OLD FRIENDS
'One in heart, in interest and design,
Gird up each other to the race divine.'--_Cowper._
'Hilda, I have an old friend coming to dine with us to-night. I came
across him in town to-day; you are sure to like him, he is a general
favourite wherever he goes.'
'What is his name?'
'Ratcliffe--Charles Ratcliffe. I have known him a long time, before he
cared for serious things. It was a meeting in town to which I took him
that was, in God's hands, the means of his conversion. That was many
years ago, when I was just beginning to understand these things; I was
quite a young fellow myself, and he is my senior by many years. I
shall like you to know him, and I want him to know my wife.'
We were at breakfast, and it was a cold morning in February. Philip
had taken a flat in South Kensington, and though in many ways we should
have preferred a house of our own, we were perfectly happy with this
arrangement. The only anxiety I had was Philip's health; his lung that
had been so affected still gave him trouble, and he was often confined
to the house for weeks at a time. All day long I kept repeating the
name of Charles Ratcliffe over to myself, and wondering where I had
heard it before, but it was not until our guest was actually in our
drawing-room, and shaking hands with me, that it flashed across me.
Miss Rayner had been engaged to a Mr. Ratcliffe. Could this be the
same, I wondered? And I determined presently to find out. He was a
tall, handsome man with an iron-grey moustache and clear blue eyes. I
could not keep my gaze off him. How often I had longed that somehow or
other I might be permitted to bring those two together again! It would
be strange if I were to discover that he was the identical man.
Our conversation got round to the Forsyths and their part of the
country, and then I said boldly, 'One of the prettiest parts is where
Mrs. Forsyth's sister lives, a Miss Rayner. She lives in an old
farmhouse close to the moor. I spent some of my happiest days with
her.'
He did not start or show any emotion at the name, as I hoped he would;
but he said slowly, after a minute's pause, 'I used to know a Miss
Rayner long ago--Helen Rayner her name was. I suppose it is the same,
as I heard she had settled down there somewhere.'
'She is a very great friend of mine,' I said warmly; 'but I do not
think she will be there much longer now, she talks of giving the place
up. In fact, she is coming up to town to stay with us next week for a
few days, whilst she is meditating an interview with some missionary
society; she wants to go abroad as a missionary. Perhaps, as you are
old friends, Mr. Ratcliffe, you would like to meet her. Won't you come
and dine with us again whilst she is here? Would next Friday suit you?'
I saw Philip glance across at me with slight surprise; but I was too
intent on my own plan to mind, and he at once added his invitation to
mine.
Mr. Ratcliffe hesitated a little, and then asked if he might leave it
an open question for that night, as he hardly knew what his engagements
were. And having gained my point I changed the subject, and Miss
Rayner's name was not mentioned again.
We had a pleasant evening with our guest. And when he had gone Philip
turned to me.
'I need not ask you how you like him,' he said, with an amused sparkle
in his eye; 'I never saw my little wife more determined on making
acquaintance with any of my friends, or of improving the opportunity.
Who else is to be invited to your dinner-party on Friday, may I ask?'
'You mustn't tease me,' I rejoined,' for you don't know my motives.
Come and sit down here, and let me tell you all about it.'
He did not seem as interested in my story as I was, though he laughed
at my 'match-making' propensity, as he called it.
'I recollect now,' he said, 'that he was engaged to some girl at the
time I first knew him. It is strange that it should have been to Miss
Rayner. I remember how glad I was when he told me it was broken off,
for I feared she would be a stumbling-block to him. I should let
matters alone if I were you, little woman. They are very happy now,
both of them. It's too late in the day to alter things, and neither of
them would wish it, I am sure!'
'You men never understand these things,' I said, laughing; but at the
same time I felt very doubtful as to whether my experiment would
succeed.
Mr. Ratcliffe did accept for Friday, and now I grew very nervous about
telling Miss Rayner. She arrived, and had been two days with us before
I could pluck up courage to broach the subject, and it was Philip who
eventually did it for me.
'By the bye, Miss Rayner,' he said at breakfast on Friday morning, 'a
friend of mine is coming in to dinner to-night. I hope you won't
object. Ratcliffe is his name.'
She gave a little start, but answered, 'Of course I have no objection;
but I told Hilda I would not be drawn into society whilst up here. I
came up solely on business, and when that is over I shall go home.'
She did not ask any questions about him, and I said nothing. When he
was announced that evening she and I were alone in the drawing-room.
Certainly of the two Mr. Ratcliffe was the coolest. 'We have met
before, Miss Rayner, so need no introduction,' he said, holding out his
hand.
She took it. 'Yes,' she said, 'it was a surprise when I heard your
name mentioned. What cold weather we are having!' and we drifted into
general topics of conversation as easily as possible.
There was no constraint at the dinner-table.
Miss Rayner could always talk well, and I never heard her talk better
than on this night; more than once I saw Mr. Ratcliffe looking rather
furtively across the table at her, but nothing could have been more
indifferent than his tone when addressing her.
Then we began to talk on mission work at home and abroad. Mr.
Ratcliffe seemed thoroughly at home with this subject, whilst Miss
Rayner grew more and more silent. I was longing for an opportunity to
leave them alone, and hoped that we might succeed in doing so after
dinner, but I could not manage it. When he was taking his leave he
turned to Miss Rayner and said, 'Would you care to come down and see
over the premises of the East End Mission I am interested in? If you
have never seen London slum work, I think this would give you an
insight into it.'
And to my great delight Miss Rayner responded in the affirmative. They
arranged a time, and tried to include me in the visit, but I declined;
and when the next morning I saw the two walk off together, I turned to
Philip with a beaming face.
'There!' I exclaimed. 'I consider I have managed that. Now if they
don't make it up, it won't be my fault.'
'You are a foolish child,' Philip responded, as he turned round from
his writing to draw me to him. 'Why should you be so anxious to bring
them together?'
'Because,' I said, as I laid my cheek lightly against his, 'I want them
to be as happy as we are, Philip, and I believe they will be.'
Miss Rayner returned from her morning in the East End very quiet and
preoccupied. I asked no questions, but was surprised when later in the
day she said to me, 'I must leave you to-morrow, Hilda. I have done my
business, and am longing to get out of London. It never suits me. I
feel as if I cannot breathe here.'
'You promised to stay till the end of the week,' I said reproachfully.
'Circumstances alter cases,' she rejoined briefly.
This did not sound very hopeful. I was silent, not knowing very well
what to say. Presently she said, with a short little laugh, 'I am
always outspoken, Hilda, so I'll tell you frankly that if you had not
Mr. Ratcliffe hanging about this part I might have lengthened my visit.
I cannot stand the chance of meeting him again.'
'Why?' I asked innocently.
'Why?' she repeated. 'You know my story, and he will not let bygones
be bygones, but insisted this morning upon dragging up old memories
that are best left buried. In fact, he wants things to be as they once
were, and they cannot.'
'Oh, Miss Rayner, why not?' I again exclaimed.
'Because we are old and grey,' she said, laughing; 'because he has
drifted into ways of his own, and into mine. It would be ridiculous
and besides I--I should be no help to him. I am such a beginner.'
She turned from me quickly and left the room.
I was perplexed and disturbed. I had felt sure that my little plan was
going to succeed, and I was very disappointed at its apparent failure.
I knew that she still cared for him, and why she would persist in
standing in her own light, and putting such happiness from her, I could
not imagine!
That evening Miss Rayner and I were dining alone as Philip had an
engagement out. I was a little anxious about him, as he was only just
recovering from a bad cold, and made him wrap up very warmly before he
went. Miss Rayner said to me at dinner, 'I am afraid your husband's
health is a great anxiety to you.'
'It is a little cloud to our happiness,' I said, 'but we are not
troubled. I always feel He is in God's hands; I suppose we shall never
have unclouded sunshine on earth, and I don't think I would have it so,
otherwise we should perhaps lose the experience of "dwelling deep," and
I would not wish that.'
'Have you seen Kenneth at all lately?' Miss Rayner asked. 'I heard he
was up in town. Do you know, I used to fancy that he was very partial
to you.'
I laughed. 'He says he is still; but Kenneth is just Kenneth, Miss
Rayner! I look upon him as a brother. He was calling here the other
afternoon and brought Captain Gates with him.'
'Was that your friend?'
'Yes; but he got over that a long time ago. He is engaged to a very
nice girl, I believe, and told me he was steadying down. I wish he had
the real thing in his life; but perhaps it may come yet.'
A short time after dinner I was surprised by Mr. Ratcliffe being
announced. Miss Rayner did not happen to be in the room. He looked a
little awkward, I thought, and said, 'I meant to have given Miss Rayner
a Report of our Mission this morning, and thought I would bring it
round, as I understood she was leaving you to-morrow morning.'
'Yes,' I said gravely; 'I am afraid she is. I wish you could persuade
her to stay a little longer.'
I have no influence over her,' he said, a little sadly.
'But you once had,' I said softly.
'Do you know about us, Mrs. Stanton?' and there was a slight eagerness
in his tone. 'How I wish you could help me now! All these years,
though I have steadfastly put it in the background, her face--in fact,
her _self_--has been haunting me. There has only been one woman in the
world for me; and now, when I find her so changed, I thought that
perhaps she might--even though I am no longer young--be willing to come
to me. Her parting words years ago were, "It is not you that I
dislike, but your views; and those I cannot stand." Now she loves
those very things that were so distasteful to her, and yet she will not
listen to me. I can only conclude her affection for me died out long
ago, and is a thing of the past.'
'No, no,' I cried; 'it is not so. I believe you have always been as
much in her thoughts as she has been in yours. I cannot quite
understand her now. She seems as if she is afraid of letting you see
what is in her heart. I should persevere, if I were you, and make her
listen to you.'
I could say no more, for the door opened and Miss Rayner came in. I
saw from the determined set of her lips, and the distant, frosty tones
in which she spoke to him, that she had no intention of relenting; and
I knew it was only a cloak to hide her real feelings, and longed to
tear it aside.
I tried all in my power to make conversation easy between them. I
could not bear to see the troubled, pathetic look in Mr. Ratcliffe's
eyes. Miss Rayner was in her worst mood--cynical and hard. She did
not seem to care how she was wounding by her words, and I felt she was
purposely representing herself in the worst light possible. Suddenly a
thought struck me. I knew how music softened her, and quietly taking
out my violin, I asked them if they would like me to play. They
assented, and moving to a distant corner of the room I began. I think
I put all my soul into it, for I was longing the sweet sounds should
soothe and soften her, as they had so often before.
I played on. There was perfect silence in the room. She was sitting
in the firelight, and he, leaning against the chimney-piece, never took
his eyes off her face.
When I at last paused I saw her eyes were moist, and all the hard lines
about her face had entirely disappeared. Without a word I slipped
softly out of the room, and going into Philip's study, I knelt down and
asked that the two hearts and lives that had been so long severed might
be brought together again. Then I waited, and the time seemed long
before I heard the drawing-room door open, and Mr. Ratcliffe's voice
inquire, 'Where is Mrs. Stanton?' I went out, and received a grasp of
the hand that I felt for long after. 'God bless you for what you have
done for me to-night!' he said, in an agitated tone; and without
another word he departed.
I went in to Miss Rayner. She was sitting where I had left her, but no
explanation was needed to see from the expression of her face what had
taken place.
I just went up to her, and put my arms round her neck.
'I am so glad and thankful,' I whispered, 'and I do hope that you will
be happy.'
Miss Rayner did not speak for a minute, and then she said, in a broken
voice,--
'You have brought two blessings into my life, child. This present one
is big enough, but the other outweighs it by far, and my heart is too
full to speak of it. As for Mr. Ratcliffe, I only hope I shall be a
help to him now, and not a hindrance.'
'It is all right, Philip,' I said, as I met my husband an hour later in
the hall; 'they have come together at last!'
He put his arm round me, and said gently,--
'I hope Ratcliffe will be as much helped and blessed by his wife as I
have been by mine. I have experienced the truth of this, "He that
getteth a wife beginneth a possession, a help like unto himself, and a
pillar of rest."'
THE END