ON TEM WATCH.
Mrs. Hamblin, although she spoke so fairly to Spiridion Pratt, and
seemed to experience so little annoyance at the idea of his proposing
for Eleanor Irvine, was by no means prepared to let the matter run on
smoothly and in an even course. Spiridion himself, who knew the
passionate nature of the woman, and whose vanity induced him to
believe that her existence without his devotion was almost impossible,
had been wonderfully relieved when he found not merely that there was
no necessity for him to break the real facts of the case to her, but
that when he had confirmed her impression she received his candid
declaration with more than calmness, and with the expression of a
desire to help him in the attainment of his wishes. He was too foolish
and too vain to believe that this woman with whom he had been
intriguing would grow tired of him as he had grown tired of her; and
yet such little knowledge of the world had he gained during all his
six-and-thirty years of life as to think it possible that a woman's
affection could be strong enough not only to permit her to give up the
man whom she loved, feeling it was for his good, but actually to help
him in his attempt to win the hand of another.
Mrs. Hamblin's character was not easily to be fathomed by such a
superficial observer as Spiridion Pratt; and when she quitted the
Villa after the interview in which her quondam admirer had suffered
his secret to be so easily extracted from him, however calm she
appeared outwardly, she was inwardly raging with spite and jealousy.
Not that she particularly regretted the loss of Spiridion as an
admirer. She had originally conceived the idea of allowing him to pay
her attention at a time when the publication of his book of poems had
given him a little temporary popularity amongst people in society, and
when, consequently, many women of a certain class would have been glad
to have entangled the lion in their net; and once entangled, Mr. Pratt
was one of those tea-table Lovelaces whose romantic outpourings in
private, and perpetual attentions in public, are so agreeable to some
women. Mrs. Hamblin, however, who in far-seeing appreciation was in
advance of the generality of her sex, had long since become somewhat
weary of her adorer's inanity, and had more than once meditated on the
desirability of giving him his _congé_; when, however, she discovered
that the man of whom she thought it would be difficult to rid herself
had actually transferred his devotion to another shrine, she was
furious; and though she cared nothing at all about him for herself,
she determined as far as possible to thwart his plans with regard to
Eleanor Irvine solely to gratify her revenge.
Whirling away from the Villa, Mrs. Hamblin lay back in her brougham,
pondering how her purpose could best be accomplished.
'Very bright and intelligent, is she?' she muttered. 'That may or may
not be. A man in love not merely finds a Venus in the object of his
admiration, but credits her with innumerable qualities which she never
possessed; and Tito in this respect is worse than the majority of men,
for he allows his folly, which he calls his fancy, completely to run
away with him. The girl is pretty--I remember that distinctly--but I
cannot call to mind anything else about her, and it is just such an
alliance as would please that weak-minded Tito; to have a young girl
sit and worship him all day, and to realise all his romantic
aspirations of love in a cottage, with the cottage left out and a
charming villa with all kinds of luxury instead, would render him
supremely happy. And I am to sit by actually; and when we meet I am to
be specially introduced, and to hear told before my face what a dear
friend I have been, and under what obligations he is to me; and to
imagine her being told behind my back--for the man is vain and weak
and boastful, like most of them--what a conquest he had made of me,
and how I had followed at the wheels of my lord's chariot. No, I do
not think that I can quite brook that from any man. One might put up
with a good deal from a great creature who was obviously one's master,
but from Tito, who was my slave, and whose every thought and action I
have directed since I first knew him, it is too absurd. I always knew
that he would marry, for his romance, like his cynicism, and most of
his other self-asserted characteristics, is a sham, and he would be
far happier in the honest prose of domestic life; but I intended that
his wife should be one of my choosing; and if this young lady really
answers his description, she is by no means what I should have
selected for him. He would be convenient for many reasons, even as a
married man, under one's thumb; and with a wife of any sort of
intelligence that would of course be impossible.
'Very bright and intelligent, and can quite hold her own in
conversation. That I can perfectly understand; her sister, Mrs.
Chadwick, is one of those women who have the superficial knowledge and
the taking manner which would please a man like Tito, and the girl no
doubt has caught it from her. But, in addition to this, Mrs. Chadwick
is a keen woman of the world, who conducted her own marriage on the
cleverest commercial principles, and who wishes to see her sister as
safely and as reputably landed. To such a person Tito is a catch, and
his alliance very desirable; so that I shall have no assistance from
her. The girl may possibly have the same views; but I should have a
better chance with her than with her sister. If she be as described,
it is impossible she can have any real feeling for Tito, but is simply
prepared to accept him from a worldly point of view; and it seems to
me that there are two ways by which I can spoil the plan on which my
faithless Tito has set his heart. To carry out either I must make the
acquaintance of the young lady, and find out all about her. If she
does not care for Tito, it will be easy enough to introduce her to
some one who will soon obliterate any recollection of that romantic
youth; and if she does care for him, it will not be difficult to lead
her into such an entanglement as, once proved to him, will prevent his
having any further thought of her.'
Actuated by these benevolent intentions, Mrs. Hamblin determined upon
calling upon Mrs. Chadwick as soon as possible.
Accordingly, the next day, she made her way to Fairfax-gardens. The
acquaintance between the ladies had up to this time been slight, and
though Mr. and Mrs. Hamblin had been present at the charades and other
entertainments, and Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick had dined once during the
season with the Hamblins, there had been no farther intimacy. When the
servant brought in Mrs. Hamblin's card, Mrs. Chadwick was a little
surprised, as the usual formal visits on either side had been paid,
and she was not looking forward to a renewal of such courtesy until
the ensuing season. Nevertheless she was gratified, for Mrs. Hamblin
stood exceptionally well with society--her husband's official rank,
and her own good looks, wealth, and _savoir faire_, enabling them to
hold their own with the best; while Mrs. Chadwick fancied she had
hitherto been only received by them on sufferance as it were, and that
they had no intention of farther prosecuting the acquaintance. But
Mrs. Chadwick was quite sufficiently clever to know that Mrs. Hamblin
would not have come to see her without some motive, and what that
motive might be--whether it was the filling up of an idle half-hour at
a time when most of her intimates were out of town, or whether it was
dictated by some deeper design--the lady of Fairfax-gardens revolved
in her mind as she descended to the drawing-room to greet her visitor.
Mrs. Hamblin when she chose had a very fascinating manner, and she
used it on this occasion. Mrs. Chadwick could not imagine how she
could ever have suspected her guest of formality or frigidity, so
thoroughly kind, pleasant, and familiar did she now find her.
'I call this for some reasons really the very pleasantest time of the
year in London,' said Mrs. Hamblin, 'for now there is a possibility of
seeing something of those people whose tastes are in accordance with
one's own, and who therefore one is disposed to look upon as one's
friends. In the season, as you know perfectly well, my dear Mrs.
Chadwick, one lives in a perfect whirl from morning till night, and
from May to July we scarcely have more opportunity for a friendly chat
than if we were at opposite poles. Now, however, that all the bustle
and party-giving is over, there is an opportunity for real enjoyment,
and I was really wicked enough to be glad when I heard from our friend
Mr. Pratt that you and Mr. Chadwick were detained in town as well as
ourselves; for I thought we should be glad to get you to come and see
us in an informal manner, and that I should have the chance, which I
have often wished for, of knowing you more intimately.'
Mrs. Chadwick seemed taken aback at this; she nevertheless replied
much in the same strain, expressing her obligations at the compliment,
and the delight which she and her husband would experience in meeting
Mr. and Mrs. Hamblin on the terms suggested. The line taken by her
visitor gave her a chance of magnifying her own importance, and she
expatiated to Mrs. Hamblin on the vast amount of society which during
the season she was compelled to keep up, and on the relief which she,
in her turn, experienced when relieved from so much social pleasure.
But, like an astute sword-player, she kept her wits about her during
all this flourish and preamble, and the mention of Spiridion Pratt's
name had aroused her suspicions. Upon Mrs. Chadwick herself the breath
of scandal had never blown, but there were few virtuous ladies better
posted upon all that was said about their neighbours, and the
relations between Mrs. Hamblin and her romantic Tito had been
frequently discussed at Fairfax-gardens and elsewhere in Mrs.
Chadwick's presence.
'And we hope to have the additional pleasure,' continued Mrs. Hamblin,
all smiles, but with a shrewd perception of what was passing across
her companion's mind, 'of making the acquaintance of your charming
sister. Miss Irvine is quite a stranger to Mr. Hamblin, and though I
have seen her once, it is true, it was for a moment only. I have
constantly looked forward to meeting her again, but I have always been
disappointed. Now you must bring her with you, and I have promised
myself a great treat, for I am sure she must be as agreeable as she is
pretty.'
Mrs. Chadwick was much confused at this move, and could not understand
Mrs. Hamblin's motive for it. Spiridion she knew would naturally be at
the dinner, and she could not define Mrs. Hamblin's object in throwing
Eleanor in his way.
That there was an object, however, she was certain, and it was
accordingly somewhat coldly that she replied, 'I will be the bearer of
your message, of course, with much pleasure, but I can hardly hope
that it will have any satisfactory result, for my sister resolutely
refuses to go into society.'
'That I can perfectly understand,' said Mrs. Hamblin, 'as she is young
and inexperienced, and has not the necessity, like you, to hide her
own griefs and feelings in order to play an important part in the
world; but such a little family gathering as I propose cannot be
called society--there will only be ourselves and Mr. Pratt, and
perhaps two or three unfortunate men who have been left stranded in
town, and whom we can secure at a short notice.'
This frankness was still farther confusing. Spiridion was to be
there--what could be the meaning of it? And then Mrs. Chadwick
recollected having heard Charley Ormerod say that Mrs. Hamblin would
soon get tired of Little Petrarch--the name by which Mr. Pratt was
known in the set--and send him flying like the rest of them. Perhaps
this had come about; perhaps she had grown tired of Little Petrarch
and sent him flying, careless as to who should pick him up.
'I can only repeat that I will give your message to my sister and do
all I can to induce her to come, but I have strong doubts about
success.'
'Would you let me make my application to Miss Irvine in person, my
dear Mrs. Chadwick?' said Mrs. Hamblin. 'Not that I for an instant
doubt your good intentions, or am unaware that what I am about to say
sounds horribly vain, but I candidly confess I have a great belief in
my own powers of persuasion.'
'Such a belief is doubtless merely the result of experience, Mrs.
Hamblin, and in accordance with what all the world says of you,' said
Mrs. Chadwick half spitefully--for except her honest old husband no
one had ever found _her_ particularly fascinating--'and I will take
care that you have the opportunity of seeing Eleanor.'
'At once?' asked Mrs. Hamblin. 'May I try at once? I feel full of
mesmeric influence to-day.'
'I am sorry that you will not have the opportunity of exhibiting your
skill to-day, unless you choose to wait for an hour,' said Mrs.
Chadwick coldly, 'for Eleanor is not in the house just now, and I have
sent the brougham to fetch her.'
'Not in the house,' repeated Mrs. Hamblin; 'O, I am so grieved!'
'She has been very much engaged for the last few weeks,' said Mrs.
Chadwick. 'First, in attendance on an old schoolfellow, who required
care and attention--which she could not possibly have had but for
Eleanor's help--and more recently she has been occupied at the South
Kensington Museum.'
'At the South Kensington Museum!' cried Mrs. Hamblin, whose notions of
that establishment were confined to an occasional languid stroll
through the loan collection, but who had heard of it as a convenient
place of meeting for people who wanted accidentally to encounter each
other. 'At the South Kensington Museum!' she repeated. 'How very
funny! What does she go there for?'
'To study, Mrs. Hamblin,' said Mrs. Chadwick, with virtuous dignity.
'Eleanor has a great idea of independence, and desires to perfect
herself in that art of which poor papa was so admirable a professor.'
'Was Mr. Irvine, the great artist, your father?' said Mrs. Hamblin,
with well-feigned astonishment--she knew perfectly well all about
poor Angus Irvine, to whose assistance she had more than once
contributed--'I had no idea of that. And so your sister, who has
talent of course, is thinking of following in his footsteps. How noble
and courageous of her, and what a reproof to us, who are only fitted
to be burdens upon men! But you surely will not permit her to
persevere in this idea, my dear Mrs. Chadwick; she is far too pretty
and interesting to be doomed to such a life. This is she, is it not?'
she added, taking up a coloured photograph which stood upon the table.
'I thought I recognised those lovely eyes and that charming hair,
though I had only seen her once; the likeness to you is most
remarkable; a girl with a face like that must not be permitted to
"wither on a stalk," as some one has said. There is scarcely any
position which she might not aspire to if she were seen in society.'
'So I have told her,' said Mrs. Chadwick, delighted at the compliment
to herself, 'but it does not seem to be of much use. However, as I
said before, I will do my best to induce her to accept your kind
invitation.'
'And if you succeed you may leave the rest to me,' said Mrs. Hamblin.
'I shall certainly try and dissuade her from this, in her case very
natural, but wholly romantic, idea of becoming an artist, and the best
means to that end is by encouraging her to go into society and become
conscious of the excitement which she will create there. In a small
company such as I propose having on Thursday, dear Mrs. Chadwick,
there will be even a better chance for a beginner than in a larger
assemblage, and you may depend upon my having no detrimentals
present.'
'You include Mr. Pratt in your list?' asked Mrs. Chadwick, with a
forced titter.
'Certainly,' replied Mrs. Hamblin quickly; 'Mr. Pratt will probably be
the most eligible man there.' And soon afterwards she took her leave.
'That woman is decidedly my inferior in every variety of tactics,'
said Mrs. Hamblin to herself, as she drove away. 'She could not hide
her astonishment when I announced that I should have Tito to dinner to
meet this rosebud, and ever since has been turning over in her mind
what I meant without ever arriving at a conclusion. I hope the rosebud
will come, as I am anxious to see her and form my own opinion about
her. I don't choose that these vulgar people should carry all before
them in the way they intend, and I am determined that this match,
which seems to have been arranged with the greatest coolness and
confidence on both sides, shall not take place. It will not require
any very intricate scheming to break it off, I should think--I have
had many a more difficult task, and have carried it through
successfully before now. If the rosebud is not really desperately in
love with my poor Tito, it will be easy to make her like some one
else. If she is very fond of him, then one must work upon him,
depreciate her in his eyes, and finally make him give her up. That
would not be difficult in any case, and fortunately, as a means to
that end, we get the rosebud's artistic tendencies and her habit of
frequenting the South Kensington Museum. What a very weak woman Mrs.
Chadwick must be to put any faith in such rodomontade as that! The
girl goes there, I have no doubt; but I don't imagine that all she has
learnt by the end of the day in the way of art-study would be worth
much; though her knowledge of character, if she have the faculty of
observation, is greatly increased. It might be as well just to see for
oneself whether she really goes there, what she does, and whom she
meets. She would not recognise me, and I might pick up some
information which would be valuable. James,' she said, opening the
front window of the brougham, 'go to the South Kensington Museum.'
The Chadwick brougham, noticeable always for that exaggeration
in every particular which in such matters appears peculiar to
parvenus--the horses a little too much for the carriage, the plating a
little too much for the harness, and the servants' liveries
considerably overdone--was standing before the entrance gate of the
Museum as Mrs. Hamblin drove up.
'That is the carriage, no doubt,' said Mrs. Hamblin to herself; 'one
could recognise it from any distance from its excessive vulgarity. And
what on earth do people mean by having cockades in the servants' hats?
I suppose the man is a deputy-lieutenant, or something of that sort;
but I should have given Mrs. Chadwick credit for better taste than to
ape such a distinction on such grounds. The brougham being there, one
may take it for granted that the young lady is inside. I have a great
mind to go in to see what peculiar form of art-study she may be at
present engaged in. If she really is drawing, I don't suppose I should
have much difficulty in finding her, and if she were not in the
schools, why, that would be a point in my favour. Even were I to see
her she would not recognise me, and I should therefore run no risk. I
will go in and take my chance.'
Mrs. Hamblin called to the servant to open the door, but she had
scarcely placed her foot upon the step before she withdrew it and
resumed her seat, for, on looking round, she had perceived a young
lady, who was no doubt the person she was seeking, advancing hurriedly
from an opposite direction. When this young lady stepped into Mrs.
Chadwick's carriage, and was rapidly driven off, Mrs. Hamblin had no
farther doubt.
'It was she,' she said to herself. 'Even if I hadn't had such a recent
glimpse of the photograph I should have remembered that striking face.
There is no doubt she is exceedingly pretty, and I don't wonder at
that soft-hearted Tito being captivated. There is much more style
about her, too, than I had thought for, and she has quite enough charm
to make her a dangerous rival to any one. So much the more reason for
putting an end to this elaborate plan. And so that is the way she
studies art, is it? How absurd to think that the sister, who fancies
herself a thorough woman of the world, should be completely hoodwinked
by such an apparently ingenuous creature! It is perfectly plain that
the coachman must be in her confidence, and must bring the carriage in
here and wait for her whilst she studies art elsewhere. It would not
be difficult, I imagine, to learn through the servants what time the
carriage is ordered to-morrow, and to see exactly where she goes.
Circumstances seem so far to have played into my hands, and I don't
think it will be very difficult to produce such a chain of evidence as
will tend to render Tito somewhat less confident in the innocence of
his _innamorata_.'
The next morning, at a few minutes before eleven o'clock, a hansom
cab, in which was a lady with a black-lace veil, drew up in the side
street next to Mr. Chadwick's mansion in Fairfax-gardens. Within a
quarter of an hour the family brougham drove round to the door, and
Miss Irvine having entered it, drove quickly off, followed at a little
distance by the cab. After proceeding some way, the coachman changed
his direction, and the cabman did the same. Finally, the brougham
stopped at the door of Lady Forestfield's lodgings in Podbury-street.
Miss Irvine descended and entered the house, the carriage driving
away, but the cab remaining at a convenient distance. A few minutes
afterwards another cab drove up to Lady Forestfield's door, and a
slight good-looking man, with a dark beard, knocked, and was admitted.
Then the veiled lady in the hansom ordered the driver to go to the
South Kensington Museum, and on arrival instructed him to take up his
position close to Mr. Chadwick's brougham, which was duly waiting
there.
Two long hours passed, but the veiled lady showed no sign of
weariness. Her patience was at last rewarded; Miss Irvine appeared
within sight, making her way to the brougham. Just as she was
approaching its door Mrs. Hamblin descended from her cab, and
stretching out her hand, said, with an air of great delight, 'Miss
Irvine, I believe? You will scarcely recollect me. I am Mrs. Hamblin,
and I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you with your sister on
Thursday next.'