Like many another active housewife, Madame Carimon was always busy on
Monday mornings. On the one about to be referred to, she had finished
her household duties by eleven o'clock, and then sat down in her little
salle-à-manger, which she also made her workroom, to mend some of
Monsieur Carimon's cotton socks. By her side, on the small work-table,
lay a silver brooch which Miss Perry had inadvertently left behind her
the previous evening. Mary Carimon was considering at what hour she
could most conveniently go out to leave it at Madame Deauville's when
she heard Pauline answer a ring at the door-bell, and Miss Preen came
in.
"Oh, Lavinia, I am glad to see you. You are an early visitor. Are you
not well?" continued Madame Carimon, noticing the pale, sad face. "Is
anything the matter?"
"I am in great trouble, Mary; I cannot rest; and I have come to talk
to you about it," said Lavinia, taking the sable boa from her neck and
untying her bonnet-strings. "If things were to continue as they are now,
I should die of it."
Drawing a chair near to Mary Carimon, Lavinia entered upon her
narrative. She spoke first of general matters. The home discomfort, the
trouble with Captain Fennel regarding Nancy's money, and the difficulty
she had to keep up the indispensable payments to the tradespeople,
expressing her firm belief that in future he would inevitably seize upon
Nancy's portion when it came and confiscate it. Next, she went on to
tell the story of the past night--Sunday: how the old terrible horror
had come upon her of entering the house, of a fancied appearance of
Edwin Fennel in the passage, and of the dream that followed. All this
latter part was but a repetition of what she had told Madame Carimon
three or four months ago. Hearing it for the second time, it impressed
Mary Carimon's imagination. But she did not speak at once.
"I never in my life saw anything plainer or that looked more life-like
than Captain Fennel, as he stood and gazed at me from the end of the
passage with the evil look on his countenance," resumed Lavinia. "And I
hardly know why I tell you about it again, Mary, except that I have no
one else to speak to. You rather laughed at me the first time, if you
remember; perhaps you will laugh again now."
"No, no," dissented Mary Carimon. "I did not put faith in it before,
believing you were deceived by the uncertain light in the passage, and
were, perhaps, thinking of him, and that the dream afterwards was merely
the result of your fright; nothing else. But now that you have had a
second experience of it, I don't doubt that you do see this spectre, and
that the dream follows as a sequence to it. And I think," she added,
slowly and emphatically, "that it has come to warn you of some
threatened harm."
"I seem to see that it has," murmured Lavinia. "Why else should it
come at all? I wish I could picture it to you half vividly enough: the
reality of it and the horror. Mary, I am growing seriously afraid."
"Were I you, I should get away from the house," said Madame Carimon.
"Leave them to themselves."
"It is what I mean to do, Mary. I cannot remain in it, apart from this
undefined fear--which of course _may_ be only superstitious fancy,"
hastily acknowledged Lavinia. "If things continue in the present
state--and there is no prospect of their changing----"
"I should leave at once--as soon as they arrive home," rather sharply
interrupted Mary Carimon, who seemed to like the aspect of what she had
heard less and less.
"As soon as I can make arrangements. They come home to-night; I received
a letter from Nancy this morning. They have been only at Pontipette all
the time."
"Only at Pontipette!"
"Nancy says so. It did as well as any other place. Captain Fennel's
motive was to hide away from the lawyers we met at the table d'hôte."
"Have they left Sainteville, I wonder, those lawyers?"
"Yes," said Lavinia. "On Friday I met Mr. Lockett when I was going to
the Rue Lamartine, and he told me he was leaving for Calais with his
friend on Saturday morning. It is rather remarkable," she added, after
a pause, "that the first time I saw that appearance in the passage and
dreamed the dream, should have been the eve of Mr. Fennel's return
here, and that it is the same again now."
"You must leave the house, Lavinia," reiterated Madame Carimon.
"Let me see," considered Lavinia. "April comes in this week. Next week
will be Passion Week, preceding Easter. I will stay with them over
Easter, and then leave."
Monsieur Jules Carimon's sock, in process of renovation, had been
allowed to fall upon the mender's lap. She slowly took it up again,
speaking thoughtfully.
"I should leave at once; before Easter. But you will see how he behaves,
Lavinia. If not well; if he gives you any cause of annoyance, come away
there and then. We will take you in, mind, if you have not found a place
to go to."
Lavinia thanked her, and rearranged her bonnet preparatory to returning
home. She went out with a heavy heart. Only one poor twelvemonth to have
brought about all this change!
At the door of the Petite Maison Rouge, when she reached it, stood
Flore, parleying with a slim youth, who held an open paper in his
outstretched hand. Flore was refusing to touch the paper, which was
both printed and written on, and looked official.
"I tell him that Monsieur le Capitaine is not at home; he can bring it
when he is," explained Flore to her mistress in English.
Lavinia turned to the young man. "Captain Fennel has been away from
Sainteville for a few days; he probably will be here to-morrow," she
said. "Do you wish to leave this paper for him?"
"Yes," said the messenger, evidently understanding English but speaking
in French, as he contrived to slip the paper into Miss Preen's
unconscious hand. "You will have the politeness to give it to him,
madame."
And, with that, he went off down the entry, whistling.
"Do you know what the paper is, Flore?" asked Lavinia.
"I think so," said Flore. "I've seen these papers before to-day. It's
just a sort of order from the law court on Captain Fennel, to pay up
some debt that he owes; and, if he does not pay, the court will issue a
procès against him. That's what it is, madame."
Lavinia carried the paper into the salon, and sat studying it. As far as
she could make it out, Mr. Edwin Fennel was called upon to pay to some
creditor the sum of one hundred and eighty-three francs, without delay.
"Over seven pounds! And if he does not pay, the law expenses, to enforce
it, will increase the debt perhaps by one-half," sighed Lavinia. "There
may be, and no doubt _are_, other things at the back of this. Will he
turn us out of house and home?"
Propping the paper against the wall over the mantelpiece, she left it
there, that it might meet the captain's eye on his return.
Not until quite late that evening did Madame Carimon get her husband to
herself, for he brought in one of the young under-masters at the college
to dine with them. But as soon as they were sitting cosily alone, he
smoking his pipe before bed-time, she told him all she had heard from
Lavinia Preen.
"I don't like it, Jules; I don't indeed," she said. "It has made a
strangely disagreeable impression on me. What is your opinion?"
Placid Monsieur Jules did not seem to have much opinion one way or the
other. Upon the superstitious portion of the tale he, being a practical
Frenchman, totally declined to have any at all. He was very sorry for
the uncomfortable position Miss Preen found herself in, and he certainly
was not surprised she should wish to quit the Petite Maison Rouge if
affairs could not be made more agreeable there. As to the Capitaine
Fennel, he felt free to confess there was something about him which he
did not like: and he was sure no man of honour ought to have run away
clandestinely, as he did, with Miss Nancy.
"You see, Jules, what the man aims at is to get hold of Nancy's income
and apply it to his own uses--and for Lavinia to keep them upon hers."
"I see," said Jules.
"And Lavinia _cannot_ do it; she has not half enough. It troubles me
very much," flashed Madame Carimon. "She says she shall stay with
them until Easter is over. _I_ should not; I should leave them to it
to-morrow."
"Yes, my dear, that's all very well," nodded Monsieur Jules; "but we
cannot always do precisely what we would. Miss Preen is responsible for
the rent of that house, and if Fennel and his wife do not pay it, she
would have to. She must have a thorough understanding upon that point
before she leaves it."
By the nine-o'clock train that night they came home, Lavinia, pleading a
bad headache and feeling altogether out of sorts, got Flore to remain
for once, and went herself to bed. She dreaded the very sight of Captain
Fennel.
In the morning she saw that the paper had disappeared from the
mantelpiece. He was quite jaunty at breakfast, talking to her and Nancy
about Pontipette; and things passed pleasantly. About eleven o'clock he
began brushing his hat to go out.
"I'm going to have a look at Griffin, and see how he's getting on," he
remarked. "Perhaps the old man would enjoy a drive this fine day; if
so, you may not see me back till dinner-time."
But just as Captain Fennel turned out of the Place Ronde to the Rue
Tessin, he came upon Charles Palliser, strolling along.
"Fine day, Mr. Charles," he remarked graciously.
"Capital," assented Charles, "and I'm glad of it; the old gentleman will
have a good passage. I've just seen him off by the eleven train."
"Seems to me you spend your time in seeing people off by trains. Which
old gentleman is it now?--him from below?"
Charley laughed. "It's Griffin this time," said he. "Being feeble, I
thought I might be of use in starting him, and went up."
"Griffin!" exclaimed Captain Fennel. "Why, where's he gone to?"
"To Calais. En route for Dover and----"
"What's he gone for? When's he coming back?" interrupted the captain,
speaking like a man in great amazement.
"He is not coming back at all; he has gone for good," said Charley. "His
daughter came to fetch him."
"Why on earth should she do that?"
"It seems that her husband, a clergyman at Kensington, fell across Major
Smith last week in London, and put some pretty close questions to him
about the old man, for they had been made uneasy by his letters of late.
The major----"
"What business had the major in London?" questioned Captain Fennel
impatiently.
"You can ask him," said Charles equably, "I didn't. He is back again.
Well, Major Smith, being questioned, made no bones about it at all; said
Griffin and Griffin's money both wanted looking after. Upon that, the
daughter came straight off, arriving here on Sunday morning; she settled
things yesterday, and has carried her father away to-day. He was as
pleased as Punch, poor childish old fellow, at the prospect of a voyage
in the boat."
Whether this information put a check upon any little plan Captain Fennel
may have been entertaining, Charles Palliser could not positively know;
but he thought he had never seen so evil an eye as the one glaring upon
him. Only for a moment; just a flash; and then the face was smoothed
again. Charley had his ideas--and all his wits about him; and old
Griffin had babbled publicly.
Captain Fennel strolled by his side towards the port, talking of
Pontipette and other matters of indifference. When in sight of the
harbour, he halted.
"I must wish you good-day now, Palliser; I have letters to write," said
he; and walked briskly back again.
Lavinia and Nancy were sitting together in the salon when he reached
home. Nancy was looking scared.
"Edwin," she said, leaving her chair to meet him--"Edwin, what do you
think Lavinia has been saying? That she is going to leave us."
"Oh, indeed," he carelessly answered.
"But it is true, Edwin; she means it."
"Yes, I mean it," interposed Lavinia very quietly. "You and Nancy will
be better without me; perhaps happier."
He looked at her for a full minute in silence, then laughed a little.
"Like Darby and Joan," he remarked, as he put his writing-case on the
table and sat down to it.
Mrs. Fennel returned to her chair by Lavinia, who was sitting close to
the window mending a lace collar which had been torn in the ironing. As
usual Nancy was doing nothing.
"You _couldn't_ leave me, Lavinia, you know," she said in coaxing tones.
"I know that I never thought to do so, Ann, but circumstances alter
cases," answered the elder sister. Both of them had dropped their voices
to a low key, not to disturb the letter-writer. But he could hear if
he chose to listen. "I began putting my things together yesterday, and
shall finish doing it at leisure. I will stay over Easter with you; but
go then I shall."
"You must be cruel to think of such a thing, Lavinia."
"Not cruel," corrected Lavinia. "I am sorry, Ann, but the step is forced
upon me. The anxieties in regard to money matters are wearing me out;
they would wear me out altogether if I did not end them. And there are
other things which urge upon me the expediency of departure from this
house."
"What things?"
"I cannot speak of them. Never mind what they are, Ann. They concern
myself; not you."
Ann Fennel sat twirling one of her fair silken ringlets between her
thumb and finger; a habit of hers when thinking.
"Where shall you live, Lavinia, if you do leave? Take another apartment
at Sainteville?"
"I think not. It is a puzzling question. Possibly I may go back to
Buttermead, and get some family to take me in as a boarder," dreamily
answered Lavinia. "Seventy pounds a-year will not keep me luxuriously."
Captain Fennel lifted his face. "If it will not keep one, how is it to
keep two?" he demanded, in rather defiant tones.
"I don't know anything about that," said Lavinia civilly. "I have not
two to keep; only one."
Nancy chanced to catch a glimpse of his face just then, and its look
frightened her. Lavinia had her back to him, and did not see it. Nancy
began to cry quietly.
"Oh, Lavinia, you will think better of this; you will not leave us!"
she implored. "We could not do at all without you and your half of the
money."
Lavinia had finished her collar, and rose to take it upstairs. "Don't be
distressed, Nancy," she paused to say; "it is a thing that _must be_. I
am very sorry; but it is not my fault. As you----"
"You can stay in the house if you choose!" flashed Nancy, growing feebly
angry.
"No, I cannot. I _cannot_," repeated Lavinia. "I begin to foresee that I
might--might die of it."