Loamford and returned to
Felix and then we had much discourse«
»Did you tell him of everything that has happened I mean about me about
the Transomes«
»Assuredly I told him and he listened as one astonished For he had much to
hear knowing nought of your birth and that you had any other father than Rufus
Lyon Tis a narrative I trust I shall not be called on to give to others but I
was not without satisfaction in unfolding the truth to this young man who hath
wrought himself into my affection strangely I would fain hope for ends that
will be a visible good in his less wayworn life when mine shall be no longer«
»And you told him how the Transomes had come and that I was staying at
Transome Court«
»Yes I told these things with some particularity as is my wont concerning
what hath imprinted itself on my mind«
»What did Felix say«
»Truly my dear nothing desirable to recite« said Mr Lyon rubbing his
hand over his brow
»Dear father he did say something and you always remember what people say
Pray tell me I want to know«
»It was a hasty remark and rather escaped him than was consciously framed
He said Then she will marry Transome that is what Transome means«
»That was all« said Esther turning rather pale and biting her lip with
the determination that the tears should not start
»Yes we did not go further into that branch of the subject I apprehend
there is no warrant for his seeming prognostic and I should not be without
disquiet if I thought otherwise For I confess that in your accession to this
great position and property I contemplate with hopeful satisfaction your
remaining attached to that body of congregational Dissent which as I hold
hath retained most of pure and primitive discipline Your education and peculiar
history would thus be seen to have coincided with a long train of events in
making this family property a means of honouring and illustrating a purer form
of Christianity than that which hath unhappily obtained the preeminence in this
land I speak my child as you know always in the hope that you will fully
join our communion and this dear wish of my heart nay this urgent prayer
would seem to be frustrated by your marriage with a man of whom there is at
least no visible indication that he would unite himself to our body«
If Esther had been less agitated she would hardly have helped smiling at
the picture her fathers words suggested of Harold Transome joining the church
in Malthouse Yard But she was too seriously preoccupied with what Felix had
said which hurt her in a twoedged fashion that was highly significant First
she was angry with him for daring to say positively whom she would marry
secondly she was angry at the implication that there was from the first a cool
deliberate design in Harold Transome to marry her Esther said to herself that
she was quite capable of discerning Harold Transomes disposition and judging
of his conduct She felt sure he was generous and open It did not lower him in
her opinion that since circumstances had brought them together he evidently
admired her was in love with her in short desired to marry her and she
thought that she discerned the delicacy which hindered him from being more
explicit There is no point on which young women are more easily piqued than
this of their sufficiency to judge the men who make love to them And Esthers
generous nature delighted to believe in generosity All these thoughts were
making a tumult in her mind while her father was suggesting the radiance her lot
might cast on the cause of congregational Dissent She heard what he said and
remembered it afterwards but she made no reply at present and chose rather to
start up in search of a brush an action which would seem to her father quite a
usual sequence with her It served the purpose of diverting him from a lengthy
subject
»Have you yet spoken with Mr Transome concerning Mistress Holt my dear« he
said as Esther was moving about the room »I hinted to him that you would best
decide how assistance should be tendered to her«
»No father we have not approached the subject Mr Transome may have
forgotten it and for several reasons I would rather not talk of this of
money matters to him at present There is money due to me from the Lukyns and
the Pendrells«
»They have paid it« said Mr Lyon opening his desk »I have it here ready
to deliver to you«
»Keep it father and pay Mrs Holts rent with it and do anything else that
is wanted for her We must consider everything temporary now« said Esther
enveloping her father in a towel and beginning to brush his auburn fringe of
hair while he shut his eyes in preparation for this pleasant passivity
»Everything is uncertain what may become of Felix what may become of us all
O dear« she went on changing suddenly to laughing merriment »I am beginning
to talk like Lyddy I think«
»Truly« said Mr Lyon smiling »the uncertainty of things is a text rather
too wide and obvious for fruitful application and to discourse of it is as one
might say to bottle up the air and make a present of it to those who are
already standing out of doors«
»Do you think« said Esther in the course of their chat »that the Treby
people know at all about the reasons of my being at Transome Court«
»I have had no sign thereof and indeed there is no one as it appears who
could make the story public The man Christian is away in London with Mr
Debarry parliament now beginning and Mr Jermyn would doubtless respect the
confidence of the Transomes I have not seen him lately I know nothing of his
movements And so far as my own speech is concerned and my strict command to
Lyddy I have withheld the means of information even as to your having returned
to Transome Court in the carriage not wishing to give any occasion to
solicitous questioning till time hath somewhat inured me But it hath got abroad
that you are there and is the subject of conjectures whereof I imagine the
chief is that you are gone as companion to Mistress Transome for some of our
friends have already hinted a rebuke to me that I should permit your taking a
position so little likely to further your spiritual welfare«
»Now father I think I shall be obliged to run away from you not to keep
the carriage too long« said Esther as she finished her reforms in the
ministers toilette »You look beautiful now and I must give Lyddy a little
lecture before I go«
»Yes my dear I would not detain you seeing that my duties demand me But
take with you this Treatise which I have purposely selected It concerns all
the main questions between ourselves and the establishment government
discipline statesupport It is seasonable that you should give a nearer
attention to these polemics lest you be drawn aside by the fallacious
association of a state church with elevated rank«
Esther chose to take the volume submissively rather than to adopt the
ungraceful sincerity of saying that she was unable at present to give her mind
to the original functions of a bishop or the comparative merit of endowments
and voluntaryism But she did not run her eyes over the pages during her
solitary drive to get a foretaste of the argument for she was entirely occupied
with Felix Holts prophecy that she would marry Harold Transome
Chapter 42
»Thou sayst it and not I for thou hast done
The ugly deed that made these ugly words«
Sophocles Electra
»Yea it becomes a man
To cherish memory where he had delight
For kindness is the natural birth of kindness
Whose soul records not the great debt of joy
Is stamped for ever an ignoble man«
Sophocles Ajax
It so happened that on the morning of the day when Esther went to see her
father Jermyn had not yet heard of her presence at Transome Court One fact
conducing to keep him in this ignorance was that some days after his critical
interview with Harold days during which he had been wondering how long it
would be before Harold made up his mind to sacrifice the luxury of satisfied
anger for the solid advantage of securing fortune and position he was
peremptorily called away by business to the south of England and was obliged to
inform Harold by letter of his absence He took care also to notify his return
but Harold made no sign in reply The days passed without bringing him any
gossip concerning Esthers visit for such gossip was almost confined to Mr
Lyons congregation her Church pupils Miss Louisa Jermyn among them having
been satisfied by her fathers written statement that she was gone on a visit of
uncertain duration But on this day of Esthers call in Malthouse Yard the Miss
Jermyns in their walk saw her getting into the Transomes carriage which they
had previously observed to be waiting and which they now saw bowled along on
the road towards Little Treby It followed that only a few hours later the news
reached the astonished ears of Matthew Jermyn
Entirely ignorant of those converging indications and small links of
incident which had raised Christians conjectures and had gradually contributed
to put him in possession of the facts ignorant too of some busy motives in the
mind of his obliged servant Johnson Jermyn was not likely to see at once how
the momentous information that Esther was the surviving Bycliffe could possibly
have reached Harold His daughters naturally leaped as others had done to the
conclusion that the Transomes seeking a governess for little Harry had had
their choice directed to Esther and observed that they must have attracted her
by a high salary to induce her to take charge of such a small pupil though of
course it was important that his English and French should be carefully attended
to from the first Jermyn hearing this suggestion was not without a momentary
hope that it might be true and that Harold was still safely unconscious of
having under the same roof with him the legal claimant of the family estate
But a mind in the grasp of a terrible anxiety is not credulous of easy
solutions The one stay that bears up our hopes is sure to appear frail and if
looked at long will seem to totter Too much depended on that unconsciousness of
Harolds and although Jermyn did not see the course of things that could have
disclosed and combined the various items of knowledge which he had imagined to
be his own secret and therefore his safeguard he saw quite clearly what was
likely to be the result of the disclosure Not only would Harold Transome be no
longer afraid of him but also by marrying Esther and Jermyn at once felt sure
of this issue he would be triumphantly freed from my unpleasant consequences
and could pursue much at his ease the gratification of ruining Matthew Jermyn
The prevision of an enemys triumphant ease is in any case sufficiently
irritating to hatred and there were reasons why it was peculiarly exasperating
here but Jermyn had not the leisure now for mere fruitless emotion he had to
think of a possible device which might save him from imminent ruin not an
indefinite adversity but a ruin in detail which his thoughts painted out with
the sharpest ugliest intensity A man of sixty with an unsuspicious wife and
daughters capable of shrieking and fainting at a sudden revelation and of
looking at him reproachfully in their daily misery under a shabby lot to which
he had reduced them with a mind and with habits dried hard by the years with
no glimpse of an endurable standingground except where he could domineer and be
prosperous according to the ambitions of pushing middleclass gentility such
a man is likely to find the prospect of worldly ruin ghastly enough to drive him
to the most uninviting means of escape He will probably prefer any private
scorn that will save him from public infamy or that will leave him money in his
pocket to the humiliation and hardship of new servitude in old age a shabby
hat and a melancholy hearth where the firing must be used and the women look
sad But though a man may be willing to escape through a sewer a sewer with an
outlet into the dry air is not always at hand Running away especially when
spoken of as absconding seems at a distance to offer a good modern substitute
for the right of sanctuary but seen closely it is often found inconvenient and
scarcely possible
Jermyn on thoroughly considering his position saw that he had no very
agreeable resources at command But he soon made up his mind what he would do
next He wrote to Mrs Transome requesting her to appoint an hour in which he
could see her privately he knew she would understand that it was to be an hour
when Harold was not at home As he sealed the letter he indulged a faint hope
that in this interview he might be assured of Esthers birth being unknown at
Transome Court but in the worst case perhaps some help might be found in Mrs
Transome To such uses may tender relations come when they have ceased to be
tender The Hazaels of our world who are pushed on quickly against their
preconceived confidence in themselves to do doglike actions by the sudden
suggestion of a wicked ambition are much fewer than those who are led on
through the years by the gradual demands of a selfishness which has spread its
fibres far and wide through the intricate vanities and sordid cares of an
everyday existence
In consequence of that letter to Mrs Transome Jermyn was two days
afterwards ushered into the smaller drawing room at Transome Court It was a
charming little room in its refurbished condition it had two pretty inlaid
cabinets great china vases with contents that sent forth odours of paradise
groups of flowers in oval frames on the walls and Mrs Transomes own portrait
in the evening costume of 1800 with a garden in the background That brilliant
young woman looked smilingly down on Mr Jermyn as he passed in front of the
fire and at present hers was the only gaze in the room He could not help
meeting the gaze as he waited holding his hat behind him could not help
seeing many memories lit up by it but the strong bent of his mind was to go on
arguing each memory into a claim and to see in the regard others had for him a
merit of his own There had been plenty of roads open to him when he was a young
man perhaps if he had not allowed himself to be determined chiefly of course
by the feelings of others for of what effect would his own feelings have been
without them into the road he actually took he might have done better for
himself At any rate he was likely at last to get the worst of it and it was
he who had most reason to complain The fortunate Jason as we know from
Euripides piously thanked the goddess and saw clearly that he was not at all
obliged to Medea Jermyn was perhaps not aware of the precedent but thought out
his own freedom from obligation and the indebtedness of others towards him with
a native faculty not inferior to Jasons
Before three minutes had passed however as if by some sorcery the
brilliant smiling young woman above the mantelpiece seemed to be appearing at
the doorway withered and frosted by many winters and with lips and eyes from
which the smile had departed Jermyn advanced and they shook hands but neither
of them said anything by way of greeting Mrs Transome seated herself and
pointed to a chair opposite and near her
»Harold has gone to Loamford« she said in a subdued tone »You had
something particular to say to me«
»Yes« said Jermyn with his soft and deferential air »The last time I was
here I could not take the opportunity of speaking to you But I am anxious to
know whether you are aware of what has passed between me and Harold«
»Yes he has told me everything«
»About his proceedings against me and the reason he stopped them«
»Yes have you had notice that he has begun them again«
»No« said Jermyn with a very unpleasant sensation
»Of course he will now« said Mrs Transome »There is no reason in his mind
why he should not«
»Has he resolved to risk the estate then«
»He feels in no danger on that score And if there were the danger doesnt
depend on you The most likely thing is that he will marry this girl«
»He knows everything then« said Jermyn the expression of his face getting
clouded
»Everything Its of no use for you to think of mastering him you cant do
it I used to wish Harold to be fortunate and he is fortunate« said Mrs
Transome with intense bitterness »Its not my star that he inherits«
»Do you know how he came by the information about this girl«
»No but she knew it all before we spoke to her Its no secret«
Jermyn was confounded by this hopeless frustration to which he had no key
Though he thought of Christian the thought shed no light but the more fatal
point was clear he held no secret that could help him
»You are aware that these Chancery proceedings may ruin me«
»He told me they would But if you are imagining that I can do anything
dismiss the notion I have told him as plainly as I dare that I wish him to drop
all public quarrel with you and that you could make an arrangement without
scandal I can do no more He will not listen to me he doesnt mind about my
feelings He cares more for Mr Transome than he does for me He will not listen
to me any more than if I were an old balladsinger«
»Its very hard on me I know« said Jermyn in the tone with which a man
flings out a reproach
»I besought you three months ago to bear anything rather than quarrel with
him«
»I have not quarrelled with him It is he who has been always seeking a
quarrel with me I have borne a good deal more than any one else would He set
his teeth against me from the first«
»He saw things that annoyed him and men are not like women« said Mrs
Transome There was a bitter innuendo in that truism
»Its very hard on me I know that« said Jermyn with an intensification
of his previous tone rising and walking a step or two then turning and laying
his hand on the back of the chair »Of course the law in this case cant in the
least represent the justice of the matter I made a good many sacrifices in
times past I gave up a great deal of fine business for the sake of attending to
the family affairs and in that lawsuit they would have gone to rack and ruin if
it hadnt been for me«
He moved away again laid down his hat which he had been previously
holding and thrust his hands into his pockets as he returned Mrs Transome sat
motionless as marble and almost as pale Her hands lay crossed on her knees
This man young slim and graceful with a selfishness which then took the form
of homage to her had at one time kneeled to her and kissed those hands
fervently and she had thought there was a poetry in such passion beyond any to
be found in everyday domesticity
»I stretched my conscience a good deal in that affair of Bycliffe as you
know perfectly well I told you everything at the time I told you I was very
uneasy about those witnesses and about getting him thrown into prison I know
its the blackest thing anybody could charge me with if they knew my life from
beginning to end and I should never have done it if I had not been under an
infatuation such as makes a man do anything What did it signify to me about the
loss of the lawsuit I was a young bachelor I had the world before me«
»Yes« said Mrs Transome in a low tone »It was a pity you didnt make
another choice«
»What would have become of you« said Jermyn carried along a climax like
other selfjustifiers »I had to think of you You would not have liked me to
make another choice then«
»Clearly« said Mrs Transome with concentrated bitterness but still
quietly »the greater mistake was mine«
Egoism is usually stupid in a dialogue but Jermyns did not make him so
stupid that he did not feel the edge of Mrs Transomes words They increased his
irritation
»I hardly see that« he replied with a slight laugh of scorn »You had an
estate and a position to save to go no further I remember very well what you
said to me A clever lawyer can do anything if he has the will if its
impossible he will make it possible And the property is sure to be Harolds
some day He was a baby then«
»I remember most things a little too well you had better say at once what
is your object in recalling them«
»An object that is nothing more than justice With the relation I stood in
it was not likely I should think myself bound by all the forms that are made to
bind strangers I had often immense trouble to raise the money necessary to pay
off debts and carry on the affairs and as I said before I had given up other
lines of advancement which would have been open to me if I had not stayed in
this neighbourhood at a critical time when I was fresh to the world Anybody who
knew the whole circumstances would say that my being hunted and run down on the
score of my past transactions with regard to the family affairs is an
abominably unjust and unnatural thing«
Jermyn paused a moment and then added »At my time of life and with a
family about me and after what has passed I should have thought there was
nothing you would care more to prevent«
»I do care It makes me miserable That is the extent of my power to feel
miserable«
»No it is not the extent of your power You could save me if you would It
is not to be supposed that Harold would go on against me if he knew the
whole truth«
Jermyn had sat down before he uttered the last words He had lowered his
voice slightly He had the air of one who thought that he had prepared the way
for an understanding That a man with so much sharpness with so much suavity at
command a man who piqued himself on his persuasiveness towards women should
behave just as Jermyn did on this occasion would be surprising but for the
constant experience that temper and selfish insensibility will defeat excellent
gifts will make a sensible person shout when shouting is out of place and
will make a polished man rude when his polish might be of eminent use to him
As Jermyn sitting down and leaning forward with an elbow on his knee
uttered his last words »if he knew the whole truth« a slight shock seemed to
pass through Mrs Transomes hitherto motionless body followed by a sudden light
in her eyes as in an animals about to spring
»And you expect me to tell him« she said not loudly but yet with a clear
metallic ring in her voice
»Would it not be right for him to know« said Jermyn in a more bland and
persuasive tone than he had yet used
Perhaps some of the most terrible irony of the human lot is this of a deep
truth coming to be uttered by lips that have no right to it
»I will never tell him« said Mrs Transome starting up her whole frame
thrilled with a passion that seemed almost to make her young again Her hands
hung beside her clenched tightly her eyes and lips lost the helpless repressed
bitterness of discontent and seemed suddenly fed with energy »You reckon up
your sacrifices for me you have kept a good account of them and it is needful
they are some of them what no one else could guess or find out But you made
your sacrifices when they seemed pleasant to you when you told me they were
your happiness when you told me that it was I who stooped and I who bestowed
favours«
Jermyn rose too and laid his hand on the back of the chair He had grown
visibly paler but seemed about to speak
»Dont speak« Mrs Transome said peremptorily »Dont open your lips again
You have said enough I will speak now I have made sacrifices too but it was
when I knew that they were not my happiness It was after I saw that I had
stooped after I saw that your tenderness had turned into calculation after I
saw that you cared for yourself only and not for me I heard your explanations
of your duty in life of our mutual reputation of a virtuous young lady
attached to you I bore it I let everything go I shut my eyes I might almost
have let myself starve rather than have scenes of quarrel with the man I had
loved in which I must accuse him of turning my love into a good bargain« There
was a slight tremor in Mrs Transomes voice in the last words and for a moment
she paused but when she spoke again it seemed as if the tremor had frozen into
a cutting icicle »I suppose if a lover picked ones pocket theres no woman
would like to own it I dont say I was not afraid of you I was afraid of you
and I know now I was right«
»Mrs Transome« said Jermyn white to the lips »it is needless to say more
I withdraw any words that have offended you«
»You cant withdraw them Can a man apologise for being a dastard And I
have caused you to strain your conscience have I it is I who have sullied
your purity I should think the demons have more honour they are not so
impudent to one another I would not lose the misery of being a woman now I see
what can be the baseness of a man One must be a man first to tell a woman
that her love has made her your debtor and then ask her to pay you by breaking
the last poor threads between her and her son«
»I do not ask it« said Jermyn with a certain asperity He was beginning to
find this intolerable The mere brute strength of a masculine creature rebelled
He felt almost inclined to throttle the voice out of this woman
»You do ask it it is what you would like I have had a terror on me lest
evil should happen to you From the first after Harold came home I had a
horrible dread It seemed as if murder might come between you I didnt know
what I felt the horror of his not knowing the truth I might have been dragged
at last by my own feeling by my own memory to tell him all and make him as
well as myself miserable to save you«
Again there was a slight tremor as if at the remembrance of womanly
tenderness and pity But immediately she launched forth again
»But now you have asked me I will never tell him Be ruined no do
something more dastardly to save yourself If I sinned my judgment went
beforehand that I should sin for a man like you«
Swiftly upon those last words Mrs Transome passed out of the room The
softlypadded door closed behind her making no noise and Jermyn found himself
alone
For a brief space he stood still Human beings in moments of passionate
reproach and denunciation especially when their anger is on their own account
are never so wholly in the right that the person who has to wince cannot
possibly protest against some unreasonableness or unfairness in their outburst
And if Jermyn had been capable of feeling that he had thoroughly merited this
infliction he would not have uttered the words that drew it down on him Men do
not become penitent and learn to abhor themselves by having their backs cut open
with the lash rather they learn to abhor the lash What Jermyn felt about Mrs
Transome when she disappeared was that she was a furious woman who would not
do what he wanted her to do And he was supported as to his justifiableness by
the inward repetition of what he had already said to her it was right that
Harold should know the truth He did not take into account how should he the
exasperation and loathing excited by his daring to urge the plea of right A man
who had stolen the pyx and got frightened when justice was at his heels might
feel the sort of penitence which would induce him to run back in the dark and
lay the pyx where the sexton might find it but if in doing so he whispered to
the Blessed Virgin that he was moved by considering the sacredness of all
property and the peculiar sacredness of the pyx it is not to be believed that
she would like him the better for it Indeed one often seems to see why the
saints should prefer candles to words especially from penitents whose skin is
in danger Some salt of generosity would have made Jermyn conscious that he had
lost the citizenship which authorised him to plead the right still more that
his selfvindication to Mrs Transome would be like the exhibition of a
brandmark and only show that he was shameproof There is heroism even in the
circles of hell for fellowsinners who cling to each other in the fiery
whirlwind and never recriminate But these things which are easy to discern
when they are painted for us on the large canvas of poetic story become
confused and obscure even for wellread gentlemen when their affection for
themselves is alarmed by pressing details of actual experience If their
comparison of instances is active at such times it is chiefly in showing them
that their own case has subtle distinctions from all other cases which should
free them from unmitigated condemnation
And it was in this way with Matthew Jermyn So many things were more
distinctly visible to him and touched him more acutely than the effect of his
acts or words on Mrs Transomes feelings In fact he asked with a touch of
something that makes us all akin was it not preposterous this excess of
feeling on points which he himself did not find powerfully moving She had
treated him most unreasonably It would have been right for her to do what he
had not asked but only hinted at in a mild and interrogatory manner But the
clearest and most unpleasant result of the interview was that this right thing
which he desired so much would certainly not be done for him by Mrs Transome
As he was moving his arm from the chairback and turning to take his hat
there was a boisterous noise in the entrancehall the door of the small
drawingroom which had closed without latching was pushed open and old Mr
Transome appeared with a face of feeble delight playing horse to little Harry
who roared and flogged behind him while Moro yapped in a puppy voice at their
heels But when Mr Transome saw Jermyn in the room he stood still in the
doorway as if he did not know whether entrance were permissible The majority
of his thoughts were but ravelled threads of the past The attorney came forward
to shake hands with due politeness but the old man said with a bewildered
look and in a hesitating way
»Mr Jermyn why why where is Mrs Transome«
Jermyn smiled his way out past the unexpected group and little Harry
thinking he had an eligible opportunity turned round to give a parting stroke
on the strangers coattails
Chapter 43
»Whichever way my days decline
I felt and feel though left alone
His being working in mine own
The footsteps of his life in mine
Dear friend far off my lost desire
So far so near in woe and weal
O loved the most when most I feel
There is a lower and a higher«
Tennyson In Memoriam
After that morning on which Esther found herself reddened and confused by the
sense of having made a distant allusion to Felix Holt she felt it impossible
that she should even as she had sometimes intended speak of him explicitly to
Harold in order to discuss the probabilities as to the issue of his trial She
was certain she could not do it without betraying emotion and there were very
complex reasons in Esthers mind why she could not bear that Harold should
detect her sensibility on this subject It was not only all the fibres of
maidenly pride and reserve of a bashfulness undefinably peculiar towards this
man who while much older than herself and bearing the stamp of an experience
quite hidden from her imagination was taking strongly the aspect of a lover
it was not only this exquisite kind of shame which was at work within her there
was another sort of susceptibility in Esther which her present circumstances
tended to encourage though she had come to regard it as not at all lofty but
rather as something which condemned her to littleness in comparison with a mind
she had learned to venerate She knew quite well that to Harold Transome Felix
Holt was one of the common people who could come into question in no other than
a public light She had a native capability for discerning that the sense of
ranks and degrees has its repulsions corresponding to the repulsions dependent
on difference of race and colour and she remembered her own impressions too
well not to foresee that it would come on Harold Transome as a shock if he
suspected there had been any lovepassages between her and this young man who
to him was of course no more than any other intelligent member of the working
class »To him« said Esther to herself with a reaction of her newer better
pride »who has not had the sort of intercourse in which Felix Holts cultured
nature would have asserted its superiority« And in her fluctuations on this
matter she found herself mentally protesting that whatever Harold might think
there was a light in which he was vulgar compared with Felix Felix had ideas
and motives which she did not believe that Harold could understand More than
all there was this test she herself had no sense of inferiority and just
subjection when she was with Harold Transome there were even points in him for
which she felt a touch not of angry but of playful scorn whereas with Felix
she had always a sense of dependence and possible illumination In those large
grave candid grey eyes of his love seemed something that belonged to the high
enthusiasm of life such as might now be for ever shut out from her
All the same her vanity winced at the idea that Harold should discern what
from his point of view would seem like a degradation of her taste and
refinement She could not help being gratified by all the manifestations from
those around her that she was thought thoroughly fitted for a high position
could not help enjoying with more or less keenness a rehearsal of that
demeanour amongst luxuries and dignities which had often been a part of her
daydreams and the rehearsal included the reception of more and more emphatic
attentions from Harold and of an effusiveness in his manners which in
proportion as it would have been offensive if it had appeared earlier became
flattering as the effect of a growing acquaintance and daily contact It comes
in so many forms in this life of ours the knowledge that there is something
sweetest and noblest of which we despair and the sense of something present
that solicits us with an immediate and easy indulgence And there is a
pernicious falsity in the pretence that a womans love lies above the range of
such temptations
Day after day Esther had an arm offered her had very beaming looks upon
her had opportunities for a great deal of light airy talk in which she knew
herself to be charming and had the attractive interest of noticing Harolds
practical cleverness the masculine ease with which he governed everybody and
administered everything about him without the least harshness and with a
facile goodnature which yet was not weak In the background too there was the
everpresent consideration that if Harold Transome wished to marry her and she
accepted him the problem of her lot would be more easily solved than in any
other way It was difficult by any theory of providence or consideration of
results to see a course which she could call duty if something would come and
urge itself strongly as pleasure and save her from the effort to find a clue of
principle amid the labyrinthine confusions of right and possession the promise
could not but seem alluring And yet this life at Transome Court was not the
life of her daydreams there was dulness already in its ease and in the
absence of high demand and there was the vague consciousness that the love of
this not unfascinating man who hovered about her gave an air of moral mediocrity
to all her prospects She would not have been able perhaps to define this
impression but somehow or other by this elevation of fortune it seemed that the
higher ambition which had begun to spring in her was for ever nullified All
life seemed cheapened as it might seem to a young student who having believed
that to gain a certain degree he must write a thesis in which he would bring his
powers to bear with memorable effect suddenly ascertained that no thesis was
expected but the sum in English money of twentyseven pounds ten shillings
and sixpence
After all she was a woman and could not make her own lot As she had once
said to Felix »A woman must choose meaner things because only meaner things
are offered to her« Her lot is made for her by the love she accepts And Esther
began to think that her lot was being made for her by the love that was
surrounding her with the influence of a garden on a summer morning
Harold on his side was conscious that the interest of his wooing was not
standing still He was beginning to think it a conquest in which it would be
disappointing to fail even if this fair nymph had no claim to the estate He
would have liked and yet he would not have liked that just a slight shadow
of doubt as to his success should be removed There was something about Esther
that he did not altogether understand She was clearly a woman that could be
governed she was too charming for him to fear that she would ever be obstinate
or interfering Yet there was a lightning that shot out of her now and then
which seemed the sign of a dangerous judgment as if she inwardly saw something
more admirable than Harold Transome Now to be perfectly charming a woman
should not see this
One fine February day when already the golden and purple crocuses were out
on the terrace one of those flattering days which sometimes precede the
northeast winds of March and make believe that the coming spring will be
enjoyable a very striking group of whom Esther and Harold made a part came
out at midday to walk upon the gravel at Transome Court They did not as
usual go towards the pleasuregrounds on the eastern side because Mr Lingon
who was one of them was going home and his road lay through the stone gateway
into the park
Uncle Lingon who disliked painful confidences and preferred knowing no
mischief of anybody had not objected to being let into the important secret
about Esther and was sure at once that the whole affair instead of being a
misfortune was a piece of excellent luck For himself he did not profess to be
a judge of women but she seemed to have all the points and carry herself as
well as Arabella did which was saying a good deal Honest Jack Lingons first
impressions quickly became traditions which no subsequent evidence could
disturb He was fond of his sister and seemed never to be conscious of any
change for the worse in her since their early time He considered that man a
beast who said anything unpleasant about the persons to whom he was attached It
was not that he winked his wideopen eyes saw nothing but what his easy
disposition inclined him to see Harold was a good fellow a clever chap and
Esthers peculiar fitness for him under all the circumstances was
extraordinary it reminded him of something in the classics though he couldnt
think exactly what in fact a memory was a nasty uneasy thing Esther was
always glad when the old rector came With an odd contrariety to her former
niceties she liked his rough attire and careless frank speech they were
something not point device that seemed to connect the life of Transome Court
with that rougher commoner world where her home had been
She and Harold were walking a little in advance of the rest of the party
who were retarded by various causes Old Mr Transome wrapped in a cloth cloak
trimmed with sable and with a soft warm cap also trimmed with fur on his head
had a shuffling uncertain walk Little Harry was dragging a toyvehicle on the
seat of which he had insisted on tying Moro with a piece of scarlet drapery
round him making him look like a barbaric prince in a chariot Moro having
little imagination objected to this and barked with feeble snappishness as the
tyrannous lad ran forward then whirled the chariot round and ran back to
Gappa then came to a dead stop which overset the chariot that he might watch
Uncle Lingons waterspaniel run for the hurled stick and bring it in his mouth
Nimrod kept close to his old masters legs glancing with much indifference at
this youthful ardour about sticks he had gone through all that and Dominic
walked by looking on blandly and taking care both of young and old Mrs
Transome was not there
Looking back and seeing that they were a good deal in advance of the rest
Esther and Harold paused
»What do you think about thinning the trees over there« said Harold
pointing with his stick »I have a bit of a notion that if they were divided
into clumps so as to show the oaks beyond it would be a great improvement It
would give an idea of extent that is lost now And there might be some very
pretty clumps got out of those mixed trees What do you think«
»I should think it would be an improvement One likes a beyond everywhere
But I never heard you express yourself so dubiously« said Esther looking at
him rather archly »you generally see things so clearly and are so convinced
that I shall begin to feel quite tottering if I find you in uncertainty Pray
dont begin to be doubtful it is so infectious«
»You think me a great deal too sure too confident« said Harold
»Not at all It is an immense advantage to know your own will when you
always mean to have it«
»But suppose I couldnt get it in spite of meaning« said Harold with a
beaming inquiry in his eyes
»O then« said Esther turning her head aside carelessly as if she were
considering the distant birchstems »you would bear it quite easily as you did
your not getting into parliament You would know you could get it another time
or get something else as good«
»The fact is« said Harold moving on a little as if he did not want to be
quite overtaken by the others »you consider me a fat fatuous selfsatisfied
fellow«
»O there are degrees« said Esther with a silvery laugh »you have just as
much of those qualities as is becoming There are different styles You are
perfect in your own«
»But you prefer another style I suspect A more submissive tearful devout
worshipper who would offer his incense with more trembling«
»You are quite mistaken« said Esther still lightly »I find I am very
wayward When anything is offered to me it seems that I prize it less and
dont want to have it«
Here was a very baulking answer but in spite of it Harold could not help
believing that Esther was very far from objecting to the sort of incense he had
been offering just then
»I have often read that that is in human nature« she went on »yet it takes
me by surprise in myself I suppose« she added smiling »I didnt think of
myself as human nature«
»I dont confess to the same waywardness« said Harold »I am very fond of
things that I can get And I never longed much for anything out of my reach
Whatever I feel sure of getting I like all the better I think half those
priggish maxims about human nature in the lump are no more to be relied on than
universal remedies There are different sorts of human nature Some are given to
discontent and longing others to securing and enjoying And let me tell you
the discontented longing style is unpleasant to live with«
Harold nodded with a meaning smile at Esther
»O I assure you I have abjured all admiration for it« she said smiling up
at him in return
She was remembering the schooling Felix had given her about her Byronic
heroes and was inwardly adding a third sort of human nature to those varieties
which Harold had mentioned He naturally supposed that he might take the
abjuration to be entirely in his own favour And his face did look very
pleasant she could not help liking him although he was certainly too
particular about sauces gravies and wines and had a way of virtually
measuring the value of everything by the contribution it made to his own
pleasure His very goodnature was unsympathetic it never came from any
thorough understanding or deep respect for what was in the mind of the person he
obliged or indulged it was like his kindness to his mother an arrangement of
his for the happiness of others which if they were sensible ought to succeed
And an inevitable comparison which haunted her showed her the same quality in
his political views the utmost enjoyment of his own advantages was the solvent
that blended pride in his family and position with the adhesion to changes that
were to obliterate tradition and melt down enchased gold heirlooms into plating
for the eggspoons of the people It is terrible the keen bright eye of a
woman when it has once been turned with admiration on what is severely true but
then the severely true rarely comes within its range of vision Esther had had
an unusual illumination Harold did not know how but he discerned enough of the
effect to make him more cautious than he had ever been in his life before That
caution would have prevented him just then from following up the question as to
the style of person Esther would think pleasant to live with even if Uncle
Lingon had not joinéd them as he did to talk about soughing tiles saying
presently that he should turn across the grass and get on to the Home Farm to
have a look at the improvements that Harold was making with such racing speed
»But you know lad« said the rector as they paused at the expected
parting »you cant do everything in a hurry The wheat must have time to grow
even when youve reformed all us old Tories off the face of the ground Dash it
now the elections over Im an old Tory again You see Harold a Radical wont
do for the county At another election you must be on the lookout for a
borough where they want a bit of blood I should have liked you uncommonly to
stand for the county and a Radical of good family squares well enough with a
newfashioned Tory like young Debarry but you see these riots its been a
nasty business I shall have my hair combed at the sessions for a year to come
But hey What dame is this with a small boy not one of my parishioners«
Harold and Esther turned and saw an elderly woman advancing with a tiny
redhaired boy scantily attired as to his jacket which merged into a small
sparrowtail a little higher than his waist but muffled as to his throat with a
blue woollen comforter Esther recognised the pair too well and felt very
uncomfortable We are so pitiably in subjection to all sorts of vanity even
the very vanities we are practically renouncing And in spite of the almost
solemn memories connected with Mrs Holt Esthers first shudder was raised by
the idea of what things this woman would say and by the mortification of having
Felix in any way represented by his mother
As Mrs Holt advanced into closer observation it became more evident that
she was attired with a view not to charm the eye but rather to afflict it with
all that expression of woe which belongs to very rusty bombazine and the limpest
state of false hair Still she was not a woman to lose the sense of her own
value or become abject in her manners under any circumstances of depression
and she had a peculiar sense on the present occasion that she was justly relying
on the force of her own character and judgment in independence of anything that
Mr Lyon or the masterful Felix would have said if she had thought them worthy
to know of her undertaking She curtsied once as if to the entire group now
including even the dogs who showed various degrees of curiosity especially as
to what kind of game the smaller animal Job might prove to be after due
investigation and then she proceeded at once towards Esther who in spite of
her annoyance took her arm from Harolds said »How do you do Mrs Holt« very
kindly and stooped to pat little Job
»Yes you know him Miss Lyon« said Mrs Holt in that tone which implies
that the conversation is intended for the edification of the company generally
»you know the orphin child as Felix brought home for me that am his mother to
take care of And its what Ive done nobody more so though its trouble is
my reward«
Esther had raised herself again to stand in helpless endurance of whatever
might be coming But by this time young Harry struck even more than the dogs by
the appearance of Job Tudge had come round dragging his chariot and placed
himself close to the pale child whom he exceeded in height and breadth as well
as in depth of colouring He looked into Jobs eyes peeped round at the tail of
his jacket and pulled it a little and then taking off the tiny clothcap
observed with much interest the tight red curls which had been hidden underneath
it Job looked at his inspector with the round blue eyes of astonishment until
Harry purely by way of experiment took a bonbon from a fantastic wallet which
hung over his shoulder and applied the test to Jobs lips The result was
satisfactory to both Every one had been watching this small comedy and when
Job crunched the bonbon while Harry looked down at him inquiringly and patted
his back there was general laughter except on the part of Mrs Holt who was
shaking her head slowly and slapping the back of her left hand with the painful
patience of a tragedian whose part is in abeyance to an illtimed introduction
of the humorous
»I hope Jobs cough has been better lately« said Esther in mere
uncertainty as to what it would be desirable to say or do
»I daresay you hope so Miss Lyon« said Mrs Holt looking at the distant
landscape »Ive no reason to disbelieve but what you wish well to the child
and to Felix and to me Im sure nobody has any occasion to wish me otherways
My character will bear inquiry and what you as are young dont know others
can tell you That was what I said to myself when I made up my mind to come here
and see you and ask you to get me the freedom to speak to Mr Transome I said
whatever Miss Lyon may be now in the way of being lifted up among great people
shes our ministers daughter and was not above coming to my house and walking
with my son Felix though Ill not deny he made that figure on the Lords Day
thatll perhaps go against him with the judge if anybody thinks well to tell
him«
Here Mrs Holt paused a moment as with a mind arrested by the painful image
it had called up
Esthers face was glowing when Harold glanced at her and seeing this he
was considerate enough to address Mrs Holt instead of her
»You are then the mother of the unfortunate young man who is in prison«
»Indeed I am sir« said Mrs Holt feeling that she was now in deep water
»Its not likely I should claim him if he wasnt my own though its not by my
will nor my advice sir that he ever walked for I gave him none but good But
if everybodys son was guided by their mothers the world ud be different my
son is not worse than many another womans son and that in Treby whatever they
may say as havent got their sons in prison And as to his giving up the
doctoring and then stopping his fathers medicines I know its bad that I
know but its me as has had to suffer and its me a king and parliament ud
consider if they meant to do the right thing and had anybody to make it known
to em And as for the rioting and killing the constable my son said most
plain to me he never meant it and there was his bit of potatopie for his
dinner getting dry by the fire the whole blessed time as I sat and never knew
what was coming on me And its my opinion as if great people make elections to
get themselves into parliament and theres riot and murder to do it they ought
to see as the widow and the widows son doesnt suffer for it I well know my
duty and I read my Bible and I know in Jude where its been stained with the
dried tulipleaves this many a year as youre told not to rail at your betters
if they was the devil himself nor will I but this I do say if its three Mr
Transomes instead of one as is listening to me as theres them ought to go to
the king and get him to let off my son Felix«
This speech in its chief points had been deliberately prepared Mrs Holt
had set her face like a flint to make the gentry know their duty as she knew
hers her defiant defensive tone was due to the consciousness not only that
she was braving a powerful audience but that she was daring to stand on the
strong basis of her own judgment in opposition to her sons Her proposals had
been waived off by Mr Lyon and Felix but she had long had the feminine
conviction that if she could get to speak in the right quarter things might be
different The daring bit of impromptu about the three Mr Transomes was
immediately suggested by a movement of old Mr Transome to the foreground in a
line with Mr Lingon and Harold his furred and unusual costume appearing to
indicate a mysterious dignity which she must hasten to include in her appeal
And there were reasons that none could have foreseen which made Mrs Holts
remonstrance immediately effective While old Mr Transome stared very much like
a waxen image in which the expression is a failure and the rector accustomed
to female parishioners and complainants looked on with a smile in his eyes
Harold said at once with cordial kindness
»I think you are quite right Mrs Holt And for my part I am determined to
do my best for your son both in the witnessbox and elsewhere Take comfort if
it is necessary the king shall be appealed to And rely upon it I shall bear
you in mind as Felix Holts mother«
Rapid thoughts had convinced Harold that in this way he was best commending
himself to Esther
»Well sir« said Mrs Holt who was not going to pour forth disproportionate
thanks »Im glad to hear you speak so becoming and if you had been the king
himself I should have made free to tell you my opinion For the Bible says the
kings favour is towards a wise servant and its reasonable to think hed make
all the more account of them as have never been in service or took wage which
I never did and never thought of my son doing and his father left money
meaning otherways so as he might have been a doctor on horseback at this very
minute instead of being in prison«
»What was he regularly apprenticed to a doctor« said Mr Lingon who had
not understood this before
»Sir he was and most clever like his father before him only he turned
contrairy But as for harming anybody Felix never meant to harm anybody but
himself and his mother which he certainly did in respect of his clothes and
taking to be a low working man and stopping my living respectable more
particular by the pills which had a sale as you may be sure they suited
peoples insides And what folks can never have boxes enough of to swallow I
should think you have a right to sell And theres many and many a text for it
as Ive opened on without ever thinking for if its true Ask and you shall
have I should think its truer when youre willing to pay for what you have«
This was a little too much for Mr Lingons gravity he exploded and Harold
could not help following him Mrs Holt fixed her eyes on the distance and
slapped the back of her left hand again it might be that this kind of mirth was
the peculiar effect produced by forcible truth on high and worldly people who
were neither in the Independent nor the General Baptist connection
»Im sure you must be tired with your long walk and little Job too« said
Esther by way of breaking this awkward scene »Arent you Job« she added
stooping to caress the child who was timidly shrinking from Harrys invitation
to him to pull the little chariot Harrys view being that Job would make a
good horse for him to beat and would run faster than Gappa
»Its well you can feel for the orphin child Miss Lyon« said Mrs Holt
choosing an indirect answer rather than to humble herself by confessing fatigue
before gentlemen who seemed to be taking her too lightly »I didnt believe but
what youd behave pretty as you always did to me though everybody used to say
you held yourself high But Im sure you never did to Felix for you let him sit
by you at the Free School before all the town and him with never a bit of stock
round his neck And it shows you saw that in him worth taking notice of and
it is but right if you know my words are true as you should speak for him to
the gentleman«
»I assure you Mrs Holt« said Harold coming to the rescue »I assure you
that enough has been said to make me use my best efforts for your son And now
pray go on to the house with the little boy and take some rest Dominic show
Mrs Holt the way and ask Mrs Hickes to make her comfortable and see that
somebody takes her back to Treby in the buggy«
»I will go back with Mrs Holt« said Esther making an effort against
herself
»No pray« said Harold with that kind of entreaty which is really a
decision »Let Mrs Holt have time to rest We shall have returned and you can
see her before she goes We will say goodbye for the present Mrs Holt«
The poor woman was not sorry to have the prospect of rest and food
especially for the orphin child of whom she was tenderly careful Like many
women who appear to others to have a masculine decisiveness of tone and to
themselves to have a masculine force of mind and who come into severe collision
with sons arrived at the masterful stage she had the maternal cord vibrating
strongly within her towards all tiny children And when she saw Dominic pick up
Job and hoist him on his arm for a little while by way of making acquaintance
she regarded him with an approval which she had not thought it possible to
extend to a foreigner Since Dominic was going Harry and old Mr Transome chose
to follow Uncle Lingon shook hands and turned off across the grass and thus
Esther was left alone with Harold
But there was a new consciousness between them Harolds quick perception
was least likely to be slow in seizing indications of anything that might affect
his position with regard to Esther Some time before his jealousy had been
awakened to the possibility that before she had known him she had been deeply
interested in some one else Jealousy of all sorts whether for our fortune or
our love is ready at combinations and likely even to outstrip the fact And
Esthers renewed confusion united with her silence about Felix which now first
seemed noteworthy and with Mrs Holts graphic details as to her walking with
him and letting him sit by her before all the town were grounds not merely for
a suspicion but for a conclusion in Harolds mind The effect of this which he
at once regarded as a discovery was rather different from what Esther had
anticipated It seemed to him that Felix was the least formidable person that he
could have found out as an object of interest antecedent to himself A young
workman who had got himself thrown into prison whatever recommendations he
might have had for a girl at a romantic age in the dreariness of Dissenting
society at Treby could hardly be considered by Harold in the light of a rival
Esther was too clever and tasteful a woman to make a ballad heroine of herself
by bestowing her beauty and her lands on this lowly lover Besides Harold
cherished the belief that at the present time Esther was more wisely disposed
to bestow these things on another lover in every way eligible But in two
directions this discovery had a determining effect on him his curiosity was
stirred to know exactly what the relation with Felix had been and he was
solicitous that his behaviour with regard to this young man should be such as to
enhance his own merit in Esthers eyes At the same time he was not inclined to
any euphemisms that would seem by any possibility to bring Felix into the lists
with himself
Naturally when they were left alone it was Harold who spoke first »I
should think theres a good deal of worth in this young fellow this Holt
notwithstanding the mistakes he has made A little queer and conceited perhaps
but that is usually the case with men of his class when they are at all superior
to their fellows«
»Felix Holt is a highly cultivated man he is not at all conceited« said
Esther The different kinds of pride within her were coalescing now She was
aware that there had been a betrayal
»Ah« said Harold not quite liking the tone of this answer »This
eccentricity is a sort of fanaticism then this giving up being a doctor on
horseback as the old woman calls it and taking to let me see watchmaking
isnt it«
»If it is eccentricity to be very much better than other men he is
certainly eccentric and fanatical too if it is fanatical to renounce all small
selfish motives for the sake of a great and unselfish one I never knew what
nobleness of character really was before I knew Felix Holt«
It seemed to Esther as if in the excitement of this moment her own words
were bringing her a clearer revelation
»God bless me« said Harold in a tone of surprised yet thorough belief and
looking in Esthers face »I wish you had talked to me about this before«
Esther at that moment looked perfectly beautiful with an expression which
Harold had never hitherto seen All the confusion which had depended on personal
feeling had given way before the sense that she had to speak the truth about the
man whom she felt to be admirable
»I think I didnt see the meaning of anything fine I didnt even see the
value of my fathers character until I had been taught a little by hearing what
Felix Holt said and seeing that his life was like his words«
Harold looked and listened and felt his slight jealousy allayed rather than
heightened »This is not like love« he said to himself with some satisfaction
With all due regard to Harold Transome he was one of those men who are liable
to make the greater mistakes about a particular womans feelings because they
pique themselves on a power of interpretation derived from much experience
Experience is enlightening but with a difference Experiments on live animals
may go on for a long period and yet the fauna on which they are made may be
limited There may be a passion in the mind of a woman which precipitates her
not along the path of easy beguilement but into a great leap away from it
Harolds experience had not taught him this and Esthers enthusiasm about Felix
Holt did not seem to him to be dangerous
»Hes quite an apostolic sort of fellow then« was the selfquieting answer
he gave to her last words »He didnt look like that but I had only a short
interview with him and I was given to understand that he refused to see me in
prison I believe hes not very well inclined towards me But you saw a great
deal of him I suppose and your testimony to any one is enough for me« said
Harold lowering his voice rather tenderly »Now I know what your opinion is I
shall spare no effort on behalf of such a young man In fact I had come to the
same resolution before but your wish would make difficult things easy«
After that energetic speech of Esthers as often happens the tears had
just suffused her eyes It was nothing more than might have been expected in a
tenderhearted woman considering Felix Holts circumstances and the tears only
made more lovely the look with which she met Harolds when he spoke so kindly
She felt pleased with him she was open to the fallacious delight of being
assured that she had power over him to make him do what she liked and quite
forgot the many impressions which had convinced her that Harold had a padded
yoke ready for the neck of every man woman and child that depended on him
After a short silence they were getting near the stone gateway and Harold
said with an air of intimate consultation
»What could we do for this young man supposing he were let off I shall
send a letter with fifty pounds to the old woman tomorrow I ought to have done
it before but it really slipped my memory amongst the many things that have
occupied me lately But this young man what do you think would be the best
thing we could do for him if he gets at large again He should be put in a
position where his qualities could be more telling«
Esther was recovering her liveliness a little and was disposed to encourage
it for the sake of veiling other feelings about which she felt renewed
reticence now that the overpowering influence of her enthusiasm was past She
was rather wickedly amused and scornful at Harolds misconceptions and
illplaced intentions of patronage
»You are hopelessly in the dark« she said with a light laugh and toss of
her head »What would you offer Felix Holt a place in the Excise You might as
well think of offering it to John the Baptist Felix has chosen his lot He
means always to be a poor man«
»Means Yes« said Harold slightly piqued »but what a man means usually
depends on what happens I mean to be a commoner but a peerage might present
itself under acceptable circumstances«
»O there is no sum in proportion to be done there« said Esther again
gaily »As you are to a peerage so is not Felix Holt to any offer an advantage
that you could imagine for him«
»You must think him fit for any position the first in the county«
»No I dont« said Esther shaking her head mischievously »I think him too
high for it«
»I see you can be ardent in your admiration«
»Yes it is my champagne you know I dont like the other kind«
»That would be satisfactory if one were sure of getting your admiration«
said Harold leading her up to the terrace and amongst the crocuses from
whence they had a fine view of the park and river They stood still near the
east parapet and saw the dash of light on the water and the pencilled shadows
of the trees on the grassy lawn
»Would it do as well to admire you instead of being worthy to be admired«
said Harold turning his eyes from that landscape to Esthers face
»It would be a thing to be put up with« said Esther smiling at him rather
roguishly »But you are not in that state of selfdespair«
»Well I am conscious of not having those severe virtues that you have been
praising«
»That is true You are quite in another genre«
»A woman would not find me a tragic hero«
»O no She must dress for genteel comedy such as your mother once
described to me where the most thrilling event is the drawing of a handsome
cheque«
»You are a naughty fairy« said Harold daring to press Esthers hand a
little more closely to him and drawing her down the eastern steps into the
pleasureground as if he were unwilling to give up the conversation »Confess
that you are disgusted with my want of romance«
»I shall not confess to being disgusted I shall ask you to confess that you
are not a romantic figure«
»I am a little too stout«
»For romance yes At least you must find security for not getting
stouter«
»And I dont look languishing enough«
»O yes rather too much so at a fine cigar«
»And I am not in danger of committing suicide«
»No you are a widower«
Harold did not reply immediately to this last thrust of Esthers She had
uttered it with innocent thoughtlessness from the playful suggestions of the
moment but it was a fact that Harolds previous married life had entered
strongly into her impressions about him The presence of Harry made it
inevitable Harold took the allusion of Esthers as an indication that his
quality of widower was a point that made against him and after a brief silence
he said in an altered more serious tone
»You dont suppose I hope that any other woman has ever held the place
that you could hold in my life«
Esther began to tremble a little as she always did when the lovetalk
between them seemed getting serious She only gave the rather stumbling answer
»How so«
»Harrys mother had been a slave was bought in fact«
It was impossible for Harold to preconceive the effect this had on Esther
His natural disqualification for judging of a girls feelings was heightened by
the blinding effect of an exclusive object which was to assure her that her
own place was peculiar and supreme Hitherto Esthers acquaintance with Oriental
love was derived chiefly from Byronic poems and this had not sufficed to adjust
her mind to a new story where the Giaour concerned was giving her his arm She
was unable to speak and Harold went on
»Though I am close on thirtyfive I never met with a woman at all like you
before There are new eras in ones life that are equivalent to youth are
something better than youth I was never an aspirant till I knew you«
Esther was still silent
»Not that I dare to call myself that I am not so confident a personage as
you imagine I am necessarily in a painful position for a man who has any
feeling«
Here at last Harold had stirred the right fibre Esthers generosity seized
at once the whole meaning implied in that last sentence She had a fine
sensibility to the line at which flirtation must cease and she was now pale
and shaken with feelings she had not yet defined for herself
»Do not let us speak of difficult things any more now« she said with
gentle seriousness »I am come into a new world of late and have to learn life
all over again Let us go in I must see poor Mrs Holt again and my little
friend Job«
She paused at the glass door that opened on the terrace and entered there
while Harold went round to the stables
When Esther had been upstairs and descended again into the large
entrancehall she found its stony spaciousness made lively by human figures
extremely unlike the statues Since Harry insisted on playing with Job again
Mrs Holt and her orphan after dining had just been brought to this delightful
scene for a game at hideandseek and for exhibiting the climbing powers of the
two pet squirrels Mrs Holt sat on a stool in singular relief against the
pedestal of the Apollo while Dominic and Denner otherwise Mrs Hickes bore her
company Harry in his bright red and purple flitted about like a great tropic
bird after the sparrowtailed Job who hid himself with much intelligence behind
the scagliola pillars and the pedestals while one of the squirrels perched
itself on the head of the tallest statue and the other was already peeping down
from among the heavy stuccoed angels on the ceiling near the summit of a
pillar
Mrs Holt held on her lap a basket filled with good things for Job and
seemed much soothed by pleasant company and excellent treatment As Esther
descending softly and unobserved leaned over the stone bannisters and looked at
the scene for a minute or two she saw that Mrs Holts attention having been
directed to the squirrel which had scampered on to the head of the Silenus
carrying the infant Bacchus had been drawn downward to the tiny babe looked at
with so much affection by the rather ugly and hairy gentleman of whom she
nevertheless spoke with reserve as of one who possibly belonged to the Transome
family
»Its most pretty to see its little limbs and the gentleman holding it I
should think he was amiable by his look but it was odd he should have his
likeness took without any clothes Was he Transome by name« Mrs Holt suspected
that there might be a mild madness in the family
Denner peering and smiling quietly was about to reply when she was
prevented by the appearance of old Mr Transome who since his walk had been
having forty winks on the sofa in the library and now came out to look for
Harry He had doffed his furred cap and cloak but in lying down to sleep he had
thrown over his shoulders a soft Oriental scarf which Harold had given him and
this still hung over his scanty white hair and down to his knees held fast by
his woodenlooking arms and laxly clasped hands which fell in front of him
This singular appearance of an undoubted Transome fitted exactly into Mrs
Holts thought at the moment It lay in the probabilities of things that
gentrys intellects should be peculiar since they had not to get their own
living the good Lord might have economised in their case that common sense
which others were so much more in need of and in the shuffling figure before
her she saw a descendant of the gentleman who had chosen to be represented
without his clothes all the more eccentric where there were the means of
buying the best But these oddities said nothing in great folks who were
powerful in high quarters all the same And Mrs Holt rose and curtsied with a
proud respect precisely as she would have done if Mr Transome had looked as
wise as Lord Burleigh
»I hope Im in no ways taking a liberty sir« she began while the old
gentleman looked at her with bland feebleness »Im not that woman to sit
anywhere out of my own home without inviting and pressing too But I was
brought here to wait because the little gentleman wanted to play with the
orphin child«
»Very glad my good woman sit down sit down« said Mr Transome nodding
and smiling between his clauses »Nice little boy Your grandchild«
»Indeed sir no« said Mrs Holt continuing to stand Quite apart from any
awe of Mr Transome sitting down she felt would be a too great familiarity
with her own pathetic importance on this extra and unlookedfor occasion »Its
not me has any grandchild nor ever shall have though most fit But with my
only son saying hell never be married and in prison besides and some saying
hell be transported you may see yourself though a gentleman as there isnt
much chance of my having grandchildren of my own And this is old Master Tudges
grandchild as my own Felix took to for pity because he was sickly and clemmd
and I was noways against it being of a tender heart For Im a widow myself
and my son Felix though big is fatherless and I know my duty in consequence
And its to be wished sir as others should know it as are more in power and
live in great houses and can ride in a carriage where they will And if youre
the gentleman as is the head of everything and its not to be thought youd
give up to your son as a poor widows been forced to do it behoves you to take
the part of them as are deserving for the Bible says grey hairs should speak«
»Yes yes poor woman what shall I say« said old Mr Transome feeling
himself scolded and as usual desirous of mollifying displeasure
»Sir I can tell you what to say fast enough for its what I should say
myself if I could get to speak to the king For Ive asked them that know and
they say its the truth both out of the Bible and in as the king can pardon
anything and anybody And judging by his countenance on the new signs and the
talk there was a while ago about his being the peoples friend as the minister
once said it from the very pulpit if theres any meaning in words hell do
the right thing by me and my son if hes asked proper«
»Yes a very good man hell do anything right« said Mr Transome whose
own ideas about the king just then were somewhat misty consisting chiefly in
broken reminiscences of George the Third »Ill ask him anything you like« he
added with a pressing desire to satisfy Mrs Holt who alarmed him slightly
»Then sir if youll go in your carriage and say This young man Felix
Holt by name as his father was known the country round and his mother most
respectable he never meant harm to anybody and so far from bloody murder and
fighting would part with his victual to them that needed it more and if youd
get other gentlemen to say the same and if theyre not satisfied to inquire
Ill not believe but what the king ud let my son out of prison Or if its true
he must stand his trial the king ud take care no mischief happened to him
Ive got my senses and Ill never believe as in a country where theres a God
above and a king below the right thing cant be done if great people was
willing to do it«
Mrs Holt like all orators had waxed louder and more energetic ceasing to
propel her arguments and being propelled by them Poor old Mr Transome getting
more and more frightened at this severespoken woman who had the horrible
possibility to his mind of being a novelty that was to become permanent seemed
to be fascinated by fear and stood helplessly forgetful that if he liked he
might turn round and walk away
Little Harry alive to anything that had relation to Gappa had paused in
his game and discerning what he thought a hostile aspect in this naughty black
old woman rushed towards her and proceeded first to beat her with his mimic
jockeys whip and then suspecting that her bombazine was not sensitive to set
his teeth in her arm While Dominic rebuked him and pulled him off Nimrod began
to bark anxiously and the scene was become alarming even to the squirrels
which scrambled as far off as possible
Esther who had been waiting for an opportunity of intervention now came up
to Mrs Holt to speak some soothing words and old Mr Transome seeing a
sufficient screen between himself and his formidable suppliant at last gathered
courage to turn round and shuffle away with unusual swiftness into the library
»Dear Mrs Holt« said Esther »do rest comforted I assure you you have
done the utmost that can be done by your words Your visit has not been thrown
away See how the children have enjoyed it I saw little Job actually laughing
I think I never saw him do more than smile before« Then turning round to
Dominic she said »Will the buggy come round to this door«
This hint was sufficient Dominic went to see if the vehicle was ready and
Denner remarking that Mrs Holt would like to mount it in the inner court
invited her to go back into the housekeepers room But there was a fresh
resistance raised in Harry by the threatened departure of Job who had seemed an
invaluable addition to the menagerie of tamed creatures and it was barely in
time that Esther had the relief of seeing the entrancehall cleared so as to
prevent any further encounter of Mrs Holt with Harold who was now coming up the
flight of steps at the entrance
Chapter 44
Im sick at heart The eye of day
The insistent summer noon seems pitiless
Shining in all the barren crevices
Of weary life leaving no shade no dark
Where I may dream that hidden waters lie
Shortly after Mrs Holts striking presentation of herself at Transome Court
Esther went on a second visit to her father The Loamford Assizes were
approaching it was expected that in about ten days Felix Holts trial would
come on and some hints in her fathers letters had given Esther the impression
that he was taking a melancholy view of the result Harold Transome had once or
twice mentioned the subject with a facile hopefulness as to the young fellows
coming off easily which in her anxious mind was not a counterpoise to
disquieting suggestions and she had not chosen to introduce another
conversation about Felix Holt by questioning Harold concerning the
probabilities he relied on Since those moments on the terrace Harold had daily
become more of the solicitous and indirectly beseeching lover and Esther from
the very fact that she was weighed on by thoughts that were painfully
bewildering to her by thoughts which in their newness to her young mind
seemed to shake her belief that life could be anything else than a compromise
with things repugnant to the moral taste had become more passive to his
attentions at the very time that she had begun to feel more profoundly that in
accepting Harold Transome she left the high mountain air the passionate
serenity of perfect love for ever behind her and must adjust her wishes to a
life of middling delights overhung with the languorous haziness of motiveless
ease where poetry was only literature and the fine ideas had to be taken down
from the shelves of the library when her husbands back was turned But it
seemed as if all outward conditions concurred along with her generous sympathy
for the Transomes and with those native tendencies against which she had once
begun to struggle to make this middling lot the best she could attain to She
was in this halfsad halfsatisfied resignation to something like what is called
worldly wisdom when she went to see her father and learn what she could from
him about Felix
The little minister was much depressed unable to resign himself to the
dread which had begun to haunt him that Felix might have to endure the odious
penalty of transportation for the manslaughter which was the offence that no
evidence in his favour could disprove
»I had been encouraged by the assurances of men instructed in this regard«
said Mr Lyon while Esther sat on the stool near him and listened anxiously
»that though he were pronounced guilty in regard to this deed whereinto he hath
calamitously fallen yet that a judge mildly disposed and with a due sense of
that invisible activity of the soul whereby the deeds which are the same in the
outward appearance and effect yet differ as the knifestroke of the surgeon
even though it kill differs from the knifestroke of a wanton mutilator might
use his discretion in tempering the punishment so that it would not be very
evil to bear But now it is said that the judge who cometh is a severe man and
one nourishing a prejudice against the bolder spirits who stand not in the old
paths«
»I am going to be present at the trial father« said Esther who was
preparing the way to express a wish which she was timid about even with her
father »I mentioned to Mrs Transome that I should like to do so and she said
that she used in old days always to attend the assizes and that she would take
me You will be there father«
»Assuredly I shall be there having been summoned to bear witness to Felixs
character and to his having uttered remonstrances and warnings long beforehand
whereby he proved himself an enemy to riot In our ears who knew him it sounds
strangely that aught else should be credible but he hath few to speak for him
though I trust that Mr Harold Transomes testimony will go far if as you say
he is disposed to set aside all minor regards and not to speak the truth
grudgingly and reluctantly For the very truth hath a colour from the
disposition of the utterer«
»He is kind he is capable of being generous« said Esther
»It is well For I verily believe that evilminded men have been at work
against Felix The Duffield Watchman hath written continually in allusion to him
as one of those mischievous men who seek to elevate themselves through the
dishonour of their party and as one of those who go not heart and soul with the
needs of the people but seek only to get a hearing for themselves by raising
their voices in crotchety discord It is those things that cause me heaviness of
spirit the dark secret of this young mans lot is a cross I carry daily«
»Father« said Esther timidly while the eyes of both were filling with
tears »I should like to see him again before his trial Might I Will you ask
him Will you take me«
The minister raised his suffused eyes to hers and did not speak for a
moment or two A new thought had visited him But his delicate tenderness shrank
even from an inward inquiry that was too curious that seemed like an effort to
peep at sacred secrets
»I see nought against it my dear child if you arrived early enough and
would take the elderly lady into your confidence so that you might descend from
the carriage at some suitable place the house of the Independent minister for
example where I could meet and accompany you I would forewarn Felix who
would doubtless delight to see your face again seeing that he may go away and
be as it were buried from you even though it may be only in prison and not
«
This was too much for Esther She threw her arms round her fathers neck and
sobbed like a child It was an unspeakable relief to her after all the pentup
stifling experience all the inward incommunicable debate of the last few weeks
The old man was deeply moved too and held his arm close round the dear child
praying silently
No word was spoken for some minutes till Esther raised herself dried her
eyes and with an action that seemed playful though there was no smile on her
face pressed her handkerchief against her fathers cheeks Then when she had
put her hand in his he said solemnly
»Tis a great and mysterious gift this clinging of the heart my Esther
whereby it hath often seemed to me that even in the very moment of suffering
our souls have the keenest foretaste of heaven I speak not lightly but as one
who hath endured And tis a strange truth that only in the agony of parting we
look into the depths of love«
So the interview ended without any question from Mr Lyon concerning what
Esther contemplated as the ultimate arrangement between herself and the
Transomes
After this conversation which showed him that what happened to Felix
touched Esther more closely than he had supposed the minister felt no impulse
to raise the images of a future so unlike anything that Felix would share And
Esther would have been unable to answer any such questions The successive
weeks instead of bringing her nearer to clearness and decision had only
brought that state of disenchantment belonging to the actual presence of things
which have long dwelt in the imagination with all the factitious charms of
arbitrary arrangement Her imaginary mansion had not been inhabited just as
Transome Court was her imaginary fortune had not been attended with
circumstances which she was unable to sweep away She herself in her Utopia
had never been what she was now a woman whose heart was divided and oppressed
The first spontaneous offering of her womans devotion the first great
inspiration of her life was a sort of vanished ecstasy which had left its
wounds It seemed to her a cruel misfortune of her young life that her best
feeling her most precious dependence had been called forth just where the
conditions were hardest and that all the easy invitations of circumstance were
towards something which that previous consecration of her longing had made a
moral descent for her It was characteristic of her that she scarcely at all
entertained the alternative of such a compromise as would have given her the
larger portion of the fortune to which she had a legal claim and yet have
satisfied her sympathy by leaving the Transomes in possession of their old home
Her domestication with his family had brought them into the foreground of her
imagination the gradual wooing of Harold had acted on her with a constant
immediate influence that predominated over all indefinite prospects and a
solitary elevation to wealth which out of Utopia she had no notion how she
should manage looked as chill and dreary as the offer of dignities in an
unknown country
In the ages since Adams marriage it has been good for some men to be
alone and for some women also But Esther was not one of these women she was
intensely of the feminine type verging neither towards the saint nor the angel
She was a fair divided excellence whose fulness of perfection must be in
marriage And like all youthful creatures she felt as if the present
conditions of choice were final It belonged to the freshness of her heart that
having had her emotions strongly stirred by real objects she never speculated
on possible relations yet to come It seemed to her that she stood at the first
and last parting of the ways And in one sense she was under no illusion It
is only in that freshness of our time that the choice is possible which gives
unity to life and makes the memory a temple where all relics and all votive
offerings all worship and all grateful joy are an unbroken history sanctified
by one religion
Chapter 45
We may not make this world a paradise
By walking it together with clasped hands
And eyes that meeting feed a double strength
We must be only joined by pains divine
Of spirits blent in mutual memories
It was a consequence of that interview with her father that when Esther stepped
early on a grey March morning into the carriage with Mrs Transome to go to the
Loamford Assizes she was full of an expectation that held her lips in trembling
silence and gave her eyes that sightless beauty which tells that the vision is
all within
Mrs Transome did not disturb her with unnecessary speech Of late Esthers
anxious observation had been drawn to a change in Mrs Transome shown in many
small ways which only women notice It was not only that when they sat together
the talk seemed more of an effort to her that might have come from the gradual
draining away of matter for discourse pertaining to most sorts of companionship
in which repetition is not felt to be as desirable as novelty But while Mrs
Transome was dressed just as usual took her seat as usual trifled with her
drugs and had her embroidery before her as usual and still made her morning
greetings with that finished easy politeness and consideration of tone which to
rougher people seems like affection Esther noticed a strange fitfulness in her
movements Sometimes the stitches of her embroidery went on with silent unbroken
swiftness for a quarter of an hour as if she had to work out her deliverance
from bondage by finishing a scrollpatterned border then her hands dropt
suddenly and her gaze fell blankly on the table before her and she would sit in
that way motionless as a seated statue apparently unconscious of Esthers
presence till some thought darting within her seemed to have the effect of an
external shock and rouse her with a start when she looked round hastily like a
person ashamed of having slept Esther touched with wondering pity at signs of
unhappiness that were new in her experience took the most delicate care to
appear inobservant and only tried to increase the gentle attention that might
help to soothe or gratify this uneasy woman But one morning Mrs Transome had
said breaking rather a long silence
»My dear I shall make this house dull for you You sit with me like an
embodied patience I am unendurable I am getting into a melancholy dotage A
fidgety old woman like me is as unpleasant to see as a rook with its wing
broken Dont mind me my dear Run away from me without ceremony Every one
else does you see I am part of the old furniture with new drapery«
»Dear Mrs Transome« said Esther gliding to the low ottoman close by the
basket of embroidery »do you dislike my sitting with you«
»Only for your sake my fairy« said Mrs Transome smiling faintly and
putting her hand under Esthers chin »Doesnt it make you shudder to look at
me«
»Why will you say such naughty things« said Esther affectionately »If you
had had a daughter she would have desired to be with you most when you most
wanted cheering And surely every young woman has something of a daughters
feeling towards an older one who has been kind to her«
»I should like you to be really my daughter« said Mrs Transome rousing
herself to look a little brighter »That is something still for an old woman to
hope for«
Esther blushed she had not foreseen this application of words that came
from pitying tenderness To divert the train of thought as quickly as possible
she at once asked what she had previously had in her mind to ask Before her
blush had disappeared she said
»O you are so good I shall ask you to indulge me very much It is to let
us set out very early to Loamford on Wednesday and put me down at a particular
house that I may keep an engagement with my father It is a private matter
that I wish no one to know about if possible And he will bring me back to you
wherever you appoint«
In that way Esther won her end without needing to betray it and as Harold
was already away at Loamford she was the more secure
The Independent ministers house at which she was set down and where she
was received by her father was in a quiet street not far from the jail Esther
had thrown a dark cloak over the handsomer coverings which Denner had assured
her was absolutely required of ladies who sat anywhere near the judge at a great
trial and as the bonnet of that day did not throw the face into high relief
but rather into perspective a veil drawn down gave her a sufficiently
inconspicuous appearance
»I have arranged all things my dear« said Mr Lyon »and Felix expects us
We will lose no time«
They walked away at once Esther not asking a question She had no
consciousness of the road along which they passed she could never remember
anything but a dim sense of entering within high walls and going along passages
till they were ushered into a larger space than she expected and her father
said
»It is here that we are permitted to see Felix my Esther He will presently
appear«
Esther automatically took off her gloves and bonnet as if she had entered
the house after a walk She had lost the complete consciousness of everything
except that she was going to see Felix She trembled It seemed to her as if he
too would look altered after her new life as if even the past would change for
her and be no longer a steadfast remembrance but something she had been
mistaken about as she had been about the new life Perhaps she was growing out
of that childhood to which common things have rareness and all objects look
larger Perhaps from henceforth the whole world was to be meaner for her The
dread concentrated in those moments seemed worse than anything she had known
before It was what the dread of a pilgrim might be who has it whispered to him
that the holy places are a delusion or that he will see them with a soul
unstirred and unbelieving Every minute that passes may be charged with some
such crisis in the little inner world of man or woman
But soon the door opened slightly some one looked in then it opened wide
and Felix Holt entered
»Miss Lyon Esther« and her hand was in his grasp
He was just the same no something inexpressibly better because of the
distance and separation and the halfweary novelties which made him like the
return of morning
»Take no heed of me children« said Mr Lyon »I have some notes to make
and my time is precious We may remain here only a quarter of an hour« And the
old man sat down at a window with his back to them writing with his head bent
close to the paper
»You are very pale you look ill compared with your old self« said Esther
She had taken her hand away but they stood still near each other she looking
up at him
»The fact is Im not fond of prison« said Felix smiling »but I suppose
the best I can hope for is to have a good deal more of it«
»It is thought that in the worst case a pardon may be obtained« said
Esther avoiding Harold Transomes name
»I dont rely on that« said Felix shaking his head »My wisest course is
to make up my mind to the very ugliest penalty they can condemn me to If I can
face that anything less will seem easy But you know« he went on smiling at
her brightly »I never went in for fine company and cushions I cant be very
heavily disappointed in that way«
»Do you see things just as you used to do« said Esther turning pale as she
said it »I mean about poverty and the people you will live among Has all
the misunderstanding and sadness left you just as obstinate« She tried to
smile but could not succeed
»What about the sort of life I should lead if I were free again« said
Felix
»Yes I cant help being discouraged for you by all these things that have
happened See how you may fail« Esther spoke timidly She saw a peculiar smile
which she knew well gathering in his eyes »Ah I daresay I am silly« she
said deprecatingly
»No you are dreadfully inspired« said Felix »When the wicked tempter is
tired of snarling that word failure in a mans cell he sends a voice like a
thrush to say it for him See now what a messenger of darkness you are« He
smiled and took her two hands between his pressed together as children hold
them up in prayer Both of them felt too solemnly to be bashful They looked
straight into each others eyes as angels do when they tell some truth And
they stood in that way while he went on speaking
»But Im proof against that word failure Ive seen behind it The only
failure a man ought to fear is failure in cleaving to the purpose he sees to be
best As to just the amount of result he may see from his particular work
thats a tremendous uncertainty the universe has not been arranged for the
gratification of his feelings As long as a man sees and believes in some great
good hell prefer working towards that in the way hes best fit for come what
may I put effects at their minimum but Id rather have the minimum of effect
if its of the sort I care for than the maximum of effect I dont care for a
lot of fine things that are not to my taste and if they were the conditions
of holding them while the world is what it is are such as would jar on me like
grating metal«
»Yes« said Esther in a low tone »I think I understand that now better
than I used to do« The words of Felix at last seemed strangely to fit her own
experience But she said no more though he seemed to wait for it a moment or
two looking at her But then he went on
»I dont mean to be illustrious you know and make a new era else it would
be kind of you to get a raven and teach it to croak failure in my ears Where
great things cant happen I care for very small things such as will never be
known beyond a few garrets and workshops And then as to one thing I believe
in I dont think I can altogether fail If theres anything our people want
convincing of it is that theres some dignity and happiness for a man other
than changing his station Thats one of the beliefs I choose to consecrate my
life to If anybody could demonstrate to me that I was a flat for it I
shouldnt think it would follow that I must borrow money to set up genteelly and
order new clothes Thats not a rigorous consequence to my understanding«
They smiled at each other with the old sense of amusement they had so often
had together
»You are just the same« said Esther
»And you« said Felix »My affairs have been settled long ago But yours a
great change has come in them magic at work«
»Yes« said Esther rather falteringly
»Well« said Felix looking at her gravely again »its a case of fitness
that seems to give a chance sanction to that musty law The first time I saw
you your birth was an immense puzzle to me However the appropriate conditions
are come at last«
These words seemed cruel to Esther But Felix could not know all the reasons
for their seeming so She could not speak she was turning cold and feeling her
heart beat painfully
»All your tastes are gratified now« he went on innocently »But youll
remember the old pedagogue and his lectures«
One thought in the mind of Felix was that Esther was sure to marry Harold
Transome Men readily believe these things of the women who love them But he
could not allude to the marriage more directly He was afraid of this destiny
for her without having any very distinct knowledge by which to justify his fear
to the mind of another It did not satisfy him that Esther should marry Harold
Transome
»My children« said Mr Lyon at this moment not looking round but only
looking close at his watch »we have just two minutes more« Then he went on
writing
Esther did not speak but Felix could not help observing now that her hands
had turned to a deathly coldness and that she was trembling He believed he
knew that whatever prospects she had this feeling was for his sake An
overpowering impulse from mingled love gratitude and anxiety urged him to say
»I had a horrible struggle Esther But you see I was right There was a
fitting lot in reserve for you But remember you have cost a great price dont
throw what is precious away I shall want the news that you have a happiness
worthy of you«
Esther felt too miserable for tears to come She looked helplessly at Felix
for a moment then took her hands from his and turning away mutely walked
dreamily towards her father and said »Father I am ready there is no more to
say«
She turned back again towards the chair where her bonnet lay with a face
quite corpselike above her dark garment
»Esther«
She heard Felix say the word with an entreating cry and went towards him
with the swift movement of a frightened child towards its protector He clasped
her and they kissed each other
She never could recall anything else that happened till she was in the
carriage again with Mrs Transome
Chapter 46
Why there are maidens of heroic touch
And yet they seem like things of gossamer
Youd pinch the life out of as out of moths
O it is not loud tones and mouthingness
Tis not the arms akimbo and large strides
That makes a womans force The tiniest birds
With softest downy breasts have passions in them
And are brave with love
Esther was so placed in the court under Mrs Transomes wing as to see and hear
everything without effort Harold had received them at the hotel and had
observed that Esther looked ill and was unusually abstracted in her manner but
this seemed to be sufficiently accounted for by her sympathetic anxiety about
the result of a trial in which the prisoner at the bar was a friend and in
which both her father and himself were important witnesses Mrs Transome had no
reluctance to keep a small secret from her son and no betrayal was made of that
previous engagement of Esthers with her father Harold was particularly
delicate and unobtrusive in his attentions today he had the consciousness that
he was going to behave in a way that would gratify Esther and win her
admiration and we are all of us made more graceful by the inward presence of
what we believe to be a generous purpose our actions move to a hidden music a
melody thats sweetly pitched in tune
If Esther had been less absorbed by supreme feelings she would have been
aware that she was an object of special notice In the bare squareness of a
public hall where there was not one jutting angle to hang a guess or a thought
upon not an image or a bit of colour to stir the fancy and where the only
objects of speculation of admiration or of any interest whatever were human
beings and especially the human beings that occupied positions indicating some
importance the notice bestowed on Esther would not have been surprising even
if it had been merely a tribute to her youthful charm which was well
companioned by Mrs Transomes elderly majesty But it was due also to
whisperings that she was an hereditary claimant of the Transome estates whom
Harold Transome was about to marry Harold himself had of late not cared to
conceal either the fact or the probability they both tended rather to his
honour than his dishonour And today when there was a good proportion of
Trebians present the whisperings spread rapidly
The court was still more crowded than on the previous day when our poor
acquaintance Dredge and his two collier companions were sentenced to a years
imprisonment with hard labour and the more enlightened prisoner who stole the
Debarrys plate to transportation for life Poor Dredge had cried had wished
hed »never heared of a lection« and in spite of sermons from the jail
chaplain fell back on the explanation that this was a world in which Spratt and
Old Nick were sure to get the best of it so that in Dredges case at least
most observers must have had the melancholy conviction that there had been no
enhancement of public spirit and faith in progress from that wave of political
agitation which had reached the Sproxton Pits
But curiosity was necessarily at a higher pitch today when the character
of the prisoner and the circumstances of his offence were of a highly unusual
kind As soon as Felix appeared at the bar a murmur rose and spread into a loud
buzz which continued until there had been repeated authoritative calls for
silence in the court Rather singularly it was now for the first time that
Esther had a feeling of pride in him on the ground simply of his appearance At
this moment when he was the centre of a multitudinous gaze which seemed to act
on her own vision like a broad unmitigated daylight she felt that there was
something preeminent in him notwithstanding the vicinity of numerous
gentlemen No applewoman would have admired him not only to feminine minds
like Mrs Tiliots but to many minds in coat and waistcoat there was something
dangerous and perhaps unprincipled in his bare throat and great Gothic head and
his somewhat massive person would doubtless have come out very oddly from the
hands of a fashionable tailor of that time But as Esther saw his large grey
eyes looking round calmly and undefiantly first at the audience generally and
then with a more observant expression at the lawyers and other persons
immediately around him she felt that he bore the outward stamp of a
distinguished nature Forgive her if she needed this satisfaction all of us
whether men or women are liable to this weakness of liking to have our
preference justified before others as well as ourselves Esther said inwardly
with a certain triumph that Felix Holt looked as worthy to be chosen in the
midst of this large assembly as he had ever looked in their têteàtête under
the sombre light of the little parlour in Malthouse Yard
Esther had felt some relief in hearing from her father that Felix had
insisted on doing without his mothers presence and since to Mrs Holts
imagination notwithstanding her general desire to have her character inquired
into there was no greatly consolatory difference between being a witness and a
criminal and an appearance of any kind before the judge could hardly be made to
suggest anything definite that would overcome the dim sense of unalleviated
disgrace she had been less inclined than usual to complain of her sons
decision Esther had shuddered beforehand at the inevitable farce there would be
in Mrs Holts testimony But surely Felix would lose something for want of a
witness who could testify to his behaviour in the morning before he became
involved in the tumult
»He is really a fine young fellow« said Harold coming to speak to Esther
after a colloquy with the prisoners solicitor »I hope he will not make a
blunder in defending himself«
»He is not likely to make a blunder« said Esther She had recovered her
colour a little and was brighter than she had been all the morning before
Felix had seemed to include her in his general glance but had avoided
looking at her particularly She understood how delicate feeling for her would
prevent this and that she might safely look at him and towards her father
whom she could see in the same direction Turning to Harold to make an
observation she saw that he was looking towards the same point but with an
expression on his face that surprised her
»Dear me« she said prompted to speak without any reflection »how angry
you look I never saw you look so angry before It is not my father you are
looking at«
»Oh no I am angry at something Im looking away from« said Harold making
an effort to drive back the troublesome demon who would stare out at window
»Its that Jermyn« he added glancing at his mother as well as Esther »He will
thrust himself under my eyes everywhere since I refused him an interview and
returned his letter Im determined never to speak to him directly again if I
can help it«
Mrs Transome heard with a changeless face She had for some time been
watching and had taken on her marble look of immobility She said an inward
bitter »Of course« to everything that was unpleasant
After this Esther soon became impatient of all speech her attention was
riveted on the proceedings of the court and on the mode in which Felix bore
himself In the case for the prosecution there was nothing more than a
reproduction with irrelevancies added by witnesses of the facts already known
to us Spratt had retained consciousness enough in the midst of his terror to
swear that when he was tied to the fingerpost Felix was presiding over the
actions of the mob The landlady of the Seven Stars who was indebted to Felix
for rescue from pursuit by some drunken rioters gave evidence that went to
prove his assumption of leadership prior to the assault on Spratt remembering
only that he had called away her pursuers to better sport Various respectable
witnesses swore to Felixs encouragement of the rioters who were dragging Spratt
in King Street to his fatal assault on Tucker and to his attitude in front of
the drawingroom window at the Manor
Three other witnesses gave evidence of expressions used by the prisoner
tending to show the character of the acts with which he was charged Two were
Treby tradesmen the third was a clerk from Duffield The clerk had heard Felix
speak at Duffield the Treby men had frequently heard him declare himself on
public matters and they all quoted expressions which tended to show that he had
a virulent feeling against the respectable shopkeeping class and that nothing
was likely to be more congenial to him than the gutting of retailers shops No
one else knew the witnesses themselves did not know fully how far their
strong perception and memory on these points was due to a fourth mind namely
that of Mr John Johnson the attorney who was nearly related to one of the
Treby witnesses and a familiar acquaintance of the Duffield clerk Man cannot
be defined as an evidencegiving animal and in the difficulty of getting up
evidence on any subject there is room for much unrecognised action of diligent
persons who have the extra stimulus of some private motive Mr Johnson was
present in court today but in a modest retired situation He had come down to
give information to Mr Jermyn and to gather information in other quarters
which was well illuminated by the appearance of Esther in company with the
Transomes
When the case for the prosecution closed all strangers thought that it
looked black for the prisoner In two instances only Felix had chosen to put a
crossexamining question The first was to ask Spratt if he did not believe that
his having been tied to the post had saved him from a probably mortal injury
The second was to ask the tradesman who swore to his having heard Felix tell the
rioters to leave Tucker alone and come along with him whether he had not
shortly before heard cries among the mob summoning to an attack on the
winevaults and brewery
Esther had hitherto listened closely but calmly She knew that there would
be this strong adverse testimony and all her hopes and fears were bent on what
was to come beyond it It was when the prisoner was asked what he had to adduce
in reply that she felt herself in the grasp of that tremor which does not
disable the mind but rather gives keener consciousness of a mind having a
penalty of body attached to it
There was a silence as of night when Felix Holt began to speak His voice
was firm and clear he spoke with simple gravity and evidently without any
enjoyment of the occasion Esther had never seen his face look so weary
»My Lord I am not going to occupy the time of the court with unnecessary
words I believe the witnesses for the prosecution have spoken the truth as far
as a superficial observation would enable them to do it and I see nothing that
can weigh with the jury in my favour unless they believe my statement of my own
motives and the testimony that certain witnesses will give to my character and
purposes as being inconsistent with my willingly abetting disorder I will tell
the court in as few words as I can how I got entangled in the mob how I came
to attack the constable and how I was led to take a course which seems rather
mad to myself now I look back upon it«
Felix then gave a concise narrative of his motives and conduct on the day of
the riot from the moment when he was startled into quitting his work by the
earlier uproar of the morning He omitted of course his visit to Malthouse
Yard and merely said that he went out to walk again after returning to quiet
his mothers mind He got warmed by the story of his experience which moved him
more strongly than ever now he recalled it in vibrating words before a large
audience of his fellowmen The sublime delight of truthful speech to one who
has the great gift of uttering it will make itself felt even through the pangs
of sorrow
»That is all I have to say for myself my Lord I pleaded Not guilty to the
charge of manslaughter because I know that word may carry a meaning which would
not fairly apply to my act When I threw Tucker down I did not see the
possibility that he would die from a sort of attack which ordinarily occurs in
fighting without any fatal effect As to my assaulting a constable it was a
quick choice between two evils I should else have been disabled And he
attacked me under a mistake about my intentions Im not prepared to say I never
would assault a constable where I had more chance of deliberation I certainly
should assault him if I saw him doing anything that made my blood boil I
reverence the law but not where it is a pretext for wrong which it should be
the very object of law to hinder I consider that I should be making an unworthy
defence if I let the court infer from what I say myself or from what is said
by my witnesses that because I am a man who hates drunken disorder or any
wanton harm therefore I am a man who would never fight against authority I
hold it blasphemy to say that a man ought not to fight against authority there
is no great religion and no great freedom that has not done it in the
beginning It would be impertinent for me to speak of this now if I did not
need to say in my own defence that I should hold myself the worst sort of
traitor if I put my hand either to fighting or disorder which must mean injury
to somebody if I were not urged to it by what I hold to be sacred feelings
making a sacred duty either to my own manhood or to my fellowman And
certainly« Felix ended with a strong ring of scorn in his voice »I never held
it a sacred duty to try and get a Radical candidate returned for North
Loamshire by willingly heading a drunken howling mob whose public action must
consist in breaking windows destroying hardgot produce and endangering the
lives of men and women I have no more to say my Lord«
»I foresaw he would make a blunder« said Harold in a low voice to Esther
Then seeing her shrink a little he feared she might suspect him of being
merely stung by the allusion to himself »I dont mean what he said about the
Radical candidate« he added hastily in correction »I dont mean the last
sentence I mean that whole peroration of his which he ought to have left
unsaid It has done him harm with the jury they wont understand it or rather
will misunderstand it And Ill answer for it it has soured the judge It
remains to be seen what we witnesses can say for him to nullify the effect of
what he has said for himself I hope the attorney has done his best in
collecting the evidence I understand the expense of the witnesses is undertaken
by some Liberals at Glasgow and in Lancashire friends of Holts But I suppose
your father has told you«
The first witness called for the defence was Mr Lyon The gist of his
statements was that from the beginning of September last until the day of
election he was in very frequent intercourse with the prisoner that he had
become intimately acquainted with his character and views of life and his
conduct with respect to the election and that these were totally inconsistent
with any other supposition than that his being involved in the riot and his
fatal encounter with the constable were due to the calamitous failure of a bold
but good purpose He stated further that he had been present when an interview
had occurred in his own house between the prisoner and Mr Harold Transome who
was then canvassing for the representation of North Loamshire That the object
of the prisoner in seeking this interview had been to inform Mr Transome of
treating given in his name to the workmen in the pits and on the canal at
Sproxton and to remonstrate against its continuance the prisoner fearing that
disturbance and mischief might result from what he believed to be the end
towards which this treating was directed namely the presence of these men on
the occasions of the nomination and polling Several times after this interview
Mr Lyon said he had heard Felix Holt recur to the subject therein discussed
with expressions of grief and anxiety He himself was in the habit of visiting
Sproxton in his ministerial capacity he knew fully what the prisoner had done
there in order to found a nightschool and was certain that the prisoners
interest in the working men of that district turned entirely on the possibility
of converting them somewhat to habits of soberness and to a due care for the
instruction of their children Finally he stated that the prisoner in
compliance with his request had been present at Duffield on the day of the
nomination and had on his return expressed himself with strong indignation
concerning the employment of the Sproxton men on that occasion and what he
called the wickedness of hiring blind violence
The quaint appearance and manner of the little Dissenting minister could not
fail to stimulate the peculiar wit of the bar He was subjected to a troublesome
crossexamination which he bore with wideeyed shortsighted quietude and
absorption in the duty of truthful response On being asked rather sneeringly
if the prisoner was not one of his flock he answered in that deeper tone which
made one of the most effective transitions of his varying voice
»Nay would to God he were I should then feel that the great virtues and
the pure life I have beheld in him were a witness to the efficacy of the faith I
believe in and the discipline of the church whereunto I belong«
Perhaps it required a larger power of comparison than was possessed by any
of that audience to appreciate the moral elevation of an Independent minister
who could utter those words Nevertheless there was a murmur which was clearly
one of sympathy
The next witness and the one on whom the interest of the spectators was
chiefly concentrated was Harold Transome There was a decided predominance of
Tory feeling in the court and the human disposition to enjoy the infliction of
a little punishment on an opposite party was in this instance of a Tory
complexion Harold was keenly alive to this and to everything else that might
prove disagreeable to him in his having to appear in the witnessbox But he was
not likely to lose his selfpossession or to fail in adjusting himself
gracefully under conditions which most men would find it difficult to carry
without awkwardness He had generosity and candour enough to bear Felix Holts
proud rejection of his advances without any petty resentment he had all the
susceptibilities of a gentleman and these moral qualities gave the right
direction to his acumen in judging of the behaviour that would best secure his
dignity Everything requiring selfcommand was easier to him because of Esthers
presence for her admiration was just then the object which this welltanned man
of the world had it most at heart to secure
When he entered the witnessbox he was much admired by the ladies amongst
the audience many of whom sighed a little at the thought of his wrong course in
politics He certainly looked like a handsome portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence
in which that remarkable artist had happily omitted the usual excess of honeyed
blandness mixed with alert intelligence which is hardly compatible with the
state of man out of paradise He stood not far off Felix and the two Radicals
certainly made a striking contrast Felix might have come from the hands of a
sculptor in the later Roman period when the plastic impulse was stirred by the
grandeur of barbaric forms when rolled collars were not yet conceived and
satin stocks were not
Harold Transome declared that he had had only one interview with the
prisoner it was the interview referred to by the previous witness in whose
presence and in whose house it was begun The interview however was continued
beyond the observation of Mr Lyon The prisoner and himself quitted the
Dissenting ministers house in Malthouse Yard together and proceeded to the
office of Mr Jermyn who was then conducting electioneering business on his
behalf His object was to comply with Holts remonstrance by inquiring into the
alleged proceedings at Sproxton and if possible to put a stop to them Holts
language both in Malthouse Yard and in the attorneys office was strong he
was evidently indignant and his indignation turned on the danger of employing
ignorant men excited by drink on an occasion of popular concourse He believed
that Holts sole motive was the prevention of disorder and what he considered
the demoralisation of the workmen by treating The event had certainly justified
his remonstrances He had not had any subsequent opportunities of observing the
prisoner but if any reliance was to be placed on a rational conclusion it
must he thought be plain that the anxiety thus manifested by Holt was a
guarantee of the statement he had made as to his motives on the day of the riot
His entire impression from Holts manner in that single interview was that he
was a moral and political enthusiast who if he sought to coerce others would
seek to coerce them into a difficult and perhaps impracticable scrupulosity
Harold spoke with as noticeable a directness and emphasis as if what he
said could have no reaction on himself He had of course not entered
unnecessarily into what occurred in Jermyns office But now he was subjected to
a crossexamination on this subject which gave rise to some subdued shrugs
smiles and winks among county gentlemen
The questions were directed so as to bring out if possible some indication
that Felix Holt was moved to his remonstrance by personal resentment against the
political agents concerned in setting on foot the treating at Sproxton but such
questioning is a sort of targetshooting that sometimes hits about widely The
crossexamining counsel had close connections among the Tories of Loamshire and
enjoyed his business today Under the fire of various questions about Jermyn
and the agent employed by him at Sproxton Harold got warm and in one of his
replies said with his rapid sharpness
»Mr Jermyn was my agent then not now I have no longer any but hostile
relations with him«
The sense that he had shown a slight heat would have vexed Harold more if he
had not got some satisfaction out of the thought that Jermyn heard those words
He recovered his good temper quickly and when subsequently the question came
»You acquiesced in the treating of the Sproxton men as necessary to the
efficient working of the reformed constituency« Harold replied with quiet
fluency
»Yes on my return to England before I put up for North Loamshire I got
the best advice from practised agents both Whig and Tory They all agreed as to
electioneering measures«
The next witness was Michael Brincey otherwise Mike Brindle who gave
evidence of the sayings and doings of the prisoner amongst the Sproxton men
Mike declared that Felix went »uncommon again drink and pitchandtoss and
quarrelling and sich« and was »all for schooling and bringing up the little
chaps« but on being crossexamined he admitted that he »couldnt give much
account« that Felix did talk again idle folks whether poor or rich and that
most like he meant the rich who had »a rights to be idle« which was what he
Mike liked himself sometimes though for the most part he was »a hardworking
butty« On being checked for this superfluous allegation of his own theory and
practice Mike became timidly conscious that answering was a great mystery
beyond the reaches of a buttys soul and began to err from defect instead of
excess However he reasserted that what Felix most wanted was »to get em to
set up a school for the little chaps«
With the two succeeding witnesses who swore to the fact that Felix had
tried to lead the mob along Hobbs Lane instead of towards the Manor and to the
violently threatening character of Tuckers attack on him the case for the
defence was understood to close
Meanwhile Esther had been looking on and listening with growing misery in
the sense that all had not been said which might have been said on behalf of
Felix If it was the jury who were to be acted on she argued to herself there
might have been an impression made on their feeling which would determine their
verdict Was it not constantly said and seen that juries pronounced Guilty or
Not Guilty from sympathy for or against the accused She was too inexperienced
to check her own argument by thoroughly representing to herself the course of
things how the counsel for the prosecution would reply and how the judge would
sum up with the object of cooling down sympathy into deliberation What she had
painfully pressing on her inward vision was that the trial was coming to an
end and that the voice of right and truth had not been strong enough
When a woman feels purely and nobly that ardour of hers which breaks
through formulas too rigorously urged on men by daily practical needs makes one
of her most precious influences she is the added impulse that shatters the
stiffening crust of cautious experience Her inspired ignorance gives a
sublimity to actions so incongruously simple that otherwise they would make men
smile Some of that ardour which has flashed out and illuminated all poetry and
history was burning today in the bosom of sweet Esther Lyon In this at least
her womans lot was perfect that the man she loved was her hero that her
womans passion and her reverence for rarest goodness rushed together in an
undivided current And today they were making one danger one terror one
irresistible impulse for her heart Her feelings were growing into a necessity
for action rather than a resolve to act She could not support the thought that
the trial would come to an end that sentence would be passed on Felix and that
all the while something had been omitted which might have been said for him
There had been no witness to tell what had been his behaviour and state of mind
just before the riot She must do it It was possible There was time But not
too much time All other agitation became merged in eagerness not to let the
moment escape The last witness was being called Harold Transome had not been
able to get back to her on leaving the witnessbox but Mr Lingon was close by
her With firm quickness she said to him
»Pray tell the attorney that I have evidence to give for the prisoner lose
no time«
»Do you know what you are going to say my dear« said Mr Lingon looking at
her in astonishment
»Yes I entreat you for Gods sake« said Esther in that low tone of
urgent beseeching which is equivalent to a cry and with a look of appeal more
penetrating still »I would rather die than not do it«
The old rector always leaning to the goodnatured view of things felt
chiefly that there seemed to be an additional chance for the poor fellow who had
got himself into trouble He disputed no farther but went to the attorney
Before Harold was aware of Esthers intention she was on her way to the
witnessbox When she appeared there it was as if a vibration quick as light
had gone through the court and had shaken Felix himself who had hitherto seemed
impassive A sort of gleam seemed to shoot across his face and any one close to
him could have seen that his hand which lay on the edge of the dock trembled
At the first moment Harold was startled and alarmed the next he felt
delight in Esthers beautiful aspect and in the admiration of the court There
was no blush on her face she stood divested of all personal considerations
whether of vanity or shyness Her clear voice sounded as it might have done if
she had been making a confession of faith She began and went on without query
or interruption Every face looked grave and respectful
»I am Esther Lyon the daughter of Mr Lyon the Independent minister at
Treby who has been one of the witnesses for the prisoner I know Felix Holt
well On the day of the election at Treby when I had been much alarmed by the
noises that reached me from the main street Felix Holt came to call upon me He
knew that my father was away and he thought that I should be alarmed by the
sounds of disturbance It was about the middle of the day and he came to tell
me that the disturbance was quieted and that the streets were nearly emptied
But he said he feared that the men would collect again after drinking and that
something worse might happen later in the day And he was in much sadness at
this thought He stayed a little while and then he left me He was very
melancholy His mind was full of great resolutions that came from his kind
feeling towards others It was the last thing he would have done to join in riot
or to hurt any man if he could have helped it His nature is very noble he is
tenderhearted he could never have had any intention that was not brave and
good«
There was something so naïve and beautiful in this action of Esthers that
it conquered every low or petty suggestion even in the commonest minds The
three men in that assembly who knew her best even her father and Felix Holt
felt a thrill of surprise mingling with their admiration This bright delicate
beautifulshaped thing that seemed most like a toy or ornament some hand had
touched the chords and there came forth music that brought tears Half a year
before Esthers dread of being ridiculous spread over the surface of her life
but the depth below was sleeping
Harold Transome was ready to give her his hand and lead her back to her
place When she was there Felix for the first time could not help looking
towards her and their eyes met in one solemn glance
Afterwards Esther found herself unable to listen so as to form any judgment
on what she heard The acting out of that strong impulse had exhausted her
energy There was a brief pause filled with a murmur a buzz and much
coughing The audience generally felt as if dull weather was setting in again
And under those auspices the counsel for the prosecution got up to make his
reply Esthers deed had its effect beyond the momentary one but the effect was
not visible in the rigid necessities of legal procedure The counsels duty of
restoring all unfavourable facts to due prominence in the minds of the jurors
had its effect altogether reinforced by the summingup of the judge Even the
bare discernment of facts much more their arrangement with a view to
inferences must carry a bias human impartiality whether judicial or not can
hardly escape being more or less loaded It was not that the judge had severe
intentions it was only that he saw with severity The conduct of Felix was not
such as inclined him to indulgent consideration and in his directions to the
jury that mental attitude necessarily told on the light in which he placed the
homicide Even to many in the court who were not constrained by judicial duty
it seemed that though this high regard felt for the prisoner by his friends and
especially by a generoushearted woman was very pretty such conduct as his was
not the less dangerous and foolish and assaulting and killing a constable was
not the less an offence to be regarded without leniency
Esther seemed now so tremulous and looked so ill that Harold begged her to
leave the court with his mother and Mr Lingon He would come and tell her the
issue But she said quietly that she would rather stay she was only a little
overcome by the exertion of speaking She was inwardly resolved to see Felix to
the last moment before he left the court
Though she could not follow the address of the counsel or the judge she had
a keen ear for what was brief and decisive She heard the verdict Guilty of
manslaughter And every word uttered by the judge in pronouncing sentence fell
upon her like an unforgettable sound that would come back in dreaming and in
waking She had her eyes on Felix and at the word Imprisonment for four years
she saw his lip tremble But otherwise he stood firm and calm
Esther gave a start from her seat Her heart swelled with a horrible
sensation of pain but alarmed lest she should lose her selfcommand she
grasped Mrs Transomes hand getting some strength from that human contact
Esther saw that Felix had turned She could no longer see his face »Yes«
she said drawing down her veil »let us go«
Chapter 47
The devil tempts us not tis we tempt him
Beckoning his skill with opportunity
The more permanent effect of Esthers action in the trial was visible in a
meeting which took place the next day in the principal room of the White Hart at
Loamford To the magistrates and other county gentlemen who were drawn together
about noon some of the necessary impulse might have been lacking but for that
stirring of heart in certain justspirited men and good fathers among them
which had been raised to a high pitch of emotion by Esthers maidenly fervour
Among these one of the foremost was Sir Maximus Debarry who had come to the
assizes with a mind as usual slightly rebellious under an influence which he
never ultimately resisted the influence of his son Philip Debarry himself was
detained in London but in his correspondence with his father he had urged him
as well as his uncle Augustus to keep eyes and interest awake on the subject of
Felix Holt whom from all the knowledge of the case he had been able to obtain
he was inclined to believe peculiarly unfortunate rather than guilty Philip had
said he was the more anxious that his family should intervene benevolently in
this affair if it were possible because he understood that Mr Lyon took the
young mans case particularly to heart and he should always regard himself as
obliged to the old preacher At this superfineness of consideration Sir Maximus
had vented a few »pshaws« and in relation to the whole affair had grumbled
that Phil was always setting him to do he didnt know what always seeming to
turn nothing into something by dint of words which hadnt so much substance as a
mote behind them Nevertheless he was coerced and in reality he was willing to
do anything fair or goodnatured which had a handle that his understanding could
lay hold of His brother the rector desired to be rigorously just but he had
come to Loamford with a severe opinion concerning Felix thinking that some
sharp punishment might be a wholesome check on the career of a young man
disposed to rely too much on his own crude devices
Before the trial commenced Sir Maximus had naturally been one of those who
had observed Esther with curiosity owing to the report of her inheritance and
her probable marriage to his once welcome but now exasperating neighbour Harold
Transome and he had made the emphatic comment »A fine girl something
thoroughbred in the look of her Too good for a Radical thats all I have to
say« But during the trial Sir Maximus was wrought into a state of sympathetic
ardour that needed no fanning As soon as he could take his brother by the
buttonhole he said
»I tell you what Gus we must exert ourselves to get a pardon for this
young fellow Confound it whats the use of mewing him up for four years
Example Nonsense Will there be a man knocked down the less for it That girl
made me cry Depend upon it whether shes going to marry Transome or not shes
been fond of Holt in her poverty you know Shes a modest brave beautiful
woman Id ride a steeplechase old as I am to gratify her feelings Hang it
the fellows a good fellow if she thinks so And he threw out a fine sneer I
thought at the Radical candidate Depend upon it hes a good fellow at
bottom«
The rector had not exactly the same kind of ardour nor was he open to
precisely that process of proof which appeared to have convinced Sir Maximus
but he had been so far influenced as to be inclined to unite in an effort on the
side of mercy observing also that he knew Phil would be on that side And by
the cooperation of similar movements in the minds of other men whose names were
of weight a meeting had been determined on to consult about getting up a
memorial to the Home Secretary on behalf of Felix Holt His case had never had
the sort of significance that could rouse political partisanship and such
interest as was now felt in him was still more unmixed with that inducement The
gentlemen who gathered in the room at the White Hart were not as the large
imagination of the North Loamshire Herald suggested of all shades of political
opinion but of as many shades as were to be found among the gentlemen of that
county
Harold Transome has been energetically active in bringing about this
meeting Over and above the stings of conscience and a determination to act up
to the level of all recognised honourableness he had the powerful motive of
desiring to do what would satisfy Esther His gradually heightened perception
that she had a strong feeling towards Felix Holt had not made him uneasy Harold
had a conviction that might have seemed like fatuity if it had not been that he
saw the effect he produced on Esther by the light of his opinions about women in
general The conviction was that Felix Holt could not be his rival in any
formidable sense Esthers admiration for this eccentric young man was he
thought a moral enthusiasm a romantic fervour which was one among those many
attractions quite novel in his own experience her distress about the trouble of
one who had been a familiar object in her former home was no more than
naturally followed from a tender womans compassion The place young Holt had
held in her regard had necessarily changed its relations now that her lot was so
widely changed It is undeniable that what most conduced to the quieting nature
of Harolds conclusions was the influence on his imagination of the more or less
detailed reasons that Felix Holt was a watchmaker that his home and dress were
of a certain quality that his person and manners that in short for Harold
like the rest of us had many impressions which saved him the trouble of
distinct ideas Felix Holt was not the sort of man a woman would be likely to
be in love with when she was wooed by Harold Transome
Thus he was sufficiently at rest on this point not to be exercising any
painful selfconquest in acting as the zealous advocate of Felix Holts cause
with all persons worth influencing but it was by no direct intercourse between
him and Sir Maximus that they found themselves in cooperation for the old
baronet would not recognise Harold by more than the faintest bow and Harold was
not a man to expose himself to a rebuff Whatever he in his inmost soul regarded
as nothing more than a narrow prejudice he could defy not with airs of
importance but with easy indifference He could bear most things
goodhumouredly where he felt that he had the superiority The object of the
meeting was discussed and the memorial agreed upon without any clashing Mr
Lingon was gone home but it was expected that his concurrence and signature
would be given as well as those of other gentlemen who were absent The
business gradually reached that stage at which the concentration of interest
ceases when the attention of all but a few who are more practically concerned
drops off and disperses itself in private chat and there is no longer any
particular reason why everybody stays except that everybody is there The room
was rather a long one and invited to a little movement one gentleman drew
another aside to speak in an undertone about Scotch bullocks another had
something to say about the North Loamshire Hunt to a friend who was the reverse
of goodlooking but who nevertheless while listening showed his strength of
mind by giving a severe attention also to his fulllength reflection in the
handsome tall mirror that filled the space between two windows And in this way
the groups were continually shifting
But in the meantime there were moving towards this room at the White Hart
the footsteps of a person whose presence had not been invited and who very far
from being drawn thither by the belief that he would be welcome knew well that
his entrance would to one person at least be bitterly disagreeable They were
the footsteps of Mr Jermyn whose appearance that morning was not less comely
and less carefully tended than usual but who was suffering the torment of a
compressed rage which if not impotent to inflict pain on another was impotent
to avert evil from himself After his interview with Mrs Transome there had been
for some reasons a delay of positive procedures against him by Harold of which
delay Jermyn had twice availed himself first to seek an interview with Harold
and then to send him a letter The interview had been refused and the letter
had been returned with the statement that no communication could take place
except through Harolds lawyers And yesterday Johnson had brought Jermyn the
information that he would quickly hear of the proceedings in Chancery being
resumed the watch Johnson kept in town had given him secure knowledge on this
head A doomed animal with every issue earthed up except that where its enemy
stands must if it has teeth and fierceness try its one chance without delay
And a man may reach a point in his life in which his impulses are not
distinguished from those of a hunted brute by any capability of scruples Our
selfishness is so robust and manyclutching that well encouraged it easily
devours all sustenance away from our poor little scruples
Since Harold would not give Jermyn access to him that vigorous attorney was
resolved to take it He knew all about the meeting at the White Hart and he was
going thither with the determination of accosting Harold He thought he knew
what he should say and the tone in which he should say it It would be a vague
intimation carrying the effect of a threat which should compel Harold to give
him a private interview To any counterconsideration that presented itself in
his mind to anything that an imagined voice might say that imagined answer
arose »Thats all very fine but Im not going to be ruined if I can help it
least of all ruined in that way« Shall we call it degeneration or gradual
development this effect of thirty additional winters on the softglancing
versifying young Jermyn
When Jermyn entered the room at the White Hart he did not immediately see
Harold The door was at the extremity of the room and the view was obstructed
by groups of gentlemen with figures broadened by overcoats His entrance excited
no peculiar observation several persons had come in late Only one or two who
knew Jermyn well were not too much preoccupied to have a glancing remembrance
of what had been chatted about freely the day before Harolds irritated reply
about his agent from the witnessbox Receiving and giving a slight nod here
and there Jermyn pushed his way looking round keenly until he saw Harold
standing near the other end of the room The solicitor who had acted for Felix
was just then speaking to him but having put a paper into his hand turned away
and Harold standing isolated though at no great distance from others bent his
eyes on the paper He looked brilliant that morning his blood was flowing
prosperously He had come in after a ride and was additionally brightened by
rapid talk and the excitement of seeking to impress himself favourably or at
least powerfully on the minds of neighbours nearer or more remote He had just
that amount of flush which indicates that life is more enjoyable than usual and
as he stood with his left hand caressing his whisker and his right holding the
paper and his ridingwhip his dark eyes running rapidly along the written
lines and his lips reposing in a curve of goodhumour which had more happiness
in it than a smile all beholders might have seen that his mind was at ease
Jermyn walked quickly and quietly close up to him The two men were of the
same height and before Harold looked round Jermyns voice was saying close to
his ear not in a whisper but in a hard incisive disrespectful and yet not
loud tone
»Mr Transome I must speak to you in private«
The sound jarred through Harold with a sensation all the more insufferable
because of the revulsion from the satisfied almost elated state in which it
had seized him He started and looked round into Jermyns eyes For an instant
which seemed long there was no sound between them but only angry hatred
gathering in the two faces Harold felt himself going to crush this insolence
Jermyn felt that he had words within him that were fangs to clutch this
obstinate strength and wring forth the blood and compel submission And
Jermyns impulse was the more urgent He said in a tone that was rather lower
but yet harder and more biting
»You will repent else for your mothers sake«
At that sound quick as a leaping flame Harold had struck Jermyn across the
face with his whip The brim of the hat had been a defence Jermyn a powerful
man had instantly thrust out his hand and clutched Harold hard by the clothes
just below the throat pushing him slightly so as to make him stagger
By this time everybodys attention had been called to this end of the room
but both Jermyn and Harold were beyond being arrested by any consciousness of
spectators
»Let me go you scoundrel« said Harold fiercely »or Ill be the death of
you«
»Do« said Jermyn in a grating voice »I am your father«
In the thrust by which Harold had been made to stagger backward a little
the two men had got very near the long mirror They were both white both had
anger and hatred in their faces the hands of both were upraised As Harold
heard the last terrible words he started at a leaping throb that went through
him and in the start turned his eyes away from Jermyns face He turned them on
the same face in the glass with his own beside it and saw the hated fatherhood
reasserted
The young strong man reeled with a sick faintness But in the same moment
Jermyn released his hold and Harold felt himself supported by the arm It was
Sir Maximus Debarry who had taken hold of him
»Leave the room sir« the baronet said to Jermyn in a voice of imperious
scorn »This is a meeting of gentlemen«
»Come Harold« he said in the old friendly voice »come away with me«
Chapter 48
»Tis law as stedfast as the throne of Zeus
Our days are heritors of days gone by«
Æschylus Agamemnon
A little after five oclock that day Harold arrived at Transome Court As he
was winding along the broad road of the park some parting gleams of the March
sun pierced the trees here and there and threw on the grass a long shadow of
himself and the groom riding and illuminated a window or two of the home he was
approaching But the bitterness in his mind made these sunny gleams almost as
odious as an artificial smile He wished he had never come back to this pale
English sunshine
In the course of his eighteen miles drive he had made up his mind what he
would do He understood now as he had never understood before the neglected
solitariness of his mothers life the allusions and innuendoes which had come
out during the election But with a proud insurrection against the hardship of
an ignominy which was not of his own making he inwardly said that if the
circumstances of his birth were such as to warrant any man in regarding his
character of gentleman with ready suspicion that character should be the more
strongly asserted in his conduct No one should be able to allege with any show
of proof that he had inherited meanness
As he stepped from the carriage and entered the hall there were the voice
and the trotting feet of little Harry as usual and the rush to clasp his
fathers leg and make his joyful puppylike noises Harold just touched the
boys head and then said to Dominic in a weary voice
»Take the child away Ask where my mother is«
Mrs Transome Dominic said was upstairs He had seen her go up after coming
in from her walk with Miss Lyon and she had not come down again
Harold throwing off his hat and greatcoat went straight to his mothers
dressingroom There was still hope in his mind He might be suffering simply
from a lie There is much misery created in the world by mere mistake or
slander and he might have been stunned by a lie suggested by such slander He
rapped at his mothers door
Her voice said immediately »Come in«
Mrs Transome was resting in her easychair as she often did between an
afternoon walk and dinner She had taken off her walkingdress and wrapped
herself in a soft dressinggown She was neither more nor less empty of joy than
usual But when she saw Harold a dreadful certainty took possession of her It
was as if a longexpected letter with a black seal had come at last
Harolds face told her what to fear the more decisively because she had
never before seen it express a mans deep agitation Since the time of its
pouting childhood and careless youth she had seen only the confident strength
and goodhumoured imperiousness of maturity The last five hours had made a
change as great as illness makes Harold looked as if he had been wrestling and
had had some terrible blow His eyes had that sunken look which because it is
unusual seems to intensify expression
He looked at his mother as he entered and her eyes followed him as he
moved till he came and stood in front of her she looking up at him with white
lips
»Mother« he said speaking with a distant slowness in strange contrast
with his habitual manner »tell me the truth that I may know how to act«
He paused a moment and then said »Who is my father«
She was mute her lips only trembled Harold stood silent for a few moments
as if waiting Then he spoke again
»He has said said it before others that he is my father«
He looked still at his mother She seemed as if age was striking her with a
sudden wand as if her trembling face were getting haggard before him She was
mute But her eyes had not fallen they looked up in helpless misery at her son
Her son turned away his eyes from her and left her In that moment Harold
felt hard he could show no pity All the pride of his nature rebelled against
his sonship
Chapter 49
Nay falter not tis an assured good
To seek the noblest tis your only good
Now you have seen it for that higher vision
Poisons all meaner choice for evermore
That day Esther dined with old Mr Transome only Harold sent word that he was
engaged and had already dined and Mrs Transome that she was feeling ill Esther
was much disappointed that any tidings Harold might have brought relating to
Felix were deferred in this way and her anxiety making her fearful she was
haunted by the thought that if there had been anything cheering to tell he
would have found time to tell it without delay Old Mr Transome went as usual to
his sofa in the library to sleep after dinner and Esther had to seat herself in
the small drawingroom in a welllit solitude that was unusually dispiriting to
her Pretty as this room was she did not like it Mrs Transomes fulllength
portrait being the only picture there urged itself too strongly on her
attention the youthful brilliancy it represented saddened Esther by its
inevitable association with what she daily saw had come instead of it a
joyless embittered age The sense that Mrs Transome was unhappy affected
Esther more and more deeply as the growing familiarity which relaxed the efforts
of the hostess revealed more and more the threadbare tissue of this majestic
ladys life Even the flowers and the pure sunshine and the sweet waters of
Paradise would have been spoiled for a young heart if the bowered walks had
been haunted by an Eve gone grey with bitter memories of an Adam who had
complained »The woman she gave me of the tree and I did eat« And many of
us know how even in our childhood some blank discontented face on the
background of our home has marred our summer mornings Why was it when the
birds were singing when the fields were a garden and when we were clasping
another little hand just larger than our own there was somebody who found it
hard to smile Esther had got far beyond that childhood to a time and
circumstances when this daily presence of elderly dissatisfaction amidst such
outward things as she had always thought must greatly help to satisfy awaked
not merely vague questioning emotion but strong determining thought And now
in these hours since her return from Loamford her mind was in that state of
highlywrought activity that large discourse in which we seem to stand aloof
from our own life weighing impartially our own temptations and the weak
desires that most habitually solicit us »I think I am getting that power Felix
wished me to have I shall soon see strong visions« she said to herself with a
melancholy smile flitting across her face as she put out the wax lights that
she might get rid of the oppressive urgency of walls and upholstery and that
portrait smiling with deluded brightness unwitting of the future
Just then Dominic came to say that Mr Harold sent his compliments and
begged that she would grant him an interview in his study He disliked the small
drawingroom if she would oblige him by going to the study at once he would
join her very soon Esther went in some wonder and anxiety What she most
feared or hoped in these moments related to Felix Holt and it did not occur to
her that Harold could have anything special to say to her that evening on other
subjects
Certainly the study was pleasanter than the small drawingroom A quiet
light shone on nothing but greenness and dark wood and Dominic had placed a
delightful chair for her opposite to his masters which was still empty All
the little objects of luxury around indicated Harolds habitual occupancy and
as Esther sat opposite all these things along with the empty chair which
suggested the coming presence the expectation of his beseeching homage brought
with it an impatience and repugnance which she had never felt before While
these feelings were strongly upon her the door opened and Harold appeared
He had recovered his selfpossession since his interview with his mother he
had dressed and was perfectly calm He had been occupied with resolute
thoughts determining to do what he knew that perfect honour demanded let it
cost him what it would It is true he had a tacit hope behind that it might not
cost him what he prized most highly it is true he had a glimpse even of reward
but it was not less true that he would have acted as he did without that hope or
glimpse It was the most serious moment in Harold Transomes life for the first
time the iron had entered into his soul and he felt the hard pressure of our
common lot the yoke of that mighty resistless destiny laid upon us by the acts
of other men as well as our own
When Esther looked at him she relented and felt ashamed of her gratuitous
impatience She saw that his mind was in some way burdened But then immediately
sprang the dread that he had to say something hopeless about Felix
They shook hands in silence Esther looking at him with anxious surprise He
released her hand but it did not occur to her to sit down and they both
continued standing on the hearth
»Dont let me alarm you« said Harold seeing that her face gathered
solemnity from his »I suppose I carry the marks of a past agitation It relates
entirely to troubles of my own of my own family No one beyond is involved in
them«
Esther wondered still more and felt still more relenting
»But« said Harold after a slight pause and in a voice that was weighted
with new feeling »it involves a difference in my position with regard to you
and it is on this point that I wished to speak to you at once When a man sees
what ought to be done he had better do it forthwith He cant answer for
himself tomorrow«
While Esther continued to look at him with eyes widened by anxious
expectation Harold turned a little leaned on the mantelpiece and ceased to
look at her as he spoke
»My feelings drag me another way I need not tell you that your regard has
become very important to me that if our mutual position had been different
that in short you must have seen if it had not seemed to be a matter of
worldly interest I should have told you plainly already that I loved you and
that my happiness could be complete only if you would consent to marry me«
Esther felt her heart beginning to beat painfully Harolds voice and words
moved her so much that her own task seemed more difficult than she had before
imagined It seemed as if the silence unbroken by anything but the clicking of
the fire had been long before Harold turned round towards her again and said
»But today I have heard something that affects my own position I cannot
tell you what it is There is no need It is not any culpability of my own But
I have not just the same unsullied name and fame in the eyes of the world around
us as I believed that I had when I allowed myself to entertain that wish about
you You are very young entering on a fresh life with bright prospects you
are worthy of everything that is best I may be too vain in thinking it was at
all necessary but I take this precaution against myself I shut myself out from
the chance of trying after today to induce you to accept anything which
others may regard as specked and stained by any obloquy however slight«
Esther was keenly touched With a paradoxical longing such as often happens
to us she wished at that moment that she could have loved this man with her
whole heart The tears came into her eyes she did not speak but with an
angels tenderness in her face she laid her hand on his sleeve Harold
commanded himself strongly and said
»What is to be done now is that we should proceed at once to the necessary
legal measures for putting you in possession of your own and arranging mutual
claims After that I shall probably leave England«
Esther was oppressed by an overpowering difficulty Her sympathy with Harold
at this moment was so strong that it spread itself like a mist over all
previous thought and resolve It was impossible now to wound him afresh With
her hand still resting on his arm she said timidly
»Should you be urged obliged to go in any case«
»Not in every case perhaps« Harold said with an evident movement of the
blood towards his face »at least not for long not for always«
Esther was conscious of the gleam in his eyes With terror at herself she
said in difficult haste »I cant speak I cant say anything tonight A great
decision has to be made I must wait till tomorrow«
She was moving her hand from his arm when Harold took it reverentially and
raised it to his lips She turned towards her chair and as he released her hand
she sank down on the seat with a sense that she needed that support She did not
want to go away from Harold yet All the while there was something she needed to
know and yet she could not bring herself to ask it She must resign herself to
depend entirely on his recollection of anything beyond his own immediate trial
She sat helpless under contending sympathies while Harold stood at some
distance from her feeling more harassed by weariness and uncertainty now that
he had fulfilled his resolve and was no longer under the excitement of actually
fulfilling it
Esthers last words had forbidden his revival of the subject that was
necessarily supreme with him But still she sat there and his mind busy as to
the probabilities of her feeling glanced over all she had done and said in the
later days of their intercourse It was this retrospect that led him to say at
last
»You will be glad to hear that we shall get a very powerfully signed
memorial to the Home Secretary about young Holt I think your speaking for him
helped a great deal You made all the men wish what you wished«
This was what Esther had been yearning to hear and dared not ask as well
from respect for Harolds absorption in his own sorrow as from the shrinking
that belongs to our dearest need The intense relief of hearing what she longed
to hear affected her whole frame her colour her expression changed as if she
had been suddenly freed from some torturing constraint But we interpret signs
of emotion as we interpret other signs often quite erroneously unless we have
the right key to what they signify Harold did not gather that this was what
Esther had waited for or that the change in her indicated more than he had
expected her to feel at this allusion to an unusual act which she had done under
a strong impulse
Besides the introduction of a new subject after very momentous words have
passed and are still dwelling on the mind is necessarily a sort of concussion
shaking us into a new adjustment of ourselves
It seemed natural that soon afterward Esther put out her hand and said
»Goodnight«
Harold went to his bedroom on the same level with this study thinking of
the morning with an uncertainty that dipped on the side of hope This sweet
woman for whom he felt a passion newer than any he had expected to feel might
possibly make some hard things more bearable if she loved him If not well
he had acted so that he could defy any one to say he was not a gentleman
Esther went upstairs to her bedroom thinking that she should not sleep
that night She set her light on a high stand and did not touch her dress What
she desired to see with undisturbed clearness were things not present the rest
she needed was the rest of a final choice It was difficult On each side there
was renunciation
She drew up her blinds liking to see the grey sky where there were some
veiled glimmerings of moonlight and the lines of the forever running river
and the bending movement of the black trees She wanted the largeness of the
world to help her thought This young creature who trod lightly backward and
forward and leaned against the windowframe and shook back her brown curls as
she looked at something not visible had lived hardly more than six months since
she saw Felix Holt for the first time But life is measured by the rapidity of
change the succession of influences that modify the being and Esther had
undergone something little short of an inward revolution The revolutionary
struggle however was not quite at an end
There was something which she now felt profoundly to be the best thing that
life could give her But if it was to be had at all it was not to be had
without paying a heavy price for it such as we must pay for all that is greatly
good A supreme love a motive that gives a sublime rhythm to a womans life
and exalts habit into partnership with the souls highest needs is not to be
had where and how she wills to know that high initiation she must often tread
where it is hard to tread and feel the chill air and watch through darkness
It is not true that love makes all things easy it makes us choose what is
difficult Esthers previous life had brought her into close acquaintance with
many negations and with many positive ills too not of the acutely painful but
of the distasteful sort What if she chose the hardship and had to bear it
alone with no strength to lean upon no other better self to make a place for
trust and joy Her past experience saved her from illusions She knew the dim
life of the back street the contact with sordid vulgarity the lack of
refinement for the senses the summons to a daily task and the gain that was to
make that life of privation something on which she dreaded to turn her back as
if it were heaven the presence and the love of Felix Holt was only a
quivering hope not a certainty It was not in her womans nature that the hope
should not spring within her and make a strong impulse She knew that he loved
her had he not said how a woman might help a man if she were worthy and if she
proved herself worthy But still there was the dread that after all she might
find herself on the stony road alone and faint and be weary Even with the
fulfilment of her hope she knew that she pledged herself to meet high demands
And on the other side there was a lot where everything seemed easy but for
the fatal absence of those feelings which now she had once known them it
seemed nothing less than a fall and a degradation to do without With a terrible
prescience which a multitude of impressions during her stay at Transome Court
had contributed to form she saw herself in a silken bondage that arrested all
motive and was nothing better than a wellcushioned despair To be restless
amidst ease to be languid among all appliances for pleasure was a possibility
that seemed to haunt the rooms of this house and wander with her under the oaks
and elms of the park And Harold Transomes love no longer a hovering fancy
with which she played but become a serious fact seemed to threaten her with a
stifling oppression The homage of a man may be delightful until he asks
straight for love by which a woman renders homage Since she and Felix had
kissed each other in the prison she felt as if she had vowed herself away as
if memory lay on her lips like a seal of possession Yet what had happened that
very evening had strengthened her liking for Harold and her care for all that
regarded him it had increased her repugnance to turning him out of anything he
had expected to be his or to snatching anything from him on the ground of an
arbitrary claim It had even made her dread as a coming pain the task of
saying anything to him that was not a promise of the utmost comfort under this
newlydisclosed trouble of his
It was already near midnight but with these thoughts succeeding and
returning in her mind like scenes through which she was living Esther had a
more intense wakefulness than any she had known by day All had been stillness
hitherto except the fitful wind outside But her ears now caught a sound within
slight but sudden She moved near her door and heard the sweep of something
on the matting outside It came closer and paused Then it began again and
seemed to sweep away from her Then it approached and paused as it had done
before Esther listened wondering The same thing happened again and again
till she could bear it no longer She opened her door and in the dim light of
the corridor where the glass above seemed to make a glimmering sky she saw Mrs
Transomes tall figure pacing slowly with her cheek upon her hand
Chapter 50
»The great question in life is the suffering we cause and the
utmost ingenuity of metaphysics cannot justify the man who has
pierced the heart that loved him«
Benjamin Constant
When Denner had gone up to her mistresss room to dress her for dinner she had
found her seated just as Harold had found her only with eyelids drooping and
trembling over slowlyrolling tears nay with a face in which every sensitive
feature every muscle seemed to be quivering with a silent endurance of some
agony
Denner went and stood by the chair a minute without speaking only laying
her hand gently on Mrs Transomes At last she said beseechingly »Pray speak
madam What has happened«
»The worst Denner the worst«
»You are ill Let me undress you and put you to bed«
»No I am not ill I am not going to die I shall live I shall live«
»What may I do«
»Go and say I shall not dine Then you may come back if you will«
The patient waitingwoman came back and sat by her mistress in motionless
silence Mrs Transome would not let her dress be touched and waved away all
proffers with a slight movement of her hand Denner dared not even light a
candle without being told At last when the evening was far gone Mrs Transome
said
»Go down Denner and find out where Harold is and come back and tell me«
»Shall I ask him to come to you madam«
»No dont dare to do it if you love me Come back«
Denner brought word that Mr Harold was in his study and that Miss Lyon was
with him He had not dined but had sent later to ask Miss Lyon to go into his
study
»Light the candles and leave me«
»Maynt I come again«
»No It may be that my son will come to me«
»Maynt I sleep on the little bed in your bedroom«
»No good Denner I am not ill You cant help me«
»Thats the hardest word of all madam«
»The time will come but not now Kiss me Now go«
The small quiet old woman obeyed as she had always done She shrank from
seeming to claim an equals share in her mistresss sorrow
For two hours Mrs Transomes mind hung on what was hardly a hope hardly
more than the listening for a bare possibility She began to create the sounds
that her anguish craved to hear began to imagine a footfall and a hand upon
the door Then checked by continual disappointment she tried to rouse a truer
consciousness by rising from her seat and walking to her window where she saw
streaks of light moving and disappearing on the grass and the sound of bolts
and closing doors She hurried away and threw herself into her seat again and
buried her head in the deafening down of the cushions There was no sound of
comfort for her
Then her heart cried out within her against the cruelty of this son When he
turned from her in the first moment he had not had time to feel anything but
the blow that had fallen on himself But afterwards was it possible that he
should not be touched with a sons pity was it possible that he should not
have been visited by some thought of the long years through which she had
suffered The memory of those years came back to her now with a protest against
the cruelty that had all fallen on her She started up with a new restlessness
from this spirit of resistance She was not penitent She had borne too hard a
punishment Always the edge of calamity had fallen on her Who had felt for her
She was desolate God had no pity else her son would not have been so hard
What dreary future was there after this dreary past She too looked out into
the dim night but the black boundary of trees and the long line of the river
seemed only part of the loneliness and monotony of her life
Suddenly she saw a light on the stone balustrades of the balcony that
projected in front of Esthers window and the flash of a moving candle falling
on a shrub below Esther was still awake and up What had Harold told her what
had passed between them Harold was fond of this young creature who had been
always sweet and reverential to her There was mercy in her young heart she
might be a daughter who had no impulse to punish and to strike her whom fate had
stricken On the dim loneliness before her she seemed to see Esthers gentle
look it was possible still that the misery of this night might be broken by
some comfort The proud woman yearned for the caressing pity that must dwell in
that young bosom She opened her door gently but when she had reached Esthers
she hesitated She had never yet in her life asked for compassion had never
thrown herself in faith on an unproffered love And she might have gone on
pacing the corridor like an uneasy spirit without a goal if Esthers thought
leaping towards her had not saved her from the need to ask admission
Mrs Transome was walking towards the door when it opened As Esther saw that
image of restless misery it blent itself by a rapid flash with all that Harold
had said in the evening She divined that the sons new trouble must be one with
the mothers long sadness But there was no waiting In an instant Mrs Transome
felt Esthers arm round her neck and a voice saying softly
»O why didnt you call me before«
They turned hand in hand into the room and sat down together on a sofa at
the foot of the bed The disordered grey hair the haggard face the reddened
eyelids under which the tears seemed to be coming again with pain pierced
Esther to the heart A passionate desire to soothe this suffering woman came
over her She clung round her again and kissed her poor quivering lips and
eyelids and laid her young cheek against the pale and haggard one Words could
not be quick or strong enough to utter her yearning As Mrs Transome felt that
soft clinging she said
»God has some pity on me«
»Rest on my bed« said Esther »You are so tired I will cover you up
warmly and then you will sleep«
»No tell me dear tell me what Harold said«
»That he has had some new trouble«
»He said nothing hard about me«
»No nothing He did not mention you«
»I have been an unhappy woman dear«
»I feared it« said Esther pressing her gently
»Men are selfish They are selfish and cruel What they care for is their
own pleasure and their own pride«
»Not all« said Esther on whom these words fell with a painful jar
»All I have ever loved« said Mrs Transome She paused a moment or two and
then said »For more than twenty years I have not had an hours happiness
Harold knows it and yet he is hard to me«
»He will not be Tomorrow he will not be I am sure he will be good« said
Esther pleadingly »Remember he said to me his trouble was new he has not
had time«
»It is too hard to bear dear« Mrs Transome said a new sob rising as she
clung fast to Esther in return »I am old and expect so little now a very
little thing would seem great Why should I be punished any more«
Esther found it difficult to speak The dimlysuggested tragedy of this
womans life the dreary waste of years empty of sweet trust and affection
afflicted her even to horror It seemed to have come as a last vision to urge
her towards the life where the draughts of joy sprang from the unchanging
fountains of reverence and devout love
But all the more she longed to still the pain of this heart that beat
against hers
»Do let me go to your own room with you and let me undress you and let me
tend upon you« she said with a womans gentle instinct »It will be a very
great thing to me I shall seem to have a mother again Do let me«
Mrs Transome yielded at last and let Esther soothe her with a daughters
tendance She was undressed and went to bed and at last dozed fitfully with
frequent starts But Esther watched by her till the chills of morning came and
then she only wrapped more warmth around her and slept fast in the chair till
Denners movement in the room roused her She started out of a dream in which
she was telling Felix what had happened to her that night
Mrs Transome was now in the sounder morning sleep which sometimes comes
after a long night of misery Esther beckoned Denner into the dressingroom and
said
»It is late Mrs Hickes Do you think Mr Harold is out of his room«
»Yes a long while he was out earlier than usual«
»Will you ask him to come up here Say I begged you«
When Harold entered Esther was leaning against the back of the empty chair
where yesterday he had seen his mother sitting He was in a state of wonder and
suspense and when Esther approached him and gave him her hand he said in a
startled way
»Good God how ill you look Have you been sitting up with my mother«
»Yes She is asleep now« said Esther They had merely pressed hands by way
of greeting and now stood apart looking at each other solemnly
»Has she told you anything« said Harold
»No only that she is wretched O I think I would bear a great deal of
unhappiness to save her from having any more«
A painful thrill passed through Harold and showed itself in his face with
that pale rapid flash which can never be painted Esther pressed her hands
together and said timidly though it was from an urgent prompting
»There is nothing in all this place nothing since ever I came here I
could care for so much as that you should sit down by her now and that she
should see you when she wakes«
Then with delicate instinct she added just laying her hand on his sleeve
»I know you would have come I know you meant it But she is asleep now Go
gently before she wakes«
Harold just laid his right hand for an instant on the back of Esthers as it
rested on his sleeve and then stepped softly to his mothers bedside
An hour afterwards when Harold had laid his mothers pillow afresh and sat
down again by her she said
»If that dear thing will marry you Harold it will make up to you for a
great deal«
But before the day closed Harold knew that this was not to be That young
presence which had flitted like a white newwinged dove over all the saddening
relics and new finery of Transome Court could not find its home there Harold
heard from Esthers lips that she loved some one else and that she resigned all
claim to the Transome estates
She wished to go back to her father
Chapter 51
The maiden said I wis the londe
Is very fair to see
But my truelove that is in bonde
Is fairer still to me
One April day when the sun shone on the lingering raindrops Lyddy was gone
out and Esther chose to sit in the kitchen in the wicker chair against the
white table between the fire and the window The kettle was singing and the
clock was ticking steadily towards four oclock
She was not reading but stitching and as her fingers moved nimbly
something played about her parted lips like a ray Suddenly she laid down her
work pressed her hands together on her knees and bent forward a little The
next moment there came a loud rap at the door She started up and opened it but
kept herself hidden behind it
»Mr Lyon at home« said Felix in his firm tones
»No sir« said Esther from behind her screen »but Miss Lyon is if youll
please to walk in«
»Esther« exclaimed Felix amazed
They held each other by both hands and looked into each others faces with
delight
»You are out of prison«
»Yes till I do something bad again But you how is it all«
»Oh it is« said Esther smiling brightly as she moved towards the wicker
chair and seated herself again »that everything is as usual my father is gone
to see the sick Lyddy is gone in deep despondency to buy the grocery and I am
sitting here with some vanity in me needing to be scolded«
Felix had seated himself on a chair that happened to be near her at the
corner of the table He looked at her still with questioning eyes he grave
she mischievously smiling
»Are you come back to live here then«
»Yes«
»You are not going to be married to Harold Transome or to be rich«
»No« Something made Esther take up her work again and begin to stitch The
smiles were dying into a tremor
»Why« said Felix in rather a low tone leaning his elbow on the table and
resting his head on his hand while he looked at her
»I did not wish to marry him or to be rich«
»You have given it all up« said Felix leaning forward a little and
speaking in a still lower tone
Esther did not speak They heard the kettle singing and the clock loudly
ticking There was no knowing how it was Esthers work fell their eyes met
and the next instant their arms were round each others necks and once more
they kissed each other
When their hands fell again their eyes were bright with tears Felix laid
his hand on her shoulder
»Could you share the life of a poor man then Esther«
»If I thought well enough of him« she said the smile coming again with
the pretty saucy movement of her head
»Have you considered well what it would be that it will be a very bare
and simple life«
»Yes without atta of roses«
Felix suddenly removed his hand from her shoulder rose from his chair and
walked a step or two then he turned round and said with deep gravity
»And the people I shall live among Esther They have not just the same
follies and vices as the rich but they have their own forms of folly and vice
and they have not what are called the refinements of the rich to make their
faults more bearable I dont say more bearable to me Im not fond of those
refinements but you are«
Felix paused an instant and then added
»It is very serious Esther«
»I know it is serious« said Esther looking up at him »Since I have been
at Transome Court I have seen many things very seriously If I had not I should
not have left what I did leave I made a deliberate choice«
Felix stood a moment or two dwelling on her with a face where the gravity
gathered tenderness
»And these curls« he said with a sort of relenting seating himself again
and putting his hand on them
»They cost nothing they are natural«
»You are such a delicate creature«
»I am very healthy Poor women I think are healthier than the rich
Besides« Esther went on with a mischievous meaning »I think of having some
wealth«
»How« said Felix with an anxious start »What do you mean«
»I think even of two pounds aweek one neednt live up to the splendour of
all that you know we must live as simply as you liked there would be money to
spare and you could do wonders and be obliged to work too only not if
sickness came And then I think of a little income for your mother enough for
her to live as she has been used to live and a little income for my father to
save him from being dependent when he is no longer able to preach«
Esther said all this in a playful tone but she ended with a grave look of
appealing submission
»I mean if you approve I wish to do what you think it will be right to
do«
Felix put his hand on her shoulder again and reflected a little while
looking on the hearth then he said lifting up his eyes with a smile at her
»Why I shall be able to set up a great library and lend the books to be
dogseared and marked with breadcrumbs«
Esther said laughing »You think you are to do everything You dont know
how clever I am I mean to go on teaching a great many things«
»Teaching me«
»Oh yes« she said with a little toss »I shall improve your French
accent«
»You wont want me to wear a stock« said Felix with a defiant shake of the
head
»No and you will not attribute stupid thoughts to me before Ive uttered
them«
They laughed merrily each holding the others arms like girl and boy
There was the ineffable sense of youth in common
Then Felix leaned forward that their lips might meet again and after that
his eyes roved tenderly over her face and curls
»Im a rough severe fellow Esther Shall you never repent never be
inwardly reproaching me that I was not a man who could have shared your wealth
Are you quite sure«
»Quite sure« said Esther shaking her head »for then I should have
honoured you less I am weak my husband must be greater and nobler than I am«
»O I tell you what though« said Felix starting up thrusting his hands
into his pockets and creasing his brow playfully »if you take me in that way I
shall be forced to be a much better fellow than I ever thought of being«
»I call that retribution« said Esther with a laugh as sweet as the morning
thrush
Epilogue
Our finest hope is finest memory
And those who love in age think youth is happy
Because it has a life to fill with love
The very next May Felix and Esther were married Every one in those days was
married at the parish church but Mr Lyon was not satisfied without an
additional private solemnity »wherein there was no bondage to questionable
forms so that he might have a more enlarged utterance of joy and supplication«
It was a very simple wedding but no wedding even the gayest ever raised
so much interest and debate in Treby Magna Even very great people like Sir
Maximus and his family went to the church to look at this bride who had
renounced wealth and chosen to be the wife of a man who said he would always be
poor
Some few shook their heads could not quite believe it and thought there
was more behind But the majority of honest Trebians were affected somewhat in
the same way as happylooking Mr Wace was who observed to his wife as they
walked from under the churchyard chestnuts »Its wonderful how things go
through you you dont know how I feel somehow as if I believed more in
everything thats good«
Mrs Holt that day said she felt herself to be receiving some reward
implying that justice certainly had much more in reserve Little Job Tudge had
an entirely new suit of which he fingered every separate brass button in a way
that threatened an arithmetical mania and Mrs Holt had out her best teatrays
and put down her carpet again with the satisfaction of thinking that there
would no more be boys coming in all weathers with dirty shoes
For Felix and Esther did not take up their abode in Treby Magna and after a
while Mr Lyon left the town too and joined them where they dwelt On his
resignation the church in Malthouse Yard chose a successor to him whose doctrine
was rather higher
There were other departures from Treby Mr Jermyns establishment was broken
up and he was understood to have gone to reside at a great distance some said
»abroad« that large home of ruined reputations Mr Johnson continued blond and
sufficiently prosperous till he got grey and rather more prosperous Some
persons who did not think highly of him held that his prosperity was a fact to
be kept in the background as being dangerous to the morals of the young
judging that it was not altogether creditable to the Divine Providence that
anything but virtue should be rewarded by a front and back drawingroom in
Bedford Row
As for Mr Christian he had no more profitable secrets at his disposal But
he got his thousand pounds from Harold Transome
The Transome family were absent for some time from Transome Court The place
was kept up and shown to visitors but not by Denner who was away with her
mistress After a while the family came back and Mrs Transome died there Sir
Maximus was at her funeral and throughout that neighbourhood there was silence
about the past
Uncle Lingon continued to watch over the shooting on the Manor and the
covers until that event occurred which he had predicted as a part of Church
reform sure to come Little Treby had a new rector but others were sorry
besides the old pointers
As to all that wide parish of Treby Magna it had since prospered as the
rest of England has prospered Doubtless there is more enlightenment now
Whether the farmers are all publicspirited the shopkeepers nobly independent
the Sproxton men entirely sober and judicious the Dissenters quite without
narrowness or asperity in religion and politics and the publicans all fit like
Gaius to be the friends of an apostle these things I have not heard not
having correspondence in those parts Whether any presumption may be drawn from
the fact that North Loamshire does not yet return a Radical candidate I leave
to the allwise I mean the newspapers
As to the town in which Felix Holt now resides I will keep that a secret
lest he should be troubled by any visitor having the insufferable motive of
curiosity
I will only say that Esther has never repented Felix however grumbles a
little that she has made his life too easy and that if it were not for much
walking he should be a sleek dog
There is a young Felix who has a great deal more science than his father
but not much more money