Complete Novels of Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth

  The rides were repeated, the general evidently became more and more interested about Miss Stanley; he appealed continually to her taste, and marked that he considered her as part of his family; but, as Helen told Lady Davenant, it was difficult, with a person of his high-bred manners and reserved temper, to ascertain what was to be attributed to general deference to her sex, what to particular regard for the individual, how much to hospitality to his guest, or attention to his wife’s friend, and what might be considered as proof of his own desire to share that friendship, and of a real wish that she should continue to live with them.

  While she was in this uncertainty, Lord Davenant arrived from London; he had always been fond of Helen, and now the first sight of her youthful figure in deep mourning, the recollection of the great changes that had taken place since they had last met, touched him to the heart — he folded her in his arms, and was unable to speak. He! a great bulky man, with a face of constitutional joy — but so it was; he had a tender heart, deep feelings of all kinds under an appearance of insouciance which deceived the world. He was distinguished as a political leader — but, as he said of himself, he had been three times inoculated with ambition — once by his mother, once by his brother, and once by his wife; but it had never taken well; the last the best, however, — it had shown at least sufficiently to satisfy his friends, and he was happy to be no more tormented. With talents of the first order, and integrity unblenching, his character was not of that stern stuff — no, not of that corrupt stuff — of which modern ambition should be made.

  He had now something to tell Helen, which he would say even before he opened his London budget of news. He told her, with a congratulatory smile, that he had had an opportunity of showing his sense of Mr. Collingwood’s merits; and as he spoke he put a letter into her hand.

  The letter was from her good friend Mr. Collingwood, accepting a bishopric in the West Indies, which had been offered to him by Lord Davenant. It enclosed a letter for Helen, desiring in the most kind manner that she would let him know immediately and decidedly where and with whom she intended to live; and there was a postscript from Mrs. Collingwood full of affection, and doubts, and hopes, and fears.

  The moment Helen had finished this letter, without seeming to regard the inquiring looks of all present, and without once looking towards any one else, she walked deliberately up to General Clarendon, and begged to speak to him alone. Never was general more surprised, but of course he was too much of a general to let that appear. Without a word, he offered his arm, and led her to his study; he drew a chair towards her —

  “No misfortune, I hope, Miss Stanley? If I can in any way be of service — —”

  “The only service, General Clarendon,” said Helen, her manner becoming composed, and her voice steadying as she went on—”the only service you can do me now is to tell me the plain truth, and this will prevent what would certainly be a misfortune to me — perhaps to all of us. Will you read this letter?”

  He received it with an air of great interest, and again moved the chair to her. Before she sat down, she added, —

  “I am unused to the world, you see, General Clarendon. I have been accustomed to live with one who always told me his mind sincerely, so that I could judge always what I ought to do. Will you do so now? It is the greatest service, as well as favour, you can do me.”

  “Depend upon it, I will,” said General Clarendon.

  “I should not ask you to tell me in words — that might be painful to your politeness; only let me see it,” said Helen, and she sat down.

  The general read on without speaking, till he came to the mention of Helen’s original promise of living with the Collingwoods. He did not comprehend that passage, he said, showing it to her. He had always, on the contrary, understood that it had been a long settled thing, a promise between Miss Stanley and Lady Cecilia, that Helen should live with Lady Cecilia when she married.

  “No such thing!” Helen said. “No such agreement had ever been made.”

  So the general now perceived; but this was a mistake of his which he hoped would make no difference in her arrangements, he said: “Why should it? — unless Miss Stanley felt unhappy at Clarendon Park?”

  He paused, and Helen was silent: then, taking desperate resolution, she answered, —

  “I should be perfectly happy here, if I were sure of your wishes, your feelings about me — about it.”

  “Is it possible that there has been any thing in my manner,” said he, “that could give Miss Stanley pain? What could have put a doubt into her mind?”

  “There might be some other person nearer, and naturally dearer to you,” said Helen, looking up in his face ingenuously—”one whom you might have desired to have in my place: — your sister, Miss Clarendon, in short.”

  “Did Cecilia tell you of this?”

  “No, Lady Davenant did; and since I heard it I never could be happy — I never can be happy till I know your feeling.”

  His manner instantly changed.

  “You shall know my feelings, then,” said he. “Till I knew you, Helen, my wish was, that my sister should live with my wife; now I know you, my wish is, that you should live with us. You will suit Cecilia better than my sister could — will suit us both better, having the same truth of character, and more gentleness of manner. I have answered you with frankness equal to your own. And now,” said he, taking her hand, “you know Cecilia has always considered you as her sister — allow me to do the same: consider me as a brother — such you shall find me. Thank you. This is settled for life,” added he, drawing her arm through his, and taking up her letters, he led her back towards the library.

  But her emotion, the stronger for being suppressed, was too great for re-appearing in company: she withdrew her arm from his when they were passing through the hall, and turning her face away, she had just voice enough to beg he would show her letters to ——

  He understood. She ran up-stairs to her own room, glad to be alone; a flood of joy came over her.

  “A brother in Cecilia’s husband! — a brother!”

  The word had a magical charm, and she could not help repeating it aloud — she wept like a child. Lady Cecilia soon came flying in, all delight and affection, reproaches and wonder alternately, in the quickest conceivable succession. “Delighted, it is settled and for ever! my dear, dear Helen! But how could you ever think of leaving us, you wicked Helen! Well! now you see what Clarendon really is! But, my dear, I was so terrified when I heard it all. You are, and ever were, the oddest mixture of cowardice and courage. I — do you know I, brave I — never should have advised — never should have ventured as you have? But he is delighted at it all, and so am I now it has all ended so charmingly, now I have you safe. I will write to the Collingwoods; you shall not have a moment’s pain; I will settle it all, and invite them here before they leave England; Clarendon desired I would — oh, he is! — now you will believe me! The Collingwoods, too, will be glad to be asked here to take leave of you, and all will be right; I love, as you do, dear Helen, that everybody should be pleased when I am happy.”

  When Lady Davenant heard all that had passed, she did not express that prompt unmixed delight which Helen expected; a cloud came over her brow, something painful regarding her daughter seemed to strike her, for her eyes fixed on Cecilia, and her emotion was visible in her countenance; but pleasure unmixed appealed as she turned to Helen, and to her she gave, what was unusual, unqualified approbation.

  “My dear Helen, I admire your plain straightforward truth; I am satisfied with this first essay of your strength of mind and courage.”

  “Courage!” said Helen, smiling.

  “Not such as is required to take a lion by the beard, or a bull by the horns,” replied Lady Davenant; “but there are many persons in this world who, brave though they be, would rather beard a lion, sooner seize a bull by the horns, than, when they get into a dilemma, dare to ask a direct question, and tell plainly what passes in their own minds. Moral courage is,
believe me, uncommon in both sexes, and yet in going through the world it is equally necessary to the virtue of both men and women.”

  “But do you really think,” said Helen, “that strength of mind, or what you call moral courage, is as necessary to women as it is to men?”

  “Certainly, show me a virtue, male or female — if virtues admit of grammatical distinctions, if virtues acknowledge the more worthy gender and the less worthy of the grammar, show me a virtue male or female that can long exist without truth. Even that emphatically termed the virtue of our sex, Helen, on which social happiness rests, society depends, on what is it based? is it not on that single-hearted virtue truth? — and truth on what? on courage of the mind. They who dare to speak the truth, will not ever dare to go irretrievably wrong. Then what is falsehood but cowardice? — and a false woman! — does not that say all in one word?”

  “But whence arose all this? you wonder, perhaps,” said Lady Davenant; “and I have not inclination to explain. Here comes Lord Davenant. Now for politics — farewell morality, a long farewell. Now for the London budget, and ‘what news from Constantinople? Grand vizier certainly strangled, or not?’”

  CHAPTER VI.

  The London budget of news was now opened, and gone through by Lord Davenant, including quarrels in the cabinet and all that with fear of change perplexes politicians. But the fears and hopes of different ages are attached to such different subjects, that Helen heard all this as though she heard it not, and went on with her drawing, touching, and retouching it, without ever looking up, till her attention was wakened by the name of Granville Beauclerc; this was the name of the person who had written those interesting letters which she had met with in Lady Davenant’s portfolio. “What is he doing in town?” asked the general.

  “Amusing himself, I suppose,” replied Lord Davenant.

  “I believe he forgets that I am his guardian,” said the general.

  “I am sure he cannot forget that you are his friend,” said Lady Cecilia; “for he has the best heart in the world.”

  “And the worst head for any thing useful,” said the general.

  “He is a man of genius,” said Lady Davenant.

  “Did you speak to him, my lord,” pursued the general, “about standing for the county?”

  “Yes.”

  “And he said what?”

  “That he would have nothing to do with it.”

  “Why?”

  “Something about not being tied to party, and somewhat he said about patriotism,” replied Lord Davenant.

  “Nonsense!” said the general, “he is a fool.”

  “Only young,” said Lady Davenant,

  “Men are not so very young in these days at two-and-twenty,” said the general.

  “In some,” said Lady Davenant, “the classical touch, the romance of political virtue, lasts for months, if not years, after they leave college; even those who, like Granville, go into high life in London, do not sometimes, for a season or two, lose their first enthusiasm of patriotism.”

  The general’s lips became compressed. Lord Davenant, throwing himself back in his easy chair, repeated, “Patriotism! yes, every young man of talent is apt to begin with a fit of that sort.”

  “My dear lord,” cried Lady Davenant, “you, of all men, to speak of patriotism as a disease!”

  “And a disease that can be had but once in life, I am afraid,” replied her lord laughing; “and yet,” as if believing in that at which he laughed, “it evaporates in most men in words, written or spoken, lasts till the first pamphlet is published, or till the maiden-speech in parliament is fairly made, and fairly paid for — in all honour — all honourable men.”

  Lady Davenant passed over these satirical observations, and somewhat abruptly asked Lord Davenant if he recollected the late Mr. Windham.

  “Certainly he was not a man to be easily forgotten: but what in particular?”

  “The scales of his mind were too fine,” said Lady Davenant, “too nicely adjusted for common purposes; diamond scales will not do for weighing wool. Very refined, very ingenious, very philosophical minds, such as Windham, Burke, Bacon, were all too scrupulous weighers; their scales turned with the millionth of a grain, and all from the same cause, subject to the same defect, indecision. They saw too well how much can be said on both sides of the question. There is a sort of philosophical doubt, arising from enlargement of understanding, quite different from that irresolution of character which is caused by infirmity of will; and I have observed,” continued Lady Davenant, “in some of these over scrupulous weighers, that when once they come to a balance, that instant they become most wilful; so it will be, you will see, with Beauclerc. After excessive indecision, you will see him start perhaps at once to rash action.”

  “Rash of wrong, resolute of right,” said Lord Davenant.

  “He is constitutionally wilful, and metaphysically vacillating,” said Lady Davenant.

  The general waited till the metaphysics were over, and then said to Lord Davenant that he suspected there was something more than mere want of ambition in Beauclerc’s refusal to go into parliament. Some words were here inaudible to Helen, and the general began to walk up and down the room with so strong a tread, that at every step the china shook on the table near which Helen sat, so that she lost most part of what followed, and yet it seemed interesting, about some Lord Beltravers, and a Comtesse de Saint —— something, or a Lady Blanche —— somebody.

  Lady Davenant looked anxious, the general’s steps became more deliberately, more ominously firm; till lady Cecilia came up to him, and playfully linking her arm in his, the steps were moderated, and when a soothing hand came upon his shoulder, the compressed lips were relaxed — she spoke in a low voice — he answered aloud.

  “By all means! write to him yourself, my love; get him down here and he will be safe; he cannot refuse you.”

  “Tuesday, then?” she would name the earliest day if the general approved.

  He approved of every thing she said; “Tuesday let it be.” Following him to the door, Lady Cecilia added something which seemed to fill the measure of his contentment. “Always good and kind,” said he; “so let it be.

  “Then shall I write to your sister, or will you?”

  “You,” said the general, “let the kindness come from you, as it always does.”

  Lady Cecilia, in a moment at the writing-table, ran off, as fast as pen could go, two notes, which she put into her mother’s hand, who gave an approving nod; and, leaving them with her to seal and have franked, Cecilia darted out on the terrace, carrying Helen along with her, to see some Italian garden she was projecting.

  And as she went, and as she stood directing the workmen, at every close of her directions she spoke to Helen. She said she was very glad that she had settled that Beauclerc was to come to them immediately. He was a great favourite of hers.

  “Not for any of those grandissimo qualities which my mother sees in him, and which I am not quite clear exist; but just because he is the most agreeable person in nature; and really natural; though he is a man of the world, yet not the least affected. Quite fashionable, of course, but with true feeling. Oh! he is delightful, just—” then she interrupted herself to give directions to the workmen about her Italian garden ——

  “Oleander in the middle of that bed; vases nearer to the balustrade—”

  “Beauclerc has a very good taste, and a beautiful place he has, Thorndale. He will be very rich. Few very rich young men are agreeable now, women spoil them so. — [‘Border that bed with something pretty.’] — Still he is, and I long to know what you will think of him; I know what I think he will think, but, however, I will say no more; people are always sure to get into scrapes in this world, when they say what they think. — [‘That fountain looks beautiful.’] — I forgot to tell you he is very handsome. The general is very fond of him, and he of the general, except when he considers him as his guardian, for Granville Beauclerc does not particularly like to be controlled — w
ho does? It is a curious story. — [‘Unpack those vases, and by the time that is done I will be back.’] — Take a turn with me, Helen, this way. It is a curious story: Granville Beauclerc’s father — but I don’t know it perfectly, I only know that he was a very odd man, and left the general, though he was so much younger than himself, guardian to Granville, and settled that he was not to be of age, I mean not to come into possession of his large estates, till he is five-and-twenty: shockingly hard on poor Granville, and enough to make him hate Clarendon, but he does not, and that is charming, that is one reason I like him! So amazingly respectful to his guardian always, considering how impetuous he is, amazingly respectful, though I cannot say I think he is what the gardening books call patient of the knife, I don’t think he likes his fancies to be lopped; but then he is so clever. Much more what you would call a reading man than the general, distinguished at college, and all that which usually makes a young man conceited, but Beauclerc is only a little headstrong — all the more agreeable, it keeps one in agitation; one never knows how it will end, but I am sure it will all go on well now. It is curious, too, that mamma knew him also when he was at Eton, I believe — I don’t know how, but long before we ever heard of Clarendon, and she corresponded with him, but I never knew him till he came to Florence, just after it was all settled with me and the general; and he was with us there and at Paris, and travelled home with us, and I like him. Now you know all, except what I do not choose to tell you, so come back to the workmen—’That vase will not do there, move it in front of these evergreens; that will do.’”