There was just time to snatch a hasty breakfast the next morning before
starting for the station, and after a short journey they mounted into
the dog-cart which Humphrey had sent to meet them. By comparing times,
Pratt, who had taken all the management upon himself, found that he
could execute a little plan he had been hatching; and when they neared
Penreife, after a chat with the groom about the preparations, he
proposed to Richard that they should alight, send the vehicle on, and
take the short cut by the lanes.
"If you like," said Richard, quietly; and the sadness that had seemed to
hang over him more and more as they neared their journey's end now half
unmanned him.
"I thought you'd like better to walk up to the old place alone," said
Frank, "instead of having a third person with us."
"Thank you, Frank, thank you," said Richard, in a voice that was husky
with emotion. "It was a mistake to come."
"No, no, a kindness to Humphrey and me."
"I--I--thought I could stand it better, and not behave like such a weak
fool," said Richard. "There, it's over now. Let's get through our
task, so that I may go back."
"You must wait for me, you know, Dick," said Frank, cheerily. "There,
cheer up, old man, it isn't for ever and a day. Try and be hopeful, and
put on a bright face before the wedding folks. It's all going to be as
quiet as possible--a couple of carriages to the church and back. Your
old people will be there. Say a kind word to them--there, you know how
to do it."
"I'll try and act like a man, Frank, hard as it will be. But you've set
me a bitter task."
"Then you shall have some sweet to take with it," said Pratt to himself.
Then aloud, "Ah, how nice this old lane looks. I never saw the ferns
brighter or richer. How the sun shines through the trees. What a
lovely morning, Dick! I say," he gabbled on in a hasty way, "look at
that tiny waterfall. What a change, Dick, from Fountain Court, Temple."
"Why did you come this way?" groaned Richard, as he strove hard to fight
down the emotion caused by the recollections that pervaded his memory.
That lane was hallowed to him: but a quarter of a mile farther was the
old woman's cottage where he had encountered the sisters; there was the
place where he had walked one evening with Tiny; there--oh, there was a
happy memory clinging to every tree and mossy block of granite; and but
for the strong effort he made, he could have wandered out of the path,
thrown himself down amongst the ferns, and cried like a child.
Meanwhile, Pratt chatted excitedly.
"Bless the dear old place. Why, Dick, that's where I saw my little Fin
looking so disdainfully at me, coming round the sharp turn there; and,
look here, that's my old perch, where I've had many a jolly pipe."
He caught his friend suddenly by the arm, in a strangely-excited
fashion, and turned him round, as he pointed to the grey, lichen-covered
monolith of granite.
"Dick, old man, I could smoke a pipe there now, and sit and whistle like
a bird. I say, Dick, how comical a fellow would look up there in his
wig and gown, and--thank goodness!"
He said those last two words to himself with a sigh of relief, as,
turning round, there, timed to a moment by his vile machinations and
those of Fin, the sisters came, basket and fern trowel in hand, from
amongst the trees, just as if time had been standing still, and no
troubles had intervened.
To two of the party the surprise was complete. Richard stopped short,
rigid and firm; while Tiny, as soon as her eyes rested upon him, turned
pale, her basket fell to the ground, and uttering a faint cry of pain,
she pressed her hand to her side and tottered back.
Conventional feelings, rigid determination, everything went down before
nature then. With one bound Richard was at Tiny's side, and the next
moment, with a cry of joy, the poor girl's arms were round his neck, and
she was sobbing on his breast.
The probabilities are that had the insane behaviour of Frank Pratt been
seen, he would have lost caste at the bar; for, dashing down his hat and
an expensive meerschaum, which was shivered to atoms on the granite
path, he executed a wild breakdown, brought his foot to the earth with a
flop, and then rushed at Fin; but only to be disappointed, for she was
clinging to and sobbing over Dick--that is, as far up as she could
reach, crying--
"Oh, you dear, good darling, Dick--pray, pray don't go on breaking her
poor heart any more."
"I say," said Pratt, reproachfully, as Richard bent down and kissed the
little maid, "what have I done? Ain't I nobody?"
"Oh, go away now," cried Fin, "There, you may have one, if nobody's
looking. Now, that will do;" and, after suffering a kiss, she returned
it with a push.
"Time's up, Dick, come. You shall see her again," said Pratt, looking
ruefully at his meerschaum scraps, as he dusted his hat. Then followed
a little whispering with Pin, and he caught his friend's arm, as his
fellow-conspirator led her sister away.
"This is madness," groaned Richard, as he yielded to his friend's touch,
and they walked rapidly away. "Oh, Franky, you contrived this."
"To be sure I did," said Pratt, grinning; "and you shall have another
dose to cure you both, if you are good. But, quick; now, then, look a
man. Here we are."
Richard walked steadily up to the house, where he was pleased to find
that all the servants' faces were new. Humphrey met him at the door,
and Mr and Mrs Lloyd were in the hall ready to approach timidly, as
the young man gravely kissed the late housekeeper, and shook hands with
Lloyd.
Polly was in the drawing-room, for it was to be a very homely,
unconventional marriage; and she blushed warmly on encountering the
former owner of the place.
"I wish you every happiness, my dear," said Richard, to set her at ease;
and he bent down and kissed her. "Humphrey has told me of your good
little heart."
"And you will listen to him, Mr Lloy--Trevor?" said the girl, mixing
the two names together.
"Time to go," said Humphrey; and he handed Polly, Mrs Lloyd, and her
husband into the first carriage, which was kept back while he, Richard,
and Pratt entered the other, and were driven off to the church.
In spite of the endeavours to keep the affair quiet, the little
churchyard was crowded, and it was a harder trial for Richard even than
he had expected, to hear the whisperings, and receive the friendly nods
and bows from so many of those who knew him well.
But he bore it all in a calm, manly fashion; shook hands warmly with Mr
Mervyn, who had come with a white favour in his button-hole; stood best
man to Humphrey; and after little Polly, but a week before at school,
had been given away by her uncle, and, the wedding over, the carriage
had driven back with the bride and bridegroom, he took his place again
quite calmly, shook hands with those who clustered round, and was driven
away.
Everything went off well; and at the simple wedding breakfast, when
called upon, Richard, in a very manly speech, wished health and
happiness to the bride and bridegroom. Humphrey responded, broke down,
tried again, broke down again, and then, leaving his place, crossed to
where Richard sat, grasped his hand, and in a voice choking with
emotion, exclaimed--
"Master Dick, I'm speaking for my wife as well as myself when I tell you
that, if you wish us to be a happy couple, you must come back to your
own."
Richard rose, and returned the strong grasp; but before he could utter a
word Pratt brought his hand down bang upon the table, exclaiming--
"Mother Hubbard, by Jove!"
Every face was directed at the door, where, standing, in her black hat
and scarlet shawl, with her hands resting upon the horn handle of her
umbrella, was the little grey old woman of Plymouth Station.
"It's dear Aunt Price," cried Polly, jumping up; and, regardless of her
finery, she ran to the severe-looking old lady, hugged her
affectionately, and then began to unpin her shawl, and take off her hat.
"Oh, aunty, I'm _so_ glad you've come."
"And are you married, look you?" said the old lady.
"Married, yes," cried Humphrey, heartily; "we couldn't wait, you know,
or it would have been too late. Give's your umbrella, and come and sit
down. Why didn't you come last night?"
"It was too far, my poy," said the old lady; "and I was tired. It's a
long way, look you, from Caerwmlych, and I'm a very old woman now.
Well, Lloyd--well, Chane, you're both looking older than when I was here
last, close upon thirty years ago, and nursed you through two
illnesses."
"We are quite well," said Mrs Lloyd; "but didn't expect you here."
"P'r'abs not, p'r'abs not," said the old lady; "put Polly here wrote to
me to come, and I thought it was time, for she's peen telling me strange
news, look you."
Lloyd shuffled in his chair, Mrs Lloyd was silent, and Richard's brow
knit as he glanced across the table at Pratt, while Humphrey busied
himself in supplying the old lady's plate.
"I cot Polly's letter, look you, and I teclare to cootness, if I'd been
tead and perried, I think I should have cot up and t come, look you.
And so you're married to Humphrey! Ah, well, he was a tisacreeable
paby; but he's grown, look you, into a fine lad, and I wish you poth
choy."
The old lady took a glass of wine and ate a little, and then grew more
garrulous than ever, while no one else seemed disposed to speak.
"And I'm glad to see you again," said the old lady, looking at Richard.
"I tidn't expect it when I left you at the railway place; and yet I
seemed to know you again, look you. I felt I knew the face, and I
teclare to cootness I couldn't tell where I'd seen it, but I rememper
now."
"Come, aunt, darling," said Polly, "make a good breakfast."
"Tinner you mean, child," said the old lady.
"Well, dinner, dear," said Polly, "because I want a long talk with you
before we go."
"You're coing away, then?"
"Yes, aunt, for a month; but you'll stay till we come back?"
"Well, I ton't know, look you," said the old lady, sturdily. "Chane
Lloyd and I never tid get on well together; but if Mr Richard Trevor
there isn't too prout to ask a poor old woman off the mountains--who
nursed his poor mother, and tantled him in her arms when he was a paby--
I teclare to cootness I will stay."
A dead silence fell upon the group at the table. Humphrey seemed
uncomfortable, Polly clung to his arm, Mrs Lloyd looked white and
downcast, and her husband glanced at the door, and motioned a servant
who was entering to retire.
Richard broke the silence, after giving a reassuring smile to Humphrey
and his wife, by saying, gravely--
"I would ask you to stay with pleasure, Mrs Price, if I were master
here, but you are mistaken. There sits Mr Humphrey Trevor; I am your
own kith and kin, Richard Lloyd."
"Chut!--chut!--chut!" exclaimed the old lady, starting up and speaking
angrily, as she pointed at him with one finger. "Who ever saw a Lloyd
or a Price with a nose like that? Ton't tell me! You're Mr Richard
Trevor, your father's son, and as much like him, look you, as two peas."
The Lloyds rose, Mrs Lloyd looking like ashes as she clung to her
husband's arm; while Pratt left his place, and stood behind the chair of
his friend.
"I'd forgotten all about it, look you," said the old lady, prattling
away, "till Polly wrote to me from her school; and then it all came back
about Chane Lloyd and her paby, and her having the fever when her
mistress died. Why, look you, tidn't I go up to the nursery after peing
town to see the funeral, and find Chane Lloyd hat peen up there, and put
her paby in the young master's cratle? and, look you, titn't I go town
to chite her, and find her all off her heat, and she was ill for weeks?
I thought she'd tone it without knowing, or, peing wild-like, had liked
to see her little one in the young master's clothes. I put that all
right again, and nursed poth pabies till she cot well. Lloyd--Trevor--
tidn't I see them poth as soon as they came into the worlt, and to you
think I ton't know them? Why, look at them!"
She turned to Pratt, who was nearest to her; but she cried out in alarm,
for the little fellow had caught her in his arms and kissed her on both
cheeks, as he cried--
"It isn't Mother Hubbard, Dick, but the good fairy out of the
story-book. God bless you! old lady, for this. Here, Humphrey, see to
your mother."
But Humphrey was pumping away at both Richard Trevor's arms, as he
cried, excitedly--
"Hooray! Master Dick. I never felt so happy in my life. Polly, lass,
we shall get the cottage after all."
He saw the next moment, though, that Mrs Lloyd had fainted dead away;
and his were the arms that carried her to her bedroom, while Polly crept
to the old Welshwoman's side.
"I came, look you, Master Richard, to put all this right," said the old
lady. "Putt it was all nonsense, I teclare to cootness. Anypody might
have seen."
"I--I thank you--I'm contused--dazed, rather," said Trevor, looking from
one to the other. "Polly, my poor girl, I'll try to make up to you for
this disappointment."
"I'm not disappointed, please, Mr Richard, sir," said Mrs Humphrey,
bobbing a curtsey, and then trying a boarding-school salute and failing,
and blushing terribly.
"I'm very happy indeed, and I'm sure Humphrey is--he said so, and he
always tells the truth. And if you please, sir, aunt and I will go now
into the housekeeper's room."
"That you won't, if I have any influence with some one here," said
Pratt. "No, my pretty little wife; you and your brick of a husband
shall go off in triumph; and oh, by Jove! here's the present I brought
down for you."
Frank Pratt's present was a handsome ring, and he was placing it above
the plain one already on her finger, when Humphrey came back.
"She's all right again," he said, huskily. "I was obliged to come away,
for she wanted to go on her knees--and I couldn't stand it. Polly--Aunt
Price--she wants you both. Master Dick, sir, isn't this a day?"
Volume 3, Chapter XX.