The Tenants of Malory, Volume 3
Page 14
CHAPTER XIV.
A SURPRISE.
MR. DINGWELL, already much more like himself, having made the journeyby easy stages, was approaching Malory by night, in a post-chaise.Fatigue, sickness, or some other cause, perhaps, exasperated histemper specially that night.
Well made up in mufflers, his head was frequently out at the window.
"The old church, by Jove!" he muttered, with a dismal grin, as goingslowly down the jolty hill: beneath the ancient trees, the quaintlittle church of Llanderris and its quiet churchyard appeared at theleft of the narrow road, white in the moonlight.
"A new crop of fools, fanatics, and hypocrites come up, since Iremember them, and the old ones gone down to enrich that patch ofground and send up their dirty juice in nettles, and thistles, anddocks. 'In sure and certain hope.' Why should not they, the swine! aswell as their masters, cunning, and drunken, and sneaks. I'd like topay a fellow to cut their epitaphs. Why should I spare them a line oftruth. Here I am, plain Mr. Dingwell. They don't care much about me;and when my Lord Verney went down the other day, to show them what afool they have got for a master, amid congenial rejoicings, I don'thear that they troubled their heads with many regrets for my poorfriend Arthur. Ha! There's the estuary, and Pendillion. These thingsdon't change, my Lord Verney. Pity Lord Verney doesn't wear as well asPendillion. There is Ware, over the water, if we had light to seeit--to think of that shabby little whey-faced fool! Here we are; theseare the trees of Malory, egad!"
And with a shrug he repeated Homer's words, which say--"As are thegenerations of leaves, such are those of men."
Up the avenue of Malory they were driving, and Dingwell looked outwith a dismal curiosity upon the lightless front of the old house.
"Cheerful reception!" he muttered. "Suppose we pick a hole in yourtitle--a hole in your _pocket_--hey!"
Dingwell's servant was at the door of the steward's house as they drewup, and helped the snarling old invalid down.
When he got to the room the servant said--
"There's coffee, and everythink as you desired."
"I'll take breath first, if you please--coffee afterwards."
"Mrs. Mervyn hopes, sir, as how you'll parding her to-night, being solate, and not in good 'ealth herself, which she would been hup toreceive you hotherwise," said the man, delivering his messageeloquently.
"Quite time enough to-morrow, and to-morrow--and to-morrow; and Idon't care if our meeting creeps away, as that remarkable person,William Shakespeare, says--'in this petty pace.' This is morecomfortable, egad! than Rosemary Court. I don't care, I say, if itcreeps in that pretty pace, till we are both in heaven. What's Hecubato me, or I to Hecuba? So help me off with these things."
Lord Verney, on whom, in his moods, Mr. Dingwell commented so fully,was dispensing his hospitalities just then, on the other side of theestuary, at his princely mansion of Ware. The party was, it is true,small--very small, in fact. Lady Wimbledon had been there, and theHon. Caroline Oldys, but they were now visiting Cardyllian at theVerney Arms.
Mr. Jos. Larkin, to his infinite content, was at Ware, and deploredthe unchristian feelings displayed by Mr. Wynne Williams, whom he hadby this time formally supplanted in the management of Lord Verney'scountry affairs, and who had exhibited "a nasty feeling," he "mightsay a petulance quite childish," last Sunday, when Mr. Larkin hadgraced Cardyllian Church with his personal devotions, and refused tovacate, in his favour, the small pew which he held as proprietor ofPlasdwllyn, but which Mr. Larkin chose to think he occupied in virtueof his former position of solicitor to Lord Verney.
Cleve Verney being still in London, received one morning from hisuncle the following short and astounding note, as he sat atbreakfast:--
"MY DEAR CLEVE--The time having arrived for taking that step, which the stability of our house of Verney has long appeared to demand, all preliminaries being satisfactorily adjusted, and the young lady and Lady Wimbledon, with a very small party of their relations, as you may have observed by the public papers, at present at the hotel of Cardyllian, nothing remains unaccomplished by way of preparation, but your presence at Ware, which I shall expect on Friday next, when you can meet Miss Caroline Oldys in those new and more defined relations which our contemplated alliance suggests. That event is arranged to take place on the Wednesday following. Mr. Larkin, who reports to me the substance of a conversation with you, and who has my instructions to apprise you fully of any details you may desire to be informed of, will see you on the morning of to-morrow, in the library at Verney House, at a quarter-past eleven o'clock. He leaves Ware by the mail train to-night. You will observe that the marriage, though not strictly private, is to be conducted without _eclat_, and has not been anywhere announced. This will explain my not inviting you to bring down any friend of yours to Ware for the occasion."
So it ends with the noble lord's signature, and a due attestation ofthe state of his affections towards Cleve.
With the end of his uncle's letter, an end of that young gentleman'sbreakfast--only just begun--came also.
Cleve did not start up and rap out an oath. On the contrary, he satvery still, with something, almost a smile, on his pale, patient face.In a little while he folded the letter up gently, and put it in hispocket. Then he did get up and go to the window looking out upon thepiece of ground at the rear of Verney House, and the sooty leaves andsparrows that beautified it. For a long time he enjoyed that view,and then took a swift walk for nearly half an hour in thestreets--drowsy, formal streets--in that quarter of the town,involving little risk of interruption.
His wife--what a hell was now in that word! and why? Another man wouldhave found in it a fountain of power and consolation. His wife, hislittle boy, were now in France. He thought of them both sourly enough.He was glad they were so far off. Margaret would have perceived themisery of his mind. She would have been poking questions at him, andhe would neither have divulged nor in anything have consulted her. Inthe motive of this reserve, which harmonised with his character, mayhave mingled a suspicion that _his_ interest and hers might not, inthis crisis, have required quite the same treatment.
It was about eleven o'clock as he entered Verney House again. In aquarter of an hour more that villanous attorney, to whose vulgarmachinations he attributed his present complicated wretchedness, wouldbe with him.
Without any plan, only hating that abominable Christian, and resolvedto betray neither thought nor emotion which could lead him to suspect,ever so faintly, the truth, he at length heard him announced, as a manwho has seen his death-warrant hears the approach of the executioner.Mr. Larkin entered, with his well-brushed hat in his hand, his baldhead shining as with a glory, a meek smile on his lips, a rat-likeshrinking observation in his eyes.
"Oh! Mr. Larkin," said Mr. Cleve Verney, with a smile. "My uncle saidyou would look in to-day. We have often talked the matter overtogether, you know, my uncle and I, and I'm not sure that you can tellme very much that I don't know already. Sit down, pray."
"Thanks. I think it was chiefly to let you know what he can do for_you_. I need not say to you, my dear Mr. Verney, how generous LordVerney is, and what an uncle, Mr. Verney, he has been to _you_."
Here was a little glance of the pink eyes at the ceiling, and amomentary elevation of his large hand, and a gentle, admiring shake ofthe bald head.
"No; of course. It is entirely as his attorney, sir, acquainted withdetails which he has directed you to mention to me, that he speaks ofyour call here. I had a letter this morning."
"Quite so. It was to mention that although he could not, of course, inprudence, under the circumstances, think of _settling_ anything--whichamounts, in fact, to an alienation--a step which in justice to himselfand the integrity of the family estates, he could not concede orcontemplate; he yet--and he wishes it at the same time to beunderstood, strictly, as his present intention--means to make you anallowance of a thousand pounds a year."
"Rather a small a
llowance, don't you think, for a man with a seat inthe House to marry on?" observed Cleve.
"Pardon me; but he does not contemplate your immediate marriage, Mr.Verney," answered Larkin.
"Rather a sudden change of plan, considering that he fixed Wednesdaynext, by his letter," said Cleve, with a faint sneer.
"Pardon me, again; but that referred to his own marriage--LordVerney's contemplated marriage with the Honourable Miss Oldys."
"Oh!" said Cleve, looking steadily down on the table. "Oh! to besure."
"That alliance will be celebrated on Wednesday, as proposed."
Mr. Larkin paused, and Cleve felt that his odious eyes were readinghis countenance. Cleve could not help turning pale, but there was noother visible symptom of his dismay.
"Yes; the letter was a little confused. He has been urging me tomarry, and I fancied he had made up his mind to expedite my affair;and it is rather a relief to me to be assured it is his own, for I'min no particular hurry--quite the reverse. Is there anything more?"
"I meant to ask _you_ that question, Mr. Verney. I fancied you mightpossibly wish to put some questions to me. I have been commissioned,within certain limits, to give you any information you may desire."Mr. Larkin paused again.
Cleve's blood boiled. "Within certain limits, more in my uncle'sconfidence than I am, that vulgar, hypocritical attorney!" He fanciedbeside that Mr. Larkin saw what a shock the news was, and that heliked, with a mean sense of superiority, making him feel that hepenetrated his affectation of indifference.
"It's very thoughtful of you; but if anything strikes me I shall talkto my uncle. There are subjects that would interest me more than thoseon which he would be at all likely to talk with you."
"Quite possibly," said Mr. Larkin. "And what shall I report to hislordship as the result of our conversation?"
"Simply the truth, sir."
"I don't, I fear, make myself clear. I meant to ask whether there wasanything you wished me to add. You can always reckon upon me, Mr.Verney, to convey your views to Lord Verney, if there should everhappen to be anything you feel a delicacy about opening to hislordship yourself."
"Yes, I shall write to him," answered Cleve, drily.
And Cleve Verney rose, and the attorney, simpering and bowing grandly,took his departure.