The notes were at length written, and Frederick was despatched with them. The captain thought they might have been sent by a servant, but Frederick would not hear of it. He wished to be the bearer of the welcome news to Fowler, he said, with whom he should remain for the night, as he had had riding and excitement enough that day already.
When Alrina and Julia returned to the drawing-room after their tete-a-tete, Frederick was gone: it was evident, therefore, Alrina thought, that he didn"t care for her now: she had offended him beyond forgiveness, and he had given her up; she felt that she deserved it, and that feeling made her more wretched than ever; she had treated him shamefully, and had, she thought, wounded his feelings unnecessarily.
Had he treated her cruelly, she could, and would, have forgiven him; but she could not seek him out, and ask him to forgive her. No, she could not do that--besides, he seemed to avoid her. What could she do? She must endeavour to bear it. She slept very little that night;--her thoughts were too much occupied. The pleasure and happiness she felt at the course events had taken in her worldly career, were quite absorbed and overbalanced by the painful reflections she experienced with regard to the hidden secrets of her heart. In the midst of all the newly acquired pleasures of birth and fortune, and a happy home, her heart was crushed and sad.
Mrs. Courland could not make it out. She thought her daughter would have been to her a delightful companion, and she had looked forward to years of happiness; but she found Alrina silent and reserved. She asked Julia if she knew the cause, and she told her aunt all. They both honoured and respected Alrina for her n.o.ble conduct:--they both knew, very well, that it only required a kind friend to explain to Frederick the state of affairs, and all would be well.
Mrs. Courland took the first opportunity of telling her husband how n.o.bly their daughter had acted (for she kept nothing from him now), at which the old gentleman expressed the highest gratification. "We have found a treasure, my dear;" said he, "many have searched among the Cornish mines, and spent their all in the search, without finding such a precious jewel as we have discovered here:--we will preserve her as the most valued diamond that ever was discovered in Cornwall."
"Don"t be so absurd," replied Mrs. Courland, smiling, "I"m really afraid our long-lost child will be spoiled if she remains with us."
The captain"s dinner-party was a right jolly one: and, soon after the desert was set on the table, and the servants had withdrawn, he said,--"I am not in the habit of throwing a wet blanket over any company, especially when I have invited the party to my own table; but I am sure you will all like to hear what these wretches say for themselves: so, before we begin to enjoy ourselves, I will ask Morley to read the confession which was placed in Mrs. Courland"s hands a few days ago."
Mr. Morley, accordingly, read Miss Freeman"s confession, at which all the party were horror-struck, although several of them had heard it before.
Lieut. Fowler was perfectly astounded to learn that the dumb girl was his niece, and was grieved at her sad end.
"Now," cried the captain, when Mr. Morley had finished, and all had made their remarks on the sad fate of the inmates of the cottage, "splinter my topmast! but we"ll have no more of this! Pa.s.s the bottle, squire, and we"ll drink to the health of my newly-found daughter:--she"s a n.o.ble girl! we have found her among the Cornish mines, and so we"ll christen her _The Cornish Diamond_!--ha! ha! ha!" and the old gentleman leaned back in his chair and laughed right merrily. It was one of his old, hearty laughs, such as he used to indulge in when he was in Flora"s room, and thought no one heard him;--a sort of exhilarating laugh, which no one could help joining in, without great difficulty: and all, except two of the party, did join in it,--even the gla.s.ses on the sideboard echoed their sympathy. There were only two who did not join in the laugh, and they were Alrina and Mrs. Courland. The former felt that it tended to make her more conspicuous than she wished just at this time, and she blushed up to the very roots of her hair, as we have seen her blush before; while the latter was shocked at the vulgarity (as she deemed it) of her husband, and dreaded lest he should expose his free and easy manner still further to the Pendray ladies; so, in order to check it, as she thought, she said, with quiet dignity, when the merriment had a little subsided, "My dear, you really must remember that you are not on board ship.--What will the ladies think?"
"I tell you what it is, Mrs. Courland;" he replied, in perfect good humour, "you"ve had it your own way a long time, and have put a stopper on my lingo often enough; I mean to steer the ship my own way for once, and to-morrow you shall take the helm again if you like. So, drink my toast, ladies and gentlemen:--"The Cornish Diamond!" and a brighter one was never discovered in the best of our mines. No heeltaps, mind! Fill what you like; but drink what you fill!--that"s my rule."
Many other toasts were drank, and everyone except the party most concerned and one other, spent a right merry evening. These two melancholy ones were Alrina Marshall and Frederick Morley.
Julia saw how unhappy they were, and, in the course of the evening, she took Frederick aside, and told him (in confidence) the state of Alrina"s mind, and explained to him her reasons for saying that she could not love him. He fully believed it, he said; for there was nothing too n.o.ble and disinterested to believe of Alrina; and he only wanted an opportunity to throw himself at her feet, and beg her to recall the rash declaration she had made.
"Come with me, then," said Julia; and she conducted him into a small room, in which Alrina was sitting waiting for her cousin, who had excused herself for a moment, having this object in view; and the mischievous creature, having brought the two glumpy ones together, as she called them, left them to fight it out in their own way. There was no fighting, however; for, when they appeared again, they were the merriest of the party.
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE WEDDING BELLS.
The next morning gossip was rife in Penzance: nothing was talked of but the captain"s dinner-party, and the circ.u.mstances connected with it.
Three pairs of lovers walked out from the hotel in different directions, while Julia took a quiet walk with her uncle and aunt, who pretended to pity her, because she was not so fortunate as the other three young ladies of the party. They little knew what was going on behind the scenes; for, if the truth must be told, Julia had received a letter, that very morning, from the most devoted love-sick swain that ever wrote sonnets to the moon, or vowed eternal constancy to the most lovely of her s.e.x. So Julia was perfectly happy, whatever her good uncle and aunt might think.
It was very hard, Captain Courland said, to be obliged to give up his daughter again, as soon as he had found her, but Frederick was a good fellow, and he should have her; and to enable him to procure a suitable casket to keep the precious _diamond_ in, the captain gave him a handsome sum as a wedding present.
Maud was so happy in the consciousness of having gained the affections of the only man she had ever known who possessed a congenial spirit with her own, that she used all her persuasion with her father, in favour of Lieut. Fowler"s hopes with regard to her sister. The squire was taken by surprise he said: to lose one daughter was bad enough, but to lose both at the same time, was more than he could consent to. However, he promised to talk it over with the captain over a bottle of wine after dinner: and, either the wine had a peculiarly persuasive flavour, or the captain was more than usually eloquent; for the consent was given the next day, and it was agreed that the three weddings should take place at Penzance on the same day; as soon as the necessary preliminary preparations could be made.
Josiah and Alice Ann had not been idle. Perhaps love-making is infectious; if so, they caught the infection from their betters; for Josiah popped the question, and was accepted, about the same time that their master and mistress (Mr. Frederick and Miss Alrina) were making up their little imaginary differences at the hotel.
While the ladies were making their preparations for their weddings, the gentlemen, finding time hang heavily on their hands, proposed going to the conjuror"s house, at St. Just, and having a regular overhaul, as Lieut. Fowler expressed it.
Alrina"s consent was asked, and granted, as a matter of course; for what had she to do with the conjuror"s house now? So they went, and in their search, they found money and jewels of great value; for, in his haste to get away, the conjuror had not taken very much with him;--the belt was gone, and this had, no doubt, been refilled. There was no one to claim the property, nor to hinder them in their search, so they made a minute investigation; and that nothing might escape them, where they supposed or imagined there was a secret drawer, they did not hesitate to break the piece of furniture in which they suspected it into a thousand pieces. There could be no doubt, now, as to the disposition and ownership of the property. The conjuror"s nearest relative and representative was his sister, and she had disposed of all her property to Alrina. But Alrina, fortunately didn"t want it now; so, after consulting her good friends on the matter, it was decided that Squire Pendray should lay out a portion of it for the benefit of the boy Bill, and Mazed d.i.c.k and his mother, according to his judgment; and that the remainder should be given to the poor and for charitable purposes.
There was nothing wanting that money could procure to render the wedding everything that could be desired by the most fastidious of gossips.
Mr. Morley and Frederick presented Josiah and his wife with a handsome sum of money on their marriage, which took place soon after their own, to enable them to purchase a farm, to which the happy couple retired after their wedding.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown continued to keep the "Commercial" hotel for several years, and were visited, frequently, by Mr. Morley and his brother and their wives. But, of all her friends and customers, Mrs. Brown often declared that she never loved anyone half so much as she loved Miss Reeney, who was worthy, she said, of the name Mrs. Trenow had given her,--"THE CORNISH DIAMOND!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: FINISH]