The Lovers Meet
Lord Silverbridge found his sister alone. "I particularly want you,"
said he, "to come and call on Mabel Grex. She wishes to know you, and
I am sure you would like her."
"But I haven't been out anywhere yet," she said. "I don't feel as
though I wanted to go anywhere."
Nevertheless she was very anxious to know Lady Mabel Grex, of whom
she had heard much. A girl if she has had a former love passage says
nothing of it to her new lover; but a man is not so reticent. Frank
Tregear had perhaps not told her everything, but he had told her
something. "I was very fond of her;--very fond of her," he had said.
"And so I am still," he had added. "As you are my love of loves,
she is my friend of friends." Lady Mary had been satisfied by the
assurance, but had become anxious to see the friend of friends. She
resisted at first her brother's entreaties. She felt that her father
in delivering her over to the seclusion of The Horns had intended to
preclude her from showing herself in London. She was conscious that
she was being treated with cruelty, and had a certain pride in her
martyrdom. She would obey her father to the letter; she would give
him no right to call her conduct in question; but he and any other to
whom he might entrust the care of her, should be made to know that
she thought him cruel. He had his power to which she must submit.
But she also had hers,--to which it was possible he might be made to
submit. "I do not know that papa would wish me to go," she said.
"But it is just what he would wish. He thinks a good deal about
Mabel."
"Why should he think about her at all?"
"I can't exactly explain," said Silverbridge, "but he does."
"If you mean to tell me that Mabel Grex is anything particular to
you, and that papa approves of it, I will go all round the world to
see her." But he had not meant to tell her this. The request had been
made at Lady Mabel's instance. When his sister had spoken of her
father's possible objection, then he had become eager in explaining
the Duke's feeling, not remembering that such anxiety might betray
himself. At that moment Lady Cantrip came in, and the question was
referred to her. She did not see any objection to such a visit, and
expressed her opinion that it would be a good thing that Mary should
be taken out. "She should begin to go somewhere," said Lady Cantrip.
And so it was decided. On the next Friday he would come down early in
his hansom and drive her up to Belgrave Square. Then he would take
her to Carlton Terrace, and Lady Cantrip's carriage should pick her
up there and bring her home. He would arrange it all.
"What did you think of the American beauty?" asked Lady Cantrip when
that was settled.
"I thought she was a beauty."
"So I perceived. You had eyes for nobody else," said Lady Cantrip,
who had been at the garden-party.
"Somebody introduced her to me, and then I had to walk about the
grounds with her. That's the kind of thing one always does in those
places."
"Just so. That is what 'those places' are meant for, I suppose. But
it was not apparently a great infliction." Lord Silverbridge had
to explain that it was not an infliction;--that it was a privilege,
seeing that Miss Boncassen was both clever and lovely; but that it
did not mean anything in particular.
When he took his leave he asked his sister to go out into the grounds
with him for a moment. This she did almost unwillingly, fearing that
he was about to speak to her of Tregear. But he had no such purpose
on his mind. "Of course you know," he began, "all that was nonsense
you were saying about Mabel."
"I did not know."
"I was afraid you might blurt out something before her."
"I should not be so imprudent."
"Girls do make such fools of themselves sometimes. They are always
thinking about people being in love. But it is the truth that my
father said to me the other day how very much he liked what he had
heard of her, and that he would like you to know her."
On that same evening Silverbridge wrote from the Beargarden the
shortest possible note to Lady Mabel, telling her what he had
arranged. "I and Mary propose to call in B. Square on Friday at two.
I must be early because of the House. You will give us lunch. S."
There was no word of endearment,--none even of those ordinary words
which people who hate each other use to one another. But he received
the next day at home a much more kindly-written note from her:
DEAR LORD SILVERBRIDGE,
You are so good! You always do just what you think people
will like best. Nothing could please me so much as seeing
your sister, of whom of course I have heard very very
much. There shall be nobody here but Miss Cass.
Yours most sincerely,
M. G.
"How I do wish I were a man!" his sister said to him when they were
in the hansom together.
"You'd have a great deal more trouble."
"But I'd have a hansom of my own, and go where I pleased. How would
you like to be shut up at a place like The Horns?"
"You can go out if you like it."
"Not like you. Papa thinks it's the proper place for me to live in,
and so I must live there. I don't think a woman ever chooses how or
where she shall live herself."
"You are not going to take up woman's rights, I hope."
"I think I shall if I stay at The Horns much longer. What would papa
say if he heard that I was going to give a lecture at an Institute?"
"The governor has had so many things to bear that a trifle such as
that would make but little difference."
"Poor papa!"
"He was dreadfully cut up about Gerald. And then he is so good! He
said more to me about Gerald than he ever did about my own little
misfortune at Oxford; but to Gerald himself he said almost nothing.
Now he has forgiven me because he thinks I am constant at the House."
"And are you?"
"Not so much as he thinks. I do go there,--for his sake. He has been
so good about my changing sides."
"I think you were quite right there."
"I am beginning to think I was quite wrong. What did it matter to
me?"
"I suppose it did make papa unhappy."
"Of course it did;--and then this affair of yours." As soon as this
was said Lady Mary at once hardened her heart against her father.
Whether Silverbridge was or was not entitled to his own political
opinions,--seeing that the Pallisers had for ages been known as
staunch Whigs and Liberals,--might be a matter for question. But that
she had a right to her own lover she thought that there could be no
question. As they were sitting in the cab he could hardly see her
face, but he was aware that she was in some fashion arming herself
against opposition. "I am sure that this makes him very unhappy,"
continued Silverbridge.
"It cannot be altered," she said.
"It will have to be altered."
"Nothing can alter it. He might die, indeed;--or so might I."
"Or he might see that it is no good,--and change his mind," suggested
Silverbridge.
"Of course that is possible," said Lady Mary very curtly,--showing
plainly by her manner that the subject was one which she did not
choose to discuss any further.
"It is very good of you to come to me," said Lady Mabel, kissing her
new acquaintance. "I have heard so much about you."
"And I also of you."
"I, you know, am one of your brother's stern Mentors. There are three
or four of us determined to make him a pattern young legislator. Miss
Cassewary is another. Only she is not quite so stern as I am."
"He ought to be very much obliged."
"But he is not,--not a bit. Are you, Lord Silverbridge?"
"Not so much as I ought to be, perhaps."
"Of course there is an opposing force. There are the race-horses, and
the drag, and Major Tifto. No doubt you have heard of Major Tifto.
The Major is the Mr. Worldly-Wiseman who won't let Christian go to
the Strait Gate. I am afraid he hasn't read his Pilgrim's Progress.
But we shall prevail, Lady Mary, and he will get to the beautiful
city at last."
"What is the beautiful city?" he asked.
"A seat in the Cabinet, I suppose,--or that general respect which a
young nobleman achieves when he has shown himself able to sit on a
bench for six consecutive hours without appearing to go to sleep."
Then they went to lunch, and Lady Mary did find herself to be happy
with her new acquaintance. Her life since her mother's death had
been so sad, that this short escape from it was a relief to her.
Now for awhile she found herself almost gay. There was an easy
liveliness about Lady Mabel,--a grain of humour and playfulness
conjoined,--which made her feel at home at once. And it seemed to her
as though her brother was at home. He called the girl Lady Mab, and
Queen Mab, and once plain Mabel, and the old woman he called Miss
Cass. It surely, she thought, must be the case that Lady Mabel and
her brother were engaged.
"Come upstairs into my own room,--it is nicer than this," said Lady
Mabel, and they went from the dining-room into a pretty little
sitting-room with which Silverbridge was very well acquainted. "Have
you heard of Miss Boncassen?" Mary said she had heard something of
Miss Boncassen's great beauty. "Everybody is talking about her. Your
brother met her at Mrs. Montacute Jones's garden-party, and was made
a conquest of instantly."
"I wasn't made a conquest of at all," said Silverbridge.
"Then he ought to have been made a conquest of. I should be if I were
a man. I think she is the loveliest person to look at and the nicest
person to listen to that I ever came across. We all feel that, as far
as this season is concerned, we are cut out. But we don't mind it so
much because she is a foreigner." Then just as she said this the door
was opened and Frank Tregear was announced.
Everybody there present knew as well as does the reader, what was the
connexion between Tregear and Lady Mary Palliser. And each knew that
the other knew it. It was therefore impossible for them not to feel
themselves guilty among themselves. The two lovers had not seen each
other since they had been together in Italy. Now they were brought
face to face in this unexpected manner! And nobody except Tregear
was at first quite sure whether somebody had not done something to
arrange the meeting. Mary might naturally suspect that Lady Mabel had
done this in the interest of her friend Tregear, and Silverbridge
could not but suspect that it was so. Lady Mabel, who had never
before met the other girl, could hardly refrain from thinking that
there had been some underhand communication,--and Miss Cassewary was
clearly of opinion that there had been some understanding.
Silverbridge was the first to speak. "Halloo, Tregear, I didn't know
that we were to see you."
"Nor I, that I should see you," said he. Then of course there was a
shaking of hands all round, in the course of which ceremony he came
to Mary the last. She gave him her hand, but had not a word to say
to him. "If I had known that you were here," he said, "I should not
have come; but I need hardly say how glad I am to see you,--even in
this way." Then the two girls were convinced that the meeting was
accidental; but Miss Cass still had her doubts.
Conversation became at once very difficult. Tregear seated himself
near, but not very near, to Lady Mary, and made some attempt to talk
to both the girls at once. Lady Mabel plainly showed that she was not
at her ease;--whereas Mary seemed to be stricken dumb by the presence
of her lover. Silverbridge was so much annoyed by a feeling that this
interview was a treason to his father, that he sat cudgelling his
brain to think how he should bring it to an end. Miss Cassewary was
dumbfounded by the occasion. She was the one elder in the company
who ought to see that no wrong was committed. She was not directly
responsible to the Duke of Omnium, but she was thoroughly permeated
by a feeling that it was her duty to take care that there should
be no clandestine love meetings in Lord Grex's house. At last
Silverbridge jumped up from his chair. "Upon my word, Tregear, I
think you had better go," said he.
"So do I," said Miss Cassewary. "If it is an accident--"
"Of course it is an accident," said Tregear angrily,--looking round
at Mary, who blushed up to her eyes.
"I did not mean to doubt it," said the old lady. "But as it has
occurred, Mabel, don't you think that he had better go?"
"He won't bite anybody, Miss Cass."
"She would not have come if she had expected it," said Silverbridge.
"Certainly not," said Mary, speaking for the first time. "But now he
is here--" Then she stopped herself, rose from the sofa, sat down,
and then rising again, stepped up to her lover, who rose at the same
moment,--and threw herself into his arms and put up her lips to be
kissed.
"This won't do at all," said Silverbridge. Miss Cassewary clasped her
hands together and looked up to heaven. She probably had never seen
such a thing done before. Lady Mabel's eyes were filled with tears,
and though in all this there was much to cause her anguish, still in
her heart of hearts she admired the brave girl who could thus show
her truth to her lover.
"Now go," said Mary, through her sobs.
"My own one," ejaculated Tregear.
"Yes, yes, yes; always your own. Go,--go; go." She was weeping and
sobbing as she said this, and hiding her face with her handkerchief.
He stood for a moment irresolute, and then left the room without a
word of adieu to any one.
"You have behaved very badly," said the brother.
"She has behaved like an angel," said Mabel, throwing her arms round
Mary as she spoke, "like an angel. If there had been a girl whom you
loved and who loved you, would you not have wished it? Would you
not have worshipped her for showing that she was not ashamed of her
love?"
"I am not a bit ashamed," said Mary.
"And I say that you have no cause. No one knows him as I do. How good
he is, and how worthy!" Immediately after that Silverbridge took his
sister away, and Lady Mabel, escaping from Miss Cass, was alone. "She
loves him almost as I have loved him," she said to herself. "I wonder
whether he can love her as he did me?"