Four days after Mr. Clendon had rescued her from the Wolf, Celia, who
had been listening daily for his footsteps, heard them on the stairs.
She ran down, and caught the old man by the hand.
"Oh, come in!" she said, excitedly. "I have something to tell you."
He looked at her flushed face, her eyes all alight now; but without a
smile, and with his usual impassiveness, he went to her room.
"The most wonderful thing has happened!" she exclaimed. "Oh, but first,
let me try to thank you! The people who brought the things would not
tell me who had sent them, but they insisted that everything was paid
for, and, of course, I knew the milk and the bread, and the groceries
and the rest of it, came from you."
"That is nothing," he said, with the simplicity of good breeding. "Tell
me of this wonderful news."
"It's the most extraordinary, the most miraculous news," she said, with
a long breath. "You remember that advertisement I showed you? Well,
there came an answer to it--an answer! Here it is." She handed him one
of several letters she had snatched up from the table. "It is from a
very great man, you see; but, of course, it is one of his secretaries
who writes. It is from a real live marquess!--Lord Sutcombe. Of course,
you have heard of him?"
Mr. Clendon nodded affirmatively.
"He is well known."
"Though I had no hope of getting the situation, I sent some letters of
poor Mr. Bishop's as testimonials, and this morning--oh, it is almost
incredible--I received this letter, informing me that my testimonials
were satisfactory, and that I had obtained the post. And what do you
think it is? Oh, the most delightful of all work--the very thing I
would have chosen! It is to arrange, and catalogue, and generally take
care of a large library. And the salary--this is the most wonderful
part of the whole fairy tale--is to be £150 a year. Think of it!
One--hundred--and-fifty--pounds a year!"
"It is a very good salary," said Mr. Clendon. "I congratulate you."
She laid her hand on the wrinkled one which rested on his stick.
"But don't you think it is quite extraordinary? Surely one does not
usually get such a post as this so easily as I have done! There is a
kind of magic in it. You"--she looked at him keenly, searchingly--"Mr.
Clendon, have you had any hand in this?"
He looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you think it is likely that I consort with marquesses or have any
influence with them?" he asked, with a smile.
"Anyway, it is you who have brought me this great good luck," she said,
as gratefully as if he had admitted the truth. "You have been my mascot.
A very dear, generous mascot. But you will let me pay you back? But I am
almost ashamed to speak of payment, when no money could repay."
"Certainly you shall pay me, my dear young lady," he said, quietly. "I
am poor, and you are proud. But you will wait until you draw the first
instalment of your salary."
"No need," she exclaimed, triumphantly. "See here!" She held up a
cheque. "The Marquess--what a kind, good sort of man he must be!--has
sent me a cheque to pay my fare and other expenses."
Mr. Clendon took the cheque.
"I see it is an open one. The bank will pay you when you present it," he
remarked, in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, I am going presently. In the last letter he says that I can go
down to the place--Thexford Hall, it is called--as soon as I please;
and, of course, I shall start to-morrow. It is in Devonshire, and all my
life I've longed to see Devonshire. And now I'm to be _paid_ for going
there! Mr. Clendon, I have been living in a dream since this letter
came. I've read it fifty--oh, a hundred times! Sometimes I've held it
tightly in both hands, afraid that it should turn to a withered leaf, as
the paper did in the fairy story, or that I should wake up from my dream
and find my hands empty. Do you know Thexford Hall?"
"It is a large place, I believe--quite a famous one," he said. "I hope
you will be happy there."
"I should be quite happy if it were not so far from Brown's Buildings,
and--and one who has been so good to me," said Celia, her eyes suddenly
moist. "But I may come up and see you some day, on my first holiday?
Yes, and it's not only you, but--Well, strange as it may sound, I have
grown fond of the Buildings. You see, it was my first home; I mean my
own home. And I've got to like the people, though I know so little of
them. Oh, Mr. Clendon----"
She paused a moment, and the colour stole to her face and she looked
hard at the fire. She went on hesitatingly, almost shyly:
"You remember the young man who lived opposite? He has gone; but I
think--I mean, it is just possible that he may come back."
She was silent for a moment or two, as she asked herself whether she
should tell this good friend of hers all that had happened on that
fateful night; but she felt that she could not do so. The secret did not
belong to her.
"He may come back," she continued, in a low voice. "And if he should,
and you see him, will you give him a message that was left with me for
him. It is just, 'It is all right.'"
"Certainly," said Mr. Clendon, without the least sign of curiosity,
though his piercing eyes had been watching her face. "Will you write to
me, and tell me how you get on at--what is the name of the place?--ah,
yes, Thexford?"
"Why, of course I will. I will write and tell you everything," said
Celia, promptly, gratefully.
"And if it should not suit you, and you are not happy there, you will
tell me frankly?"
"Oh, yes; for you will still be my mascot, will you not? But I am sure
to be happy. I love books. I shall be in Devonshire, and I shall be
earning all this money. Mr. Clendon, I am the very luckiest girl in the
world."
"And the best, I am sure," he said, gently. "Now, I will go down to the
bank with you, if you will let me, and see that you get this money all
right."
This was the last straw. She could not keep back her tears. She hurried
into her coat and hat, and they went out together. As they descended the
stairs, they happened to pass the little chorus girl and the grim old
lady, and Celia could not help nodding and smiling at them. The chorus
girl smiled back, and even the grim old lady's frown relaxed as she
bowed in stately fashion.
"I'm so happy, that I could shake hands with everybody," said Celia. "I
feel as if I must make friends with everyone I meet."
Then suddenly the happiness fled from her face, her eyes grew dark and
sad; for at that instant she thought of the young man, the fugitive
flying from justice. Where was he? What was he doing? Oh, if he would
only come back and get the message!
The polite and amiable cashier at the bank handed over ten bright
sovereigns, and with these in the purse clasped in her hand Celia
returned to the Buildings, to engage in a fight with Mr. Clendon over
the sum which he declared was all that was due to him. But it was
settled at last, though scarcely to Celia's satisfaction.
"I'd come to see you off to-morrow," he said, as he held her hand at
parting, "but I have an early rehearsal. Good-bye, and God bless you,"
he added, in a very low voice.
When he had gone Celia mopped her eyes and finished her packing, and the
next morning a taxi bore her from the Buildings. She looked out of the
window as long as the huge and grimy place remained in sight, and she
sighed when it had disappeared. In a sense she still belonged to The
Jail; for there had been no time to dispose of her furniture, and she
was so rich that she felt justified in keeping on the room for a while.
The rent was only a few shillings a week, and she could well afford to
pay it, at any rate until she had decided to sell the furniture. At the
bottom of her heart was the desire to keep it, for the sake of its
association: perhaps they would let her have it at Thexford Hall?
The journey, which no doubt most of the passengers considered a long
one, was to Celia a delightful experience, for she had been immured in
London long enough to enjoy the change. Her heart beat fast and her
breath came quickly, with suppressed excitement and a touch of anxiety,
as the train drew up to the small station of Thexford. On the platform
stood a tall footman, and as she alighted he came up, touched his hat,
and spoke her name. The station-master and the porter were in attendance
also, and all three received her as if she were a person of consequence.
The footman led the way to a landaulette car, touched his hat again as
he closed the door on her, and the car glided off, carrying Celia still
nearer to the unknown.
They ran through a beautiful, undulating country, dotted here and there
with farms. Then the way grew wilder. They passed across a stretch of
moorland, turned into an avenue guarded by huge iron gates, and,
mounting quickly, stopped before an old red brick mansion, the size and
grandeur of which filled Celia with awe. The great door opened, and a
footman, behind him a middle-aged lady in a black silk dress, stood
ready to receive Celia.
"I am the housekeeper--Mrs. Dexter," said the lady, pleasantly. "I am
afraid you have had a wearisome journey, Miss Grant. Let me take you to
your room at once."
They crossed a large hall, lit by the afternoon sun, which, streaming
through a window of stained glass, poured flashes of vari-coloured light
on the antique furniture, the men in armour, the trophies and pictures
on the wall. Mrs. Dexter led the way up a broad flight of stairs to a
room on the first floor, a room so large and beautiful that Celia had
difficulty in repressing an exclamation.
"Is this for me?" she could not help asking.
"Yes," replied Mrs. Dexter, "unless you wish to change it. There are
plenty of rooms vacant, unfortunately."
"Does no one live here?" asked Celia, with astonishment.
"Only myself and the other servants," replied Mrs. Dexter. "The Marquess
is enormously rich, probably one of the richest noblemen in England. Of
course, some of the rooms, the state-rooms, are kept shrouded; but they
could be prepared almost at an hour's notice--though we might not get
that," she added, with a smile. "I hope you will not feel dull and
lonely. You have come from London, where everything is so bright and
gay."
Celia thought of the Jail and smiled.
"We are rather isolated here," continued Mrs. Dexter. "There is the
village, of course; but we have very few neighbours. The nearest house
of any consequence, Lensmore Grange, is nearly two miles away. Didn't
you know that you would be alone here? Oh, I hope you won't mind, for I
had so looked forward to having someone in the house."
"No, no," said Celia, quickly, and she smiled again, reassuringly. "I
think I rather like it; and if I didn't, I should remain, for I am quite
poor, and this situation means so much to me."
This little speech completed Celia's conquest of the good-natured
housekeeper.
"We must try to make it as cheerful as we can for you, my dear--I mean,
Miss Grant," she corrected herself.
Celia shook her head.
"No, no," she said. "I think it is very kind of you to speak to me so
nicely, to be so good to me, before you know I'm worth it. I am sure
that we shall--like each other, and that I shall be very happy here."
"I hope so. I'll do all I can," said Mrs. Dexter, evidently moved by
Celia's warm response. "Now I'll send you up some tea, and if you're not
tired I will show you the house when you have rested."
In a very short time a maid, neatly dressed in black alpaca, with cap
with white strings, brought up the tea. Celia noticed that the salver
and the service were of silver. It was a very luxurious tea; the maid
was respectful, but pleasantly sympathetic. Said she:
"Shall I put away your things after tea, miss, or now at once? I am to
wait on you."
"Oh, that's very nice," said Celia. "You will not have much trouble, at
any rate, with my things," she added, with a laugh. "For I have very
few."
"Yes, miss," said the maid. "Fashions change so soon, don't they?"
It was beautifully done, and Celia laughed again, appreciatively. The
place had seemed to her a kind of Paradise, and certainly it was
inhabited, judging by the specimens she had seen, by persons of angelic
amiability. She was so excited that she could scarcely drink her tea,
and when Mrs. Dexter reappeared, she sprang up all eagerness. For half
an an hour she went from room to room, almost speechless with admiration
and a delighted awe. It was her first experience of a house of the size
and grandeur of Thexford Hall, and almost at every step she took she was
trying to realize that she was actually going to live there. And to be
paid £150 per annum for doing so!
"Now I'll show you the library," said Mrs. Dexter. "Naturally, that will
interest you more than anything else, though our state-rooms are
considered to be very fine. Indeed, the drawing-room, with the Inigo
chimneypieces, is said to be unique. This is the library."
She opened a thick mahogany door, and as Celia crossed the threshold an
exclamation of ecstatic delight escaped her lips. And not without cause;
for the Thexford library is a famous one. Celia was not unduly impressed
by the number of the books, though the collection is by no means a small
one, for she had spent weeks and months at the British Museum Reading
Room; but the subdued splendour of the room, its vaulted roof, its ebony
bookcases, enriched by Wedgwood plaques, the great fireplace, with its
marble mantelpiece rising to the very ceiling, kept her for a minute or
two dumb with amazement.
"No doubt you will spend a great deal of your time here," said Mrs.
Dexter. "I have had the fire lit; we burn wood only in the larger
rooms." She nodded towards the great logs glowing between the brazen
dogs and giving the room not only warmth but an air of comfort and
homeliness. "I hope you will find everything you want; but if not, you
have only to ask for it. His lordship sent me special instructions that
I was to provide you with everything you required."
"As if anyone could want anything more than there is here," said Celia,
with a smile and upraised brows. "The Marquess must be a very kind man;
he has been so good and thoughtful."
"He is," said Mrs. Dexter. "But people of his rank always are kind to
those in their service. At least, that is my experience. You have not
seen his lordship?"
"No," replied Celia. "I should like to do so. I should like to try to
thank him for his kindness to me."
Mrs. Dexter smiled.
"I don't think he would like that, my dear. Great people don't like
being thanked. At least, that's my experience," she repeated. "I will
show you his lordship's portrait, if you like," she said, as they passed
into the hall. "It is growing dark here; that painted window keeps out
the light."
She switched on the electric light, and directed Celia's attention to
the row of family portraits.
"I'll tell you who they all are some day," she said. "That is the
present Marquess, at the end there."
Celia went to it and looked at it with interest.
"He has a nice face," she said.
"Yes, it is a good-looking family, as you see," said Mrs. Dexter, with a
smile.
Celia's eyes wandered from the portrait of the Marquess to the one
hanging next to it. It was the picture of a young man dressed in riding
kit. He was a handsome lad, with a dare-devil look in his dark eyes, a
hint of wildness, of recklessness and defiance, in the carriage of his
head, the curve of his lips.
"That is a very beautiful picture," said Celia.
"Yes; it is one of the best in the gallery," said Mrs. Dexter. "It is
the portrait of the Marquess's brother--his elder brother. He was very
wild, and caused the family much trouble. He is dead, of course, or he
would have been the marquess instead of his present lordship."
"He is very handsome," said Celia. "I suppose that is why one feels so
sorry for him."
She moved away from the picture as she spoke; but presently, as if drawn
by it, she returned to it.
"The picture interests you?" said Mrs. Dexter, with a smile. "That is
always the way with us women, my dear. It is always the wild and wicked
men who attract us."
"Oh, but that's a libel, surely," said Celia. "No; I think you are
right. But how foolish of us, if it is true."
She turned away and went towards the great fireplace where the logs were
now burning; but after a moment or two, as she stood with her foot on
the fender, she looked again over her shoulder at the picture.
"It is very strange," she said, "but I have a curious feeling that I
have seen someone very like--no, not very like, but bearing a faint
likeness to that portrait."
"Yes, my dear? One often has that feeling when looking at a portrait.
Can't you remember who it was?"
"No," said Celia, "I've been trying to think; but I can't remember ever
meeting anyone resembling that face. I suppose it is only my fancy."
"I dare say," assented Mrs. Dexter. "You will dine at the usual hour,
eight o'clock, I suppose? I am going to have your dinner served in the
little room behind the library. You will not feel so lonely as you would
in the big dining-room; but, of course, if you prefer----"
"What, sit there all by myself, in that great big room! I should die of
fright. I should feel as if I had been wrecked on a desert island. Oh,
the little room, please, by all means."