"Miss Vancourt has left for the Continent, my lord," replied Primmins, sedately.
Longford exchanged a swift glance with his patron. The latter gave a slight, weary shrug of his shoulders.
"Miss Bourne."--began Longford then.
"Miss Bourne and Mr. Gigg have also left," said Primmins.
"I suppose Miss Vancourt went with them?"
"No, sir."
This was baffling.
"Lady Wicketts is staying here, I believe,"--murmured Roxmouth--"Can I--er?"
"Her ladyship has the neuralgy and is lying down, my lord," and an acute observer might have noticed the tremor of a wink in Primmins"
eye--"Miss Fosby is in the drawing-room."
With a profound sigh Roxmouth glanced at Longford. That gentleman smiled a superior smile.
"We should like to see Miss Fosby."
Primmins at once threw open the door more widely.
"This way, if you please!"
In another moment they were ushered into the presence of Miss Fosby, who, laying aside her embroidery, rose with punctilious ceremony to receive them.
"Lady Wicketts is not well,"--she said, in tenderly lachrymose accents--"Dear Lady Wicketts! She is always so good!--always thinking of other people and doing such kind things!--she fatigues herself, and she is so delicate--ah!--so very delicate! She is suffering from neuralgia, I am sorry to say!"
"Don"t mention it,"--said Roxmouth, hastily--"We would not disturb her for the world! The fact is, we called to see Miss Vancourt---"
"Yes?" queried Miss Fosby, gently, taking up her embroidery again, and carefully setting her needle into the petal of a rosebud she was designing--"Dear girl! She left here yesterday."
"Rather sudden, wasn"t it?" said Longford.
Miss Fosby looked up placidly, and smiled. She had a touch of humour about her as well as much "early Victorian" sentiment, and she was just now enjoying herself.
"I think not! Young women like change and travel. Maryllia has always been accustomed to go abroad in August. The first time Lady Wicketts and I ever met her, she was travelling with her aunt. Oh no, I don"t think it is at all sudden!"
"Where has she gone?" asked Roxmouth, affecting as much ease and lightness of manner as he could in putting the question.
Miss Fosby smiled a little more.
"I really don"t know,"--she replied, with civil mildness--"I fancy she has no settled plans at all. She has kindly allowed Lady Wicketts and myself the use of the Manor for three weeks."
"Till she returns?" suggested Longford.
This time Miss Fosby laughed.
"Oh no! When WE leave it, the Manor is to be shut up again for quite a long time--probably till next summer."
"Miss Bourne has gone with her friend, I suppose?" "No,"--and Miss Fosby sought carefully among her embroidery silks for some special tint of colour--"Little Cicely and Monsieur Gigue, her master, went away together only this morning."
"Well, I suppose Miss Vancourt"s letters will he forwarded on somewhere!"--said Eoxmouth, unguardedly. Miss Fosby"s back stiffened instantly.
"Really, my lord, I know nothing about that,"--she said, primly-- "Nor should I even make it my business to enquire." There was an awkward pause after this, and though Longford skilfully changed the subject of conversation to generalities, the rest of the interview was fraught with considerable embarra.s.sment. Miss Fosby was not to be "drawn." She was distinctly "old-fashioned,"--needless therefore to add that she was absolutely loyal to her absent friend and hostess.
Leaving the Manor, Lord Roxmouth and his tame p.u.s.s.y sought for information in other quarters with equal futility. The agent, Mr.
Stanways, "knew nothing." His orders were to communicate all his business to Miss Vancourt"s solicitors in London. Finally the last hope failed them in Julian Adderley. They found that young gentleman as much taken aback as themselves by the news of Maryllia"a departure. He had been told nothing of it. A note from Cicely Bourne had been brought to him that morning by one of the gardeners at the Manor--and he showed this missive to both Roxmouth and Longford with perfect frankness. It merely ran: "Goodbye Moon-calf! Am going away.
No time to see you for a fond farewell! Hope you will be famous before I come back. Enclosed herewith is my music to your "Little Eose Tree," GOBLIN."
This, with the accompanying ma.n.u.script score of the song alluded to was all the information Julian could supply,--and his own surprise and consternation at the abrupt and unexpected termination of his pleasant visits to the Manor, were too genuine to be doubted.
"It is positively remote!" he said, staring vaguely at his visitors- -"Too remote for realisation! Mr. Walden has gone away too."
Roxmouth started.
"Mr. Walden?"
"Yes." And Julian looked surprised at the other"s hasty tone,--"But only to see his Bishop. He will preach here as usual on Sunday."
"Are you sure of that?" asked Longford, sharply scanning Julian"s flabby face, green-grey eyes and ruddy locks with sudden suspicion-- "Or is it only a blind?"
"A blind?" And Adderley lifted his shoulders to the lobes of his ears and spread out his hands in flat amazement,--"What do you mean, most obscure Marius? For what purpose should a blind be used? Mr.
Walden is the last person in the world to wish to cover his intentions, or disguise his motives. He is the sincerest man I ever met!"
Longford glanced at his patron for instructions. Was Adderley to be told of the "amorous entanglement" of Miss Vancourt? Roxmouth frowned at him warningly, and he understood his cue.
"Well, if you hear any news from the Manor, you can let us know,"-- he said--"You are quite aware of the position---"
"Quite!" murmured Julian, lazily.
"And if you want to get on, you will hardly find a better friend than Lord Roxmouth,"--pursued Longford, with meaning emphasis--"He has made many a man famous!"
"Oh, my dear Longford!-pray do not speak of these things!"-- interrupted Roxmouth, with an air of gentlemanly humility. "Merit always commands my interest and attention--and Mr. Adderley"s talent as a poet--naturally--!" Here he waved his hand and allowed the sentence to finish itself.
Julian looked at him thoughtfully.
"Thanks! I THINK I see what you mean!"--he said slowly--"But I"m afraid I am not a useful person. I never have been useful in my life--neither to myself, nor to anybody else. To be useful would be new--and in some cases, fresh,"--here he smiled dubiously--"Yes-- very fresh!--and delightful! But I fear--I very much fear that I shall always "lack advancement" as Hamlet says--I can never accommodate myself to other people"s plans. You will excuse my inabilities?"
Roxmouth flushed angrily. He understood. So did Marius Longford-- resolving in his own mind that whenever, IF ever, a book of poems appeared by Julian Adderley, he would so maul and pounce upon it in the critical reviews, that there should not be a line of it left unmangled or alive. They parted with him, however, on apparently excellent terms.
Returning to Badsworth Hall they found no further news awaiting them than they had themselves been able to obtain. Sir Morton"s fussy enquiries had brought no result--Miss Tabitha had scoured the neighbourhood in her high dogcart, calling on the Ittlethwaites and Mandeville Porehams, all in vain. n.o.body knew anything. n.o.body had heard anything. The sudden exit of Maryllia from the scene took everyone by surprise. And when Miss Pippitt began to hiss a scandalous whisper concerning John Walden, and a possible intrigue between him and the Lady of the Manor, the "county" sat up amazed.
Here indeed was food for gossip! Here was material for "local"
excitement!
"Old Tabitha"s jealous!--that"s what it is!" said Bruce Ittlethwaite of Ittlethwaite Park, to his maiden sisters,--"Ha-ha-ha! Old green- and-yellow Tabitha is afraid she"ll lose her pet parson! Dammit! A pretty woman always starts this kind of nonsense. If it wasn"t the clergyman, it would be somebody else--perhaps Sir Morton himself--or perhaps me! Ha-ha-ha! Dammit!"