CHAPTER XVII.
AYLMER PARK.
Aylmer Park and the great house of the Aylmers together formed animportant, and, as regarded in some minds, an imposing countryresidence. The park was large, including some three or four hundredacres, and was peopled, rather thinly, by aristocratic deer. Itwas surrounded by an aristocratic paling, and was entered, at threedifferent points, by aristocratic lodges. The sheep were morenumerous than the deer, because Sir Anthony, though he had a largeincome, was not in very easy circumstances. The ground was quiteflat; and though there were thin belts of trees, and some ornamentaltimber here and there, it was not well wooded. It had no specialbeauty of its own, and depended for its imposing qualities chieflyon its size, on its three sets of double lodges, and on itsold-established character as an important family place in the county.The house was of stone, with a portico of Ionic columns which lookedas though it hardly belonged of right to the edifice, and stretcheditself out grandly, with two pretentious wings, which certainly gaveit a just claim to be called a mansion. It required a great manyservants to keep it in order, and the numerous servants required anexperienced duenna, almost as grand in appearance as Lady Aylmerherself, to keep them in order. There was an open carriage and aclose carriage, and a butler, and two footmen, and three gamekeepers,and four gardeners, and there was a coachman, and there were grooms,and sundry inferior men and boys about the place to do the workwhich the gardeners and gamekeepers and grooms did not choose todo themselves. And they all became fat, and lazy, and stupid, andrespectable together; so that, as the reader will at once perceive,Aylmer Park was kept up in the proper English style. Sir Anthonyvery often discussed with his steward the propriety of lessening theexpenditure of his residence, and Lady Aylmer always attended andprobably directed these discussions; but it was found that nothingcould be done. Any attempt to remove a gamekeeper or a gardener wouldevidently throw the whole machinery of Aylmer Park out of gear. Ifretrenchment was necessary Aylmer Park must be abandoned, and theglory of the Aylmers must be allowed to pale. But things were not sobad as that with Sir Anthony. The gardeners, grooms, and gamekeeperswere maintained; ten domestic servants sat down to four heavy mealsin the servants' hall every day, and Lady Aylmer contented herselfwith receiving little or no company, and with stingy breakfasts andbad dinners for herself and her husband and daughter. By all this itmust be seen that she did her duty as the wife of an English countrygentleman, and properly maintained his rank as a baronet.
He was a heavy man, over seventy years of age, much afflicted withgout, and given to no pursuit on earth which was available forhis comfort. He had been a hunting man, and he had shot also; butnot with that energy which induces a sportsman to carry on thoseamusements in opposition to the impediments of age. He had been, andstill was, a county magistrate; but he had never been very successfulin the justice-room, and now seldom troubled the county with hisjudicial incompetence. He had been fond of good dinners and goodwine, and still, on occasions, would make attempts at enjoyment inthat line; but the gout and Lady Aylmer together were too many forhim, and he had but small opportunity for filling up the blanks ofhis existence out of the kitchen or cellar. He was a big man, witha broad chest, and a red face, and a quantity of white hair,--andwas much given to abusing his servants. He took some pleasure instanding, with two sticks on the top of the steps before his ownfront door, and railing at any one who came in his way. But he couldnot do this when Lady Aylmer was by; and his dependents, knowing hishabits, had fallen into an ill-natured way of deserting the side ofthe house which he frequented. With his eldest son, Anthony Aylmer,he was not on very good terms; and though there was no positivequarrel, the heir did not often come to Aylmer Park. Of his sonFrederic he was proud,--and the best days of his life were probablythose which Captain Aylmer spent at the house. The table was thensomewhat more generously spread, and this was an excuse for havingup the special port in which he delighted. Altogether his life wasnot very attractive; and though he had been born to a baronetcy, andeight thousand a-year, and the possession of Aylmer Park, I do notthink that he was, or had been, a happy man.
Lady Aylmer was more fortunate. She had occupations of which herhusband knew nothing, and for which he was altogether unfit. Thoughshe could not succeed in making retrenchments, she could and didsucceed in keeping the household books. Sir Anthony could only blowup the servants when they were thoughtless enough to come in his way,and in doing that was restricted by his wife's presence. But LadyAylmer could get at them day and night. She had no gout to impedeher progress about the house and grounds, and could make her way toplaces which the master never saw; and then she wrote many lettersdaily, whereas Sir Anthony hardly ever took a pen in his hand. Andshe knew the cottages of all the poor about the place, and knew alsoall their sins of omission and commission. She was driven out, too,every day, summer and winter, wet and dry, and consumed enormouspackets of wool and worsted, which were sent to her monthly fromYork. And she had a companion in her daughter, whereas Sir Anthonyhad no companion. Wherever Lady Aylmer went Miss Aylmer went withher, and relieved what might otherwise have been the tedium of herlife. She had been a beauty on a large scale, and was still awarethat she had much in her personal appearance which justified pride.She carried herself uprightly, with a commanding nose and broadforehead; and though the graces of her own hair had given way toa front, there was something even in the front which added to herdignity, if it did not make her a handsome woman.
Miss Aylmer, who was the eldest of the younger generation, and whowas now gently descending from her fortieth year, lacked the strengthof her mother's character, but admired her mother's ways, andfollowed Lady Aylmer in all things,--at a distance. She was verygood,--as indeed was Lady Aylmer,--entertaining a high idea of duty,and aware that her own life admitted of but little self-indulgence.She had no pleasures, she incurred no expenses; and was quitealive to the fact that as Aylmer Park required a regiment of lazy,gormandizing servants to maintain its position in the county, theAylmers themselves should not be lazy, and should not gormandize. Noone was more careful with her few shillings than Miss Aylmer. Shehad, indeed, abandoned a life's correspondence with an old friendbecause she would not pay the postage on letters to Italy. She knewthat it was for the honour of the family that one of her brothersshould sit in Parliament, and was quite willing to deny herself anew dress because sacrifices must be made to lessen electioneeringexpenses. She knew that it was her lot to be driven about slowly in acarriage with a livery servant before her and another behind her, andthen eat a dinner which the cook-maid would despise. She was awarethat it was her duty to be snubbed by her mother, and to encounterher father's ill-temper, and to submit to her brother's indifference,and to have, so to say, the slightest possible modicum of personalindividuality. She knew that she had never attracted a man's love,and might hardly hope to make friends for the comfort of her comingage. But still she was contented, and felt that she had consolationfor it all in the fact that she was an Aylmer. She read many novels,and it cannot but be supposed that something of regret would stealover her as she remembered that nothing of the romance of life hadever, or could ever, come in her way. She wept over the loves of manywomen, though she had never been happy or unhappy in her own. Sheread of gaiety, though she never encountered it, and must have knownthat the world elsewhere was less dull than it was at Aylmer Park.But she took her life as it came, without a complaint, and prayedthat God would make her humble in the high position to which it hadpleased Him to call her. She hated Radicals, and thought that Essaysand Reviews, and Bishop Colenso, came direct from the Evil One. Shetaught the little children in the parish, being specially urgent tothem always to curtsey when they saw any of the family;--and was asignorant, meek, and stupid a poor woman as you shall find anywhere inEurope.
It may be imagined that Captain Aylmer, who knew the comforts of hisclub and was accustomed to life in London, would feel the dulnessof the paternal roof to be almost unendurable. In truth, he was notvery fond of Aylmer Park, but he was
more gifted with patience thanmost men of his age and position, and was aware that it behoved himto keep the Fifth Commandment if he expected to have his own daysprolonged in the land. He therefore made his visits periodically,and contented himself with clipping a few days at both ends from thelength prescribed by family tradition, which his mother was desirousof exacting. September was always to be passed at Aylmer Park,because of the shooting. In September, indeed, the eldest son himselfwas wont to be there,--probably with a friend or two,--and the fatold servants bestirred themselves, and there was something of lifeabout the place. At Christmas, Captain Aylmer was there as theonly visitor, and Christmas was supposed to extend from the middleof December to the opening of Parliament. It must, however, beexplained, that on the present occasion his visit had been a matterof treaty and compromise. He had not gone to Aylmer Park at all tillhis mother had in some sort assented to his marriage with ClaraAmedroz. To this Lady Aylmer had been very averse, and there had beenmany serious letters. Belinda Aylmer, the daughter of the house, hadhad a bad time in pleading her brother's cause,--and some very harshwords had been uttered;--but ultimately the matter had been arranged,and, as is usual in such contests, the mother had yielded to the son.Captain Aylmer had therefore gone down a few days before Christmas,with a righteous feeling that he owed much to his mother for hercondescension, and almost prepared to make himself very disagreeableto Clara by way of atoning to his family for his folly in desiring tomarry her.
Lady Aylmer was very plain-spoken on the subject of all Clara'sshortcomings,--very plain-spoken, and very inquisitive. "She willnever have one shilling, I suppose?" she said.
"Yes, ma'am." Captain Aylmer always called his mother ma'am. "Shewill have that fifteen hundred pounds that I told you of."
"That is to say, you will have back the money which you yourself havegiven her, Fred. I suppose that is the English of it?" Then LadyAylmer raised her eyebrows and looked very wise.
"Just so, ma'am."
"You can't call that having anything of her own. In point of fact sheis penniless."
"It is no good harping on that," said Captain Aylmer, somewhatsharply.
"Not in the least, my dear; no good at all. Of course you have lookedit all in the face. You will be a poor man instead of a rich man, butyou will have enough to live on,--that is if she doesn't have a largefamily;--which of course she will."
"I shall do very well, ma'am."
"You might do pretty well, I dare say, if you could liveprivately,--at Perivale, keeping up the old family house there, andhaving no expenses; but you'll find even that close enough with yourseat in Parliament, and the necessity there is that you should behalf the year in London. Of course she won't go to London. She can'texpect it. All that had better be made quite clear at once." Hencehad come the letter about the house at Perivale, containing LadyAylmer's advice on that subject, as to which Clara made no reply.
Lady Aylmer, though she had given in her assent, was still notaltogether without hope. It might be possible that the two youngpeople could be brought to see the folly and error of their waysbefore it would be too late; and that Lady Aylmer, by a judiciouscourse of constant advice, might be instrumental in opening the eyes,if not of the lady, at any rate of the gentleman. She had greatreliance on her own powers, and knew well that a falling drop willhollow a stone. Her son manifested no hot eagerness to complete hisfolly in a hurry, and to cut the throat of his prospects out of hand.Time, therefore, would be allowed to her, and she was a woman whocould use time with patience. Having, through her son, despatched heradvice about the house at Perivale,--which simply amounted to this,that Clara should expressly state her willingness to live there alonewhenever it might suit her husband to be in London or elsewhere,--shewent to work on other points connected with the Amedroz family, andeventually succeeded in learning something very much like the truthas to poor Mrs. Askerton and her troubles. At first she was socomfortably horror-stricken by the iniquity she had unravelled,--sodelightfully shocked and astounded,--as to believe that the facts asthey then stood would suffice to annul the match.
"You don't tell me," she said to Belinda, "that Frederic's wifewill have been the friend of such a woman as that!" And Lady Aylmer,sitting up-stairs with her household books before her, put up hergreat fat hands and her great fat arms, and shook her head,--frontand all,--in most satisfactory dismay.
"But I suppose Clara did not know it." Belinda had considered it tobe an act of charity to call Miss Amedroz Clara since the familyconsent had been given.
"Didn't know it! They have been living in that sort of way that theymust have been confidantes in everything. Besides, I always hold thata woman is responsible for her female friends."
"I think if she consents to drop her at once,--that is, absolutelyto make a promise that she will never speak to her again,--Fredericought to take that as sufficient. That is, of course, mamma, unlessshe has had anything to do with it herself."
"After this I don't know how I'm to trust her. I don't indeed. Itseems to me that she has been so artful throughout. It has been aregular case of catching."
"I suppose, of course, that she has been anxious to marryFrederic;--but perhaps that was natural."
"Anxious;--look at her going there just when he had to meet hisconstituents. How young women can do such things passes me! And howit is that men don't see it all, when it's going on just under theirnoses, I can't understand. And then her getting my poor dear sisterto speak to him when she was dying! I didn't think your aunt wouldhave been so weak." It will be thus seen that there was entireconfidence on this subject between Lady Aylmer and her daughter.
We know what were the steps taken with reference to the discovery,and how the family were waiting for Clara's reply. Lady Aylmer,though in her words she attributed so much mean cunning to MissAmedroz, still was disposed to believe that that lady would showrather a high spirit on this occasion; and trusted to that highspirit as the means for making the breach which she still hoped toaccomplish. It had been intended,--or rather desired,--that CaptainAylmer's letter should have been much sharper and authoritative thanhe had really made it; but the mother could not write the letterherself, and had felt that to write in her own name would not haveserved to create anger on Clara's part against her betrothed. Butshe had quite succeeded in inspiring her son with a feeling ofhorror against the iniquity of the Askertons. He was prepared to beindignantly moral; and perhaps,--perhaps,--the misguided Clara mightbe silly enough to say a word for her lost friend! Such being thepresent position of affairs, there was certainly ground for hope.
And now they were all waiting for Clara's answer. Lady Aylmer hadwell calculated the course of post, and knew that a letter mightreach them by Wednesday morning. "Of course she will not write onSunday," she had said to her son, "but you have a right to expectthat not another day should go by." Captain Aylmer, who felt thatthey were putting Clara on her trial, shook his head impatiently,and made no immediate answer. Lady Aylmer, triumphantly feeling thatshe had the culprit on the hip, did not care to notice this. She wasdoing the best she could for his happiness,--as she had done forhis health, when in days gone by she had administered to him hisinfantine rhubarb and early senna; but as she had never then expectedhim to like her doses, neither did she now expect that he shouldbe well pleased at the remedial measures to which he was to besubjected.
No letter came on the Wednesday, nor did any come on the Thursday,and then it was thought by the ladies at the Park that the time hadcome for speaking a word or two. Belinda, at her mother's instance,began the attack,--not in her mother's presence, but when she onlywas with her brother.
"Isn't it odd, Frederic, that Clara shouldn't write about thosepeople at Belton?"
"Somersetshire is the other side of London, and letters take a longtime."
"But if she had written on Monday, her answer would have been here onWednesday morning;--indeed, you would have had it Tuesday evening,as mamma sent over to Whitby for the day mail letters." Poor Belindawas a bad lieutenant
, and displayed too much of her senior officer'stactics in thus showing how much calculation and how much solicitudethere had been as to the expected letter.
"If I am contented I suppose you may be," said the brother.
"But it does seem to me to be so very important! If she hasn't gotyour letter, you know, it would be so necessary that you should writeagain, so that the--the--the contamination should be stopped assoon as possible." Captain Aylmer shook his head and walked away.He was, no doubt, prepared to be morally indignant,--morally veryindignant,--at the Askerton iniquity; but he did not like the wordcontamination as applied to his future wife.
"Frederic," said his mother, later on the same day,--when thehardly-used groom had returned from his futile afternoon's inquiry atthe neighbouring post-town,--"I think you should do something in thisaffair."
"Do what, ma'am? Go off to Belton myself?"
"No, no. I certainly would not do that. In the first place it wouldbe very inconvenient to you, and in the next place it would not befair upon us. I did not mean that at all. But I think that somethingshould be done. She should be made to understand."
"You may be sure, ma'am, that she understands as well as anybody."
"I dare say she is clever enough at these kind of things."
"What kind of things?"
"Don't bite my nose off, Frederic, because I am anxious about yourwife."
"What is it that you wish me to do? I have written to her, and canonly wait for her answer."
"It may be that she feels a delicacy in writing to you on such asubject; though I own--. However, to make a long story short, if youlike, I will write to her myself."
"I don't see that that would do any good. It would only give heroffence."
"Give her offence, Frederic, to receive a letter from her futuremother-in-law;--from me! Only think, Frederic, what you are saying."
"If she thought she was being bullied about this, she would turnrusty at once."
"Turn rusty! What am I to think of a young lady who is preparedto turn rusty,--at once, too, because she is cautioned by themother of the man she professes to love against an improperacquaintance,--against an acquaintance so very improper?" LadyAylmer's eloquence should have been heard to be appreciated. It isbut tame to say that she raised her fat arms and fat hands, andwagged her front,--her front that was the more formidable as it wasthe old one, somewhat rough and dishevelled, which she was wont towear in the morning. The emphasis of her words should have beenheard, and the fitting solemnity of her action should have been seen."If there were any doubt," she continued to say, "but there is nodoubt. There are the damning proofs." There are certain words usuallyconfined to the vocabularies of men, which women such as Lady Aylmerdelight to use on special occasions, when strong circumstances demandstrong language. As she said this she put her hand below the table,pressing it apparently against her own august person; but she was intruth indicating the position of a certain valuable correspondence,which was locked up in the drawer of her writing-table.
"You can write if you like it, of course; but I think you ought towait a few more days."
"Very well, Frederic; then I will wait. I will wait till Sunday. I donot wish to take any step of which you do not approve. If you havenot heard by Sunday morning, then I will write to her--on Monday."
On the Saturday afternoon life was becoming inexpressiblydisagreeable to Captain Aylmer, and he began to meditate an escapefrom the Park. In spite of the agreement between him and his mother,which he understood to signify that nothing more was to be said asto Clara's wickedness, at any rate till Sunday after post-hour, LadyAylmer had twice attacked him on the Saturday, and had expressed heropinion that affairs were in a very frightful position. Belinda wentabout the house in melancholy guise, with her eyes rarely lifted offthe ground, as though she were prophetically weeping the utter ruinof her brother's respectability. And even Sir Anthony had raisedhis eyes and shaken his head, when, on opening the post-bag at thebreakfast-table,--an operation which was always performed by LadyAylmer in person,--her ladyship had exclaimed, "Again no letter!"Then Captain Aylmer thought that he would fly, and resolved that,in the event of such flight, he would give special orders as to there-direction of his own letters from the post-office at Whitby.
That evening, after dinner, as soon as his mother and sister had leftthe room, he began the subject with his father. "I think I shall goup to town on Monday, sir," said he.
"So soon as that. I thought you were to stop till the 9th."
"There are things I must see to in London, and I believe I had bettergo at once."
"Your mother will be greatly disappointed."
"I shall be sorry for that;--but business is business, you know."Then the father filled his glass and passed the bottle. He himselfdid not at all like the idea of his son's going before the appointedtime, but he did not say a word of himself. He looked at the red-hotcoals, and a hazy glimmer of a thought passed through his mind, thathe too would escape from Aylmer Park,--if it were possible.
"If you'll allow me, I'll take the dog-cart over to Whitby on Monday,for the express train."
"You can do that certainly, but--"
"Sir?"
"Have you spoken to your mother yet?"
"Not yet. I will to-night."
"I think she'll be a little angry, Fred." There was a sudden tone ofsubdued confidence in the old man's voice as he made this suggestion,which, though it was by no means a customary tone, his son wellunderstood. "Don't you think she will be;--eh, a little?"
"She shouldn't go on as she does with me about Clara," said theCaptain.
"Ah,--I supposed there was something of that. Are you drinking port?"
"Of course I know that she means all that is good," said the son,passing back the bottle.
"Oh yes;--she means all that is good."
"She is the best mother in the world."
"You may say that, Fred;--and the best wife."
"But if she can't have her own way altogether--" Then the son paused,and the father shook his head.
"Of course she likes to have her own way," said Sir Anthony.
"It's all very well in some things."
"Yes;--it's very well in some things."
"But there are things which a man must decide for himself."
"I suppose there are," said Sir Anthony, not venturing to think whatthose things might be as regarded himself.
"Now, with reference to marrying--"
"I don't know what you want with marrying at all, Fred. You ought tobe very happy as you are. By heavens, I don't know any one who oughtto be happier. If I were you, I know--"
"But you see, sir, that's all settled."
"If it's all settled, I suppose there's an end of it."
"It's no good my mother nagging at one."
"My dear boy, she's been nagging at me, as you call it, for fortyyears. That's her way. The best woman in the world, as we weresaying;--but that's her way. And it's the way with most of them. Theycan do anything if they keep it up;--anything. The best thing is tobear it if you've got it to bear. But why on earth you should go andmarry, seeing that you're not the eldest son, and that you've goteverything on earth that you want as a bachelor, I can't understand.I can't indeed, Fred. By heaven, I can't!" Then Sir Anthony gave along sigh, and sat musing awhile, thinking of the club in London towhich he belonged, but which he never entered;--of the old days inwhich he had been master of a bedroom near St. James's Street,--ofhis old friends whom he never saw now, and of whom he never heard,except as one and another, year after year, shuffled away from theirwives to that world in which there is no marrying or giving inmarriage. "Ah, well," he said, "I suppose we may as well go intothe drawing-room. If it is settled, I suppose it is settled. But itreally seems to me that your mother is trying to do the best she canfor you. It really does."
Captain Aylmer did not say anything to his mother that night as tohis going, but as he thought of his prospects in the solitude of hisbedroom, he felt really grateful to his
father for the solicitudewhich Sir Anthony had displayed on his behalf. It was not oftenthat he received paternal counsel, but now that it had come heacknowledged its value. That Clara Amedroz was a self-willed woman hethought that he was aware. She was self-reliant, at any rate,--and byno means ready to succumb with that pretty feminine docility which hewould like to have seen her evince. He certainly would not wish to be"nagged" by his wife. Indeed he knew himself well enough to assurehimself that he would not stand it for a day. In his own house hewould be master, and if there came tempests he would rule them. Hecould at least promise himself that. As his mother had been strong,so had his father been weak. But he had,--as he felt thankful inknowing,--inherited his mother's strength rather than his father'sweakness. But, for all that, why have a tempest to rule at all? Eventhough a man do rule his domestic tempests, he cannot have a veryquiet house with them. Then again he remembered how very easily Clarahad been won. He wished to be just to all men and women, and to Claraamong the number. He desired even to be generous to her,--with amoderate generosity. But above all things he desired not to be duped.What if Clara had in truth instigated her aunt to that deathbedscene, as his mother had more than once suggested! He did not believeit. He was sure that it had not been so. But what if it were so? Hisdesire to be generous and trusting was moderate;--but his desire notto be cheated, not to be deceived, was immoderate. Upon the wholemight it not be well for him to wait a little longer, and ascertainhow Clara really intended to behave herself in this emergency of theAskertons? Perhaps, after all, his mother might be right.
On the Sunday the expected letter came;--but before its contents aremade known, it will be well that we should go back to Belton, and seewhat was done by Clara in reference to the tidings which her loverhad sent her.
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