PROVIDENCE INTERFERES.
The battle was carried on very fiercely in Mr. Masters' house in
Dillsborough, to the misery of all within it; but the conviction
gained ground with every one there that Mary was to be sent to
Cheltenham for some indefinite time. Dolly and Kate seemed to think
that she was to go, never to return. Six months, which had been
vaguely mentioned as the proposed period of her sojourn, was to them
almost as indefinite as eternity. The two girls had been intensely
anxious for the marriage, wishing to have Larry for a brother,
looking forward with delight to their share in the unrestricted
plenteousness of Chowton Farm, longing to be allowed to consider
themselves at home among the ricks and barns and wide fields; but
at this moment things had become so tragic that they were cowed and
unhappy,--not that Mary should still refuse Larry Twentyman, but that
she should be going away for so long a time. They could quarrel with
their elder sister while the assurance was still with them that she
would be there to forgive them;--but now that she was going away and
that it had come to be believed by both of them that poor Lawrence
had no chance, they were sad and downhearted. In all that misery
the poor attorney had the worst of it. Mary was free from her
stepmother's zeal and her stepmother's persecution at any rate at
night;--but the poor father was hardly allowed to sleep. For Mrs.
Masters never gave up her game as altogether lost. Though she might
be driven alternately into towering passion and prostrate hysterics,
she would still come again to the battle. A word of encouragement
would, she said, bring Larry Twentyman back to his courtship,
and that word might be spoken, if Mary's visit to Cheltenham
were forbidden. What did the letter signify, or all the girl's
protestations? Did not everybody know how self-willed young women
were; but how they could be brought round by proper usage? Let Mary
once be made to understand that she would not be allowed to be a fine
lady, and then she would marry Mr. Twentyman quick enough. But this
"Ushanting," this journeying to Cheltenham in order that nothing
might be done, was the very way to promote the disease! This Mrs.
Masters said in season and out of season, night and day, till the
poor husband longed for his daughter's departure, in order that that
point might at any rate be settled. In all these disputes he never
quite yielded. Though his heart sank within him he was still firm. He
would turn his back to his wife and let her run on with her arguments
without a word of answer,--till at last he would bounce out of bed
and swear that if she did not leave him alone he would go and lock
himself into the office and sleep with his head on the office desk.
Mrs. Masters was almost driven to despair;--but at last there came to
her a gleam of hope, most unexpectedly. It had been settled that Mary
should make her journey on Friday the 12th February and that Reginald
Morton was again to accompany her. This in itself was to Mrs. Masters
an aggravation of the evil which was being done. She was not in
the least afraid of Reginald Morton; but this attendance on Mary
was in the eyes of her stepmother a cockering of her up, a making
a fine lady of her, which was in itself of all things the most
pernicious. If Mary must go to Cheltenham, why could she not go by
herself, second class, like any other young woman? "Nobody would eat
her,"--Mrs. Masters declared. But Reginald was firm in his purpose of
accompanying her. He had no objection whatever to the second class,
if Mr. Masters preferred it. But as he meant to make the journey on
the same day of course they would go together. Mr. Masters said that
he was very much obliged. Mrs. Masters protested that it was all
trash from beginning to the end.
Then there came a sudden disruption to all these plans, and a sudden
renewal of her hopes to Mrs. Masters which for one half day nearly
restored her to good humour. Lady Ushant wrote to postpone the visit
because she herself had been summoned to Bragton. Her letter to Mary,
though affectionate, was very short. Her grand-nephew John, the head
of the family, had expressed a desire to see her, and with that wish
she was bound to comply. Of course, she said, she would see Mary at
Bragton; or if that were not possible, she herself would come into
Dillsborough. She did not know what might be the length of her visit,
but when it was over she hoped that Mary would return with her to
Cheltenham. The old lady's letter to Reginald was much longer;
because in that she had to speak of the state of John Morton's
health,--and of her surprise that she should be summoned to his
bedside. Of course she would go,--though she could not look forward
with satisfaction to a meeting with the Honble. Mrs. Morton. Then she
could not refrain from alluding to the fact that if "anything were
to happen" to John Morton, Reginald himself would be the Squire
of Bragton. Reginald when he received this at once went over to
the attorney's house, but he did not succeed in seeing Mary. He
learned, however, that they were all aware that the journey had been
postponed.
To Mrs. Masters it seemed that all this had been a dispensation of
Providence. Lady Ushant's letter had been received on the Thursday
and Mrs. Masters at once found it expedient to communicate with Larry
Twentyman. She was not excellent herself at the writing of letters,
and therefore she got Dolly to be the scribe. Before the Thursday
evening the following note was sent to Chowton Farm;
DEAR LARRY,
Pray come and go to the club with father on Saturday. We
haven't seen you for so long! Mother has got something to
tell you.
Your affectionate friend,
DOLLY.
When this was received the poor man was smoking his moody pipe in
silence as he roamed about his own farmyard in the darkness of the
night. He had not as yet known any comfort and was still firm in his
purpose of selling the farm. He had been out hunting once or twice
but fancied that people looked at him with peculiar eyes. He could
not ride, though he made one or two forlorn attempts to break his
neck. He did not care in the least whether they found or not; and
when Captain Glomax was held to have disgraced himself thoroughly by
wasting an hour in digging out and then killing a vixen, he had not a
word to say about it. But, as he read Dolly's note, there came back
something of life into his eyes. He had forsworn the club, but would
certainly go when thus invited. He wrote a scrawl to Dolly,--"I'll
come," and, having sent it off by the messenger, tried to trust that
there might yet be ground for hope. Mrs. Masters would not have
allowed Dolly to send such a message without good reason.
On the Friday Mrs. Masters could not abstain from proposing that
Mary's visit to Cheltenham should be regarded as altogether out of
the question. She had no new argument to offer,--except this last
interposition of Providence in her favour. Mr. Masters said that he
did not see why Mary should not return with Lady Ushant. Various
things, however, might happen. John Morton might die, and then who
could tell whether Lady Ushant would ever return to Cheltenham? In
this way the short-lived peace soon came to an end, especially as
Mrs. Masters endeavoured to utilize for general family purposes
certain articles which had been purchased with a view to Mary's
prolonged residence away from home. This was resented by the
attorney, and the peace was short-lived.
On the Saturday Larry came,--to the astonishment of Mr. Masters, who
was still in his office at half-past seven. Mrs. Masters at once got
hold of him and conveyed him away into the sacred drawing-room. "Mary
is not going," she said.
"Not going to Cheltenham!"
"It has all been put off. She shan't go at all if I can help it."
"But why has it been put off, Mrs. Masters?"
"Lady Ushant is coming to Bragton. I suppose that poor man is dying."
"He is very ill certainly."
"And if anything happens there who can say what may happen anywhere
else? Lady Ushant will have something else except Mary to think of,
if her own nephew comes into all the property."
"I didn't know she was such friends with the Squire as that."
"Well;--there it is. Lady Ushant is coming to Bragton and Mary is not
going to Cheltenham."
This she said as though the news must be of vital importance to Larry
Twentyman. He stood for awhile scratching his head as he thought of
it. At last it appeared to him that Mary's continual residence in
Dillsborough would of itself hardly assist him. "I don't see, Mrs.
Masters, that that will make her a bit kinder to me.'
"Larry, don't you be a coward,--nor yet soft."
"As for coward, Mrs. Masters, I don't know--"
"I suppose you really do love the girl."
"I do;--I think I've shown that."
"And you haven't changed your mind?"
"Not a bit."
"That's why I speak open to you. Don't you be afraid of her. What's
the letter which a girl like that writes? When she gets tantrums into
her head of course she'll write a letter."
"But there's somebody else, Mrs. Masters."
"Who says so? I say there ain't nobody;--nobody. If anybody tells you
that it's only just to put you off. It's just poetry and books and
rubbish. She wants to be a fine lady."
"I'll make her a lady."
"You make her Mrs. Twentyman, and don't you be made by any one to
give it up. Go to the club with Mr. Masters now, and come here just
the same as usual. Come to-morrow and have a gossip with the girls
together and show that you can keep your pluck up. That's the way
to win her." Larry did go to the club and did think very much of it
as he walked home. He had promised to come on the Sunday afternoon,
but he could not bring himself to believe in that theory of books
and poetry put forward by Mrs. Masters. Books and poetry would not
teach a girl like Mary to reject her suitor if she really loved him.