"Young Cyril Mallow and Joseph Portlock"s girl."
"Oh, dear me, no," said Tomlinson. "Young Cyril has got a post under government, and it"s settled that Miss Cynthia is to be married to Lord Artingale, and a house has been taken for young Cyril up in Kensington."
"Hullo, old fox," cried Fullerton.
"Yoicks, yoicks, yoicks, gone away," shouted several, uproariously.
"Come, out with it," said Fullerton. "I"ll be bound to say you know all about it."
"Well," said Tomlinson, with the calm reticence of one who felt himself quite at home in the matter, "I did hear a little about it."
"From Joseph Portlock"s wife, I"ll be bound," said Fullerton. "She"s been at your place three times lately."
"I"m not going to mention any names," said Tomlinson, with a sly, smooth, fat smile, "but I think I may venture to say that there"ll be a wedding somewhere within six months, and that those who are married will live in Kensington."
"Ay, parson knows how to play his cards," said Warton. "I suppose the eldest girl will marry that stout gentleman, Perry-Morton. Parson manages things well. Fancy bagging Lord Artingale for a son-in-law.
Why, all Gatley belongs to him, and he"s an uncommonly nice fellow too."
"Yes, his lordship"s all very well; but as to young Cyril and Miss Portlock, mark my words, no good"ll come of it," said Fullerton, emphatically. "Mark my words: no good"ll come of it."
"I should be sorry if it did not turn out well, and so would my son be, I"m sure," said the old tanner.
"Why?" said Fullerton.
"Because Sage Portlock is a nice, superior sort of girl," said the old man, "and it is always grievous to see those you like come in for trouble."
"So it is," said Fullerton, "but trouble will come. Here"s two clergyman"s sons, who ought to be the very model of what young men should be, and has any one of you a good word to say for them?"
"Well, for my part," said Smithson, "a man as can"t wear a honestly well-cut pair of trousers, made by a respectable tradesman, but must send to London for everything, can"t have much balance in his nature."
"Quite right," said Warton. "Why, when old Mallow set up the carriage, young Cyril--no, it was Frank--must go up to London to buy the harness, and it had to come to me for repairs in less than a month."
"Well, for my part," said Tomlinson, "I wish Sage Portlock health and happiness, and no disrespect to you, Master Ross, for every girl has a right to choose her own master for life."
"I wish her health and happiness, too," said Fullerton, rising, "and I wish she may get them. Good night, gentlemen; I"m for home."
"Yes, it"s time for home," said old Michael Ross, rising, and saying good night; and the two neighbours walked down the street together.
"Married, eh?" said Fullerton, with a sneer. "Well, just as they like; but mark my words, Michael Ross, it means trouble."
"I hope not, I hope not," said the old tanner, sadly, "for I liked Sage Portlock. She"s a very good girl."
"Bah! sir; nonsense! sir; women are not much good as a rule, and she"s a very bad specimen. But, mark my words, sir, trouble, and misery, and misfortune. It will never be a happy match."
And the prophet of evil went his way, leaving old Michael Ross to stand upon his own doorstep thinking.
"Poor la.s.s, I liked Sage; and though she has broken with my poor boy,"
he said, "she"s not a bad girl at heart. Trouble, and misery, and misfortune--and all to come upon her poor weak head. Poor child--poor child. Luke will about break his heart.
"Trouble, and misery, and misfortune," he repeated, sadly. "I hope not, from my very heart, but I"m afraid Stephen Fullerton is right."
PART TWO, CHAPTER ONE.
PART 2--"FORSAKING ALL OTHER."
AFTER A LAPSE.
The Lawford people were disappointed, for the Rector thought it better, and the Portlocks made no objection, that the wedding should be as simple as possible, so there were no preparations to signify, only such as were made in a quiet way, and Luke Ross read one morning in the "Times" that Cyril Mallow, second son of the Rev Eli Mallow, had espoused Sage, daughter of the late Elias Portlock, Esq, of Melby, and niece of Joseph Portlock, Esq, the Hall, Kilby, Lawford. He had a letter afterwards from his father, giving him fuller information, and saying that Lord Artingale was at the wedding, and Cyril Mallow"s sisters were the bridesmaids, and that the young married people went off directly to Paris. That Frank Mallow had not gone back to Australia, and n.o.body knew when he would go. That Portlock the churchwarden had been very angry at having _Esquire_ put after his name in the announcements; that he was very friendly when he met the tanner in the market-place, and desired to be kindly remembered to Luke.
The letter concluded with a hope that Luke would soon come down, but he was not to come unless he felt that he did not mind a bit; that they had a very pleasant little body for schoolmistress now, and that Humphrey Bone seemed just the same as ever, and that was all at present from Luke"s affectionate father, Michael Ross.
Not quite all at present, for there was a postscript stating that the Rector was a good deal in trouble about his eldest girl, who seemed to be getting in a bad way, but all the same, both she and her sister were engaged to be married.
Luke Ross put the letter away in a drawer with a sigh, and turned to his reading working as hard as man could work, for in this he found his only relief from the troubled thoughts that oppressed him, while the change that had taken place in him in a few months was almost startling.
As the time went on the Rector, far from feeling lighter in his burdens now that he had Cyril comfortably settled down, had two new sources of trouble: in his son Frank, who had made the rectory, or the town house that had been taken and handsomely furnished, his home. He said that he was going back to Australia, but not yet. Perhaps he should take a wife back with him.
The Rector"s other trouble was Julia, who had grown so pale and weak that at last, partly in obedience to Mr Perry-Morton"s desire, it was settled that Sir Emerton Riffley should be consulted, and that eminent and fashionable physician was asked to call.
Sir Emerton did call, and after a long visit, as he saw his patient had no complaint to make, none to describe, he settled that it was want of tone.
"There is a want of heart action, my dear madam," he said, though there were times when poor Julia"s heart beat at a fearful rate.
"But you don"t think--"
"Oh, dear me, no! Oh, de-_ar_ no! A course of tonic medicine, a little alteration in diet, and a short stay at the seaside will quite restore us."
"Do you think Brighton?" said Mrs Mallow.
"Excellent," said Sir Emerton; "and it would benefit you as well."
"Or Bognor?"
"Nothing could be better."
"Perhaps Hastings?"
"My dear madam, if I had the choosing of a place for your daughter"s residence for the present, I should decidedly say Hastings," replied the great physician, rising from the side table, where he had been writing out a prescription precisely the same as that which he had written for hundreds of other young ladies in his time; and then, after a very courtly smile and bow, he left the drawing-room. The Rector was summoned, and the next day the family was staying at the "Queen"s"
Hotel.
"There, Julia," cried Cynthia, when they had been down a few days, "I think this is delicious, though we might just as well have stayed at Lawford. I don"t know, though; I like the seaside, and we shall be as free here as at home in the dear old woods."
Julia shuddered.
"Oh, you foolish girl! There, don"t think of that again. Let"s enjoy ourselves while we can. The Perry-Mortons will be here soon."