Poor Maiden May, as her loving friends still delighted to call her,
waited day after day, anxious at not receiving a contradiction of the
report of Harry's loss. True it is that "hope deferred maketh the
heart-sick;" her cheeks lost their bloom, her step its elastic tread;
still she performed her wonted duties, her voice was as melodious as
ever when she read to Miss Mary, and she endeavoured, as she led her
about, to speak with cheerfulness, and to describe, as she used to do
when a young girl, the progress of the vegetation in the garden, the
fresh flowers blooming, and the birds and insects as they flitted about
among the trees and bushes. How eagerly she looked out for the arrival
of the postman at his accustomed hour of passing the house, and her
heart sank with disappointment as day after day he went by with no
letter for Downside.
Julia, too, surrounded by the luxuries of Texford, was not less to be
pitied than May. She, too, was waiting in expectation of receiving a
letter, and no letter came. Sir Ralph was angry at her objecting to
come up to London, and he informed her that he intended inviting several
gentlemen of fortune and position to the Hall, adding, "now understand,
Julia, should you receive an offer of which I approve, I must insist on
your accepting it. I am resolved never to sanction your marriage with
the man who so presumptuously aspired to your hand, and as I shall take
care to convince him of this, he will abandon any hopes he may have
entertained. As, in consequence of the death of your poor brother, the
baronetcy will cease to exist, I am doubly anxious to see Texford
possessed by a man of family, who will take our name, and be able, from
his wealth, to obtain the title."
Still Julia did not despair. She felt that no one was more worthy to
become the possessor of Texford than Headland, or was more likely, from
his merits, to win the title her father wished his son-in-law to obtain.
One morning May saw the postman approaching to put a letter into her
hand; it bore only an English postmark, and was addressed to Miss
Pemberton. It was from Mr Shallard. He hoped to have the honour of
calling on the ladies the following day on a matter of business
connected with their ward, as he might venture to call her. They
wondered, naturally, what he could have to communicate; it could
scarcely be that he had made any discovery regarding her birth, he would
have said so had such been the case.
May tried to overcome any curiosity she might have felt, indeed one
subject only could interest her. Was he likely to bring her tidings of
Harry?
He came at the appointed hour.
"I fear that the matter which has brought me here must prove painful to
that young lady," and he bowed to May, "and, at the same time, to those
who have her interest at heart, it cannot fail, in other respects, to be
gratifying. Before Lieutenant Castleton went abroad he executed a will,
in which he left the whole of his property in trust to you two ladies
and myself for the benefit of that young lady, whom I have been very
careful to designate in a way which may preclude any mistake, though
from the rough notes he drew up, I found that he was under the idea that
she was the daughter of Adam and Betsy Halliburt. As Sir Ralph is
convinced of the death of his son, I have proved the will, and as the
money is invested in the Funds, your signatures only are required to
obtain the dividends, when the amount, which I calculate to be about 500
a year, including that arising from the Texford property, will be paid
over."
"Oh, he is not dead, I cannot receive it," cried May, in a tone of grief
which went to her hearers' hearts, as, hiding her face in her hands, she
sank back in her chair, and would have fallen, had not Miss Jane and the
lawyer sprung to her assistance.
"I deeply grieve to have wounded your feelings," said Mr Shallard.
"Oh, do not tell me he is dead, do not," cried May again.
"My dear young lady, had not his father been convinced of the fact, I
should not have ventured to interfere in the matter. He, I trust, may
have received wrong information, and I hope Lieutenant Castleton may
really be alive, and that he may bestow his fortune on you in a far more
satisfactory manner. I have only taken a precautionary step in case the
will should be disputed."
The lawyer knew enough of the female heart to be aware that his remarks
were more likely to be beneficial to the interesting young girl than any
expressions of condolence he could have uttered.
May looked up with a smile of hope.
"Yes, he will come back, I am sure he will. No one saw the ship go
down."
The lawyer, however, induced Miss Jane to accompany him to the
dining-room, and to sign the necessary papers, observing--
"I trust the young gentleman may appear, but it is always right in these
cases to be on the safe side. If he reappears, I am sure he will be
much obliged to us for acting as he would have wished had he been lost."
Miss Jane took the opportunity of mentioning to Mr Shallard the arrival
of young Miles Gaffin in disguise at Hurlston. The lawyer listened to
all she said.
"I will have the gentleman looked after," he answered. "Information has
been laid against the father, and he, in all probability, will be
implicated. If it can be proved that he assisted in carrying off young
Halliburt, we can lay hands on him at once. If his father gets an
intimation of our intentions, we shall require a strong force, as he has
a number of desperate fellows at his back, and would certainly protect
his son, and endeavour to rescue him."
"But if so, do you think that we here are safe from his atrocious
designs. It never occurred to me before," said Miss Jane, in some
trepidation, as the idea entered her mind, "that he may possibly make
some rash attempt upon this house. It is not easy to fathom his
motives, but there must be something behind which we do not yet
understand."
"I cannot say that I think you are quite safe," observed the lawyer.
"If I have your authority for stating that you dread an attack from the
smugglers, I will apply for a body of revenue officers to be sent to
Hurlston, and as we have a body of sea-fencibles at Morbury, I will get
my friend, Captain Shirley, to send over a few to support them. A
ruffian, such as this Gaffin undoubtedly is, must no longer be allowed
to continue his career if the law can lay hands on him."
The arrangement Mr Shallard proposed greatly relieved Miss Jane's mind.
She had not mentioned her fears either to her sister or to May, and
probably they weighed more on her mind on that account.
Mr Groocock had, in the meantime, received authority from Sir Ralph to
use force in expelling Miles Gaffin from the mill should he refuse to
give it up, and the steward had taken steps effectually to execute his
orders. He also had applied for the assistance of the military to carry
them out.
The day was approaching when Gaffin's lease of the mill would terminate.
Mr Groocock thought he had kept his arrangements secret, or he would
scarcely have ventured to ride about the country by himself.
Gaffin was now constantly at the mill, and the steward knowing the man's
desperate character, might justly have feared that he would revenge
himself on his head. He was one evening returning home later than usual
on his steady cob, when passing through a copse not far from the Texford
gate, his horse pricked up its ears, and moved to the other side of the
road, as if wishing to avoid an object it had discovered. Never since
he bestrode it had it been guilty of shying.
"What is the matter, old steady?" he said, patting his steed's neck.
Suddenly the question was answered by the appearance of mad Sal's tall
figure emerging from the copse.
"Old man," she said, "I come to warn you that danger threatens your
life. You are kind and generous to those in distress. You have cared
for and pitied me while others mocked and scorned me, and refused the
bread I asked. He who has turned me from his doors with curses and
scorn when I asked a crust at his hands, is plotting the destruction of
you and those you serve. He thinks that he has been unobserved, but I
have dodged his footsteps when he knew not I was near. I have been
within the walls of his abode when, had he discovered my presence, he
would have strangled me without compunction. I tell you this, lest you
think the poor mad creature, as people call her, is talking folly; but I
charge you, as you value your own life, and the honour and the liberty
of those you serve, to let the officers of justice lay hands on him
before he has done the mischief he contemplates. I leave your master to
his doom. From me he deserves no favour, but for his hapless wife and
daughter I feel as woman feels for woman, as they, too, have lost him
they love in the cruel salt sea, salt sea. Be warned, old man, be
warned."
Before even the steward could speak mad Sal had retreated within the
shelter of the copse. He had, as she acknowledged, compassionated her
forlorn condition, assisted her with food and money; indeed, through his
means, and that of other charitable people in the neighbourhood, she had
been enabled to exist. He was, therefore, convinced that she had not
warned him without cause, though he wished that she had given him more
exact information on which to proceed.
He hurried home determined to communicate with Mr Shallard the next
morning, and to obtain a sufficient guard at once for Texford, in case
Gaffin should really venture to attack it.
Each morning May rose with the hopes that a letter would come from
Harry, and not till the postman had passed did her fond heart grow sick
again with hope deferred.
The usual hour of his coming had arrived, and as she heard his step on
the gravel walk she hastened out to meet him. He held a letter in his
hand. It was directed to Miss Pemberton. She gazed at the handwriting.
"Yes, yes it is from him, he is alive," she exclaimed, with an
hysterical cry as she sprang up the steps, and flew into the
drawing-room.
Fortunately Miss Jane made her appearance with the required sum to pay
the postman.
"Read, read," cried May, standing trembling in every limb as she gave
the letter to Miss Jane, who, tearing it open, handed one to her,
directed "to my beloved Maiden May." Her eyes swimming with tears of
joy, she could with difficulty decipher the words. Yet she saw that
Harry was alive and well, and in England.
"He would be at Downside the next day, or in two days at furthest. He
had met with many adventures. He knew that she must have been anxious
at his not writing, but it had been impossible. He had been wrecked,
and lived long on a desert island, and finally made his escape on board
a slow sailing merchantman, which, after running many risks of capture,
had safely reached England. What he considered the best news he had to
communicate was the discovery not only of the person who would serve as
the missing link by which his friend, Captain Headland, hoped to trace
his father; but of that father himself, who was thoroughly prepared to
acknowledge his friend as his long lost son. There is some mystery
about him," he added, "but he is so evidently a man of refinement and
education, that I am sure there is nothing of which my friend will have
cause to be ashamed; I suspect, indeed, that he is a man of title, or
the heir to a title, which he, perhaps, may have reason to think will be
disputed. I am delighted, too, to find that the _Thisbe_ has been
ordered home, and her arrival is every day looked for, so that I hope
Headland's long cherished wish will be accomplished, and he will find
that he belongs to a family to which even my father cannot object. And
I trust, too, dearest, that this happy event will soften my father's
heart, and that he will no longer object to our union."
Much more Harry said to the same effect. May, indeed, had full reason
to believe that he loved her as devotedly as ever.