THE MAID AT LAST IS "DENTIFIED."
However, as too often happens, we blamed a good man without cause. A
good man rarely deserves much blame; whereas a bad man cannot have too
much--whether he has earned it or otherwise--to restrain him from
deserving more. The reason why Sir Philip Bampfylde kept us so long
waiting, proved to be a sound and valid one; namely, that he was engaged
in earnest and important converse with his daughter-in-law, Lady
Bampfylde, now wife (if you will please to remember) to Commodore Sir
Drake Bampfylde, although by birth entitled the Honourable Isabel
Carey, the one that had been so good to me when I was a ferryman; of
superior order, certainly; but still, no more than a ferryman!
Since my rise in the world began, I have found out one satisfactory
thing--that a man gets on by merit. How long did I despair of this, and
smoke pipes, and think over it; seeing many of my friends advancing, by
what I call roguery! And but for the war (which proves the hearts and
reins of men, as my ancestor says), I might still have been high and
dry, being too honest for the fish-trade. However, true merit will tell
in the end, if a man contrives to live long enough.
So when the beautiful lady came out through the room where I sate
waiting, as I touched my venerable forelock to her (as humbly as if for
a sixpenny piece), a brave man's honest pride wrought weakness in my
eyes, as I gazed at her. I loved her husband; and I loved her; and I
thought of the bitter luck between them, which had kept them separate.
Partly, of course, the glory of England, and duty of a proud man's
birth; partly also bad luck of course, and a style of giving in to it;
but ten times more than these, the tricks that lower our
fellow-creatures.
This noble and stately lady did not at first sight recognise me; but
when I had told her in very few words who I was, and what I had done,
and how long I had sailed with her husband, and how highly he respected
me, her eyes brightened into the old sweet smile, although they bore
traces of weeping.
"My name is not 'Lady Carey,'" she said, for I was calling her thus on
purpose, not knowing how she was taking wedlock, and being of opinion
that an "honourable miss" ought always to be called a lady. "My name is
'Lady Bampfylde;' and I like it, if you please: although I remember, Mr
Llewellyn, what your views are of matrimony. You used to declare them
only too plainly, whenever we crossed your ferry, for the purpose, as I
used to think, of driving poor Nanette to despair of you."
"And a lucky thing for me, your ladyship, to have acted so consistently.
But his Honour the Commodore, of course, holds the opposite opinion."
"It is hard to guess the opinions of a commodore always on service. Sir
Drake, as I daresay you have heard, can scarcely bear to come home now."
I saw that she was vexed by something, and also vexed with herself,
perhaps, for having even hinted it. For she turned her beautiful face
away, and without a word would have left me. But with my usual
quickness of step, I ran into the lobby-place, and back in a moment with
our Delushy, clinging like a woodbine to a post. At such moments, I
never speak, until women begin with questions. It saves so much time to
let them begin; because they are sure to insist on it. Meanwhile Delushy
was making the prettiest curtsy that presence of mind permitted.
"You lovely dear, why, who are you?" cried Lady Bampfylde, with a start,
that made me dread hysterics.
"I do not know, Madam," answered Delushy, with the whole of her mind so
well in hand, by reason of years of suffering; "but many people believe
me to be the Bertha Bampfylde that was lost, nearly twenty years agone."
"What! The baby! The baby--at least one of the babies--that my
husband--David Llewellyn, this is very cruel of you."
And that was all the thanks I got! While, what could I have done
otherwise? In five minutes more, she would have been off in her grand
coach with six horses, after offending Sir Philip so much, that he could
not have borne to look after her; although, of course, he was now coming
out like a gentleman to a visitor. Seeing such a pay-night coming, and a
large confusion, I begged Colonel Lougher and Captain Bluett to keep for
a little while out of it. And nothing could more truly prove how
thoroughly these were gentlemen, than that they withdrew to a niche of
the under-butler's pantry, wherein they could hear no word of it.
It was now my place to stand forward bravely, and to put things clearly;
without any further loss of reason, and even without considering how
these delicate ladies might contrive to take my meaning nicely. To spare
good ladies from any emotion, is one of the main things of my life;
although they show such a want of gratitude, when I have done my utmost.
But as for frightening Sir Philip, of course, I had no scruple about
that; because of his confidence in the Lord. Therefore, abandoning Lady
Bampfylde to the care of her maid, who was running up from the servants'
hall to look after her, I fixed my hook (screwed on for the purpose)
firmly into Delushy's sleeve, that she might not faint, or run away, or
do anything else unreasonable, and I led her up the long hall to meet
Sir Philip, as he came down the steps at the upper end thereof.
The old General looked rather haggard and feeble, as if the power of his
life were lowered by perpetual patience. But something had happened to
vex him, no doubt, in his interview with Lady Bampfylde, so that he
walked with more than his usual stateliness and dignity. He had never
beheld me as a one-armed man, nor yet in my present uniform, for I took
particular care to avoid him during the day or two spent at his house
before I went to Burrington, so for a moment he did not know me, but
gazed with surprise at the lovely figure which I was sustaining so
clumsily.
"Sir Philip Bampfylde, allow me," I said, stretching forth my right hand
to him, "to repay you for some of the countless benefits you have heaped
upon me, by presenting you with your long-lost granddaughter--and your
grandson to come afterwards."
"It cannot be; it cannot be," was all he could say, although for so many
years he had shown his faith that it must be. His fine old countenance
turned as white as the silver hair that crowned it, and then as red as
it could have been in the hopeful blush of boyhood. And the pure and
perfect delicacy of high birth quickened with sorrow prevented him from
examining Delushy, as he longed to do.
"Speak up, child, speak up," said I, giving her a haul with my hook, as
when first I landed her; "can't you tell your dear Grandfather how glad
you are to see him?"
"That I will with all my heart," the maiden answered bashfully, yet
lifting her eyes to the old man's face with pride as well as reverence;
"as soon as I perceive that you, sir, wish to hear me say it."
"You will not think me rude--I am scarcely strong enough for this--it
has come on me so suddenly. And it must be quite as bad for you. Lead
the young lady to a chair, Llewellyn. Or, stay; I beg your pardon. It
will perhaps be better to call our kind and worthy housekeeper."
Sir Philip perceived a thing which had escaped me, though brought to my
notice beforehand by our good Colonel Lougher; that is to say, how hard
it would be upon the feelings of this young girl, to have her "identity"
(as Crowner Bowles entitled it) discussed in her own presence. Therefore
she was led away by that regular busybody the housekeeper, Mrs
Cockhanterbury; while I begged leave to introduce Colonel Lougher and
Captain Bluett to Sir Philip Bampfylde. And then when all had made their
bows and all due salutations, I was called upon to show my documents and
explain the evidence so carefully gathered by me.
It is as much above my power, as beyond my purpose, to tell how that
ancient and noble gentleman, after so much worry from the long neglect
of Providence, took (as if he had never deserved it) this goodness of
the Lord to him. Of course, in my class of life, we cannot be always
dwelling on children; whose nature is provoking always, and in nothing
more so than that they will come when not wanted; yet are not
forthcoming with the folk who can afford them. Nevertheless, I think
that if the Lord had allowed any thief of a fellow (much more one of His
own ministers) to steal two grandchildren of mine, and make a savage of
one baby, and of the other a castaway, the whole of my piety would have
been very hard pushed to produce any gratitude. Sir Philip, however, did
appear most truly desirous to thank God for this great mercy vouchsafed
to him; even before he had thoroughly gone through the ins and outs of
the evidence. For he begged us to excuse him, while he should go to see
to our comfort; and two fine bottles of wine (white and red) appeared,
and began to disappear, under my hatches mainly, before our noble host
came back to set us a good example. And when he came he had quite
forgotten to dust the knees of some fine kerseymere, and the shins of
black silk stockings.
Deep sense of religion is quite in its place when a man has had one arm
shot off, still more so if both arms are gone, and after a leg,
indispensable. Nevertheless it must not be intruded upon any one; no,
not even by the chaplain, till the doctor shakes his head. Knowing also
that Colonel Lougher had a tendency towards it (enough to stop the
decanters if he should get upon that subject with the arguments it
sticks fast in), I was delighted to see Delushy slipping into the room
as if she had known the place for a century. The General clearly had
managed to visit her during the time of his absence from us; what passed
between them matters not, except that he must have acknowledged her. For
now she went up to him and kissed him; rather timidly, perhaps, but
still she touched his forehead. Then he arose and stood very upright, as
if he had never begun to stoop, and passing his arm round her delicate
waist, both her hands he took in his. And as they faced us, we were
struck with the likeness between blooming youth and worn but yet
majestic age.
"Gentlemen," he said, "or rather I should call you kind good friends,
you have brought me not only a grandchild, but the very one I would have
chosen if the whole world gave me choice. By-and-by you shall see her
stand by the picture of my dear and long-lamented wife. That, I think,
will convince you that we want no further evidence. For me, these
thumb-nails are enough. Bertha, show your thumb-nails."
She laughed her usual merry laugh (although she had been crying so)
while she spread her dainty hands, exactly as she used to spread them,
when she was only two years old, with me alone to look at her.
"Here it is, sir," cried the General, overlooking me, in the rush of his
sentiments towards the Colonel: "here is the true Bampfylde mark. Even
the Bassets have it not, nor the Traceys, nor the St Albyns. Will you
oblige me by observing that these two thumb-nails have a most undoubted
right and left to them? Bertha, do try to keep still for a moment."
"Well, I declare," said the Colonel, calmly taking out his eye-glass;
"yes, I declare you are right, my good sir. Here is a most evident right
and left--Andalusia, do stand still--not only in the half-moons at the
base, but in the vein, and what I may call the radiants of the pinkness.
I cannot express my meaning, but--my darling, come and kiss me."
This Delushy did at once, as for years she used to do; and not being
certain even now whether she ought to forsake the Colonel for a General,
though proved to be a very fine and newly-turned up Grandfather. None of
us had thought of her, and the many shifts of female wind, coming to
pass perhaps inside her little brain and heart so. Wherefore this poor
David, who desires always to be the last, but by force of nature is
compelled for ever to take the lead--I it was who got her off to bed,
that we might talk of her.