Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R. D. Blackmore

  CHAPTER XXIX

  MATERNAL ELOQUENCE

  Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof; and more than sufficientwith most of us. Mr. Twemlow and his wife resolved discreetly, after afireside council, to have nothing to say to Carne Castle, or about it,save what might be forced out of them. They perceived most clearly, andvery deeply felt, how exceedingly wrong it is for anybody to transgress,or even go aside of, the laws of his country, as by Statute settled.Still, if his ruin had been chiefly legal; if he had been brought upunder different laws, and in places where they made those things whichhe desired to deal in; if it was clear that those things were good, andtheir benefit might be extended to persons who otherwise could have notaste of them; above all, if it were the first and best desire of allwho heard of it to have their own fingers in the pie--then let othersstop it, who by duty and interest were so minded; the Rector was not inthe Commission of the Peace--though he ought to have been there yearsago--and the breach of the law, if it came to that, was outside of hisparish boundary. The voice of the neighbourhood would be with him, fornot turning against his own nephew, even if it ever should come to beknown that he had reason for suspicions.

  It is hard to see things in their proper light, if only one eye has afly in it; but if both are in that sad condition, who shall be blamedfor winking? Not only the pastor, but all his flock, were in need ofwire spectacles now, to keep their vision clear and their foreheadscalm. Thicker than flies around the milk-pail, rumours came flittingdaily; and even the night--that fair time of thinking--was busy withbuzzing multitude.

  "Long time have I lived, and a sight have I seed," said Zebedee Tugwellto his wife, "of things as I couldn't make no head nor tail of; butnothing to my knowledge ever coom nigh the sort of way our folk hastaken to go on. Parson Twemlow told us, when the war began again, thatthe Lord could turn us all into Frenchmen, if we sinned against Himmore than He could bear. I were fool enough to laugh about it then,not intaking how it could be on this side of Kingdom Come, where nodistinction is of persons. But now, there it is--a thing the Almightyhath in hand; and who shall say Him nay, when He layeth His hand to it?"

  "I reckon, 'a hath begun with you too, Zeb," Mrs. Tugwell would answer,undesirably. "To be always going on so about trash trifles, as a womanhath a right to fly up at, but no man! Surely Dan hath a right to hispolitics and his parables, as much as any lame old chap that sitteth ona bench. He works hard all day, and he airns his money; and any man hatha right to wag his tongue of night-time, when his arms and his legs havebeen wagging all day."

  "Depends upon how he wags 'un." The glance of old Tugwell was stern, ashe spoke, and his eyebrows knitted over it. "If for a yarn, to plaisechildren or maidens, or a bit of argyment about his business, or talkabout his neighbours, or aught that consarns him--why, lads must befools, and I can smoke my pipe and think that at his age I was like him.But when it comes to talking of his betters, and the Government, andthe right of everybody to command the ship, and the soup--soup, what wasit?"

  "Superior position of the working classes, dignity of labour,undefeasible rights of mankind to the soil as they was born in, andsoshallistick--something."

  "So--shall--I--stick equality," Mr. Tugwell amended, triumphantly; "andso shall I stick him, by the holy poker, afore the end of the week isout. I've a-been fool enough to leave off ropesending of him now for amatter of two years, because 'a was good, and outgrowing of it like, andbecause you always coom between us. But mind you, mother, I'll have noneof that, next time. Business I means, and good measure it shall be."

  "Zeb Tugwell," said his wife, longing greatly to defy him, butfrightened by the steadfast gaze she met, "you can never mean to saythat you would lay your hand on Dan--a grown man, a'most as big asyourself, and a good half-head taller! Suppose he was to hit you backagain!"

  "If he did, I should just kill him," Zeb answered, calmly. "He wouldbe but a jellyfish in my two hands. But there, I'll not talk about it,mother. No need to trouble you with it. 'Tis none of my seeking--theLord in heaven knows--but a job as He hath dutified for me to do. I'llgo out, and have my pipe, and dwell on it."

  "And I may lay a deal of it on myself," Mrs. Tugwell began to moan, assoon as he was gone; "for I have cockered Dan up, and there's no denyingit, afore Tim, or Tryphena, or Tabby, or Debby, or even little Solomon.Because he were the first, and so like his dear father, afore he goton in the world so. Oh, it all comes of that, all the troubles comes ofthat, and of laying up of money, apart from your wife, and forgettingalmost of her Christian name! And the very same thing of it--money,money, and the getting on with breeches that requireth no mending, andthe looking over Church-books at gay young ladies--all of it leadethto the same bad end of his betters, and the Government, and theSoshallistick Quality.

  "Why, with all these mercies," continued Mrs. Tugwell, though not in acontinuous frame of mind, as Daniel came in, with a slow heavy step, andsat down by the fire in silence, "all these mercies, as are bought andpaid for, from one and sixpence up to three half-crowns, and gives nomore trouble beyond dusting once a week--how any one can lay his eyeson other people's property, without consideration of his own, as will beafter his poor mother's time, is to me quite a puzzle and a pin-prick.Not as if they was owing for, or bought at auction, or so much as beatendown by sixpence, but all at full price and own judgment, paid for byairnings of labour and perils of the deep. And as Widow Shanks said, thelast time she was here, by spoiling of the enemies of England, who makesus pay tremenjious for 'most everything we lives on. And I know whowould understand them crackeries, and dust them when I be gone todust, and see her own pretty face in them, whenever they has theback-varnish."

  Dan knew that the future fair owner and duster designed by his motherwas Miss Cheeseman, towards whom he had cherished tender yearnings inthe sensible and wholesome days. And if Polly Cheeseman had hung herselfon high--which she might have done without a bit of arrogance--perhapsshe would still have been to this young man the star of fate and glory,instead of a dip, thirty-two to the pound; the like whereof she soldfor a farthing. Distance makes the difference. "He that won't allow heedshall pay dear in his need;" the good mother grew warm, as the son beganto whistle; "and to my mind, Master Dan, it won't be long afore you havehomer things to think of than politics. 'Politics is fiddle-sticks' waswhat men of my age used to say; sensible men with a house and freehold,and a pig of their own, and experience. And such a man I might have had,and sensible children by him, children as never would have whistled attheir mother, if it hadn't been for your poor father, Dan. Misguided hemay be, and too much of his own way, and not well enough in his own mindto take in a woman's--but for all that he hath a right to be honoured byhis children, and to lead their minds in matters touching of the King,and Church, and true religion. Why only last night, no, the night aforelast, I met Mrs. Prater, and I said to her--"

  "You told me all that, mother; and it must have been a week ago; for Ihave heard it every night this week. What is it you desire that I shoulddo, or say, or think?"

  "Holy mercy!" cried Mrs. Tugwell, "what a way to put things, Dan! AllI desire is for your good only, and so leading on to the comfort of therest. For the whole place goes wrong, and the cat sits in the corner,when you go on with politics as your dear father grunts at. No doubt itmay all be very fine and just, and worth a man giving his life for, ifhe don't care about it, nor nobody else--but even if it was to keep theFrench out, and yourn goeth nearer to letting them in, what differenceof a button would it make to us, Dan, compared to our sticking together,and feeding with a knowledge and a yielding to the fancies of eachother?"

  "I am sure it's no fault of mine," said Daniel, moved from his highropes by this last appeal; "to me it never matters twopence what I havefor dinner, and you saw me give Tim all the brown of the baked potatoesthe very last time I had my dinner here. But what comes above all thoselittle bothers is the necessity for insisting upon freedom of opinion. Idon't pretend to be so old as my father, nor to know so much as he knowsabout the wor
ld in general. But I have read a great deal more than hehas, of course, because he takes a long time to get a book with theright end to him; and I have thought, without knowing it, about what Ihave read, and I have heard very clever men (who could have no desireto go wrong, but quite the other way) carrying on about these highsubjects, beyond me, but full of plain language. And I won't be forcedout of a word of it by fear."

  "But for love of your mother you might keep it under, and think it allinside you, without bringing of it out, in the presence of your elders.You know what your father is--a man as never yet laid his tongue to athing without doing of it--right or wrong, right or wrong; and this timehe hath right, and the law, and the Lord, and the King himself, to theside of him. And a rope's-end in his pocket, Dan, as I tried to stealaway, but he were too wide-awake. Such a big hard one you never didsee!"

  "A rope's end for me, well turned twenty years of age!" cried Daniel,with a laugh, but not a merry one; "two can play at that game, mother.I'll not be ropes ended by nobody."

  "Then you'll be rope-noosed;" the poor mother fell into the settle, awayfrom the fire-light, and put both hands over her eyes, to shut out thespectacle of Dan dangling; "or else your father will be, for you. Eversince the Romans, Dan, there have been Tugwells, and respected ten timesmore than they was. Oh do 'e, do 'e think; and not bring us all to thegrave, and then the gallows! Why I can mind the time, no more agone thanlast Sunday, when you used to lie here in the hollow of my arm, withouta stitch of clothes on, and kind people was tempted to smack you inpleasure, because you did stick out so prettily. For a better-formedbaby there never was seen, nor a finer-tempered one, when he had hisway. And the many nights I walked the floor with you, Dan, when yourfirst tooth was coming through, the size of a horse-radish, and yourfather most wonderful to put up with my coo to you, when he had not hada night in bed for nigh three weeks--oh, Dan, do 'e think of things asconsarneth your homer life, and things as is above all reason; and letthey blessed politics go home to them as trades in them."

  Mrs. Tugwell's tender recollections had given her a pain in the partwhere Dan was nursed, and driven her out of true logical course; but shecame back to it, before Dan had time to finish the interesting picturesof himself which she had suggested.

  "Now can you deny a word of that, Dan? And if not, what is there more tosay? You was smacked as a little babe, by many people kindly, when everso much tenderer than you now can claim to be. And in those days younever could have deserved it yet, not having framed a word beyond 'Mam,'and 'Da,' and both of those made much of, because doubtful. There wasnothing about the Constitooshun then, but the colour of the tongue andthe condition of the bowels; and if any fool had asked you what politicswas, you would have sucked your thumb, and offered them to suck it; forgenerous you always was, and just came after. And what cry have biggerfolk, grown upright and wicked, to make about being smacked, when theydeserve it, for meddling with matters outside of their business, bythose in authority over them?"

  "Well, mother, I daresay you are right, though I don't altogether seethe lines of it. But one thing I will promise you--whatever father doesto me, I will not lift a hand against him. But I must be off. I am latealready."

  "Where to, Dan? Where to? I always used to know, even if you was goingcourting. Go a-courting, Dan, as much as ever you like, only don't makeno promises. But whatever you do, keep away from that bad, wicked, Freeand Frisky Club, my dear."

  "Mother, that's the very place I am just bound to. After all you havesaid, I would have stayed away to-night, except for being on the list,and pledged in honour to twenty-eight questions, all bearing upon thegrand issues of the age."

  "I don't know no more than the dead, what that means, Dan. But I knowwhat your father has got in his pocket for you. And he said the nexttime you went there, you should have it."