THE RECONCILIATION.
In the meantime the Earl of Warrington drove to the hotel in Dover
Street, where Diana Arlington lay; and, upon inquiry, he ascertained
that a nurse and the medical attendant were with her.
He desired to be conducted to a private room, and then despatched the
waiter to request the professional gentleman to step thither for a few
moments.
"What name shall I say, sir?" asked the servant, who was unacquainted
with the earl's person.
"It is needless to mention any name," replied the nobleman; "I shall not
detain the gentleman five minutes."
The servant disappeared, and in a few moments returned, followed by the
medical attendant.
The waiter introduced him into the apartment, and then withdrew.
"I believe, sir," said the earl, "that you are attending upon the lady
who experienced so severe an accident last night?"
"I was by chance passing through Dover Street when the flames burst
forth," was the reply: "and I gave an immediate alarm to the police. I
remained upon the spot to ascertain if my professional services could be
rendered available; and it was well that I did so."
"The lady then is much injured?" said the earl, in a tone expressive of
emotion.
"Seriously injured," answered the surgeon; "and as I live at some
distance from this neighbourhood, I considered it proper to remain with
the patient all night. Indeed, I have not left her for a moment since
the accident occurred."
"Your attention shall be nobly recompensed, sir," said the earl. "Here
is my card, and I am your debtor."
The surgeon bowed low as his eye glanced upon the name of the individual
in whose presence he stood.
"And now," continued the nobleman, "answer me one question--candidly and
sincerely. Will your patient be scarred by the effects of the fire?"
"My lord, that is more than I can answer for," returned the surgeon.
"Fortunately, medical assistance was rendered the moment after the
accident occurred; and this circumstance should inspire great hope!"
"Then I _will_ hope," said the earl. "How long an interval do you
imagine must elapse ere she may be pronounced convalescent? Or rather, I
should have asked, is she in any positive danger?"
"There is always danger--great danger in these cases, my lord. But,
should the fever subside in a few days, I should recommend the removal
of the patient to some quiet neighbourhood--afar from the bustle of the
West End."
"You said that you yourself resided some distance from hence?" observed
the earl, after a few moments' reflection.
"My abode is in Lower Holloway, my lord," answered the surgeon; "and my
name is Wentworth."
"Holloway is quiet and retired," said the earl; "but is not the air too
bleak there at this season?"
"It is pure and wholesome, my lord; and the spot is tranquil, and devoid
of the bustle of crowds and the din of carriages."
"Wherever Mrs. Arlington may remain until her recovery," said the Earl,
"she must receive all the attentions which can be lavished upon her; and
in nothing must she be thwarted where gold can procure her the
gratification of her wishes."
"I would offer to place my house at the lady's disposal, my lord--and
the attention of Mrs. Wentworth would be unremitting--but----"
"Name the obstacle," said the earl. "Perhaps you consider that the
position of the lady with regard to myself,--a position the nature of
which you may have divined,--is somewhat too equivocal to permit your
wife----"
"No, my lord; medical men have no scruples of that kind. I hesitated
because I feared that my abode would be too humble----"
"Then let that obstacle vanish this moment," interrupted the earl. "It
is my wish that Mrs. Arlington should be removed to your house so soon
as the step can be taken with safety to herself: you will then devote
yourself to her cure; and on you I place my reliance. I have been unjust
to her, Mr Wentworth," continued the nobleman, pressing the surgeon's
hand, and speaking in a low but hurried tone,--"I have been unjust to
her--but I will make her ample reparation--that is, provided you can
preserve her beauty,--for we are all mortal--and I confess to a
weakness,--but no matter! Say--you will do your best!"
"My lord, I am poor, and struggling with the world," answered the
surgeon, "and, I may say without vanity--because I possess certificates
from eminent medical men under whom I have studied--that I am not
ignorant of my profession. My lord, I have every inducement to devote
all the knowledge I possess to the aim which you desire. My attentions
shall be unwearied and unremitting; and if I succeed----"
"If you succeed in restoring her to me in that perfection of beauty
which invested her when I took leave of her yesterday,--without a mark,
without a scar,--your fortune shall be my care, and you will have no
need to entertain anxiety relative to the future, with the Earl of
Warrington as your patron."
"At present, my lord, all I can say is--_I will do my best_," rejoined
Mr. Wentworth.
"And at present I can ask no more," exclaimed the earl: then, after a
moment's pause, he said, "May I be allowed to see your patient for a few
moments?"
The surgeon hesitated.
"I know why you dislike this proposal," observed the nobleman: "you are
afraid that, when I contemplate the altered countenance of that woman
who was lately so beautiful, I shall despair of her complete cure."
"Such is, indeed, my impression," answered Mr. Wentworth. "Those
symptoms and appearances which are most alarming to persons unacquainted
with the medical art, are frequently the least causes of alarm to the
professional man."
"Then let me _speak_ to her, and not _see_ her," said the earl.
"I understand your lordship: in a few minutes I will return."
And the surgeon withdrew.
During his absence the earl paced the room in an agitated and excited
manner, which was quite inconsistent with the usual equanimity and even
gravity of his temperament.
Ten minutes had elapsed when the surgeon came back.
"Will your lordship follow me?"
Mr. Wentworth led the way to the chamber in which Diana Arlington lay.
The shutters were closed, and the curtains were drawn around the bed:
the room was nearly dark, a few straggling gleams of light alone forcing
their way through the chinks in the shutters.
When the earl entered the apartment, the surgeon remained in the passage
outside: the nurse had already been directed to retire for a short time.
The nobleman approached the bed, and seating himself in a chair by the
side, said, "Diana, can you forgive me for my cruelty of yesterday?"
"I never entertained a feeling of resentment, my lord, and therefore
have nothing to forgive," was the answer, delivered in a low and
plaintive tone.
"I did you a serious wrong, Diana," continued the earl; "but I am not
too proud to confess my error. I trembled at the idea of ridicule: hence
the hastiness of my conduct. And then, there was a suspicion in my
mind--a suspicion which made me uneasy, very uneasy--but which is now
dispelled. I have read your letter which accompanied the bank-note
addressed to Sir Rupert Harborough; and I am satisfied in respect to the
integrity--nay, the generosity of your motives."
"It was kind of you, my lord, to take the steps necessary to reinstate
me in your good opinion," murmured Diana from her couch, in a tone
evidently subdued by deep emotion.
"There was no kindness in the performance of an act of justice,"
returned the earl. "When I read in this morning's newspaper the sad
account of that terrible accident of last night, my heart smote me for
my conduct towards you. Then I reflected upon all the happiness which I
had enjoyed in your society, and I was moved--deeply, profoundly moved!
I despatched a servant to this hotel to inquire if you were really so
seriously injured as the journal represented; and he brought me back
word that your life was no longer in positive danger, but----"
"But that I shall be a hideous object for the remainder of my days,"
added Diana, with somewhat of bitterness in her manner.
"God forbid!" cried the earl, energetically: "Mr. Wentworth seems to
promise----"
"Alas! the medical art prompts its professors to console the mind in
order to heal the body; but I am not foolish enough to yield to a hope
so baseless!"
These words were uttered in a tone of the most profound melancholy.
"Diana, you _must_ hope," exclaimed the Earl of Warrington: "you will
recover--yes, you will recover; and even if a slight trace of this
accident----"
"A slight trace!" almost screamed Diana--and the earl could hear her
roll herself convulsively over on her pillow: "a slight trace, my lord!
I shall be disfigured for life: nothing can save me! My countenance will
be seared as with a red-hot-iron--my neck will be covered with deep
scars--my arms, my entire body will be furrowed with crimson and purple
marks! O God! it is hard to suffer thus!"
And then she burst into an agonising flood of tears.
The earl allowed her to weep without interruption: he knew that her mind
would be relieved by that outpouring of feeling.
And he was right: in a few minutes she said, "Pardon me--I am weak, I am
foolish. And now proceed to tell me how you became possessed of that
note which I sent with the money to Sir Rupert Harborough."
The Earl of Warrington then related the particulars of his interview
with Lady Cecilia.
"And now that I have done an act of justice, and convinced myself of the
purity of the motives which induced you to act in the manner that
created my displeasure," continued the earl, "let us talk of yourself. I
have made arrangements with Mr. Wentworth which, I hope, will meet your
approval and conduce to your benefit. When you can be removed with
safety, you shall be conveyed from the bustle of an hotel in a crowded
neighbourhood to the tranquil retirement of Mr. Wentworth's abode at
Holloway. I am induced to place reliance upon the skill and talent of
that man--I scarcely know why."
"Oh! yes--he is no doubt very clever," said the patient; "for his
treatment of me speedily gave me relief from the acuteness of the agony
which I at first experienced."
"Every thing shall be done to conduce to your comfort, Diana," resumed
the nobleman. "My upholsterer shall send down to Mr. Wentworth's house
the furniture that may be required for the rooms which you are to
occupy; and my steward shall supply him with ample funds."
"How kind--how good you are," murmured Diana.
"But I shall not attempt to see you," continued the earl, "until your
recovery is announced to me--your complete recovery; and then----"
He checked himself; and there was a long silence.
Suddenly the earl arose.
"Farewell, Diana--my presence is not calculated to calm you," he
exclaimed. "I shall now leave you--but, remember, I watch over you from
a distance. Farewell!"
"Farewell--till we meet again," said Diana. "But--oh! how shall I dread
that day! And--if my worst fears should be confirmed--if I really become
the horrible, scarred, hideous object which I dread,--then--then we
shall never meet more,--for I will fly from the world and bury myself in
some deep solitude whither none who ever knew me in my bright days shall
trace me!"
"You will not be forced to adopt such an alternative, Diana--believe me
you will not!" exclaimed the earl. "At all events--let us hope,--let us
_both_ hope!"
The earl hastily withdrew.
In the passage he encountered the surgeon, to whom he reiterated his
instructions relative to the attention to be shown towards the patient.
"Mr. Wentworth," he said, in an emphatic tone, "remember all that I have
told you. Gold shall be placed at your disposal with no niggard hand;
spare no expense! That lady's complete restoration to her pristine
beauty is your care: think of naught save that one grand aim!"
"My lord," answered the surgeon, "I can only repeat the words I used
just now--_I will do my best_!"
The earl pressed his hand warmly, and hurried away--more affected by the
incidents of that day than he had been for many, many years.