CHAPTER XVI.
Mrs. Hazleton found Mr. Shanks, the attorney, the most difficultperson to deal with whom she had ever met in her life. She hadremarked that he was keen, active, intelligent, unscrupulous,confident in his own powers, bold as a lion in the wars of quill,parchment, and red tape; without fear, without hesitation, withoutremorse. There was nothing that he scrupled to do, nothing that heever repented having done. She had fancied that the only difficultywhich she could have to encounter was that of concealing from him, atleast in a degree, the ultimate objects and designs which she herselfhad in view.
So shrewd people often deceive themselves as to the character of othershrewd people. The difficulty was quite different. It was a peculiarsort of stolidity on the part of Mr. Shanks, for which she was utterlyunprepared.
Now the attorney was ready to do any thing on earth which his fairpatroness wished. He would have perilled his name on the roll in herservice; and was only eager to understand what were her desires, evenwithout giving her the trouble of explaining them. Moreover, there wasno point of law or equity, no manner of roguery or chicanery, noobject of avarice, covetousness, or ambition, which he could not havecomprehended at once. They were things within his own ken and scope,to which the intellect and resources of his mind were always open. Butto other passions, to deeper, more remote motives and emotions, Mr.Shanks was as stolid as a door-post. It required to hew a way as itwere to his perceptions, to tunnel his mind for the passage of a newconception.
The only passion which afforded the slightest cranny of an opening wasrevenge; and after having tried a dozen other ways of making himcomprehend what she wished without committing herself, Mrs. Hazletongot him to understand that she thought Sir Philip Hastings hadinjured--at all events, that he had offended--her, and that she soughtvengeance. From that moment all was easy. Mr. Shanks could understandthe feeling, though not its extent. He would himself have given tenpounds out of his own pocket--the largest sum he had ever given inlife for any thing but an advantage--to be revenged upon the same manfor the insult he had received; and he could perceive that Mrs.Hazleton would go much further, without, indeed, being able toconceive, or even dream of, the extent to which she was prepared togo.
However, when he had once got the clue, he was prepared to run alongthe road with all celerity; and now she found him every thing she hadexpected. He was a man copious in resources, prolific of schemes. Hisimagination had exercised itself through life, in devising crookedpaths; but in this instance the road was straight-forward before him.He would rather it had been tortuous, it is true; but for the sake ofhis dear lady he was ready to follow even a plain path, and heexplained to her that Sir Philip Hastings stood in a somewhatdangerous position.
He was proceeding to enter into the details, but Mrs. Hazletoninterrupted him, and, to his surprise, not only told him, but showedhim, that she knew all the particulars.
"The only question is, Mr. Shanks," she said, "can you prove themarriage of his elder brother to this woman before the birth of thechild?"
"We think we can, madam," replied the attorney, "we think we can.There is a very strong letter, and there has been evidently--"
He paused and hesitated, and Mrs. Hazleton demanded, "There has beenwhat, Mr. Shanks?"
"There has been evidently a leaf torn out of the register," repliedthe lawyer.
There was something in his manner which made the lady gaze keenly inhis face; but she would ask no questions on that subject, and shemerely said, "Then why has not the case gone on, as it was put in yourhands six months ago?"
"Why, you see, my dear madam," replied Shanks, "law is at bestuncertain. One wants two or three great lawyers to make a case. Moneywas short; John and his mother had spent all last year's annuity.Barristers won't plead without fees, and besides--"
He paused again, but an impatient gesture from the lady urged him on."Besides," he said, "I had devised a little scheme, which, of course,I shall abandon now, for marrying him to Mistress Emily Hastings. Heis a very handsome young fellow, and--"
"I have seen him," said Mrs. Hazleton, thoughtfully, "but why shouldyou abandon this scheme, Mr. Shanks? It seems to me by no means a badone."
The poor lawyer was now all at sea again, and fancied himself as wideof the lady's aim as ever.
Mrs. Hazleton suffered him to remain in this dull suspense for sometime. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, and busy with her owncalculations, she suffered several minutes to elapse without adding aword to that which had so much surprised the attorney. Then, however,she said, in a meditative tone, "There is only one way by which it canbe accomplished. If you allow it to be conducted in a formal manner,you will fail utterly. Sir Philip will never consent. She will nevereven yield."
"But if Sir Philip is made to see that it will save him a tremendouslawsuit, and perhaps his whole estate," suggested Mr. Shanks.
"He will resist the more firmly," answered the lady; "if it saved hislife, he would reject it with scorn--no! But there is a way. If youcan persuade her--if you can show her that her father's safety, hisposition in life, depends upon her conduct, perhaps you may bring herby degrees to consent to a private marriage. She is young,inexperienced, enthusiastic, romantic. She loves her father devotedly,and would make any sacrifice for him."
"No great sacrifice, I should think, madam," replied Mr. Shanks, "tomarry a handsome young man who has a just claim to a large fortune."
"That is as people may judge," replied the lady; "but at all eventsthis claim gives us a hold upon her which we must not fail to use, andthat directly. I will contrive means of bringing them together. I willmake opportunity for the lad, but you must instruct him how to use itproperly. All I can do is to co-operate without appearing."
"But, my dear madam, I really do not fully understand," said Mr.Shanks. "I had a fancy--a sort of imagination like, that youwished--that you desired--"
He hesitated; but Mrs. Hazleton would not help him by a single word,and at last he added, "I had a fancy that you wished this suitto go on against Sir Philip Hastings, and now--but that does notmatter--only do you really wish to bring it all to an end, to settleit by a marriage between John and Mistress Emily?"
"That will be the pleasantest, the easiest way of settling it, sir,"replied Mrs. Hazleton, coolly; "and I do not at all desire to injure,but rather to serve Sir Philip and his family."
That was false, for though to marry Emily Hastings to any one but Mr.Marlow was what the lady did very sincerely desire; yet there was along account to be settled with Sir Philip Hastings which could notwell be discharged without a certain amount of injury to him and his.The lady was well aware, too, that she had told a lie, and moreoverthat it was one which Mr. Shanks was not at all likely to believe.Perhaps even she did not quite wish him to believe it, and at allevents she knew that her actions must soon give it contradiction. Butmen make strange distinctions between speech and action, not to beaccounted for without long investigation and disquisition. There arecases where people shrink from defining in words their purposes, orgiving voice to their feelings, even when they are prepared by acts tostamp them for eternity. There are cases where men do acts which theydare not cover by a lie.
Mrs. Hazleton sought for no less than the ruin of Sir Philip Hastings;she had determined it in her own heart, and yet she would not own itto her agent--perhaps she would not own it to herself. There is a darksecret chamber in the breast of every one, at the door of which theeyes of the spirit are blindfolded, that it may not see the things towhich it is consenting. Conscience records them silently, and sooneror later her book is to be opened; it may be in this world: it may bein the next: but for the time that book is in the keeping of passion,who rarely suffers the pages to be seen till purpose has been ratifiedby act, and remorse stands ready to pronounce the doom.
There was a pause after Mrs. Hazleton had spoken, for the attorney wasbusy also with thoughts he wished to utter, yet dared not speak. Thefirst prospect of a lawsuit--the only sort of the picturesque in whichhe could find
pleasure--a long, intricate, expensive lawsuit, wasfading before his eyes as if a mist were coming over the scene. Wherewere his consultations, his letters, his briefs, his pleas, itsrejoinders, his demurrers, his appeals? Where were the fees, thebright golden fees? True, in the hopelessness of his young client'sfortunes, he had urged the marriage with a proviso, that if it tookplace by his skilful management, a handsome bonus was to be his shareof the spoil. But then Mrs. Hazleton's first communication had raisedbrighter hopes, had put him more in his own element, had opened to hima scene of achievements as glorious to his notions as those of thelisted field to knights of old; and now all was vanishing away. Yet hedid not venture to tell her how much he was disappointed, still lessto show her why and how.
It was the lady who spoke first; and she did so in as calm,deliberate, passionless a tone as if she had been devising the fashionof a new Mantua.
"It may be as well, Mr. Shanks," she said, "in order to produce theeffect we wish upon dear Emily's mind"--dear Emily!--"to commence thesuit against Sir Philip--I mean to take those first steps which maycreate some alarm. I cannot of course judge what they ought to be, butyou must know; and if not, you must seek advice from counsel learnedin the law. You understand what I mean, doubtless."
"Oh, certainly, madam, certainly," replied Mr. Shanks, with a profoundsigh of relief. "First steps commit us to nothing: but they must bedevised cautiously, and I am very much afraid that--that--"
"Afraid of what, sir?" asked Mrs. Hazleton, in a tone somewhat stern.
"Only that the expense will be greater than my young client canafford," answered the lawyer, seeing that he must come to the point.
"Let not that stand in the way," said Mrs. Hazleton at once; "I willsupply the means. What will be the expense?"
"Would you object to say five hundred pounds?" asked the lawyer,cautiously.
"A thousand," replied the lady, with a slight inclination of the head;and then, weary of circumlocution, she added in a bolder tone than shehad yet used, "only remember, sir, that what is done must be doneeffectually; no mistakes, no errors, no flaws! See that you use allyour eyes--see that you bend every nerve to the task. I will have noprocrastination for the sake of fresh fees--nothing omitted one day tobe remembered the next--no blunders to be corrected after long delaysand longer correspondence. I know you lawyers and your ways rightwell; and if I find that for the sake of swelling a bill to thebursting, you attempt to procrastinate, the cause will be taken atonce from your hands and placed in those who will do their work morespeedily. You can practise those tricks upon those who are more orless in your power; but you shall not play them upon me."
"I declare, my dear madam, I can assure you," said Mr. Shanks; butMrs. Hazleton cut him short. "There, there," she said, waving her fairhand, "do not declare--do not assure me of any thing. Let your actionsspeak, Mr. Shanks. I am too much accustomed to declarations andassurances to set much value upon them. Now tell me, but in as fewwords and with as few cant terms as possible, what are the chances ofsuccess in this suit? How does the young man's case really stand?"
Mr. Shanks would gladly have been excused such explanations. He neverliked to speak clearly upon such delicate questions, but he would notventure to refuse any demand of Mrs. Hazleton's, and therefore hebegan with a circumlocution in regard to the uncertainty of law, andto the impossibility of giving any exact assurances of success.
The lady would not be driven from her point, however. "That is notwhat I sought to know," she said. "I am as well aware of the law'suncertainty--of its iniquity, as you. But I ask you what grounds youhave to go upon? Were they ever really married? Is this sonlegitimate?"
"The lady says they were married," replied Mr. Shanks cautiously, "andI have good hope we can prove the legitimacy. There is a letter inwhich the late Mr. John Hastings calls her 'my dear little wife;' andthen there is clearly a leaf torn out of the marriage register aboutthat very time."
Mr. Shanks spoke the last words slowly and with some hesitation; butafter a pause he went on more boldly and rapidly. "Then we have adeposition of the old woman Danby that they were married. This isclear and precise," he continued with a grin: "she wanted to put insomething about 'in the eyes of God,' but I left that out as besidethe question; and she did the swearing very well. She might havebroken down under cross-examination, it is true; and therefore it waswell to put off the trial till she was gone. We can prove, moreover,that the late Sir John always paid an annuity to both mother andchild, in order to make them keep secret--nay more, that he bribed theold woman Danby. This is our strong point; but it is beyond doubt--Ican prove it, madam--I can prove it. All I fear is the mother; she isweak--very weak; I wish to heaven she were out of the way till thetrial is over."
"Send her out of the way," cried Mrs. Hazleton, decidedly; "send herto France;" and then she added, with a bitter smile, "she may stillfigure amongst the beauties of Versailles.
"But she will not go," replied Mr. Shanks. "Madam, she will not go. Ihinted at such a step--mentioned Cornwall or Ireland--any where shecould be concealed."
"Cornwall or Ireland!" exclaimed Mrs. Hazleton, "of course she wouldnot go. Why did not you propose Africa or the plantations? She shallgo, Mr. Shanks. Leave her to me. She shall go. And now, set to work atonce--immediately, I say--this very day. Send the youth to-morrow, andlet him bring me word that some step is taken. I will instruct him howto act, while you deal with the law."
Mr. Shanks promised to obey, and retired overawed by all he had seenand heard. There had, it is true, been no vehement demonstration ofpassion; no fierce blaze; no violent flash; but there had beenindications enough to show the man of law all that was raging within.It had been for him like gazing at a fine building on fire at thatperiod of the conflagration where dense smoke and heavy darkness broodover the fearful scene, while dull, suddenly-smothered flashes breakacross the gloom, and tell how terrible will be the flame when it doesburst freely forth.
He had never known Mrs. Hazleton before--he had never comprehended herfully. But now he knew her--now, though perhaps the depths were stillunfathomable to his eyes, he felt that there was a strong commandingwill within that beautiful form which would bear no trifling. He hadoften treated her with easy lightness--with no want of apparentrespect indeed--but with the persuasions and arguments such as men ofbusiness often address to women as beings inferior to themselveseither in intellect or experience. Now Mr. Shanks wondered how he hadescaped so long and so well, and he resolved that for the future hisconduct should be very different.
Mrs. Hazleton, when he left her, sat down to rest--yes, to rest; forshe was very weary. There had been the fatiguing strife of strongpassions in the heart--hopes--expectations--schemes--contrivances;and, above all, there had been a wrestling with herself to deal calmlyand softly where she felt fiercely. It had exhausted her; and for someminutes she sat listlessly, with her eyes half shut, like one utterlytired out. Ere a quarter of an hour had passed, wheels rolled up tothe door; a carriage-step was let down, and there was a footfall inthe hall.
"Dear Mrs. Warmington, delighted to see you!" said Mrs. Hazleton, witha smile sweet and gentle as the dawn of a summer morning.
The Man in Black: An Historical Novel of the Days of Queen Anne Page 16