His complexion was quite dark, his eyes were very brilliant and expressive, and his appearance was decidedly effeminate. Edith felt a half contempt for him, but in a moment she reflected how appearances may mislead, for was not the magnificent Mowbray a villain and a coward?
"Allow me, Miss Dalton," said he, "to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Dudleigh, of ---- ----."
"Dudleigh!" cried Edith, in great excitement. "Are you any relation to Sir Lionel?"
"Well, not very close. I belong to the same family, it is true; but Sir Lionel is more to me than a relation. He is my best friend and benefactor."
"And do you know any thing about him?" cried Edith, in irrepressible eagerness. "Can you tell me any thing?"
"Oh yes," said Dudleigh, with a smile. "I certainly ought to be able to do that. I suppose I know as much about him as any one. But what is the meaning of all this that I find here," he continued, suddenly changing the conversation--"that ruffian of a porter--the gates boarded up and barred so jealously? It seems to me as if your friends should bring pistols whenever they come to make a call."
Dudleigh had a gay, open, careless tone. His voice was round and full, yet still it was effeminate. In spite of this, however, Edith was, on the whole, pleased with him. The remote relationship which he professed to bear to Sir Lionel, his claim that Sir Lionel was his friend, and the name that he gave himself, all made him seem to Edith like a true friend. Of Sir Lionel and his family she knew nothing whatever; she knew not whether he had ever had any children or not; nor did she ever know his disposition; but she had always accustomed herself to think of him as her only relative, and her last resort, so that this man"s acquaintance with him made him doubly welcome.
"What you mention," said she, in answer to his last remark, "is a thing over which I have not the smallest control. There is a man here who has contrived to place me in so painful a position that I am a prisoner in my own grounds."
"A prisoner!" said Dudleigh, in a tone of the deepest surprise. "I do not understand you."
"He keeps the gates locked," said Edith, "refuses to let me out, and watches every thing that I do."
"What do you mean? I really can not understand you. No one has any right to do that. How does he dare to do it? He couldn"t treat you worse if he were your husband."
"Well, he pretends that he is my guardian, and declares that he has the same right over me as if he were my father."
"But, Miss Dalton, what nonsense this is! You can not be in earnest--and yet you must be."
"In earnest!" repeated Edith, with vehemence. "Oh, Lieutenant Dudleigh, this is the sorrow of my life--so much so that I throw myself upon the sympathy of a perfect stranger. I am desperate, and ready to do any thing to escape--"
"Miss Dalton," said Dudleigh, solemnly, "your wrongs must be great indeed if this is so. Your guardian! But what then? Does that give him the right to be your jailer?"
"He takes the right."
"Who is this man?"
"His name is Wiggins."
"Wiggins? Wiggins? Why, it must be the steward. Wiggins? Why, I saw him yesterday. Wiggins? What! That scoundrel? that blackleg? that villain who was horsewhipped at Epsom? Why, the man is almost an outlaw. It seemed to me incredible when I heard he was steward here; but when you tell me that he is your guardian it really is too much. It must be some scoundrelly trick of his--some forgery of doc.u.ments."
"So I believe," said Edith, "and so I told him to his own face. But how did you get in here? Wiggins never allows any one to come here but his own friends."
"Well," said Dudleigh, "I did have a little difficulty, but not much--it was rather of a preliminary character. The fact is, I came here more than a week ago on a kind of tour. I heard of Dalton Hall, and understood enough of Sir Lionel"s affairs to know that you were his niece; and as there had been an old difficulty, I thought I couldn"t do better than call and see what sort of a person you were, so as to judge whether a reconciliation might not be brought about. I came here three days ago, and that beggar of a porter wouldn"t let me in. The next day I came back, and found Wiggins, and had some talk with him. He said something or other about your grief and seclusion and so forth; but I knew the scoundrel was lying, so I just said to him, "See here now, Wiggins, I know you of old, and there is one little affair of yours that I know all about--you understand what I mean. You think you are all safe here; but there are some people who could put you to no end of trouble if they chose. I"m going in through those gates, and you must open them." That"s what I told him, and when I came to-day the gates were opened for me. But do you really mean to say that this villain prevents your going out?"
"Yes," said Edith, mournfully.
"Surely you have not tried. You should a.s.sert your rights. But I suppose your timidity would naturally prevent you."
"It is not timidity that prevents me. I have been desperate enough to do any thing. I have tried. Indeed, I don"t know what more I could possibly do than what I have done." She paused. She was not going to tell every thing to a stranger.
"Miss Dalton," said Dudleigh, fervently, "I can not express my joy at the happy accident that has brought me here. For it was only by chance that I came to Dalton, though after I came I naturally thought of you, as I said, and came here."
"I fear," said Edith, "that it may seem strange to you for me to take you into my confidence, after we have only interchanged a few words. But I must do so. I have no alternative. I am desperate. I am the Dalton of Dalton Hall, and I find myself in the power of a base adventurer. He imprisons me. He sets spies to watch over me. He directs that ruffian at the gates to turn away my friends, and tell them some story about my grief and seclusion. I have not seen any visitors since I came."
"Is it possible!"
"Well, there was one family--the Mowbrays, of whom I need say nothing."
"The Mowbrays?" said Dudleigh, with a strange glance.
"Do you know any thing about them?" asked Edith.
"Pardon me, Miss Dalton; I prefer to say nothing about them."
"By all means, I prefer to say nothing about them myself."
"But, Miss Dalton, I feel confounded and bewildered. I can not understand you even yet. Do you really mean to say that you, the mistress of these estates, the heiress, the lady of Dalton Hall--that _you_ are restricted in this way and by _him_?"
"It is all most painfully true," said Edith. "It almost breaks my heart to think of such a humiliation, but it is true. I have been here for months, literally a prisoner. I have absolutely no communication with my friends, or with the outside world. This man Wiggins declares that he is my guardian, and can do as he chooses. He says that a guardian has as much authority over his ward as a father over his child."
"Oh! I think I understand. He may be partly right, after all. You are young yet, you know. You are not of age."
"I am of age," said Edith, mournfully, "and that is what makes it so intolerable. If I were under age I might bear it for a time. There might then appear to be, at least, the show of right on his side. But as it is, there is nothing but might. He has imprisoned me. He has put me under surveillance. I am watched at this moment."
"Who? where?" exclaimed Dudleigh, looking hastily around.
"Oh, in the woods--a black named Hugo. He tracks me like a blood-hound, and never loses sight of me when I am out. He may not hear what we are saying, but he will tell his master that I have spoken with you."
"Are there spies in the Hall?"
"Oh yes; his housekeeper watches me always."
"Is there no place where we can talk without being seen or heard?
Believe me, Miss Dalton, your situation fills me with grief and pity.
All this is so unexpected, so strange, so incredible!"
"We may, perhaps, be more free from observation in the Hall--at least I think so. The drawing-room is better than this. Will you allow me to do the honors of Dalton Hall?"
Dudleigh bowed, and the two walked toward the Hall, and entering, proceeded to the drawing-room.
"We are undoubtedly watched, even here," said Edith, with a melancholy smile, "but the watcher can not observe us very well, and has to stand too far off to hear us easily, so that this room is perhaps better than out-of-doors; at any rate, it is more convenient."
"Miss Dalton," said Dudleigh, "I am glad beyond all that words can say that I managed to get through your gates. My vague threats terrified Wiggins, though in reality I have no knowledge about him sufficiently definite to give me any actual power over him. I have only heard general scandal, in which he was mixed up. But he has given me credit for knowing something important. At any rate, now that I am here, let me do something for you at once. Command me, and I will obey." "I want but one thing," said Edith, "and that is to get out."
"Well?"
"Will you lead the way and let me follow? That is all I ask of you."
"Certainly, and if you could only go out over my dead body, that price should be paid, and you should go."
Dudleigh spoke quickly, but with no particular earnestness. Indeed, in all his tones there was a lack of earnestness. The words were excellent, but they lacked depth and warmth. Edith, however, was too much excited by the prospect of help to notice this.