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

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XXX.

  Mrs. Hazleton was very consoling. She was with Mrs. Hastings two orthree times in the week, and poor Mrs. Hastings required aconsiderable degree of consolation; for the arrest of her husband,coming so close upon the bitter mortification of loss, and abatementof dignity, and at the end of a long period of weak health, had madeher seriously ill. She now kept her bed the whole day long, and lay,making herself worse by that sort of fretful anxiety which wasconstitutional with her as well as with many other people. Mrs.Hazleton's visits were a great comfort to her, and yet, strange tosay, Emily almost always found her more irritable after that lady hadleft her.

  Poor Emily seemed to shine under the cloud of misfortune. Hercharacter came out and acted nobly in the midst of disasters. She washer mother's nurse and constant attendant; she kept her fatherinformed of every thing that passed--not an opportunity was missed ofsending him a letter; and although she would have made any sacrificeto be with him in prison, to comfort and support him in the peril andsorrow of his situation, she was well satisfied that he had not takenher, when she found the state into which her mother had fallen.

  Often, after Mrs. Hazleton had sat for an hour or two with her sickfriend, she would come down and walk upon the terrace for a while withEmily, and comfort her much in the same way that she did Mrs.Hastings. She would tell her not to despond about her mother: thatthough she was certainly very ill, and in a dangerous state, yetpeople had recovered who had been quite as ill as she was. Then shewould talk about lungs, and nerves, and humors, and all kinds ofpainful and mortal diseases, as if she had studied medicine all herlife; and she did it, too, with a quiet, dignified gravity which madeit more impressive and alarming. Then again, she would turn to thesituation of Mr. Hastings, and wonder what they would do with him. Shewould also bring every bit of news that she could collect, regardingthe case of Sir John Fenwick, especially when the intelligence waspainful and disastrous; but she hinted that, perhaps, after all, theymight not be able to prove any thing against Mr. Hastings, and thateven if they did--although the Government were inclined to besevere--they might, perhaps, commute his sentence to transportationfor the colonies, or imprisonment in the Tower for five or six years.

  It is thus our friends often console us; some of them, from a dark andgloomy turn of mind, and some of them from the satisfaction manypeople feel in meddling with the miseries of others. But it wasneither natural despondency of character, nor any general love ofsorrowful scenes or thoughts, that moved Mrs. Hazleton in the presentinstance. She had a peculiar and especial pleasure in the wretchednessof the Hastings family, and particularly in that of Emily. Thecharming lady fancied that if Marlow were free from his engagementwith Emily the next day, and a suitor for her own hand, she wouldnever think of marrying him. I am not quite sure of that fact, butthat is no business of ours, dear reader, and one thing is certain,that she would have very willingly sacrificed one half of her wholefortune, nay more, to have placed an everlasting barrier between Emilyand Marlow.

  She was thus walking with her dear Emily, as she called her, one dayon that terrace at the back of the house where the memorableconversation had taken place between Mr. Hastings and Sir JohnFenwick, and was treating Emily to a minute and particular account ofthe death of the latter, when Marlow suddenly arrived from London, andentered the house by the large glass door in front. He found a servantin the hall who informed him that Mrs. Hastings was still in bed, andthat Emily was walking on the terrace with Mrs. Hazleton. Marlowpaused, and considered for a moment. "Any thing not dishonorable," hesaid to himself, "is justifiable to clear up such a mystery;" andpassing quietly through the house into the dining-room, which had onewindow opening as a door upon the terrace, he saw his fair Emily andher companion pass along towards the other end of the walk withoutbeing himself perceived. He then approached the window, andcalculating the distances nicely, so as to be sure that Mrs. Hazeltonwas fully as far distant from himself as she could have been from SirJohn Fenwick and Mr. Hastings on the evening when they walked theretogether, he pronounced her name in an ordinary tone, somewhat lowerthan that which Mr. Hastings usually employed.

  Mrs. Hazleton instantly started, and looked round towards the spotwhere Marlow was now emerging from the room.

  The lady could not miss an occasion, and the moment she saw him sheexclaimed, "Dear me! there is Mr. Marlow; I am afraid he brings badtidings, Emily."

  Emily paused not to consider, but with her own wild grace ran forwardand cast herself into his arms.

  Fortunately Mrs. Hazleton had no dagger with her. Her face wasbenevolent and smiling when she joined them; for the joy there wasupon Emily's countenance forbade any affectation of apprehension. Itsaid as plainly as possible, "All is well;" but she added the wordstoo, stretching forth her hand to her supposed friend, and saying,"Dear Mrs. Hazleton, Charles brings me word that my father issafe--that the Government have declared they will not prosecute."

  "I congratulate you with my whole heart, Emily," replied the lady;"and I do sincerely hope that ministers may keep their word better inthis instance than they have done in some others."

  "There is not the slightest doubt of it, my dear madam," said Marlow;"for I have the official announcement under the hand of the Secretaryof State."

  "I must fly and tell my mother," said Emily, and without waiting for areply she darted away.

  Mrs. Hazleton took a turn or two up and down the terrace with Marlow,considering whether it was at all possible for her to be of anyfurther comfort to her friends at the Court. As she could not stay allnight, however, so as to prevent Emily and Marlow from having anyhappy private conversation together, and as she judged that, in theirpresent joy, they would a good deal forget conventional restraints,and give way to their lover-like feelings even in her presence, whichwould be exceedingly disagreeable to her, she soon re-entered thehouse, and ordered her carriage. It must be acknowledged that bothEmily and Marlow were well satisfied to see her depart, and it is notto be wondered at if they gave themselves up for half an hour to thepleasure of meeting again.

  At the end of that time, however, Marlow drew forth a letter from hispocket, carefully folded, so that a line or two only was apparent, andplacing it before Emily, inquired if she knew the hand.

  "It is mine," said Emily, at first; but the moment after she exclaimed"No!--it is not; it is Mrs. Hazleton's. I know it by the peculiar wayshe forms the _g_ and the _y_.--Stay, let me see, Marlow. She has notdone so always; but that _g_, and that _y_, I am quite certain of. Whydo you ask, Marlow?"

  "For reasons of the utmost importance, dear Emily," he answered, "haveyou any letters or notes of Mrs. Hazleton's?"

  "Yes, there is one which came yesterday," replied Emily; "it is lyingon my table upstairs."

  "Bring it--bring it, dearest girl," he said; "I wish very much to seeit."

  When he had got, he examined it with a well-pleased smile, and thensaid, with a laugh, "I must impound this, my love. I am now on theright track, and will not leave it till I have arrived at perfectcertainty."

  "You are very strange and mysterious to-day, Marlow," said thebeautiful girl, "what does all this mean?"

  "It means, my love," replied Marlow, "that I have very dark doubts andsuspicions of Mrs. Hazleton,--and all I have seen and heard to-dayconfirms me. Now sit down here by me, dear Emily, and tell me if, toyour knowledge, you have ever given to Mrs. Hazleton cause ofoffence."

  "Never!" answered Emily, firmly and at once. "Never in my life."

  Marlow mused, and then, with his arms round her waist, he continued,"Bethink yourself, my love. Within the course of the last two or threeyears, have you ever seen reason to believe that Mrs. Hazleton'saffection for you is not so great as it appears?--Has it everwavered?--Has it ever become doubtful to you from any stray word oraccidental circumstance?"

  Emily was silent for a moment, and then replied, thoughtfully,"Perhaps I did think so, once or twice, when I was staying at herhouse, last year."

  "Well, then, now, dear Emi
ly," said Marlow, "tell me every thing downto the most minute circumstance that occurred there."

  Emily hesitated. "Perhaps I ought not," she said; "Mrs. Hazletonshowed me, very strongly, that I ought not, except under an absolutenecessity."

  "That necessity is now, my love," replied Marlow; "love cannot existwithout confidence, Emily; and I tell you, upon my honor and my faith,that your happiness, my happiness, and even your father's safety,depends in a great degree upon your telling me all. Do you believe me,Emily?"

  "Fully," she answered; "and I will tell you all."

  Thus seated together, she poured forth the whole tale to her lover'sears, even to the circumstances which had occurred in her own room,when Mrs. Hazleton had entered it, walking in her sleep. The wholeconduct of John Ayliffe, now calling himself Sir John Hastings, wasalso displayed; and the dark and treacherous schemes which had beengoing on, began gradually to evolve themselves to Marlow's mind.Obscure and indistinct they still were; but the gloomy shadow wasapparent, and he could trace the outline though he could not fill upthe details.

  "Base, treacherous woman!" he murmured to himself, and then, pressingEmily more closely to his heart, he thanked her again and again forher frankness. "I will never misuse it, my Emily," he said; "and noone shall ever know what you have told me except your father: to himit must be absolutely revealed."

  "I would have told him myself," said Emily, "if he had ever asked meany questions on the subject; but as he did not, and seemed verygloomy just then, I thought it better to follow Mrs. Hazleton'sadvice."

  "The worst and the basest she could have given you," said Marlow; "Ihave had doubts of her for a long time, Emily, but I have no doubtsnow; and, moreover, I firmly believe that the whole case of this JohnAyliffe--his claim upon your father's estate and title--is all falseand factitious together, supported by fraud, forgery, and crime. Haveyou preserved this young man's letter, or have you destroyed it,Emily?"

  "I kept it," she replied, "thinking that, some time or another, Imight have to show it to my father."

  "Then one more mark of confidence, my love," said Marlow; "let me havethat letter. I do not wish to read it; therefore you had better foldit up and seal it; but it may be necessary as a link in the chain ofevidence which I wish to bring forward for your father'ssatisfaction."

  "Read it, if you will, Marlow," she answered; "I have told you thecontents, but it may be as well that you should see the words: I willbring it to you in a moment."

  They read the letter over together, and when Marlow had concluded, helaid his hand upon it, saying, "This is Mrs. Hazleton's composition."

  "I'm almost inclined to fancy so, myself," answered Emily.

  "He is incapable of writing this," replied her lover; "I have seen hisletters on matters of business, and he cannot write a plain sentencein English to an end without making some gross mistake. This is Mrs.Hazleton's doing, and there is some dark design underneath it. Wouldto God that visit had never taken place!"

  "There has been little happiness in the house since," said Emily,"except what you and I have known together, Marlow; and that has beensadly checkered by many a painful circumstance."

  "The clouds are breaking, dear one," replied Marlow, rising; "but Iwill not pause one moment in my course till all this is madeclear--no, not even for the delight of sitting here by you, my love. Iwill go home at once, Emily; mount my horse, and ride over to Hartwellbefore it be dark."

  "What is your object there?" asked Emily.

  "To unravel one part of this mystery," replied her lover. "I willascertain, by some means, from whom, or in what way, this young manobtained sufficient money to commence and carry on a very expensivesuit at law. That he had it not himself, I am certain. That hischances were not sufficiently good, when first he commenced, to induceany lawyer to take the risk, I am equally certain. He must have had itfrom some one, and my suspicions point to Mrs. Hazleton. Her bankersare mine, and I will find means to know. So, now, farewell, my love; Iwill see you again early to-morrow."

  He lingered yet for a moment or two, and then left her.