All Danmouth gathered to see the funeral procession wind down the
granite-paved path to the cliff, and then along by the harbour to the
little church on the rock shelf at the entrance of the glen.
Gartram had been hated, but death had destroyed all petty dislikes, and
the people only remembered now the many acts of charity he had
performed.
It was unwittingly, and by proxy, for he never knew one half of the
kindly actions done in his name, and as the procession wound through the
place, there was many a wet eye among the lookers-on, and the saying
that ran among the simple folks, quarrymen's and fishers' wives, was: "A
hard man;" and then, "but oh, so generous and good."
It was against the etiquette of the sad ceremony, but Claude had said
that she should follow her father to the grave, and the cousins walked
behind the plain massive coffin, swung at arm's-length by the handles,
and carried by three relays of Gartram's stout quarrymen, all ready to
say: "Yes, a good master after all."
Every blind was down, every one was in the street or along the cliff,
for "The King of the Castle" was dead, and, for the most part, Danmouth
seemed to have been made by him. So its people felt real sorrow for
themselves as they said: "What is to be done now?"
On and on, with the slow tolling of the bell echoing right up the glen,
and startling the white-breasted gulls which floated here and there,
uttering their querulous cries as the procession wound its slow way on
to the granite-built lych-gate--Gartram's gift; and as they passed on to
the church, Claude was conscious more than ever that Chris Lisle was
standing bareheaded by the church door till they passed, and then,
through her tear-blinded eyes, she saw that Glyddyr was within, pale and
ashen, as he rested one hand upon a pew door.
Then out to the wind-swept churchyard, and there, after a few minutes,
it seemed to Claude that she was standing alone, to place a few flowers
which she carried upon the hollow-sounding oaken case.
"Come," whispered a voice at her side, and she took the hand held out to
her by her cousin, and was led away, feeling that she was alone now in
the world. Wealth, position, such as few women at her age could claim,
all seemed as nothing. She was alone.
As the mourners went sadly away, Chris Lisle walked slowly up to the
entrance of the vault, and stood gazing down at the shining breastplate.
"Good-bye," he said softly. "I will not say I forgive you, only that
you did not know me. It was a mistake."
As he moved away, he was aware of a ghastly countenance at a little
distance, as Glyddyr stood watching him; but his attention was taken off
directly by a tall, dark figure going slowly to the door of the vault,
to stand there with hands clasped, and looking down.
He could not have told afterwards what it was that checked him from
following the returning procession, but he stayed to watch that one
figure, as, regardless of those around, it drooped for a moment, and
then sank slowly upon its knees, and cover its face with its hands, and
remain there as if weeping bitterly.
There was a group of rough quarrymen close at hand, all waiting to go up
and have a last look at "the master," before discussing among
themselves, once more, their project to cut and erect a granite pillar
over Gartram's tomb.
They were so near Chris that he could hear the words, as one of the
party said,--
"Poor Ike Woodham's widow. Ay, lads, she's lost the pride of her life
once more. He was downright good to her when Woodham went."
Chris took a step or two forward, for the solitary figure attracted him,
and then another and another, quietly, as he heard a low, piteous wail,
and saw the woman rise tottering to her feet, swaying to and fro.
"Forgive me! oh, forgive me!" she sobbed; and then she threw up her
hands to clutch at vacancy.
Another moment, and she would have fallen heavily into the great granite
vault, but Chris was in time: he flung an arm round her, and snatched
her back insensible. She had swooned away, and had to be carried into
the church till a vehicle had been procured; and Glyddyr had the
satisfaction of seeing Chris enter the rough carriage and support the
suffering woman till they reached the Fort.
"Thank you, Mr Chris," she said hurriedly; "I'm better now," and as he
left her immediately, she hurried up to her room, opened her box, and
poured out a portion of the contents of a phial into a glass.
Half an hour later, Claude was roused from her sad musings by one of the
servants, who announced that Mrs Woodham was "took bad."
It was something to divert Claude's thoughts, and she hurried up to the
bedroom to lay her hand upon the woman's burning brow.
"Are you in pain, Sarah?"
"Hah!"
A long sigh, as if the cool, soft hand had acted like a professors rod
in an electrical experiment, and the pain had been discharged.
"No, no--no pain."
The woman's eyes were closed, now that she had taken hold of the hand
that had seemed to give her rest, and clung to it, keeping it by her
cheek as she half-turned over in her bed; while Claude sent word that
she was going to stay there and watch. And there, in spite of Mary
Dillon's prayers to let her stay, she did watch, and listen to Sarah
Woodham's muttered words.
"At rest now," she cried twice. "Now he will sleep; or will he meet him
face to face?"
Toward morning she slept calmly, and when, at daybreak, Mary stole into
the room, exhaustion had done its work, and Claude was sleeping too.
Volume Three, Chapter III.