Lucy Morris Misbehaves
Lucy Morris got her letter and was contented. She wanted some
demonstration of love from her lover, but very little sufficed for
her comfort. With her it was almost impossible that a man should be
loved and suspected at the same time. She could not have loved the
man, or at any rate confessed her love, without thinking well of
him; and she could not think good and evil at the same time. She had
longed for some word from him since she last saw him; and now she had
got a word. She had known that he was close to his fair cousin,--the
cousin whom she despised, and whom, with womanly instinct, she had
almost regarded as a rival. But to her the man had spoken out; and
though he was far away from her, living close to the fair cousin, she
would not allow a thought of trouble on that score to annoy her. He
was her own, and let Lizzie Eustace do her worst, he would remain her
own. But she had longed to be told that he was thinking of her, and
at last the letter had come. She answered it that same night with the
sweetest, prettiest little letter, very short, full of love and full
of confidence. Lady Fawn, she said, was the dearest of women;--but
what was Lady Fawn to her, or all the Fawns, compared with her lover?
If he could come to Richmond without disturbance to himself, let
him come; but if he felt that, in the present unhappy condition of
affairs between him and Lord Fawn, it was better that he should stay
away, she had not a word to say in the way of urging him. To see him
would be a great delight. But had she not the greater delight of
knowing that he loved her? That was quite enough to make her happy.
Then there was a little prayer that God might bless him, and an
assurance that she was in all things his own, own Lucy. When she was
writing her letter she was in all respects a happy girl.
But on the very next day there came a cloud upon her happiness,--not
in the least, however, affecting her full confidence in her lover. It
was a Saturday, and Lord Fawn came down to Richmond. Lord Fawn had
seen Mr. Greystock in London on that day, and the interview had been
by no means pleasant to him. The Under-Secretary of State for India
was as dark as a November day when he reached his mother's house, and
there fell upon every one the unintermittent cold drizzling shower of
his displeasure from the moment in which he entered the house. There
was never much reticence among the ladies at Richmond in Lucy's
presence, and since the completion of Lizzie's unfortunate visit to
Fawn Court, they had not hesitated to express open opinions adverse
to the prospects of the proposed bride. Lucy herself could say but
little in defence of her old friend, who had lost all claim upon
that friendship since the offer of the bribe had been made,--so that
it was understood among them all that Lizzie was to be regarded as
a black sheep;--but hitherto Lord Fawn himself had concealed his
feelings before Lucy. Now unfortunately he spoke out, and in speaking
was especially bitter against Frank. "Mr. Greystock has been most
insolent," he said as they were all sitting together in the library
after dinner. Lady Fawn made a sign to him and shook her head. Lucy
felt the hot blood fly into both her cheeks, but at the moment she
did not speak. Lydia Fawn put out her hand beneath the table and took
hold of Lucy's. "We must all remember that he is her cousin," said
Augusta.
"His relationship to Lady Eustace cannot justify ungentlemanlike
impertinence to me," said Lord Fawn. "He has dared to use words to me
which would make it necessary that I should call him out, only--"
"Frederic, you shall do nothing of the kind!" said Lady Fawn, jumping
up from her chair.
"Oh, Frederic, pray, pray don't!" said Augusta, springing on to her
brother's shoulder.
"I am sure Frederic does not mean that," said Amelia.
"Only that nobody does call any body out now," added the pacific
lord. "But nothing on earth shall ever induce me to speak again to
a man who is so little like a gentleman." Lydia now held Lucy's
hand still tighter, as though to prevent her rising. "He has never
forgiven me," continued Lord Fawn, "because he was so ridiculously
wrong about the Sawab."
"I am sure that had nothing to do with it," said Lucy.
"Miss Morris, I shall venture to hold my own opinion," said Lord
Fawn.
"And I shall hold mine," said Lucy bravely. "The Sawab of Mygawb had
nothing to do with what Mr. Greystock may have said or done about his
cousin. I am quite sure of it."
"Lucy, you are forgetting yourself," said Lady Fawn.
"Lucy, dear, you shouldn't contradict my brother," said Augusta.
"Take my advice, Lucy, and let it pass by," said Amelia.
"How can I hear such things said and not notice them?" demanded Lucy.
"Why does Lord Fawn say them when I am by?"
Lord Fawn had now condescended to be full of wrath against his
mother's governess. "I suppose I may express my own opinion, Miss
Morris, in my mother's house."
"And I shall express mine," said Lucy. "Mr. Greystock is a gentleman.
If you say that he is not a gentleman, it is not true." Upon hearing
these terrible words spoken, Lord Fawn rose from his seat and slowly
left the room. Augusta followed him with both her arms stretched
out. Lady Fawn covered her face with her hands, and even Amelia was
dismayed.
"Oh, Lucy! why could you not hold your tongue?" said Lydia.
"I won't hold my tongue!" said Lucy, bursting out into tears. "He is
a gentleman."
Then there was great commotion at Fawn Court. After a few moments
Lady Fawn followed her son without having said a word to Lucy, and
Amelia went with her. Poor Lucy was left with the younger girls, and
was no doubt very unhappy. But she was still indignant, and would
yield nothing. When Georgina, the fourth daughter, pointed out to her
that, in accordance with all rules of good breeding, she should have
abstained from asserting that her brother had spoken an untruth, she
blazed up again. "It was untrue," she said.
"But, Lucy, people never accuse each other of untruth. No lady should
use such a word to a gentleman."
"He should not have said so. He knows that Mr. Greystock is more to
me than all the world."
"If I had a lover," said Nina, "and anybody were to say a word
against him, I know I'd fly at them. I don't know why Frederic is to
have it all his own way."
"Nina, you're a fool," said Diana.
"I do think it was very hard for Lucy to bear," said Lydia.
"And I won't bear it!" exclaimed Lucy. "To think that Mr. Greystock
should be so mean as to bear malice about a thing like that wild
Indian because he takes his own cousin's part! Of course I'd better
go away. You all think that Mr. Greystock is an enemy now; but he
never can be an enemy to me."
"We think that Lady Eustace is an enemy," said Cecilia, "and a very
nasty enemy, too."
"I did not say a word about Lady Eustace," said Lucy. "But Mr.
Greystock is a gentleman."
About an hour after this Lady Fawn sent for Lucy, and the two were
closeted together for a long time. Lord Fawn was very angry, and had
hitherto altogether declined to overlook the insult offered. "I am
bound to tell you," declared Lady Fawn, with much emphasis, "that
nothing can justify you in having accused Lord Fawn of telling an
untruth. Of course, I was sorry that Mr. Greystock's name should have
been mentioned in your presence; but as it was mentioned, you should
have borne what was said with patience."
"I couldn't be patient, Lady Fawn."
"That is what wicked people say when they commit murder, and then
they are hung for it."
"I'll go away, Lady Fawn--"
"That is ungrateful, my dear. You know that I don't wish you to go
away. But if you behave badly, of course I must tell you of it."
"I'd sooner go away. Everybody here thinks ill of Mr. Greystock. But
I don't think ill of Mr. Greystock, and I never shall. Why did Lord
Fawn say such very hard things about him?"
It was suggested to her that she should be down-stairs early the next
morning, and apologise to Lord Fawn for her rudeness; but she would
not, on that night, undertake to do any such thing. Let Lady Fawn say
what she might, Lucy thought that the injury had been done to her,
and not to his lordship. And so they parted hardly friends. Lady
Fawn gave her no kiss as she went, and Lucy, with obstinate pride,
altogether refused to own her fault. She would only say that she had
better go, and when Lady Fawn over and over again pointed out to her
that the last thing that such a one as Lord Fawn could bear was to be
accused of an untruth, she would continue to say that in that case he
should be careful to say nothing that was untrue. All this was very
dreadful, and created great confusion and unhappiness at Fawn Court.
Lydia came into her room that night, and the two girls talked the
matter over for hours. In the morning Lucy was up early, and found
Lord Fawn walking in the grounds. She had been told that he would
probably be found walking in the grounds, if she were willing to
tender to him any apology.
Her mind had been very full of the subject,--not only in reference to
her lover, but as it regarded her own conduct. One of the elder Fawn
girls had assured her that under no circumstances could a lady be
justified in telling a gentleman that he had spoken an untruth, and
she was not quite sure but that the law so laid down was right. And
then she could not but remember that the gentleman in question was
Lord Fawn, and that she was Lady Fawn's governess. But Mr. Greystock
was her affianced lover, and her first duty was to him. And then,
granting that she herself had been wrong in accusing Lord Fawn of
untruth, she could not refrain from asking herself whether he had not
been much more wrong in saying in her hearing that Mr. Greystock was
not a gentleman? And his offence had preceded her offence, and had
caused it! She hardly knew whether she did or did not owe an apology
to Lord Fawn, but she was quite sure that Lord Fawn owed an apology
to her.
She walked straight up to Lord Fawn, and met him beneath the trees.
He was still black and solemn, and was evidently brooding over his
grievance; but he bowed to her, and stood still as she approached
him. "My lord," said she, "I am very sorry for what happened last
night."
"And so was I,--very sorry, Miss Morris."
"I think you know that I am engaged to marry Mr. Greystock?"
"I cannot allow that that has anything to do with it."
"When you think that he must be dearer to me than all the world, you
will acknowledge that I couldn't hear hard things said of him without
speaking." His face became blacker than ever, but he made no reply.
He wanted an abject begging of unconditional pardon from the little
girl who loved his enemy. If that were done, he would vouchsafe his
forgiveness; but he was too small by nature to grant it on other
terms. "Of course," continued Lucy, "I am bound to treat you with
special respect in Lady Fawn's house." She looked almost beseechingly
into his face as she paused for a moment.
"But you treated me with especial disrespect," said Lord Fawn.
"And how did you treat me, Lord Fawn?"
"Miss Morris, I must be allowed, in discussing matters with my
mother, to express my own opinions in such language as I may think
fit to use. Mr. Greystock's conduct to me was--was--was altogether
most ungentlemanlike."
"Mr. Greystock is a gentleman."
"His conduct was most offensive, and most--most ungentlemanlike. Mr.
Greystock disgraced himself."
"It isn't true!" said Lucy. Lord Fawn gave one start, and then walked
off to the house as quick as his legs could carry him.