The party whom Miss Castleton had offered to escort round the--grounds
consisted of several ladies and gentlemen, most of them young, with the
exception of an old military officer, General Sampson, who, however, was
as active and gallant as the youngest, and a matronly dame, Mrs
Appleton, who went with the idea that a chaperone would be required on
the occasion.
As is not unfrequently the case under similar circumstances, the party
before long separated. The general and Mrs Appleton had sat down to
rest in a summer-house, while the rest of the party went on. The
chaperone, on discovering that they had got out of sight, started up,
and was hurrying forward to overtake them, when her bonnet, adorned with
huge bows, caught in a low hanging bough, and, to her horror, before she
could stop her progress, not only was it dragged off, but so was her
cap, and the wig she wore beneath. The general doing his utmost to
maintain his gravity hastened up to her assistance. At the same moment
three of the young ladies, with two of the gentlemen who had accompanied
them, having turned back appeared in sight, and hearing her cries
hastened towards her. The general, who was short of stature, though of
no small width, had, in the meantime, been in vain attempting to unhook
the bows from the branch.
"Let me, general, let me," exclaimed poor Mrs Appleton, who was tall
and thin; and she made an effort to extricate her bonnet.
While she was thus employed, leaving her bare head exposed, her
companions reached the spot, trying in vain to stifle their laughter.
By the exertions of a tall gentleman of the party, her bonnet was at
length set free, and with the assistance of the young ladies was, with
the wig and cap, replaced on her head.
"Well, my dears, the same accident might have happened to any one of
you," she remarked, with a comical expression, which showed that she was
less put out than most people would have been by the occurrence, "though
to be sure, as you have only your natural hair beneath your bonnets,
that, I conclude, would have stuck faster to your head than mine did,
which, as you have discovered, is for convenience sake removable at
pleasure."
Captain Headland, on leaving the house, wishing to be polite to all, had
addressed himself to three or four of the young ladies in succession,
but either finding the conversation uninteresting, or that he could not
keep it up, had walked on by the side of Julia. He soon found that his
tongue before tied, became perfectly free. She had so many questions to
ask about Harry, and the various adventures they had gone through
together, that he soon found he had plenty to say. He was led on to
speak of himself, of the battles in which they both had taken a part.
While he gave her rapid and brilliant accounts of them, he found her
often looking up with her bright eyes fixed on his countenance. So
interested did she become, that she forgot that she had undertaken to
act as guide to the rest of the party. Not till they had walked on a
considerable distance, and had reached the opposite side of the lake,
did she and the young officer discover that they were not followed.
"Our friends cannot be far behind us," she said. "We ought to go back,
and we shall soon meet them. I promised to guide them through the
labyrinth which leads to Fair Rosamond's Bower, as the summer-house on
the top of the mound overlooking the lake is called, and no one will
otherwise be able to find it."
"I was scarcely observing where we were going. What a beautiful view of
the lake we have from hence," remarked Headland, as they turned.
"Yes, this is one of the most beautiful; but there are several other
lovely points on the shores, especially at the further end," said Julia.
"I intended to have conducted our friends to them. This lake was, I
believe, in our great grandfather's time but little more than a
wild-fowl decoy, with almost bare shores. He had trees planted on the
banks, and the lagoon deepened and considerably enlarged, while, with
the earth and gravel thrown out, mounds were raised which give the
picturesque variety you observe to the banks. We have two boats on the
lake; but do you not think the model of a man-of-war floating on the
surface would add to the picture?"
Captain Headland naturally thought so, and said he should be happy to
assist Harry in getting one built and rigged.
"Oh, I am sure mamma would like it," said Julia, "and papa, though he
might not take much interest in the matter, would not object. Till
Harry went to sea, we had no naval men in the family, and neither Sir
Reginald nor his predecessor, our great grandfather, took any interest
in nautical affairs, as they were fox-hunters and sportsmen."
Captain Headland said he would talk to Harry on the subject, and see
what they could do.
They continued walking on, but none of their friends appeared, they
having, as it happened, turned away from the lake in a totally opposite
direction. Julia thought that they might have gone round to the side
she had proposed visiting. She therefore led her companion in that
direction.
Their conversation continued as animated as before. Headland, who had a
real taste for the beauties of nature, admired the views which the lake
exhibited; the wooded islands, the green points, the drooping trees and
weeping willows hanging over the waters, their forms reflected on its
surface; stately swans with arched necks which glided by leading their
troops of cygnets. The only sounds heard were the splash of the fish as
they leaped out of their watery home, the various notes of birds, and
the subdued hum of insects flitting in the sunshine, where here and
there an opening in the foliage allowed it to penetrate into the
otherwise shady walk.
They at length reached the end of the lake; it was the furthest point
almost in the grounds from the house.
Just then the storm which had overtaken Algernon and Harry burst above
Texford. It had come on so suddenly that not till a loud peal of
thunder crashed almost above their heads were they aware of its
approach.
"I fear the rain will come down before we can reach the house, Miss
Castleton," observed Captain Headland. "If there is a boat near at hand
I might row you across the lake, which would both shorten the distance
and save you the fatigue of walking."
"One of the boats is generally kept a little further on, and if you
think we can go faster by water, I shall be much obliged to you."
Before the boat was reached heavy drops of rain began to fall.
"There is a summer-house close at hand overlooking the lake," said
Julia, and led her companion to it.
They had scarcely got under shelter when the rain descended in torrents.
Julia and Captain Headland naturally renewed the interesting
conversation in which they had before been engaged, not aware how time
went by. Every minute the young officer was in Julia's society,
forgetting his previous resolutions, he admired her more and more.
It was so evident that she had unintentionally separated from their
companions that he did not for one moment think her forward or
designing. With her delicate and refined beauty he had been struck from
the first, and was now still more pleased with her animated and
intelligent conversation.
"I wonder Harry did not speak more to me about her," he thought, "though
perhaps he might have fancied had he praised her I might have supposed
he wished to offer her as an attraction to me to visit Texford.
However, I am convinced that such a thought never entered his mind."
Although the rain at length ceased, the walks were so wet that Julia
confessed she should prefer crossing the lake to returning home by land.
At the other end of the lake an artificial stream of sufficient depth
for the boat, known as the Serpentine, meandered through the grounds and
reached almost to the house. There were several rustic bridges which
crossed it here and there, but they were of sufficient height to allow
the boat to pass under them. Julia having told Headland where he could
find the boat while she remained in the summer-house, he went to fetch
it. As it was kept under a shed it was perfectly dry. He handed her
into it, and pushing off from the bank they commenced their voyage.
The sun again shone forth brightly, and the air felt fresh and pure
after the storm. For some distance he rowed close to the shore where a
number of water-lilies floated on the surface. He had seldom seen such
beautiful flowers. He described, however, the marine gardens in the
Eastern seas visible through the clear water for an immense depth below
the surface.
"Have you been much in the East?" asked Julia.
"I believe I was born there," he answered, forgetting his intention of
not speaking of himself. "Indeed my early days were at all events
passed in that part of the world. I have been at sea the greater
portion of my life, and have comparatively but little knowledge of the
shore or the dwellers on it. I had no notion that there were such
beautiful places as this appears to me in England. I conclude there are
not many such."
"Oh, yes," said Julia. "There are many far more magnificent and
extensive, though I might not admire them more than this, and certainly
should not love them so much. Though we have not been here very long, I
spent months when I was a girl with our uncle Sir Reginald, and became
greatly attached to the place. We did not know at the time that we
should ever come to live here, as papa's elder brother was then alive.
Though he has not since been heard of he is supposed to be dead, and
papa consequently came into possession of the title and estates."
Julia said this not feeling that there was any necessity for keeping the
matter a secret from their guest indeed she would not have been
surprised had he replied that her brother had told him of the
circumstances.
Headland rowed slowly over the calm water. He was in no hurry to finish
the voyage, and the young lady seemed to enjoy the scenery. Now and
then he stopped and let the boat float quietly on, that they might
admire some fresh point of view.
"Do you sketch, Captain Headland?" asked Julia.
He replied that he had had no opportunity of taking lessons in his
younger days, except now and then from a mess-mate who had enjoyed the
advantage on shore, though he was accustomed to draw ships and to sketch
the outlines of the coasts that he might recognise them on subsequent
visits, but that now, with the probability of remaining on shore, he
should be glad to study the art.
"I should like to come out on the lake and make some sketches," said
Julia. "I have hitherto had no one to row the boat, and Algernon can
seldom be tempted on the water; indeed, he is not much of an oarsman."
Captain Headland expressed the pleasure it would give him to be of
service in that capacity, and Julia said she should be glad to take
advantage of his offer.
At length they reached the end of the lake and entered the Serpentine.
There was just room to row the boat along between the grassy banks.
Here and there the trees overhung the channel, and sometimes they had to
bend down to avoid the branches.
They had nearly reached the end where there were some stone steps with a
gravel walk above them, leading directly to the house, and a rustic
bridge spanning the stream.
The old general who had taken post on the bridge, and had been for some
time watching their approach, hailed them.
"Hilloa! gallant son of Neptune, I congratulate you on discovering our
missing Ariadne who was to have been our guide through the labyrinthine
walks of Texford. Fortunately we missed our way, and found ourselves
close to the house just as the storm came on."
"I must apologise, General Sampson, for leaving you and our other
friends; but we had got to some distance before we discovered that you
were not following," said Julia, somewhat annoyed at the general's
remarks.
"The truth is, my dear young lady, it is we who have to apologise to you
for not keeping pace with your fairy-like movements, and fearing that
Sir Ralph and Lady Castleton might justly blame me as the senior of the
party for deserting you, I hurried out as soon as the rain ceased in the
hopes of finding you before you reached the house, to entreat you to
offer some excuse for my conduct. But I suspect the captain is chiefly
to blame, and if you will enter into a compact with me we will sacrifice
him."
"I am ready to be the victim should Miss Castleton consider any excuse
necessary," said Captain Headland, as he handed Julia out of the boat,
while the old general stood on the top of the steps.
They walked together to the house, the latter talking in the same style
as before. Julia ran in, glad to escape him.
"You will be a lucky dog, captain, if you succeed in securing so fair a
prize," whispered the general, giving the young officer a not very
gentle dig in the ribs. "I have entertained some thoughts in that
direction myself, but I see that a soldier has no chance with a naval
man as his rival."
"Really, general, you allow your imagination to go too fast. I am a
comparative stranger to Miss Castleton, and have no merit which could
justify me in hoping--"
"Of course, of course, my young friend we must all feel our personal
want of merit when a lady is concerned. Nevertheless she may possibly
regard you in a more favourable light than you suppose, from the reports
we have heard of your gallant deeds."