CHAPTER X.
THE ACE OF HEARTS.
Who should I find in the drawing-room, talking fluently and smiling,after his wont, to old Lady Chelford, who seemed to receive him verygraciously, for her at least, but Captain Stanley Lake!
I can't quite describe to you the odd and unpleasant sort of surprisewhich that very gentlemanlike figure, standing among the Brandonhousehold gods at this moment, communicated to me. I thought of the fewodd words and looks that had dropped from Wylder about him with anominous pang as I looked, and I felt somehow as if there were some occultrelation between that confused prelude of Wylder's and theMephistophelean image that had risen up almost upon the spot where it wasspoken. I glanced round for Wylder, but he was not there.
'You know Captain Lake?' said Lord Chelford, addressing me.
And Lake turned round upon me, a little abruptly, his odd yellowish eyes,a little like those of the sea-eagle, and the ghost of his smile thatflickered on his singularly pale face, with a stern and insidious look,confronted me. There was something evil and shrinking in his aspect,which I felt with a sort of chill, like the commencing fascination of aserpent. I often thought since that he had expected to see Wylder beforehim.
The church-yard meteor expired, there was nothing in a moment but hisordinary smile of recognition.
'You're surprised to see me here,' he said in his very pleasing lowtones.
'I lighted on him in the village; and I knew Miss Brandon would notforgive me if I allowed him to go away without coming here. (He had hishand upon Lake's shoulder.) They are cousins, you know; we are allcousins. I'm bad at genealogies. My mother could tell us all aboutit--we, Brandons, Lakes; Wylders, and Chelfords.'
At this moment Miss Brandon entered, with her brilliant Cousin Rachel.The blonde and the dark, it was a dazzling contrast.
So Chelford led Stanley Lake before the lady of the castle. I thought ofthe 'Fair Brunnisende,' with the captive knight in the hands of herseneschal before her, and I fancied he said something of having found himtrespassing in her town, and brought him up for judgment. Whatever LordChelford said, Miss Brandon received it very graciously, and even with amomentary smile. I wonder she did not smile oftener, it became her so.But her greeting to Captain Lake was more than usually haughty andfrozen, and her features, I fancied, particularly proud andpale. It seemed to me to indicate a great deal more than mereindifference--something of aversion, and nearer to a positive emotionthan anything I had yet seen in that exquisitely apathetic face.
How was it that this man with the yellow eyes seemed to gleam from theman influence of pain or disturbance, wherever almost he looked.
'Shake hands with your cousin, my dear,' said old Lady Chelford,peremptorily. The little scene took place close to her chair; and uponthis stage direction the little piece of by-play took place, and theyoung lady coldly touched the captain's hand, and passed on.
Young as he was, Stanley Lake was an old man of the world, not to bedisconcerted, and never saw more than exactly suited him. Waiting in thedrawing-room, I had some entertaining talk with Miss Lake. Herconversation was lively, and rather bold, not at all in the coarse sense,but she struck me as having formed a system of ethics and views of life,both good-humoured and sarcastic, and had carried into her rusticsequestration the melancholy and precocious lore of her early Londonexperience.
When Lord Chelford joined us, I perceived that Wylder was in the room,and saw a very cordial greeting between him and Lake. The captainappeared quite easy and cheerful; but Mark, I thought, notwithstandinghis laughter and general jollity, was uncomfortable; and I saw him onceor twice, when Stanley's eye was not upon him, glance sharply on theyoung man with an uneasy and not very friendly curiosity.
At dinner Lake was easy and amusing. That meal passed off ratherpleasantly; and when we joined the ladies in the drawing-room, the goodvicar's enthusiastic little wife came to meet us, in one of her honestlittle raptures.
'Now, here's a thing worth your looking at! Did you ever see anything sobee-utiful in your life? It is such a darling little thing; and--looknow--is not it magnificent?'
She arrested the file of gentlemen just by a large lamp, before whoseeffulgence she presented the subject of her eulogy--one of those costlytrifles which announce the approach of Hymen, as flowers spring up beforethe rosy steps of May.
Well, it was pretty--French, I dare say--a little set of tablets--atoy--the cover of enamel, studded in small jewels, with a slender borderof symbolic flowers, and with a heart in the centre, a mosaic of littlecarbuncles, rubies, and other red and crimson stones, placed with a viewto light and shade.
'Exquisite, indeed!' said Lord Chelford. 'Is this yours, Mrs. Wylder?'
'Mine, indeed!' laughed poor little Mrs. Dorothy. 'Well, dear me, no,indeed;'--and in an earnest whisper close in his ear--'a present to MissBrandon, and the donor is not a hundred miles away from your elbow, mylord!' and she winked slyly, and laughed, with a little nod at Wylder.
'Oh! I see--to be sure--really, Wylder, it does your taste infinitecredit.'
'I'm glad you like it,' says Wylder, chuckling benignantly on it, overhis shoulder. 'I believe I _have_ a little taste that way; those are allreal, you know, those jewels.'
'Oh, yes! of course. Have you seen it, Captain Lake?' And he placed it inthat gentleman's fingers, who now took his turn at the lamp, andcontemplated the little parallelogram with a gleam of sly amusement.
'What are you laughing at?' asked Wylder, a little snappishly.
'I was thinking it's very like the ace of hearts,' answered the captainsoftly, smiling on.
'Fie, Lake, there's no poetry in you,' said Lord Chelford, laughing.
'Well, now, though, really it is funny; it did not strike me before, butdo you know, now, it _is_,' laughs out jolly Mrs. Dolly, 'isn't it. Lookat it, do, Mr. Wylder--isn't it like the ace of hearts?'
Wylder was laughing rather redly, with the upper part of his face verysurly, I thought.
'Never mind, Wylder, it's the winning card,' said Lord Chelford, layinghis hand on his shoulder.
Whereupon Lake laughed quietly, still looking on the ace of hearts withhis sly eyes.
And Wylder laughed too, more suddenly and noisily than the humour of thejoke seemed quite to call for, and glanced a grim look from the cornersof his eyes on Lake, but the gallant captain did not seem to perceive it;and after a few seconds more he handed it very innocently back to Mrs.Dorothy, only remarking--
'Seriously, it _is_ very pretty, and _appropriate_.'
And Wylder, making no remark, helped himself to a cup of coffee, and thento a glass of Curacoa, and then looked industriously at a Spanish quartoof Don Quixote, and lastly walked over to me on the hearthrug.
'What the d-- has he come down here for? It can't be for money, or balls,or play, and he has no honest business anywhere. Do you know?'
'Lake? Oh! I really can't tell; but he'll soon tire of country life. Idon't think he's much of a sportsman.'
'Ha, isn't he? I don't know anything about him almost; but I hate him.'
'Why should you, though? He's a very gentlemanlike fellow and yourcousin.'
'My cousin--the Devil's cousin--everyone's cousin. I don't know who's mycousin, or who isn't; nor you don't, who've been for ten years over thosed--d papers; but I think he's the nastiest dog I ever met. I took adislike to him at first sight long ago, and that never happened me but Iwas right.'
Wylder looked confoundedly angry and flustered, standing with his heelson the edge of the rug, his hands in his pockets, jingling some silverthere, and glancing from under his red forehead sternly and unsteadilyacross the room.
'He's not a man for country quarters! he'll soon be back in town, or toBrighton,' I said.
'If _he_ doesn't, _I_ will. That's all.'
Just to get him off this unpleasant groove with a little jolt, I said--
'By-the-bye, Wylder, you know the pictures here; who is the tall man,with the long pale face, and wild phosphoric eyes? I was always afraid of
him; in a long peruke, and dark red velvet coat, facing the hall-door. Ihad a horrid dream about him last night.'
'That? Oh, I know--that's Lorne Brandon. He was one of our family devils,he was. A devil in a family now and then is not such a bad thing, whenthere's work for him.' (All the time he was talking to me his angrylittle eyes were following Lake.) 'They say he killed his son, ablackguard, who was found shot, with his face in the tarn in the park. Hewas going to marry the gamekeeper's daughter, it was thought, and he andthe old boy, who was for high blood, and all that, were at loggerheadsabout it. It was not proved, only thought likely, which showed what anice character he was; but he might have done worse. I suppose MissPartridge would have had a precious lot of babbies; and who knows wherethe estate would have been by this time.'
'I believe, Charlie,' he recommenced suddenly, 'there is not such anunnatural family on record as ours; is there? Ha, ha, ha! It's well to bedistinguished in any line. I forget all the other good things he did; buthe ended by shooting himself through the head in his bed-room, and thatwas not the worst thing ever he did.'
And Wylder laughed again, and began to whistle very low--not, I fancy,for want of thought, but as a sort of accompaniment thereto, for hesuddenly said--
'And where is he staying?'
'Who?--Lake?'
'Yes.'
'I don't know; but I think he mentioned Larkins's house, didn't he? I'mnot quite sure.'
'I suppose he this I'm made of money. By Jove! if he wants to borrow anyI'll surprise him, the cur; I'll talk to him; ha, ha, ha!'
And Wylder chuckled angrily, and the small change in his pocket tinkledfiercely, as his eye glanced on the graceful captain, who wasentertaining the ladies, no doubt, very agreeably in the distance.
Wylder's Hand Page 11