The Squire's Death
With a sore heart Isabel went her way to Hereford,--troubled because
she saw nothing but sorrow and vexation in store for her uncle.
"I know that I am getting weaker every day," he said. And yet it was
not long since he had spoken of living for two years.
"Shall I stay?" asked Isabel.
"No; that would be wrong. You ought to go to your father. I suppose
that I shall live till you come back."
"Oh, Uncle Indefer!"
"What if I did die? It is not that that troubles me." Then she
kissed him and left him. She knew how vain it was to ask any further
questions, understanding thoroughly the nature of his sorrow. The
idea that this nephew must be the master of Llanfeare was so bitter
to him that he could hardly endure it; and then, added to this, was
the vexation of the nephew's presence. That three weeks should be
passed alone with the man,--three weeks of the little that was left
to him of life, seemed to be a cruel addition to the greater sorrow!
But Isabel went, and the uncle and nephew were left to do the best
they could with each other's company.
Isabel had not seen Mr Owen or heard from him since the writing of
that letter in which she had told him of her uncle's decision. Now it
would be necessary that she should meet him, and she looked forward
to doing so almost with fear and trembling. On one point she had made
up her mind, or thought that she had made up her mind. As she had
refused him when supposed to be heiress of Llanfeare, she certainly
would not accept him, should he feel himself constrained by a sense
of honour to renew his offer to her now that her position was so
different. She had not accused him in her own heart of having come
to her because of her supposed wealth. Thinking well of him in other
matters, she thought well of him also in that. But still there was
the fact that she had refused him when supposed to be an heiress; and
not even to secure her happiness would she allow him to think that
she accepted him because of her altered circumstances. And yet she
was in love with him, and had now acknowledged to herself that it was
so. Her position in this as in all things seemed to be so cruel! Had
she been the heiress of Llanfeare she could not have married him,
because it would then have been her duty to comply with the wishes of
her uncle. No such duty would now be imposed upon her, at any rate
after her uncle's death. As simple Isabel Brodrick she might marry
whom she would without bringing discredit upon the Indefer Joneses.
But that which she had been constrained to do before her uncle had
changed his purpose now tied her hands.
It did seem to her cruel; but she told herself that it was peculiarly
her duty to bear such cruelty without complaint. Of her uncle's
intense love to her she was fully aware, and, loving him as warmly,
was prepared to bear everything on his account. His vacillation had
been unfortunate for her, but in everything he had done the best
according to his lights. Perhaps there was present to her mind
something of the pride of a martyr. Perhaps she gloried a little in
the hardship of her position. But she was determined to have her
glory and her martyrdom all to herself. No human being should ever
hear from her lips a word of complaint against her Uncle Indefer.
The day after her arrival her father asked her a few questions as to
her uncle's intentions in reference to the property.
"I think it is all settled," she said. "I think it has been left to
my Cousin Henry."
"Then he has changed his mind," said her father angrily. "He did mean
to make you his heiress?"
"Henry is at Llanfeare now, and Henry will be his heir."
"Why has he changed? Nothing can be more unjust than to make a
promise in such a matter and then to break it."
"Who says that he made a promise? You have never heard anything
of the kind from me. Papa, I would so much rather not talk about
Llanfeare. Ever since I have known him, Uncle Indefer has been all
love to me. I would not allow a thought of mine to be polluted by
ingratitude towards him. Whatever he has done, he has done because he
has thought it to be the best. Perhaps I ought to tell you that he
has made some charge on the property on my behalf, which will prevent
my being a burden upon you."
A week or ten days after this, when she had been nearly a fortnight
at Hereford, she was told that William Owen was coming in to drink
tea. This communication was made to her by her stepmother, in
that serious tone which is always intended to convey a matter of
importance. Had any other minor canon or any other gentleman been
coming to tea, the fact would have been announced in a different
manner.
"I shall be delighted to see him," said Isabel, suppressing with her
usual fortitude any slightest symptom of emotion.
"I hope you will, my dear. I am sure he is very anxious to see you."
Then Mr Owen came and drank his tea in the midst of the family.
Isabel could perceive that he was somewhat confused,--not quite able
to talk in his usual tone, and that he was especially anxious as
to his manner towards her. She took her part in the conversation
as though there were nothing peculiar in the meeting. She spoke of
Llanfeare, of her uncle's failing health, and of her cousin's visit,
taking care to indicate by some apparently chance word, that Henry
was received there as the heir. She played her part well, evincing no
sign of special feeling but her ear was awake to the slightest tone
in his voice after he had received the information she had given
him. She knew that his voice was altered, but she did not read the
alteration altogether aright.
"I shall call in the morning," he said, as he gave her his hand
at parting. There was no pressure of the hand, but still he had
addressed himself especially to her.
Why should he come in the morning? She had made up her mind, at the
spur of the moment, that the news which he had heard had settled that
matter for ever. But if so, why should he come in the morning? Then
she felt, as she sat alone in her room, that she had done him a foul
injustice in that spur of the moment. It must be that she had done
him an injustice, or he would not have said that he would come. But
if he could be generous, so could she. She had refused him when she
believed herself to be the heiress of Llanfeare, and she certainly
would not accept him now.
On the next morning about eleven o'clock he came. She had become
aware that it was the intention of all the family that she should see
him alone, and she made no struggle against that intention. As such
intention existed, the interview must of course take place, and as
well now as later. There was no confidence on the matter between
herself and her stepmother,--no special confidence between even
herself and her half-sisters. But she was aware that they all
supposed that Mr Owen was to come there on that morning for the sake
of renewing his offer to her. It was soon done when he had come.
"Isabel," he said, "I have brought with me that letter which you
wrote to me. Will you take it back again?" And he held it out in his
hand.
"Nay; why should I take back my own letter?" she answered, smiling.
"Because I hope--I do not say I trust--but I hope that I may receive
an altered answer."
"Why should you hope so?" she asked, foolishly enough.
"Because I love you so dearly. Let me say something very plainly. If
it be a long story, forgive me because of its importance to myself. I
did think that you were--well, inclined to like me."
"Like you! I always liked you. I do like you."
"I hoped more. Perhaps I thought more. Nay, Isabel, do not interrupt
me. When they told me that you were to be your uncle's heir, I knew
that you ought not to marry me."
"Why not?"
"Well, I knew that it should not be so. I knew that your uncle would
think so."
"Yes, he thought so."
"I knew that he would, and I accepted your answer as conveying his
decision. I had not intended to ask the heiress of Llanfeare to be my
wife."
"Why not? Why not?"
"I had not intended to ask the heiress of Llanfeare to by my wife,"
he said, repeating the words. "I learned last night that it was not
to be so."
"No; it is not to be so."
"Then why should not Isabel Brodrick be the wife of William Owen,
if she likes him,--if only she can bring herself to like him well
enough?"
She could not say that she did not like him well enough. She could
not force herself to tell such a lie! And yet there was her settled
purpose still strong in her mind. Having refused him when she
believed herself to be rich, she could not bring herself to take him
now that she was poor. She only shook her head mournfully.
"You cannot like me well enough for that?"
"It must not be so."
"Must not? Why must not?"
"It cannot be so."
"Then, Isabel, you must say that you do not love me."
"I need say nothing, Mr Owen." Again she smiled as she spoke to him.
"It is enough for me to say that it cannot be so. If I ask you not to
press me further, I am sure that you will not do so."
"I shall press you further," he said, as he left her; "but I will
leave you a week to think of it."
She took the week to think of it, and from day to day her mind would
change as she thought of it. Why should she not marry him, if thus
they might both be happy? Why should she cling to a resolution made
by her when she was in error as to the truth? She knew now, she was
now quite certain, that when he had first come to her he had known
nothing of her promised inheritance. He had come then simply because
he loved her, and for that reason, and for that reason only, he had
now come again. And yet--and yet, there was her resolution! And there
was the ground on which she had founded it! Though he might not
remember it now, would he not remember hereafter that she had refused
him when she was rich and accepted him when she was poor? Where then
would be her martyrdom, where her glory, where her pride? Were she to
do so, she would only do as would any other girl. Though she would
not have been mean, she would seem to have been mean, and would so
seem to his eyes. When the week was over she had told herself that
she must be true to her resolution.
There had been something said about him in the family, but very
little. The stepmother was indeed afraid of Isabel, though she had
endeavoured to conquer her own fear of using authority; and her
half-sisters, though they loved her, held her in awe. There was so
little that was weak about her, so little that was self-indulgent, so
little that was like the other girls around them! It was known that
Mr Owen was to come again on a certain day at a certain hour, and it
was known also for what purpose he was to come; but no one had dared
to ask a direct question as to the result of his coming.
He came, and on this occasion her firmness almost deserted her. When
he entered the room he seemed to her to be bigger than before, and
more like her master. As the idea that he was so fell upon her, she
became aware that she loved him better than ever. She began to know
that with such a look as he now wore he would be sure to conquer.
She did not tell herself that she would yield, but thoughts flitted
across her as to what might be the best manner of yielding.
"Isabel," he said, taking her by the hand, "Isabel, I have come
again, as I told you that I would."
She could not take her hand from him, nor could she say a word to him
in her accustomed manner. As he looked down upon her, she felt that
she had already yielded, when suddenly the door was opened, and one
of the girls hurried into the room.
"Isabel," said her sister, "here is a telegram for you, just come
from Carmarthen."
Of course she opened it instantly with perturbed haste and quivering
fingers. The telegram was as follows:--"Your uncle is very ill, very
ill indeed, and wishes you to come back quite immediately." The
telegram was not from her Cousin Henry, but from the doctor.
There was no time then either for giving love or for refusing it.
The paper was handed to her lover to read, and then she rushed out
of the room as though the train which was to carry her would start
instantly.
"You will let me write to you by-and-by?" said Mr Owen as she left
him; but she made no answer to him as she rushed out of the room;
nor would she make any answer to any of the others as they expressed
either hope or consolation. When was the next train? When should
she reach Carmarthen? When would she once more be at the old man's
bedside? In the course of the afternoon she did leave Hereford, and
at about ten o'clock that night she was at Carmarthen. Some one
concerned had looked into this matter of the trains, and there at the
station was a fly ready to take her to Llanfeare. Before eleven her
uncle's hand was in hers, as she stood by his bedside.
Her Cousin Henry was in the room, and so was the housekeeper who had
been with him constantly almost ever since she had left him. She had
seen at once by the manner of the old servants as she entered the
house, from the woeful face of the butler, and from the presence of
the cook, who had lived in the family for the last twenty years, that
something terrible was expected. It was not thus that she would have
been received had not the danger been imminent.
"Dr Powell says, Miss Isabel, that you are to be told that he will be
here quite early in the morning."
This coming from the cook, told her that her uncle was expected to
live that night, but that no more was expected.
"Uncle Indefer," she said, "how is it with you? Uncle Indefer, speak
to me!" He moved his head a little upon the pillow; he turned his
face somewhat towards hers; there was some slight return to the grasp
of her hand; there was a gleam of loving brightness left in his eye;
but he could not then speak a word. When, after an hour, she left
his room for a few minutes to get rid of her travelling clothes,
and to prepare herself for watching by him through the night, the
housekeeper, whom Isabel had known ever since she had been at
Llanfeare, declared that in her opinion her uncle would never speak
again.
"The doctor, Miss Isabel, thought so, when he left us."
She hurried down, and at once occupied the place which the old woman
had filled for the last three days and nights. Before long she had
banished the woman, so that to her might belong the luxury of doing
anything, if aught could be done. That her cousin should be there
was altogether unnecessary. If the old man could know any one at his
deathbed, he certainly would not wish to see the heir whom he had
chosen.
"You must go--you must indeed," said Isabel.
Then the cousin went, and so at last, with some persuasion, did the
housekeeper.
She sat there hour after hour, with her hand lying gently upon his.
When she would move it for a moment, though it was to moisten his
lips, he would give some sign of impatience. For hours he lay in that
way, till the early dawn of the summer morning broke into the room
through the chink of the shutters. Then there came from him some
sign of a stronger life, and at last, with a low muttered voice,
indistinct, but not so indistinct but that the sounds were caught, he
whispered a word or two.
"It is all right. It is done."
Soon afterwards she rang the bell violently, and when the nurse
entered the room she declared that her old master was no more. When
the doctor arrived at seven, having ridden out from Carmarthen, there
was nothing for him further to do but to give a certificate as to the
manner of death of Indefer Jones, Esq., late of Llanfeare, in the
county of Carmarthen.