LIZZY’S BABY.
While they were out in the fishing-boat together, Clementina had, with
less difficulty than she had anticipated, persuaded Lizzy to tell Lady
Lossie her secret. It was in the hope of an interview with her false
lover that the poor girl had consented so easily.
A great longing had risen within her to have the father of her child
acknowledge him--only to her, taking him once in his arms. That was
all. She had no hope, thought indeed she had no desire for herself.
But a kind word to him would be welcome as light. The love that covers
sins had covered the multitude of his, and although hopelessness had
put desire to sleep, she would gladly have given her life for a loving
smile from him. But mingled with this longing to see him once with
his child in his arms, a certain loyalty to the house of Lossie also
influenced her to listen to the solicitation of Lady Clementina, and
tell the marchioness the truth. She cherished no resentment against
Liftore, but not therefore was she willing to allow a poor young thing
like Lady Lossie, whom they all liked, to be sacrificed to such a man,
who would doubtless at length behave badly enough to her also.
With trembling hands, and heart now beating wildly, now failing for
fear, she dressed her baby and herself as well as she could, and, about
one o’clock, went to the House.
Now nothing would have better pleased Lady Clementina than that
Liftore and Lizzy should meet in Florimel’s presence, but she recoiled
altogether from the small stratagems, not to mention the lies,
necessary to the effecting of such a confrontation. So she had to
content herself with bringing the two girls together, and, when Lizzy
was a little rested, and had had a glass of wine, went to look for
Florimel.
She found her in a little room adjoining the library, which, on her
first coming to Lossie, she had chosen for her waking nest. Liftore
had, if not quite the freedom of the spot, yet privileges there; but
at that moment Florimel was alone in it. Clementina informed her that
a fisher-girl, with a sad story which she wanted to tell her, had come
to the house; and Florimel, who was not only kind-hearted, but relished
the position she imagined herself to occupy as lady of the place, at
once assented to her proposal to bring the young woman to her there.
Now Florimel and the earl had had a small quarrel the night before,
after Clementina left the dinner-table, and for the pleasure of keeping
it up Florimel had not appeared at breakfast, and had declined to ride
with his lordship, who had therefore been all the morning on the watch
for an opportunity of reconciling himself. It so happened that from the
end of one of the long narrow passages in which the house abounded, he
caught a glimpse of Clementina’s dress vanishing through the library
door, and took the lady for Florimel on her way to her boudoir.
When Clementina entered with Lizzy carrying her child, Florimel
instantly suspected the truth, both as to who she was and as to the
design of her appearance. Her face flushed, for her heart filled with
anger, chiefly indeed against Malcolm, but against the two women as
well, who, she did not doubt, had lent themselves to his designs,
whatever they might be. She rose, drew herself up, and stood prepared
to act for both Liftore and herself.
Scarcely however had the poor girl, trembling at the evident
displeasure the sight of her caused in Florimel, opened her mouth to
answer her haughty inquiry as to her business, when Lord Liftore,
daring an entrance without warning, opened the door behind her,
and, almost as he opened it, began his apology. At the sound of
his voice Lizzy turned with a cry, and her small remaining modicum
of self-possession vanished at sight of him round whose phantom in
her bosom whirred the leaves of her withered life on the stinging
blasts of her shame and sorrow. As much from inability to stand as
in supplication for the coveted favour, she dropped on her knees
before him, incapable of uttering a word, but holding up her child
imploringly. Taken altogether by surprise, and not knowing what to say
or do, the earl stood and stared for a moment, then, moved by a dull
spirit of subterfuge, fell back on the pretence of knowing nothing
about her.
“Well, young woman,” he said, affecting cheerfulness, “what do you want
with me? I didn’t advertise for a baby. Pretty child, though!”
Lizzy turned white as death, and her whole body seemed to give a heave
of agony. Clementina had just taken the child from her arms when she
sunk motionless at his feet. Florimel went to the bell. But Clementina
prevented her from ringing.
“I will take her away,” she said. “Do not expose her to your servants.
Lady Lossie, my Lord Liftore is the father of this child: and if you
can marry him after the way you have seen him use its mother, you are
not too good for him, and I will trouble myself no more about you.”
“I know the author of this calumny!” cried Florimel, panting and
flushed. “You have been listening to the inventions of an ungrateful
dependent! You slander my guest.”
“Is it a calumny, my lord? Do I slander you?” said Lady Clementina,
turning sharply upon the earl.
His lordship made her a cool obeisance.
Clementina ran into the library, laid the child in a big chair, and
returned for the mother. She was already coming a little to herself;
and feeling about blindly for her baby, while Florimel and Liftore were
looking out of the window, with their backs towards her. Clementina
raised and led her from the room. But in the doorway she turned and
said--
“Good-bye, Lady Lossie. I thank you for your hospitality, but I can of
course be your guest no longer.”
“Of course not. There is no occasion for prolonged leave taking,”
returned Florimel, with the air of a woman of forty.
“Florimel, you will curse the day you marry that man!” cried
Clementina, and closed the door.
She hurried Lizzy to the library, put the baby in her arms, and clasped
them both in her own. A gush of tears lightened the oppressed heart of
the mother.
“Lat me oot o’ the hoose, for God’s sake!” she cried; and Clementina,
almost as anxious to leave it as she, helped her down to the hall. When
she saw the open door, she rushed out of it as if escaping from the pit.
Now Malcolm, as he came from the factor’s, had seen her go in with
her baby in her arms, and suspected the hand of Clementina. Wondering
and anxious, but not very hopeful as to what might come of it, he
waited close by; and when now he saw Lizzy dart from the house in wild
perturbation, he ran from the cover of the surrounding trees into the
open drive to meet her.
“Ma’colm!” groaned the poor girl, holding out her baby, “he winna own
till ’t. He winna alloo ’at he kens oucht aboot me or the bairn aither!”
Malcolm had taken the child from her, and was clasping him to his bosom.
“He’s the warst rascal, Lizzy,” he said, “’at ever God made an’ the
deevil blaudit.”
“Na, na,” cried Lizzy; “the likes o’ him whiles kills the wuman, but he
wadna du that. Na, he’s nae the warst; there’s a heap waur nor him.”
“Did ye see my mistress?” asked Malcolm.
“Ow ay; but she luikit sae angry at me, I cudna speyk. Him an’ her ’s
ower thrang for her to believe onything again’ him. An’ what ever the
bairn’s to du wantin’ a father!”
“Lizzy,” said Malcolm, clasping the child again to his bosom. “I s’ be
a father to yer bairn--that is, as weel ’s ane ’at’s no yer man can be.”
And he kissed the child tenderly.
The same moment an undefined impulse--the drawing of eyes probably
--made him lift his towards the house: half leaning from the open
window of the boudoir above him, stood Florimel and Liftore; and just
as he looked up, Liftore was turning to Florimel with a smile that
seemed to say--“There! I told you so! He is the father himself.”
Malcolm replaced the infant in his mother’s arm, and strode towards the
house. Imagining he went to avenge her wrongs, Lizzy ran after him.
“Ma’colm! Ma’colm!” she cried; “--for my sake!--He’s the father o’ my
bairn!”
Malcolm turned.
“Lizzy,” he said solemnly, “I winna lay han’ upon ’im.”
Lizzy pressed her child closer with a throb of relief.
“Come in yersel’ an’ see,” he added.
“I daurna! I daurna!” she said. But she lingered about the door.