"Hannah, I think the lady would like to be alone with you; so I will bid you good-day, and come again to-morrow."
"Very well, Reuben," was all that the woman could answer in the presence of a third person.
And after shaking Hannah"s hand, and pulling his forelock to the visitor, the man went away.
As soon as he was clearly gone the countess turned to the weaver and said:
"Hannah--your name is Hannah, I think?"
"Yes, madam."
"Well, Hannah, I have come to thank you for your tender care of my son, and to relieve you of him!" said the countess.
"Madam!" exclaimed the amazed woman, staring point-blank at the visitor.
"Why, what is the matter, girl? What have I said that you should glare at me in that way?" petulantly demanded the lady.
"Madam, you astonish me! Your son is not here. I know nothing about your son; not even that you had a son," replied Hannah.
"Oh, I see," said the lady, with a faint smile; "you are angry because I have left him on your hands so many days. That is pardonable in you.
But, you see, my girl, it was not my fault. I never even heard of the little fellow"s existence until late last night. I could not sleep for thinking of him. And I came here as soon as I had had my breakfast."
"Madam, can a lady have a son and not know it?" exclaimed Hannah, her amazement fast rising to alarm, for she was beginning to suppose her visitor a maniac escaped from Bedlam.
"Nonsense, Hannah; do not be so hard to propitiate, my good woman! I have explained to you how it happened! I came as soon as I could! I am willing to reward you liberally for all the trouble you have had with him. So now show me my son, there"s a good soul."
"Poor thing! poor, poor thing! so young and so perfectly crazy!"
muttered Hannah, looking at the countess with blended pity and fear.
"Come, Hannah, show me my son, and have done with this!" said the visitor, rising.
"Don"t, my lady; don"t go on in this way; you know you have no son; be good, now, and tell me if you really are the Countess of Hurstmonceux; or if not, tell me who you are, and where you live, and let me take you back to your friends," pleaded Hannah, taking her visitor by the hands.
"Oh, there he is now!" exclaimed the countess, shaking Hannah off, and going towards the bed where she saw the babe lying.
Hannah sprang after her, clasped her around the waist, and holding her tightly, cried out in terror:
"Don"t, my lady! for Heaven"s sake, don"t hurt the child! He is such a poor little mite; he cannot live many days; he must die, and it will be a great blessing that he does; but still, for all that, I mustn"t see him killed before my very face. No, you shan"t, my lady! you shan"t go anigh him! You shan"t, indeed!" exclaimed Hannah, as the countess struggled once to free herself.
"How dare you hold me?" exclaimed Berenice.
"Because I am strong enough to do so, my lady, without your leave! And because you are not yourself, my lady, and you might kill the child,"
said Hannah resolutely enough, though, to tell the truth, she was frightened almost out of her senses.
"Not myself? Are you crazy, woman?" indignantly demanded Berenice.
"No, my lady, but you are! Oh, do try to compose your mind, or you may do yourself a mischief!" pleaded Hannah.
Berenice suddenly ceased to struggle, and became perfectly quiet. Hannah was resolved not to be deceived, and held her firmly as ever.
"Hannah," said the countess, "I begin to see how it is that you think me mad. You, a Christian maid, and I, a Jewish matron, do not understand each other. We think, and look, and speak from different points of view.
You think I mean to say that the child upon the bed is the son of my own bosom!"
"You said so, my lady."
"No, I said he was my son--I meant my son by marriage and by adoption."
"I do not understand you, madam."
"Well, I fear you don"t. I will try to explain. He is"--the lady"s voice faltered and broke down--"he is my husband"s son, and so, his mother being dead, he becomes mine," breathed Berenice, in a faint voice.
"Madam!" exclaimed Hannah, drawing back and reddening to the very edge of her hair.
"He is the son of Herman Brudenell, and so--"
"My lady! how dare you say such a thing as that?" fiercely interrupted Hannah.
"Because, oh, Heaven! it is true," moaned Berenice; "it is true, Hannah!
Would to the Lord it were not!"
"Lady Hurstmonceux--"
"Stop! listen to me first, Hannah! I do not blame your poor sister.
Heaven knows I pitied her very much, and did all I could to protect her the night she came to Brudenell Hall."
"I know you did, madam," said Hannah, her heart softening at the recollection of what she had heard of the countess" share in the scene between Nora and Mrs. Brudenell.
"She knew nothing of me when she met my husband, and she could not help loving him any more than I could--any more than I could," she repeated lowly to herself; "and so, though it wrings my heart to think of it, I cannot blame her, Hannah--"
"My lady, you have no right to blame her," interrupted Nora"s sister.
"I know it," meekly replied the wronged wife.
"You have no right to blame her, because she was perfectly blameless in the sight of Heaven."
Berenice looked up in surprise, sighed and continued:
"However that may be, Hannah, I am not her judge, and do not presume to arraign her. May she rest in peace! But her child! Herman"s child! my child! It is of him I wish to speak! Oh, Hannah, give him to me! I want him so much! I long for him so intensely! My heart warms to him so ardently! He will be such a comfort, such a blessing, such a salvation to me, Hannah! I will love him so well, and rear him so carefully, and make him so happy! I will educate him, provide for all his wants, and give him a profession. And if I am never reconciled to my husband--"
Here again her voice faltered and broke down; but after a dry sob, she resumed: "If I am never reconciled to my husband, I will make his son my heir; for I hold all my large property in my own right, Hannah! Say, will you give me my husband"s son?"
"But, my lady--"
"Ah, do not refuse me!" interrupted the countess. "I am so unhappy! I am alone in the world, with no one for me to love, and no one to love me!"
"You have many blessings, madam."
"I have rank and wealth and good looks, if you mean them. But, ah! do you think they make a woman happy?"
"No, madam."