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

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XIX.

  "Let me introduce Mr. Ayliffe to you, Emily," said Mrs. Hazleton; "butyou seem to know each other already. Is it so?"

  "I have seen this gentleman before," replied her young companion, "butdid not know his name. I hope you have quite recovered from yourwound?"

  "Quite, I thank you, Miss Hastings," replied John Ayliffe, in a quietand respectful tone; but then he added, "the interest you kindlyshowed on the occasion, I believe did much to cure me."

  "Too much, and too soon!" thought Mrs. Hazleton, as she remarked aslight flush pass over Emily's cheek, to which her reply gaveinterpretation.

  "Every one, I suppose, would feel the same interest," answered thebeautiful girl, "in suffering such as you seemed to endure when Iaccidentally met you in the park. Shall we go on into the Castle?"

  The last words were addressed to Mrs. Hazleton, who immediatelyassented, but asked Mr. Ayliffe to act as their guide, and, at thevery first opportunity, whispered to him, "not too quick."

  He seemed to comprehend in a moment what she meant; and during therest of the ramble round the ruins behaved himself with a good deal ofdiscretion. His conversation could not be said to be agreeable toEmily; for there was little in it either to amuse or interest. Hisstores of information were very limited--at least upon subjects whichshe herself was conversant; and although he endeavored to give it,every now and then, a poetical turn, the attempt was not verysuccessful. On the whole, however, he did tolerably well till afterthe luncheon at the inn, to which Mrs. Hazleton invited him, when hebegan to entertain his two fair companions with an account of a rathunt, which surprised Emily not a little, and drew, almost instantly,from Mrs. Hazleton a monitory gesture.

  The young man looked confused, and broke off, suddenly, with anembarrassed laugh, saying, "Oh! I forgot, such exploits are not veryfit for ladies' ears; and, to say the truth, I do not much like themmyself when there is any thing better to do."

  "I should think that something better might always be found," repliedMrs. Hazleton, gravely, taking to her own lips the reproof which sheknew was in Emily's heart; "but, I dare say, you were a boy when thishappened?"

  "Oh, quite a boy," he said, "quite a boy. I have other things to thinkof now."

  But the impression was made, and it was not favorable. With keenacuteness Mrs. Hazleton watched every look, and every turn of theconversation; and seeing that the course of things had begun ill forher purposes, she very soon proposed to order the carriage and return;resolving to take, as it were, a fresh start on the following day. Shedid not then ask young Ayliffe to dine at her house, as she had, atfirst, intended; but was well pleased, notwithstanding, to see himmount his horse in order to accompany them on the way back; for shehad remarked that his horsemanship was excellent, and well knew thatskill in manly exercises is always a strong recommendation in awoman's eyes. Nor was this all: decidedly handsome in person, JohnAyliffe had, nevertheless, a certain common--not exactly vulgar--air,when on his feet, which was lost as soon as he was in the saddle.There, with a perfect seat, and upright, dashing carriage, managing afierce, wild horse with complete mastery, he appeared to the greatestadvantage. All his horsemanship was thrown away upon Emily. If she hadbeen asked by any one, she would have admitted, at once, that he was avery handsome man, and a good and graceful rider; but she never askedherself whether he was or not; and, indeed, did not think about it atall.

  One thing, however, she did think, and that was not what Mrs. Hazletondesired. She thought him a coarse and vulgar-minded young man; and shewondered how a woman of such refinement as Mrs. Hazleton could bepleased with his society. There was at the end of that day only oneimpression in his favor, which was produced by an undefinableresemblance to her father, evanescent, but ever returning. There wasno one feature like: the coloring was different: the hair, eyes,beard, all dissimilar. He was much handsomer than Sir Philip Hastingsever had been; but ever and anon there came a glance of the eye, or acurl of the lip; a family expression which was familiar and pleasantto her. John Ayliffe accompanied the carriage to the gate of Mrs.Hazleton's park; and there the lady beckoned him up, and in a kind,half jesting tone, bade him keep himself disengaged the next day, asshe might want him.

  He promised to obey, and rode away; but Mrs. Hazleton never mentionedhis name again during the evening, which passed over in quietconversation, with little reference to the events of the morning.

  Before she went to bed, however, Mrs. Hazleton wrote a somewhat longepistle to John Ayliffe, full of very important hints for his conductthe next day, and ending with an injunction to burn the letter as soonas he had read it. This done, she retired to rest; and that night,what with free mountain air and exercise, she and Emily both sleptsoundly. The next morning, however, she felt, or affected to feel,fatigue; and put off another expedition which had been proposed.

  Noon had hardly arrived, when Mr. Ayliffe presented himself, toreceive her commands he said, and there he remained, invited to stayto dinner, not much to Emily's satisfaction; but, at length, sheremembered that she had letters to write, and, seated at a table inthe window, went on covering sheets of paper, with a rapid hand, formore than an hour; while John Ayliffe seated himself by Emily'sembroidery frame, and labored to efface the bad impression of the daybefore, by a very different strain of conversation. He spoke of manythings more suited to her tastes and habits than those which he hadpreviously noticed, and spoke not altogether amiss. But yet, there wassomething forced in it all. It was as if he were reading sentences outof a book, and, in truth, it is probable he was repeating a lesson.

  Emily did not know what to do. She would have given the world to befreed from his society; to have gone out and enjoyed her own thoughtsamongst woods and flowers; or even to have sat quietly in her own roomalone, feeling the summer air, and looking at the glorious sky. Toseek that refuge, however, she thought would be rude; and to go out towalk in the park would, she doubted not, induce him to follow. She satstill, therefore, with marvellous patience, answering briefly when ananswer was required; but never speaking in reply with any of that freepouring forth of heart and mind which can only take place wheresympathy is strong.

  She was rewarded for her endurance, for when it had lasted well nighas long as she could bear it, the drawing-room door opened, and Mr.Marlow appeared. His eyes instantly fixed upon Emily with that youngman sitting by her side; and a feeling, strange and painful, cameupon him. But the next instant the bright, glad, natural, uncheckedlook, of satisfaction, with which she rose to greet him, swept everydoubt-making jealousy away.

  Very different was the look of Mrs. Hazleton. For an instant--a singleinstant--the same black shadow, which I have mentioned once before,came across her brow, the same lightning flashed from her eye. Butboth passed away in a moment; and the feelings which produced themwere again hidden in her heart. They were bitter enough; for shehad read, with the clear eyesight of jealousy, all that Marlow'slook of surprise and annoyance--all that Emily's look of joy andrelief--betrayed.

  They might not yet call themselves lovers--they might not even beconscious that they were so; but that they were and would be, fromthat moment, Mrs. Hazleton had no doubt. The conviction had come uponher, not exactly gradually, but by fits, as it were--first a doubt,and then a fear, and then a certainty that one, and then that bothloved.

  If it were so, she knew that her present plans must fail; but yet shepursued them with an eagerness very different than before--a wild,rash, almost frantic eagerness. There was a chance, she thought, ofdriving Emily into the arms of John Ayliffe, with no love for him, andlove for another; and there was a bitter sort of satisfaction in thevery idea. Fears for her father she always hoped might operate, whereno other inducement could have power, and such means she resolved tobring into play at once, without waiting for the dull, long process ofdrilling Ayliffe into gentlemanly carriage, or winning for him someway in Emily's regard. To force her to marry him, hating rather thanloving him, would be a mighty gratification, and for it Mrs. Hazletonresolved
at once to strike; but she knew that hypocrisy was neededmore than ever; and therefore it was that the brow was smoothed, theeye calmed in a moment.

  To Marlow, during his visit, she was courteous and civil enough, butstill so far cold as to give him no encouragement to stay long. Shekept watch too upon all that passed, not only between him and Emily,but between him and John Ayliffe; for a quarrel between them, whichshe thought likely, was not what she desired. But there was no dangerof such a result. Marlow treated the young man with a cold and distantpoliteness--a proud civility, which left him no pretence for offence,and yet silenced and abashed him completely. During the whole visit,till towards its close, the contrast between the two men was so markedand strong, so disadvantageous to him whom Mrs. Hazleton sought tofavor, that she would have given much to have had Ayliffe away fromsuch a damaging companion. At length she could endure it no longer,and contrived to send him to seek for some flowers which she pretendedto want, and which she knew he would not readily find in her gardens.

  Before he returned, Marlow was gone; and Emily, soon after, retired toher own room, leaving the youth and Mrs. Hazleton together.

  The three met again at dinner, and, for once, a subject was broughtup, by accident, or design--which, I know not--that gave John Ayliffean opportunity of setting himself in a somewhat better light. Everyone has some amenity--some sweeter, gentler spot in the character. Hehad a great love for flowers--a passion for them; and it brought forththe small, very small portion of the poetry of the heart which hadbeen assigned to him by nature. It was flowers then that Mrs. Hazletontalked of, and he soon joined in discussing their beauties, with athorough knowledge of, and feeling for his subject. Emily was somewhatsurprised, and, with natural kindness, felt glad to find some topicwhere she could converse with him at ease. The change of her mannerencouraged him, and he went on, for once, wisely keeping to a subjecton which he was at home, and which seemed so well to please. Mrs.Hazleton helped him greatly with a skill and rapidity which few couldhave displayed, always guiding the conversation back to the wellchosen theme, whenever it was lost for an instant.

  At length, when the impression was most favorable, John Ayliffe roseto go--I know not whether he did so at a sign from Mrs. Hazleton; butI think he did. Few men quit a room gracefully--it is a difficultevolution--and he, certainly, did not. But Emily's eyes were in adifferent direction, and to say the truth, although he had seemed toher more agreeable that evening than he had been before, she thoughttoo little of him at all to remark how he quitted the room, even ifher eyes had been upon him.

  From time to time, indeed, some of the strange vague words which hehad used when she had seen him in the park, had recurred to her mindwith an unpleasant impression, and she had puzzled herself with thequestion of what could be their meaning; but she soon dismissed thesubject, resolving to seek some information from Mrs. Hazleton, whoseemed to know the young man so well.

  On the preceding night, that lady had avoided all mention of him; butthat was not the case now. She spoke of him, almost as soon as he wasgone, in a tone of some compassion, alluding vaguely and mysteriouslyto misfortunes and disadvantages under which he had labored, andsaying, that it was marvellous to see how much strength of mind, andnatural high qualities, could effect against adverse circumstances.This called forth from Emily the inquiry which she had meditated, andalthough she could not recollect exactly the words John Ayliffe hadused, she detailed, with sufficient accuracy, all that had taken placebetween herself and him; and the strange allusion he had made to SirPhilip Hastings.

  Mrs. Hazleton gazed at her for a moment or two after she had donespeaking, with a look expressive of anxious concern.

  "I trust, my dear Emily," she said, at length, "that you did not repelhim at all harshly. I have had much sad experience of the world, and Iknow that in youth we are too apt to touch hardly and rashly, thingsthat for our own best interests, as well as for good feeling's sake,we ought to deal with tenderly."

  "I do not think that I spoke harshly," replied Emily, thoughtfully; "Itold him that any thing he had to say must be said to my father; but Ido not believe I spoke even that unkindly."

  "I am glad to hear it--very glad;" replied Mrs. Hazleton, with muchemphasis; and then, after a short pause, she added, "Yet I do not knowthat your father--excellent, noble-minded, just and generous as heis--was the person best fitted to judge and act in the matter whichJohn Ayliffe might have to speak of."

  "Indeed!" exclaimed Emily, becoming more and more surprised, and insome degree alarmed, "this is very strange, dear Mrs. Hazleton. Youseem to know more of this matter; pray explain it all to me. I maywell hear from you, what would be improper for me to listen to fromhim."

  "He has a kindly heart," said Mrs. Hazleton, thoughtfully, "and moreforbearance than I ever knew in one so young; but it cannot last forever; and when he is of age, which will be in a few days, he must act;and I trust will act kindly and gently--I am sure he will, if nothingoccurs to irritate a bold and decided character."

  "But act how?" inquired Emily, eagerly; "you forget, dear Mrs.Hazleton, that I am quite in the dark in this matter. I dare say thathe is all that you say; but I will own that neither his mannersgenerally, nor his demeanor on that occasion, led me to think verywell of him, or to believe that he was of a forbearing or gentlenature."

  "He has faults," said Mrs. Hazleton, dryly; "oh yes, he has faults,but they are those of manner, more than heart or character--faultsproduced by circumstances may be changed by circumstances--which wouldnever have existed, had he had, earlier, one judicious, kind, andexperienced friend to counsel and direct him. They are disappearingrapidly, and, if ever he should fall under the influences of agenerous and noble spirit, will vanish altogether."

  She was preparing the way, skilfully exciting, as she saw, someinterest in Emily, and yet producing some alarm.

  "But still you do not explain," said the beautiful girl, anxiously;"do not, dear Mrs. Hazleton, keep me longer in suspense."

  "I cannot--I ought not, Emily, to explain all to you," replied thelady, "it would be a long and painful story; but this I may tell you,and after that, ask me no more. That young man has your father'sfortunes and his fate entirely in his hands. He has forborne long.Heaven grant that his forbearance may still endure."

  She ceased, and after one glance at Emily's face, she cast down hereyes, and seemed to fall into thought.

  Emily gazed up towards the sky, as if seeking counsel there, and then,bursting into tears, hurriedly quitted the room.