"I must confess, my good cousins, I came over to have a little
conversation on business, and if you will afford me your attention in
private for a few minutes, I will explain my object."
"We have no secrets from our dear May," answered Miss Jane.
"That may be," said the baronet, "but I wish to address myself to you
alone."
May rose as he spoke, and left the room.
"I have no doubt you have ample reasons for the regard you entertain for
that young person," he began in his most bland tone. "She may be very
estimable, and her beauty is, I own, of a high order."
"It is the least of her excellences, Sir Ralph," observed Miss Jane,
resolved to meet the baronet in his own style.
"That may be," he answered, with a bow; "it is the quality, however,
which has probably attracted my son Harry. You must be aware, my good
cousins, however much he may fancy himself in love, I naturally object
to his marrying a person of unknown birth and destitute of fortune. I
objected when he was my second son, and since he has become my heir, I
am doubly opposed to the match, as I wish him to marry a lady of rank
and fortune who will contribute to his advancement in life. I am thus
candid, that you may understand my motive for the offer I have come to
make."
"We are happy to listen to anything you may have to say, Sir Ralph,"
answered Miss Jane, bowing, "though I cannot promise that we shall be
ready to accept your offer."
"You will at all events hear it before you decide, my good cousin. Not
to keep you longer in suspense, I will at once place you in possession
of my intentions. You have, I understand, lost a considerable amount of
your property, which, if I am rightly informed, you had left by will to
the young person of whom we have been speaking. Now, I am willing to
make up your loss to you so that you may leave her as well provided for
as you intended, on condition that she signs an agreement not to marry
Harry, and to refuse ever again to see him. He is somewhat of a
headstrong character, and it is the only security I can have that he
will not on his return to England induce her to become his wife."
"Is that the offer you have to make?" asked Miss Jane, in a tone of
mingled surprise and anger. "I speak for myself and my sister. We
certainly cannot accept it, and I am very certain that nothing would
induce our dear May to sign such an agreement. She has already refused
to marry Harry should you and Lady Castleton withhold your consent. She
did so, confident of Harry's love--in the belief that you would in time
relent. But you might as well plunge a dagger in her breast as ask her
to abandon the hope which now supports her of some day becoming his
wife. I beg, therefore, that you will not expect us to make so cruel a
proposal."
"Very well, my good cousins. I must take other means of preventing
Harry from marrying the girl, and you will lose the advantage I have
offered," answered the baronet.
"We at all events shall have the consciousness of having acted rightly,"
observed Miss Jane.
Sir Ralph, who was courteous under all circumstances, rose as he spoke,
and gracefully putting out his hand, bowed low and quitted the room.
"Abominable," exclaimed Miss Jane, "he must have formed a strange
opinion of us."
"He holds, I fear, a low opinion of his fellow-creatures generally,"
said Miss Mary, "and the sooner we try to forget what he has said, the
better."
The ladies agreed not to let May know of Sir Ralph's insulting offer as
they justly considered it. Miss Jane's only fear was, that he might,
under the belief that she would be induced to consent, make it to May
herself. She determined to be on the watch to prevent him, if possible,
from doing so.
He did not, however, again appear at Downside. The great event which
occurred to break the monotony of their lives was the arrival of a
packet from the East containing Harry's enclosure to May. With what
eagerness and delight she read it, what pleasure she felt in being able
to give one from Jacob to the dame. May's heart throbbed as she read
Harry's account of the capture of the French ship. Her woman's heart
was gratified too, when he told her how completely he had loved her for
herself alone, and that he had only just discovered that she was not, as
he had supposed, a fisherman's daughter, but might some day be found to
be as well-born as himself.
"I cannot help hoping that such will prove to be the case, and then the
only bar to our happiness will be removed, dearest May," he wrote.
Other letters came describing the voyage of the _Thisbe_ through the
Indian Seas, and then month after month passed by and no more were
received. The roses began to fade from May's cheeks, even the Miss
Pembertons became anxious. Neither had Julia nor any of his family
heard from him.
Julia told them that Sir Ralph had obtained permission for Harry to
return home, and that possibly being on his voyage he had thought it
unnecessary to write; but this would not account for the long interval
between his last letter and the time when he could have received the
Admiralty's orders.
Whenever Julia went to Downside, she had to give the same answer--"no
news from Harry."
Sir Ralph himself had become anxious, and made frequent visits to the
Admiralty to hear whether his son had been heard of. The only
information he could gain was that the _Thisbe_ had been sent to the
Indian Archipelago and had not returned to Calcutta.
At length news was received that she had arrived after encountering a
terrific hurricane, and that she had captured a prize, in which one of
her officers and several of her men had been lost.
"But the officer's name," asked Sir Ralph of the clerk who was giving
him the information.
"I shall find it shortly, sir. Yes, as I feared, it is Lieutenant
Castleton." Sir Ralph staggered out of the Admiralty. At the door he
encountered General Sampson.
"I have just come to enquire about my gallant friend, Captain Headland,
and your boy Harry," exclaimed the old soldier, taking the baronet's
hand. "Why, you look pale, Sir Ralph, what is the matter?"
"He has gone, lost in a hurricane," answered Sir Ralph, with a groan.
"I do not believe it; cannot be the case; he would swim through fifty
hurricanes," exclaimed the petulant old general. "The clerks here never
have the rights of the story. Come back with me, we will have a look at
the despatches. We manage things better at the War Office, I flatter
myself."
"The account was very circumstantial though," said Sir Ralph, with a
sigh. "I wish I could believe there was a mistake."
"Of course there is a mistake, very sure of it. Come along, and we will
soon set it to rights."
The general dragged Sir Ralph back into the building. The clerk looked
somewhat offended at the general's address.
"I understand that you have told Sir Ralph Castleton that his son is
lost. You should be more exact, sir, in the information you give. Just
let me see the despatch."
The clerk hesitated, on which the general desired his name to be taken
in to the secretary. He was admitted, and the despatch placed in his
hand. His countenance fell.
"Still I do not see that it is certain," he observed. "The ship was not
seen to go down, and if she had, some of the people may have been saved:
people often are saved from sinking ships, and there is no proof
positive that she did sink. Though the _Thisbe_ may have been in
danger, and I am sure if Captain Headland says she was, it must have
been of no ordinary character, that is no reason that the prize might
not have weathered the hurricane. He speaks of her, I see, as a
recapture, and in all probability an Indiaman, and those hulking
tea-chests will float when a man-of-war will go down."
"I trust, general, you are right," observed the secretary: "I will not
fail to inform Sir Ralph directly we receive further information."
Notwithstanding all the general had said, Sir Ralph felt so greatly
dispirited, that, writing to Lady Castleton, he gave her no hopes of
Harry's having escaped.
Unable to speak, she placed the letter in her daughter's hands. As
Julia's glance fell on the name of the _Thisbe_, and the words "all the
people are lost," a sickening sensation came over, and her eyes refused
to convey to her mind the meaning of the letter. It was dropping from
her trembling hands when, by a great effort, she recovered herself, and
at length was able to decipher the writing. She read on. The _Thisbe_
and Headland were safe. Poor Harry was lost. She blamed herself for
selfishly feeling that this was a relief. Then May, crushed by the
agony of her grief, rose before her.
"This blow, sweet creature, will break her heart," she thought.
"Oh, mother, this is very very sad," she said aloud, "can it be true?"
"Your father speaks as if he had no hopes; he would have expressed
himself differently had he entertained any."
"Mother, I must go and break this sad news to our cousins and that poor
girl; it might kill her were she to hear of it suddenly."
"Grief never kills in that way, though it may by slow degrees," said
Lady Castleton, with a deep sigh. "It will, however, be kind in you to
do as you propose; will you drive or ride over to Downside?"
Julia determined to ride; the air and exercise would nerve her for the
trying interview.
Why had not Headland written though? probably he had been prevented by
his professional duties.
Attended by the old coachman who generally accompanied her with one of
the carriage horses, she reached Downside. May hurried out to meet her.
Julia could scarcely restrain her agitation, or keep back her tears, as
May, with an inquiring glance, led her into the drawing-room where Miss
Mary and Miss Jane were seated.
"What has happened?" asked May, in an agitated voice, taking Julia's
hand, who sank into a chair.
"I will speak to cousin Jane first," said Julia, as she rose. Unable
longer to restrain her feelings, she threw her arms round May's neck,
and burst into tears.
"What has happened?" exclaimed May, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"Oh tell me, has Harry been wounded? is he in danger?"
Julia's sobs prevented her from replying. Miss Jane believing the
worst, led May to the sofa as if she considered that Julia's information
most concerned her.
"We must all live prepared to say `thy will be done,'" said Miss Jane,
seating herself by May's side, and taking her in her arms.
The colour forsook May's cheek, and she gazed at her with a glance that
showed she was unable to comprehend what was said.
"Where is Harry? is he ill?" she gasped out.
Julia feeling that it would be best at once to speak, told May the
contents of Sir Ralph's letter.
"Let me see it," she said at length.
Julia, who had brought it, put it into her hands.
"I cannot, I will not believe that he is lost," she exclaimed; "your
father himself is not certain. He will come back, I know he will, and
he must never, never go to sea again. How cruel in those who have thus
written to say that he is lost when they cannot know it;" and poor May
laughed hysterically.
Julia forgot her own grief in attending to her. Miss Jane did her
utmost to restore her to herself. She succeeded at length, and May was
able to speak calmly of the contents of the letter. She even inspired
Miss Jane with the hope that Harry and his ship had escaped destruction.
Julia rode back to Texford with her own mind greatly relieved. May had
borne the intelligence much better than she had expected, and she
trusted that her father had too readily believed the report of Harry's
loss. She resolved, at all events, not to credit it till she had heard
directly from Captain Headland, and she fully believed that she should
ere long receive intelligence from him, which would either contradict
the report altogether, or strengthen their hopes that Harry, though he
might have been in danger, had escaped.
Week after week went by and still no letter arrived from Headland.
Julia frequently went over to Downside, and was surprised to find May so
calm and cheerful, attending regularly to her various duties. She was
paler, it is true, than usual--no longer was there the beaming smile on
her countenance, nor did she ever give way to that joyous laugh which
seldom failed to inspire those who heard it. Sometimes Julia was almost
inclined to doubt whether May could be so much attached to her brother
as she had supposed, but then if his name was mentioned there came an
expression on her countenance which at once convinced her that the young
girl loved him with a devotion as true as ever woman felt for man.
The report of Lieutenant Castleton's death soon got abroad in the
neighbourhood of Texford, and Dame Halliburt being among the first to
hear it, feeling naturally anxious about Jacob, hastened up to Texford
to ascertain its truth. She found Mr Groocock in his office. He could
only assure her that nothing had been said about Jacob, that he knew
Miss Julia entertained the idea that Mr Harry was still alive. Since
Sam's death she had become more anxious and nervous than was her wont,
and she made up her mind that Jacob must have accompanied Mr Harry, and
that if he was lost her son was lost also. She expressed her fears to
others, though she endeavoured to restrain her feelings in the presence
of May to avoid wounding her: for the same reason she appeared to be
more cheerful than she really felt when talking to Adam, who, accustomed
all his life to the dangers of the sea, did not allow himself to be
influenced by the reports he heard, and declared that Jacob was just as
likely to come back again safe and sound as ever.
Still it was generally believed among the Hurlston people that
Lieutenant Castleton and Jacob Halliburt had been lost at sea, and
sometimes it was reported that the _Thisbe_ herself had gone down with
her gallant commander, Captain Headland, and all hands.