"Against each one did each contend,
And all against the heir."
By the next morning Cheriton's thoughts had cleared themselves, and
matters began to take some shape; he could make up his mind to a certain
line of conduct, or at least could place a distinct aim before him. He
had often before been forced to acknowledge that Alvar's character, as
well as his position, had its own rights; they must take him as they
found him; neither his faults nor his excellencies were theirs--and how
much Cherry owed to those very points in Alvar which had come on them
like a surprise! Was it not the height both of ingratitude and of
conceit to think of him as of one to be altered and influenced before he
could be fit for his new station? Why would not Alvar's gentleness,
honour, and courtesy, his undoubted power of setting himself aside, make
him as valuable a member of society as industry, integrity, and regard
for those about him had made of his father? It was his misfortune, not
his fault, that he was a square man in a round hole; and what could
Cherry do but try to round off a few angles or poke a few corners for
them to stick into? Was it prejudice and unworthy jealousy that made
him unable to accept this view, or was there something in Nettie's
vehement disapproval, however unkindly and arrogantly it was expressed?
If Alvar chose he could make a very good Squire Lester. Yes, _if_--
There was the question. The English Lesters sometimes did right, and
sometimes--some of them very often--did wrong; but they one and all
recognised that doing right was the business of their lives, and that if
they did wrong they must repent and suffer. They certainly believed
that "conduct is nine-tenths of life," in other words, that they must
"do their duty in that state of life to which they were called."
But in Alvar this motive seemed almost non-existent. He did not care
about his own duty or other people's. Only such a sense, or the strong
influence of the religion from which in the main it sprang, or a sort of
enthusiasm equally foreign to him, could have roused an indolent nature
to the supreme effort of altering his whole way of living, of caring for
subjects hitherto indifferent to him--in short, of changing his entire
self. No doubt Alvar would think something due to his position, and
something more to please Cheriton, but he would not regard shortcomings
as of any consequence; in short, it was not that Alvar's principles were
different from theirs, but that as motives of action he had not got any;
not that he had Spanish instead of English notions of property,
politics, or religion, but that he did not care to entertain any notions
at all.
Cheriton understood enough now of the shifting scenes of Spanish life to
understand that this might be their effect on an outsider who saw many
different schemes of life all produce an equally bad effect on society;
but it was none the less peculiarly ill-adapted to an owner of English
property; and he took leave to think that if Spanish gentlemen in past
generations had administered justice in their own neighbourhoods, mended
their own roads, and seen to the instruction of their own tenants, a
happier state of things might have prevailed at the present time in the
peninsula. Anyhow, to him, as to his father, the welfare of Oakby was
very dear--dearer now than ever, for his father's sake. One thought had
troubled Mr Lester's last hours, that by his own conduct he had allowed
Alvar to become unfit to succeed him: all, therefore, that Cheriton
could do to remove that unfitness was so much work done for his father's
sake; all, too, that made Alvar happy, was an undoing of the wrong that
he had suffered. There was no real discord between what was right by
Alvar and by Oakby and by his own sense of right. To make the best of
Alvar, to allow for all his difficulties, to help him in every possible
way, was not only due to that loving brother, but was the right way to
be loyal to his father's higher self, and to clear his memory from those
weaknesses and errors which cling to every one in this mortal life--was,
too, the only way to see his work carried on.
This "high endeavour" came to Cheriton, indeed, as "an inward light" to
brighten the perplexed path before him. Sorrow, he had already learnt,
could be borne, difficulties might be overcome, now that his inmost
feelings were at peace.
Certainly he had enough on his hands. Much of the correspondence with
old friends fell naturally to his share. English "business" was
unintelligible to Alvar without his explanations, and though the new
Squire showed himself perfectly willing to receive from Mr Malcolm an
account of the various sources of his income, and submitted to go
through his father's accounts, and to hear reports from farmers and
bailiffs, he always insisted on Cheriton's presence at these interviews;
and though he was too easily satisfied with the fact that "my brother
understands," no one could have expected him to find it all quite easy
to understand himself.
Cherry apologised for putting his finger in every pie.
"Oh," said Alvar cheerfully; "I could not make the pie if I put in both
my hands."
But Cheriton knew perfectly well that the parish and the estate believed
themselves to be entering on the reign of King Log. Any breakers,
however, in this direction were still far ahead; but within doors
difficulties and incongruities came sooner to a point, and Alvar was by
no means always to blame for them.
On the day after the funeral, Mrs Lester resumed her place in the
family; but her son's death had aged her much, and to see Alvar in his
place was gall and wormwood to her. She accepted his offer of a home,
and thanked him for it with dignity and propriety; but she did not
attempt to conceal from the young ones that she grudged him the power to
make it.
The household arrangements went on as usual, and Alvar's behaviour to
her was irreproachable in its courtesy and consideration, nor did she
ever clash with him, but reserved her fears and her disapprobations for
Cherry's benefit.
Nettie had come back from London at Christmas, and nothing more had been
heard of Dick Seyton, who was then absent from home; but the
recollection of that episode prompted Mrs Lester to give a ready
consent to Judge Cheriton's proposal that she should go at Easter to
school for a year. Bob, too, who had been taken away from school at
Christmas, where his career had not lately been satisfactory, was at
present reading with a clergyman at Hazelby, and was to be sent to a
tutor by-and-by. In the meantime, both he and Nettie were as unhappy as
young creatures can be when their world is all changed for them; with
their hearts yearning towards what they already called old times. And
all the force of their natures concentrated into a sort of fierce,
aggressive loyalty to every practice, opinion, and tradition of the
past, and to this code they viewed Cherry as a traitor. It was a cruel
offence when he happened to say that he liked to drink chocolate, and
when Alvar made a point of his having some; when Alvar now and again
used Spanish expressions in speaking to him, when he pronounced Spanish
names in Spanish fashion, or, worst of all, regretted Spanish sunshine;
when he yielded to Alvar's care for his health, or seemed to turn to him
for sympathy--a hundred such pin-pricks occurred every day. And yet the
foolish twins scrupulously did what they thought their duty. That Alvar
owned their father's horses cost Nettie floods of tears; but she
insisted on Bob asking his permission before he took one to ride to
Hazelby, and she always showed him a kind of sulky deference.
"How can you be so silly, Nettie?" said Jack, in answer to a pettish
remark. "Do you want Cherry to quarrel with Alvar?"
"No," said Nettie; "but I didn't think he would have _liked_ Spain, and
have talked so much about the pictures and things. Last night he asked
Alvar to play to him."
"I should think you might be glad to see him pleased with anything; he
looks wretched enough."
"Well, I like what I'm used to," said Nettie, in a choked voice. "I
don't care to hear about all the stupid people you met in Spain."
"The friends we made in Spain," said Jack, in high indignation, "were
people with whom it was a privilege to associate."
"I daresay," said Nettie; "but old acquaintances are good enough for me;
and old weather and everything. Yes, Buffer, _I'll_ take you out, if it
_is_ a nasty cold morning."
And Nettie went off, with a train of dogs behind her, angry with all her
brothers, for even Bob had had the sense to grumble out "that people
must do as they pleased, and she had better let Cherry and Alvar alone,"
and feeling as if she only were faithful to the dear home standard.
As Jack stood by the hall fire, heavy-hearted enough himself, in spite
of his rebuke to his sister, there was a ring at the bell, and the cloud
cleared from his brow as he started forward to greet Mr Stanforth with
an eagerness unusual with him.
He was too unaffectedly pleased to be embarrassed, and began almost at
once,--
"My uncle Cheriton comes back to us to-night. He had to leave us on the
day after we saw you; Cherry has promised to speak to him, that we may
come to an understanding before I go back to Oxford." Mr Stanforth
smiled a little.
"When do you come of age, Jack?" he said.
"I shall be twenty next week," said Jack, in a tone of humiliation. "If
I take a fair degree, I shall try for a mastership in one of the public
schools. I should like that, and--and it is suitable to getting
married," concluded Jack blushing.
"Very well," said Mr Stanforth. "Then you shall come and tell me of
your intentions for the future in a year's time from next week. Wait a
bit," as Jack looked exceedingly blank. "If circumstances had not so
sadly changed, no other decision would have been possible for you. I
have no objection, in the meantime, to see you occasionally at my house,
as I think you should both have every opportunity of testing the
permanence of such quick-springing feelings."