Whispering tongues can poison truth;
And constancy lives in realms above;
And life is thorny, and youth is vain;
And to be wroth with one we love,
Doth work like madness in the brain!
Some weeks after our conversation in the churchyard, I met old Shuffler
one day waddling along the Terrace in a state of great excitement.
He told me he was going to an auction, and pressed me to accompany him,
that he might have the benefit of my advice and opinion concerning
certain objects of "bigotry and virtue," as he styled them, which he
designed purchasing--should he be able to get them knocked down cheap.
On asking the reason for such an unwonted outlay on his part, he said
that he was about furnishing a new villa for which he had just found a
tenant.
"A fresh tenant!" said I with surprise, a newcomer in our suburb being
always regarded as a sort of rare bird. "A fresh tenant! Who is he, or
she, or whoever it may be?"
"Well, sir," said Shuffler, "it's a secret as yet; but I don't mind
telling you, Mr Lorton, as I know you won't let it out--Mr Mawley, the
parsun, has took the villa!"
"Mr Mawley!" I exclaimed, with redoubled astonishment. "Why, what on
earth does _he_ want a house for?"
"I believe, sir," said Shuffler, blinking his sound eye furiously the
while, to give a facetious effect to his words, "he's agoin' to get
married. So my missus says at least, sir; and she gen'rally knows wot's
agoin' on. Wemmenfolk finds out them things somehow or other!"
"Mawley going to be married!" I repeated. "Nonsense, Shuffler! it is
probably some mistake. You and your wife must have let your brains run
wool-gathering, and made the story up between you!"
"No, sir," he replied, "it's as true as you are a standin' there. We've
no call to tell a lie about the matter, sir," and he drew himself up
with native dignity.
"And you have really heard it for a fact, Shuffler?"
"I 'ave so, sir; and I could tell you, too, the party as he is agoin' to
join!"
"Can you?" I asked. "Who _is_ the favoured she?"
"Well, sir," said he with a sly wink, screwing up his mouth tightly as
if wild horses would not tear the information from him against his will,
"that would be tellin'?"
"I know it would," said I, "but as you have already told me so much, I
think you might now let me know the lady's name."
"Mr Lorton," he answered, "you know I would do anything for you I
honestly could, for you 'ave been a friend to me many a time, specially
when I got into that row with the tax collector, when you be'aved
'andsome. But to speak to the rights of the matter, I can't say I
_know_ the lady's name wot the parsun is agoin' to marry: I only has my
suspicions like."
"Well, and whom do you think to be the one?" said I.
"She don't live far from here!" he said in a stage whisper, dropping his
voice, and looking round cautiously, as he pointed along the row of
houses composing "the Terrace," where our most fashionable parishioners
resided--our Belgravia, so to speak.
"You don't mean one of the Miss Dashers?" I said, thinking of Bessie.
"Lord, no!" he replied, "it ain't one of `my lady's' young ladies!"
"Then who is it?" I said, getting quite impatient at his
tergiversation.
"Oh! she comed here later than them!" he answered, still beating about
the bush; "she comed here later than them," he repeated, nodding his
head knowingly.
A sudden fear shot through me. "Is it?--no, it cannot be--is it Miss
Clyde?" I asked.
"Ah!" he grunted, oracularly. "You knows best about that, sir!"
"Well, don't you dare, Shuffler," I savagely retorted, "to couple that
lady's name with Mr Mawley's!" I was literally boiling over with fury
at the very suspicion:--it was the realisation of my worst fears!
"You've no cause to get angry, Mr Lorton," said he. "I didn't name no
names, sir; tho' you might be further out, as far as that goes! I
didn't know as you was interested in the lady, or I shouldn't 'a
mentioned it."
"You're quite wrong--quite wrong altogether, Shuffler. Why, the thing's
absurd!" I said.
"Well, you know you axed me, sir; and what could I say?" he said
apologetically.
"That may be," I said, less hotly. "But you had better not couple
people's names together in that way. Why, it's actionable!" I added,
knowing the house-agent's mortal dread of anything connected with the
law.
"But you won't spread it no further, Mr Lorton?" he said, anxiously,
the sound eye looking at me with a beseeching expression.
"_I_ won't, Shuffler," I answered; "take care that _you_ don't!"
"I'll take my davy, sir, as how it shan't cross my lips again," he
replied in a convincing tone.
"Very well, Shuffler," I replied, turning away from him. "Only keep to
that, and it will be best for you. Good day!"
"Good day, sir; and you won't come to the auction along o' me?"
"No," said I. "I can't spare the time to-day. I'll try and come to-
morrow, if that will do as well."
I did not wish to be angry with him; for, after all, I had brought the
bitter information he conveyed entirely upon myself. He was only
repeating what was, probably, already the gossip of the whole suburb.
Besides, he really had mentioned no names:--the allusion to Min, had
been as much my suggestion as his; so, I tried to be affable with him
before we parted. "I'll try and come to-morrow, Shuffler, if that will
do as well, to look at the things you want me," I said, more cordially
than I had previously spoken to him.
"All right, sir," he replied, all beaming once more, with _the_ eye as
jovial as ever. "That'll suit me jest as well, sir; and I'm very much
obleeged, too, I'm sure."
He, thereupon and then, waddled off on his mission of beating down
opposition brokers; while I paced along sadly, thinking about the news I
had just heard.
I was going to call on Lady Dasher, who would be able to confirm it, or
settle that it was a mere idle report; consequently, I would not have to
remain long in suspense.