Trafford arrived from England on the evening after, and hastened off to
Howth, where he found Sir Brook deeply engaged over the maps and plans
of his new estate; for already the preliminaries had so far advanced
that he could count upon it as his own.
“Look here, Trafford,” he cried, “and see what a noble extension
we shall give to the old grounds of the Nest. The whole of this
wood--eleven hundred and seventy acres--comes in, and this mountain down
to that stream there is ours, as well as all these meadow-lands between
the mountain and the Shannon,--one of the most picturesque estates it
will be in the kingdom. If I were to have my own way, I 'd rebuild the
house. With such foliage--fine old timber much of it--there 's
nothing would look better than one of those Venetian villas, those
half-castellated buildings one sees at the foot of the mountains of
Conigliano; and they are grand spacious places to live in, with wide
stairs, and great corridors, and terraces everywhere. I see, however,
Lendrick's heart clings to his old cottage, and we must let him have his
way.”
“What is this here?” asked Trafford, drawing out from the mass of papers
the plan of a very pretty but very diminutive cottage.
“That's to be mine. This window you see here will project over the
river, and that little terrace will be carried on arches all along the
river bank. I have designed everything, even to the furniture. You shall
see a model cottage, Trafford; not one of those gingerbread things to be
shown to strangers by ticket on Tuesdays or Saturdays, with a care-taker
to be tipped, and a book to be scribbled full of vulgar praises of the
proprietor, or doggerel ecstasies over some day of picnicking. But come
and report yourself,--where have you been, and what have you done since
I saw you?”
“I have a long budget for you. First of all, read that;” and he handed
Sir Brook Sewell's letter.
“What! do you mean to say that you met him?”
“No; I rejoice to say I have escaped that mischance; but you shall hear
everything, and in as few words as I can tell it. I have already told
you of Mrs. Sewell's visit here, and I have not a word to add to that
recital. I simply would say that I pledge my honor to the strict truth
of everything I have told you. You may imagine, then, with what surprise
I was awoke from my sleep to read that note. My first impression was to
write him a full and explicit denial of what he laid to my charge; but
as I read the letter over a third and even a fourth time, I thought I
saw that he had written it on some sort of compulsion,--that, in
fact, he had been instigated to the step, which was one he but partly
concurred in. I do not like to say more on this head.”
“You need not. Go on.”
“I then deemed that the best thing to do was to let him have his shot,
after which my explanation would come more forcibly; and as I had
determined not to fire at him, he would be forced to see that he could
not persist in his quarrel.”
“There you mistook your man,” cried Sir Brook, fiercely.
“I don't think so; but you shall hear. We must have crossed over in the
same packet, but we never met. Stanhope, who went with me, thought he
saw him on the landing-slip at Holyhead, but was not quite sure. At
all events, we reached the inn at the Head, and had just sat down to
luncheon, when the waiter brought in this note, asking which of us was
Major Trafford. Here it is:--
“'Pray accept my excuses for having given you a rough sea passage;
but, on second thoughts, I have satisfied myself that there is no valid
reason why I should try to blow your brains out, “_et pour si peu de
chose_.” As I can say without any vanity that I am a better pistol-shot
than you, I have the less hesitation in taking a step which, as a man
of honor and courage, you will certainly not misconstrue. With this
assurance, and the not less strong conviction that my conduct will be
safely treated in any representation you make of this affair, I am your
humble and faithful servant,
“'Dudley Sewell.'
“I don't think I was ever so grateful to any man in the world as I
felt to him on reading his note, since, let the event take what turn it
might, it rendered my position with the Lendricks a most perilous one.
I made Stanhope drink his health, which I own he did with a very bad
grace, telling me at the same time what good luck it was for me that
_he_ had been my friend on the occasion, for that any man but himself
would have thought me a regular poltroon. I was too happy to care for
his sarcasms, such a load had been removed from my heart, and such
terrible forebodings too.
“I started almost immediately for Holt, and got there by midnight.
All were in bed, and my arrival was only known when I came down to
breakfast. My welcome was all I could wish for. My father was looking
well, and in great spirits. The new Ministry have offered him his choice
of a Lordship of the Admiralty, or something else--I forget what; and
just because he has a fine independent fortune and loves his ease, he is
more than inclined to take office, one of his chief reasons being 'how
useful he could be to me.' I must own to you frankly that the prospect
of all these new honors to the family rather frightened than flattered
me, for I thought I saw in them the seeds of more strenuous opposition
to my marriage; but I was greatly relieved when my mother--who you may
remember had been all my difficulty hitherto--privately assured me that
she had brought my father round to her opinion, and that he was
quite satisfied--I am afraid her word was reconciled, but no
matter--reconciled to the match. I could see that you must have
been frightening her terribly by some menaced exposure of the family
pretensions, for she said over and over again, 'Why is Sir Brook so
angry with me? Can't you manage to put him in better temper with us? I
have scarcely had courage to open his letters of late. I never got such
lectures in my life.' And what a horrid memory you seem to have! She
says she 'd be afraid to see you. At all events, you have done me
good service. They agree to everything; and we are to go on a visit to
Holt,--such, at least, I believe to be the object of the letter which my
mother has written to Lucy.”
“All this is excellent news, and we 'll announce it to-night at the
Priory. As for the Sewell episode, we must not speak of it. The old
Judge has at last found out the character of the man to whose confidence
he committed himself, but his pride will prevent his ever mentioning his
name.”
“Is there any rumor afloat as to the Chief's advancement to the
Peerage?”
“None,--so far as I have heard.”
“I 'll tell you why I ask. There is an old maiden aunt of mine, a sister
of my father, who told me, in strictest confidence, that my father had
brought back from town the news that Baron Lendrick was to be created a
Peer; that it was somewhat of a party move to enable the present people
to prosecute the charge against the late Government of injustice
towards the Judge, as well as of a very shameful intrigue to obtain his
retirement. Now, if the story were true, or if my mother believed it
to be true, it would perfectly account for her satisfaction with the
marriage, and for my father's 'resignation'!”
“I had hoped her consent was given on better grounds, but it may be as
you say. Since I have turned miner, Trafford,” added he, laughing, “I
am always well content if I discover a grain of silver in a bushel of
dross, and let us take the world in the same patient way.”
“When do you intend to go to the Priory?”
“I thought of going this evening. I meant to devote the morning to these
maps and drawings, so that I might master the details before I should
show them to my friends at night.”
“Couldn't that be deferred? I mean, is there anything against your going
over at once? I 'll own to you I am very uneasy lest some incorrect
version of this affair with Sewell should get abroad. Even without any
malevolence there is plenty of mischief done by mere blundering, and I
would rather anticipate than follow such disclosures.”
“I perceive,” said Sir Brook, musingly, as with longing eyes he looked
over the colored plans and charts which strewed the table, and had for
him all the charm of a romance.
“Then,” resumed Trafford, “Lucy should have my mother's letter. It might
be that she ought to reply to it at once.”
“Yes, I perceive,” mused Sir Brook again.
“I 'm sure, besides, it would be very politic in you to keep up the good
relations you have so cleverly established with the Chief; he holds so
much to every show of attention, and is so flattered by every mark of
polite consideration for him.”
“And for all these good reasons,” said Sir Brook, slowly, “you would
say, we should set out at once. Arriving there, let us say, for
luncheon, and being begged to stay and dine,--which we certainly
should,--we might remain till, not impossibly, midnight.”
Perhaps it was the pleasure of such a prospect sent the blood to
Trafford's face, for he blushed very deeply as he said, “I don't think,
sir, I have much fault to find with your arrangement.”
“And yet the real reason for the plan remains unstated,” said
Fossbrooke, looking him steadfastly in the face, “so true is what
the Spanish proverb says, 'Love has more perfidies than war.' Why not
frankly say you are impatient to see your sweetheart, sir? I would to
Heaven the case were my own, and I 'd not be afraid nor ashamed to avow
it; but I yield to the plea, and let us be off there at once.”