"What will Isabella think? How surprised she will be!"
"No, not a bit of it, she is too accustomed to my sudden movements, and scarcely volunteered a remark when I told her."
"But your leave is only half expired?"
"Isn"t it?" he replied, as if he had never thought at all about it.
"Well, so much the better, I can knock about abroad for a short time.
Good-bye."
Anne looked in utter bewilderment, until she suddenly caught sight of the sorrowful, despairing expression of his face. What had happened?
"Don"t say good-bye like that, Charley," said she, her kind heart roused at once at the sight. "Something has vexed you. Can I help you in any way? I am ready and willing, if you will only tell me how."
"No. I am past help, Anne," and he dashed away a tear which had started at the sound of her kind voice, and then added bitterly--"I am a fool to care so much about it!"
"About what, Charles? Do tell me, I am certain I could help you."
She pitied him entirely, and would have braved a dozen Mrs. Linchmores to have seen the old happy, merry expression on his face again.
"You have always been kind, Anne, and so I do not mind telling you, what I dare say you have seen all along, although I"ve been such a blind fool to it! It"s no fault of hers, Anne,--but--but she loves another."
"Impossible! I don"t believe it!" said Anne, hastily, forgetting all her wise resolutions of never helping him to find out Amy cared for him.
"Nor I, for a long time," and he thought of the long sleepless hours he had pa.s.sed in pacing up and down his room. "But it is so."
"How did you find it out? Did she tell you?"
"No; but some one else did, little suspecting the interest I had in the matter. I could not believe, at first, that all my hopes were to be dashed aside at once in that way. I could have sworn she took an interest in me, but there I have convinced myself and--and--I am a miserable wretch, that"s all, with my eyes wide open to my dreadful fate. Bid her good-bye for me, Anne. I could not trust myself to do so without showing her I love her. Thank you for all your kindness." And he wrung her hand. "Where is Frances?"
Frances! What had she to do in the matter? Anne"s curiosity was roused, and for once rightly, and in a just cause. She had long thought Frances bore no good feeling towards Miss Neville; perhaps she was jealous of her, for it was certain Amy had supplanted her in Charles"s affection;--if he ever had any for her. Ah! that was it. It was all as clear as day to Anne now. But if it was as she suspected, Charles was, indeed, a fool to believe it; she was certain if she were in his place she would not, but then men were so easily convinced of a woman"s falseness; but how could he look in Amy"s eyes and believe it? Miss Neville a flirt? Impossible! But then Anne suddenly recollected how she had thought so herself, simply because she and Robert Vavasour had walked home together. No, after all she could not blame Charles so much, perhaps she should have thought the same. At all events, she determined to watch Frances closely when she gave her his message.
"Charles wants to speak to you, Frances; he is in the dining-room." And Anne fixed her eyes full on her face as she spoke.
But Frances was gaining experience every day; learning to attain a self-possession and control equal to any emergency.
Only a faint--very faint, colour tinged her cheeks as she replied,
"Charles must wait until I have finished reading this chapter; I am too interested to leave off in the middle of it."
"Oh! very well. I will tell him so; but you will miss shaking hands with him, as he is going away."
This time Anne succeeded. Frances" face expressed the utmost astonishment, while her cheeks paled to an almost marble whiteness.
"Going away!" she gasped. "How? When?"
"How? By the train I suppose. When? Now this moment. You had better come at once if you wish to see him."
She followed Frances to the dining-room, and stood at the window while she went up to the fire where Charles stood. Anne watched them.
He turned his face, still with the same gloomy, despairing expression, towards Frances and said a few words. What were they to cause her pale face to flush so hotly, while a proud, triumphant look shone brightly in her eyes? Anne would have given worlds to have heard them, certain as she was they contained some clue to the mystery shrouding his hasty departure.
They were said, those few words, and he moved towards the door. Frances followed him after an instant"s thought, and arrested his footsteps, slow and uncertain as they were. Anne could hear quite plainly now.
"One moment, Charles. I am so sorry you are going," said Frances.
"Never mind," he replied, "it is best I should go."
"I suppose so. I suppose you must go?"
"You know I must. You best of all others," he replied, sternly.
"Alas! yes," was the reply.
The next moment he was whirling rapidly past the window in a dog cart; with Bob seated on the cushion at his side, instead of running at the horse"s heels as he usually did. "The only living creature who cared for him," as Charles had once said to Miss Neville; become doubly dear now she had proved faithless. Bob nevertheless seemed uncomfortable in his exalted post, and did not approve seemingly of his new position in society; for while his Master cast not a glance behind him, saw not Anne"s sympathising face at the window or Frances" tearful one; he seemed to give a wistful side-look--as well as the jolting of the cart on the hard gravel would allow--at the comfortable home he was leaving for the Barrack yard, and his old surly companions of the canine species he had so often fought and won many a hard earned battle with, for Bob, though not a savage dog, never allowed a liberty to be taken with him without resenting it.
CHAPTER X.
JANE.
"Oh, memory, creature of the past!
Why dost thou haunt me still?
Why thy dark shadow o"er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
ANON.
Mrs. Marks had returned home. Her mother was dead, and she had brought back Jane as she had threatened, much to Matthew"s intense disgust. He was afraid of his wife"s tongue, but had been so long accustomed to hear it going, that he could not understand a woman who could keep hers quiet, and sit the whole day long by the fire-side, scarcely saying a word, in his own favourite corner too,--seldom lifting her eyes from her knitting. As he watched the progress of the socks she was making, he vowed in his own mind never to wear them when they were finished, believing as many of the ignorant in his cla.s.s of life do, that they would be bewitched, and cause him to meet with some harm, perhaps fulfil Goody Grey"s prophecy that some one in the cottage was going to die.
He found it more difficult than ever to resist the temptation of going to the "Brampton Arms," now that his home was even more uncomfortable than it used to be. How could he seat himself at the other corner of the fire-side, and smoke his pipe, with his sister-in-law"s eyes so constantly and intently fixed on him? Matthew longed to see Goody Grey to ask for a new charm to spirit away Jane and her unholy presence, which was a constant irritation to him. Meanwhile he had twice tried the effect of the charm and each time apparently without the slightest success; as not only had Mrs. Marks eyes, but her tongue also, flashed ten thousand furies at his extraordinary silence, while Jane, to whom during the storm he looked for sympathy, sat perfectly heedless, and mindful only of her dreadful knitting.
William Hodge was still with the Marks", when he heard of the poaching affray and its consequences. His mind was at once filled with alarm, and he determined on going into Standale. What if his son should be one of the men taken, and now lodged in the jail there?
Hodge kept very quiet at first, and talked it over with Mrs. Marks,--who had returned a few days after,--and at length made up his mind to go to the town and gain a sight of the two men; but this was easier said than done, he had to wait quietly until they were brought up before the magistrates; when he returned to the cottage with the satisfactory intelligence that neither bore the slightest resemblance to his son Tom.
Still he was more certain than ever that Tom was down there, for on mentioning his name casually to the landlord of the inn where he had put up, a man seated in the bar had turned round suddenly, eyed him keenly, and asked him to join him "in a gla.s.s." This, Hodge, who had his wits about him, was not slow to do, and both played at cross questions with the other, and tried to find out where each came from, and where bound to; but each proved a match for his fellow in cunning and sharp-sightedness, and they parted mutually dissatisfied, certain in their own minds that each could have revealed something of interest in which they both took part, had he so willed it.
A few days after Hodge"s return, as he was going across the fields, he again met with his acquaintance of the inn, who pa.s.sed him close by without renewing their former intimacy, indeed, without a word or greeting of any kind, as though they were strangers, and now met for the first time. Hodge thought he must have been mistaken in his man; but no--a second and yet a third time, he met him on different days; and now Hodge was convinced he was right--they had met before; but why this apparent forgetfulness on his part? Why this perpetual crossing of his path? Hodge grew uneasy, perhaps the man was employed as a spy to watch him? If it was so, there was nothing for it but to return home; but the thought of his wife"s sorrowful face, as he should tell her of his fruitless search, deterred him, and he waited yet another day, hoping that a few hours might disclose his son"s whereabouts, and unravel the mystery of his absence; but no, the days crept on, and still found him as far from the clue as ever, while he never stirred from the cottage without seeing his mysterious friend, or it might be enemy, either close by or in the distance, too far off to distinguish his features; but there was the unmistakable slouching walk, awkward gait, and broad-brimmed hat.
"Mrs. Marks, Ma"am," said Hodge one day, when they were alone, with only Jane in the chimney-corner for company, and she was supposed to be just n.o.body, "I"ve come across that man again, and I don"t like the look things are taking--I think they look sort of queer. I never done no harm to n.o.body, why should this chap follow me about like a dog? I"m beginning to think he"s a kind of spying to find out what my business is down here, leastways, I can"t see what else brings him so often in my road."
"Why not up and ask him, like a man?" exclaimed Mrs. Marks.
"Well, Ma"am, you see, that"s just what I would like to do. Many"s the time I"ve had it in my heart; but somehow I"m afeard to."
"Afraid! Well, Mr. Hodge, I thought you"d more pluck. I know there"s few men would frighten me, if I was in your place. Good Lord! what"s the world coming to when all the men"s so chicken-hearted!" said she, indignantly.