I am wrapp’d in dismal thinkings.
SHAKSPEARE.
After the abrupt termination of Oakley’s last interview with Helen, he
had quitted Lady Latimer’s lodgings in a state of mind bordering on
distraction; and could Helen have seen his deportment during the rest
of that night, it would have confirmed her first impression, created
by his incoherent reproaches, that they could be but the ravings of
insanity. He mounted his horse, and rode furiously away, not knowing
or caring whither he went; as it was merely from himself and his own
reflections that he sought to escape. But the pangs of self-reproach
are not so easily avoided, though many were the efforts he made to
convince himself that he was not so much in the wrong. He attempted
to consider Helen as fickle and frivolous, the child of circumstance,
and the willing slave of fashion. But it was all in vain! She always
recurred to him patient in suffering loveliness, and bending under a
load of grief, the burden of which had been doubled by the ebullitions
of his ungovernable temper, and his wanton perversion of a sacred trust.
Towards dawn his horse began to remind him that the reasons for the
continuance of their headlong course were not mutual, and he was then
not displeased to find that he was quite in a different direction
from Goldsborough Park, and much nearer Rockington Castle, to which
he determined for the time to turn his steps, as best suited to his
present gloomy frame of mind.
The outward appearance of every thing still remained the same--still
the same stamp of solitary misanthropy on all around. He would not
have been able, even if he had been willing, so soon to remove the
desolating, characteristic traces of the late proprietor. But did he
himself return the same? In one respect he had certainly maintained
to the letter the resolution he had formed upon the acquisition of
his property. In all the ordinary every day relations of life, he
had always shown the same cold distrust towards those who sought his
favour--the same haughty dislike to stoop to seek the favour of others.
But to this general rule in one instance the noble, and in another, the
softer feelings of his nature had sought to establish two exceptions,
and in both they seemed to have failed. Patriotic ambition had fired
him with a desire to represent his native county in parliament. He had
entered into the contest with the most disinterested intentions of
benefiting the county by his active services. He had retired from it,
the victim, as he thought, of the treachery of false friends, and the
corruption of base competitors. Sometimes, to be sure, in spite of his
desire to crush it, there would rise on his mind a suspicion that he
might not have been sufficiently gracious upon his canvass, and that
individual courtesy was sometimes esteemed no bad criterion of the
sincerity of general good intentions.
Of the infinitely more painful impression left by a review of his
conduct on the other occasion, he was unable to analyse the mixed
nature. The ready relief which in the first instance he had hastened
to grant to Mrs. Mordaunt, upon her appeal, was almost the only act
in the disposal of his immense property upon which he could reflect
with any feelings of peculiar complacency. To many of the more obvious
claims upon his liberality to which his present situation had of course
exposed him, he had felt averse, from a dislike of the very semblance
of ostentation; to some more pressing demands for charity he had turned
a deaf ear, from a constitutional fear of imposition. As to the expense
incurred in a contested election, he thought his had been managed with
the strictest economy; that is to say, an abuse of money to which few
look without regret after success--none after failure. As to the more
transient sources of enjoyment which a large fortune opens to him
who delights to forget the graver cares in promoting the convivial
intercourse of the world, to these his unsocial disposition placed a
bar, which he had not as yet attempted to surmount.
From the first, therefore, he had experienced no pleasure from the
possession of his splendid property, equivalent to that of placing
the child of his benefactor above want. Afterwards, upon becoming
acquainted with her, this satisfaction was blended with sensations of
a stronger nature; and the impression made upon him was more powerful
in proportion, as his heart was not habituated to feelings of this
description. He would then have thought no sacrifice on his part
too great to insure her happiness; and so far from considering the
circumstance of her birth as a degradation, he only esteemed it an
additional reason why he should endeavour to be the medium of endowing
with his uncle’s worldly goods the only living relic he had left behind
him.
And yet in an unguarded moment of passion, all these hopes and
intentions had been overthrown. Though he would not have endured that
any other person should insinuate that Helen was other than perfect,
yet had his distrustful nature allowed him to imbibe the most absurd
suspicions, and the most ridiculous jealousy, and under their influence
to forget himself so far as to make disclosures which he could never
sufficiently repent.
The longer he remained at Rockington Castle, the more acutely did these
reflections prey upon his harassed mind. Every thing that reminded him
of his uncle, gave him an additional pang of self-reproach, ashamed,
as he could not but be, of having been the means of publishing his
foibles where he would most have wished them concealed. Every time that
he passed by the gallery where hung the portrait of Lord Rockington,
which, from the first, had made so strong an impression upon his
imagination, it recalled to his recollection the indignant expression
which Helen’s countenance had assumed when repelling his insinuations
against her friend.
All this he forced himself for some time to suffer, till he at
last became sensible that he ought no longer to delay returning to
Goldsborough Park, where many matters of various descriptions required
his presence. One of the most urgent, was the state of the borough from
which the park took its name.
Goldsborough was a neat little market-town, situated just at the
park-gate. It had no peculiar claims to consequence, founded on trade,
or manufactures, but it abounded in those never-failing signs of
independent competency, green doors, with bright brass knockers, fenced
in by white railings, containing five feet of gravel walk, and as much
of border on each side crowded with hollyoaks and sunflowers.
In most of the dwellings so situated, resided the electors, who had
been long accustomed to attend to the wishes of their near neighbours
at the park, in the choice of their members. In the early part of Lord
Rockington’s life, this had not been without its advantages, as far
as a quiet little inland market-town, with no particular pretensions
of any kind, could desire. Latterly this interest had been kept up,
as much as was in his power, by Mr. Gardner, and was one of the many
instances in which he had attended to his employer’s interests beyond
the strict line of his duty.
Since Oakley had come into possession, he had given many causes of
offence: not the least was, that from a dislike to intrusion upon
his privacy, he had shut up the park, and by that means deprived the
corporation and the wives of its members of their regular Sunday
stroll, where, from time immemorial, they had always carved true love
upon the trees, and picked chicken bones under them. This had been a
grievous offence, and had been aggravated by many other instances of
neglect; so much so, that when Oakley wished, in case he should fail in
the county, at least to gain a seat in parliament by returning himself
for Goldsborough--unexpected grumblings occurred. These, however, were
luckily checked, instead of encouraged, by one of the leading members
of the corporation, the ex-mayor, whose consequence shone conspicuous
in double the usual width of white rail, and double the usual width of
gravel walk.
This gentleman was a retired member of the medical profession, and
during a successful practice, had been present at most of the exits
and entrances that the fluctuating population of the neighbourhood had
been subject to, for twenty years. He was a very worthy man, and a very
popular character in the town, and finding his leisure hang rather
heavy on his hands, it had occurred to him that he might as well turn
his attention from physical to political constitutions, and take to
prescribing for the state.
The representation of his native town seemed quite within the reach of
his ambition, and he thought that to enter into such a compromise with
Oakley, as to share the representation with him as his colleague, would
be the best means of obtaining that object.
Oakley at this moment was rather harassed with the difficulties of
the county election, and only anxious to secure his own return.
Entertaining notions on the subject of reform, which were incompatible
with dictation if he had had the power to enforce it, (which he had
not,) and having no friend of his own to propose, he made no objection.
The other eleven electors on their part, were quite satisfied with
such an indication of their independence, as taking away from Oakley
the nomination to one of the seats, and not a little pleased with
the manner of doing it, by making a ‘parliament man’ of one of their
own body. The medical member, however, soon afterwards found his
fellow-townsmen not a little dissatisfied with his colleague’s
subsequent conduct. His absence at the election had been easily
accounted for, by his being occupied with the county contest; but they
did not by any means approve, subsequently to his defeat, of his not
coming near them, or taking any notice of his new constituents. This
having been communicated to him by his colleague, had determined him
to go back to Goldsborough; and as he had felt the inconvenience of
indulging his natural disposition, he arrived among the electors with a
resolution to be as civil and courteous as possible.
He had arrived late one night at the park, and as he was coming down
stairs the next morning, he already found symptoms, as he thought, of
his new colleague having arrived, for he saw, pacing round the space
before the door, two saddle-horses, the collar-marks on whose necks
seemed to indicate that their matching so well was not accidental. On
the back of one, was a saddle of the most brilliant newness, the other
was mounted by a gawky lad, who had, of course, the brevet rank of
groom, though his dress, consisting of a cerulean coloured frock-coat
and red plush breeches, with gaiters, showed that his avocations were
not limited to the stable department.
Oakley, descending to the saloon, and not meeting the servant who was
in search of him to announce the visitor, there encountered, not his
colleague the ex-mayor, and new member, but our old acquaintance,
Captain Wilcox, who had recently established himself in the
neighbourhood, and was come to pay his respects.
It will be recollected, that Mr. Gardner had been very anxious
that Oakley should purchase a freehold property then on sale, which
overlooked his grounds; but he, suspicious that there was some
advantage intended to be taken of him in the business, had not been
able to make up his mind to give an assent.
This property had fallen into the hands of Captain Wilcox, who being
desirous to change his ingots for acres, had immediately set about
building upon it. As Oakley never encouraged his steward to make
communications of this kind, they were no longer made to him; and as it
was quite dark when he arrived the night before, he had not seen any
symptoms of recent proprietorship.
He had never previously been acquainted either with his new colleague
or new neighbour, and there was nothing in the appearance of the
gentleman whom he found in the saloon, which might not as well belong
to a retired member of the medical, as of the military profession,
or at all to indicate the sort of deaths in which he had formerly
dealt. He therefore acted upon his lately-formed determination to
be peculiarly civil, and welcomed his visitor with great courtesy.
Encouraged by this, (for he had previously been a little abashed at the
idea of Oakley’s stiff manner,) the captain began.
“Allow me, sir,” said he, “to offer my compliments upon your return.”
Oakley, who imagined this to refer to his election, answered very
graciously: “You must allow me to say, I consider you as the cause of
my return.”
“Oh, you are a great deal too good to say so, but I hope we shall be
mutually agreeable in our new situation.”
“I can assure you, such is my intention.”
“I hope, too, that you will acquit me of wishing to intrude myself upon
what you may almost have considered as your property.”
“Indeed, nothing can be farther from my notions, than to reckon as
property, what can neither be bought nor sold; I considered it as a
sacred trust, and am perfectly satisfied as it is.”
“Oh, you thought it trust-property, and not to be bought; and, to be
sure, you ought to be satisfied, for you had pretty pickings without
buying a bit--but I was very anxious to purchase a seat.”
“You surely don’t mean,” said Oakley, “that you have paid for it?”
“Indeed, but I have, and much more since. The house, I hope, will be an
object you will rather like to look to.”
“I have always considered it the great object of my admiration and
envy.”
“Oh, let me beg at least you’ll never think of making speeches,” said
the captain, rather overpowered with the apparent hyperbole of the
expression.
“Sir!” said Oakley, surprised in his turn; and then checking himself,
he added, “I can only repeat, that my great desire has for some time
past been to be in it.”
“I’m sure I shall be most happy to see you there, and so will my
Fanny,” moving to depart.
“Who?” enquired Oakley, completely puzzled.
“Fanny, my Fanny--Mrs. Wilcox. I dare say you can see her in the garden
from this window,” drawing aside the blind, and disclosing for the
first time, to Oakley’s horror, a staring half-finished bright brick
tenement upon a rising knoll, only half a mile from him.
“Upon my word you are right, sir; Wilcox House is a very fine object
for you from hence. I thought of calling it Wilcox Abbey, for the
stable has a high narrow window in it, but _House_ sounds more snug and
substantial. Oh yes, I declare that will be delightful for you: you
can distinguish Mrs. Wilcox in her yellow gown among the roses. You’ll
excuse me, sir, I’ve not let her wear a green gown since the election.
You’ll excuse me,--I’m glad to see it’s all ‘forget and forgive,’ and
that we shall always be as neighbourly as if nothing had happened. We
are almost within _hail_, and quite within _call_,--you understand the
difference.”
With this he took his leave, smirking and bowing, and so much pleased
with the reception given him in the early part of his visit, as to
be unconscious of the sudden change in Oakley’s deportment at the
concluding discovery he had made as the captain began his last speech,
the course of which he would have doubtless interrupted immediately,
had there not been something so painfully ludicrous in the situation,
that he felt his tongue tied at the moment.
Long after his visitor had left the room, and even after he had, with
much effort and no slight fear, restored himself to his new saddle,
and departed, Oakley continued gazing with uncontrolled disgust at
the obtrusive expanse of red brick before him; and it was no pleasant
part of his reflections, that this he might have prevented if he had
not chosen, without any adequate ground, to suspect Mr. Gardner of
intending to deceive him. Now he would gladly have given five times
the sum to be able to toss it, brick by brick, into the river; but
from what he had seen of the situation in life and manners of his late
visitor, it was evident that this would not now be so easy, and that
the captain would probably consider one of the great advantages of a
long purse, the power of boasting that he was above being bought out;
and that, if he once found how galling his late acquisition was, the
idea of elbowing a grandee would add much to the value of the property
in his eyes.
Still, as he walked from window to window, there it was, staring him
full in the face; he felt it impossible to bear this, and therefore
abandoning his good intentions of propitiating his constituents,
which had so unfortunately been baulked when he was prepared to put
them into practice, he determined, as the season was advanced, and
parliament about to meet, to start for London.