"And why not? Look here, Arabella!" At these words he rose from his chair, and coming immediately before her, went down on both knees so close to her as to prevent the possibility of her escaping from him. There could be no doubt as to the efficacy of the cherry-brandy.
There he was, well down on his knees; but he had not got down so low without some little cracking and straining on the part of the gaiters with which his legs were encompa.s.sed. He, in his pa.s.sion, had probably omitted to notice this; but Mrs. Greenow, who was more cool in her present temperament, was painfully aware that he might not be able to rise with ease.
"Mr. Cheesacre, don"t make a fool of yourself. Get up," said she.
"Never, till you have told me that you will be mine!"
"Then you"ll remain there for ever, which will be inconvenient. I won"t have you take hold of my hand, Mr. Cheesacre. I tell you to have done." Whereupon his grasp upon her hand was released; but he made no attempt to rise.
"I never saw a man look so much like a fool in my life," said she.
"If you don"t get up, I"ll push you over. There; don"t you hear?
There"s somebody coming."
But Cheesacre, whose senses were less acute than the lady"s, did not hear. "I"ll never get up," said he, "till you have bid me hope."
"Bid you play the fiddle. Get away from my knees, at any rate.
There;--he"ll be in the room now before--"
[Ill.u.s.tration: Mr. Cheesacre disturbed.]
Cheesacre now did hear a sound of steps, and the door was opened while he made his first futile attempt to get back to a standing position. The door was opened, and Captain Bellfield entered. "I beg ten thousand pardons," said he, "but as I did not see Jeannette, I ventured to come in. May I venture to congratulate my friend Cheesacre on his success?"
In the meantime Cheesacre had risen; but he had done so slowly, and with evident difficulty. "I"ll trouble you to leave the room, Captain Bellfield," said he. "I"m particularly engaged with Mrs. Greenow, as any gentleman might have seen."
"There wasn"t the slightest difficulty in seeing it, old fellow,"
said the Captain. "Shall I wish you joy?"
"I"ll trouble you to leave the room, sir," said Cheesacre, walking up to him.
"Certainly, if Mrs. Greenow will desire me to do so," said the Captain.
Then Mrs. Greenow felt herself called upon to speak.
"Gentlemen, I must beg that you will not make my drawing-room a place for quarrelling. Captain Bellfield, lest there should be any misconception, I must beg you to understand that the position in which you found Mr. Cheesacre was one altogether of his own seeking.
It was not with my consent that he was there."
"I can easily believe that, Mrs. Greenow," said the Captain.
"Who cares what you believe, sir?" said Mr. Cheesacre.
"Gentlemen! gentlemen! this is really unkind. Captain Bellfield, I think I had better ask you to withdraw."
"By all means," said Mr. Cheesacre.
"As it is absolutely necessary that I should give Mr. Cheesacre a definite answer after what has occurred--"
"Of course," said Captain Bellfield, preparing to go. "I"ll take another opportunity of paying my respects to you. Perhaps I might be allowed to come this evening?"
To this Mrs. Greenow half a.s.sented with an uncertain nod, and then the Captain went. As soon as the door was closed behind his back, Mr.
Cheesacre again prepared to throw himself into his former position, but to this Mrs. Greenow decidedly objected. If he were allowed to go down again, there was no knowing what force might be necessary to raise him. "Mr. Cheesacre," she said, "let there be an end to this little farce between us."
"Farce!" said he, standing with his hand on his heart, and his legs and knickerbockers well displayed.
"It is certainly either a farce or a mistake. If the latter,--and I have been at all to blame,--I ask your pardon most sincerely."
"But you"ll be Mrs. Cheesacre; won"t you?"
"No, Mr. Cheesacre; no. One husband is enough for any woman, and mine lies buried at Birmingham."
"Oh, d.a.m.n it!" said he, in utter disgust at this further reference to Mr. Greenow. The expression, at such a moment, militated against courtesy; but even Mrs. Greenow herself felt that the poor man had been subjected to provocation.
"Let us part friends," said she, offering him her hand.
But he turned his back upon her, for there was something in his eye that he wanted to hide. I believe that he really did love her, and that at this moment he would have taken her, even though he had learned that her fortune was gone.
"Will you not give me your hand," said she, "in token that there is no anger between us?"
"Do think about it again--do!" said he. "If there"s anything you like to have changed, I"ll change it at once. I"ll give up Oileymead altogether, if you don"t like being so near the farm-yard. I"ll give up anything; so I will. Mrs. Greenow, if you only knew how I"ve set my heart upon it!" And now, though his back was turned, the whimpering of his voice told plainly that tears were in his eyes.
She was a little touched. No woman would feel disposed to marry a man simply because he cried, and perhaps few women would be less likely to give way to such tenderness than Mrs. Greenow. She understood men and women too well, and had seen too much both of the world"s rough side and of its smooth side to fall into such a blunder as that; but she was touched. "My friend," she said, putting her hand upon his arm, "think no more of it."
"But I can"t help thinking of it," said he, almost blubbering in his earnestness.
"No, no, no," said she, still touching him with her hand. "Why, Mr.
Cheesacre, how can you bring yourself to care for an old woman like me, when so many pretty young ladies would give their eyes to get a kind word from you?"
"I don"t want any young lady," said he.
"There"s Charlie Fairstairs, who would make as good a wife as any girl I know."
"Psha! Charlie Fairstairs, indeed!" The very idea of having such a bride palmed off upon him did something to restore him to his manly courage.
"Or my niece, Kate Vavasor, who has a nice little fortune of her own, and who is as accomplished as she is good-looking."
"She"s nothing to me, Mrs. Greenow."
"That"s because you never asked her to be anything. If I get her to come back to Yarmouth next summer, will you think about it? You want a wife, and you couldn"t do better if you searched all England over.
It would be so pleasant for us to be such near friends; wouldn"t it?"
And again she put her hand upon his arm.
"Mrs. Greenow, just at present there"s only one woman in the world that I can think of."
"And that"s my niece."
"And that"s yourself. I"m a broken-hearted man,--I am, indeed. I didn"t ever think I should feel so much about a thing of the kind--I didn"t, really. I hardly know what to do with myself; but I suppose I"d better go back to Oileymead." He had become so painfully unconscious of his new coat and his knickerbockers that it was impossible not to pity him. "I shall always hate the place now," he said,--"always."
"That will pa.s.s away. You"d be as happy as a king there, if you"d take Kate for your queen."