"Oh! Mary, Mary!" the good clergyman whispered, as he drew his fair friend"s arm within his own and walked on, the others following together behind, "I have heard sad stories of you, little quiet one, since I saw you last;--trampling n.o.ble flowers under your feet, and grasping at thorns, which something in that sweet face of your"s tells me have not failed to do their wounding work. This comes of reading all that dreamy poetry I used to warn you against. A good and pleasant thing it is in its degree, but too much of it dazzles and deludes the senses, till at length they come to be unable to discern darkness from light, good from evil. Well! well!" he added, as Mary pretty well accustomed by this time to indirect attacks of this nature, attempted no defence, but with a faint melancholy smile, only drooped her head in silence and resignation. "Ah! well, even now who knows! The Almighty never will permit his little ones to walk on long in darkness, but in the end ever leads them by secret ways into safe and quiet pastures."
CHAPTER VI.
The stern Have deeper thoughts than your dull eyes discern, And when they love, your smilers guess not how Beats the strong heart, though less their lips avow.
BYRON.
The victory is most sure For him, who, seeking faith by virtue, strives To yield entire submission to the law Of conscience.
WORDSWORTH.
"Arthur, this can scarcely be possible," Mary exclaimed with almost trembling solicitude, when alone with her brother, he informed her of the proposal Mr. Wynne had made--and he had unhesitatingly accepted--that he and his friend Mr. Temple should join their party during the succeeding week"s tour.
"Not if it is disagreeable to you, Mary, certainly," was the brother"s reply; "otherwise I must say I can see no objection to the plan; nor does Mr. Wynne either it seems, as he made the proposal, being of course aware by this time of the past circ.u.mstances respecting you and Temple.
All that of course is an affair over and forgotten, particularly when made aware how matters stand with regard to your engagement with Trevor; so on your part, you will have nothing to fear. It only rests with him, I should think, to determine whether he is equal to the ordeal of your society, though to judge by his countenance just now, firm and calm as a statue, after a meeting which must have put his feelings rather to the test, I should say there was not much doubt upon the matter.
""Nay, if she loves me not, I care not for her.
Shall I look pale because the maiden blooms, Or sigh because she smiles--or sighs for others."
No--no, Miss Mary, that is not our way, however it may be with you ladies in cases of the kind.
""Great or good, or kind, or fair, I will ne"er the more despair; If she love me, this believe, I will die e"er she shall grieve,
""Be she with that goodness blest, Which may merit name of best.
If she be not such to me-- What care I how good she be.""
Thus the brother playfully sung and quoted, though whether the philosophical doctrine the old poet implied in his song had the effect of easing his listener"s mind upon the point in question, her faint and absent smile was not exactly calculated to declare; though perhaps could he have read aright the secret history of that anxious countenance, he might have seen how far less any such considerations were agitating his sister"s mind than the remembrance of Eugene"s strange and angry excitement in the Edinburgh gardens, on the subject of this same Edward Temple; and the question now chiefly agitating her breast to be, whether she could without treason to her lover, place herself in the position and circ.u.mstances now under discussion--yet what was she to do? She knew that Arthur could not enter into her feelings on this point; besides, was there not some unconfessed leaning in her secret heart in favour of the arrangement. For that interview of the morning, and the circ.u.mstances from which it took its rise; had it not aroused ideas of perplexity, interest, and anxiety in her mind? was there not still much left unaccounted for and unexplained?
She mentioned the ring to her brother. He was surprised, and thought it a strange coincidence, though certainly it did often happen that families of different names, bore the same crests, sometimes the same arms.
Mary"s recognition of the impression showed at least there to be, some connection between Eugene Trevor and Mr. Temple. Arthur could easily gain explanation from Mr. Wynne on the subject. He also was often puzzled to know to what family of Temple his friend belonged.
But, before time or explanation was given for any such inquiry, the little party yielding themselves pa.s.sively as it were to the irresistible force of circ.u.mstances which had so singularly united them, were pursuing their way over the enchanted ground Arthur had previously marked out for their excursion, most of which the two more experienced travellers had already explored, but gladly retrode for the benefit of their young companions.
"By sweet Val d"Arno"s tinted hills, In Vallambrosa"s convent gloom, Mid Terni"s vale of singing rills, By deathless lairs in solemn Rome.
Ruin, and fane, and waterfall."
They wandered delightedly, and never did Mr. Wynne and Arthur cease to congratulate themselves and one another; the latter, on the valuable acquisition he and his sister had gained in such able cicerones as himself and his companion; whilst Mary and Mr. Temple, by their silence only, gave testimony to the same effect.
Yes, it were well for the good Mr. Wynne and the young and hopeful-hearted Arthur
"Cheerful old age, and youth serene,"
to yield themselves to the charm of sunny skies and cla.s.sic ground, and to feel almost as if earth wanted no more to make it Heaven.
"A calm and lovely paradise Is Italy for hearts at ease."
But for the other two, as may be supposed, there wanted something more, or rather something less, to render their enjoyment as full and unalloyed.
For in spite of all Arthur had urged to the contrary, it was too plainly evident that something there was--a restraint--a consciousness, influencing their secret feelings, and imparting themselves to their outward demeanour, in common intercourse one with another; which no exciting or absorbing diversities of scene or circ.u.mstance could entirely dissipate or dispel.
Sometimes indeed, Mary, carried away by the delight of the moment, would forget whose eye had fixed itself for a brief moment, with such earnest interest, on her countenance; or even meet unshrinkingly the glance, the smile of sympathy, which her murmurings of enraptured admiration at times drew forth.
Sometimes unconsciously, as if it had been only as a portion of the magic spell which hung on all around her, she found herself listening to that voice, whose few, calm, graphic words had power to throw desired light on some old haunt or story--or touch with a bright glow the scene before them, or oftener turn away with a startled look of anxious thought as if some sudden a.s.sociation or remembrance recalled her to consciousness, and broke the spell.
"Too happy to be your guide and guardian, through scenes and beauty which even your lively imagination is incompetent to conceive!"
Did the words, which had once proceeded from those same lips, thrill upon her recollection? or was it only the jealous disapproval of her lover Eugene which would start up to trouble her on such occasions?
Whilst Eustace--it would be vain to tell what caused the quick transition of that glance or smile into the cold and rigidly averted brow, or caused to die away upon his lips words whose inspiration sprang from a source which could not be worthily encouraged.
Thus, day after day went on, and brought but diminished opportunity of touching on those points of interest so near her heart, and concerning which she more and more became possessed with the vague and restless fancy, that Mr. Temple possessed more power than any one imagined of enlightenment; for she avoided, as much as possible, finding herself alone with him, and if at times, as inevitably it occurred, they were thrown together apart from the other two, Mary"s haunting vision of Eugene"s jealous disapproval of her intimacy with Mr. Temple would cast a restraint over her feelings, and made her shrink from availing herself of the favourable opportunity thus afforded.
Of course Mr. Wynne--and through him Eustace Trevor had soon learnt from Arthur every particular relating to his sister"s situation with regard to Eugene, and the effect produced upon the latter by the circ.u.mstances which transpired, was evidenced only by the calm, rigid expression which settled on his interesting countenance--only subdued into soft and gentle melancholy, when at times, un.o.bserved by herself, his eyes could fix themselves on Mary; and as for meeting her half-way, in any renewal of the subject, so particularly discussed near the fountain that first morning of their meeting, he, with almost equal pointedness, might have seemed to avoid any occasion which could tend to its revival.
On the other hand, from Mr. Wynne the more unconscious and unsuspecting Arthur could gain little satisfactorily information on the topic on which he had promised to make inquiries. He always fought off any cross questioning on any particular subject connected with his friend Temple.
Indeed this was easy enough to do; for heart and soul absorbed in the exciting enjoyment of scenes and circ.u.mstances in which he entered with such enthusiastic delight, Arthur was not very capable of pressing hard just now upon any serious point, not immediately connected with the interest of the day or the hour.
But when Mary, with whom the old man had hitherto as skilfully warded off any timid attempts on her part to draw him forth on the subject on which he was vowed to secresy--when she, one sultry afternoon, had been conversing for some time so delightfully with her dear old friend, concerning days gone by, in the cool marble _sala_ of an old _palazzo_ near Genoa, where they had found temporary accommodation--without any preparation, fixed her earnest eyes upon her companion"s face, and said beseechingly:
"Mr. Wynne, will you answer me one question? you are acquainted I know, with everything concerning Mr. Temple; but I only wish to ascertain one point; was he ever acquainted with Eugene Trevor?"
The good man was taken by surprise, and displayed by his countenance considerable signs of embarra.s.sment, succeeded, however, by equal symptoms of relief, when looking up he beheld Mr. Temple, who had joined them un.o.bserved, and must inevitably have overheard Mary"s words, and witnessed the perplexity they had occasioned her friend.
Mary"s cheek also flushed deeply; yet when the next moment Mr. Wynne, with some careless excuse for leaving them, had walked away, and she found herself alone with him who best could answer to the question which had scarcely died upon her lips, she took courage, and with her eyelashes sweeping her varying cheek, in a low, yet steady voice, said:
"Mr. Temple, I was asking Mr. Wynne a question, to which for some reason he did not seem able or willing to reply; will you tell me whether you ever knew Eugene Trevor?"
An instant"s pause--then, in a tone in which, though calm, there was something unnatural and strange in the sound, there came the laconic reply--"_I did_."
And then there was a solemn pause. For what could Eustace Trevor add--how reply to the mute but eager questioning of those eyes, now fixed intently upon him, as if in the verdict of his lips there lay more power to ease the heart of its blind fears and nameless misgivings--more in one calm word of his
"Than all the world"s defied rebuke."
Therefore, though Mary held her breath, hoping, longing that he should proceed, yet shrinking from more direct inquiry, there he stood, with lips compressed and stern averted eyes; no marble statue could have remained more mute; till to break the ominous and oppressive silence, Mary p.r.o.nounced the name of "Eustace Trevor."
Then, indeed, her listener"s eyes relaxed their fixed expression--a sudden glow lit up his countenance.
In a low, deep tone, and with a soft, melancholy smile, he demanded:
"And what, Miss Seaham, of Eustace Trevor?"