HUNTING.
Emily told Mr. Dayman the whole truth. Poor fellow! he could not face
Fulk again, and went back to Canada.
No doubt Emily went through a great deal, but we never exactly knew
what.
Fulk wrote to Mrs. Deerhurst, stating that he hoped in four years' time
to be able to purchase the farm, of which he had the lease, and without
going into the past, asking her sanction to the engagement.
She sent a cold letter in answer, to desire that the impertinence
should not be repeated.
And Emily wrote that her mother would not hear of the engagement, and
she knew Fulk would not wish her to deceive or disobey, "And so we must
trust one another still; but how sweet to do that!"
And when any of us met her there were precious little words and looks,
and Fulk meant to try again after the four years. In the meantime he
was much respected, and had made himself a place of his own. It chafed
Hester to perceive that though she had pulled us down she could not
depress us after the first. She had lowered her position, too, by her
marriage. At first Perrault was on his good behaviour, and made a
favourable impression among the second-rate Shinglebay society Hester
got round her; but as the hopes of the title coming to her diminished,
he kept less within bounds, did not treat her well at home, and took to
racing and gambling.
I never could get Fulk to share my alarms about Alured, but he did not
think Perrault's society fit for the boy, told Alured so, and forbade
him to go to Spinney Lawn. But though Alured was much improved as to
obedience, it was almost impossible to enforce this command. Hester
had some strange fascination for him. She would fiercely caress him at
times, and he knew she was his sister, and could not see why, when she
was often alone, he should not be with her. The passion for Trevor was
in full force, too, and the boys could not be content only to meet at
the farm. We tried sending Alured to make visits from home in the
holidays, but he did not like it, and he was not happy; his heart was
with his home, and with Trevor. We tried having a tutor for the spring
holidays before he went to Eton, but it did not answer. He was not a
sensible man, did not like dining in the keeping-room with the
household, and though he did it, he showed that he thought it a
condescension.
Moreover, instead of attending to Alured, he was always trying to flirt
with Jaquetta, infinitely disturbing Arthur Cradock's peace; and the
end of it was, that Alured was a great deal more left to his own
devices than ever he had been before, and exasperated besides.
He was in that mood, when one day, as he was riding along the lanes, he
met Perrault and Trevor coming in from hunting.
Alured had a very pretty pony, but he was growing rather large for it,
and Fulk had promised that, if he worked well at Eton, he should have a
lovely little Arab, that was being trained by a dealer he knew; and
that another year, Fulk himself would go out hunting with him.
Perrault began to pity him for having missed the run. Why did not his
brother take him out? Fulk's old mare was a sort of elephant, and it
was not convenient to get another horse just then. That Alured knew
and explained, but he was pitied the more for being kept back, and
Perrault ended by saying that if on the next hunting day he could meet
them at the corner of the park, a capital mount should be there for him.
The hour was attainable if Alured made haste with his studies, and he
accepted gladly, and without compunction. Fulk had never in so many
words forbidden him, and besides, Fulk had delegated his authority to
the hateful tutor.
But the next morning, before Alured was up Trevor was in his bedroom.
"You won't go, Trevorsham?"
"Yes, I shall; I'm not such a muff as to stay for that fellow."
But I need not try to tell what passed, as of course I did not hear it;
I never so much as knew of it till long after, only Trevorsham was
determined, and Trevor tried all round the due arguments of principle,
honour, and duty; but Alured had worked up a schoolboy
self-justification on all points, and besides had the stronghold of "I
will," and "I don't care."
Then Trevor told him, under his breath, he was sure it was not a safe
horse. But my high-spirited boy laughed this to scorn. "And perhaps
he'll play you some trick," added Trevor. But Trevorsham was still
undaunted in his self-will, till Trevor resolutely announced his
determination, if nothing else would stop it, of going at once to Fulk,
and informing him.
The boy endured all the rage and scorn that a threat so contrary to all
schoolboy codes of honour and friendship might deserve. I believe
Alured struck him, but at any rate Trevor Lea gained his point, though
at the cost of a desperate quarrel.
Alured held aloof and sulked at him for the remaining fortnight at
home, and only vouchsafed the explanation to us that "Lea was a horrid
little sneak, and he had done with him."
They did not make it up till they met in the same house at Eton, and
then, though Trevor was placed far above Alured, they became as
friendly as ever. In fact, I believe, Alured, having imprudently
denominated himself by his full title, was having it kicked out of him,
when the fortunate possessor of the monosyllabic name came and stood by
him and made common cause, to the entire renewing of love.
Poor Trevor! his was a dreary home. His mother loved him passionately,
but she was an anxious, worn, disappointed woman, always craving,
restless and expectant of something, and Perrault was always tormenting
her for money. He was deeply in debt, and though he could not touch
the bulk of her fortune--neither, indeed, could she, as it was conveyed
to trustees--he was always demanding money of her, and bullying her;
while matters grew worse and worse, and they were in danger of having
to let Spinney Lawn and go to live abroad.
As to keeping Trevor at Eton that was becoming impossible. At
Christmas the tutor consulted Fulk about how he should get Lea's bills
paid, and intimated that he must not return unless this were done.
And poor Trevor himself had little comfort except with us. We
encouraged him to come to us, for we had all come to have a very real
love for the dear lad himself, and we saw he was unhappy at home;
besides that, it was the only way of keeping Alured contented.
Trevor had entirely left off inviting Alured to Spinney Lawn. Partly,
he was too gentlemanly and good a boy not to be ashamed of the men who
hung about the stables; and besides, we now perceive that the same
awful impression that was on Emily Deerhurst was upon him, and that he
had a sense that Trevorsham was regarded in a manner that made his
presence there a peril.
He was but a boy, and it was an undefined horror, and he never breathed
a word of it; but oh, there was a weight on that young brow, an anxious
look about the face, and though now and then he would be all joy and
fun, still there was the older, more sorrowful look about him.
We thought he was grieving at not going back to Eton, and Fulk was
living in hopes of an answer to the letter he had written to Francis
Dayman about it, but that was not all. One day--Christmas Eve it
was--Mr. Cradock, on coming into the church to look at the holly
wreaths, found Trevor kneeling on his father's gravestone in the
pavement, sobbing as if his heart was breaking, and heard between the
sobs a broken prayer about "Forgive"--"don't let them do it"--"turn
mother's heart."
Then Mr. Cradock went out of hearing, but he waited for the boy
outside, and asked if he could do anything for him.
"No." Trevor shook his head, thanked him, and grew reserved.