when he doth ride to church with you, and cry'Amen' more loudly than the clerk. So now dart no more vengefullightnings from thine eyes, sweet one; and wipe away the pearly dropsmy unmannerly jesting hath caused to flow. I would not Basil hadwedded a lady in love with his pelf, not with himself."
"I detest tricks," I cried, "and such feigning as you do confess to. Iwould I had not answered one word of your false discourse."
Now I wept for vexation to have been so circumvented and befooled asto own some sort of love for a man who bad not yet openly addressedme. And albeit reassured in some wise, touching what my conscience hadcharged me with when I heard Hubert's vehement reproaches, Imisdoubted his present sincerity. He searched my face with a keeninvestigation, for to detect, I ween, if I was most contented ordispleased with his late words. I resolved, if he was false, I wouldbe true, and leave not so much as a suspicion in his mind that I didor ever had cared for him. But Kate, who should not have left usalone, now returned, when her absence would have been most profitable.She had her babe in her aims, and must needs call on Hubert to praiseits beauty and list to its sweet crowing. In truth, a more winsome,gracious creature could not be seen; and albeit I had made aninpatient gesture when she entered, my arms soon eased hers of theirfair burthen, and I set to playing with the boy, and Hubert talkingand laughing in such good cheer, that I began to credit his passionhad been feigning, and his indifferency to be true, which contented menot a little.
A few days afterward Mr. Congleton received a letter, in the evening,when we were sitting in my aunt's room, and a sudden fluttering in myheart whispered it should be from Basil's father. Mine eyes affixedthemselves on the cover, which had fallen on the ground, and thentravelled to my uncle's face, wherein was a smile which seemed to say,"This is no other than what I did expect." He put it down on thetable, and his hand over it. My aunt said he should tell us the newshe had received, to make us merry; for that the fog had given her thevapors, and she had need of some good entertainment.
"News!" quoth he. "What news do you look for, good wife?"
"It would not be news, sir," she answered, "if I expected it."
"That is more sharp than true," he replied. "There must needs comenews of the queen of France's lying-in; but I pray you how will it be?Shall she live and do well? Shall it be a prince or a princess?"
"Prithee, no disputings, Mr. Congleton," she said. "We be not playingat questions and answers."
"Nay, but thou dost mistake," he cried out, laughing. "Methinks wehave here in hand some game of that sort if I judge by this letter."
Then my heart leapt, I knew not how high or how tumultuously; for Idoubted not now but he had received the tidings I hoped for.
"Constance," he said, "hast a mind to marry?"
"If it should please you, sir," I answered; "for my father charged meto obey you."
"Good," quoth he. "I see thou art an obedient wench. And thou wiltmarry who I please?"
"Nay, sir; I said not that."
"Oh, oh!" quoth he. "Thou wilt marry so as to please me, and yet--"
"Not so as to displease myself, sir," I answered.
"Come," he said, "another question. Here is a gentleman offortune and birth, and excellent good character, somewhat advanced inyears indeed, but the more like to make an indulgent husband, and tobe prudent in the management of his affairs, hath heard so good areport from two young gentlemen, his sons, of thy abilities and properbehavior, that he is minded to make thee a tender of marriage, with sogood a settlement on his estate in Suffolk as must needs content anyreasonable woman. Wilt have him, Conny?"
"Who, sir?" I asked, waxing, I ween, as red as a field-poppy.
"Mr. Rookwood, wench--Basil and Hubert's father."
Albeit I knew my uncle's trick of jesting, my folly was so great justthen, hope and fear working in me, that I was seized with fright, andfrom crimson turned so white, that he cried out:
"Content thee, child! content thee! 'Tis that tall strapping fellowBasil must needs make thee an offer of his hand; and by my troth,wench, I warrant thee thou wouldst go further and fare worse; for thegentleman is honorably descended, heir-apparent to an estate worthyearly, to my knowledge, three thousand pounds sterling, well disposedin religion, and of a personage without exception. Mr. Rookwooddeclares he is more contented with his son's choice than if he marriedMistress Spencer, or any other heiress; and beshrew me, if I be notcontented also."
Then he bent his head close to mine ear, and whispered, "And so artthou, methinks, if those tell-tale eyes of thine should be credited.Yea, yea, hang down thy head, and stammer 'As you please, sir!' Andnever so much as a _Deo gratias_ for thy good fortune! What thanklesscreatures women be!" I laughed and ran out of the room before mineaunt or Mistress Ward had disclosed their lips; for I did long to bein mine own chamber alone, and, from the depths of a heart over fullof, yea overflowing with, such joy as doth incline the knees to bendand the eyes to raise themselves to the Giver of all good--he whomall other goodness doth only mirror and shadow forth--pour out a hymnof praise for the noble blessing I had received. For, I pray you,after the gift of faith and grace for to know and love God, is thereaught on earth to be jewelled by a woman like to the affection of agood man; or a more secure haven for her to anchor in amid the presentbillows of life, except that of religion, to which all be not called,than an honorable contract of marriage, wherein reason, passion, andduty do bind the soul in a triple cord of love?
And oh! with what a painful tenderness I thought in that moving houron mine own dear parents--my mother, now so many years dead; myfather, so parted from his poor child, that in the most weightyconcernment of her life--the disposal of her in marriage--his consenthad to be presumed; his authority, for so he had with forecasting careordained, being left in other hands. But albeit a shade of melancholyfrom such a retrospect as the mind is wont to take of the past, whencoming events do cast, as it should seem, a new light on what haspreceded them, I could not choose but see, in this good which hadhappened to me, a reward to him who had forsaken all things--lands,home, kindred, yea his only child, for Christ's dear sake. It mindedme of my mother's words concerning me, when she lay dying, "Fear notfor her."
I was somewhat loth to return to mine aunt's chamber, and to appear inthe presence of Kate and Polly, who had come to visit their mother,and, by their saucy looks when I entered, showed they were privy tothe treaty in hand. Mine aunt said she had been thinking that shewould not go to church when I was married, but give me her blessing athome; for she had never recovered from the chilling she had when Katewas married, and had laid abed on Polly' wedding-day, which sheliked better. Mistress Ward had great contentment, she said, that Ishould have so good an husband. Kate was glad Basil was not too fondof books, for that scholars be not as conversable as agreeablehusbands should be. Polly said, for her part, she thought the less wita man had, the better for his wife, for she would then be the morelike to have her own way. But that being her opinion, she did notwholly wish me joy; for she had noticed Basil to be a good thinker,and a man of so much sense, that he would not be ruled by a wife morethan should be reasonable. I was greatly pleased that she thuscommended him, who was not easily pleased, and rather given to despisegentlemen than to praise them. I kissed her, and said I had alwaysthought her the most sensible woman in the world. She laughed, andcried, "That was small commendation, for that women were thefoolishest creatures in the world, and mostly such as were in love."
Ah me! The days which followed were full of sweet waiting and pleasantpining for the effects of the letter mine uncle wrote to Mr. Rookwood,and looking for one Basil should write himself, when licence for toaddress me had been yielded to him. When it came, how unforeseen, howsad were the contents! Albeit love was expressed in every line, sorrowdid so cover its utterance, that my heart overflowed through mineeyes, and I could only sigh and weep that the beginning of so fair aday of joy should have set in clouds of so much grief. Basil's fatherwas dead. The day after he wrote that letter, the cause of all ourjoy, he fell
sick and never bettered any more, but the contrary: timewas allowed him to prepare his soul for death, by all holy rites andghostly comforts. One of his sons was on each side of his bed when hedied; and Basil closed his eyes.
CHAPTER XIV.
Basil came to London after the funeral, and methought his sadness thendid become him as much as his joyfulness heretofore. His grief wasanswerable to the affection he had borne unto his father, and to thatgentlemen's most excellent deserts. He informed Mr. Congleton that insomewhat less than one year he should be of age, and until then hiswardship was committed to Sir Henry Stafford. It was agreed betwixtthem, that in respect of his deep mourning and the greater
Constance Sherwood: An Autobiography of the Sixteenth Century Page 48