“Do I look like a fool?”
The speaker was Huntley of Melmar, seated at that moment in his large
leathern easy-chair at his own study-table; this was a long dim room,
lined with dusty-looking bookcases, and lighted faintly by one window,
from which nothing could be seen but a funereal yew-tree, which kept the
room in perpetual shade. The whole apartment had a stifled, unventilated
look, as if fresh air never entered it, as sunshine certainly never did;
even in winter no fire could be coaxed into a blaze in Melmar’s
study--every thing was dusty, choked, and breathless, partaking in the
general want of order visible through the house, with private additions
of cheerlessness peculiarly its own.
And there could not well be a greater contrast than the two people in
this room; Cassilis was young, good-looking, rather careless in manner,
shrewd and quick, as became his profession, but by no means formal, as
might have become it. He was not the solemn bearer of a legal
challenge--a messenger of heroical enmity or hereditary dislike; he was
only a morning visitor in a morning coat, quite as ready to talk of the
last change of ministry or the ensuing election as of the immediate
business which brought him here. Melmar sat watching him like an old
cat, stealthy and absorbed. In _his_ day business was managed in a
different manner; and the old Aberdeen attorney watched with a chuckle
of professional contempt and private satisfaction the informal
proceedings of his younger brother and adversary. Mr. Huntley thought
himself much too “deep” for the fathoming of this careless neophyte,
while his visitor, on the other hand, found equal satisfaction in
setting down the Laird of Melmar as one of the old school.
“Not exactly,” said Cassilis, “but it’s odd how often a fool and a man
of sense are convertible terms. A man does a thing from a generous
motive, and that’s ridiculous, eh, Mr. Huntley? absurd to men of the
world like you and me, who don’t recognize the principle; but mind you,
there _might_ be circumstances which _might_ induce the most sagacious
of us, out of pure self-regard and prudence, to do the very same thing
as the blockhead did out of generosity; the result would be the same,
you know, in both cases--and who is to judge whether it is done by a
wise man or a fool?”
“Aye, man, you’re ironical, are you?” said Melmar, “very good practice,
but it does not do with me--I’m too old for inuendoes; come, to the
point. You’ve got a foolish case by the hand, though, of course, as an
older man and member of the profession, I think it perfectly right of
you not to seem conscious of that--_perfectly_ proper. I highly approve
of your demeanor in a professional point of view, my young friend.”
“Which is very kind of you,” said Cassilis, laughing; “I think it all
the more so because I can’t agree with you. Do you know, I hear
everywhere about the country that there could not be a greater
difference than between young Livingstone and his father?--quite a
different man, I understand.”
“Eh? and what’s that to me?” asked Melmar, sharply.
“Well, you know, between ourselves as professional men,” said Cassilis,
laughing and speaking with the most delightful frankness, “if this
Norlaw had been a man of spirit and energy, like his son, or indeed
worth his salt, as people say, you know just as well as I do--possibly
far better, for I bow to your experience--that you could not have had a
chance of reigning here as you have done for so many years.”
“What the deevil do you mean, sir?” cried Melmar, growing red and half
rising from his chair; “is this language to hold to me, in my own
house?”
“Nay, I was only appealing to your professional knowledge,” said the
young man, carelessly. “When you speak to me of the profession, of
course I necessarily conclude that you are, at least, as well-informed
as I am--and this is clear to anybody with half an eye. Mind you, I
don’t mean to say that young Livingstone’s claim is weaker than his
father’s--you know it is not. I feel indeed that the whole matter is
immensely simplified by having a professional man like yourself to deal
with--for I don’t presume to suppose that I am telling you any thing
that you don’t know already; but possibly--I can’t tell--the young man
may not feel it for his interest to push his claims at this moment. It’s
for _my_ interest that he should, of course, for it will be a capital
case--but we can both wait; however, under the circumstances, I am
perfectly justified in asking you to consider whether the little
restitution I suggested to you would be the act of a fool or of a wise
man.”
Melmar had been gazing with a kind of hazy, speechless wrath at the
speaker, who passed so jauntily and lightly over this subject, and took
his own perfect acquaintance with its right and wrong, for granted, with
so much coolness. When Cassilis came to this pause, however, no
explosion followed. The florid face grew redder with a bursting fiery
fullness, in which even the grizzled red fringes of hair
sympathized--but, in spite of himself, Melmar was afraid. His “young
friend,” whom he had patronized and despised, seemed somehow to have got
him completely in his power--seemed to see into the very thoughts of the
old worldling, who thought himself so much wiser than his adversary. He
made a pause of consideration, and felt much the reverse of comfortable.
The unconcerned air of his visitor, which had relieved him at first,
seemed somehow to give greater weight to his words now. If these
downright blows were given in play, what should the serious strokes of
the same hand be? and Melmar knew very well that the strength of his
opponent’s case lay in plain right and justice, while his was only to
be held by art and stratagem. While he pondered, a sudden thought struck
him--he rose, went to the window, glanced out there for a moment--then
to the door, opened it and glanced along the long passage to make sure
there were no listeners--then he returned to his chair, and bent towards
the young lawyer, who had been watching all his proceedings with a half
amused curiosity.
“To make an end of all this,” said Melmar, with a very good imitation of
impatience, “and because they are relatives of the old family, and
friends, and all the rest of it--and to prove that I’m sorry for what
took place at Norlaw’s funeral--I’ll tell you what I’ll consent to do--”
“Well?” said Cassilis, quietly.
“I’ll consent,” continued Melmar, “because I’m not a man to have a will,
or a bill, or any thing of the sort stuck into my face every moment of
my life--I’ll consent to give up all Norlaw’s papers, every one of them,
as a matter of favor, on condition that this document, that you’ve all
made so much work about, shall be placed in my hands. After which I’ll
be able to look after my kinswoman’s interests in the proper way--for,
as for the fiction about those Livingstones, who have no more claim to
Melmar than you have, _that’s_ quite beneath any notice from me. But on
that condition, and to be done with the business, I’ll consent to give
up all my claims against Norlaw; and a more liberal offer never was
made.”
The young man looked steadily, and with a smile, into the old man’s
face--indeed, Mr. Cassilis went a step further, and did what is
sometimes extremely impertinent, and always embarrassing. He looked into
Melmar’s eyes with a keen, yet laughing gaze, which his companion could
by no means bear, and which made the florid face once more fiery red
with a troubled and apprehensive rage.
“Would you advise me to accept this offer as one professional man might
advise another?” said Cassilis, quietly, with his smile. That smile, and
that look, and that question, silenced Melmar a thousand times more
effectually than a vehement refusal of his proposition. This man was
sometimes bold, but he was never brave. He saw himself found out in the
laughing eyes of his young antagonist. He thought he had committed
himself and exposed his weak point--somehow he seemed to stand
self-betrayed and unvailed before this stranger, whose gaze was
intolerable, and whose question he should have liked to answer with a
curse, proper man as he was, if he had dared. But he did not dare,
though the self-restraining effort brought the perspiration to his
forehead. He scattered some papers on the table with an irrestrainable
movement, a little safety-valve for his secret fury.
“Do as you please, you’ll get no better,” he said, hoarsely, gathering
them up again, and turning his face from his young adversary, who did
not now seem quite an opponent to be despised.
“I tell you frankly,” said Mr. Cassilis, with that engaging candor of
his, “that it’s very much for my interest that young Livingstone should
carry on his suit at once. It’s for my interest, in short, to protract
the whole business to my utmost ability; and a highly attractive case I
have no doubt we should make of it--especially, Mr. Huntley,
_especially_ permit me to say, after the proposal you have just made.
However, we understand all that, both you and I, and I must ask you
again to consider what I said at first; here is this old man’s letter,
proving his intentions pretty distinctly; on our part we will not pay a
penny under less than compulsion. I leave it entirely in your own
hands--what will you do?”
Patricia Huntley was all alone in the drawing-room. She knew when Mr.
Cassilis entered; she knew he had been shut up with papa for a very
considerable time. She did not know any thing of the questions which
were being put in the study, or how hard they were to answer. Though she
read poetry-books, this poor little creature had very little to occupy
her, save her bad health and her limited imagination--a visitor was an
event to Patricia--especially when the visitor was young, rather
handsome, and newly come from Edinburgh. She thought she might as well
take an accidental stroll into the garden, and see what the gentlemen
were about in the study. Accordingly, with her poetry-book in her hand,
Patricia stole behind the yew-tree just at this particular moment and
crisis of the conversation. She could see them both through the dim
window, papa tumbling about his papers, and looking very stormy, Mr.
Cassilis, smiling and genial as he always was. Perhaps the younger face
of the two, being much the pleasanter, was, spite of filial veneration,
the most attractive to Patricia. She thought Mr. Cassilis, who had been
so long a time in the study, must surely have some very pleasant news to
tell--but at the same time, with sincere and disinterested concern, felt
that he must be dreadfully bored by so long an interview with papa. With
a generous impulse she approached the window, and knocked on the glass
playfully with her fingers.
“Papa, when do you mean to come to luncheon?” cried Patricia.
Melmar started up, opened the window, cried “Get away, you little
fool!--who wanted you?” and shook his fist at her menacingly. Poor
Patricia sprang back in terror, and lost her breath immediately. She did
not know, and perhaps if she had known, would not have appreciated, the
great relief which this little ebullition was to Melmar. He went back
quite refreshed to finish his fight; but his poor little daughter, who
did not understand it, first fell a-crying, and then, drying her eyes,
proceeded to revenge herself. She sought out Joanna immediately, and
informed that heroine of something extraordinary and mysterious going on
in the study--and of the unaccountable and inexcusable affront to
herself, “before Mr. Cassilis!” which Patricia could not forgive.
Luncheon was ordered immediately, half an hour before its time, and
Joanna herself went off to the study like a gale of wind, to order papa
into the dining-room. But the scene had changed by this time in Melmar’s
private apartment. Mr. Cassilis was writing when Joanna entered, while
her father stood by him holding some papers, and looking, stealthily
watchful, over the young man’s shoulder, so like an old brindled big cat
in the most feline concentration of vigilance, that Joanna’s irreverent
imagination was tickled with the resemblance.
“Eh, papa,” cried the girl, with a sudden laugh, “I would not like to be
a mouse in your way!--but Mr. Cassilis is too big for a mouse,” added
Joanna; “come to luncheon, it’s ready--but I don’t believe Patricia will
ever speak to you again--what are these?”
“No business of yours, you gipsy!” said Melmar, as she pulled at his
papers.
“Eh, but it is--I can see Norlaw’s name!” cried Joanna; “Mr. Cassilis,
tell Mrs. Livingstone that we know--and that I think shame of papa!--and
if it was not that I could not help it, I never, never, would have
spoken to him again! What are _you_ getting all these papers for? If
it’s to hurt the boys you shanna take them out of Melmar! You sha’n’t,
whatever he may say!”
“Softly--Mr. Huntley of Melmar will hurt the Livingstones no more,” said
Cassilis.
Meanwhile Melmar read the young lawyer’s receipt for these precious bits
of paper with no very pleasant face. It was a great deal too carefully
worded to be of any ulterior service. Even the pettifogging ingenuity of
the “old school” did not see at present any capabilities in it.