Books: The Pillars of the House, V1

C >> Charlotte M. Yonge >> The Pillars of the House, V1

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'He hadn't that excuse,' laughed Cherry. 'However, midnight fishing
is not indispensable! I should like to have seen how he looked at
Vale Leston.'

Lance was in great hopes that Felix would betray the possibilities,
and mayhap, but for his presence, prudence might have evaporated
beneath the warm breath of Cherry's sympathy; but the answer was only
a discreet laugh and reply, 'Like a man who wanted his sister! I wish
I could just fill your eyes with the loveliness of it, Cherry;' and
in the midst of his description, in came Sister Constance, bringing
with her Sister Emmeline (sister in blood as well as religion),
wanting to hear about the nephews, and the Kitten's Tail adventure,
and amused to find Lance a little shy about it--certainly not
disposed to dwell on it with his usual unceremonious drollery of
narrative. They would not let Felix go without an inspection by Dr.
Lee, which was perfectly satisfactory as to the rally of the
constitution from the depression that had threatened disease, though
it was impressed both on him and on Cherry that he must be careful
next winter, and never neglect a cold; and with this promise the
brothers took the train, and in half an hour were at home--rather an
empty home, for the schools were all in operation again, and Wilmet
was not at liberty for some little time after their arrival.

When she did come in, she was disappointed not to find Geraldine, and
that Felix had become so absorbed in the business that had brought
him home, that he only sent in word that he was obliged to go into
the town, and tea must not wait for him. Lance remained, but the
burthen of two secrets rendered him uncommunicative, when Wilmet
tried to understand the cause of Cherry's delay at St. Faith's; and
Alda was curious about Vale Leston and Mrs. Fulbert, whom she had
seen at Kensington Palace Gardens. It did not take much acumen to
exclaim, 'Still no children! Then there must be a chance for us!'

'That is not likely,' said Wilmet: 'it must be all in their own
power; and the Vicar must be quite a young man. Is he not, Lance?'

'How should I know?'

'Didn't you see him?'

'I saw his wife, and that was enough.'

'About five-and-thirty,' said Alda. 'Of course it will all go to
Uncle Tom. Money always goes to money.'

'How flushed you are, Lance!' said Wilmet. 'Are you tired?'

'Rather. I am going out into the garden.'

There, however, he was pursued by Bernard with a war-whoop, and by
Theodore with his concertina; and Stella presently reported that he
was gone up to bed.

'And I am afraid his room is very hot and noisy,' sighed Wilmet.

'He is only tired and cross after his two nights at sea,' said Alda.

'Lance cross!'

'My dear Wilmet, it is very bad taste in families always to maintain
each other's impeccability!'

Alda was still the only person capable of defeating Wilmet, and she
managed to render her very uncomfortable before the end of the
evening, when hours passed and still Felix did not come in; and Alda
suggested, in the intervals of yawning, that Wilmet would soon learn
how green it was to sit up, now that Felix had got out of leading-
strings, and set up bachelor habits.

At first Wilmet was highly indignant; but when Alda persisted that
she was rather glad to see Felix like other young men, and that
Wilmet would know better when she was married, and then yawned
herself off to bed, there was a sense of great discomfort to
accompany the solitary vigil, which not only involved fancies of
possible accidents, but was harassed by this assault on faith in the
virtue and sincerity of man. Could it really be the part of a wise
woman to wink at being deceived as an inferior creature, with
impossible expectations of truth and purity? Yet Alda knew the world!

How much heart-sickness was darned into Lance's impossible heel
before the clock chimed two! A step, and not a policeman's, came
along the pavement and paused at the door, as, while the bell was
cautiously pulled, down she flew!

'My dear Mettie, I am so sorry, so ashamed, of not having sent home
to tell you; but if I had made the least move, it might have upset
everything!'

'What _have_ you been about?'

'Going over Mowbray Smith's accounts.'

'Oh!'

'I am very sorry! How tired you must be! I was vexed not to be able
to give you notice, but you know what poor Smith is.'

'I don't know why you had to do it all, and at this time of night,'
said Wilmet, still a little hurt.

'It is the only chance for him to-morrow at the meeting to have his
accounts clear; so I called under the plea of seeing about the letter
in Pur, and with much ado got him to realise a little more of his
position, and let me look at the books. That was at five.'

'And you have been at it ever since? O Felix!' as he stretched his
arms and gave a vast yawn.

'Ay! If I had shown any consciousness of the time, he would have shut
up at once; and he would not let me take them home to do to-morrow
morning.'

'It _is_ to-morrow morning!'

'So it is! I must make haste, for I must try to see Mr. Ryder and
Jones before the meeting. Good-night, dear old W. W. I meant to have
had other talk.'

'But oh! you must have some supper!'

'I've had it--sumptuous! Stilton cheese!'

So Wilmet's faith in masculine nature rebounded as high as Alda had
striven to sink it!

Patience was a good deal needed the next day; for Felix, had to rush
away from breakfast, and never appeared at all at dinner. He had to
be present at the very stormy meeting, though only to take notes, and
thus had the annoyance of seeing Mr. Smith destroying his own cause
by his incapacity to understand the statement so carefully drawn up,
until Mr. Ryder (on whom the enemy had reckoned as a champion) took
the papers out of the helpless hand, comprehended Felix's figures at
a glance, and set them lucidly forth, such as they were; but even
then there were blots which there were plenty of persons ready to
hit. The truth was, that between Lady Price's economies, and the
unwillingness to call vestry meetings, moneys intended for one
purpose had been used for another, and articles not within the
denomination of charities had been charged on funds raised for that
exclusive object.

The assembly comprised the usual variety: the malicious foes of
religion, headed by Jackman; the more numerous enemies, not of what
they supposed religion, but of the Church; the adversaries, not of
the Church, but of the Curate; and the few loyally unwilling to
condemn a clergyman, but disgusted at the affair, and staggered by
his management. Perhaps the rabid and ribald violence of the hostile
party did Mr. Smith good with the respectable; and there were many,
too, whose dictum was--'Felix Underwood says it is all right!' At any
rate, though the Bishop was memorialised, it was in a much better
spirit than had been likely at first; and it was not to be done
without notice to the Rector. And when this was over, every one as
usual went to the rendezvous at 'Froggatt's,' either to discuss or
inquire; and the release of both partners on that summer evening was
later than ever it had been before.

But then what a welcome upstairs! what a clamour of happy tongues!
what an ecstatic humming of 'The Hardy Norseman!' what a clinging to
and climbing on him! If he had the cares, he had much of the joys, of
the goodman of the house! But presently he missed the voice usually
blithest of all, and asked for Lance.

'He was here a little while ago,' said Wilmet, 'drinking his tea. He
must have gone up to bed.'

'No,' said Bernard; 'I've just been up to the barrack, and he isn't
there.'

'You've not let him sleep in the attic!' exclaimed Felix. 'Why, under
the leads it is like an oven!'

'I am very sorry,' said Wilmet, 'but I could not see how to help it.
Your room is worse, with the glare of the setting sun; and so is
Cherry's at this time of the evening.'

'Then he must have Mr. Froggatt's.'

'I thought,' said Alda, 'that you never took liberties with Mr.
Froggatt?'

'Nonsense!' said Felix. 'There are only two bedrooms in this house
fit for that boy in his present state--yours and Mr. Froggatt's.
Which shall we have, Wilmet?'

'Mr. Froggatt's,' she answered at once. 'If you will not have another
cup, I'll get it ready for him at once.'

'I've just done. I'll come and help you. But where can the boy be? In
the garden?'

'No,' said Wilmet, taking a survey from the window.

'I have hardly seen him all day,' added Alda. 'I suppose he has
pursuits of his own.'

'Pursuits!' said Felix, looking really anxious; 'poor little chap, he
can't do without constant care and quiet!'

Wilmet made no answer, but rose and left the room; Alda muttered
something about his looking quite well, which Felix did not stay to
hear, following his sister out with a word about looking for him. At
the same moment a little soft hand was thrust into his, and Stella,
as soon as the door was shut, said, 'Please, I know where Lance is,
but it's a secret.'

'Not from me, I hope?' said Felix, catching her up in his arms.

'I think not,' said Stella meditatively. 'He only told me not to let
Bear and Tedo know, because they make a row. He is only up over the
back warehouse, where he used to play the fiddle to us last Easter.'

'The only cool quiet place he could find!' said Felix, with more of a
look of reproach than he had ever given Wilmet.

It went to her heart. 'I did not know what to do,' she said meekly.
'I wanted very much to go into the barrack ourselves, but Alda said
it would kill her, and you know it has always been a sore subject
that we would not let her have Mr. Froggatt's room. I ought not to
have given way.'

'Alda's selfishness is a great power,' muttered Felix; and Wilmet was
too much ashamed to contradict him, except by 'She is vexed because
she has not heard from Ferdinand,' as they hastily made their way to
the warehouse, which, being on the north side of higher buildings,
never did get scorched through.

Felix went up a step-ladder, Wilmet following; and there, sure
enough, was Lance, lying in a nest of paper shavings, with head on
his air-pillow. 'Oh, you've unearthed me, have you? I wish you'd let
me stay here all night!' he said, with some weary fretfulness; but
the next moment burst into a peal of laughter, as Wilmet's head
appeared above the floor. 'Pallas Athene ascends! Oh! what a place it
would be to act a play--only then all the fry would find it out! I
hope they haven't! I told the Star not to tell!'

'My poor dear Lance, is this the only quiet place you could find? and
you let us all neglect you, and never complained!' exclaimed Wilmet,
kissing his hot forehead.

'Why, it's only my stupidity,' said Lance, wearily but gratefully;
'and you can't make places quiet or cool! If you would just let me
sleep here!'

'No; but you shall have Mr. Froggatt's room. He will not want it now.
Come along, Lance, we'll bring your things down. The barrack is a
great deal too hot for you to go into!'

He did not make any resistance; but as they landed from the ladder,
threw his arm round Wilmet, and leant against her with a sort of lazy
mischievous tenderness, as he said, 'Isn't the Froggery wanted for--
somebody else?' and tried to look up in her face.

'Ferdinand always goes to the Fortinbras Arms,' answered Wilmet, with
admirable composure.

'Oh! that's a precedent,' said Lance, ostentatiously winking at
Felix, who was very glad the ice was broken. 'When is he coming,
Mettie?'

'I think Alda hoped he might have run down to-night, on hearing of
your return.'

There they paused while entering the house and going upstairs, but no
sooner were they in the barrack, which was certainly insufferably
hot, than Lance returned to the charge.

'But when is _he_ coming? Not Fernan--he's an old story.'

'Yes, said Felix, walking up to Wilmet to fold together the corners
of the sheets they were stripping from Lance's bed, and looking into
her eyes so archly as to bring up an incarnadine blush, 'I want
particularly to improve my acquaintance, if you don't.--What shall we
do, Lance?'

'Advertise in Pur,' suggested Lance. 'The editor returned. Young
men may apply!'

'Don't, boys!' exclaimed Wilmet, in tones belonging to bygone days,
when neither she nor Felix had been too serious to tease or be
teased. 'He is much better than you,' she added, with a pretty
confused petulance, when Felix put on a pleading inquisitive face.
'When he found we didn't like it he went away to visit his uncle.'

'Better than we! There, Lance!' said Felix, in a gratified provoking
tone of discovery.

'In one sense,' said Wilmet, walking down before him.

'I am very glad you have found it out,' added Felix, as they entered
Mr. Froggatt's cool well-blinded bedroom, the only well-furnished one
in the house.

'It is no laughing matter,' said Wilmet seriously.

'That's well,' was the dry answer.

But there Felix perceived that she was on the verge of tears, and he
kindly and quietly helped her to despatch her arrangements for Lance
before any more was said; only as they turned to bid the tired boy
goodnight, he said, 'Where does the uncle live? I shall telegraph to-
morrow, you cruel person!'

'Hush! silly boy--goodnight,' said Wilmet, with a quivering voice,
then, as she shut the door, 'Please don't go on this way, Felix--I
wouldn't have had it happen for any consideration.'

'I suppose not,' said Felix, as they returned to the twilight garden;
but as it has--Why, my Mettie, dear!' as she pressed close to him,
and hid her face on his shoulder, with a strong craving for the help
and sympathy from which the motherless girl had hitherto been
debarred.

'O Felix! I wish he would not be so good and kind! I wish you would
not try to make me give in!'

'My dear girl,' said Felix, with his arm round her. 'You know I would
not if I did not see that you had given in.'

'No, I haven't!' she cried. 'Why should you want to persuade me?
Isn't it very cruel and hard to let him give all himself to one that
can't come to him? He will have to go out and live all dreary and
lonely for years and years, and come home to find nothing but a
stupid old worn-out drudge, with all these pretty looks gone off!
Felix, be reasonable, _please_! Can't you see that I ought not to let
things go that way?'

'Do you mean,' said Felix, 'that you would be quite content to put an
end to all this--let Harewood go away believing you indifferent, and
never see him again?'

'Felix, why do you--?' with tears in her eyes.

'Because I am quite sure that the consideration you want to show him
would be no kindness. The pain of having his affection thrown over'
(he spoke with a spasm in the throat) 'would be greater than you
would like to inflict, if you were forced by truth to own you did not
care for him; and if he be what I think, the carrying away security
of your feeling for him will be gladness enough. And as for the
looks, I have a better opinion of yours than to think they won't
wear! Any way, dearest, it seems to me that you have won the heart of
a good man, and that if you like him, it is your duty to give him the
comfort of knowing it without thinking about to-morrows.'

'But I know so much more would come if I did just allow that much!
And I might get to wish to leave you all,' she said in an appalled
voice. 'And there seems to me not the slightest chance. You see Alda
and Cherry never will get on together; and Cherry seems glad of an
excuse to stay from home. I thought she would have cared to come back
when you did.'

'Poor Cherry!' said Felix, hesitating, with a little of her own
nervous awe of broaching the subject.

'You don't mean that there is anything seriously amiss!' she cried,
startled.

'Wilmet, do you remember what Rugg said would be the very best thing
for that poor child?'

She stood still, dismayed and angered. 'They aren't tormenting the
poor little thing about that?'

'It is not their doing,'

'It can't have become necessary! Sister Constance would have told me!
Felix say she is not worse!'

'No, much better. But, Wilmet, what we could not bear to think of,
she thought of for herself, and begged to have it done.'

'Then I must go to her.'

'There is no occasion. She knew you could not be spared. It was done
on the 10th, and she will soon walk better than she has done all
these years.'

'Done! without our knowledge?'

'She wished to spare us all, but that was not allowed. I was written
to, and told that her strong desire was such a favourable condition,
that I had better consent, so as not to protract the strain of
spirits. She made a point of no one else knowing except Clement.'

'Ah!' Wilmet spoke as if under a weight, 'that was the day Clement
went down to Dearport, and came home so late! How could Sister
Constance consent not to tell me?'

'You must forgive her, for it was the little one's desire! Of course
we should have been fetched if anything had gone wrong; but she has
done perfectly well; and there she is, very happy, and so full of
fun, that the Sisters say she keeps them all alive.'

'Done? I cannot fancy it!' said Wilmet. 'Do you know, I believe it
has been my bugbear for years past to think I might have to persuade
her to this?'

'To tell you the truth, so it has to me.'

'Little nervous timid thing, I can't even understand her thinking of
it!'

'She wanted me not to tell you, but I would not promise. She could
not rest without trying not to be an obstacle to--'

Wilmet interrupted with a cry of pain.

'Isn't it a noble little thing?'

'But it is so silly!' broke out Wilmet, not choosing her words amid
her tears.

'So she thinks now, poor child; she is quite ashamed of the
presumptuous notion that _did_ brace and carry her through.'

'I don't like her to be disappointed,' said Wilmet; 'but it is quite
ridiculous.'

'Only comfort her a little, Mettie dear, for she is very much afraid
you will think she has taken a great liberty with your property.'

'I only wish I could kiss her this moment.'

'Well, run down by the train to-morrow. They would all be delighted.'

'No, no, Felix, impossible. Think of the cost!'

'Half a crown! Sinful waste!' said Felix, in a tone of alarming
levity.

'Felix, if you only knew what the housekeeping mounted up in that
unhappy month that I was away! I did not like to tell you before,
but--'

'Well!' at the dreadful pause.

'I had to get fifteen pounds from Mr. Froggatt's; and Alda finds,
after all, that she cannot advance the money for Lance's journey.'

'So you are pinching it out by pence, my poor W. W.!'

'Nothing extra must be done till this is made up.'

'Yet it seems needful that Bernard should go to school. I wrote
about--'

'No,' she resolutely interrupted. 'Bernard must wait over this year.
Thirty pounds. Utterly out of the question!'

'Her tone gave Felix an unusual sense of chill penury, and brought
Vale Leston before his eyes. He laughed rather bitterly, saying,
'Perhaps some day neither thirty pence nor thirty pounds may have so
direful a sound!'

'I never mean to learn to waste.'

'You may have to learn to spend.'

'That's enough to set me against it!' she exclaimed, with a good deal
of pain; and he found how nearly he had broken his resolution, and
how her application of his words to herself had saved him. He
followed the lead.

'Nay; you were glad of Alda's prosperity?'

'Oh yes; but poor Alda has been hindered from being like one of us,'
she said. 'We have fought it out together. And I should not mind so
much if _he_ were poor like us, and had to wait on his own account.'

'I appreciate that,' said Felix; 'but at least you will let the poor
fellow come and judge for himself?'

'If--if only, Felix, you will promise not to try to tempt me into
deserting you all, when I know it would be wrong.'

'If I will promise you not to cut my own throat, eh? Come, W. W., put
out of your head "what it may lead to," confess that you are afraid
of getting connected with such a mad harum-scarum set!'

'It isn't,' broke out Wilmet. 'I never saw any one so thoughtful and
considerate. They are all so kind and warm-hearted, that I grew quite
ashamed of my own fidgetiness; and he--he always knew the right thing
at the right time. You can't think how his look seemed to hold me up,
when poor Lance was moaning and talking nonsense!'

Having thus let herself out as she had never dared, nor indeed been
tempted to do, since the first dawn of the courtship, Wilmet at last
relieved herself of some of the vast sense of emotion that she had
been forcing back for the last month. Hitherto the mistress of the
house had seemed older than the master; but now the elder brother
took the place of both parents--ay, and of sister--as, all her
fencing over, she poured out her heart, and let him sympathise,
cheer, soothe, and encourage, more by kind tones than actual words.
The harvest-moon shone over the house-tops, as a month before she had
shone by the river-side; and the Pillars of the House walked up and
down till Alda grew desperate, and sallied out to tell them that it
was past eleven.

It was only such snatches of time that Felix could give to home
affairs, for his hands were full of arrears of business, and the
excitement respecting Mr. Smith necessarily occupied him. Pending the
arrival of letters from the Rector, every tongue was in commotion,
and the reading-room was a focus of debate and centre of
intelligence. So many letters, either in assault or defence, were
addressed to the editor of the Pursuivant, that only a supplement
as big as the Times could have contained them. Every poor person
who had not had every demand supplied from the charities was running
about, adding to the grievance at every encounter with tender-hearted
lady or justice-loving gentleman, whose blood boiled over into a
letter for the Pursuivant, which, when sifted and refused, was
transferred to the Dearport Hermes, or Erms, as most of its
supporters termed it.

CHAPTER XXII

THE REAL THING AND NO MISTAKE

'With asses all his time he spent,
Their club's perpetual president,
He caught their manners, looks, and airs--
An ass in everything but ears.'
GAY.

The master of the house was unable to contribute much more than his
name to the propriety of the arrival of the suitors, and this made
Wilmet the more determined that Geraldine should precede them. Nor,
since the half-crown must be disbursed on an escort for her, did the
housewifely conscience object to the expedition, for Wilmet could not
but long to thank the Superior and Sister Constance, and to obtain
Dr. Lee's advice as to future management. Her coming was great joy to
Cherry, who had dreaded the meeting almost with a sense of guilt,
though still hoping Felix had been silent on her motive; and Wilmet
did not betray him, but only treated her sister with a mixture of
almost shy tenderness and reverence. Nor did Cherry dare to ask a
question as to Wilmet's own affairs, nor even about Ferdinand Travis,
lest she should seem to be leading in that direction. However,
Wilmet, in a persuasive tone, communicated that Ferdinand had been
long without writing, and though Cherry tried to be sorry for Alda,
her spirit quailed at the state of temper her sister evidently meant
to prepare her for.

But fate was more kind than she expected. That very Saturday brought
both gentlemen, and by the same train. They made each other out as
they were leaving their bags at the Fortinbras Arms, and arrived
together in marked contrast--the tall, dark, regular-featured, soft-
eyed Life-guardsman, and the little sandy, freckled, sun-dried
engineer; and thus two courtships had to be carried on in the two
rooms, only supplemented by the narrow parallelogram of a garden! For
Ferdinand Travis was back again, rather amused at the family
astonishment at the rapidity of his journey to America, which to his
Transatlantic notions of travel was as nothing, and indeed had been
chiefly performed in a big steamer, where he could smoke to his
heart's content.

For the first few days there was a good deal of restraint: Wilmet was
more shy than in the unconscious days of Bexley, while John Harewood
was devoid of his family's assurance and bonhomie, and so
thoroughly modest and diffident as to risk nothing by precipitation
in begging for a decision. Felix, inexperienced, and strongly
sensible of his office as guardian of his sister's dignity, would not
hint at the result of his investigations into Wilmet's sentiments;
and it was to Geraldine that Captain Harewood's attentions were
chiefly paid. Knowing Alda's resolute monopoly of her Cacique, Cherry
at first held back, and restrained her keen enjoyment of real
conversation; but she found Wilmet thankful to have the talk done for
her, and content to sit at work, listening almost in silence, but
proud that her Captain should be interested in her sister, and
pleased to see Cherry's expressive face flash and sparkle all over
for him. While Wilmet was at Miss Pearson's, Cherry was his chief
resource; they read, drew, and talked, and in that half-hour's out-
of-door exercise, which Dr. Lee had so strongly enjoined, his arm was
at her service. They were soon on the borders of confidence, though
never quite plunging over them. Perhaps the broad open-mouthed
raillery at his home made the gentle reticence of the Underwoods the
more agreeable to him; at any rate, he did not try to break through
it, nor to presume beyond the step he had gained. Alda, who could
best perhaps have acted as helper, had her own affairs to attend to;
and they were evidently unsatisfactory, for Ferdinand was more than
ever the silent melancholy Don, and she was to domestic eyes visibly
cross, and her half-year at home had rendered her much less capable
of concealing ill-humour. Something was owing to wear and suspense,
together with the effects of the summer heat and confined monotonous
life without change or luxury; but much was chargeable on the
manifestations of temper to which she had given way in the home
circle. She told Wilmet the trouble, which Ferdinand wished to have
kept from open discussion till he had received a final statement of
his means to lay before Felix. He had received no remittances since
the spring, and on demanding his own share of the capital and
investments, had found it, instead of the lion's, a ridiculously
small portion. The whole fortunes of the house of Travis had been
built on his mother's inheritance; but the accounts laid before him
represented all the unprosperous speculations undertaken by his
father, William, while the small ventures of his Uncle Alfred had,
alongside of them, swelled into the huge wealth of which Ferdinand
had been bred to believe himself the heir! So palpably outrageous was
this representation, that he had persuaded himself that personal
investigation on the spot would clear it up, or perhaps more truly
his blood was up, and he could not bear to be inactive. He had rushed
over to New York, and of course he had been baffled. Exposure was of
no use where sympathy was for the lucky rather than the duped and
luckless, and where the Anglicised Life-guardsman could expect it
least of all--at a time, too, when all business affairs were
convulsed by the uncertainties of civil war. Alda could not believe
at first that he had done his utmost, and seemed to have reproached
him with weakness and mismanagement; but by her own account she had
roused the innate lion. He would not tell her what had passed in the
interview with his uncle, but he had shuddered over the remembrance;
and when she upbraided him with not having gone far enough, he
terrified her by the fierceness with which he had turned upon her,
bidding her never recur to what she knew nothing about, and muttering
to himself, 'Far enough--thank God I went no further, or I should not
be here now!' and then falling into deep gloom. He had certainly made
Alda afraid of him, and she burst into tears as she told Wilmet,
declaring herself the most miserable girl in the world.