[Illustration: 205]
When Georgina returned to the drawing-room, she found her sister seated
on a sofa, with Sir Within beside her, and in front of them stood
a girl, whose appearance certainly answered ill to the high-flown
descriptions Sir Gervais had given them of her beauty.
With the evident intention of making a favourable first impression, her
grandfather had dressed her up in some faded relics of Mrs. Luttrel’s
wardrobe: a blue silk dress, flounced and trimmed, reaching to her feet,
while a bonnet of some extinct shape shadowed her face and concealed her
hair, and a pair of satin boots, so large that they curved up, Turkish
fashion, towards the toes, gave her the look rather of some wandering
circus performer, than of a peasant child.
“Je la trouve affreusement laide!” said Lady Vyner, as her sister came
forward and examined herewith a quiet and steady stare through her
eye-glass.
“She is certainly nothing like the sketch he made, and still less like
the description he gave of her,” said Georgina, in French. “What do you
say, Sir Within?”
“There is something--not exactly beauty--about her,” said he, in the
same language, “but something that, cultivated and developed, might
possibly be attractive. Her eyes have a strange colour in them: they
are grey, but they are of that grey that gets a tinge of amethyst when
excited.”
While they thus spoke, the girl had turned from one to the other,
listening attentively, and as eagerly watching the expressions of the
listeners’ faces, to gather what she might of their meaning.
“Your name is Kitty--Kitty O’Hara, I think?” said Lady Vyner. “A very
good name, too, is O’Hara!”
“Yes, my Lady. There is an O’Hara lives at Craig-na-Manna, in his own
castle.”
“Are you related to him?” asked Georgina, gravely.
“No, my Lady.”
“Distantly, perhaps, you might be?”
“Perhaps we might; at all events, he never said so!”
“And you think, probably, it was more for him to own the relationship
than for you to claim it?”
The girl was silent, and looked thoughtful; and Lady Vyner said, “I
don’t think she understood you, Georgy?”
“Yes I did, my Lady; but I didn’t know what to say.”
“At all events,” said Georgina, “you don’t call each other cousins.”
The child nodded.
“And yet, Kitty, if I don’t mistake greatly, you’d like well enough to
have some grand relations--fine, rich people living in their own great
castle?”
“Yes, I’d like that!” said the girl. And her cheek glowed, while her
eyes deepened into the colour the old Baronet described.
“And if we were to be to you as these same cousins, Batty,” said Lady
Vyner, good naturedly, “do you think you could love us, and be happy
with us?”
The girl turned her head and surveyed the room with a quiet leisurely
look, and, though it was full of objects new and strange, she did not
let her gaze dwell too long on any one in particular; and, in a quiet,
steady tone, said, “I’d like to live here!”
“Yes; but you have only answered half of her Ladyship’s question,” said
Sir Within. “She asked, ‘Could you love her?’”
The girl turned her eyes full on Georgina, and, after a steady stare,
she looked in Lady Vyner’s face, and said, “I could love _you_!” The
emphasis plainly indicating what she meant.
“I think there can be very little mistake there,” said Georgina, in
French. “I, at least, have not captivated her at first sight.”
“Ma foi, she is more savage than I thought her,” said Sir Within, in the
same language.
“No,” said she, quickly catching, at the sound of the word, “I am not
a savage!” And there was a fierce energy in the way she spoke actually
startling.
“My dear child,” said he, gently, “I did not call you so.”
“And if he had,” interposed Miss Courtenay, “gentlemen are not
accustomed to be rebuked by such as you!”
The girl’s face grew scarlet; she clenched her hands together, and the
joints cracked as the fingers strained and twisted in her grasp.
“You have much to learn, Kitty,” said Lady Vyner; “but if you are a good
child, gentle and obedient, we will try and teach you.”
The child curtseyed her thanks.
“Take off that odious bonnet, Georgy, and let us see her better.”
The girl stared with amazement at hearing her head-dress so criticised,
and followed it with her eyes wistfully.
“Yes; she is much better now.”
“What splendid hair!” said Sir Within, in French.
“You have got pretty hair, he says,” said Georgina.
“This is prettier,” said the child, as she lifted the amber beads of her
necklace and displayed them proudly.
“They are very pretty too, and real amber.”
“Amber and gold,” said the girl, proudly.
“Now she looks like the picture of her,” said Lady Vyner, in French;
“she positively is pretty. The horrid dress disfigured her altogether.”
Sir Gervais entered the room hastily at this moment, and whispered a few
words in his wife’s ear, concluding aloud: “Let her go to Ada; she is
in the garden. You can go this way, Kitty,” said he, opening one of the
French windows; “cross over the grass to that little wooden gate yonder,
and the path will bring you to the garden. You’ll find a young lady
there, who would like to know you.”
“May I have my bonnet?” asked she, wistfully.
“No; go without it. You’ll be freer!”
“I must ask you to let me show you this old man. He has submitted me to
a cross-examination so sharp and searching for the last half-hour, that
I really want a little rest.”
Whatever absurdity the pretension of dress had thrown around the girl,
nothing of the same kind was observable in the appearance of the
old man, who, in his long coat of bluish grey frieze, and with his
snow-white hair falling on his shoulders, stood before them. His air,
too, was thoroughly respectful; but neither abashed by the presence in
which he found himself, nor, stranger still for an Irish peasant, at all
excited to any show, of curiosity by the rich objects about.
“Well, Malone,” said Vyner, with the frank familiar tone that so well
became him, “I believe we have now gone over everything that we have to
say to each other, and, at all events, as you will stop here today----”
“No, your honour; with your honour’s leave, I’ll go off now. It’s best
for the child, and, indeed, for myself!” And a heavy sigh followed the
last word.
“You are afraid, then, she will fret after you,” said Georgina, fixing a
full and steady gaze on the old man’s face.
“She might, my Lady,” said he, calmly.
“Nothing more natural; who would blame her?” broke in Lady Vyner. “But
might it not be as well for you to wait and see how she likes her new
life here?”
“She is sure to like it, my Lady.”
“I suspect she is!” said Georgina, quickly. And the old man turned and
looked at her with a keen, sharp glance; it almost seemed to ask, “How
do you know this?”
Vyner broke the somewhat awkward pause that ensued, by saying, “As
I shall be your landlord, Malone, in a few days, you will have many
opportunities of communicating with me, and I am sure, until your
granddaughter can write with her own hand, either of these ladies will
be kind enough to send you news of her.”
The old man made a gesture of gratitude, and stood still without
speaking. At length he sighed deeply, and seemed engaged in some process
of recollection, for he counted over to himself something, marking each
event on his fingers.
“I do think, Malone,” said Vyner, with much kindness of voice and
manner, “it would be well to remain here to-day at least. You yourself
will go back more satisfied as you see in what sort of place and with
what people you have left your child.”
“No, thank your honour; I’ll go this morning. It is best. There’s only
one thing more I have to say, but to be sure it’s the great one of all.”
“Then it is a matter of money,” said Georgina, in a low tone; but low as
it was the old fellow, who often affected deafness, caught it at once,
and with a look of great resentment fixed his eyes on her.
“I half suspect,” said Vyner, “we have not forgotten anything. I have
told you how she will be treated and looked on, how educated and cared
for.”
“And how dressed,” added Lady Vyner.
“I have, so far as I know, too, provided for the contingency of her
wishing to return home again, or for such a wish on the part of her
friends; and I have satisfied you that her opinions in matters of
religion shall be respected, and that she shall have, whenever it is
possible, the advantage of conferring with a priest of her own Church.
Now, do you remember anything else we ought to take into account?”
“Yes, your honour,” said the old man, resolutely. “I want to know, if it
was to happen, from any rayson, that your honour or the ladies wished
to send her back again, after she was, maybe, two years or three years
here, when she was accustomed to be treated like a lady, and felt like
one--I want to know where she’s to go, or who to?”
“There is much good sense in that question,” said Sir Within, in French;
and he now arose to look closer at the old countryman.
“I think, Malone, we have already provided for that.”
“No, your honour. You said how it would be if Kitty wanted to go back
herself, or if I sent for her; and how, too, it would be if, when she
was grown up and fit to be married, that she ought to have consent from
your honour, or the guardians that your honour wud give her in charge
to. But now I want to know how it would be if, after the child was used
to fine ways of livin’, she was to be sent away--without any fault of
hers, maybe, but just because--no matter for what rayson”--here his eyes
glanced rapidly at Georgina--“I’d like to ax, what’s to become of her
then?”
“I scarcely think we can go so far as to provide for every casualty
in life; but it will perhaps satisfy you to know that she’ll have two
guardians to watch over her interests. One of them is this gentleman
here.”
“And who’s the other?” asked Malone, curiously.
“The other? The other is not yet formally declared, but you will be
fully satisfied with him, that much I guarantee.”
Malone did not give much attention to this speech, his whole interest
seeming now to concentrate in the person of him who was to be the girl’s
guardian.
“Is your honour married?” asked he at length of Sir Within.
“I have not that happiness,” said the old diplomatist, with a grace of
manner that he might have displayed to a sovereign.
“There it is again,” sighed Malone; “she’ll have nowhere to go to if
she’s turned out. Has his honour a house near this?”
“Yes. I shall be happy to show it to you,” said Sir Within, politely.
“I declare, Malone, if I’m ever in want of a guardian, I’ll look you up.
I never heard of your equal in foresight,” said Georgina, laughing.
“Wouldn’t I need to be, my Lady? Who has the child to look to barrin’
myself? And maybe, then, she wouldn’t have even me. I’m seventy-eight
last April; and his honour there isn’t very young either.”
“Trop vrai, ma foi,” said Sir Within, trying to laugh gaily, but
reddening to his forehead as he turned away.
“You must have more patience than I, Gervais, to prolong this
discussion,” said Georgina, angrily. “I vow I’d anticipate the old man’s
objection, and pack them off both together this very morning.”
Every syllable of this was overheard by Malone, though he affected not
to hear it, and stood a perfect picture of immobility.
Sir Gervais, who up to this was rather amused by the casuistical turn of
the peasant’s mind, now seemed rather to lose temper, and said, “Such
an arrangement as we contemplated, Malone, requires a little exercise
of good faith on both sides; if you believe that you cannot extend that
trust in us so far as we expect from you, I really think the best and
easiest way would be to do as this young lady says--end our contract at
once.”
Not in the least startled by the peremptory tone which Vyner had
now for the first time used towards him, the old man folded his hands
with an air of resignation, and stood without uttering a word.
“Did you hear what Sir Gerrais said to you?” asked Georgina, after a
pause of some seconds. “Yes, my Lady.”
“And what answer have you to make?” asked she again, more imperatively.
“‘Tis your Ladyship is right,” began Malone, in a voice greatly subdued,
and with almost a slight whining intonation through it; “‘tis your
Ladyship is right. His honour is too good and too patient with me.
But what am I but a poor ignorant labourin’ man, that never had any
edication nor larnin’ at all? And if I be thinkin’ of more than I ought,
it’s because I know no better.”
“Well, what will you do?” said Vyner, hastily, for there was a servility
in the man’s manner that revolted him, and he was impatient to conclude.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do, if your honour lets me,” said Malone,
resolutely, “I’ll go and speak to Kitty. She’s cute enough, young as she
is, and whatever she says I’ll abide by.”
“Do so; take your own way altogether, my good man; and be assured that
whichever decision you come to will not in any degree affect our future
dealings together.”
“That is, your honour won’t turn me out of my houldin’.”
“Nothing of the kind.”
“He never suspected you would,” said Georgina, but in a very cautious
whisper, which this time escaped Malone.
“I’ll not be ten minutes, your honour,” said he, as he moved towards the
door.
“Take as much time as you please.”
“He’ll not part with her, I see that,” said Lady Vyner, as the man
withdrew.
Georgina gave a saucy laugh, and said, “He never so much as dreamed of
taking her away; his whole mind was bent upon a hard bargain; and now
that he has got the best terms he could, he’ll close the contract.”
“You don’t believe too implicitly in humanity,” said Sir Within,
smiling.
“I believe in men only when they are gentlemen,” said she; and there
was a very gracious glance as she spoke, which totally effaced all
unpleasant memory of the past.