The family had retired to rest. Headland, however, was sitting up,
feeling no inclination to sleep, and having numerous subjects to occupy
his mind. He looked at his watch. It was one o'clock.
"After all, the only course which honour dictates lies straight before
me. I would not persuade Julia to marry me without her father's
consent; and if he withholds it I shall remain pledged to her, and go to
sea till he withdraws his opposition."
At that moment the hall door bell rang a loud peal. Taking his lamp
Headland went downstairs, hoping to find that Harry had returned. As no
servant had appeared, he commenced withdrawing the bolts. Not being
accustomed to the operation, he was some time about it.
"Bear a hand, let me in as fast as you can," said a voice. It was
Harry's. He spoke in a hurried and excited tone.
Headland succeeded at last, and Harry staggered in, looking very pale.
There was blood on his coat-sleeve and down his side.
"My dear fellow, what has happened?" exclaimed Headland.
"I have been attacked by highwaymen or ruffians of some sort, and though
I beat them off, one of them sent a bullet through my side, and another
gave me an ugly slash with a hanger. Thanks to my good steed, and a
stout stick I carried instead of my whip, I kept them at bay till I got
clear away."
"Come to your room at once then, and have your hurts looked to; you seem
weak from loss of blood."
"I am somewhat faint, and shall be glad of some refreshment if we can
rouse up the butler; but I do not wish to alarm my mother and Julia by
making any disturbance in the house."
Headland having helped Harry to his room, received his directions where
to find the servants, and went in search of them without waiting to hear
more of his adventures.
"Thieves and robbers in the house! I'll be after them anon," exclaimed
Boodle, the old butler, from within, giving sundry grunts and groans
while trying to arouse himself.
Directly afterwards he made his appearance with night-cap on head, his
breeches just slipped on supported by a single brace, and his feet in
slippers, while in one hand was a blunderbuss and the other held a
candle.
"You will find no thieves to fight with," said Headland, smiling at his
appearance. "We only want you to bring a bottle of wine as a cordial,
and afterwards to obtain some bandages from the housekeeper. Call some
one to take Mr Harry's horse, and come as soon as you can."
Headland hurried back to Harry's room.
"I believe I have only received flesh wounds of no great consequence,
and shall soon be all to rights," said Harry.
"Had we not better send off for a surgeon," asked Headland, "though I
will do my best in the meantime."
"He or the messenger might be shot at on his way," answered Harry.
"Your doctoring will be quite sufficient for the present, and we shall
see how I feel in the morning."
Boodle soon appeared with the wine. He almost let the bottle drop as he
saw the blood on Harry's dress.
"Dear, dear! what has happened, Mr Harry?" he asked with a look of
horror.
"Nothing of consequence," answered Harry.
"Shall I call up her ladyship and Sir Ralph and Mrs Trimmings?"
"Pray, my good Boodle, do nothing of the sort; just get what Captain
Headland requires, and then turn in and go to sleep again. We sailors,
you know, are accustomed to this sort of thing."
Boodle having become more composed, hastened away to get the bandages
and some hot water, while Headland, who had at different times assisted
the surgeon on board ship, prepared to dress his friend's hurts.
In due course Harry greatly revived, and was able to tell his story.
"You will be anxious," he said, "to hear about our chase. We thought at
first that we should overhaul the lugger, as we had the breeze while she
was becalmed. Still she managed to slip through the water. We kept her
in sight all night, and the next morning the wind coming ahead I was in
great hopes that we should get up to her--indeed we actually got within
half-a-mile. Another slant of wind favouring her, she went away with
her sheets eased off to the eastward, and shortly afterwards we lost
sight of her in a thick mist which swept over the German Ocean. We
stood on for some hours in the hopes of sighting her again, but when the
fog cleared she was nowhere to be seen. The commander of the cutter
declared that he had done all he could, and that we might as well look
for a needle in a bundle of hay as search longer for the lugger, so we
stood back for Hurlston."
It was some time after nightfall when we landed, and having seen poor
Adam safe in his cottage, I, of course, went up to Downside to let the
ladies know of our return. I was not aware how quickly the time passed.
At length, finding how late it was, I mounted my horse and rode towards
Texford.
I had just got out of the village when two fellows started up in front
of my horse and tried to seize the bridle, when they treated me as I
told you. With two blows of my stick I made them let go, when the
animal springing forward I got clear of them, and, as you may suppose,
did not draw rein till I reached this. They may have been highwaymen,
but I suspect that they belonged to the smugglers' gang, and waylaid me
in revenge for my interference with regard to young Halliburt.
Headland, recollecting the character he had heard of Gaffin, suggested
that he possibly, with one of his companions, had attacked Harry.
"We must see about it to-morrow," he added, "and I must now insist on
your going to bed, Harry, and trying to go to sleep, or your hurts will
probably bring on fever. You must let me take up my berth in this
arm-chair, that I may watch over you during the night."
Though Harry objected, Headland insisted on remaining, and the night
passed away, Harry having given him very little trouble.
Headland was fortunate enough to meet Julia before the rest of the
family had made their appearance. He thus was able to give her the
first account of what had occurred, and to assure her that though Harry
might be kept in the house a few days, he was in no danger.
She at once hurried to his room. He made light of his hurts, and
declared that he should come down to breakfast as usual. She persuaded
him, however, to remain in bed. He consented to do so on condition that
she would send over to May, and account for his non-appearance at
Downside that day.
Sir Ralph was very indignant at hearing of the outrage, and determined
at once to take steps to discover the perpetrators. He had wished to
speak to his son, and was annoyed at being unable to do so, as Lady
Castleton persuaded him that any agitation would be injurious to Harry.
A surgeon had been sent for and gave a favourable report, complimenting
Captain Headland on the way he had treated his patient.
Julia and Headland met constantly in Harry's room, both being anxious to
assist in nursing him.
In a couple of days he was able to dress and come downstairs. Perhaps
he would have remained up longer had he known the ordeal he was about to
go through.
Harry was sitting in the drawing-room when he received a message from
Sir Ralph, requesting him to come into the study.
"My father is going to question me about May," he thought. "I had hoped
to escape this for some time to come; but I must be firm and not allow
his prejudices to cause her unhappiness."
He walked slowly in. Sir Ralph closed the door and placed him in an
arm-chair, and took his usual seat at his writing-table.
"Harry," he said, "I had sufficient confidence in you to suppose that,
when you brought your friend Captain Headland to the house, you knew
that he was a man of family and good connections, so that should he fall
in love with your sister no objections were likely to be raised. Am I
right in giving you credit for this amount of wisdom?"
Harry felt greatly relieved on finding that he was not to be questioned
about May.
"My friend Headland, sir," he said, "is a first-rate officer and an
excellent fellow, and is sure to gain credit for himself and to rise
high in the service."
"That may be," observed Sir Ralph. "But I wish to know if he is a man
of family and a fit match for your sister, for I understand that he has
of late paid her great attention."
"I think so highly of him that I am sure any girl would be fortunate in
winning his affections," answered Harry.
"That's not the question I wish to have answered. I wish to know
whether he is of good family, and has a sufficient fortune to support a
wife, as Julia ought to be supported."
"On the first point I cannot enlighten you," answered Harry; "for I
confess that I do not know of what family he is, but he has been very
fortunate in making prize money, and I am sure he has quite enough to
live in a way to satisfy Julia."
"I was afraid it might be so from never having heard him speak of his
family," said Sir Ralph. "You have acted very imprudently, Harry, in
bringing a man of his description here. Though I do not wish to act
with discourtesy, I desire you will give him to understand that he is no
longer welcome at Texford."
"That is impossible, father," exclaimed Harry. "He is devotedly
attached to Julia, and I am sure she is to him. If he is told to go, I
must go also. I have said that, though I do not know his family, for
the simple reason that he does not know it himself. He is everything
that is noble, and good, and excellent, and I would rather see Julia
marry him than any other person in existence."
"I know the world better than you do, Harry, and such a marriage as you
wish me to sanction for your sister is not calculated to promote her
welfare, and that is the point I, as her father, have to consider."
"If she is not allowed to marry Headland she will be miserable,"
exclaimed Harry.
"I had considered the point maturely before I sent for you," said Sir
Ralph, "and I wish to save your friend the annoyance of being spoken to
by me. If you refuse to tell him my determination, I shall have to do
so. And now, Harry, I have another matter to speak to you about."
Harry grew nervous.
"I understand during my absence you have paid frequent visits to
Downside."
"Yes, sir," said Harry, "Our cousins kindly invited me there."
"I know they did, and placed a young lady, I hear, of some personal
attractions in your way, and, like a sailor, you directly tumbled over
head and ears in love with her. I strip the matter of the romance with
which you may be inclined to surround it. Do I not speak the truth?"
"I confess, sir," said Harry, determined to speak boldly, "I have met at
the Miss Pembertons a young lady to whom I have declared my love."
"You have declared your fiddlestick," exclaimed the baronet, with less
than his usual dignity. "You could make no promise without my sanction,
and that I cannot give you. You can let the girl know this in any way
you like."
"My affections were engaged before I was aware of it, and as I am of
age, and the young lady is in every way calculated to insure my
happiness, and I have the means of supporting her without taxing you, I
felt that I had a right to propose to her."
"In other words, you were entrapped before you saw the meshes spread to
catch you, and discarding every other consideration, are ready to
disobey me, and give up your profession, and all your prospects of
advancement in life, for the sake of a pretty face," observed the
baronet, sarcastically. "Though _you_ are ready to make a fool of
yourself, I must exert my paternal authority and save you from ruin."
"But I do not contemplate giving up my profession, and the prize money I
have already made, with what I may hope to obtain, will give me ample
means to support a wife," answered Harry.
"Have you calculated, may I ask, to what this princely fortune you speak
of amounts?"
"Three or four hundred a year, sir, not including my pay; and the young
lady herself is not penniless, for our cousins have resolved to leave
her their property."
"Our cousins leave a stranger their property!" exclaimed Sir Ralph. "It
should be Julia's or yours; it came through the Castletons, and should
return to them."
"So it will, sir," said Harry, having, as he hoped, caught his father in
a trap, "when May marries me."
"I see how it is," observed the baronet, not noticing Harry's last
remark. "Our sanctimonious cousins wish to get a husband for this girl
they have picked up, and as they are not likely to meet any other young
gentleman in the secluded way they live, they have entrapped you."
"I assure you, sir, you do them great wrong," observed Harry, warmly.
"I went to the house of my own accord, and I am sure it did not enter
their heads that I should fall in love with their friend. I wish, sir,
that you could see them and the lady you condemn. Possessing as you do
so exquisite a taste in female beauty and refinement, I am sure you will
admire her."
"I may possibly call at the Miss Pembertons, because I wish to express
my opinion of their conduct in the matter," said the baronet, wishing
not to appear influenced by his son's remarks. "I may then see this
girl who has caught you. I tell you that if she were as beautiful as
Venus, nothing would alter my determination. May I ask, do you know who
she is? Your mother has only spoken to me of her as the Miss Pembertons
protege."
Harry, feeling perfectly sure that should he answer the question his
father would be still more adverse to his marriage, and would possibly
express himself forcibly on the subject, replied--
"I wish, sir, that you would see her before I answer the last question.
I wish you to judge her on her own merits, independent of all other
considerations."
Harry had maintained the conversation with a good deal of spirit, though
he felt somewhat exhausted, when his father, turning to the table, began
to write without apparently noticing him. While thus seated, his eye
fell on the picture of his long lost uncle which hung next to Sir
Reginald's. Though he had been often in the room, he had never
particularly noticed it, for it was in a bad light, and the features
were not distinct. A gleam of sunlight now coming into the room fell
directly on it, and suddenly, as he gazed, a strange idea came into his
mind. He thought, and thought. "Yes, the features and expression
remind me much of what he was at the same age, and yet it must be
fancy."
Sir Ralph suddenly interrupted his reveries.
"Harry," he said, "I do not wish to quarrel with your friend, that is
not my way, but you will take an early opportunity of advising him to
spend the remainder of his time on shore elsewhere."
"But has Headland proposed to you for Julia?" asked Harry.
"No, and I wish to prevent him from doing so," said Sir Ralph. "We
shall part on much better terms than would be the case had I to refuse
his offer, and I dislike such a scene as is likely to follow. If he
goes away without being engaged she will soon forget him, and he,
employed in active service, will forget her; the matter will thus be
settled, and much inconvenience saved."