GATHERING CLOUDS.
Day by day Louisa regained her strength, and day by day old tastes and
impressions revived, and she more eagerly anticipated the time when she
should be able to plunge again into a vortex of light amusements. She
was still, indeed, courteous, almost affectionate to Clemence, retaining
a grateful sense of the kindness which had so tenderly nursed her
through a distressing illness. A pretty token of remembrance was
received by her step-mother on the anniversary of Clemence’s birth-day,
accompanied by a few lines expressive of grateful regard. But Lady
Selina was gradually resuming her influence over the convalescent; and
Arabella was her constant companion. The secession of Louisa to “the
enemy’s side” was an event not to be suffered by either. Arabella spoke
bitterly against Clemence in the presence of her sister, not altogether
sparing even the memory of Captain Thistlewood; but this had no effect
beyond that of annoying Louisa. Lady Selina worked more cautiously and
surely. Gradually she commenced raising anew the wall of prejudice,
which had been swept away as by a flood from the mind of her niece. She
did not deny Clemence’s merit, but she depreciated it—praised her
kindness, but cast suspicion on its motives; and by many a covert
allusion to “Mrs. Effingham’s extraordinary conduct on the day of the
accident,” tried to convert the gratitude of Louisa into a totally
opposite feeling.
The world, from which the young girl had for a time been separated by
her illness, like a magnet possessed more and more attraction the nearer
she approached to it again. The Bible, though not entirely neglected,
was often laid aside for the novel; and gossip about the fashions, a new
dress, or a new acquaintance, was readily welcomed by Louisa as a
substitute for serious thought. Her conscience was no longer dead, but
its voice was drowned in other sounds; the terrors which had oppressed
her were melting away like a dark, dissolving view, into new bright
tints; and when the sick-room was exchanged for the drawing-room, Louisa
seemed to have left behind her most of the serious resolves and solemn
impressions which had owed their birth only to fear.
Not contented with her insidious endeavours to alienate from Clemence
the affection which she had won, Lady Selina employed all her art in
throwing difficulties in the way of replacing Mademoiselle Lafleur. Her
own education, though not more solid, had been conducted on more
fashionable principles than that of Mrs. Effingham; and Lady Selina had
little difficulty in making it appear even to her brother-in-law that
she was far better qualified than the youthful step-mother to choose an
instructress for his children. If Clemence deemed that she had met with
a lady whose high character, experience, and knowledge were likely to
render her services valuable, Lady Selina at once detected some defect
of manner, education, or age, which would render it perfectly out of the
question to receive her as governess in Belgrave Square. The earl’s
daughter appeared, by Mr. Effingham’s tacit consent, to reserve to
herself a power of negativing every proposition which did not please
her; and it was evident to Clemence that this power would never lie
dormant in her hands. The young wife, too timid to court opposition, too
diffident to maintain her own opinion boldly, except in cases where
conscience was concerned, gave great advantage to an adversary well
versed in the tactics of the world, and by no means scrupulous in making
use of its weapons.
The small property of Captain Thistlewood, amounting, clear of needful
expenses, to less than a hundred pounds per annum, had by his death
reverted to his niece; but the money would not for some months be
available, and in the meantime Clemence, the wife of the opulent banker,
was annoyed by petty pecuniary embarrassments. Her expenses had been
regulated with the strictest economy since her first and only visit to
Madame La Voye; but necessary expenditure on mourning, however simple,
had involved her again in difficulties, which harassed without seriously
distressing. Clemence shrank with invincible reluctance from applying
for money to her husband, who had so recently generously taken upon
himself the debt which she had so thoughtlessly incurred. Nor could
Clemence conscientiously apply to her own private use even a fraction of
the large sums appropriated to household expenses; she looked upon
herself as her husband’s steward, and scrupulously acted as such. It
thus happened that, in the midst of luxury and plenty, the young
mistress of that superb mansion found her purse drained of its last
shilling. The consequences of her excessive liberality and thoughtless
expenditure on first coming to London clung to her still; and it did not
lessen her chagrin to suspect that Lady Selina was aware of her little
difficulties, and secretly rejoiced in the embarrassments into which she
herself had helped to lead an inexperienced girl.
One afternoon towards the end of January, Mr. Marsden, the clergyman of
the parish, paid a visit in Belgrave Square. He was a man who laboured
faithfully in his vocation; and though his manner might be ridiculed,
and his sermons criticised, his character always commanded respect. Lady
Selina usually brought out for his benefit her most choice religious
phrases. When he feelingly congratulated the pale Louisa on her
deliverance from danger and her recovery from illness, her aunt chimed
in with such admirable observations on the uncertainty of life and the
necessity for constant readiness for death, as raised the lady in the
eyes of the clergyman. He was proportionately disappointed to mark
Clemence’s apparent coldness on the subject; for her truthful nature
could not show approval of sentiments, however true, which she knew to
be uttered by the lip of hypocrisy.
The object of Mr. Marsden’s visit was to lay before his rich
parishioners the pressing necessities of his poor. The winter was a very
severe one. Behind the magnificent mansions of the aristocracy, want
pined and sickness languished. He had come from the garret of the widow,
the loathsome crowded dwellings of the indigent; he pleaded the cause of
the orphan, and of those who had no certain shelter from the piercing
cold, even in a season so inclement.
Lady Selina shook her head mournfully at the clergyman’s description of
prevailing poverty, sighed, drew forth her purse, and taking from it the
smallest gold coin of the realm, gave it with some excellent comments on
the privilege of assisting the poor, and the necessity of supporting all
the numerous valuable institutions springing up on all sides for their
relief!
Mr. Marsden bowed, and turned towards Mrs. Effingham. Clemence’s
sympathy for her suffering brethren had been strongly called forth by
his appeal; but what could she do to prove it? The mistress of that
stately mansion, in her own luxurious apartment, could plead no
disability to give. Young Vincent’s eyes were fastened upon her;
Clemence knew that he expected that the liberality of one who had often
spoken to him of the poor, and of the duties of the rich in regard to
them, should be in accordance with her principles. There was a short,
awkward pause, and Clemence was about to promise to lay the appeal
before Mr. Effingham, when Lady Selina drew forth a bank-note from the
porte-monnaie which she still held in her hand.
“If your purse is not here, Mrs. Effingham, I shall be most happy to
accommodate you,” she said with a smile; and there being no time for
reflection, the note was hesitatingly received by Clemence, and
transferred to the clergyman, who shortly afterwards quitted the house,
leaving the young wife the consciousness of having performed not a
liberal, but a foolish act—of being, not the benefactress of the poor,
but a plaything in the hands of Lady Selina.
“Shall I never acquire the power of saying ‘No,’ and lose my childish
fear of offending or disappointing?” thought Clemence, greatly
discontented with herself. “I am actually in debt to Lady Selina; but I
will not be so beyond this evening. I will speak to my husband frankly,
and ask him to advance me some of the interest that will be due to me in
June. I will try to be much more prudent and watchful over my
expenditure in future, divide my several items of expense, and
appropriate a fixed sum to each, so that vanity may never encroach on
benevolence, or thoughtless folly leave me again without the means of
assisting the poor. I see that economy is not required alone by those
whose means are narrow; true is the saying, that every man, whatever be
his wealth, is poor, if he spend a shilling more than he possesses!”
[Illustration:
ILL NEWS.]
More impatiently than usual Clemence on this evening awaited her
husband’s return from the city. That return was delayed far beyond the
usual hour. Clemence felt, however, at first no uneasiness at his
absence. He had had some unusual press of business, or had been delayed
by seeing some friend. Twilight deepened into night, the shutters were
closed, the lamp was lighted on the table, and many observations were
exchanged as to the cause of Mr. Effingham’s lateness.
“Papa’s watch must have gone backwards,” observed Louisa, who, wrapped
up in shawl and fur cloak, occupied an invalid’s place on the sofa.
“If he were as hungry as I am,” cried Vincent, “he’d have no need of a
watch! Well, there’s no use in watching and waiting; who’ll have a game
of draughts with me to while away the time?”
“Not I,” said Louisa wearily; “there is no use in commencing anything
which we may have to leave off in a minute.”
“Draughts is the most tiresome game in the world, and only fit for
children,” added Arabella.
“Set the pieces, Vincent, and I’ll try if I cannot beat you,” said
Clemence, putting aside her work. Vincent readily obeyed, and a game was
commenced. Lady Selina took out her watch.
“Really I am becoming uneasy,” she said, resolved that Clemence at least
should be so. “Mr. Effingham is always so punctual; I trust that nothing
serious is the matter!”
“How ill papa has been looking lately,” observed Arabella.
Vincent found that his partner was paying very little attention to her
game.
“This is the third time that you have been huffed!” he exclaimed; “if
you do not take care I shall carry off every one of your men!”
“Mr. Effingham is very much changed; I am distressed to perceive it,”
pursued Lady Selina. “Six months ago he was the youngest man of his age
that ever I saw,—you might have really taken him for thirty,—and now!”
“I was noticing yesterday a streak of grey in his hair,” observed
Arabella, glancing maliciously towards Mrs. Effingham.
“Won’t you move?” cried Vincent rather impatiently to his abstracted
partner. Clemence mechanically placed her piece.
“I dare say that papa is worried by business,” said Lousia, resuming the
thread of the conversation.
“There’s a carriage at last!” exclaimed Vincent; but the quick,
listening ear of Clemence had caught the sound before he could hear it,
and hastily rising, she quitted the room.
“The game’s up!” cried Vincent, making a clean sweep of the board, and
tossing black and white promiscuously into the box; “it’s a shame, for I
had much the best of it.”
“Papa must have been taking a long drive,” observed Louisa.
“One can judge of that in a minute by the horses,” cried Vincent,
sauntering up to a window, and opening a leaf of the shutters that he
might look out into the night. “Why, that’s not our carriage at all, it
has only one horse; I know whose it is, it’s Mr. Mark’s,—papa’s man of
business; what on earth brings him here at this hour?”
“That’s not papa’s voice in the hall,” said Arabella.
“I fear that something is indeed the matter!” exclaimed Louisa, starting
from her seat.
Her suspicion was soon confirmed by the sound of the study-bell
violently rung; then they heard the door open, and Mr. Mark’s voice
below, calling for water for Mrs. Effingham.
“Something terrible has happened,” cried Lady Selina, and the next
moment the drawing-room was vacated by all.
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