"Oh, a little private business of mine own; are you very curious?" she added, whilst Mary took little Charlie on her knee, to hide her conscious countenance. "Very well, you may be informed perhaps before long."
She uttered all this with more playful and propitiatory suavity of tone and manner than she often condescended to use towards her husband, having probably in view her forthcoming interview, for she had proposed to Mary that she should first take upon herself to break the intelligence to Mr. de Burgh of _his_ cousin"s engagement to _her_ cousin, Eugene Trevor; an offer to which Mary had willingly acceded.
Accordingly, very shortly after they parted at the breakfast-table, Mrs.
de Burgh followed her husband into the library, where he had gone to write his letters.
Mary, as may be supposed, waited with some degree of nervous anxiety for the close of this interview--more perhaps than might have seemed suitable to the occasion, or than she could herself account for. Surely her cousin Louis was of no such very formidable a character. She tried to divert her mind during the interval, by occupying herself with the children, who were playing in the drawing-room, but she soon found the noisy merriment, and exacting attentions of the little creatures--as we are, even with the sweetest and most engaging, all apt to do, when the mind is in any way agitated or over-burdened--an infliction rather than a relief; so she gladly relinquished them to the nurse, who came to summon them for their walk; and then as she justly deemed the _eclairciss.e.m.e.nt_ between her cousins had lasted quite as long as was either necessary or desirable, and that it would be less formidable to join them at once than to wait any longer, in suspense, a formal summons, she determined to proceed to the library, and soon had carried this determination into effect.
Opening the door rather timidly, she found Mrs. de Burgh seated with an expression of countenance plainly evincing that even a discussion in which they were neither personally concerned, had not pa.s.sed off without giving occasion for altercation between the married pair; but immediately on perceiving Mary, she smoothed her brow, and exclaiming: "Oh here she is! well I will leave you together," smiled encouragement on Mary, and left the room.
Mr. de Burgh, who it seemed had been perambulating the apartment during the latter part of his conversation with his wife, and had paused before the window on Mary"s entrance--now turned, and without exactly looking her in the face, held out his hand as he advanced towards her, saying:
"Well, I suppose I ought to congratulate you, Mary."
His countenance too, Mary saw, bore signs of annoyance; but that his recent quarrel might have effected, and she affectionately placed her hand in his, and looked her thanks for the implied felicitations, coldly and cautiously as they were conveyed.
"You have done a great deal in my absence, I find Mary," he next said, throwing himself upon a chair. She thought he alluded to the proposal of Eugene and her acceptance, so answered in her truthful manner, and somewhat apologetically.
"Oh, no! not in your absence; that took place a day or two before you left, but Eugene thought it better that I should--"
"Oh yes!" he answered with some repressed impatience, "I have heard all that--I mean to say that you have been taken to Montrevor to see your future possessions; introduced to the old father--in short, everything has been so well managed between Trevor and Olivia, that there only requires the signing and sealing to make the whole thing sure, before you know _yourself_ very well what you are about."
"Indeed, Louis?" Mary answered gently, though at the same time surprised--in spite of Mrs. de Burgh"s warning as to the objections she was sure to encounter--at the tone and tenor of her cousin"s words; and feeling naturally a little hurt and offended, she added "I do not quite understand you. I a.s.sure you, I know very well what I am about."
"Do you?" he said, with something of the sneering way of which Mrs. de Burgh so often complained; "I think not--I don"t know indeed how you should--"
"I have promised to marry one whom I love, and whose love for me I feel sure is as deep and truthful as my own," Mary replied, the colour mounting to her brow, and a tear glistening in her eyes,
"Like a child who never knew but love, And who words of wrath surprised."
"Oh, of course! no doubt of all that," he said, much in the same tone.
"Well! what then, Louis?" she enquired meekly, yet firmly, "Why--what cause?--"
"What cause or impediment why these two persons should not be lawfully joined together in holy wedlock?" repeated her cousin, breaking suddenly into a more amiable and lively tone and manner, as if not proof against the gentle manner in which his ungracious strictures were received. "I will tell you why--he is not good enough for you, Mary, or rather, you are far too good for him."
"Is that all?" Mary"s quiet smile might have seemed to express, for she had been previously prepared for this particular objection of her cousin"s, by his wife.
"_You_ think so, Louis," she replied, "but forgive me if I differ from that opinion."
"Yes, I certainly think so," he coldly retorted, "we read in the bible that "we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers,"--nay," as Mary attempted to interrupt him, "I do not speak literally--Eugene"s religious faith may be, for aught I know, as pure as my own, or yours--but "what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness, and what companionship has light with darkness--and what concord hath--""
"Louis, Louis!" Mary interposed, the crimson blood mantling her cheeks and brow, and her gentle eyes flashing fire, "in your exaggerated estimate of my own worthiness you are unjust, you are injurious towards Eugene, as well as unkind to me. Yes, is it not unkindness to bring forth such slighting insinuations against one whom you know I love, must ever love, and whose wife," she added, lifting up her eyes as if she felt the compact signed and sealed at least in heaven, "I have promised to become."
"Well--well, Mary," Mr. de Burgh soothingly replied; not totally unaffected by this unwonted demonstration of excited spirit in his calm and gentle cousin; "I will not ask you not to love Trevor; that I suppose--indeed, I too plainly see would be crying out to shut the door after the horse was stolen, but I may--I must advise you," he added with an expression of great kindness, "as a cousin, feeling himself under present circ.u.mstances almost standing in the place of a brother, to be in no haste to involve yourself irremediably in so important and irreparable a step as marriage, without further knowledge, a clearer insight into the nature of the man who will have the rule and influence over your whole future destiny. Oh, to see," he continued, with increased excitement, "how people do rush ignorantly and recklessly upon this matter, it might seem that the happiness of a whole lifetime was nothing in comparison to the gratification of a pa.s.sing fancy, a temporary infatuation."
He paused, but Mary made no reply. Her cousin spoke feelingly, no doubt, he often expressed himself thus warmly after having been provoked more than usual, or put out of humour by some altercation with his wife. She thought it might be but the angry insinuations of the excited moment--for she often hoped, indeed was sure, that beneath this outward show of bitterness and strife, which bad habit had engendered, in the intercourse between man and wife--a fund of real, genuine affection, one towards another, lay deep and dormant in either heart, but especially in that of the husband"s. But what availed all this towards "the mutual society, help, comfort," which, as the marriage service sets forth, "one ought to have had towards the other," whilst the most indispensable requisites to that effect, "to bear and to forbear," were wanting.
"Husbands love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as unto the Lord." How came it that the injunctions to which they had both listened at the altar had been so soon, to all appearances, forgotten or disregarded?
So Mary, as we have said, made no reply. She only lowered her long dark lashes, and waited in painful silence the close of her cousin"s supposed philippic, one with which she considered she had no individual concern.
For what had pa.s.sing fancy or momentary infatuation to do with her own deep, true, steadfast love?
Mr. de Burgh receiving no interruption, in a calmer tone continued:
"And Trevor, he loves you, as he has given good proof, (and for this I honour and applaud him,) and thus loving you, is of course everything agreeable, irreproachable in your eyes. But dear Mary, I speak to one whom I am aware is no rash, unreasonable fool; but a right-judging, thoughtful, superior woman. What do you know of his real character and secret qualities? what _can_ you know of the previous tenor of his life?"
Mary lifted up her clear truthful eyes to her cousin"s face.
"As to the nature of his character, and the tenor of his life," she quickly replied, "that surely I can have scarcely cause to doubt or question. There could not possibly be anything very reproachable in the character and life of one admitted as a constant and familiar guest in your house, Louis. True, he is Olivia"s cousin; but then again, how fond she is of that cousin; and though," she added smiling, "you may have testified no such great affection for him, still how kindly, if not cordially, you have ever seemed to receive and countenance this intimate visitor."
Mr. de Burgh was fairly nonplussed for the moment, by this just, though simple argument. How indeed, could it be supposed that it should enter into the thoughts of his pure minded cousin, cautiously and coldly to observe, watch, or inquire into the life and character of the man to whom not only her heart had so instinctively and spontaneously inclined--but her love for whom not only circ.u.mstance and opportunity, but, if not the connivance, to say the least, the tacit approval of those who were at present responsible for her welfare, had seemed in every way to encourage and facilitate; and Mr. de Burgh could not quite comfort his conscience, as he was at first willing to do, by attributing the blame of this, in his opinion, undesirable issue of affairs to the foolish, inconsiderate match-making propensities of his wife. There was no slight misgiving as to culpable, or rather careless negligence on his own part.
For when or how had he, with no such allowance for cousinly feeling or partiality as Mrs. de Burgh--when or how had he, save occasionally by a few slighting, sneering innuendoes, such as not unfrequently defeat their own purpose, by strengthening and promoting in the generous mind of youth the germs of true attachment which previously have been engendered; how had he--save by those careless and ill judged means--ever warned, cautioned, or even given his young relative to understand, ere it was too late, that there was in the favoured cousin of his wife, and his own cheerful tolerated guest, anything either reprehensible in himself, or objectionable in their attachment, or even union? No, absorbed in his own selfish interests, his own pursuits, he had gone his way "to his farm or to his merchandize," and never given his mind the trouble to think or care whether much might not be doing which it would require more than a few strongly expressed adjurations and highly coloured representations on his part to undo--which, in short, must cause him practically to prove
"He might as soon go kindle fire with snow As seek to quench the fire of love with words."
He probably thought all this during the short silence which succeeded Mary"s last address; and had at length nothing better to say in reply, and that with some conscious impatience, than--
"Oh, my dear Mary, as to this view of the matter, in the present state of the world, it would be impossible to shut one"s doors or turn one"s back upon many a person, whom we should on the other hand be very sorry to see more closely a.s.sociated with those for whom we feel interest or affection."
"But of what, then, do you accuse Eugene?" Mary inquired, still with the quiet confidence of one whose faith and trust are yet unshaken. And Mr.
de Burgh was again at fault.
There is a natural code of honour subsisting between men of any generosity of mind, which sensitively withholds them from a direct exposure of those reprehensible points of conduct or of character for which they have not openly and to the face of the offender testified their blame or abhorrence. And to have now coolly set to work, and laid before the eyes of Mary facts or fancies concerning the man with whom he had ever lived on terms of friendly intercourse, and so deprive him, as was at least his desired purpose, of the blessing which, perhaps for some good end, had been a.s.signed him; all this a.s.sumed--when thus by Mary"s question brought so directly to the point--an aspect somewhat of a dastardly and serpent-like character.
So, rising from his seat and taking a turn across the room, as if by movement to a.s.sist himself in this dilemma, Louis de Burgh replied:
"Accuse! why that is rather a strong term to use, Mary. I should not like to accuse any man, or even to prejudice you against Trevor; but still, without particularising any enormities, there must be many things in the life and character of a man, hitherto so entirely given to the world and its pursuits, which must make him in the eyes of many besides myself, not exactly the person worthy to become the husband of my pure and gentle-hearted cousin."
Mary drooped her eyelids sadly and thoughtfully. Perhaps the recollection of Mr. Temple, and all that he had brought forward against this evil world, of which she now heard her lover so decidedly p.r.o.nounced the votary, pa.s.sed before her mind; but of the real nature or extent of that evil she could form but so obscure and vague an idea, that in her present state of feeling it only awoke in her heart a more sorrowful interest, to think that it was Eugene"s fate to be exposed to its dread and grievous influence.
"Perhaps you think, as women so often flatter themselves," Mr. de Burgh continued, as she uttered no comment on his words, "that the power of your _love_ will suffice to reform all that may be amiss."
"No, no!" interrupted Mary; "believe me, Louis, I have no such presumptuous expectations--no such reliance on my own influence and power, to reform, what a higher strength and higher power alone could effect; but I should indeed have faith and hope--"
"Oh yes, I daresay, and boundless charity to boot!" interposed her cousin with a smile; for he began to perceive, perhaps, that he was making but a bad business of the affair he had taken in hand. "Well, well, Mary; all I can say is, that if Trevor is destined to possess you, he will be more fortunate than many a better man, if I may dare so to express myself before you; for he will, I feel pretty sure, be blessed with one of those loving and amiable, faithful and obedient wives, such as the Church directs us to pray that each woman may become who approaches the altar as a bride, but which pet.i.tion, I am sorry to say, we do not in _every case_ see fulfilled."
"My dear Louis, I fear you are inclined to be very severe to-day on all (I must thankfully own) except myself; but tell me, if you are not compelled to confess that I also may hope to possess a loving, amiable, and faithful husband (obedient, you know, is not enjoined in his case).
You say I do not know enough of Eugene to be convinced of his real qualities; I think you are mistaken in this. It does not surely require a very long acquaintance to discern whether a person is amiable; and I am nearly certain no partial affection would blind me in that respect. I should say Eugene"s temper was perfect--oh! of course you laugh at me--I do not quite mean perfect, though even if it were not--"
"Oh no, of course, if he had the temper of the devil--excuse me Mary--I have no doubt you would be content at present; but I do not wish to say anything against Trevor"s temper, I would not undertake to do so. He is a good son to all appearance; what kind of husband he will make remains to be proved."
"That he will ever love me less than he does now, I cannot, could not _try_ even to fancy," Mary continued, with a voice tremulous with feeling; "and now, at least you must confess that his affection for me is most true, most purely disinterested; that he loves me for myself alone; or how else would he wish to marry one who possesses neither beauty, talents, or fortune."
"By the bye," rejoined Mr. de Burgh, as if the subject had been but suddenly suggested to his mind by Mary"s latter words, "I suppose you are aware to what circ.u.mstances Eugene is indebted for the position he now, to all appearance, holds as his father"s heir?"
"Yes," Mary responded, rather sadly, "to the mental derangement of his brother."