"Oh, don"t," said Lilias, tears springing to her eyes. "Don"t you see, Marjory, that I really feel the worst, so I must keep it all in? Don"t let us talk it over, it is useless. If Valentine makes Gerald happy I have not a word to say, and if I am not glad I must pretend to be glad for his sake."
"Poor old Lil!" said Marjory.
And after this little speech she teased her sister no more.
A fortnight after his engagement Gerald came to the rectory for a brief visit. He was apparently in high spirits, and never made himself more agreeable to his sisters. He had no confidential talks, however, with Lilly, and they all noticed how grave and quiet and handsome he had grown.
"He"s exactly like my idea of the G.o.d Apollo," remarked Augusta. "No wonder that girl is in love with him. Oh, couldn"t I just pull her hair for her. I can"t think how Lilly sits by and hears Gerald praise her!
I"d like to give her a piece of my mind, and tell her what I think of her carrying off our ewe-lamb. Yes, she"s just like David in the Bible, and I only wish I were the prophet Nathan, to go and have it out with her!"
Augusta was evidently mixed in her metaphors, for it was undoubtedly difficult to compare the same person to Apollo and a ewe-lamb.
Nevertheless, she carried her audience with her, and when now and then Gerald spoke of Valentine he received but scant sympathy.
On the day he went away, the rector called Lilias into his study.
"My dear," he said, "I want to have a little talk with you. What do you think of all this? Has Gerald made you many confidences? You and he were always great chums. He was reserved with me, remarkably so, for he was always such an open sort of a lad. But of course you and he had it all out, my dear."
"No, father," replied Lilias. "That is just it. We hadn"t anything out."
"What--eh--nothing? And the boy is in love. Oh, yes, anyone can see that--in love, and no confidences. Then, my dear, I was afraid of it--now I am sure--there must be something wrong. Gerald is greatly changed. Lilias."
"Yes," said Lilias. "I can"t quite define the change, but it is there."
"My dear girl, he was a boy--now he is a man. I don"t say that he is unhappy, but he has a good weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
He was a rather heedless boy, and in the matter of concealment or keeping anything back, a perfect sieve. Now he"s a closed book.
Closed?--locked I should say. Lilias, neither you nor I can understand him. I wish to G.o.d your mother was alive!"
"He told me," said Lilias, "that he had talked over matters with you--that--that there was nothing much to say--that he was perfectly satisfied, and that Valentine was like no other girl in the wide world.
To all intents and purposes Gerald was a sealed book to me, father; but I don"t understand your considering him so, for he said that he had spoken to you very openly."
"Oh, about the arrangements between him and Paget. Yes, I consider it a most unprecedented and extraordinary sort of thing. Gerald gives up the Church, goes into Paget"s business--early next summer marries his daughter, and on the day of his wedding signs the deeds of partnership.
He receives no salary--not so much as sixpence--but he and his wife take up their abode at the Pagets" house in Queen"s Gate, Paget making himself responsible for all expenses. Gerald, in lieu of providing his wife with a fortune, makes a marriage settlement on her, and for this purpose is required to insure his life very heavily--for thousands, I am told--but the exact sum is not yet clearly defined. Paget undertakes to provide for the insurance premium. I call the whole thing unpleasant and derogatory, and I cannot imagine how the lad has consented.
Liberty? What will he know of liberty when he is that rich fellow"s slave? Better love in a cottage, with a hundred a year, say I."
"But, father, Mr. Paget would not have given Val to Gerald to live in a cottage with her--and Gerald, he has consented to this--this that you call degradation, because he loves Val so very, very much."
"I suppose so, child. I was in love once myself--your mother was the n.o.blest and most beautiful of women; that lad is the image of her.
Well, so he never confided in you, Lil? Very strange, I call it very strange. I tell you what. Lilias, I"ll run up to town next week, and have a talk with Paget, and see what sort of girl this is who has bewitched the boy. That"s the best way. I"ll have a talk with Paget, and get to the bottom of things. I used to know him long ago at Trinity. Now run away, child. I must prepare my sermon for to-morrow."
CHAPTER X.
At this period of her life Valentine was certainly not in the least in love with the man to whom she was engaged--she disliked caresses and what she was pleased to call honeyed words of flattery. Wyndham, who found himself able to read her moods like a book, soon learned to accommodate himself to her wishes. He came to see her daily, but he kissed her seldom--he never took her hand, nor put his arm round her slim waist; they sat together and talked, and soon discovered that they had many subjects of interest in common--they both loved music, they both adored novels and poetry. Wyndham could read aloud beautifully, and at these times Valentine liked to lie back in her easy chair and steal shy glances at him, and wonder, as she never ceased to wonder, from morning to night, why he loved her so much, and why her father wanted her to marry him.
If Valentine was cold to this young man, she was, however, quite the opposite to the rector of Jewsbury-on-the-Wold. Mr. Wyndham came to town, and of course partook of the hospitality of the house in Queen"s Gate. In Valentine"s eyes the rector was old, older than her father--she delighted for her father"s sake in all old men, and being really a very loveable and fascinating girl soon won the rector"s heart.
"I"m not a bit surprised, Gerald," the good man said to his son on the day of his return to his parish duties. "She"s a wilful la.s.s, and has a spirit of her own, but she"s a good girl, too, and a sweet, and a young fellow might do worse than lose his heart to her. Valentine is open as the day, and when she comes to me as a daughter, I"ll give her a daughter"s place in my heart. Yes, Valentine is all right enough, and I"ll tell Lilias so, and put her heart at rest, poor girl, but I"m not so sure about Paget. I think you are putting yourself in a very invidious position, if you will allow me to say so, my boy, coming into Paget"s house as a sort of dependent, even though you are his girl"s husband. I don"t like the sound of it, and you won"t care for the position, Gerald, when you"ve experienced it for a short time.
However--oh, there"s my train--yes, porter, yes, two bugs and a rag--I mean two bags and a rug--Here, this way, this way. Dear, dear, how confused one gets! Yes, Gerald, what was I saying? Oh, of course you"re of age, my boy, you are at liberty to choose for yourself. Yes, I like the girl thoroughly. G.o.d bless you. Gerry; come down to the old place whenever you have a spare Sat.u.r.day."
The younger Wyndham smiled in a very grave fashion, saw to his father"s creature comforts, as regarded wraps, newspapers, etc., tipped the porter, who had not yet done laughing at the reverend gentleman"s mistake, and left the station.
He hailed a cab and drove at once to his future father-in-law"s business address. He was quite at home now in the big shipping office, the several clerks regarding him with mixed feelings of respect and envy. Gerald had a gracious way with everyone, he was never distant with his fellow-creatures, but there was also a slight indescribable touch about him which kept those who were beneath him in the social scale from showing the smallest trace of familiarity. He was sympathetic, but he had a knack of making those who came in contact with him treat him as a gentleman. The clerks liked Wyndham, and with one exception were extremely civil to him. Helps alone held himself aloof from the new-comer, watching him far more anxiously than the other clerks did, but, nevertheless, keeping his own counsel, and daring whenever he had the opportunity to use covert words of warning.
On his arrival, to-day, Wyndham sent a message to the chief, asking to see him as soon as convenient. While he waited in the ante-room, for in reality he had little or nothing to do in the place, the door was opened to admit another visitor, and then Adrian Carr, the young man whom Valentine had once spoken of with admiration, stepped across the threshold. The two young men were slightly acquainted, and while they waited they chatted together.
Carr was a great contrast to Wyndham--he was rather short, but thin and wiry, without an atom of superfluous flesh anywhere--his shoulders were broad, he was firmly knit and had a very erect carriage. Wyndham, tall, loosely built, with the suspicion of a stoop, looked frail beside the other man. Wyndham"s dark grey eyes were too sensitive for perfect mental health. His face was pallid, but at times it would flush vividly--his lips had a look of repression about them--the whole att.i.tude of the man to a very keen observer was tense and watchful.
Carr had dark eyes, closely cropped hair, a smooth face but for his moustache, and a keen, resolute, bold glance. He was not nearly as handsome as Wyndham, beside Wyndham he might even have been considered commonplace, but his every gesture, his every glance betokened the perfection of mental health and physical vigor.
After a few desultory nothings had been exchanged between the two, Carr alluded to Wyndham"s engagement, and offered him his congratulations.
He did this with a certain guardedness of tone which caused Gerald to look at him keenly.
"Thank you--yes, I am very lucky," he replied. "But can we not exchange good wishes, Carr? I heard a rumor somewhere, that you also were about to be married."
Carr laughed.
"These rumors are always getting about," he said, "half of them end in smoke. In my case you yourself destroyed the ghost of the chance of such a possibility coming about."
"I? What do you mean?" said Wyndham.
"Nothing of the least consequence. As matters have turned out I am perfectly heart-whole, but the fact is, the only girl I ever took the slightest fancy to is going to be your wife. Oh, I am not in love with her! You stopped me in time. I really only tell you this to show you how much I appreciate the excellence of your taste."
Wyndham did not utter a word, and just then Helps came to say that Mr.
Paget would see Mr. Carr for a few moments. Carr instantly left the room, and Wyndham went over to the dusty window, leant his elbow against one of the panes, and peered out.
Apparently there was nothing for him to see--the window looked into a tiny square yard, in the centre of which was a table, which contained a dish of empty peapods, and two cabbages in a large basin of cold water.
Not a soul was in the yard, and Wyndham staring out ought in the usual order of things soon to have grown weary of the objects of his scrutiny. Far from that, his fixed gaze seemed to see something of peculiar and intense interest. When he turned away at last, his face was ghastly white, and taking out his handkerchief he wiped some drops of moisture from his forehead.
"My master will see you now, sir," said Helps, in a quiet voice. He had been watching Wyndham all the time, and now he looked up at him with a queer significant glance of sympathy.
"Oh, ain"t you a fool, young man?" he said. "Why, nothing ain"t worth what you"re a-gwine through."
"Is Carr gone?" asked Wyndham.
"Oh yes, sir, he"s a gent as knows what he"s after. No putting his foot into holes with him. He knows what ground he"ll walk on. Come along, sir, here you are."
Helps always showed Wyndham into the chief"s presence with great parade. Mr. Paget was in a genial humor. When he greeted the young man he actually laughed.
"Sit down, Gerald; sit down, my dear boy. Now, you"ll never guess what our friend Adrian Carr came to see me about. "Pon my word, it"s quite a joke--you"ll never guess it, Gerald."
"I"m sure of that, sir, I never guessed a riddle in my life."
Something in the hopeless tone in which these few words were uttered made Mr. Paget cease smiling. He favored Gerald with a lightning glance, then said quietly:
"I suppose I ought not to have laughed, but somehow I never thought Carr would have taken to the job. He wants me to introduce him to your father, Gerald. He is anxious to be ordained for the curacy which you have missed. Fancy a man like Carr in the Church! He says he never thought of such a profession until you put it into his head--now he is quite keen after it. Well, perhaps he will make an excellent clergyman--I rather fancy I should like to hear him preach."