"You"ll stop and see me turned off, old fellow?"
"What"s the use? You"ll get your wife, and that"s enough for you. The truth is, that since that girl came down from London with her d----d airs;"--the girl from London with the airs was poor Alice,--"the place is quite changed. I"m blessed if the whole thing isn"t as dark as ditch-water. I"m a plain man, I am; and I do hate your swells."
Against this view of the case Captain Bellfield argued stoutly; but Cheesacre had been offended, and throughout the next day he was cross and touchy. He wouldn"t play billiards, and on one occasion hinted that he hoped he should get that money soon.
"You did it admirably, my dear," said Mrs. Greenow that night to Charlie Fairstairs. The widow was now on terms almost more confidential with Miss Fairstairs than with her own niece, Kate Vavasor. She loved a little bit of intrigue; and though Kate could intrigue, as we have seen in this story, Kate would not join her aunt"s intrigues. "You did it admirably. I really did not think you had so much in you."
"Oh, I don"t know," said Charlie, blushing at the praise.
"And it"s the only way, my dear;--the only way, I mean, for you with such a one as him. And if he does come round, you"ll find him an excellent husband."
"I don"t think he cares for me a bit," said Charlie whimpering.
"Pooh, nonsense! Girls never know whether men care for them or not.
If he asks you to marry him, won"t that be a sign that he cares for you? and if he don"t, why, there"ll be no harm done."
"If he thinks it"s his money--" began Charlie.
"Now, don"t talk nonsense, Charlie," said Mrs. Greenow, "or you"ll make me sick. Of course it"s his money, more or less. You don"t mean to tell me you"d go and fall in love with him if he was like Bellfield, and hadn"t got a rap? I can afford that sort of thing; you can"t. I don"t mean to say you ain"t to love him. Of course, you"re to love him; and I"ve no doubt you will, and make him a very good wife. I always think that worldliness and sentimentality are like brandy-and-water. I don"t like either of them separately, but taken together they make a very nice drink. I like them warm, with ---- as the gentlemen say." To this little lecture Miss Fairstairs listened with dutiful patience, and when it was over she said nothing more of her outraged affections or of her disregard for money. "And now, my dear, mind you look your best on Friday. I"ll get him away immediately after dinner, and when he"s done with me you can contrive to be in his way, you know."
The next day was what Kate called the blank day at the Hall. The ladies were all alone, and devoted themselves, as was always the case on the blank days, to millinery and household cares. Mrs. Greenow, as has before been stated, had taken a lease of the place, and her troubles extended beyond her mere bridal wardrobe. Large trunks of household linen had arrived, and all this linen was marked with the name of Greenow; Greenow, 5.58; Greenow, 7.52; and a good deal had to be done before this ancient wealth of housewifery could probably be converted to Bellfield purposes. "We must cut out the pieces, Jeannette, and work "em in again ever so carefully," said the widow, after some painful consideration. "It will always show," said Jeannette, shaking her head. "But the other would show worse," said the widow; "and if you finedraw it, not one person in ten will notice it. We"d always put them on with the name to the feet, you know."
It was not quite true that Cheesacre had bespoke the dinner out in the field, although no doubt he thought he had done so. The little treat, if treat it was, had all been arranged by Mrs. Greenow, who was ever ready to create festivities. There was not much scope for a picnic here. Besides their own party, which, of course, included the Captain and Mr. Cheesacre, no guest could be caught except the clergyman;--that low-church clergyman, who was so anxious about his income, and with whom the old Squire had quarrelled. Mrs. Greenow had quickly obtained the advantage of his alliance, and he, who was soon to perform on her behalf the marriage ceremony, had promised to grace this little festival. The affair simply amounted to this, that they were to eat their dinner uncomfortably in the field instead of comfortably in the dining-room. But Mrs. Greenow knew that Charlie"s charms would be much strengthened by a dinner out-of-doors.
"Nothing," she said to Kate, "nothing makes a man come forward so well as putting him altogether out of his usual tack. A man who wouldn"t think of such a thing in the drawing-room would be sure to make an offer if he spent an evening with a young lady down-stairs in the kitchen."
At two o"clock the gig from Penrith arrived at the Hall, and for the next hour both Cheesacre and the Captain were engaged in preparing the tables and carrying out the viands. The Captain and Charlie Fairstairs were going to lay the cloth. "Let me do it," said Cheesacre taking it out of the Captain"s hands. "Oh, certainly," said the Captain, giving up his prize. "Captain Bellfield would do it much better," said Charlie, with a little toss of her head; "he"s as good as a married man, and they always do these things best."
The day was fine, and although the shade was not perfect, and the midges were troublesome, the dinner went off very nicely. It was beautiful to see how well Mrs. Greenow remembered herself about the grace, seeing that the clergyman was there. She was just in time, and would have been very angry with herself, and have thought herself awkward, had she forgotten it. Mr. Cheesacre sat on her right hand, and the clergyman on her left, and she hardly spoke a word to Bellfield. Her sweetest smiles were all given to Cheesacre. She was specially anxious to keep her neighbour, the parson, in good-humour, and therefore illuminated him once in every five minutes with a pa.s.sing ray, but the full splendour of her light was poured out upon Cheesacre, as it never had before been poured. How she did flatter him, and with what a capacious gullet did he swallow her flatteries!
Oileymead was the only paradise she had ever seen. "Ah, me; when I think of it sometimes,--but never mind." A moment came to him when he thought that even yet he might win the race, and send Bellfield away howling into outer darkness. A moment came to him, and the widow saw the moment well. "I know I have done for the best," said she, "and therefore I shall never regret it; at any rate, it"s done now."
"Not done yet," said he plaintively.
"Yes; done, and done, and done. Besides, a man in your position in the county should always marry a wife younger than yourself,--a good deal younger." Cheesacre did not understand the argument, but he liked the allusion to his position in the county, and he perceived that it was too late for any changes in the present arrangements. But he was happy; and all that feeling of animosity to Alice had vanished from his breast. Poor Alice! she, at any rate, was innocent. With so much of her own to fill her mind, she had been but little able to take her share in the Greenow festivities; and we may safely say, that if Mr. Cheesacre"s supremacy was on any occasion attacked, it was not attacked by her. His supremacy on this occasion was paramount, and during the dinner, and after the dinner, he was allowed to give his orders to Bellfield in a manner that must have gratified him much. "You must have another gla.s.s of champagne with me, my friend," said Mrs. Greenow; and Mr. Cheesacre drank the other gla.s.s of champagne. It was not the second nor the third that he had taken.
After dinner they started off for a ramble through the fields, and Mrs. Greenow and Mr. Cheesacre were together. I think that Charlie Fairstairs did not go with them at all. I think she went into the house and washed her face, and brushed her hair, and settled her muslin. I should not wonder if she took off her frock and ironed it again. Captain Bellfield, I know, went with Alice, and created some astonishment by a.s.suring her that he fully meant to correct the error of his ways. "I know what it is," he said, "to be connected with such a family as yours, Miss Vavasor." He too had heard about the future d.u.c.h.ess, and wished to be on his best behaviour. Kate fell to the lot of the parson.
"This is the last time we shall ever be together in this way," said the widow to her friend.
"Oh, no," said Cheesacre; "I hope not."
"The last time. On Wednesday I become Mrs. Bellfield, and I need hardly say that I have many things to think of before that; but Mr.
Cheesacre, I hope we are not to be strangers hereafter?" Mr. Cheesacre said that he hoped not. Oileymead would always be open to Captain and Mrs. Bellfield.
"We all know your hospitality," said she; "it is not to-day nor to-morrow that I or my husband,--that is to be,--will have to learn that. He always declares that you are the very beau ideal of an English country gentleman."
"Merely a poor Norfolk farmer," said Cheesacre. "I never want to put myself beyond my own place. There has been some talk about the Commission of the Peace, but I don"t think anything of it."
"It has been the greatest blessing in the world for him that he has ever known you," said Mrs. Greenow, still talking about her future husband.
"I"ve tried to be good-natured; that"s all. D---- me, Mrs. Greenow, what"s the use of living if one doesn"t try to be good-natured? There isn"t a better fellow than Bellfield living. He and I ran for the same plate, and he has won it. He"s a lucky fellow, and I don"t begrudge him his luck."
"That"s so manly of you, Mr. Cheesacre! But, indeed, the plate you speak of was not worth your running for."
"I may have my own opinion about that, you know."
"It was not. n.o.body knows that as well as I do, or could have thought over the whole matter so often. I know very well what my mission is in life. The mistress of your house, Mr. Cheesacre, should not be any man"s widow."
"She wouldn"t be a widow then, you know."
"A virgin heart should be yours; and a virgin heart may be yours, if you choose to accept it."
"Oh, bother!"
"If you choose to take my solicitude on your behalf in that way, of course I have done. You were good enough to say just now that you wished to see me and my husband in your hospitable halls. After all that has pa.s.sed, do you think that I could be a visitor at your house unless there is a mistress there?"
"Upon my word, I think you might."
"No, Mr. Cheesacre; certainly not. For all our sakes, I should decline. But if you were married--"
"You are always wanting to marry me, Mrs. Greenow."
"I do, I do. It is the only way in which there can be any friendship between us, and not for worlds would I lose that advantage for my husband,--let alone what I may feel for myself."
"Why didn"t you take me yourself, Mrs. Greenow?"
"If you can"t understand, it is not for me to say anything more, Mr.
Cheesacre. If you value the warm affection of a virgin heart--"
"Why, Mrs. Greenow, all yesterday she wouldn"t say a word to me."
"Not say a word to you? Is that all you know about it? Are you so ignorant that you cannot see when a girl"s heart is breaking beneath her stays?" This almost improper allusion had quite an effect on Mr.
Cheesacre"s sensitive bosom. "Did you say a word to her yesterday?
And if not, why have you said so many words before?"
"Oh, Mrs. Greenow; come!"
"It is, oh, Mrs. Greenow. But it is time that we should go back to them." They had been sitting all this time on a bank, under a hedge. "We will have our tea, and you shall have your pipe and brandy-and-water, and Charlie shall bring it to you. Shall she, Mr.
Cheesacre?"
"If she likes she shall, of course."
"Do you ask her, and she"ll like it it quick enough. But remember, Mr. Cheesacre, I"m quite serious in what I say about your having a mistress for your house. Only think what an age you"ll be when your children grow up, if you don"t marry soon now."
They returned to the field in which they had dined, and found Charlie under the trees, with her muslin looking very fresh. "What, all a-mort?" said Mrs. Greenow. Charlie did not quite understand this, but replied that she preferred being alone. "I have told him that you should fill his pipe for him," said Mrs. Greenow. "He doesn"t care for ladies to fill his pipe for him," said Charlie. "Do you try," said the widow, "while I go indoors and order the tea."
It had been necessary to put the bait very close before Cheesacre"s eyes, or there would have been no hope that he might take it. The bait had been put so very close that we must feel sure that he saw the hook. But there are fish so silly that they will take the bait although they know the hook is there. Cheesacre understood it all.
Many things he could not see, but he could see that Mrs. Greenow was trying to catch him as a husband for Charlie Fairstairs; and he knew also that he had always despised Charlie, and that no worldly advantage whatever would accrue to him by a marriage with such a girl. But there she was, and he didn"t quite know how to avoid it.
She did look rather nice in her clear-starched muslin frock, and he felt that he should like to kiss her. He needn"t marry her because he kissed her. The champagne which had created the desire also gave him the audacity. He gave one glance around him to see that he was not observed, and then he did kiss Charlie Fairstairs under the trees. "Oh, Mr. Cheesacre," said Charlie. "Oh, Mr. Cheesacre," echoed a laughing voice; and poor Cheesacre, looking round, saw that Mrs.
Greenow, who ought to have been inside the house looking after the boiling water, was moving about for some unknown reason within sight of the spot which he had chosen for his dalliance.