Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R. D. Blackmore

  CHAPTER LVI

  THE SILVER VOICE

  Many shrewd writers have observed that Britannia has a specialluck--which the more devout call Providence--in holding her own, againstnot only her true and lawful enemies, but even those of her own bosomwho labour most to ruin her. And truly she had need of all her fortunenow, to save her from the skulking traitor, as well as the ragingadversary.

  "Now I will have my revenge," said Carne, "on all who have outraged andplundered me. Crows--carrion-crows--I will turn them into owls withouta nest. Prowling owls, to come blinking even now at the last of my poorrelics! Charron, what did that fellow say to old Jerry, the day I tiedthe dogs up?"

  "He said, my dear friend, that he missed from the paintings which he hadtaken to his house the most precious of them all--the picture of yourdear grandmother, by a man whose name it is hard to pronounce, but aCaptain in the British Army, very much fond of beloving and paintingall the most beautiful ladies; and since he had painted the mother ofVash--Vash--the man that conquered England in America--all his work wasgone up to a wonderful price, and old Sheray should have one guinea ifhe would exhibit to him where to find it. Meedle or Beedle--he had sethis heart on getting it. He declared by the good God that he would haveit, and that you had got it under a tombstone."

  "A sample of their persecutions! You know that I have never seen it,nor even heard of the Captain Middleton who went on his rovings fromSpringhaven. And, again, about my own front-door, or rather the door ofmy family for some four centuries, because it was carved as they cannotcarve now, it was put into that vile Indenture. I care very little formy ancestors--benighted Britons of the county type--but these things arepersonal insults to me. I seldom talk about them, and I will not do sonow."

  "My Captain, you should talk much about it. That would be the goodrelief to your extensive mind. Revenge is not of the bright Frenchnature; but the sky of this island procreates it. My faith! how I wouldrage at England, if it were not for the people, and their daughters! Weshall see; in a few days more we shall astonish the fat John Bull; andthen his little kittens--what do you call them?--calves of an ox, willcome running to us."

  "Enough of your foolish talk," said Carne. "The women are as resolute asthe men. Even when we have taken London, not an English woman will comenear us, until all the men have yielded. Go down to your station andwatch for the boat. I expect an important despatch to-night. But Icannot stay here for the chance of it. I have business in Springhaven."

  His business in Springhaven was to turn young love to the basest use, tomake a maiden (rash and flighty, but not as yet dishonourable) a traitorto her friends and father-land, and most of all to her own father. Hehad tried to poison Dolly's mind with doses of social nonsense--in whichhe believed about as much as a quack believes in his own pills--but hismain reliance now was placed in his hold upon her romantic heart, and inher vague ambitions. Pure and faithful love was not to be expected fromhis nature; but he had invested in Dolly all the affection he couldspare from self. He had laboured long, and suffered much, and the redcrown of his work was nigh.

  Riding slowly down the hill about half a mile from the village, Carnesaw a tall man coming towards him with a firm, deliberate walk. Thestranger was dressed very lightly, and wore a hat that looked like atobacco leaf, and carried a long wand in his hand, as if he were goingto keep order in church. These things took the eye afar, but at shorterrange became as nothing, compared with the aspect of the man himself.This was grand, with its steadfast gaze--no stare, but a calm and kindregard--its large tranquillity and power of receiving without believingthe words of men; and most of all in the depth of expression reserved byexperience in the forest of its hair.

  Carne was about to pass in silent wonder and uneasiness, but the othergently laid the rod across his breast and stopped him, and then waitedfor him to ask the reason why.

  "Have you any business with me, good sir?" Carne would have spokenrudely, but saw that rudeness would leave no mark upon a man like this."If so, I must ask you to be quick. And perhaps you will tell me who youare."

  "I think that you are Caryl Carne," said the stranger, not unpleasantly,but as if it mattered very little who was Caryl Carne, or whether therewas any such existence.

  Carne stared fiercely, for he was of touchy temper; but he might aswell have stared at a bucket of water in the hope of deranging itstranquillity. "You know me. But I don't know you," he answered at last,with a jerk of his reins.

  "Be in no hurry," said the other, mildly; "the weather is fine, and timeplentiful. I hope to have much pleasant knowledge of you. I have thehonour to be your first cousin, Erle Twemlow. Shake hands with yourkinsman."

  Carne offered his hand, but without his usual grace and self-possession.Twemlow took it in his broad brown palm, in which it seemed to meltaway, firm though it was and muscular.

  "I was going up to call on you," said Twemlow, who had acquired ahabit of speaking as if he meant all the world to hear. "I feel a deepinterest in your fortunes, and hope to improve them enormously. Youshall hear all about it when I come up. I have passed four years in thewilds of Africa, where no white man ever trod before, and I have foundout things no white man knows. We call those people savages, but theyknow a great deal more than we do. Shall I call to-morrow, and have along talk?"

  "I fear," replied Carne, who was cursing his luck for bringing thisfellow home just now, "that I shall have no time for a week or two. Iam engaged upon important business now, which will occupy my wholeattention. Let me see! You are staying at the rectory, I suppose. Thebest plan will be for me to let you know when I can afford the pleasureof receiving you. In a fortnight, or three weeks at the latest--"

  "Very well. I am never in a hurry. And I want to go to London to seeabout my things. But I dare say you will not object to my roving aboutthe old castle now and then. I loved the old place as a boy, and I knowevery crick and cranny and snake-hole in it."

  "How glad they must have been to see you--restored from the dead,and with such rich discoveries! But you must be more careful, my goodcousin, and create no more anxiety. Glad as I shall be to see you,when time allows that indulgence, I must not encourage you to furtherrovings, which might end in your final disappearance. Two boar-hounds,exceedingly fierce and strong, and compelled by my straitenedcircumstances to pick up their own living, are at large on my premisesnight and day, to remonstrate with my creditors. We fear that they atea man last night, who had stolen a valuable picture, and was eager foranother by the same distinguished artist. His boots and hat were foundunhurt; but of his clothes not a shred remained, to afford anypattern for enquiry. What would my feelings be if Aunt Maria arrivedhysterically in the pony-carriage, and at great personal riskenquired--"

  "I fear no dogs," said Erle Twemlow, without any flash of anger in hissteadfast eyes. "I can bring any dog to lick my feet. But I fear any manwho sinks lower than a dog, by obtaining a voice and speaking lies withit. If you wish, for some reason of your own, to have nought to do withme, you should have said so; and I might have respected you afterwards.But flimsy excuses and trumpery lies belong to the lowest race ofsavages, who live near the coast, and have been taught by Frenchmen."

  Erle Twemlow stood, as he left off speaking, just before the shoulderof Carne's horse, ready to receive a blow, if offered, but withoutpreparation for returning it. But Carne, for many good reasons--whichoccurred to his mind long afterwards--controlled his fury, and consoledhis self-respect by repaying in kind the contempt he received.

  "Well done, Mr. Savage!" he said, with a violent effort to look amiable."You and I are accustomed to the opposite extremes of society, and theless we meet, the better. When a barbarian insults me, I take it as afoul word from a clodhopper, which does not hurt me, but may damage hisown self-respect, if he cherishes such an illusion. Perhaps you willallow me to ride on, while you curb your very natural curiosity about acivilized gentleman."

  Twemlow made no answer, but looked at him with a gentle pity, whichinfuriated Carne more than the
keenest insult. He lashed his horse, andgalloped down the hill, while his cousin stroked his beard, and lookedafter him with sorrow.

  "Everything goes against me now," thought Caryl Carne, while he put uphis horse and set off for the Admiral's Roundhouse. "I want to be coolas a cucumber, and that insolent villain has made pepper of me. Whatdevil sent him here at such a time?"

  For the moment it did not cross his mind that this man of lofty rudenesswas the long-expected lover of Faith Darling, and therefore in somesort entitled to a voice about the doings of the younger sister. By manyquiet sneers, and much expressive silence, he had set the brisk Dollyup against the quiet Faith, as a man who understands fowl nature can seteven two young pullets pulling each other's hackles out.

  "So you are come at last!" said Dolly. "No one who knows me keeps mewaiting, because I am not accustomed to it. I expect to be called for atany moment, by matters of real importance--not like this."

  "Your mind is a little disturbed," replied Carne, as he took her handand kissed it, with less than the proper rapture; "is it because of thebrown and hairy man just returned from Africa?"

  "Not altogether. But that may be something. He is not a man to belaughed at. I wish you could have seen my sister."

  "I would rather see you; and I have no love of savages. He is my firstcousin, and that affords me a domestic right to object to him. As abrother-in-law I will have none of him."

  "You forget," answered Dolly, with a flash of her old spirit, which hewas subduing too heavily, "that a matter of that sort depends upon us,and our father, and not upon the gentlemen. If the gentlemen don't likeit, they can always go away."

  "How can they go, when they are chained up like a dog? Women may wanderfrom this one to that, because they have nothing to bind them; but a manis of steadfast material."

  "Erle Twemlow is, at any rate--though it is hard to see his materialthrough his hair; but that must come off, and I mean to do it. He is thebest-natured man I have ever yet known, except one; and that one had gotnothing to shave. Men never seem to understand about their hair, andthe interest we feel concerning it. But it does not matter very much,compared to their higher principles."

  "That is where I carry every vote, of whatever sex you please"--Carnesaw that this girl must be humoured for the moment. "Anybody can seewhat I am. Straightforward, and ready to show my teeth. Why should anhonest man live in a bush?"

  "Faith likes it very much; though she always used to say that it didseem so unchristian. Could you manage to come and meet him, Caryl? Weshall have a little dinner on Saturday, I believe, that every one maysee Erle Twemlow. His beloved parents will be there, who are gone quitewild about him. Father will be at home for once; and the Marquis ofSouthdown, and some officers, and Captain Stubbard and his wife willcome, and perhaps my brother Frank, who admires you so much. You shallhave an invitation in the morning."

  "Such delights are not for me," Carne answered, with a superior smile;"unhappily my time is too important. But perhaps these festivities willfavour me with the chance of a few words with my darling. How I long tosee her, and how little chance I get!"

  "Because, when you get it, you spend three-quarters of the time inarguing, and the rest in finding fault. I am sure I go as far as anybodycan; and I won't take you into my father's Roundhouse, because I don'tthink it would be proper."

  "Ladies alone understand such subjects; and a gentleman is thankfulthat they do. I am quite content to be outside the Roundhouse--so calledbecause it is square, perhaps--though the wind is gone back to the eastagain, as it always does now in an English summer, according to a manwho has studied the subject--Zebedee Tugwell, the captain of the fleet.Dolly, beloved, and most worthy to be more so, clear your bright mindfrom all false impressions, whose only merit is that they are yours, andallow it to look clearly at a matter of plain sense."

  She was pleased to have compliments paid to her mind, even more than toher body--because there was no doubt about the merits of the latter--andshe said: "That is very nice. Go on."

  "Well, beauty, you know that I trust you in everything, because of yourvery keen discretion, and freedom from stupid little prejudice. I havebeen surprised at times, when I thought of it in your absence, thatany one so young, who has never been through any course of politicaleconomy, should be able to take such a clear view of subjects which arefar beyond the intellect of even the oldest ladies. But it must be yourbrother; no doubt he has helped you to--"

  "Not he!" cried the innocent Dolly, with fine pride; "I rather look downupon his reasoning powers; though I never could make such a prettytink of rhymes--like the bells of the sheep when the ground is full ofturnips."

  "He approves of your elevated views," said Carne, looking as grave as acrow at a church clock; "they may not have come from him, because theyare your own, quite as much as his poetry is his. But he perceives theirtruth, and he knows that they must prevail. In a year or two we shall bewondering, sweet Dolly, when you and I sit side by side, as thestupid old King and Queen do now, that it ever has been possible fornarrow-minded nonsense to prevail as it did until we rose above it. Weshall be admired as the benefactors, not of this country only, but ofthe whole world."

  Miss Dolly was fairly endowed with common-sense, but often failed touse it. She would fain have said now, "That sounds wonderfully fine; butwhat does it mean, and how are we to work it?" But unluckily shecould not bring herself to say it. And when millions are fooled by theglibness of one man--even in these days of wisdom--who can be surprisedat a young maid's weakness?

  "You wish me to help you in some way," she said; "your object is sure tobe good; and you trust me in everything, because of my discretion. Thenwhy not tell me everything?"

  "You know everything," Carne replied, with a smile of affection andsweet reproach. "My object is the largest that a man can have; anduntil I saw you, there was not the least taint of self-interest in myproceedings. But now it is not for the universe alone, for the grandeurof humanity, and the triumph of peace, that I have to strive, but alsofor another little somebody, who has come--I am ashamed to say--tooutweigh all the rest in the balance of my too tender heart."

  This was so good, and so well delivered, that the lady of such lovecould do no less than vouchsafe a soft hand and a softer glance, insteadof pursuing hard reason.

  "Beauty, it is plain enough to you, though it might not be so to stupidpeople," Carne continued, as he pressed her hand, and vanquished thedoubt of her enquiring eyes with the strength of his resolute gaze,"that bold measures are sometimes the only wise ones. Many English girlswould stand aghast to hear that it was needful for the good of Englandthat a certain number, a strictly limited number, of Frenchmen shouldland upon this coast."

  "I should rather think they would!" cried Dolly; "and I would be one ofthem--you may be quite sure of that."

  "For a moment you might, until you came to understand." Carne's voicealways took a silver tone when his words were big with roguery; asthe man who is touting for his neighbour's bees strikes the frying-pansoftly at first, to tone the pulsations of the murmuring mob. "Butevery safeguard and every guarantee that can be demanded by the wildestprudence will be afforded before a step is taken. In plain truth, alarge mind is almost shocked at such deference to antique prejudice.But the feelings of old women must be considered; and our measures arefenced with such securities that even the most timid must be satisfied.There must be a nominal landing, of course, of a strictly limitednumber, and they must be secured for a measurable period from anyill-judged interruption. But the great point of all is to have noblood-guiltiness, no outbreak of fanatic natives against benefactorscoming in the garb of peace. A truly noble offer of the olive-branchmust not be misinterpreted. It is the finest idea that has ever beenconceived; and no one possessing a liberal mind can help admiring theperfection of this plan. For the sake of this country, and the world,and ourselves, we must contribute our little share, darling."

  Carne, with the grace of a lofty protector, as well as the face ofan ardent lo
ver, drew the bewildered maiden towards him, and tenderlykissed her pretty forehead, holding up his hand against all protest.

  "It is useless to dream of drawing back," he continued; "my beauty,and my poor outcast self, are in the same boat, and must sail on tosuccess--such success as there never has been before, because it willbless the whole world, as well as secure our own perfect happiness. Youwill be more than the Queen of England. Statues of you will be set upeverywhere; and where could the sculptors find such another model? I maycount upon your steadfast heart, I know, and your wonderful quickness ofperception."

  "Yes, if I could only see that everything was right. But I feel that Iought to consult somebody of more experience in such things. My father,for instance, or my brother Frank, or even Mr. Twemlow, or perhapsCaptain Stubbard."

  "If you had thought of it a little sooner, and allowed me time to reasonwith them," Carne replied, with a candid smile, "that would have beenthe very thing I should have wished, as taking a great responsibilityfrom me. But alas, it would be fatal now. The main object now is toremove all chance of an ill-judged conflict, which would ruin all goodfeeling, and cost many valuable lives, perhaps even that of your trulygallant father. No, my Dolly, you must not open your beautiful lips toany one. The peace and happiness of the world depend entirely upon yourdiscretion. All will be arranged to a nicety, and a happy result iscertain. Only I must see you, about some small points, as well as tosatisfy my own craving. On Saturday you have that dinner party, whensomebody will sit by your side instead of me. How miserably jealous Ishall be! When the gentlemen are at their wine, you must console me byslipping away from the ladies, and coming to the window of the littleroom where your father keeps his papers. I shall quit everything andwatch there for you among the shrubs, when it grows dark enough."