Chapter 13 - Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax.
20 September 1804, cont *
A BEAM OF LIGHT DANCED IN THE CAVE"S MOLTH, AND I HELD MY BEAM OF LIGHT DANCED IN THE CAVE"S MOLTH, AND I HELD MY breath, feeling my way backwards. One of the men-he who had earlier produced the botde-had lit a lanthorn as they approached, and it was breath, feeling my way backwards. One of the men-he who had earlier produced the botde-had lit a lanthorn as they approached, and it was this this that swung its welling arc of illumination ever closer to my feet. I took yet another step back, and felt my boot heel b.u.t.t up against something hard-not the cave"s nether wall, thank G.o.d, but the cool dampness of a very large boulder. I ducked around it, the better to afford myself protection, and found a narrow s.p.a.ce behind just capable of admitting my form. Providence had not entirely abandoned me. that swung its welling arc of illumination ever closer to my feet. I took yet another step back, and felt my boot heel b.u.t.t up against something hard-not the cave"s nether wall, thank G.o.d, but the cool dampness of a very large boulder. I ducked around it, the better to afford myself protection, and found a narrow s.p.a.ce behind just capable of admitting my form. Providence had not entirely abandoned me.
"Give us the bottle, d.i.c.kie boy" said a high-pitched, sneering voice; and with a guttural oath, his companion complied. The c.h.i.n.k of gla.s.s against the lanthorn"s metal, as the spirits changed hands; and then the contemptible sound of liquid coursing down a vulgar throat. "? "ates the very sight o" such dank and nasty places, I do. I stiU stiU says we should"uv gone "round by the "igh road. It"s perishin" dark and wet in "ere." says we should"uv gone "round by the "igh road. It"s perishin" dark and wet in "ere."
The Ian thorn"s light careened wildly up the rock wall opposite, and I a.s.sumed that d.i.c.kie had cuffed his partner about the head-which supposition was confirmed not an instant later by a howl of pain.
""Ere, now, what"s the cause o" that?"
"I told you afore to shut up, Eb. Now shut up, shut up, I say. We"ve serious business above, and it"s as much as our necks are worth, if the Reverend finds out." I say. We"ve serious business above, and it"s as much as our necks are worth, if the Reverend finds out."
""E"s not a-goin" to find out," the man called Eb rejoined, in a wounded tone, "less you tells "im, or 1 tells "im, and that"s not a-goin" to "appen. We"re snug coves, and do things proper. Care for a nip?"
"Put it away and stow your gaff." The light swung towards my place of hiding, and the tramp of feet approached; I could not prevent myself from cowering, I fear, in the recognition that I should be considered a terrible risk to the two, did they discover me. As the larger of the men-the one called d.i.c.k-pa.s.sed within inches of my face, I closed my eyes in the certainty that I had been discovered; but he must have looked neither to the right nor the left, and eventually, the sound of footsteps ceased. I opened my eyes, but stayed still where I stood, my ears straining for the slightest sound.
The ring of metal on stone, and a lowering of the light; d.i.c.k had set the Ian thorn down. A grunt of exertion, and a stifled oath from Eb, and then the squeak of poorly-oiled hinges-the men had heaved open a door! A pa.s.sage must exist, hewn through the very rock, and leading deep into the downs. My heartbeat quickened, for I knew the men should toil onwards, leaving the cavern in peace; and the way to freedom and the road for Lyme should be entirely at liberty.
What an agony of conflicting impulses then a.s.sailed me! Though a heroine of Mrs. RadclifFe"s or Charlotte Smith"s should have gone determinedly through the door, and hazarded the horrors of the darkened tunnel without a backwards glance, I confess that I thought first of my deserted bed in Wings cottage, and the warmth of its quilts, and the comforting embrace of sleep. I longed to abandon the chase for another day, when d.i.c.k and Eb should be far from my thoughts and my person, and the chalk cliffs of Charmouth wear a happier aspect, in being gilded with September sun.
But Geoffrey Sidmouth had not the luxury of deferring what should be distasteful; to him there remained but a few days, before the coroner"s parade of guilt; and I recollected that my object in journeying to the shingle tonight had been to learn something of the Reverend, in the desperate hope that he and Sidmouth were not one and the same. That hope was all but diminished-for d.i.c.k had invoked the Reverend"s very name, and his familiarity with such a tunnel, placed at the Grange"s foot, bore a decidedly unpleasant construction. If I was to learn the worst, then, and abandon all faith in Sidmouth, it must be effected here here and and now; now; I had no choice but to go on, when every fibre of my being screamed that I should turn back. I had no choice but to go on, when every fibre of my being screamed that I should turn back.
With indrawn breath and a quickened pulse, therefore, I ventured to place my foot before the sheltering rock, and eased myself back into the cavern"s depths. A lighter darkness, and the stirring of air before me, showed the way to the shingle, and home; but with a pang, I turned my back upon escape and sought the nether wall.
I could discern nothing like the oudine of a door; and feeling with trembling fingers across the rock face, I encountered something so squeamishly clinging and moist, that I nearly forgot myself and cried aloud, s.n.a.t.c.hing my hands away in an instant. A nauseous smell, as of decaying fish-and I knew the stuff to be nothing more than seaweed, fresh from the shingle and rendered wet by the trickle of moisture that emanated ceaselessly from the rock walls on every side. An effective disguise, indeed, for a pa.s.sage one does not wish discovered-for the casual observer should never surmise that a door lay behind, and an idle explorer should be immediately deterred by the stench and touch of the stuff. I drew breath, and the tremor in my limbs subsided; and in another instant, I had steeled myself to touch the foul weeds, and feel beyond them for the rough wood of the door. The latch was there, and mindful of the creaking hinges that had alerted me to the door"s presence in the first place, I eased it open but a few inches, and squeezed myself inside.
The dimmest pinpoint of light before me, revealed d.i.c.k and Eb to have made considerable progress; and I immediately followed in their wake, thrusting all fears and doubts behind me in the distracting activity of my purpose. The tunnel"s floor was uneven, and a sudden dip in its surface, or a sharp incline, could all but cause me to tumble; I turned my ankles too frequently for notice, and clutched at the walls to either side, being deprived of the steady lanthorn that must so comfort the ruffians before. A very few moments, however, and I wished even for the faint pinpoint first detected-for the tunnel must have turned, and the men and their light were hidden from view.
I toiled onwards, climbing ever more surely, until I came to a flight of rough steps; and eased my way up them, uncertain when the tunnel floor should resume.
"Eh, there, Eb, you"ve stepped on my foot," a harsh voice muttered, almost before me; and I crouched as swiftly as I knew how, hugging the very step-for at the stairs" end stood my two guides, and from the sound of their laboured breathing and puffs of effort, another tunnel door.
After some moments, it must have swung open, and the fellows were pa.s.sed through, for with a snick! snick! the tunnel was thrown in utter darkness, the encouraging lanthorn having vanished behind the door. the tunnel was thrown in utter darkness, the encouraging lanthorn having vanished behind the door.
I climbed stealthily to the stairs" head, and took but a few steps until the tunnel"s end was reached; and then, groping forward, I found a decidedly smooth wooden surface, and traced with my fingers the outline of a door-jamb; but no latch or keyhole could I find. The way was barred to me.
I swallowed hard, and turned about in confusion, and endeavoured not not to consider the more usual inhabitants of such a subterranean pa.s.sage-the scuttling rats, and the creeping spiders, of enormous size, that undoubtedly traversed the walls at either hand, or such nameless creatures as must give rise to shuddering dread-and wished fervently that I had chosen the cowardly way, of my bed at Wings cottage. For to what purpose had I journeyed so far, in the grip of such anxiety, if the men were now gone before, and the pa.s.sage closed? to consider the more usual inhabitants of such a subterranean pa.s.sage-the scuttling rats, and the creeping spiders, of enormous size, that undoubtedly traversed the walls at either hand, or such nameless creatures as must give rise to shuddering dread-and wished fervently that I had chosen the cowardly way, of my bed at Wings cottage. For to what purpose had I journeyed so far, in the grip of such anxiety, if the men were now gone before, and the pa.s.sage closed?
"Give us a "and, d.i.c.k." I nearly jumped out of my skin, the high-pitched voice was so close to my ear; and a squeak must have escaped me, for there was a swift cessartion of movement beyond the door, and a thrill of fear in the man"s voice when next he spoke.
"Eh, d.i.c.k-joo "ear tha#" tha#"
""Ear what?"
"That. Some"at in the wall. Gives "un the shivers, it did-like a strangled woman." Some"at in the wall. Gives "un the shivers, it did-like a strangled woman."
"Rat, more"n likely. Or maybe a ghost-"ow"s that for a nasty bit o" cheer?"
"d.i.c.k-you don"t think as the Cap"n-"
"Aw, for the luv of Jesus, Eb, com"eer and "elp us shift a keg or two. We"ve not got all night, I reckon."
I leaned against the door, adjudging it to be cleaner than the tunnel wall, and listened intendy. For some time the two men appeared to be engaged in serious labour- shifting what I supposed to be caskets, and tearing off the lids of kegs, from the sound of splintering wood; this, and the occasional oath at a bruised shin, were my sole amuse-ments for what seemed an eternity. The c.h.i.n.k of gla.s.s proclaimed the bottle to be pa.s.sed, and a deep sigh the fact that it had been emptied; and still the search-for search it undoubtedly was-went on, -I found it in me to wonder, if the tunnel had indeed led to the very doors of the Grange, where the farm"s inhabitants might be. Tending the wounded man, perhaps? Or were the men arrived at the very stables, and shifting about with only beasts for company?
"Eb! Eh, Eb- "ave a gander at this!" d.i.c.k exclaimed, after an interval.
A scuffle of feet, and a low whisde, followed by the nastiest of chuckles. "You s"pose as the swells really play cards like "at? indecent, it is. Fancy painting a Queen o" Hearts what ain"t got no clothes on. Those Frenchies"ll get up to anything."
And this this was my reward for risk and wakefulness! I closed my eyes in wearied exasperation. I had long suspected the men were rifling a storage of smugglers" goods, but this last confirmed it. The rage for playing cards had so inflated the demand for them in England, that the Crown had imposed a tax upon the princ.i.p.al supplier-France-and rendered the game too expensive for most people"s purses. French cards were often to form a part of contraband cargoes; but I had not formed a notion of what was my reward for risk and wakefulness! I closed my eyes in wearied exasperation. I had long suspected the men were rifling a storage of smugglers" goods, but this last confirmed it. The rage for playing cards had so inflated the demand for them in England, that the Crown had imposed a tax upon the princ.i.p.al supplier-France-and rendered the game too expensive for most people"s purses. French cards were often to form a part of contraband cargoes; but I had not formed a notion of what sort sort of cards they might be. of cards they might be.
"Well, I"m flummoxed," flummoxed," d.i.c.k said, and from the complaint of a bit of wood, I knew he had seated himself on a crate. d.i.c.k said, and from the complaint of a bit of wood, I knew he had seated himself on a crate.
"The Reverend"s stuff ain"t "ere, nohow," Eb agreed.
I imagined the two of them scratching their heads, lost in a fog of spirits, and wished them more p.r.o.ne to babble and less to a complaisant silence. Had ever a keyhole listener heard less to the purpose than myself? It was not to be borne.
"What? us do, d.i.c.k?" Despite his whiskey courage, there was a note of fear in Ebenezer"s voice.
"Get out o" Lyme while the gettin"s good," the other replied. "Now Sidmouth"s in jail, we"ve bought oursels some time-His Honour"s too distracted wit" the justice an" all. But we"d best make tracks afore he notices we failed "im, or we"ll land at the end o" the Cobb like Bill Tibbit."
The other man audibly swallowed, and to my horror, began to sob-a terrible sound in a grown man, however unnerved by drink and fear. My own spirits were little better-for d.i.c.k"s words were too open to a painful construction, and their import had the power to sink my very heart-but I longed to hear them debate their dubious fate the longer, in the hope of learning more.
"Now, now, Eb-ain"t I allus looked after ye?" d.i.c.k said, in an effort to comfort his fellow. "We"re snug coves, like you says, and we"ll work oursels out o" this pickle. Let"s get on back to the beach afore daylight, and take the boat round to Pegweli Bay. It"s a hop-skip from there to the London road, and we"re out o" the Reverend"s ken. You just buck up there, laddie, and trust in ol" d.i.c.k."
""Alfatick-"
"Eh, what"s "at?"
"I"m not leavin" all this this "ere, you ninny. Us"ll live a year in London, for the price o" these." "ere, you ninny. Us"ll live a year in London, for the price o" these."
"Put "em back, Eb," d.i.c.k said, with a certain menace. "I"ll not "ave the law on our "ides, and the Reverend, too. Free Trade is one thing. Stealin"s another. I"ve always kept the difference careful-like. A man"d "ang for what you"ve got."
"But it ain"t stealin"! This is contraband-"
"It ain"t our"n."
"Aw, d.i.c.k-"
The sound of a blow, and a whimper, and some goods let fall, and Eb was brought to heel.
So absorbed was I in all that pa.s.sed, that I barely attended to the approach of heavy feet, until with a click the door began to swing inwards. I flattened myself along the tunnel wall, and endeavoured not to breathe, though my heart was pounding painfully within my chest; and in another instant, the door was thrust hard against my person and the two men stumbled through. The heavy musk of liquor enveloped their pa.s.sage. They were too lost in thought and spirits to notice that the door ab.u.t.ted something other than the tunnel wall; and indeed, in the welling shadows beyond their lanthorn"s reach, little could be discerned. As Ebenezer went safely past, I gave a gende push to the door, which swung closed behind the two men, to the satisfaction of a single glance from d.i.c.k over his left shoulder; and since I stood in the blackness just behind his nght, nght, I managed to remain undetected. What a fever of anxiety gripped my senses, however, while the three of us retained the same bit of tunnel! That the others could not I managed to remain undetected. What a fever of anxiety gripped my senses, however, while the three of us retained the same bit of tunnel! That the others could not feel feel the presence of a third, by some buried animal instinct, had the power to astonish me-so certain was I that my very breath cried out my betrayal. the presence of a third, by some buried animal instinct, had the power to astonish me-so certain was I that my very breath cried out my betrayal.
But they discovered nothing, and were down the enshrouded flight of steps, and on into the tunnel"s depths, before very many instants had pa.s.sed-taking with them, perforce, their comforting beam of light. In a little while all was utterly dark. A decision was now before me: should I attempt to find the door"s hidden mechanism, or turn back the way I had come-and face the dawn on Charmouth beach? That way, a.s.suredly, lay the easier path of least resistance; but I had come thus far, and would gladly return to Lyme possessed of the knowledge of whose whose storeroom the men had invaded. storeroom the men had invaded.
I ran my hands the length of the door"s face, and pressed its wood determinedly; but the portal remained unmoved. Perplexed, I paused for consideration. Neither d.i.c.k nor Eb had appeared to expend any remarkable en-ergy, in forcing the way; and neither was possessed of inordinate cunning, as a puzzle lock might require. Abandoning the wood, therefore, I felt along the jamb"s length, and was rewarded by a small k.n.o.b, of very little protrusion, and roughly the size of a shilling. I pressed it, and was unsatisfied; pulled it, and was confronted with an open door.
All was darkness beyond the sill, and discernible within it, the huddled shapes of a quant.i.ty of goods, spilled about in hasty confusion. The men had not troubled to restore order where they had bestowed their chaos; and as I stepped into the room, my boots met splintered wood. After so many hours in utter gloom, my eyes could see nearly as well as by day; and I took a moment to look about me curiously, content from the example of the two men"s easy search, that the room was safe from surprise.
The room had no windows; it must, therefore, be a cellar-beneath the Grange"s barn, perhaps? Or a greater excavation still, a floor below what pa.s.sed for cellars in the farmhouse itself? I must trouble to move with caution, until I learned better whose manor I invaded. But what riches this storeroom held!
I strained in the darkness to put names to the huddled objects, and was rewarded with a king"s ransom of goods. There were brandy kegs by the dozen, and deep casks of fragrant tea-the best China leaf, too dear for the humble Austens" housekeeping-and rough sacks of coffee beans, and pounds of chocolate; exotic spices, from Malabar and the Canaries; the finest Spanish lace; a snorting wealth of sneezing snuff; coal, coffin-nails, hair-powder, and sealing wax; and in one extraordinary chest, all disordered at the tunnel"s very entrance, a quant.i.ty of newly-strung pearls. Cool and silken to the touch they were, and I understood now Eb"s unwillingness to let them slip, and felt a strange respect for the stalwart d.i.c.k"s refusal. The morality of the Gendemen of the Night was indeed pa.s.sing strange.
I stood up, and let the pearls drop back in their chest, a frown of puzzlement creasing my brow. Something was missing. What could it be? What had the two besotted fellows sought and failed to find?
Silk.
But of course. Silk, Silk, so necessary for clothing a beautiful woman as vanity and fashion dictated; silk, that draped the costliest windows on the most breathless streets of the country"s princ.i.p.al towns-most precious of tissues, its sheen unrivalled, its colours brilliant, its sinuous length wrapping the kingdom from north to south- so necessary for clothing a beautiful woman as vanity and fashion dictated; silk, that draped the costliest windows on the most breathless streets of the country"s princ.i.p.al towns-most precious of tissues, its sheen unrivalled, its colours brilliant, its sinuous length wrapping the kingdom from north to south-silk. Spun princ.i.p.ally on the Continent, and in the south of France, and taxed within a hair"sbreadth of everyone"s life, and thus a smuggler"s fortune. I had owned only Spun princ.i.p.ally on the Continent, and in the south of France, and taxed within a hair"sbreadth of everyone"s life, and thus a smuggler"s fortune. I had owned only one silk one silk gown gown in in my entire life; but I had not yet learned to despise its glorious folds. my entire life; but I had not yet learned to despise its glorious folds.
And so the Reverend was a silk trader-a Man of the Cloth. The sobriquet"s sly pun bespoke a certain cleverness^-a tendency to flout convention, and turn the comprehensible on its head; both qualities quite native to Mr. Sidmouth"s character. And my very own Eliza had declared Sidmouth a frequent traveller to France, where his cousin Seraphine must provide a valued service, in speaking the language fluently. I little doubted that whatever her The sobriquet"s sly pun bespoke a certain cleverness^-a tendency to flout convention, and turn the comprehensible on its head; both qualities quite native to Mr. Sidmouth"s character. And my very own Eliza had declared Sidmouth a frequent traveller to France, where his cousin Seraphine must provide a valued service, in speaking the language fluently. I little doubted that whatever her professed professed distaste for Buonaparte, or the depth of her wounds from the revolutionary past, that with a brother well-placed in the Imperial army, she was not disinclined to cross the Channel on behalf of Sidmouth"s interests. From Roy Cavendish I had it that the Reverend employed agents-and who better to employ, than Seraphine? Was this the source of the enmity between Captain Fielding and High Down Grange? Had he discovered that Mademoiselle LeFevre was but a p.a.w.n in her cousin"s game, and endeavoured to separate them, for the preservation of her liberty? distaste for Buonaparte, or the depth of her wounds from the revolutionary past, that with a brother well-placed in the Imperial army, she was not disinclined to cross the Channel on behalf of Sidmouth"s interests. From Roy Cavendish I had it that the Reverend employed agents-and who better to employ, than Seraphine? Was this the source of the enmity between Captain Fielding and High Down Grange? Had he discovered that Mademoiselle LeFevre was but a p.a.w.n in her cousin"s game, and endeavoured to separate them, for the preservation of her liberty?
I sat down on a keg and put my head in my hands. The night"s burden of knowledge was all too heavy, and my store of sleep too small. There was nothing more to be done, than to discover my whereabouts, and effect a return home-by the road, if all within the Grange were yet abed, or the tunnel, if need be.
There was a staircase at the room"s far side, and I quickly sought it, and in the greatest stealth and trepidation, turned the doork.n.o.b at its head, expecting at every instant to be set upon by Sidmouth"s dogs. But all was quiet; and a delicate light streamed over the threshold as I swung wide the door-dawn had come to the cliffs above the sea. I waited an instant, listening for some sound in the stillness, and then stepped into sunshine and looked about me, blinking in disbelief.
For I had emerged from a gardener"s shed, and found myself in a ruin-a prettyish sort of place, surrounded by rosebushes now long past their bloom, and the arched forms of wood nymphs trapped forever in unyielding marble.
Captain Fielding"s wilderness temple.1 Austen"s description of the tunnel corresponds to several discovered in recent years throughout the coastal towns of the Channel counties. Some lead to landing areas from the cellars of inns, which often served as smugglers" central meeting places and storage areas for contraband; others, from manor houses on the cliffs above; and still another, from a family vault in the crypt of a church-used to store brandy barrels, no doubt, instead of dead ancestors. -Editor"s note.
Chapter 14 - Setting a Course.
20 September 1804, cont *
"HOW VERY PROVOKING OF M MR. S SIDMOUTH TO GET HIMSELF arrested," my mother was saying, in some vexation, as I descended the stairs to the breakfast room. "For he is certain to hang, so Miss Crawford tells me, though he seemed to be overflowing with admiration for our dear Jane. I declare I never saw a more promising inclination, Mr. Austen-excepting, perhaps, Captain Fielding"s-but that came to nothing, and Miss Crawford a.s.sures me in any case that he intended to make his proposals to her niece. But, there it is-the poor man died before he could speak, and Miss Armstrong is denied even the interesting circ.u.mstance of mourning a proclaimed lover." arrested," my mother was saying, in some vexation, as I descended the stairs to the breakfast room. "For he is certain to hang, so Miss Crawford tells me, though he seemed to be overflowing with admiration for our dear Jane. I declare I never saw a more promising inclination, Mr. Austen-excepting, perhaps, Captain Fielding"s-but that came to nothing, and Miss Crawford a.s.sures me in any case that he intended to make his proposals to her niece. But, there it is-the poor man died before he could speak, and Miss Armstrong is denied even the interesting circ.u.mstance of mourning a proclaimed lover."
"Indeed," my father responded drily. "To mourn for a gendeman one may only claim as an acquaintance, lacks something of verisimilitude."
"A sad business altogether," my mother resumed, having heard, one imagines, the sense of her husband"s words, without their subtle derision. "I shall never speak of Mr. Sidmouth again, as I told Miss Crawford only yesterday. He is a very undeserving young man, and his want of consideration for the feelings of others is truly abominable-and I suppose there is not the least chance of Jane"s getting him now. now. Ah, my dear, here you are at last!" Ah, my dear, here you are at last!"
As I claimed my place at table, my father peered at me over the top of his spectacles, and remarked at my wearied countenance.
"You are not lying awake of nights, my dear, in consideration of Sidmouth"s affairs?" he said, with a brief smile. "It is something indeed, for a girl to pine after a gentleman in gaol; it lends a certain style to her att.i.tude, and renders her remarkable among the circle of her friends; but I should hope my stout Jane not unduly affected in her finer finer sensibilities." sensibilities."
"No, Father," I replied, and knew not where to look.
"Mr. Sidmouth is one of the most undeserving young men in the Kingdom," he said, with an air of evident enjoyment, "or so your mother a.s.sures me. The very worst of men, I understand, for having shot the gallant Captain-or for failing to pet.i.tion your hand first first-I am not quite certain which. But one a.s.sumes he had his reasons, for both his trifling actions."
"I cannot believe a man should act as he has done, without without a very good reason," I rejoined. a very good reason," I rejoined.
"Ah, there you would debate philosophy, my dear- and I never entertain philosophy before breakfast It is is unfortunate, all the same. I cannot find out that anyone in town believes Sidmouth innocent; and so he shall probably hang; and yet I liked the man. He had a sound understanding, and a forthright temper, and a dignity of purpose that was not unbecoming. Jane," my father broke off, "I am sure you are indisposed. Your aspect is decidedly weary for one who has lain so long abed." unfortunate, all the same. I cannot find out that anyone in town believes Sidmouth innocent; and so he shall probably hang; and yet I liked the man. He had a sound understanding, and a forthright temper, and a dignity of purpose that was not unbecoming. Jane," my father broke off, "I am sure you are indisposed. Your aspect is decidedly weary for one who has lain so long abed."
I endeavoured to rea.s.sure him, and divert my mother"s attention, in pleading the probable onset of a cold (nothing very remarkable, when I consider the manner in which I spent the better part of the night); and was accordingly counseled to keep to my room, and partake frequendy of warm lemon-water. I made no objection to the plan, perceiving some benefit in quiet reflection; for I have much to consider. A few pleasantries over chocolate and rolls, then, and my mother"s pet.i.tioning me for an opinion as to the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g of a hat she purchased yesterday for Ca.s.sandra, and in a very little while I found myself alone once more, and established over my journal and pen.
To SAY THAT I WAS ASTOUNDED AT FINDING MYSELF IN THE CAPTAIN"s garden is perhaps to say too little. With what disbelief, did my eyes encounter the familiar landscape, and how, with a mind revolting against the evidence of its own perception, did I cast about for understanding amidst the utter routing of my sense! Every precept I believed to be founded upon rock, I must discard as so much baseless sand; and those cherished notions of my own ability, as a canny student of character, character, I must vigorously disown. They are the product of vanity, and being acknowledged as such, deserve their sudden abandonment. I must vigorously disown. They are the product of vanity, and being acknowledged as such, deserve their sudden abandonment.
The revelations of the wilderness temple have forced a revision of all that pertains to Captain Fielding"s affairs, and the conclusions I drew-was intended to draw-from his words and actions. His extensive establishment of the gardens-over so short a period of residence-becomes more comprehensible when one considers the labour so necessary to the excavation of the tunnel and storerooms, and the secreting of their purpose amidst a quant.i.ty of greenery. (I must endeavour to find the labourers who effected it, since the Captain a.s.suredly did not) His behaviour, too, on the first occasion of my visiting the wilderness temple, now bears a different construction; for the Captain"s anxiety at Ca.s.sandra"s indisposition is revealed now as a fear of discovery-and I recall, with all the clarity of the remembered day, his haste in summoning the ladies from their stopping-place, and his closing the tool-shed door, before ever he enquired as to the extent of my sister"s distress. I wonder I did not remark upon it before-how a gendeman enc.u.mbered by a wooden leg, should choose the greater exertion of crossing the little pavilion entirely, on such a trivial errand.
But what, exactly, did he endeavour to hide?
Are the goods stored below the temple but a repository of the Crown, and the representation of contraband seized on behalf of the Revenue men? -Or are they symbols of a duplicity more sinister still, in being the fruits of Captain Fielding"s Captain Fielding"s clandestine trade, achieved amidst the odour of sanct.i.ty he wore like an epaulette? If the former, then a.s.suredly Roy Cavendish should know of the goods" existence, and I had but to apply to the gendeman for a full disclosure. I could not feel myself to be easy with this notion, however; for why should such contraband not be immediately transferred to the Lyme Customs House, and thence to London? For what possible purpose should it be retained in hiding? clandestine trade, achieved amidst the odour of sanct.i.ty he wore like an epaulette? If the former, then a.s.suredly Roy Cavendish should know of the goods" existence, and I had but to apply to the gendeman for a full disclosure. I could not feel myself to be easy with this notion, however; for why should such contraband not be immediately transferred to the Lyme Customs House, and thence to London? For what possible purpose should it be retained in hiding?
At the thought of Mr. Cavendish"s unfortunate countenance, his oily manner, his effort to twist my affections and obligations to his own ends-I could not flatter myself secure. For all I knew, he might well have colluded with the Captain himself, and the two embarked upon a profitable enterprise, in the seizing of others" hard-won cargoes without the knowledge of the Crown. They might summon the dragoons, and take possession of kegs and caskets, without a single remark other than a smuggler"s curse; and none in Lyme be the wiser. I could credit Mr. Cavendish with such nefarious behaviour, though I knew him not at all; there is something in his manner that does not inspire confidence.
I will keep my own counsel for a time, until I know what may safely be said in his hearing.
But Captain Fielding? Could so n.o.ble a gentleman be so wanting in principle?
His knowledge of the smugglers" operations must tell against him. He understood the nature of captains and landers, and their preferences in coasdine and weather; his very home afforded a likely spot for the observation of all their traffic, being sited on rising ground. I imagined that he possessed, as any Naval fellow might, a sound spygla.s.s for scanning the horizon; and he was better placed than many to antic.i.p.ate the disposition of Royal Navy ships, and the strength of their pursuit, in foiling Channel crossings. Valuable intelligence indeed, if one but put it to the purpose; but what motivation might the Captain have had, to so betray his trust?
I summoned to memory his weathered face-the bright blue eyes, the boyish shock of hair; and could find there no hint of malevolent purpose. But when I considered again his broken figure-the indignity of his affliction, his dependence upon a cane-my heart perceived another sentiment. Captain Fielding had sacrificed a great deal, in the height of his powers, and lived to see all his hopes blighted; denied advancement, denied glory, denied a lifetime his youth had toiled in the making- and given, perhaps, very little by way of grat.i.tude or pension. Had he died off the coast of Malta, he should have won a place in glorious history, and been saluted by his comrades for valour and example; but as it was, he merely suffered for the winning of ign.o.ble retirement, with a lifetime of regret and thwarted purpose before him. A terrible bitterness, coupled with a weary cynicism, in observing the considerable profits of Free Trade, might be little enough to effect his transformation-from gallant officer of His Majesty"s ships, to roguish profiteer.
I must consider, finally, what he himself had avowed- that the skills of many a smuggling captain were so very great, given their familiarity with the most challenging coasts in the very worst of weather, that the Royal Navy placed their value above many more reputable veterans. Why should not Fielding, then, have turned his talents to use? -He had been denied a Navy ship; but why not purchase another vessel, more secretive and private, and range his wits against the best the Navy had to offer? For this, Roy Cavendish should be unnecessary, except in that by gaining his confidence, and affecting to labour on his behalf, the Captain might hope to secure himself from suspicion.
And with this last thought, I turned to Geoffrey Sidmouth, and felt there a bewilderment of emotions. If I credited the Captain with so great a duplicity-such depth of cunning as he must command, for the accomplishment of his aims-then very little further was required, to suspect him of establishing a rival, for Cavendish"s pursuit and the better deflection of his own guilt. Why not choose for scapegoat a man he hated, and make him the very picture of the notorious Reverend?
But was Fielding, then, the Man of the Cloth?
From the tool-shed"s contraband stores, it would appear unlikely; I had pierced the sense of the riddling name, and surmised the Reverend to deal in silk, of which there was none below. d.i.c.k and Ebenezer, my companions of the night, had spoken of the smuggler as living still, and his attention diverted by Sidmouth"s misfortunes. Is Sidmouth, then, the Reverend? Or is there another, unnoticed by Fielding, who yet plies his trade in Channel silks?
I threw down my pen at this juncture, and paced about the room, in an agony of confusion and hopeless thoughts-for my sense is as tangled as a ball of yarn beset by a litter of kittens. It is enough to have put down what I surmise or fear, and to acknowledge what I do not; and to admit that I am very far indeed from the truth of the matter. I must wonder less, less, and enquire and enquire more, more, before I shall know how to think. before I shall know how to think.
I HAVE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE PAST HOUR, IN REVIEWING those journal entries that bear some mention of the Captain and Sidmouth; and a few nuts have I gleaned that might direct my future purpose. The matter of le Chevalier le Chevalier must be elucidated, if the source of Fielding"s enmity towards Sidmouth is to be understood; and as Mademoiselle Seraphine is unlikely to a.s.sist me, I must look to others for enlightenment. From Mr. Crawford"s probing of Mademoiselle LeFevre, I must a.s.sume that he is equally in the dark about the matter; and so I shall not waste my time at Darby. Mrs. Barnewall-who first spoke the name in my healing-might be better solicited. must be elucidated, if the source of Fielding"s enmity towards Sidmouth is to be understood; and as Mademoiselle Seraphine is unlikely to a.s.sist me, I must look to others for enlightenment. From Mr. Crawford"s probing of Mademoiselle LeFevre, I must a.s.sume that he is equally in the dark about the matter; and so I shall not waste my time at Darby. Mrs. Barnewall-who first spoke the name in my healing-might be better solicited.
Second, and perhaps more important, I was reminded of Bill Tibbit, the unfortunate fellow hanged at the end of the Cobb. I persist in believing his death is no mere coincidence^-that the same hand that raised his gibbet, fired the shot that killed the Captain. To understand the one is to begin to know the other. The mere presence of a white flower near the body of each would counsel that the deaths are not unrelated; and the two men were a.s.suredly known to each other. The very night following Tibbit"s hanging, at the Lyme a.s.sembly where Captain Fielding was introduced to my acquaintance, I learned from Fielding himself that the dead man had been in his service, in pursuit of odd jobs. Is it too far from belief that Tibbit might have laboured at the tunnel, in the company of some others (d.i.c.k and Ebenezer come to mind), and been too swift to reveal his understanding of its purpose? Might he have gone so far as to blackmail the Captain, and met his end as a result?
d.i.c.k and Eb are undoubtedly far along the London road, if their drunken resolve of last night did not desert them; and I should not know how to find them anyway, did I determine to break silence, and reveal what I knew of their movements. But Bill Tibbit has a widow, if Captain Fielding spoke righdy; and a woman bereaved has often the loosest tongue. To the Widow Tibbit, then, I must go, when once her lodgings I have found out.
A GLANCE THROUGH THE WINDOW REVEALED THE DAY TO BE QUITE fine; and my few hours" reflection had restored my strength and spirits considerably. I was not, it appeared, to submit to the indignity of a cold; my brown wool had done me a service in this regard, as in so many others; and, upon listening in vain for the sound of my mother and father below, I concluded my parents had believed me abed, and sought the out-of-doors. I might depart, then, unremarked; and so I gathered up my Leghorn straw, and threw a serviceable wool shawl about my shoulders as proof against the late September wind, and descended the stairs in all the briskness of my purpose.
In the sitting-room I encountered poor James, intent upon his task of nailing some considerable pieces of wood across the windows looking out upon Broad Street. I waited in sympathy while he grunted and heaved through his exertions. Such a flush as overspread the young man"s countenance, and such beads of perspiration as shone upon his face! For he must support the wood with one hand, while hammering with the other, and the exercise was decidedly an awkward one. I considered suggesting he call for Jenny, and pet.i.tion her aid; but fearful of exciting his contempt, in questioning the manliness of his strength and vigour, I stood mildly by and waited until he should have done.
"There, miss," he said, rising to his full six feet, and easing his powerful shoulders; "that should please the missus."
"Indeed," I said, "as every form of kindness you exert on our behalf has done. We are indebted to you, James, for such labour freely offered, and with such good humour."
He blushed furiously, and cast his eyes about the rug, and was made so clearly ill at ease by my praise, that I hastened to give him opportunity for diversion.
"I wonder, James, if you are acquainted with the Widow Tibbit."
"Old Maggie?" he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, with an air of surprise. "Whatever d"you want with Maggie Tibbit?" Then, as if recollecting his place, he blushed once more. "Leastways, it"s none of my business, beggin" your pardon, miss. You"ll have your reasons, I expect, as I don"t need the knowing of."