"Take the good the gods provide you," seemed to be Denis Rolleston's
motto, for he was very happy with Veronica, while the Doctor made off
across the park, gave the bell at the open door a tremendous tug, and
then waited till a serious-looking butler came to the front.
"Tell his lordship I want to see him directly."
"Not at home, sir," said the man stolidly.
"Tell his lordship I want to see him directly," cried the Doctor
sternly. "He's in the library: I heard his laugh as I came up to the
house."
"But--"
"Stand aside, fellow!" cried the Doctor; and he marched in, flung open
the library door, and shut it sharply, as Lord Pinemount rose from his
chair pale with rage.
"Morning," said the Doctor. "Sit down. I want a chat with you."
He took a seat coolly, and looked critically at the angry man before
him, who was breathless with passion.
"How dare you!" he said at last--"how dare you force your presence here!
Go, sir, before I send for the police."
"Don't make a fool of yourself, sir: sit down. You must know that the
business is important, or I should not act like this."
"You are a madman, sir!"
"Yes, perhaps: sit down."
There was such a tone of authority in the Doctor's words that his
lordship dropped back in his chair wondering at his own action.
"That's better. Now then, Pinemount, let's look the state of affairs in
the face. Your boy loves my child."
"I have no son, sir. I have cut him off."
"Humph! All talk, sir. Can't be done. He loves my girl, and she loves
him. He is up at my house now; and after I have talked to you I want
you to bring her ladyship over to the young people, and make things
comfortable."
"Yes, you are mad," said his lordship, reassuring himself. "How dare
you presume like this! Leave my house, sir!"
"Don't raise your voice, man, and let all the servants know you are in a
passion."
"The insolence--the presumption! Look here, sir: if you are not mad,
who and what are you, that you dare to come and make such a proposition
to me?"
"Ah!" said the Doctor, as Lady Pinemount entered, looking anxiously from
one to the other, while the visitor advanced to meet her, took her hand,
kissed it with courtly grace, and led her to a chair.
"I repeat, sir, who and what are you, that you presume to come and sow
dissension in my peaceful village--heartburnings in my home? Who are
you?"
"Your cousin Richard, who died abroad."
"What!" roared his lordship. "Impostor, you lie!"
"No, sir: you are the impostor, or rather usurper. I grieve to say,
madam--Mrs Rolleston--that I am Lord Pinemount, and that your husband
has no right whatever here."
"I--"
"Silence, sir!" said Lord Pinemount, with dignity. "Accept the
position, and hear what I have to say."
"Is this true, sir?" faltered the lady.
"You will know if you listen, madam. Nay, you both must know, by the
inquiries that were made before your husband succeeded to the title and
estates. I saw all the papers with the advertisements; but I was happy,
was rich, and detested England for an old association, and I preferred
to remain dead to all who had known me. When at last I did return to
England, for my child's sake--a widower--I came down here. The
Sandleighs was for sale, and I bought it."
There was something like a groan here, and the lady gazed wildly at her
husband.
"Of course I thought of claiming the title; but I met you and your son,
and I said to myself, `Why should I make his family wretched?' Then, as
you know, while I was in doubt, Love came and cleared away the
difficulty and decided me. If I had claimed the title it would have
been for Veronica's sake. Well, Denis loves her; and in due time--a
long time hence, if your husband will study his health and not cut his
life short by passion and apoplexy--Denis will be My Lord,--my child My
Lady. That is enough for me. I am contented to be the Doctor and go on
as the naturalist still."
"But--but--" faltered the lady. "My husband--Mr Rolleston, if what you
say is true--"
"He knows it is true. But not Mr Rolleston,--Lord Pinemount still.
Madam, I tell you I am very rich, and my wants are very few. The title
is nothing to me. Yes, it is--it is my one secret. There, Pinemount,
am I an impostor now?"
"I am stunned," faltered the bearer of the title.
"Bah! that will soon go off. Lady Pinemount, our esteem, I am sure, is
mutual, and I believe you like your son's choice."
"Indeed, indeed I do!" cried Lady Pinemount eagerly.
"You would not be a woman if you did not," said the Doctor warmly.
"There, Pinemount, you may take my word--the more easily that you see I
want nothing from you but your cousinship. Still the family lawyers can
see papers that would convince the greatest sceptic living. Let bygones
be forgotten. Give me your hand."
The said hand was raised doubtingly, but it was seized and warmly
grasped.
"Now then," said the Doctor, "I promised your son to bring you up to ask
my child to be your son's wife."
"Is this some dream?" said Lord Pinemount, in a subdued voice.
"No, sir--the broad sunlight of fact. There, my dear cousin, Lady
Pinemount, is eager to take my darling in her arms, and you are as eager
to grasp the hand of as true and brave a young fellow as ever stepped.
Will you order the carriage, Lady Pinemount?"
"But--but," faltered Lord Pinemount, "do I understand that you will not
ask me to give up the title--the estate?"
"Only when the great end comes, and your son reigns in your stead--and
ours, sir. God bless him! for I love him as if he was my son. Lady
Pinemount--cousin, sister--you will come on at once?"
She could not speak, but pressed the hand he gave her and held it to her
lips.
"But what magic is this?" whispered Denis two hours later, when he had
felt the warm grasp of his father's hand, and seen him kiss and bless
Veronica, who was now seated on a couch with Lady Pinemount's arm round
her waist "Doctor Salado's magic, my dear boy. Some day I will give you
the recipe. There--never mind now. You will represent the family tree,
and its finest limb is not sawn off."