SIR HUGH AND HIS BROTHER ARCHIE.
There was a numerous gathering of Claverings in the drawing-room of
the Great House when the family from the rectory arrived comprising
three generations; for the nurse was in the room holding the heir
in her arms. Mrs. Clavering and Fanny of course inspected the child
at once, as they were bound to do, while Lady Clavering welcomed
Florence Burton. Archie spoke a word or two to his uncle, and Sir
Hugh vouchsafed to give one finger to his cousin Harry by way
of shaking hands with him. Then there came a feeble squeak from
the infant, and there was a cloud at once upon Sir Hugh's brow.
"Hermione," he said, "I wish you wouldn't have the child in here.
It's not the place for him. He's always cross. I've said a dozen
times I wouldn't have him down here just before dinner." Then a sign
was made to the nurse, and she walked off with her burden. It was a
poor, rickety, unalluring bairn, but it was all that Lady Clavering
had, and she would fain have been allowed to show it to her
relatives, as other mothers are allowed to do.
"Hugh," said his wife, "shall I introduce you to Miss Burton?"
Then Sir Hugh came forward and shook hands with his new guest, with
some sort of apology for his remissness, while Harry stood by,
glowering at him, with offence in his eye. "My father is right,"
he had said to himself when his cousin failed to notice Florence
on her first entrance into the room; "he is impertinent as well as
disagreeable. I don't care for quarrels in the parish, and so I shall
let him know."
"Upon my word she's a doosed good-looking little thing," said Archie,
coming up to him, after having also shaken hands with her;--"doosed
good-looking, I call her."
"I'm glad you think so," said Harry, drily.
"Let's see; where was it you picked her up? I did hear, but I
forget."
"I picked her up, as you call it, at Stratton, where her father
lives."
"Oh, yes; I know. He's the fellow that coached you in your new
business, isn't he? By-the-by, Harry, I think you've made a mess of
it in changing your line. I'd have stuck to my governor's shop if I'd
been you. You'd got through all the d----d fag of it, and there's the
living that has always belonged to a Clavering."
"What would your brother have said if I had asked him to give it to
me?"
"He wouldn't have given it of course. Nobody does give anything to
anybody now-a-days. Livings are a sort of thing that people buy. But
you'd have got it under favourable circumstances."
"The fact is, Archie, I'm not very fond of the church, as a
profession."
"I should have thought it easy work. Look at your father. He keeps
a curate and doesn't take any trouble himself. Upon my word, if I'd
known as much then as I do now, I'd have had a shy for it myself.
Hugh couldn't have refused it to me."
"But Hugh can't give it while his uncle holds it."
"That would have been against me to be sure, and your governor's life
is pretty nearly as good as mine. I shouldn't have liked waiting; so
I suppose it's as well as it is."
There may perhaps have been other reasons why Archie Clavering's
regrets that he did not take holy orders were needless. He had never
succeeded in learning anything that any master had ever attempted to
teach him, although he had shown considerable aptitude in picking up
acquirements for which no regular masters are appointed. He knew the
fathers and mothers,--sires and dams I ought perhaps to say,--and
grandfathers and grandmothers, and so back for some generations,
of all the horses of note living in his day. He knew also the
circumstances of all races,--what horses would run at them, and at
what ages, what were the stakes, the periods of running, and the
special interests of each affair. But not, on that account, should it
be thought that the turf had been profitable to him. That it might
become profitable at some future time, was possible; but Captain
Archibald Clavering had not yet reached the profitable stage in
the career of a betting man, though perhaps he was beginning to
qualify himself for it. He was not bad-looking, though his face was
unprepossessing to a judge of character. He was slight and well made,
about five feet nine in height, with light brown hair, which had
already left the top of his head bald, with slight whiskers, and a
well-formed moustache. But the peculiarity of his face was in his
eyes. His eyebrows were light-coloured and very slight, and this was
made more apparent by the skin above the eyes, which was loose and
hung down over the outside corners of them, giving him a look of
cunning which was disagreeable. He seemed always to be speculating,
counting up the odds, and calculating whether anything could be done
with the events then present before him. And he was always ready to
make a bet, being ever provided with a book for that purpose. He
would take the odds that the sun did not rise on the morrow, and
would either win the bet or wrangle in the losing of it. He would
wrangle, but would do so noiselessly, never on such occasions
damaging his cause by a loud voice. He was now about thirty-three
years of age, and was two years younger than the baronet. Sir Hugh
was not a gambler like his brother, but I do not know that he
was therefore a more estimable man. He was greedy and anxious to
increase his store, never willing to lose that which he possessed,
fond of pleasure, but very careful of himself in the enjoyment of
it, handsome, every inch an English gentleman in appearance, and
therefore popular with men and women of his own class who were not
near enough to him to know him well, given to but few words, proud
of his name, and rank, and place, well versed in the business of the
world, a match for most men in money matters, not ignorant, though he
rarely opened a book, selfish, and utterly regardless of the feelings
of all those with whom he came in contact. Such were Sir Hugh
Clavering and his brother the captain.
Sir Hugh took Florence in to dinner, and when the soup had been eaten
made an attempt to talk to her. "How long have you been here, Miss
Burton?"
"Nearly a week," said Florence.
"Ah;--you came to the wedding; I was sorry I couldn't be here. It
went off very well, I suppose?"
"Very well indeed, I think."
"They're tiresome things in general,--weddings. Don't you think so?"
"Oh dear, no,--except that some person one loves is always being
taken away."
"You'll be the next person to be taken away yourself, I suppose?"
"I must be the next person at home, because I am the last that is
left. All my sisters are married."
"And how many are there?"
"There are five married."
"Good heavens--five!"
"And they are all married to men in the same profession as Harry."
"Quite a family affair," said Sir Hugh. Harry, who was sitting on
the other side of Florence, heard this, and would have preferred
that Florence should have said nothing about her sisters. "Why,
Harry," said the baronet, "if you will go into partnership with your
father-in-law and all your brothers-in-law you could stand against
the world."
"You might add my four brothers," said Florence, who saw no shame in
the fact that they were all engaged in the same business.
"Good heaven!" exclaimed Sir Hugh, and after that he did not say much
more to Florence.
The rector had taken Lady Clavering in to dinner, and they two did
manage to carry on between them some conversation respecting the
parish affairs. Lady Clavering was not active among the poor,--nor
was the rector himself, and perhaps neither of them knew how little
the other did; but they could talk Clavering talk, and the parson was
willing to take for granted his neighbour's good will to make herself
agreeable. But Mrs. Clavering, who sat between Sir Hugh and Archie,
had a very bad time of it. Sir Hugh spoke to her once during the
dinner, saying that he hoped she was satisfied with her daughter's
marriage; but even this he said in a tone that seemed to imply that
any such satisfaction must rest on very poor grounds. "Thoroughly
satisfied," said Mrs. Clavering, drawing herself up and looking very
unlike the usual Mrs. Clavering of the rectory. After that there was
no further conversation between her and Sir Hugh. "The worst of him
to me is always this," she said that evening to her husband, "that he
puts me so much out of conceit with myself. If I were with him long I
should begin to find myself the most disagreeable woman in England!"
"Then pray don't be with him long," said the rector.
But Archie made conversation throughout dinner, and added greatly to
Mrs. Clavering's troubles by doing so. There was nothing in common
between them, but still Archie went on laboriously with his work.
It was a duty which he recognized, and at which he would work hard.
When he had used up Mary's marriage, a subject which he economized
carefully, so that he brought it down to the roast saddle of mutton,
he began upon Harry's match. When was it to be? Where were they to
live? Was there any money? What manner of people were the Burtons?
Perhaps he might get over it? This he whispered very lowly, and it
was the question next in sequence to that about the money. When, in
answer to this, Mrs. Clavering with considerable energy declared that
anything of that kind would be a misfortune of which there seemed
to be no chance whatever, he recovered himself as he thought very
skilfully. "Oh, yes; of course; that's just what I meant;--a doosed
nice girl I think her;--a doosed nice girl, all round." Archie's
questions were very laborious to his fellow-labourer in his
conversation because he never allowed one of them to pass without an
answer. He always recognized the fact that he was working hard on
behalf of society, and, as he used to say himself, that he had no
idea of pulling all the coach up the hill by his own shoulders.
Whenever therefore he had made his effort he waited for his
companion's, looking closely into her face, cunningly driving her on,
so that she also should pull her share of the coach. Before dinner
was over Mrs. Clavering found the hill to be very steep, and the
coach to be very heavy. "I'll bet you seven to one," said he,--and
this was his parting speech as Mrs. Clavering rose up at Lady
Clavering's nod,--"I'll bet you seven to one, that the whole box and
dice of them are married before me,--or at any rate as soon; and I
don't mean to remain single much longer, I can tell you." The "box
and dice of them" was supposed to comprise Harry, Florence, Fanny,
and Lady Ongar, of all of whom mention had been made, and that saving
clause,--"at any rate as soon,"--was cunningly put in, as it had
occurred to Archie that he perhaps might be married on the same day
as one of those other persons. But Mrs. Clavering was not compelled
either to accept or reject the bet, as she was already moving before
the terms had been fully explained to her.
Lady Clavering as she went out of the room stopped a moment behind
Harry's chair and whispered a word to him. "I want to speak to you
before you go to-night." Then she passed on.
"What's that Hermione was saying?" asked Sir Hugh, when he had shut
the door.
"She only told me that she wanted to speak to me."
"She has always got some cursed secret," said Sir Hugh. "If there is
anything I hate, it's a secret." Now this was hardly fair, for Sir
Hugh was a man very secret in his own affairs, never telling his
wife anything about them. He kept two banker's accounts so that no
banker's clerk might know how he stood as regarded ready money, and
hardly treated even his lawyer with confidence.
He did not move from his own chair, so that, after dinner, his uncle
was not next to him. The places left by the ladies were not closed
up, and the table was very uncomfortable.
"I see they're going to have another week after this with the
Pytchley," said Sir Hugh to his brother.
"I suppose they will,--or ten days. Things ain't very early this
year."
"I think I shall go down. It's never any use trying to hunt here
after the middle of March."
"You're rather short of foxes, are you not?" said the rector, making
an attempt to join the conversation.
"Upon my word I don't know anything about it," said Sir Hugh.
"There are foxes at Clavering," said Archie, recommencing his duty.
"The hounds will be here on Saturday, and I'll bet three to one I
find a fox before twelve o'clock, or, say, half-past twelve,--that
is, if they'll draw punctually and let me do as I like with the pack.
I'll bet a guinea we find, and a guinea we run, and a guinea we kill;
that is, you know, if they'll really look for a fox."
The rector had been willing to fall into a little hunting talk for
the sake of society, but he was not prepared to go the length that
Archie proposed to take him, and therefore the subject dropped.
"At any rate I shan't stay here after to-morrow," said Sir Hugh,
still addressing himself to his brother. "Pass the wine, will you,
Harry; that is, if your father is drinking any."
"No more wine for me," said the rector, almost angrily.
"Liberty Hall," said Sir Hugh; "everybody does as they like about
that. I mean to have another bottle of claret. Archie, ring the bell,
will you?" Captain Clavering, though he was further from the bell
than his elder brother, got up and did as he was bid. The claret
came, and was drunk almost in silence. The rector, though he had a
high opinion of the cellar of the great house, would take none of
the new bottle, because he was angry. Harry filled his glass, and
attempted to say something. Sir Hugh answered him by a monosyllable,
and Archie offered to bet him two to one that he was wrong.
"I'll go into the drawing-room," said the rector, getting up.
"All right," said Sir Hugh; "you'll find coffee there, I daresay. Has
your father given up wine?" he asked, as soon as the door was closed.
"Not that I know of," said Harry.
"He used to take as good a whack as any man I know. The bishop hasn't
put his embargo on that as well as the hunting, I hope?" To this
Harry made no answer.
"He's in the blues, I think," said Archie. "Is there anything the
matter with him, Harry?"
"Nothing as far as I know."
"If I were left at Clavering all the year, with nothing to do, as
he is, I think I should drink a good deal of wine," said Sir Hugh.
"I don't know what it is,--something in the air, I suppose,--but
everybody always seems to me to be dreadfully dull here. You ain't
taking any wine either. Don't stop here out of ceremony, you know,
if you want to go after Miss Burton." Harry took him at his word,
and went after Miss Burton, leaving the brothers together over their
claret.
The two brothers remained drinking their wine, but they drank it in
an uncomfortable fashion, not saying much to each other for the first
ten minutes after the other Claverings were gone. Archie was in some
degree afraid of his brother, and never offered to make any bets with
him. Hugh had once put a stop to this altogether. "Archie," he had
said, "pray understand that there is no money to be made out of me,
at any rate not by you. If you lost money to me, you wouldn't think
it necessary to pay; and I certainly shall lose none to you." The
habit of proposing to bet had become with Archie so much a matter of
course, that he did not generally intend any real speculation by his
offers; but with his brother he had dropped even the habit. And he
seldom began any conversation with Hugh unless he had some point
to gain,--an advance of money to ask, or some favour to beg in the
way of shooting, or the loan of a horse. On such occasions he would
commence the negotiation with his usual diplomacy, not knowing any
other mode of expressing his wishes; but he was aware that his
brother would always detect his manoeuvres, and expose them before
he had got through his first preface; and, therefore, as I have said,
he was afraid of Hugh.
"I don't know what's come to my uncle of late," said Hugh, after a
while. "I think I shall have to drop them at the rectory altogether."
"He never had much to say for himself."
"But he has a mode of expressing himself without speaking, which I
do not choose to put up with at my table. The fact is they are going
to the mischief at the rectory. His eldest girl has just married a
curate."
"Fielding has got a living."
"It's something very small then, and I suppose Fanny will marry that
prig they have here. My uncle himself never does any of his own work,
and now Harry is going to make a fool of himself. I used to think he
would fall on his legs."
"He is a clever fellow."
"Then why is he such a fool as to marry such a girl as this, without
money, good looks, or breeding? It's well for you he is such a fool,
or else you wouldn't have a chance."
"I don't see that at all," said Archie.
"Julia always had a sneaking fondness for Harry, and if he had waited
would have taken him now. She was very near making a fool of herself
with him once, before Lord Ongar turned up."
To this Archie said nothing, but he changed colour, and it may almost
be said of him that he blushed. Why he was affected in so singular a
manner by his brother's words will be best explained by a statement
of what took place in the back drawing-room a little later in the
evening.
When Harry reached the drawing-room he went up to Lady Clavering, but
she said nothing to him then of especial notice. She was talking
to Mrs. Clavering while the rector was reading,--or pretending to
read,--a review, and the two girls were chattering together in
another part of the room. Then they had coffee, and after awhile the
two other men came in from their wine. Lady Clavering did not move at
once, but she took the first opportunity of doing so, when Sir Hugh
came up to Mrs. Clavering and spoke a word to her. A few minutes
after that Harry found himself closeted with Lady Clavering, in a
little room detached from the others, though the doors between the
two were open.
"Do you know," said Lady Clavering, "that Sir Hugh has asked Julia to
come here?" Harry paused a moment, and then acknowledged that he did
know it.
"I hope you did not advise her to refuse."
"I advise her! Oh dear, no. She did not ask me anything about it."
"But she has refused. Don't you think she has been very wrong?"
"It is hard to say," said Harry. "You know I thought it very cruel
that Hugh did not receive her immediately on her return. If I had
been him I should have gone to Paris to meet her."
"It's no good talking of that now, Harry. Hugh is hard, and we all
know that. Who feels it most, do you think; Julia or I? But as he has
come round, what can she gain by standing off? Will it not be the
best thing for her to come here?"
"I don't know that she has much to gain by it."
"Harry,--do you know that we have a plan?" "Who is we?" Harry asked;
but she went on without noticing his question. "I tell you, because I
believe you can help us more than any one, if you will. Only for your
engagement with Miss Burton I should not mention it to you; and, but
for that, the plan would, I daresay, be of no use."
"What is the plan?" said Harry, very gravely. A vague idea of
what the plan might be had come across Harry's mind during Lady
Clavering's last speech.
"Would it not be a good thing if Julia and Archie were to be
married?" She asked the question in a quick, hesitating voice,
looking at first eagerly up into his face, and then turning away her
eyes, as though she were afraid of the answer she might read there.
"Of course I know that you were fond of her, but all that can be
nothing now."
"No," said Harry, "that can be nothing now."
"Then why shouldn't Archie have her? It would make us all so much
more comfortable together. I told Archie that I should speak to you,
because I know that you have more weight with her than any of us; but
Hugh doesn't know that I mean it."
"Does Sir Hugh know of the,--the plan?"
"It was he who proposed it. Archie will be very badly off when he has
settled with Hugh about all their money dealings. Of course Julia's
money would be left in her own hands; there would be no intention to
interfere with that. But the position would be so good for him; and
it would, you know, put him on his legs."
"Yes," said Harry, "it would put him on his legs, I daresay."
"And why shouldn't it be so? She can't live alone by herself always.
Of course she never could have really loved Lord Ongar."
"Never, I should think," said Harry.
"And Archie is good-natured, and good-tempered,
and--and--and--good-looking. Don't you think so? I think it would
just do for her. She'd have her own way, for he's not a bit like
Hugh, you know. He's not so clever as Hugh, but he is much more
good-natured. Don't you think it would be a good arrangement, Harry?"
Then again she looked up into his face anxiously.
Nothing in the whole matter surprised him more than her eagerness in
advocating the proposal. Why should she desire that her sister should
be sacrificed in this way? But in so thinking of it he forgot her own
position, and the need that there was to her for some friend to be
near to her,--for some comfort and assistance. She had spoken truly
in saying that the plan had originated with her husband; but since it
had been suggested to her, she had not ceased to think of it, and to
wish for it.
"Well, Harry, what do you say?" she asked.
"I don't see that I have anything to say."
"But I know you can help us. When I was with her the last time she
declared that you were the only one of us she ever wished to see
again. She meant to include me then especially, but of course she was
not thinking of Archie. I know you can help us if you will."
"Am I to ask her to marry him?"
"Not exactly that; I don't think that would do any good. But you
might persuade her to come here. I think she would come if you
advised her; and then, after a bit, you might say a good word for
Archie."
"Upon my word I could not."
"Why not, Harry?"
"Because I know he would not make her happy. What good would such a
marriage do her?"
"Think of her position. No one will visit her unless she is first
received here, or at any rate unless she comes to us in town. And
then it would be up-hill work. Do you know Lord Ongar had absolutely
determined at one time to--to get a divorce?"
"And do you believe that she was guilty?"
"I don't say that. No; why should I believe anything against my own
sister when nothing is proved. But that makes no difference, if the
world believes it. They say now that if he had lived three months
longer she never would have got the money."
"Then they say lies. Who is it says so? A parcel of old women who
delight in having some one to run down and backbite. It is all false,
Lady Clavering."
"But what does it signify, Harry? There she is, and you know how
people are talking. Of course it would be best for her to marry
again; and if she would take Archie,--Sir Hugh's brother, my
brother-in-law, nothing further would be said. She might go anywhere
then. As her sister, I feel sure that it is the best thing she could
do."
Harry's brow became clouded, and there was a look of anger on his
face as he answered her.
"Lady Clavering," he said, "your sister will never marry my cousin
Archie. I look upon the thing as impossible."
"Perhaps it is, Harry, that you,--you yourself would not wish it."
"Why should I wish it?"
"He is your own cousin."
"Cousin indeed! Why should I wish it, or why should I not wish it?
They are neither of them anything to me."
"She ought not to be anything to you."
"And she is nothing. She may marry Archie, if she pleases, for me. I
shall not set her against him. But, Lady Clavering, you might as well
tell him to get one of the stars. I don't think you can know your
sister when you suppose such a match to be possible."
"Hermione!" shouted Sir Hugh,--and the shout was uttered in a voice
that always caused Lady Clavering to tremble.
"I am coming," she said, rising from her chair. "Don't set yourself
against it, Harry," and then, without waiting to hear him further,
she obeyed her husband's summons. "What the mischief keeps you in
there?" he said. It seemed that things had not been going well in the
larger room. The rector had stuck to his review, taking no notice of
Sir Hugh when he entered. "You seem to be very fond of your book, all
of a sudden," Sir Hugh had said, after standing silent on the rug for
a few minutes.
"Yes, I am," said the rector,--"just at present."
"It's quite new with you, then," said Sir Hugh, "or else you're very
much belied."
"Hugh," said Mr. Clavering, rising slowly from his chair, "I don't
often come into my father's house, but when I do, I wish to be
treated with respect. You are the only person in this parish that
ever omits to do so."
"Bosh!" said Sir Hugh.
The two girls sat cowering in their seats, and poor Florence
must have begun to entertain an uncomfortable idea of her future
connexions. Archie made a frantic attempt to raise some conversation
with Mrs. Clavering about the weather. Mrs. Clavering, paying no
attention to Archie whatever, looked at her husband with beseeching
eyes. "Henry," she said, "do not allow yourself to be angry; pray do
not. What is the use?"
"None on earth," he said, returning to his book. "No use on
earth;--and worse than none in showing it."
Then it was that Sir Hugh had made a diversion by calling to his
wife. "I wish you'd stay with us, and not go off alone with one
person in particular, in that way." Lady Clavering looked round and
immediately saw that things were unpleasant. "Archie," she said,
"will you ring for tea?" And Archie did ring. The tea was brought,
and a cup was taken all round, almost in silence.
Harry in the meantime remained by himself thinking of what he had
heard from Lady Clavering. Archie Clavering marry Lady Ongar,--marry
his Julia! It was impossible. He could not bring himself even to
think of such an arrangement with equanimity. He was almost frantic
with anger as he thought of this proposition to restore Lady Ongar to
the position in the world's repute which she had a right to claim, by
such a marriage as that. "She would indeed be disgraced then," said
Harry to himself. But he knew that it was impossible. He could see
what would be the nature of Julia's countenance if Archie should ever
get near enough to her to make his proposal! Archie indeed! There
was no one for whom, at that moment, he entertained so thorough a
contempt as he did for his cousin, Archie Clavering.
Let us hope that he was no dog in the manger;--that the feelings
which he now entertained for poor Archie would not have been roused
against any other possible suitor who might have been named as a
fitting husband for Lady Ongar. Lady Ongar could be nothing to him!
But I fear that he was a dog in the manger, and that any marriage
contemplated for Lady Ongar, either by herself or by others for her,
would have been distasteful to him,--unnaturally distasteful. He knew
that Lady Ongar could be nothing to him; and yet, as he came out of
the small room into the larger room, there was something sore about
his heart, and the soreness was occasioned by the thought that any
second marriage should be thought possible for Lady Ongar. Florence
smiled on him as he went up to her, but I doubt whether she would
have smiled had she known all his heart.
Soon after that Mrs. Clavering rose to return home, having swallowed
a peace-offering in the shape of a cup of tea. But though the tea
had quieted the storm then on the waters, there was no true peace in
the rector's breast. He shook hands cordially with Lady Clavering,
without animosity with Archie, and then held out three fingers to the
baronet. The baronet held out one finger. Each nodded at the other,
and so they parted. Harry, who knew nothing of what had happened, and
who was still thinking of Lady Ongar, busied himself with Florence,
and they were soon out of the house, walking down the broad road from
the front door.
"I will never enter that house again, when I know that Hugh Clavering
is in it," said the rector.
"Don't make rash assertions, Henry," said his wife.
"I hope it is not rash, but I make that assertion," he said. "I will
never again enter that house as my nephew's guest. I have borne a
great deal for the sake of peace, but there are things which a man
cannot bear."
Then, as they walked home, the two girls explained to Harry what had
occurred in the larger room, while he was talking to Lady Clavering
in the smaller one. But he said nothing to them of the subject of
that conversation.