"Exactly; well, things have happened here. To be brief, I mean that a lot of silly women have got up a scandal about them--no, scandal is too strong a word--gossip."
"What is alleged?" asked Mr. Fregelius faintly.
"Well, that your daughter threw over that young a.s.s, Stephen Layard, because--the story seems to me incredible, I admit--she had fallen violently in love with Morris. Further that she and the said Morris were seen embracing at night on the Rectory road, which I don"t believe, as the witnesses are Layard, who is prejudiced, and his sister, who is the most ill-bred, bitter, and disappointed woman in the county. Lastly, and this is no doubt true, that they are generally on terms of great intimacy, and we all know where that leads to between a man and woman--"Plato, thy confounded fantasies," etc. You see, when people sit up singing to each other alone till two in the morning--I don"t mean that Morris sings, he has no more voice than a crow; he does the appreciative audience--well, other people will talk, won"t they?"
"I suppose so, the world being what it is," sighed Mr. Fregelius.
"Exactly; the world being what it is, and men and women what they are, a most unregenerate lot and "au fond" very primitive, as I daresay you may have observed."
"What is to be done?"
"Well, under other circ.u.mstances, I should have said, Nothing at all except congratulate them most heartily, more especially my son. But in this case there are reasons which make such a course impossible. As you know, Morris is engaged to be married to my niece, Miss Porson, and it is a contract which, even if he wished it, honour would forbid him to break, for family as well as for personal reasons."
"Quite so, quite so; it is not to be thought of. But again I ask--What is to be done?"
"Is that not rather a question for you to consider? I suggest that you had better speak to your daughter; just a hint, you know, just a hint."
"Upon my word, I"d rather not. Stella can be so--decided--at times, and we never seem quite to understand each other. I did speak to her the other day when Mr. Layard wished to marry her, a match I was naturally anxious for, but the results were not satisfactory."
"Still, I think you might try."
"Very well, I will try; and, Colonel Monk, I cannot tell you how grieved I am to have brought all this trouble on you."
"Not a bit," answered the Colonel cheerfully. "I am an old student of human nature, and I rather enjoy it; it"s like watching the puppets on a stage. Only we mustn"t let the comedy grow into a tragedy."
"Ah! that"s what I am afraid of, some tragedy. Stella is a woman who takes things hard, and if any affection really has sprung up----"
"----It will no doubt evaporate with the usual hysterics and morning headache. Bless me! I have known dozens of them, and felt some myself in my time--the headaches, I mean, not the other things. Don"t be alarmed if she gets angry, Mr. Fregelius, but just appeal to her reason; she will see the force of it afterwards."
An hour or so later the Colonel started for a walk on the beach to look at some damage which a high tide had done to the cliff. As he was nearing the Abbey steps on his return he saw the figure of a woman standing quite still upon the sands. An inspection through his eyegla.s.s revealed that it was Stella, and instinct told him her errand.
"This is rather awkward," he thought, as he braced himself to battle, "especially as I like that girl and don"t want to hurt her feelings.
Hullo! Miss Fregelius, are you taking the air? You should walk, or you will catch cold."
"No, Colonel Monk, I was waiting for you."
"Waiting for me? Me! This is indeed an honour, and one which age appreciates."
She waved aside his two-edged badinage. "You have been speaking to my father," she said.
Instantly the Colonel a.s.sumed a serious manner, not the most serious, such as he wore at funerals, but still one suited to a grave occasion.
"Yes, I have."
"You remember all that you said?"
"Certainly, Miss Fregelius; and I a.s.sume that for the purposes of this conversation it need not be repeated."
She bowed her head, and replied, "I have come to explain and to tell you three things. First, that all these stories are false except that about the singing. Secondly, that whoever is responsible for them has made it impossible that I should live in Monksland, so I am going to London to earn my own living there. And, thirdly, that I hope you will excuse my absence from dinner as I think the more I keep to myself until we go to-morrow, the better; though I reserve to myself the right to speak to Mr. Monk on this subject and to say good-bye to him."
"She _is_ taking it hard and she _is_ fond of him--deuced fond of him, poor girl," thought the Colonel; but aloud he said, "My dear Miss Fregelius, I never believed the stories. As for the princ.i.p.al one, common sense rebels against it. All I said to your father was that there appears to be a lot of talk about the place, and, under the circ.u.mstances of my son"s engagement, that he might perhaps give you a friendly hint."
"Oh! indeed; he did not put it quite like that. He gave me to understand that you had told him--that I was--so--so much in love with Mr. Monk that on this account I had--rejected Mr. Layard."
"Please keep walking," said the Colonel, "or you _really_ will catch cold." Then suddenly he stopped, looked her sharply in the face, much as he had done to Eliza, and said, "Well, and are you not in love with him?"
For a moment Stella stared at him indignantly. Then suddenly he saw a blush spread upon her face to be followed by an intense pallor, while the pupils of the lovely eyes enlarged themselves and grew soft. Next instant she put her hand to her heart, tottered on her feet, and had he not caught her would perhaps have fallen.
"I do not think I need trouble you to answer my question, which, indeed, now that I think of it, was one I had no right to put," he said as she recovered herself.
"Oh, my G.o.d!" moaned Stella, wringing her hands; "I never knew it till this moment. You have brought it home to me; you, yes, you!" and she burst out weeping.
"Here are the hysterics," thought the Colonel, "and I am afraid that the headache will be bad to-morrow morning."
To her, however, he said very tenderly, "My dear girl, my dear girl, pray do not distress yourself. These little accidents will happen in the best regulated hearts, and believe me, you will get over it in a month or two."
"Accident!" she said. "It is no accident; it is Fate!--I see it all now--and I shall never get over it. However, that is my own affair, and I have no right to trouble you with my misfortunes."
"Oh! but you will indeed, and though you may think the advice hard, I will tell you the best way."
She looked up in inquiry.
"Change your mind and marry Stephen Layard. He is not at all a bad fellow, and--there are obvious advantages."
This was the Colonel"s first really false move, as he himself felt before the last word had left his lips.
"Colonel Monk," she said, "because I am unfortunate is it any reason that you should insult me?"
"Miss Fregelius, to my knowledge I have never insulted any woman; and certainly I should not wish to begin with one who has just honoured me with her confidence."
"Is it not an insult," she answered with a sort of sob, "when a woman to her shame and sorrow has confessed--what I have--to bid her console herself by marriage with another man?"
"Now that you put it thus, I confess that perhaps some minds might so interpret an intention which did not exist. It seemed to me that, after a while, in marriage you would most easily forget a trouble which my son so unworthily has brought on you."
"Don"t blame him for he does not deserve it. If anybody is to blame it is I; but in truth all those stories are false; we have neither of us done anything."
"Do not press the point, Miss Fregelius; I believe you."
"We have neither of us done anything," she repeated; "and, what is more, if you had not interfered, I do not think that I should have found out the truth; or, at least, not yet--till I saw him married, perhaps, when it would have been no matter."
"When you see a man walking in his sleep you do your best to stop him,"
said the Colonel.
"And so cause him to fall over the precipice and be dashed to bits. Oh!
you should have let me finish my journey. Then I should have come back to the bed that I have made to lie on, and waked to find myself alone, and n.o.body would have been hurt except myself who caused the evil."
The Colonel could not continue this branch of the conversation. Even to him, a hardened vessel, as he had defined himself, it was too painful.
"You said you mean to earn a living in London. How?"