REPARATION.
With all Mr. Redmain's faults, there was a certain love of justice in
the man; only, as is the case with most of us, it had ten times the
reference to the action of other people that it had to his own: I mean,
he made far greater demand for justice upon other people than upon
himself; and was much more indignant at any shortcoming of theirs which
crossed any desire or purpose of his than he was anxious in his own
person to fulfill justice when that fulfillment in its turn would cross
any wish he cherished. Badly as he had himself behaved to Mary, he was
now furious with his wife for having treated her so heartlessly that
she could not return to her service; for he began to think she might be
one to depend upon, and to desire her alliance in the matter of ousting
Sepia from the confidence of his wife.
However indifferent a woman may be to the opinion of her husband, he
can nevertheless in general manage to make her uncomfortable enough if
he chooses; and Mr. Redmain did choose now, in the event of her
opposition to his wishes: when he set himself to do a thing, he hated
defeat even more than he loved success.
The moment Mary was out of the study, he walked into his wife's
boudoir, and shut the door behind him. His presence there was enough to
make her angry, but she took no notice of it.
"I understand, Mrs. Redmain," he began, "that you wish to bring the
fate of Sodom upon the house."
"I do not know what you mean," she answered, scarcely raising her eyes
from her novel--and spoke the truth, for she knew next to nothing of
the Bible, while the Old Testament was all the literature Mr. Redmain
was "up in."
"You have turned out of it the only just person in it, and we shall all
be in hell soon!"
"How dare you come to my room with such horrid language!"
"You'll hear worse before long, if you keep on at this rate. My
language is not so bad as your actions. If you don't have that girl
back, and in double-quick time, too, I shall know how to make you!"
"You have taught me to believe you capable of anything."
"You shall at least find me capable of a good deal. Do you imagine,
madam, I have found you a hair worse than I expected?"
"I never took the trouble to imagine anything about you."
"Then I need not ask you whether I married you to please you or to
please myself?"
"You need not. You can best answer that question yourself."
"Then we understand each other."
"We do not, Mr. Redmain; and, if this occurs again, I shall go to
Durnmelling."
She spoke with a vague idea that he also stood in some awe of the
father and mother whose dread, however well she hid it, she would
never, while she lived, succeed in shaking off. But to the husband it
was a rare delight to speak with conscious rectitude in the moral
chastisement of his wife. He burst into a loud and almost merry laugh.
"Happy they will be to see you there, madam! Why, you goose, if I send
a telegram before you, they won't so much as open the door to you! They
know better which side their bread is buttered."
Hesper started up in a rage. This was too much--and the more too much,
that she believed it would be as he said.
"Mr. Redmain, if you do not leave the room, I will."
"Oh, don't!" he cried, in a tone of pretended alarm. His pleasure was
great, for he had succeeded in stinging the impenetrable. "You really
ought to consider before you utter such an awful threat! I will go
myself a thousand times rather!--But will you not feel the want of
pocket-money when you come to pay a rough cabman? The check I gave you
yesterday will not last you long."
"The money is my own, Mr. Redmain."
"But you have not yet opened a banking-account in your own name."
"I suppose you have a meaning, Mr. Redmain; but I am not in the habit
of using cabs."
"Then you had better get into the habit; for I swear to you, madam, if
you don't fetch that girl home within the week, I will, next Monday,
discharge your coachman, and send every horse in the stable to
Tattersall's! Good morning."
She had no doubt he would do as he said; she knew Mr. Redmain would
just enjoy selling her horses. But she could not at once give in. I say
"_could_ not," because hers was the weak will that can hardly bring
itself to do what it knows it must, and is continually mistaken for the
strong will that defies and endures. She had a week to think about it,
and she would see!
During the interval, he took care not once to refer to his threat, for
that would but weaken the impression of it, he knew.
On the Sunday, after service, she knocked at his door, and, being
admitted, bade him good morning, but with no very gracious air--as,
indeed, he would have been the last to expect.
"We have had a sermon on the forgiveness of injuries, Mr. Redmain," she
said.
"By Jove!" interrupted her husband, "it would have been more to the
purpose if I, or poor Mary Marston, had had it; for I swear you put our
souls in peril!"
"The ring was no common one, Mr. Redmain; and the young woman had, by
leaving the house, placed herself in a false position: every one
suspected her as much as I did. Besides, she lost her temper, and
talked about forgiving _me_, when I was in despair about my ring!"
"And what, pray, was your foolish ring compared to the girl's
character?"
"A foolish ring, indeed!--Yes, it was foolish to let you ever have the
right to give it me! But, as to her character, that of persons in her
position is in constant peril. They have to lay their account with
that, and must get used to it. How was I to know? We can not read each
other's hearts."
"Not where there is no heart in the reader."
Hesper's face flushed, but she did her best not to lose her temper. Not
that it would have been any great loss if she had, for there is as much
difference in the values of tempers as in those who lose them. She said
nothing, and her husband resumed:
"So you came to forgive me?" he said.
"And Marston," she answered.
"Well, I will accept the condescension--that is, if the terms of it are
to my mind."
"I will make no terms. Marston may return when she pleases."
"You must write and ask her."
"Of course, Mr. Redmain. It would hardly be suitable that _you_ should
ask her."
"You must write so as to make it possible to accept your offer."
"I am not deceitful, Mr. Redmain."
"You are not. A man must be fair, even to his wife."
"I will show you the letter I write."
"If you please."
She had to show him half a score ere he was satisfied, declaring he
would do it himself, if she could not make a better job of it.
At length one was dispatched, received, and answered: Mary would not
return. She had lost all hope of being of any true service to Mrs.
Redmain, and she knew that, with Tom and Letty, she was really of use
for the present. Mrs. Redmain carried the letter, with ill-concealed
triumph, to her husband; nor did he conceal his annoyance.
"You must have behaved to her very cruelly," he said. "But you have
done your best now--short of a Christian apology, which it would be
folly to demand of you. I fear we have seen the last of her."--"And
there was I," he said to himself, "for the first time in my life,
actually beginning to fancy I had perhaps thrown salt upon the tail of
that rare bird, an honest woman! The devil has had quite as much to do
with my history as with my character! Perhaps that will be taken into
the account one day."
But Mary lay awake at night, and thought of many things she might have
said and done better when she was with Hesper, and would gladly have
given herself another chance; but she could no longer flatter herself
she would ever be of any real good to her. She believed there was more
hope of Mr. Redmain even. For had she not once, for one brief moment,
seen him look a trifle ashamed of himself? while Hesper was and
remained, so far as she could judge, altogether satisfied with herself.
Equal to her own demands upon herself, there was nothing in her to
begin with--no soil to work upon.