The Man in Black: An Historical Novel of the Days of Queen Anne

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XII.

  Mrs. Hazleton was up in the morning early. She was at all times anearly riser, for she well knew what a special conservator of beauty isthe morning dew, but on this occasion certain feelings of impatiencemade her a little earlier than usual. Besides, she knew that SirPhilip Hastings was always a matutinal man, and would certainly be inthe library before she was down. Nor was she disappointed. There shefound the Baronet reaching up his hand to take down Livy, after havingjust replaced Tacitus.

  "It is a most extraordinary thing, my dear madam," said Sir Philip,after the salutation of the morning, "and puzzles me more than I canexplain."

  Mrs. Hazleton fancied that her friend had discovered some very knottypoint in the case with Mr. Marlow, and she rejoiced, for her objectwas not, to emulate but to entangle. Sir Philip, however, went on toput her out of all patience by saying, "How the Romans, so sublimelyvirtuous at one period of their history, could fall into so debasedand corrupt a state as we find described even by Sallust, and depictedin more frightful colors still by the latter historians of theempire."

  Mrs. Hazleton, as I have said, was out of all patience, and ladies inthat state sometimes have recourse to homely illustration. "Theirvirtue got addled, I suppose," she replied, "by too long keeping.Virtue is an egg that won't bear sitting upon--but now do tell me, SirPhilip, had you any conversation with Mr. Marlow last night upon thistroublesome affair of mine?"

  "I had, my dear madam," replied Sir Philip, with a very faint smile,for Sir Philip could not well bear any jesting on the Romans. "I didnot only converse with Mr. Marlow on the subject, but I examinedcarefully the papers he brought down with him, and perceived at oncethat you have not the shadow of a title to the property in question."

  Mrs. Hazleton's brow grew dark, and she replied in a somewhat sullentone, "You decided against me very rapidly, Sir Philip. I hope you didnot let Mr. Marlow see your strong prepossession--opinion I mean tosay--in his favor."

  "Entirely," replied Sir Philip Hastings.

  Mrs. Hazleton was silent, and gazed down upon the carpet as if shewere counting the threads of which it was composed, and finding thecalculation by no means satisfactory.

  Sir Philip let her gaze on for some time, for he was not very easilymoved to compassion in cases where he saw dishonesty of purpose aswell as suffering. At length, however, he said, "My judgment is notbinding upon you in the least; I tell you simply, my dear madam, whatis my conclusion, and the law will tell you the same."

  "We shall see," muttered Mrs. Hazleton between her teeth; but thenputting on a softer air she asked, "Tell me, Sir Philip, would you, ifyou were in my situation, tamely give up a property which was honestlybought and paid for, without making one struggle to retain it?"

  "The moment I was convinced I had no legal right to it," replied SirPhilip. "However, the law is still open to you, if you think it betterto resist; but before you take your determination, you had better hearwhat Mr. Marlow proposes, and you will pardon me for expressing to youwhat I did not express to him: an opinion that his proposal is foundedupon the noblest view of equity."

  "Indeed," said Mrs. Hazleton, with her eyes brightening, "pray let mehear this proposal."

  Sir Philip explained it to her most distinctly, expecting that shewould be both surprised and pleased, and never doubted that she wouldaccept it instantly. Whether she was surprised or not, did not appear,but pleased she certainly was not to any great extent, for she did notwish the matter to be so soon concluded. She began to make objectionsimmediately. "The enormous expense of building this house has not beentaken into consideration at all, and it will be very necessary to havethe original papers examined before any thing is decided. There aretwo sides to every question, my dear Sir Philip, and we cannot tellthat other papers may not be found, disentailing this estate beforethe sale took place."

  "This is impossible," answered Sir Philip Hastings, "if the papersexhibited to me are genuine, for this young gentleman, on whom, as hisfather's eldest son, the estate devolved by the entail, was not bornwhen the sale took place. By his act only could it be disentailed, andas he was not born, he could perform no such act."

  He pressed her hard in his cold way, and it galled her sorely.

  "Perhaps they are not genuine," she said at length.

  "They are all attested," replied Sir Philip, "and he himself proposesthat the originals should be examined as the basis of the wholetransaction."

  "That is absolutely necessary," said Mrs. Hazleton, well satisfied toput off decision even for a time. But Sir Philip would not leave hereven that advantage.

  "I think," he said; "you must at once decide whether you accept hisproposal, on condition that the examination of the papers proves thejustice of his claim to the satisfaction of those you may appoint toexamine it. If there are any doubts and difficulties to be raisedafterwards, he might as well proceed by law at once."

  "Then let him go to law," exclaimed Mrs. Hazleton with a flashing eye."If he do, I will defend every step to the utmost of my power."

  "Incur enormous expense, give yourself infinite pain andmortification, and ruin a fine estate by a spirit of unnecessary andunjust resistance," added Sir Philip, in a calm and somewhatcontemptuous tone.

  "Really, Sir Philip, you press me too hard," exclaimed Mrs. Hazletonin a tone of angry mortification, and, sitting down to the table, sheactually wept.

  "I only press you for your own good," answered the Baronet, not at allmoved, "you are perhaps not aware that if this gentleman's claim is,just, and you resist it, the whole costs will fall upon you. All thatcould be expected of him was to submit his claim to arbitration, buthe now does more; he proposes, if arbitration pronounce it just, tomake sacrifices of his legal rights to the amount of many thousandpounds. He is not bound to refund one penny paid for this estate, heis entitled to back rents for a considerable number of years, and yethe offers to repay the money, and far from demanding the back rents,to make compensation for any loss of interest that may have beensustained by this investment. There are few men in England, let metell you, who would have made such a proposal, and if you refuse ityou will never have such another."

  "Do not you think, Sir Philip," asked Mrs. Hazleton sharply, "that henever would have made such a proposal if he had not known there wassomething wrong about his title?"

  Now there was something in this question which doubly provoked SirPhilip Hastings. He never could endure a habit which some ladies haveof recurring continually to points previously disposed of, andcovering the reiteration by merely putting objections in a new form.Now the question as to the validity of Mr. Marlow's title, he lookedupon as entirely disposed of by the proposal of investigation andarbitration. But there was something more than this; the very questionwhich the lady put showed an incapacity for conceiving any generousmotive, which thoroughly disgusted him, and, turning with a quiet stepto the window, he looked down upon the lawn which spread far awaybetween two ranges of tall fine wood, glowing in the yellow sunshineof a dewy autumnal morning. It was the most favorable thing he couldhave done for Mrs. Hazleton. Even the finest and the strongest and thestoutest minds are more frequently affected unconsciously by externalthings than any one is aware of. The sweet influences or theirritating effects of fine or bad weather, of beautiful or tamescenery, of small cares and petty disappointments, of pleasantassociations or unpleasant memories, nay of a thousand accidentalcircumstances, and even fancies themselves, will affect considerationstotally distinct and apart, as the blue or yellow panes of a stainedglass window cast a melancholy hue or a yellow splendor upon thestatue and carvings of the cold gray stone.

  As Sir Philip gazed forth upon the fair scene before his eyes, andthought what a lovely spot it was, how calm, how peaceful, howrefreshing in its influence, he said to himself, "No wonder she isunwilling to part with it."

  Then again, there was a hare gambolling upon the lawn, at a distanceof about a hundred yards from the house, now scampering along andbeating up the dew from the morning grass, now cr
ouched nearly flat soas hardly to be seen among the tall green blades, then hopping quietlyalong with an awkward, shuffling gait, or sitting up on its hind legs,with raised ears, listening to some distant sound; but still as itresumed its gambols, again going round and round, tracing upon thegreen sward a labyrinth of meandering lines. Sir Philip watched it forseveral moments with a faint smile, and then said to himself, "It isthe beast's nature--why not a woman's?"

  Turning himself round he saw Mrs. Hazleton, sitting at the table withher head leaning in a melancholy attitude upon her hand, and hereplied to her last words, though he had before fully made up his mindto give them no answer whatever.

  "The question in regard to title, my dear madam," he said, "is onewhich is to be decided by others. Employ a competent person, and hewill insure, by full investigation, that your rights are maintainedentire. Your acceptance of Mr. Marlow's proposals contingent on thefull recognition of his claim, will be far from prejudicing your case,should any flaw in your title be discovered. On the contrary, shouldthe decision of a point Of law be required, it will put you well withthe court. By frankly doing so, you also meet him in the same spiritin which I am sure he comes to you; and as I am certain he has a veryhigh sense of equity, I think he will be well inclined to enter intoany arrangement which may be for your convenience. From what he hassaid himself, I do not believe he can afford to keep such anestablishment as is necessary for this house, and if you cling to it,as you may well do, doubtless it may remain your habitation as long asyou please at a very moderate rent. Every other particular I think maybe settled in the same manner, if you will but show a spirit ofconciliation, and--"

  "I am sure I have done that," said Mrs. Hazleton, interrupting him."However, Sir Philip, I will leave it all to you. You must act for mein this business. If you think it right, I will accept the proposalconditionally as you mention, and the title can be examined fullywhenever we can fix upon the time and the person. All this is veryhard upon me, I do think; but I suppose I must submit with a goodgrace."

  "It is certainly the best plan," replied Sir Philip; and while Mrs.Hazleton retired to efface the traces of tears from her eyelids, theBaronet walked into the drawing-room, where he was soon after joinedby Mr. Marlow. He merely told him, however, that he had conversed withthe lady of the house, and that she would give him her answer inperson. Now, whatever were Mrs. Hazleton's wishes or intentions, shecertainly was not well satisfied with the precise and rapid manner inwhich Sir Philip brought matters of business to an end. His lastwords, however, had afforded her a glimmering prospect of somewhatlengthy and frequent communication between herself and Mr. Marlow, andone thing is certain, that she did not at all desire the transactionbetween them to be concluded too briefly. At the same time, it was nother object to appear otherwise than in the most favorable light to hiseyes; and consequently, when she entered the drawing-room she held outher hand to him with a gracious though somewhat melancholy smile,saying, "I have had a long conversation with Sir Philip this morning,Mr. Marlow, concerning the very painful business which brought youhere. I agree at once to your proposal in regard to the arbitrationand the rest;" and she then went on to speak of the whole business asif she had made not the slightest resistance whatever, but had beenstruck at once by the liberality of his proposals, and by the sense ofequity which they displayed. Sir Philip took little notice of allthis; for he had fallen into one of his fits of musing, and Mr. Marlowhad quitted the room to bring some of the papers for the purpose ofshowing them to Mrs. Hazleton, before the Baronet awoke out of hisreverie. The younger gentleman returned a moment after, and he and SirPhilip and Mrs. Hazleton were busily looking at a long list ofcertificates of births, deaths and marriages, when the door opened,and Mr. Shanks, the attorney, entered the room, booted, spurred, anddusty as if from a long ride. He was a man to whom Sir Philip had agreat objection; but he said nothing, and the attorney with a trippingstep advanced towards Mrs. Hazleton.

  The lady looked confused and annoyed, and in a hasty manner put backthe papers into Mr. Marlow's hand. But Mr. Shanks was one of the keenand observing men of the world. He saw every thing about him as if hehad been one of those insects which have I do not know how manythousand pair of lenses in each eye. He had no scruples or hesitationeither; he was all sight and all remark, and a lady of any kind wasnot at all the person to inspire him with reverence.

  He was, in short, all law, and loved nothing, respected nothing, butlaw.

  "Dear me, Mrs. Hazleton," he exclaimed, "I did not expect to find youso engaged. These seem to be law papers--very dangerous, indeed,madam, for unprofessional persons to meddle with such things. Permitme to look at them;" and he held out his hand towards Mr. Marlow, asif expecting to receive the papers without a word of remonstrance. ButMr. Marlow held them back, saying, in a very calm, civil tone, "Excuseme, sir! We are conversing over the matter in a friendly manner; and Ishall show them to a lawyer only at Mrs. Hazleton's request."

  "Very improper--that is, I mean to say very unprofessional!" exclaimedMr. Shanks, "and let me say very hazardous too," rejoined the lawyerabruptly; but Mrs. Hazleton herself interposed, saying in a markedtone and with an air of dignity which did not always characterize herdemeanor towards her "right hand man," as she was accustomed sometimesto designate Mr. Shanks, "We do not desire any interference at thismoment, my good sir. I appointed you at twelve o'clock. It is not yetnine."

  "O I can see, I can see," replied Mr. Shanks, while Sir PhilipHastings advanced a step or two, "his worship here never was a friendof mine, and has no objection to take a job or two out of my hands atany time."

  "We have nothing to do with jobs, sir," said Sir Philip Hastings, inhis usual dry tone, "but at all events we do not wish you to make ajob where there is none."

  "I must take the liberty, however, of warning that lady, sir," saidMr. Shanks, with the pertinacity of a parrot, which he so greatlyresembled, "as her legal adviser, sir, that if----"

  "That if she sends for an attorney, she wants him at the time sheappoints," interposed Sir Philip; "that was what you were about tosay, I suppose."

  "Not at all, sir, not at all," exclaimed the lawyer; for very shrewdand very oily lawyers will occasionally forget their caution and theircoolness when they see the prospect of a loss of fees before them. "Iwas going to say no such thing. I was going to warn her not to meddlewith matters of business of which she can understand nothing, by theadvice of those who know less, and who may have jobs of their own tosettle while they are meddling with hers."

  "And I warn you to quit this room, sir," said Sir Philip Hastings, abright spot coming into his usually pale cheek; "the lady has alreadyexpressed her opinion upon your intrusion, and depend upon it, I willenforce mine."

  "I shall do no such thing, sir, till I have fully----"

  He said no more, for before he could conclude the sentence, the handof Sir Philip Hastings was upon his collar with the grasp of a giant,and although he was a tall and somewhat powerful man, the Baronetdragged him to the door in despite of his half-choking struggles, as anurse would haul along a baby, pulled him across the stone hall, andopening the outer door with his left hand, shot him down the stepswithout any ceremony; leaving him with his hands and knees upon theterrace.

  This done, the Baronet returned into the house again, closing the doorbehind him. He then paused in the hall for an instant, reproachinghimself for certain over-quick beatings of the heart, tranquillizedhis whole look and demeanor, and then returning to the drawing-room,resumed the conversation with Mrs. Hazleton, as if nothing had everoccurred to interrupt it.