Lady Hester; Or, Ursula's Narrative Read online

  CHAPTER V.

  SPINNEY LAWN.

  A change or two began to creep into our life. One afternoon, asJaquetta, in her pretty pink gingham and white apron, with her blackhair in the Grecian coil we used to wear when our heads were allowed tobe of their own proper size, was gathering crimson apples from thequarrendon tree close to the river, a voice came over the water--

  "Oh, my good girl, if you would but stand so a minute, and allow me tosketch you!"

  Jaquetta started round and laughed. No doubt she was looking like anArcadian; but I--as from under the trees I saw two gentlemen on theother side of the little stream, and jumped up to come to herdefence--I must have looked more like a displeased if notdraggle-tailed duchess, for there was an immediate disconcerted beggingof our pardons, and a hasty departure.

  Jaquetta made a very funny account of my spring forward in awfuldignity, so horribly affronted at her being called a good girl! and shemade Fulk laugh heartily. The gloom did seem to be lightening on himnow.

  Walking tourists, we supposed, though one we thought was a clergyman;and on Sunday we saw him in the desk and the draughtsman in theparsonage pew; and we discovered that these were the proposed newcurate, Mr. Cradock, and his younger brother. Our rector was a canonwho had bad health and never came near us, and the poor old curate waspast work, and, indeed, died a week or two after he had given up.

  I saw that younger brother colour up to the roots of his bright hair asJaquetta walked up the aisle, in her drawn black silk bonnet with thepink lining (made by herself); and I think she coloured too, for shewas rosier than usual when we faced round in the corners of our pew.

  We saw no more of them for a month, and a dainty, bridal-looking littlelady appeared in the parsonage seat, with white ribbons in her strawbonnet, and modest little orange flowers in the frill round herpleasant face.

  Mrs. Cradock she was, we heard; and not only Miss Prior, but Fulk,wanted us to call on her.

  "What's the use?" said I. "Farmers' families are not on visiting termswith the ladies of the parsonage."

  Poor Jaquey uttered an "Oh dear!" but she and Fulk knew I was pastmoving in that mood.

  However, one morning in the next week, in walked Fulk into thekeeping-room, and the clergyman with him, and found Jaquey and mestanding at the long table under the window, peeling and cutting upapples for apple-cheese.

  "Mr. Cradock, my sister," he said, just in the old tone when he broughta friend into our St. James's-street drawing-room; and he hardly gavetime for the shaking of hands before he had returned to the discussionabout the change of ministry, just with the voice and animation I hadnot seen for two whole years.

  We went on with our apples. For one thing, we were not wanted; foranother, there was no fire in the little parlour, and the gentlemenboth seemed to be enjoying the bright one that was burning on thehearth.

  The only difficulty was that dinner time began to approach. The mencould not be kept waiting; and I heard Alured awake from his sleep,pattering about and shouting; and as we began to gather up our applesone of the maids peeped in with a table-cloth over her arm.

  Mr. Cradock saw, though Fulk did not, and said his wife would expecthim; and then he looked most pleasantly to me, and said he was not atall wanted at home, while his wife was luxuriating in a settlement offurniture; but this was, he was assured, the last day of confusion, andto-morrow she would be quite ready for all who would be so good as tocall on her.

  I could only say I would do myself the pleasure; and then he stillwaited a moment to say that his brother Arthur could not recover fromhis dismay at his greeting to Miss Torwood.

  "But," he said, "the boy's head was quite turned by the beauty of thecountry. He had been raving all day about the new poet, AlfredTennyson, and I believe he thought he had walked into lotus-land."

  "Nearer the dragon of the Hesperides, perhaps," said Fulk, laughing."Is he with you now?"

  "No; he has gone back to Oxford. He is in his second year; and whetherhe takes to medicine or to art is to be settled by common-sense orgenius."

  "Oh, but if he has genius?" began Jaquetta eagerly.

  "That's the question," said Mr. Cradock, laughing. "But I am hinderingyou shamefully," and with that he took his leave, having quitedemolished our barriers.

  And his wife was of the same nature--simple, blithe, and bonny--readyto make friends in a moment; and though she must have known all aboutus, never seeming to remember anything but that we were her nearestlady neighbours.

  Jaquetta, whose young friendships had been broken short off, becausethe poor girls really did not know how to correspond with her underpresent circumstances, took to Mrs. Cradock with eager enthusiasm, andtripped across the park to her two or three times a week, and becamedelightedly interested in all her doings, parochial or otherwise.

  Dear Jaquey's happy nature had always been content; but when I saw howexceedingly she enjoyed the variety, liveliness, and occupationsbrought by the Cradocks, I felt that it had been scarcely kind toseclude her to gratify my own sole pride; but then there had beennobody like the Cradocks--to drop or be dropped.

  The refreshment to Fulk was even greater. The having a man to conversewith, and break his mind against, one who would argue, and who reallycared for the true principles of politics, made an immense differenceto him. When after tea he said he would walk to the parsonage to seehow the debate had gone, and we knew we should not see him tillhalf-past ten, we could not but be glad; it must have been so muchpleasanter than playing at chess, listening to our old music, orreading even the new books they lent us.

  He brightened greatly that winter, and I ceased to fear that he wasgetting a farmer's slouch. He looked as stately and beautiful as everLord Torwood had done, and the dejection had gone out of his face andbearing, when suddenly it returned again; and as Miss Prior was awayfrom home, I never found out the cause till one day, as I was shoppingat Shinglebay, and was telling the linen draper that Mr. Torwood wouldcall for the parcel, I saw the lady at the other counter start and turnround, as if at a sudden shock.

  Then I saw the white doe eyes, full of the old pleading expression, andthe lips quivering wistfully, but I only said to myself, "The old arts!That is what has overthrown Fulk again;" and away I went with a rigidbow, and said nothing.

  There was no exchange of calls. That was not my fault, for we couldnot have begun; and we heard that Mrs. Deerhurst said, "The Torwoodshad shown very good taste in retiring from all society, poor things.Only it was a great mistake to remain in the neighbourhood--so awkwardfor everybody!"

  Mrs. Cradock was much struck with Emily's sweet looks; but I believethat Jaquetta told her all about it, and we never met the Deerhurststhere.

  In fact they were not intimate, for there must have been a repulsionbetween Mrs. Deerhurst and such a woman as Mary Cradock.

  The Deerhursts owned a villa on the outskirts of Shinglebay; indeed, Ibelieve it was the difficulty in letting it that had unwillingly forcedMrs. Deerhurst home, after having married her second daughter, but notEmily. She was only a mile and a half from Spinney Lawn, and speedilybecame familiar there, being as entirely Hester's counsellor inetiquette as was Perrault on business. People saw a marked improvementin elegance from the time she became adviser.

  That next winter poor Joel Lea died. I suppose it was merely thedulness and want of exercise that killed him, for he had lost flesh andgrown languid in manner for months before a low fever set in, and hehad no power to struggle with it.

  He had been ill a long time, when he sent a message to beg Mr. Torwoodto come and see him. Jaquetta and I persuaded ourselves that he haddiscovered that Perrault had suborned witnesses, or done something thatwould falsify the whole trial.

  Jaquetta said she should be very glad for Fulk, and if it happened nowlittle Alured would never feel it; but for her own part, she shouldhate to go back to be my lady again. She had never known before whathappiness was.

  I could not help laughing. Nobody had ever detected anything
amisswith Lady Jaquetta Trevor's spirits, but that they were too high attimes.

  "Of course I don't mean that I was miserable!" she said; "but there'ssomething now that does make everything so delicious."

  "Could you not take that something to the park?" I asked, laughing.

  "I don't know! It would not be so bad if I could run in and out at theparsonage as I do now."

  And as I smiled, it smote me as I recollected that Arthur Cradock wasalways at the parsonage in the vacations. Jaquetta had been sketchedmany a time as nymph of the orchard, and many a nymph besides. And ifhe was yielding to his brother's wisdom in making medicine his studyand art his pleasure, was not our unconscious maiden the sugar thatsweetened the cup of prudence? Might not elevation be as sore a trialto her as depression had been to us?

  However, our troubling ourselves was all nonsense. Good Joel Lea wouldnever have connived at any evil doings. All he had wanted of Fulk wasto be certain of his forgiveness for the injury he had suffered throughhis wife, and to entreat him to keep a watch over her and the boy.

  "You are her brother, when all is come and gone," he said; "and I donot trust that Perrault. If ever he fails her, or turns against her,you'll stand her friend, and look to the boy?"

  Fulk heartily promised, and Joel further begged him to write to hereldest brother, Francis Dayman (who was prospering immensely in thetimber trade), and let him know the state of things--though he had beenso angered at Hester's sacrifice of his mother's good name and his ownbirth, that he had broken with her entirely.

  "But if anyone can get her out of Perrault's hands, it is Francis,"poor Joel said; and he went on to talk of his poor boy, about whom hewas very anxious, having no trust in any of Hester's intimates, andbegging Fulk to throw a good word to him now and then.

  "He thinks much of you," he said. "I heard him tell Miss Deerhurstthat it was no use for anyone to try to be such an out-and-outgentleman as his uncle, for they couldn't do it, and he had rather belike you than anyone else. I don't care for gentlemen, and all thatfoolery, as you know. I wish I could leave him to my old mate, EliPotter; but you are true and honest, Fulk Torwood, and I think not sofar from the kingdom--"

  Then he asked Fulk to read a chapter to him. No one else would do so,except little Trevor, when now and then left alone with him; but Hesterwould not believe him seriously ill, and thought the Bible wearied himand made him low spirited; and as to his friend the Dissenter, shewould never admit him.

  Fulk was so indignant that he wanted to drive to Shinglebay and fetchMr. Ball, but Lea thanked him and half smiled at his superstition ofthinking that a minister was needed to speed his soul; but he waspleased that Fulk came to him on each of the four or five remainingdays of his life, and read to him whatever he wished.

  He sank suddenly at last, while Hester was at church on Sunday morning,and died when alone with Fulk.

  Somehow the intense reality of that man and the true comfort his faithwas to him made an immense impression on my brother, and seemed, as itwere, to give the communication between his religious belief and hisfeelings, which had somehow not been in force before. He thought andborrowed books from Mr. Cradock, and there came a deepening andsoftening over him, which one saw in many ways, that made him dearerthan ever. He looked more at peace, even though one felt that eachpassing sight of Emily was a sting.

  Hester was dreadfully stricken down at first, and her anguish oflamentation and self-reproach was terrible to witness; but she wouldnot hear of Fulk's fetching either of us--indeed, I fancy that was thefault of my dry, cold looks--nor would she allow him to do anything forher.

  Mrs. Deerhurst came to be with her, and Perrault managed everything.

  They had a magnificent funeral--much grander than my father's--and laidhim in the family vault.

  Perrault took the opportunity of insulting Fulk by pairing him with oldHall, the ex-agent; but Hall found it out in time, and refused to go,and when the moment came everybody fell back, and Fulk found himselfclose to poor little Trevor, who tried to get his hand out ofPerrault's and cling to him; but Perrault held him tight till, at themoment when they moved to the mouth of the vault and were to go downthe steps, terror completely seized the poor child, and he began toshriek so fearfully that Fulk had to snatch him up and carry him out ofthe church, trembling from head to foot.

  It was very cruel to send a sensitive child of six years old in thatway; but Hester was too much exhausted with her violent grief to goherself, and, devoted mother as she was in all else, she neverperceived that poor child's instinctive shrinking from Perrault.

  We tried to be kind to her, and hoped she would soften towards us; butshe did not. I could see her eyes glitter with their keen, searchingglance under her crape veil, as if she were measuring Alured all overwhen the child walked into church with me; and, indeed, when he went tothe Zoological Gardens some time later, and saw the cobra di capello,he said--

  "Ursa, why does that snake look at me just like Lady Hester?"

  There must have been fascination in the eager mystery of the gaze, for,strangely enough, he was not afraid of her. She always made much ofhim if he came in her way, and he was so fond of Trevor Lea thatnothing made him so eager or happy as the thought of seeing him.

  The one idea that her boy was ousted by Alured, and the longing to seehim the heir, seemed to drive out everything else from Hester--almostfeeling for her husband.

  Fulk had written to Francis Dayman, and he intended to come and seeafter his sister as soon as he could leave his business; but thisrather precipitated matters. Hester was persuaded that Alured couldnot live through that eighth year of his life at the utmost, andPerrault somehow persuaded her, that only as her husband could heprotect her interests and Trevor's, though what machinations she couldhave expected from us, I cannot guess; or how, in the case of a minor,we could have interfered with her rights. But the man had gained suchan ascendancy over her, that she did not even perceive that theconnection was not good for that great object of hers, her son'sposition in society. In fact, he persuaded her that he was of a nobleold French family, and ought to be a count. How we laughed when weheard of it! She did preserve wisdom enough to insist upon having herfortune conveyed to trustees for her son, so that Perrault could onlytouch the income, and not the principal; and as she told everyone thathe had been determined upon this being done, I suppose he saw that anydemur would excite her suspicion.

  They went to London, and were married there, while we were stillscouting poor Miss Prior's rumours. We were very sorry when we thoughtof poor Joel's charge; and, besides, "the count" had an uncomfortableslippery look about him. I can't describe it otherwise. He was aslim, trim, well-dressed man, only given to elaborate jewellery andwaistcoats, with polished black hair and boots, and keen French-lookingeyes, well-mannered, and so versatile and polite, that he soon overcamepeople's prejudices; and he was thought to make a much better master ofthe house than poor Joel had ever done.