CHAPTER XXX.
"Patrick," exclaimed Agnes, hurrying into Sir Arthur's sitting-room themorning after her brother's arrival at the Granby, while a brilliantcolor lighted up her cheek, and her eyes sparkled with animation, "LordWigton is coming in a few minutes to hear me sing that new song ofBellini's, therefore pray tell the waiters we are not at home to anyliving mortal, and do hold this music till I give a last touch to myringlets."
Agnes impatiently held out a large roll of paper, but almost screamedwith astonishment on looking up, to perceive that she had addressedCaptain De Crespigny, evidently that moment arrived from a longjourney.
"Good morning, Miss Dunbar. We are well met!" said he, with rathersatirical emphasis. "I am in a very cut-throat humor to-day, and shallcertainly put an end to little Lord Wigton!"
"You have nearly put an end to me," replied Agnes, unable to steady hervoice; "but I am rather glad to see you! Perhaps you may be allowed toremain here, though that tiresome man does so teaze me about singing."
"Wigton told me he was coming to see, or rather to hear Marion!" saidSir Patrick, emerging from a distant window.
"To hear me!" exclaimed Marion, with unfeigned surprise and perplexity,while thunder and lightning both lowered on the forehead of her sister."That must be a mistake! I heard nothing of any appointment, and havenot had a minute's conversation with Lord Wigton since we arrived atHarrowgate. He heard me only once by accident, and probably never willagain."
"Unless by design!" whispered Agnes, angrily. "Marion, you havecertainly some underhand way of getting on with people, which bafflesmy comprehension!"
Marion turned away, and silently resumed her place beside Sir Arthur,who had been amusing himself by standing at the window, while she toldhim what carriages came round to the door, what parties of pleasurewere setting out or returning, and what travelling equipages appearedin sight, of which seldom fewer than ten or twelve arrived in a day;and by ascertaining the coat-of-arms or coronets emblazoned on thepanels, she sometimes formed a tolerable accurate guess who mightprobably be their occupants. After talking together with great vivacityfor some time, Sir Arthur suddenly felt the arm of Marion on which hewas leaning, give an almost convulsive start, while she seemed withdifficulty to suppress a half-uttered exclamation of delightedastonishment. She now leaned eagerly out of the window, to examine atravelling chariot which had driven up to the door, from whence a lady,apparently in the utmost extreme of weakness, was carefully supportedout by a gentleman, and before another moment could elapse, Marion hadrushed down stairs, and was clasped in the arms of Clara Granville.
"Did you get my letter?" exclaimed her friend, in feeble and agitatedaccents, while, after the first rapturous greetings, they had retiredalone into a sitting-room. "No! is that possible? How could the posthave been so long delayed? But perhaps it may be as well, for there wasgrief as much as joy in it."
Marion observed now with alarm, that the appearance of Clara, alwaysinteresting, had become almost painfully so. The summer bloom hadentirely vanished from her face, and not only had her form shrunk, butthere was a deep and settled sadness in the expression of her eye, whenshe added,
"The doctors have ordered me to go by easy stages abroad, but theyrecommended me first to try a few weeks here. The sight of you will dome more good than any medicine, and I had little difficulty--verylittle indeed, Marion--in persuading Richard to take the Granby on ourway to the south of France, where we are to go health-hunting andscenery-hunting during the approaching winter; but you must see now, asI do, and as everybody does, except my dear brother himself, that I amhastening fast to that country where the sun always shines, and theflowers never fade."
A start of indescribable emotion now shot through the heart of Marion,for in the pallid, emaciated countenance of Clara, she already read asentence of death, and she gazed upon her friend with a growingconviction, which filled her heart with anguish, that soon, very soonthey must be separated for ever! but Miss Granville, observing heremotion, affectionately added, "Few have more reason to value theirlives than myself, Marion, and mine I shall do all in my power topreserve. We ought to be perfectly and cheerfully satisfied with everyevent as it comes, and while I have such a brother as Richard, myexistence is precious to me. I know, however, that at all eventsanother will reward him for his kindness to me, and one whom he valueseven more than his sister has happily learned to appreciate him as Ido! Indeed, how could it be otherwise? My home will soon be an eternalworld, and if I might have a choice, the sooner, perhaps, the better.It grieves me to take my brother now from his duties, without a singlehope of my own restoration. I know that, for I feel it here! Change ofair and scene can do no permanent good, and I wish we had been allowedto remain stationary, as it matters little where I die, compared withthe importance to many of where Richard lives."
Marion's voice, the faithful index to her feelings, trembled withemotion when she replied; but a moment afterwards, a smile of pleasurelighted up her dark speaking eyes, when Mr. Granville hastened into theroom, with a look of animated happiness on again meeting Marion, andhis whole countenance had that look of deep sensibility which becomesexternally visible, when the whole mind and heart have been awakened tothose affections which end with life, and only then. To cover theirconfusion, and conceal her own feelings, Clara assumed a tone ofunwonted vivacity, saying, with an affectation of extreme gravity,"Allow me to introduce my brother,--Miss Dunbar, Mr. Granville! I canrecommend both as desirable acquaintances, and hope you may find eachother out by degrees! My duty is done, and now it is your own fault ifyou are not speedily friends!"
Marion became every day more conscious that no one can appreciate thereal joys and the real sorrows of human life but those who live for itsfriendships and attachments, while she would have thought wealth orrank, without affection, like a body without a soul; but Agnes caredcomparatively little by whose means she obtained her title, equipages,and diamonds, provided they were likely to excite envy and admiration.In her estimation, the coarsest materials of happiness were the most tobe coveted, and the marriage contract, instead of being anticipated inthe light in which it would have appeared to Marion, as giving her theprivilege of devoting a life-time to the happiness of the person sheloved best on earth, was merely contemplated as entitling her to anexpensive _trousseau_, a large establishment, and a set of familyjewels. In the mind of Agnes, Captain De Crespigny seemed only anappendage to his future rank and future expectations, while sherehearsed over her own coming greatness with exulting anticipations;but Mr. Granville might have lost all that mortal man can lose, evenlife itself, and still retained the same place as at first in Marion'saffection. The depth of her feelings was tempered, however, by thesupremacy of yet higher and holier duties and hopes, those of sound andenlightened devotion, in which it was her greatest happiness to thinkthat she had at length secured "a guide, philosopher, and friend."
No man knew the world more thoroughly, or had viewed it on both sideswith more careful scrutiny than Captain De Crespigny, who often boastedthat he saw the working of people's minds as if their heads were like aglass bee-hive, and yet he was completely perplexed, on arriving atHarrowgate, to account for the extraordinary intimacy which had sprungup so suddenly between the beautiful Agnes and his whimsical old--, butcertainly not venerable relative, Lord Doncaster. It seemed to him atfirst a laughable jest, but before long he became struck by theincreased coldness of his uncle's manner, which was, if possible, morecynical and repulsive than ever, since the time when Agnes hadinadvertently irritated the vanity of Lord Doncaster by her incautiousjests during their first interview.
Curiosity now induced Captain De Crespigny, in some degree, to resumethat intimacy with Agnes, which he came intending entirely todiscontinue; for he had meant that his attentions should be solely andexclusively devoted to the captivation of her still more fascinatingsister, whom he was intent upon adding to the list of his conquests;but Marion continued to receive Captain De Crespigny with carelesscivility, resolved apparen
tly to forget all that had hitherto beenunpleasant or pleasant between them, while every moment she could sparefrom attending to her uncle was dedicated to the Granvilles. Claranever left her private sitting-room, partly from bodily weakness, butchiefly to avoid meeting Sir Patrick, whom she had not expected to findat Harrowgate,--and his name never passed her lips except once, when inanswer to a remark of Marion's, she said, "I shun another meeting withyour brother, not from indifference,--very far from that. If I wereonly more safe from the attachments and delusions of this world, itwould be unnecessary to avoid him as I do; but I am consoled for my ownsorrows, Marion, by thinking of my brother's happiness, and bybelieving that you will hereafter value and experience together theaffection of reason and principle, with a sufficient tinge of romanceto give it some flavor."
"In that case," replied Marion, frankly, while a bright color glowed onher cheek, "I should think myself gifted with the largest share ofhappiness that the world can offer, and much more than the whole worldcould bestow, if unaccompanied by the hope of that felicity we arepromised beyond it."
"And which I shall share with you at last, though the joy of this worldI cannot remain to see and to partake of, with those who have all myaffection and all my prayers," replied Clara, solemnly, while her lipstrembled with a smile such as floats sometimes on the countenance of aChristian at last, "when all the mortal dies."
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