He took many volumes off the shelves, and put a few of them back again; and there he ended. Miss Milroy contrived in some mysterious manner to get, in this case, between the reader and the books. Her formal bow and her merciless parting speech dwelt, try how he might to forget them, on Allan"s mind; he began to grow more and more anxious as the idle hour wore on, to recover his lost place in her favor. To call again that day at the cottage, and ask if he had been so unfortunate as to offend her, was impossible. To put the question in writing with the needful nicety of expression proved, on trying the experiment, to be a task beyond his literary reach. After a turn or two up and down the room, with his pen in his mouth, he decided on the more diplomatic course (which happened, in this case, to be the easiest course, too), of writing to Miss Milroy as cordially as if nothing had happened, and of testing his position in her good graces by the answer that she sent him back. An invitation of some kind (including her father, of course, but addressed directly to herself) was plainly the right thing to oblige her to send a written reply; but here the difficulty occurred of what the invitation was to be. A ball was not to be thought of, in his present position with the resident gentry. A dinner-party, with no indispensable elderly lady on the premises to receive Miss Milroy--except Mrs. Gripper, who could only receive her in the kitchen--was equally out of the question. What was the invitation to be? Never backward, when he wanted help, in asking for it right and left in every available direction, Allan, feeling himself at the end of his own resources, coolly rang the bell, and astonished the servant who answered it by inquiring how the late family at Thorpe Ambrose used to amuse themselves, and what sort of invitations they were in the habit of sending to their friends.
"The family did what the rest of the gentry did, sir," said the man, staring at his master in utter bewilderment. "They gave dinner-parties and b.a.l.l.s. And in fine summer weather, sir, like this, they sometimes had lawn-parties and picnics--"
"That"ll do!" shouted Allan. "A picnic"s just the thing to please her.
Richard, you"re an invaluable man; you may go downstairs again."
Richard retired wondering, and Richard"s master seized his ready pen.
"DEAR MISS MILROY--Since I left you it has suddenly struck me that we might have a picnic. A little change and amus.e.m.e.nt (what I should call a good shaking-up, if I wasn"t writing to a young lady) is just the thing for you, after being so long indoors lately in Mrs. Milroy"s room. A picnic is a change, and (when the wine is good) amus.e.m.e.nt, too. Will you ask the major if he will consent to the picnic, and come? And if you have got any friends in the neighborhood who like a picnic, pray ask them too, for I have got none. It shall be your picnic, but I will provide everything and take everybody. You shall choose the day, and we will picnic where you like. I have set my heart on this picnic.
"Believe me, ever yours,
"ALLAN ARMADALE."
On reading over his composition before sealing it up, Allan frankly acknowledged to himself, this time, that it was not quite faultless.
""Picnic" comes in a little too often," he said. "Never mind; if she likes the idea, she won"t quarrel with that." He sent off the letter on the spot, with strict instructions to the messenger to wait for a reply.
In half an hour the answer came back on scented paper, without an erasure anywhere, fragrant to smell, and beautiful to see.
The presentation of the naked truth is one of those exhibitions from which the native delicacy of the female mind seems instinctively to revolt. Never were the tables turned more completely than they were now turned on Allan by his fair correspondent. Machiavelli himself would never have suspected, from Miss Milroy"s letter, how heartily she had repented her petulance to the young squire as soon as his back was turned, and how extravagantly delighted she was when his invitation was placed in her hands. Her letter was the composition of a model young lady whose emotions are all kept under parental lock and key, and served out for her judiciously as occasion may require. "Papa," appeared quite as frequently in Miss Milroy"s reply as "picnic" had appeared in Allan"s invitation. "Papa" had been as considerately kind as Mr. Armadale in wishing to procure her a little change and amus.e.m.e.nt, and had offered to forego his usual quiet habits and join the picnic. With "papa"s"
sanction, therefore, she accepted, with much pleasure, Mr. Armadale"s proposal; and, at "papa"s" suggestion, she would presume on Mr.
Armadale"s kindness to add two friends of theirs recently settled at Thorpe Ambrose, to the picnic party--a widow lady and her son; the latter in holy orders and in delicate health. If Tuesday next would suit Mr. Armadale, Tuesday next would suit "papa"--being the first day he could spare from repairs which were required by his clock. The rest, by "papa"s" advice, she would beg to leave entirely in Mr. Armadale"s hands; and, in the meantime, she would remain, with "papa"s"
compliments, Mr. Armadale"s truly--ELEANOR MILROY.
Who would ever have supposed that the writer of that letter had jumped for joy when Allan"s invitation arrived? Who would ever have suspected that there was an entry already in Miss Milroy"s diary, under that day"s date, to this effect: "The sweetest, dearest letter from _I-know-who_; I"ll never behave unkindly to him again as long as I live?" As for Allan, he was charmed with the sweet success of his maneuver. Miss Milroy had accepted his invitation; consequently, Miss Milroy was not offended with him. It was on the tip of his tongue to mention the correspondence to his friend when they met at dinner. But there was something in Midwinter"s face and manner (even plain enough for Allan to see) which warned him to wait a little before he said anything to revive the painful subject of their visit to the cottage. By common consent they both avoided all topics connected with Thorpe Ambrose, not even the visit from Mr. Bashwood, which was to come with the evening, being referred to by either of them. All through the dinner they drifted further and further back into the old endless talk of past times about ships and sailing. When the butler withdrew from his attendance at table, he came downstairs with a nautical problem on his mind, and asked his fellow-servants if they any of them knew the relative merits "on a wind" and "off a wind" of a schooner and a brig.
The two young men had sat longer at table than usual that day. When they went out into the garden with their cigars, the summer twilight fell gray and dim on lawn and flower bed, and narrowed round them by slow degrees the softly fading circle of the distant view. The dew was heavy, and, after a few minutes in the garden, they agreed to go back to the drier ground on the drive in front of the house.
They were close to the turning which led into the shrubbery, when there suddenly glided out on them, from behind the foliage, a softly stepping black figure--a shadow, moving darkly through the dim evening light.
Midwinter started back at the sight of it, and even the less finely strung nerves of his friend were shaken for the moment.
"Who the devil are you?" cried Allan.
The figure bared its head in the gray light, and came slowly a step nearer. Midwinter advanced a step on his side, and looked closer. It was the man of the timid manners and the mourning garments, of whom he had asked the way to Thorpe Ambrose where the three roads met.
"Who are you?" repeated Allan.
"I humbly beg your pardon, sir," faltered the stranger, stepping back again, confusedly. "The servants told me I should find Mr. Armadale--"
"What, are you Mr. Bashwood?"
"Yes, if you please, sir."
"I beg your pardon for speaking to you so roughly," said Allan; "but the fact is, you rather startled me. My name is Armadale (put on your hat, pray), and this is my friend, Mr. Midwinter, who wants your help in the steward"s office."
"We hardly stand in need of an introduction," said Midwinter. "I met Mr.
Bashwood out walking a few days since, and he was kind enough to direct me when I had lost my way."
"Put on your hat," reiterated Allan, as Mr. Bashwood, still bareheaded, stood bowing speechlessly, now to one of the young men, and now to the other. "My good sir, put on your hat, and let me show you the way back to the house. Excuse me for noticing it," added Allan, as the man, in sheer nervous helplessness, let his hat fall, instead of putting it back on his head; "but you seem a little out of sorts; a gla.s.s of good wine will do you no harm before you and my friend come to business.
Whereabouts did you meet with Mr. Bashwood, Midwinter, when you lost your way?"
"I am too ignorant of the neighborhood to know. I must refer you to Mr.
Bashwood."
"Come, tell us where it was," said Allan, trying, a little too abruptly, to set the man at his ease, as they all three walked back to the house.
The measure of Mr. Bashwood"s const.i.tutional timidity seemed to be filled to the brim by the loudness of Allan"s voice and the bluntness of Allan"s request. He ran over in the same feeble flow of words with which he had deluged Midwinter on the occasion when they first met.
"It was on the road, sir," he began, addressing himself alternately to Allan, whom he called, "sir," and to Midwinter, whom he called by his name, "I mean, if you please, on the road to Little Gill Beck. A singular name, Mr. Midwinter, and a singular place; I don"t mean the village; I mean the neighborhood--I mean the "Broads" beyond the neighborhood. Perhaps you may have heard of the Norfolk Broads, sir?
What they call lakes in other parts of England, they call Broads here.
The Broads are quite numerous; I think they would repay a visit. You would have seen the first of them, Mr. Midwinter, if you had walked on a few miles from where I had the honor of meeting you. Remarkably numerous, the Broads, sir--situated between this and the sea. About three miles from the sea, Mr. Midwinter--about three miles. Mostly shallow, sir, with rivers running between them. Beautiful; solitary.
Quite a watery country, Mr. Midwinter; quite separate, as it were, in itself. Parties sometimes visit them, sir--pleasure parties in boats.
It"s quite a little network of lakes, or, perhaps--yes, perhaps, more correctly, pools. There is good sport in the cold weather. The wild fowl are quite numerous. Yes; the Broads would repay a visit, Mr. Midwinter.
The next time you are walking that way. The distance from here to Little Gill Beck, and then from Little Gill Beck to Girdler Broad, which is the first you come to, is altogether not more--" In sheer nervous inability to leave off, he would apparently have gone on talking of the Norfolk Broads for the rest of the evening, if one of his two listeners had not unceremoniously cut him short before he could find his way into a new sentence.
"Are the Broads within an easy day"s drive there and back from this house?" asked Allan, feeling, if they were, that the place for the picnic was discovered already.
"Oh, yes, sir; a nice drive--quite a nice easy drive from this beautiful place!"
They were by this time ascending the portico steps, Allan leading the way up, and calling to Midwinter and Mr. Bashwood to follow him into the library, where there was a lighted lamp.
In the interval which elapsed before the wine made its appearance, Midwinter looked at his chance acquaintance of the high-road with strangely mingled feelings of compa.s.sion and distrust--of compa.s.sion that strengthened in spite of him; of distrust that persisted in diminishing, try as he might to encourage it to grow. There, perched comfortless on the edge of his chair, sat the poor broken-down, nervous wretch, in his worn black garments, with his watery eyes, his honest old outspoken wig, his miserable mohair stock, and his false teeth that were incapable of deceiving anybody--there he sat, politely ill at ease; now shrinking in the glare of the lamp, now wincing under the shock of Allan"s st.u.r.dy voice; a man with the wrinkles of sixty years in his face, and the manners of a child in the presence of strangers; an object of pity surely, if ever there was a pitiable object yet!
"Whatever else you"re afraid of, Mr. Bashwood," cried Allan, pouring out a gla.s.s of wine, "don"t be afraid of that! There isn"t a headache in a hogshead of it! Make yourself comfortable; I"ll leave you and Mr.
Midwinter to talk your business over by yourselves. It"s all in Mr.
Midwinter"s hands; he acts for me, and settles everything at his own discretion."
He said those words with a cautious choice of expression very uncharacteristic of him, and, without further explanation, made abruptly for the door. Midwinter, sitting near it, noticed his face as he went out. Easy as the way was into Allan"s favor, Mr. Bashwood, beyond all kind of doubt, had in some unaccountable manner failed to find it!
The two strangely a.s.sorted companions were left together--parted widely, as it seemed on the surface, from any possible interchange of sympathy; drawn invisibly one to the other, nevertheless, by those magnetic similarities of temperament which overleap all difference of age or station, and defy all apparent incongruities of mind and character. From the moment when Allan left the room, the hidden Influence that works in darkness began slowly to draw the two men together, across the great social desert which had lain between them up to this day.
Midwinter was the first to approach the subject of the interview.
"May I ask," he began, "if you have been made acquainted with my position here, and if you know why it is that I require your a.s.sistance?"
Mr. Bashwood--still hesitating and still timid, but manifestly relieved by Allan"s departure--sat further back in his chair, and ventured on fortifying himself with a modest little sip of wine.
"Yes, sir," he replied; "Mr. Pedgift informed me of all--at least I think I may say so--of all the circ.u.mstances. I am to instruct, or perhaps, I ought to say to advise--"
"No, Mr. Bashwood; the first word was the best word of the two. I am quite ignorant of the duties which Mr. Armadale"s kindness has induced him to intrust to me. If I understand right, there can be no question of your capacity to instruct me, for you once filled a steward"s situation yourself. May I inquire where it was?"
"At Sir John Mellowship"s, sir, in West Norfolk. Perhaps you would like--I have got it with me--to see my testimonial? Sir John might have dealt more kindly with me; but I have no complaint to make; it"s all done and over now!" His watery eyes looked more watery still, and the trembling in his hands spread to his lips as he produced an old dingy letter from his pocket-book and laid it open on the table.
The testimonial was very briefly and very coldly expressed, but it was conclusive as far as it went. Sir John considered it only right to say that he had no complaint to make of any want of capacity or integrity in his steward. If Mr. Bashwood"s domestic position had been compatible with the continued performance of his duties on the estate, Sir John would have been glad to keep him. As it was, embarra.s.sments caused by the state of Mr. Bashwood"s personal affairs had rendered it undesirable that he should continue in Sir John"s service; and on that ground, and that only, his employer and he had parted. Such was Sir John"s testimony to Mr. Bashwood"s character. As Midwinter read the last lines, he thought of another testimonial, still in his own possession--of the written character which they had given him at the school, when they turned their sick usher adrift in the world. His superst.i.tion (distrusting all new events and all new faces at Thorpe Ambrose) still doubted the man before him as obstinately as ever. But when he now tried to put those doubts into words, his heart upbraided him, and he laid the letter on the table in silence.
The sudden pause in the conversation appeared to startle Mr. Bashwood.