Mrs Brandon returned to the drawing-room after Charley Vining's
departure, to find Ella as she had left her, standing cold and
motionless, supporting herself by one hand upon the chair-back, but
ready to confront Mrs Brandon as she entered the room.
"Has he gone?" whispered Ella, with a strange catching of the breath.
"Yes," said Mrs Brandon, who watched her keenly; and then, as a
half-suppressed sob forced itself from the wounded breast, Ella turned
and began to walk slowly from the room.
"My child!" whispered Mrs Brandon, hurrying to her side, and once more
passing a protecting arm around her.
Ella turned her sad gentle face towards Mrs Brandon with a smile.
"Let me go to my own room now," she said. "You are very good. I am
very sorry; but I could not help all this."
Mrs Brandon kissed her tenderly, and watched her as she passed through
the door, returning herself to sit thoughtfully gazing at the floor,
till, taking pen, ink, and paper, she wrote three hurried notes, and
addressed them to various friends residing in the neighbourhood of
Blandfield Court. One will serve as an example of the character of the
others. It was addressed to an old intimate and schoolfellow--Mrs
Lingon; and ran as follows:
"My dear Mrs Lingon,--Will you kindly, and in strict confidence, give
me _your_ opinion respecting the character and pursuits of a
neighbour--Mr Charles Vining. I have a particular reason for wishing
to know. With kind love, I am yours sincerely, Emily Brandon."
The answers came by the mid-day post on the second afternoon, when, Ella
being pale and unwell, one of the upper servants had been sent with the
children for their afternoon walk.
Mrs Brandon was evidently expecting news; for, after sitting talking to
Ella in a quiet affectionate way for some time, she rang the bell, and
the hard footman appeared.
"Has not Thomas returned from Laneton with the letter-bag?"
"Just coming up the lane as you rang, ma'am," said the man, who then
hurried out, to return with several letters, three of which Mrs Brandon
read with the greatest interest and a slight flush of colour in her
cheeks, when, with a gratified sigh, she placed them in a desk, and
closing her eyes, leaned back quiet and thoughtful, till her musing was
interrupted by the reappearance of the footman, with salver and card.
"Gentleman wishes to see Miss Bedford," said the man, handing the card.
"Not the same gentleman?" exclaimed Mrs Brandon excitedly, and as if
annoyed at what she looked upon as a breach of faith.
"No, 'm; 'nother gentleman--a little one," said the hard footman.
"That will do," said Mrs Brandon quietly; and the man left the room,
as, with the colour mounting to her cheeks, Ella handed the card just
taken.
"Mr Maximilian Bray," said Mrs Brandon, glancing at the delicate slip
of pasteboard, enamelled and scented. "That is _the_ Mr Bray you
named?"
Ella bowed her head, and then, as if transformed into another, she said
hastily,
"Mrs Brandon, I think you give me credit for trying to avoid this
unpleasantly; you know I cannot help these calls. It will be better,"
she said huskily, "that I leave here, and at once."
"Give you credit? Of course, child!" said Mrs Brandon quietly. "Sit
down, you foolish girl. So, this is the dandy--the exquisite! I think
we can arrange for his visiting here no more. That is," she said
playfully, "unless _you_ wish to see him."
Ella's eyes quite flashed and her nostrils dilated as she recalled past
insults; all of which was duly marked by Mrs Brandon, who smiled once
more as she rose to leave the room.
"I need not spare his feelings, I presume?" she said.
"What excuses can I offer you?--what thanks can I give you?" cried Ella
earnestly.
"Just as many as I ask you for," said Mrs Brandon, smiling, and then
kissing her affectionately. "I believe you are a little witch, my
child, and that you are charming all our hearts away. Why, the cook has
been civil ever since you have been here; and Mary the housemaid has not
said a word about giving warning; and as for Edward, he has not let the
great passage-door slam once. But, bless me, child!" she said merrily,
as she glanced at the mirror in front, "am I in fit trim to present
myself before the great Mr Maximilian Bray?"
But Ella could not smile: her heart beat fast, and she was troubled;
and, in spite of Mrs Brandon's affectionate behaviour, she feared that
this persecution might tend to shorten her stay at Copse Hall. A sense
of keen sorrow pervaded her at such a prospect--at a time too when it
seemed that she had found a haven of peace, where she might bear the
sorrows of the past; and as Mrs Brandon left the room, she sank down in
her chair, and covered her face with her hands.
There was a smile upon Mrs Brandon's countenance as she entered the
breakfast-room, to find Max busy before a glass, battling with a
recalcitrant stud.
Most men would have been slightly confused on being found in such a
position; but not so Max. He turned round slowly, displaying the
manifold perfections of his exquisite toilet, smiled, showed his fine
white teeth and pearl-grey gloves, and then advanced and placed a chair
for Mrs Brandon, taking the one to which he was waved by the lady of
the house, who was still smiling.
"Charming weather, is it not?" said Max in his most fascinating tones,
as he caressed one whisker, and placed boot number one a little farther
out in front, so that the fit might be observed. "Pleasure of
addressing Mrs Brandon, I presume?"
Mrs Brandon bowed.
"Ah! ya-as, bai Jove! mutual acquaintance, and all that. Heard the
Lingons speak of you, and being riding this wa-a-ay, took the liberty--"
"Yes!" said Mrs Brandon rather sharply.
"Ya-as, just so, bai Jove!" said Max obtusely. "Took the liberty of
giving you a call. Country's ra-ather dull just now: don't you find it
so?"
"Not at all," said Mrs Brandon, who was evidently highly amused.
"Just so! ya-as, bai Jove!--of course!" said Max. "Miss Bedford be down
soon, I suppose? Hope you like her--most amiable girl."
"I quite agree with you," said Mrs Brandon.
"Ya-as, just so--of course!" drawled Max, who either could not or would
not see the half-amused, half-contemptuous way in which his remarks were
received. "Thought I'd call and see her," he continued. "We all
thought a deal of her; but she would go."
"Indeed!" said Mrs Brandon.
"Ya-as," drawled Max. "Fancy it was some annoyance she met with from
young Vining: not that I wish to say anything--bai Jove, no!"
"I'm sure Miss Bedford will be delighted to hear of the kind interest
you take in her," said Mrs Brandon.
"O, I don't know so much about that!" said Max; "but we were always very
good friends."
"You puppy!" muttered Mrs Brandon.
"Always liked her because of the interest she took in a sister of mine.
Down soon, I suppose?"
"Who--Miss Bedford?" said Mrs Brandon.
"Ya-as," drawled Max; "should like to have a quiet chat with her;" and
he directed one of his most taking glances at the lady, who, all smiles
and good-humour, had been studying his manners and dress in a way that
Max set down for admiration, and presuming thereon, he grew every moment
more confidential. "You see, when she was at home, Mrs Brandon, I felt
a natural diffidence."
"I beg your pardon," said Mrs Brandon.
"Natural diffidence--kind of drawing back, you know," explained Max.
"Didn't seem the sort of thing, you see, to be too attentive to the
governess; but--er--er--must own to a sort of weakness in that
direction. Nature, you see--bai Jove!--and that sort of thing, for she
is a dooced attractive girl."
"Very," said Mrs Brandon; and Max went on, for he was in his blind-rut
mood--a rut in which he could run on for hours without ever seeing that
he was being laughed at.
"Glad you think so--I am, bai Jove! Very kind of you too, to be so
cordial and--"
"Pray do not imagine--" began Mrs Brandon.
"No, no. Don't make any excuses, pray," said Max, interrupting her.
"You see, I've been candid, and I've no doubt that you'll give me your
permission to call frequently.--But is Miss Bedford coming down?"
Mrs Brandon did not reply; but still smiling pleasantly, she rose, rang
the bell, and then resumed her seat.
"Bai Jove! don't trouble yourself--I can wait," said Max. "Ladies'
toilets do take a long while sometimes."
Mrs Brandon smiled, and then rose again, as the hard-faced footman
opened the door.
"Edward," she said in the coolest and most cutting manner, "do you see
this gentleman?"
"Yes, ma'am, I see him," said the astonished servant.
"He has made a mistake in coming here."
"Yes, ma'am," said the footman.
"Show him to the door; and if ever he has the impertinence to call here
again, either to ask for Miss Bedford or me, order him off the premises;
and if he does not immediately go, send for the policeman."
"Bai Jove!" drawled the astonished Max, "what does this mean?"
"You will show him out directly," said Mrs Brandon, who would not turn
her face in his direction, but continued to address the man; "and give
him fully to understand what will be his fate if he should have the
insolence to call any more."
"Yes, ma'am," said Edward, trying to keep back a grin.
"Bai Jove, she's mad!" ejaculated Max.
"Now then, sir; this way, please," said the hard-faced footman, whose
countenance, if stony before, was now adamantine.
"Hyar, I say, you--Mrs Brandon!" ejaculated Max, "what does this mean?"
"Air you coming, sir, or airn't you?" said the footman angrily. Then,
opening the door to its widest extent, he placed a chair against it, and
advanced so fiercely towards the unwelcome visitor, that, to give him
his due, more from dread of a disarrangement of his attire than fear of
the man, he retreated round the table, stumbling once over a chair as he
did so, and then in his confusion halting in the doorway. The next
moment he was hurried into the great hall, and backed out by Edward,
who, enjoying his task, proved himself to be the most uncompromising of
footmen, and slightly exceeded his duty by slamming the hall-door after
his discomfited guest with all his might, just as his mistress crossed
and entered the drawing-room, where, pale and excited, Ella sat awaiting
her.
"There, my child, that's over!" exclaimed Mrs Brandon; and then, in
spite of Ella's troubled face, she leaned back in her chair, and burst
into an uncontrolled fit of laughter, till, seeing how disturbed her
companion looked, she sat up once more.
"I meant to have been angry, and given him a tremendous snubbing," she
said; "but, as he says, `bai Jove!' it was impossible. Of all the
consummate puppies I ever beheld, I think he is the quintessence. And
he is so dense too, he seems to have not the slightest idea when you are
laughing at him. There, my dear Ella, never wear that troubled face
about the donkey. He is not worthy of a moment's thought; and besides,
he will never show his face here again."
"I cannot help feeling troubled about him," said Ella slowly, and as if
she were telling her thoughts. "I fear him; and, dear Mrs Brandon, you
do not know his character. It seems to me that that artificial glaze
covers much that is gross, and unprincipled, and relentless. It has
been my misfortune to have attracted his notice, and I never think of
him without a shiver of dread. He seems to have cast a shadow across my
path; and a dread of coming evil in some way connected with him--a
strange undefined sense of peril--haunts me again and again."
"There, there; what nonsense!" laughed Mrs Brandon merrily. "We'll
watch over you like dragons, and no one shall molest you; or, if it
should come to the worst, we will set one chivalrous knight against the
other--in plain English, Mr Charles Vining shall trounce, or call out
and shoot, or do something to Mr Maximilian, the scented. Bah! he is
in my nostrils now! But who is to be the next? Really, I am hard set
to keep my little acquisition. How many more visitors of the masculine
gender will there be, Miss Bedford?"
Ella looked at her so pitifully, that she directly ceased her light
bantering tone, and changed the subject; while, perfectly astounded at
the unexpected termination of his reception, Max Bray rode slowly home.
Volume 2, Chapter X.