The building which was still called MARNEY ABBEY, though remote from thesite of the ancient monastery, was an extensive structure raised atthe latter end of the reign of James the First, and in the stately andpicturesque style of that age. Placed on a noble elevation in the centreof an extensive and well wooded park, it presented a front with twoprojecting wings of equal dimensions with the centre, so that the formof the building was that of a quadrangle, less one of its sides. Itsancient lattices had been removed, and the present windows thoughconvenient accorded little with the structure; the old entrance door inthe centre of the building however still remained, a wondrous specimenof fantastic carving: Ionic columns of black oak, with a profusion offruits and flowers, and heads of stags and sylvans. The whole of thebuilding was crowned with a considerable pediment of what seemed at thefirst glance fanciful open work, but which examined more nearly offeredin gigantic letters the motto of the house of Marney. The portal openedto a hall, such as is now rarely found; with the dais, the screen, thegallery, and the buttery-hatch all perfect, and all of carved black oak.Modern luxury, and the refined taste of the lady of the late lord, hadmade Marney Abbey as remarkable for its comfort and pleasantness ofaccommodation as for its ancient state and splendour. The apartmentswere in general furnished with all the cheerful ease and brilliancy ofthe modern mansion of a noble, but the grand gallery of the seventeenthcentury was still preserved, and was used on great occasions as thechief reception-room. You ascended the principal staircase to reachit through a long corridor. It occupied the whole length of one of thewings; was one hundred feet long, and forty-five feet broad, its wallshung with a collection of choice pictures rich in history; while theAxminster carpets, the cabinets, carved tables, and variety of easychairs, ingeniously grouped, imparted even to this palatian chamber alively and habitable air.
Lord Marney was several years the senior of Charles Egremont, yet stilla young man. He was handsome; there was indeed a general resemblancebetween the brothers, though the expression of their countenances wasentirely different; of the same height and air, and throughout thefeatures a certain family cast; but here the likeness ceased. Thecountenance of Lord Marney bespoke the character of his mind; cynical,devoid of sentiment, arrogant, literal, hard. He had no imagination, hadexhausted his slight native feeling, but he was acute, disputatious,and firm even to obstinacy. Though his early education had been veryimperfect, he had subsequently read a good deal, especially in Frenchliterature. He had formed his mind by Helvetius, whose system he deemedirrefutable, and in whom alone he had faith. Armed with the principlesof his great master, he believed he could pass through existence inadamantine armour, and always gave you in the business of life the ideaof a man who was conscious you were trying to take him in, and ratherrespected you for it, but the working of whose cold, unkind, eye defiedyou.
There never had been excessive cordiality between the brothers even intheir boyish days, and shortly after Egremont's entrance into life, theyhad become estranged. They were to meet now for the first time sinceEgremont's return from the continent. Their mother had arranged theirreconciliation. They were to meet as if no misunderstanding had everexisted between them; it was specially stipulated by Lord Marney, thatthere was to be no "scene." Apprised of Egremont's impending arrival,Lord Marney was careful to be detained late that day at petty sessions,and entered the room only a few minutes before dinner was announced,where he found Egremont not only with the countess and a young lady whowas staying with her, but with additional bail against any ebullitionof sentiment in the shape of the Vicar of Marney, and a certain CaptainGrouse, who was a kind of aide-de-camp of the earl; killed birds andcarved them; played billiards with him, and lost; had indeed everyaccomplishment that could please woman or ease man; could sing, dance,draw, make artificial flies, break horses, exercise a supervisionover stewards and bailiffs, and make every body comfortable by takingeverything on his own shoulders.
Lady Marney had received Egremont in a manner which expressed theextreme satisfaction she experienced at finding him once more beneathhis brother's roof. When he arrived indeed, he would have preferredto have been shown at once to his rooms, but a message immediatelydelivered expressed the wish of his sister-in-law at once to see him.She received him alone and with great warmth. She was beautiful, andsoft as May; a glowing yet delicate face; rich brown hair, and largeblue eyes; not yet a mother, but with something of the dignity of thematron blending with the lingering timidity of the girl.
Egremont was glad to join his sister-in-law again in the drawing-roombefore dinner. He seated himself by her side; and in answer to herenquiries was giving her some narrative of his travels; the Vicar whowas very low church, was shaking his head at Lady Marney's young friend,who was enlarging on the excellence of Mr Paget's tales; while CaptainGrouse, in a very stiff white neck-cloth, very tight pantaloons, to showhis very celebrated legs, transparent stockings and polished shoes,was throwing himself into attitudes in the back ground, and with a zealamounting almost to enthusiasm, teaching Lady Marney's spaniel tobeg; when the door opened, and Lord Marney entered, but as if to makesecurity doubly sure, not alone. He was accompanied by a neighbour andbrother magistrate, Sir Vavasour Firebrace, a baronet of the earliestbatch, and a gentleman of great family and great estate.
"Well Charles!"
"How are you George?"
And the brothers shook hands.
'Tis the English way; and if they had been inclined to fall into eachother's arms, they would not probably have done more.
In a few minutes it was announced that dinner was served, and so,secured from a scene, having a fair appetite, and surrounded by dishesthat could agreeably satisfy it, a kind of vague fraternal sentimentbegan to stir the breast of Lord Marney: he really was glad to seehis brother again; remembered the days when they rode their poneys andplayed cricket; his voice softened, his eyes sparkled, and he at lengthexclaimed, "Do you know, old fellow, it makes me quite happy to see youhere again. Suppose we take a glass of wine."
The softer heart and more susceptible spirit of Egremont were wellcalculated to respond to this ebullition of feeling, however slight; andtruly it was for many reasons not without considerable emotion, thathe found himself once more at Marney. He sate by the side of his gentlesister-in-law, who seemed pleased by the unwonted cordiality of herhusband, and anxious by many kind offices to second every indication ofgood feeling on his part. Captain Grouse was extremely assiduous: thevicar was of the deferential breed, agreed with Lady Marney on theimportance of infant schools, but recalled his opinion when Lord Marneyexpressed his imperious hope that no infant schools would ever be foundin his neighbourhood. Sir Vavasour was more than middle aged, comely,very gentlemanlike, but with an air occasionally of absence which hardlyagreed with his frank and somewhat hearty idiosyncracy; his clear brow,florid complexion, and blue eye. But Lord Marney talked a good deal,though chiefly dogmatical or argumentative. It was rather difficult forhim to find a sufficient stock of opposition, but he laid in wait andseized every opening with wonderful alacrity. Even Captain Grouse couldnot escape him; if driven to extremity Lord Marney would even questionhis principles on fly-making. Captain Grouse gave up, but not too soonhe was well aware that his noble friend's passion for controversy wasequal to his love of conquest. As for Lady Marney, it was evidentthat with no inconsiderable talents, and with an intelligence richlycultivated, the controversial genius of her husband had completely cowedher conversational charms. She never advanced a proposition that he didnot immediately bristle up, and she could only evade the encounter by agraceful submission. As for the vicar, a frequent guest, he would fainhave taken refuge in silence, but the earl, especially when alone, wouldwhat he called "draw him out," and the game once unearthed, with soskilled a pack there was but little fear of a bad run. When all werereduced to silence, Lord Marney relinquishing controversy, assumed thepositive. He eulogized the new poor law, which he declared would be thesalvation of the country, provided it was "carried out" in the spirit inwhich it
was developed in the Marney Union but then he would addthat there was no district except their union in which it was properlyobserved. He was tremendously fierce against allotments and analysedthe system with merciless sarcasm, Indeed he had no inconsiderableacquaintance with the doctrines of the economists, and was ratherinclined to carry them into practice in every instance, except that ofthe landed proprietary, which he clearly proved "stood upon differentgrounds" to that of any other "interest." There was nothing he hated somuch as a poacher, except a lease; though perhaps in the catalogueof his aversions, we ought to give the preference to hisanti-ecclesiastical prejudice: this amounted even to acrimony. Thoughthere was no man breathing who was possessed with such a strongrepugnance to subscriptions of any kind, it delighted Lord Marney to seehis name among the contributors to all sectarian institutions. The vicarof Marney, who had been presented by himself, was his model of a priest:he left every body alone. Under the influence of Lady Marney, the worthyvicar had once warmed up into some ebullition of very low church zeal;there was some talk of an evening lecture, the schools were to beremodelled, certain tracts were actually distributed. But Lord Marneysoon stopped all this. "No priestcraft at Marney," said this gentleproprietor of abbey lands.
"I wanted very much to come and canvass for you," said Lady Marney toEgremont, "but George did not like it."
"The less the family interfered the better," said Lord Marney; "and formy part, I was very much alarmed when I heard my mother had gone down."
"Oh! my mother did wonders," said Egremont: "we should have been beatwithout her. Indeed, to tell the truth, I quite gave up the thing themoment they started their man. Before that we were on velvet; but theinstant he appeared everything was changed, and I found some of mywarmest supporters, members of his committee."
"You had a formidable opponent, Lord Marney told me," said Sir Vavasour."Who was he?"
"Oh! a dreadful man! A Scotchman, richer than Croesus, one McDruggy,fresh from Canton, with a million of opium in each pocket, denouncingcorruption, and bellowing free trade."
"But they do not care much for free trade in the old borough?" said LordMarney.
"No, it was a mistake," said Egremont, "and the cry was changed themoment my opponent was on the ground. Then all the town was placardedwith 'Vote for McDruggy and our young Queen,' as if he had coalescedwith her Majesty."
"My mother must have been in despair," said Lord Marney.
"We issued our placard instantly of 'Vote for our young Queen andEgremont,' which was at least more modest, and turned out more popular."
"That I am sure was my mother," said Lord Marney.
"No," said Egremont; "it was the effusion of a far more experiencedmind. My mother was in hourly communication with head quarters, and MrTaper sent down the cry by express."
"Peel, in or out, will support the Poor Law," said Lord Marney, ratheraudaciously, as he reseated himself after the ladies had retired. "Hemust;" and he looked at his brother, whose return had in a great degreebeen secured by crying that Poor Law down.
"It is impossible," said Charles, fresh from the hustings, and speakingfrom the card of Taper, for the condition of the people was a subject ofwhich he knew nothing.
"He will carry it out," said Lord Marney, "you'll see, or the land willnot support him."
"I wish," said Sir Vavasour, "we could manage some modification aboutout-door relief."
"Modification!" said Lord Marney; "why there has been nothing butmodification. What we want is stringency."
"The people will never bear it," said Egremont; "there must be somechange."
"You cannot go back to the abuses of the old system," said CaptainGrouse, making, as he thought, a safe observation.
"Better go back to the old system, than modify the new," said LordMarney.
"I wish the people would take to it a little more," said Sir Vavasour;"they certainly do not like it in our parish."
"The people are very contented here, eh Slimsey?" said Lord Marney.
"Very," said the vicar.
Hereupon a conversation took place, principally sustained by theearl and the baronet, which developed all the resources of the greatparochial mind. Dietaries, bastardy, gaol regulations, game laws, wereamply discussed; and Lord Marney wound up with a declaration of themeans by which the country might be saved, and which seemed principallyto consist of high prices and low church.
"If the sovereign could only know her best friends," said Sir Vavasour,with a sigh.
Lord Marney seemed to get uneasy.
"And avoid the fatal mistakes of her predecessor," continued thebaronet.
"Charles, another glass of claret," said the earl.
"She might yet rally round the throne a body of men"--
"Then we will go to the ladies," said the earl, abruptly disturbing hisguest.
Book 2 Chapter 2
Sybil, Or, The Two Nations Page 7