The blue waters of the British Channel sparkled brightly in the rays of
the sun, shining forth from a cloudless sky, as a light breeze from the
northward filled the sails of a small yacht which glided smoothly along
the southern coast of England. At the helm of the little vessel stood
her owner, Captain Maynard, a retired naval officer. Next to his fair
young daughter, Clara, the old sailor looked upon his yacht as one of
the most beautiful things in existence. Though her crew consisted but
of two men and a boy, and she measured scarcely five-and-twenty tons, he
declared that if it were necessary he would sail round the world in her
without the slightest hesitation.
"Flatten in the jib, and take a pull at the main-sheet, my lads, and we
shall run into the bay without a tack, if the wind holds as it does
now," he sang out.
The men, as they came aft to execute the latter order, had to disturb
some of the passengers, of whom there were several, seated on cloaks
round the skylight, or standing up holding on to the weather rigging, or
leaning against the main-boom. Clara Maynard, accustomed to yachting,
promptly moved to windward, aided by Harry Caulfield, a young military
officer, who had ridden over that morning to Luton, for the pleasure of
making a trip on board the yacht; but her aunt, Miss Sarah Pemberton,
looked somewhat annoyed at being asked to shift her seat. Harry,
however, came to her assistance, and placed a camp-stool for her against
the weather bulwarks.
"I am sorry, Sarah, to inconvenience you," said the captain,
good-naturedly, "but we haven't as much room on board the _Ariadne_ as
on the deck of a line-of-battle ship."
The captain had called his yacht after the first ship in which he went
to sea.
The cutter having rounded a lofty point, a small and beautiful bay
opened out ahead; and the wind remaining steady, without making another
tack, she stood in directly for it.
"We could not have chosen a more lovely spot for our picnic," exclaimed
Clara. "See, Aunt Sarah--I am sure you will be pleased when you get
there. Watch those picturesque cliffs, ever changing in shape as we
sail along--and see those breezy downs above them, and the fine yellow
sands below, and that pretty valley with the old fisherman's cottage on
one side, and the clear stream running down its centre, and leaping over
the rocks in a tiny cascade."
"I shall be very glad to get safe on shore," answered Miss Pemberton,
who had been persuaded, much against her will, to venture for the first
time on board the little _Ariadne_.
She had been invited, on the death of Clara's mother, her younger
sister, to take up her abode with her widowed brother-in-law, and had
only lately accepted his frequently repeated offer. Whatever good
qualities she might have possessed, she was certainly not attractive in
appearance, being tall and thin, with a cold and forbidding manner.
Clara treated her aunt with due respect, and did all she could to win
her affections, though she tried in vain to bestow that love she would
willingly have given. Miss Pemberton presented a strong contrast to her
niece, who was generally admired. Clara was very fair, of moderate
height, and of a slight and elegant figure, with regular features and a
pleasing smile; though a physiognomist might have suspected that she
wanted the valuable quality of firmness, which in her position was
especially necessary; for she already possessed a good fortune, and
would inherit a considerable one. Her father, although a sailor of the
old school, was not destitute of discernment, and thoroughly
understanding her character, earnestly wished to see her married to a
sensible, upright man, who would protect her and take good care of her
property. He had therefore given every encouragement to Harry
Caulfield, son of his old and esteemed friend, General Caulfield. He
had known and liked Harry from his boyhood, and fully believed that he
possessed those sterling qualities which would tend to secure his
daughter's happiness. Harry had met her when staying with some friends
at Cheltenham, and admired her before he knew that she possessed a
fortune. He had thus the satisfaction of feeling that his love was
purely disinterested. Of this she was aware, and it had greatly
influenced her in returning his affection. When Clara wrote to her
father, from whom she had no concealments, to tell him of the attention
she was receiving from Captain Caulfield, his reply was, "I am very glad
indeed to hear it; nothing could give me greater pleasure. Tell him to
come down to Luton, and that I shall be delighted to see him."
Clara shortly afterwards returned home with her Aunt Sarah, and Harry of
course followed, accompanied by his father, the general, who, finding a
house in the neighbourhood vacant, engaged it for the sake of being near
Captain Maynard, and thus enabling the young people to be together
without depriving himself of his son's society. Harry's regiment was in
India, and he was under orders to rejoin it. Though fond of his
profession, in which he had gained distinction, and had every prospect
of rising, he at first thought of selling out; but to this his father
objected, and even Captain Maynard agreed that, as Clara was very young,
they might wait a couple of years till he had obtained another step in
rank, and that he would then consent to her accompanying him back, if
necessary, to India. The course of true love in this instance appeared
to run smoothly enough. Harry was most devoted in his attentions, and
admired Clara more and more every day he spent with her--while she was
satisfied that it would be impossible for her to love any one more; and
had not she felt that it was her duty to remain with her father, she
would willingly have married at once, and gone out to India. She saw
clearly, however, that her Aunt Sarah was not suited to take her place
or attend to her father, as she had observed of late that his health was
failing, so that even for Harry's sake she could not bring herself to
quit him. She had therefore consented to Harry's leaving her, though
not without a severe struggle. It was the first shadow which had come
over her young and hitherto happy life since the loss of her beloved
mother. She was convinced that Harry was in every way worthy of her
affections. He was a fine, handsome fellow, with frank agreeable
manners, and a large amount of good sense and judgment. He had managed
even to win the good opinion of Miss Sarah Pemberton, who was not in
general inclined to think well of young men especially of officers in
the army, whom she designated generally as an impudent, profligate set,
with fluent tongues and insinuating manners, whose chief occupation in
life was to break the hearts of young girls foolish enough to trust
them.
Among the rest of the company on board the yacht was Mary Lennard, a
girl of about fourteen years old, a sweet young creature, and a great
favourite of Clara's. She was the daughter of the Reverend John
Lennard, who had been for some years vicar of the parish of
Luton-cum-Crosham, but only as _locum tenens_, he having been requested
to take charge of it by the patron, Sir Richard Bygrave, who had
promised to bestow it on his young relative, Dick Rushworth, as soon as
Dick was of an age to take orders. The said Dick Rushworth, however,
having lately unexpectedly come into a fortune, had quitted the
university, and declined becoming a clergyman; and Sir Reginald,
influenced by his wife, had bestowed the living on her cousin, the
Reverend Ambrose Lerew, who had graduated at Oxford, and had been for
some time a curate in that diocese. He had lately married a lady
somewhat older than himself, possessed of a fair fortune, who had been
considered a belle during two or three London seasons, but had failed to
secure such a matrimonial alliance as she and her friends considered
that she ought to make when she first came out. At length, awakening to
the fact that her youth was passing away and her beauty fading, she had
consented to give her hand, and as much of a heart as she possessed, to
the fashionable-looking and well-connected young curate, an especial
favourite of her friend, Lady Bygrave.
Mr Lennard had held the living longer than he had expected, and to the
best of his ability had done his duty to his parishioners. He was a
genial, warm-hearted man, of good presence; his manners urbane and
courteous; fond of a joke, hospitable and kind, being consequently a
favourite with all classes. The more wealthy liked him for his pleasant
conversation and readiness to enter into all their gaieties and
amusements, and the poorer for the kind way in which he spoke to them,
and the assistance he afforded on all occasions when they were in
distress. He had lost his wife two or three years after he became vicar
of Luton-cum-Crosham. She had left two children, his dear little Mary,
and a son, Alfred, a tall, pale-faced youth, who was now on board the
yacht. The young gentleman had been with a tutor, and was about to go
up to Oxford. He was considered very well-behaved; but as he seldom
gave expression to his opinions, no one could ascertain much about his
character, or how he was likely to turn out. His father always spoke of
him as his good boy, who had never given him any trouble, and he fully
believed never would cause him a moments' anxiety. His tutor had sent
him home with a high character for diligence in his studies, and
attention to his religious duties, which consisted in a regular
attendance at church and at the morning and evening prayers of the
family; and his father was happy in the belief that he would do very
well in the world as a clergyman, or at the bar, or in any other
profession he might select. Still, Mary was undoubtedly his favourite,
and on her he bestowed the full affection of a father's heart. She was
indeed a most loveable little creature. Clara was especially fond of
her. Mary was so clever and sensible, that she was always a welcome
guest at Luton. Besides the persons already mentioned on board the
yacht, there was Lieutenant Sims, of the coastguard, with his wife and
daughter; a Mrs and Miss Prentiss, the latter young and pretty; Tom
Wesby, a friend of Alfred Lennard's, very like him in appearance and
manner; and an artist engaged in sketching in the neighbourhood, who had
brought a letter of introduction to Captain Maynard.
As the cutter rounded the headland before spoken of, most of the party
evinced their admiration of the scenery by expressions of delight, and
the artist exhibited his skill by making a faithful sketch in a few
minutes. The wind freshening, the cutter made rapid progress towards
the bay. Harry had taken the telescope, and was directing it towards
the shore.
"Some of our party are there already," he exclaimed; "I see my father
and Mr Lennard, and I conclude that the other people must be the new
vicar and his wife, from the unmistakable cut of the gentleman's coat,
and the lady's irreproachable costume. There are several more, though I
cannot exactly make out who they are; I see, however, that the servants
are bringing down the baskets of provisions, so we need have no fear of
starving."
"I did not expect that they would arrive so soon. The wind has been
light, and we have had the tide against us," observed Captain Maynard.
"It will run long enough, however, to take us home again, if you young
people are on board in good time. I must trust to you, Harry, to
collect all our passengers; or, should the wind drop, we may find
ourselves drifting down Channel for the best part of the night."
"Oh! that will be capital fun," cried Mrs Sims. "Mary, you'd like it
amazingly. We can sit on deck, and look at the stars, and sing songs,
and have our tea, and listen to the sailors' yarns--"
"And have the chance of being run down and sunk by one of those big
blundering iron steam-kettles," growled the lieutenant, who had the
antipathy long felt by old sailors to all the modern innovations, as he
considered them, in the navy.
As the cutter glided up towards the shore, the party standing on the
beach waved their handkerchiefs, and the ladies on board waved theirs.
The jib was taken in, the foresail hauled down, and the yacht rounding
to, the anchor was let drop at a short distance from the beach.
"Haul the boat up alongside, Tom," said Captain Maynard. "Now, Mr
Sims, I must get you to take charge of the first party for the shore."
"With the greatest pleasure in the world; I am always at the service of
the ladies," answered the lieutenant, bowing round to them, "but my
difficulty is to know who is to go first, unless I select by seniority.
Miss Sarah Pemberton, suppose I ask you--age before honesty, you know."
"You do not wish to insult me, Mr Sims?" answered the lady, bridling
up.
"Come, come, Sally, Sims never thought of such a thing; he was only
joking, or rather, let the words slip out of his mouth without knowing
what he was saying," said Captain Maynard.
"I am not fond of joking," replied Miss Sarah; "but if you wish me to go
first, I shall be very glad to get on shore, I assure you."
"Pardon me, madam," said the lieutenant, looking very penitent, and
offering his hand. "I wouldn't say a word to ruffle your sensitive
feelings, I do assure you." Miss Pemberton, being appeased, gave her
hand to the lieutenant, and though she at first showed some signs of
trepidation, stepped without difficulty into the sternsheets of the
boat. She was followed by Mrs and Miss Sims.
"Come, young Lennard, you get into the bows, and help to trim the boat,"
said Mr Sims; and shoving off, they pulled for the shore.
The boat soon reached the beach, when Mr Alfred, jumping out, wetted
his shoes, greatly to his annoyance, and went running off without
stopping to offer his assistance to the ladies. Some of the rest of the
party, however, came down to welcome them, and Mrs and Miss Sims,
being, accustomed to boating, having jumped out, the lieutenant was able
to aid Miss Pemberton in performing that, to her, hazardous operation.
"Trust to me, my good lady," he said in an encouraging tone; "now step
on this thwart--now on the next--now on the gunwale."
"What's that?" asked Miss Pemberton.
"The side of the boat, I should have said," answered the lieutenant.
"Now spring with all the agility you possess." At which the lady gave a
bound which nearly overset the gallant officer, and would have ended by
bringing her down on the sand, had not General Caulfield caught her in
his arms.
"I hope you are not hurt, my dear madam!" he exclaimed.
"I have nearly dislocated my ankle, I believe," answered Miss Pemberton.
"It is the first time I have ventured on board a yacht, and I intend
that it shall be the last, with my own good pleasure."
On this the Reverend Mr Lerew stepped forward and expressed his
sympathy to Miss Pemberton, offering her his arm to conduct her up to a
rock under the cliff, where she could sit and rest her injured foot.
"I feel grieved for you, my dear madam, that what was intended to be a
party of pleasure should commence with so untoward an event," he said.
"Do allow my wife to examine your injured ankle--she is all tenderness
and sympathy, and a gentle rubbing may perhaps restore it to its wonted
elasticity."
"I hope that I shall recover after a little rest, without giving Mrs
Lerew the trouble," answered Miss Pemberton, touched with the interest
exhibited by the new vicar. "I am deeply grateful to you. But those
sea-officers, though well-intentioned, including my poor dear
brother-in-law, are dreadfully rough and unmannerly, and have not ceased
to alarm and annoy me since I got on board that horrible little vessel,
misnamed a pleasure yacht."
"True charity would make me wish to gloss over their faults--though I
must confess I agree with you, my dear lady; but we must consider it the
result of their early education, or rather, want of education," observed
Mr Lerew, in a soft voice; "I fear, too, that their religious training
is as defective as their manners--we must, however, use our best
endeavours to correct the former, though it may be hopeless to attempt
an improvement in the latter--indeed, it is of so infinitely less
consequence, that provided we are successful in imparting the true
faith, we must rest satisfied."
"Oh, yes, I daresay I do," answered Miss Pemberton, who was thinking
more about her ankle than of what Mr Lerew was saying to her; catching
one of his words, she added, "but I don't accuse my brother-in-law of
being irreligious; I assure you, he reads prayers every morning as the
clock strikes half-past eight, and every evening at ten, with a chapter
from the Old and New Testaments, with Ryle's expositions."
"Pray, what prayers does he use?" asked Mr Lerew, in a tone which
showed that he considered the matter of great importance.
"He generally uses Bickersteth's prayers," answered Miss Pemberton.
"Sad! sad!" exclaimed Mr Lerew, in a tone of horror, "thus to neglect
the Prayer-Book and submit to the teaching of men the most deadly
enemies of the catholic faith. Do let me entreat you to beg that he
will banish Ryle and Bickersteth from his library, or rather, commit
them--I should say their works--to the flames at once, lest they should
fall into the hands of other ignorant people."
"I never thought there was any harm in them," answered Miss Pemberton,
somewhat astonished at the vehemence with which the new vicar condemned
his two brother divines, whom she had hitherto considered sound,
trustworthy teachers. "I will mention what you say to my
brother-in-law, but I suspect that he will not be easily induced to do
as you advise. I know that he considers Canon Ryle a very sensible and
pious man, and I have often heard him say that he could understand his
writings better than those of any one else he ever met with."
"Blind leaders of the blind," said Mr Lerew. "The pernicious
principles of such men are calculated to produce the overthrow of our
Holy Church, and to undermine all catholic doctrines."
"Dear me, Mr Lerew, I always thought Ryle and Bickersteth very sound
churchmen and firm advocates of the truth," said Miss Pemberton.
"Alas! alas! my dear lady; I fear there are many wolves in sheep's
clothing who have long beguiled their flocks by teaching them to rely on
their own judgment, instead of seeking for counsel and advice from those
pastors who, knowing themselves to be duly appointed from on high to
administer the holy sacraments, and grant absolution to humble
penitents, feel the importance of their sacred office," replied Mr
Lerew.
Miss Pemberton did not quite understand Mr Lerew's meaning; but as he
exhibited so much feeling and sympathy for her sprained ankle, she sat
and listened, and thought that, though he was less agreeable than Mr
Lennard, he at all events must be a very pious and excellent young
clergyman, and that since the vicar, who had been so generally liked,
was compelled to resign his office, it was fortunate for the
parishioners that they had obtained so _superior_ a _minister_.
In the meantime the boat had returned to the yacht for another freight,
Captain Maynard, with Harry, Clara, and Mary, being the last to land.
By this time most of the party had collected on the beach to welcome
them. General Caulfield, after shaking hands with the captain, led off
Clara, for the sake, as he said, of having a little talk with her. He
was very fond of his future daughter-in-law, who was exactly the girl he
desired as a wife for his son. While they were absent, the captain
chose a shady spot under the cliff for spreading the tablecloth. The
younger members of the party, under the superintendence of Mrs Sims,
were busily engaged in unpacking the hampers and baskets, and arranging
their contents.
"Alfred, ahoy! bear a hand, and place the knives and forks alongside the
plates; I like to see young men making themselves useful, instead of
throwing all the work upon the ladies," exclaimed Captain Maynard, as he
saw young Lennard sauntering off by himself, to avoid the trouble of
speaking to any one. Thus summoned, Alfred was compelled to return,
when Mary, with a merry laugh, put a bundle of knives and forks into his
hands, and told him to go and arrange some on the opposite side of the
cloth. The picnic had been got up by some of the principal people in
the parish, as a compliment to their former vicar, as also for the
purpose of enabling his successor to become acquainted with them in an
easy and pleasant way. Sir Reginald and Lady Bygrave had been invited,
but had not yet arrived, and it would, of course, have been uncourteous
to commence luncheon, hungry as everybody was, till they appeared. The
party had, in the meantime, to amuse themselves according to their
tastes; some of the ladies had brought their sketch-books, others their
work--though the greater number preferred doing nothing.
The ever busy Lieutenant Sims had sent off to the yacht for an iron pot,
which he filled up with potatoes and salt water, and having called some
of the young gentlemen to assist him in collecting a quantity of dry
wood which was seen scattered along the beach, he made a large fire, and
put on the pot to boil. "Now, by boys, take a lesson from an old tar,"
he observed. "Whenever you want to cook potatoes to perfection, boil
them in salt water if you can get it, or if not, put in plenty of salt,
and let them remain till the water has evaporated. You will then have
them come out like lumps of meal, as these will, you'll see, before
long."
Harry had soon stolen off, and joined Clara and his father. The latter
shortly after left the young people to themselves, while he went back to
meet Captain Maynard and Mr Lennard, who were strolling along the
beach.
"I feel perfectly satisfied with my successor, as far as I am able at
present to judge," observed Mr Lennard. "He is a wonderfully zealous
and earnest man. He shows an evident desire to make himself popular,
and to win the affections of the people; and I cannot blame him if he
seems surprised that I have not introduced some of the more modern
improvements in churches."
"For my part, I hope that what he calls improvements will not follow the
direction of the changes which have been made in some parishes,"
observed General Caulfield. "There are many who would object to them,
as I should myself, and they can produce no real good."
"New brooms sweep clean," said Mr Lennard. "He naturally wishes to be
doing something, and I shall not be jealous. It is all-important to
have peace and good-will in the parish."
"It may be bought at too dear a price," said General Caulfield, "but we
will hope for the best. Here comes Mrs Lerew; she was, I understand, a
good deal in London society, and is an elegant and fashionable-looking
person, though she is somewhat older than Lerew, I suspect."
"She may not make the worse wife for that," observed Captain Maynard.
Harry and Clara had wandered away from the rest of the party, and were
seated on a rock, at some distance off. She had brought her
sketch-book, and was endeavouring to make a drawing of the bay, with the
headland to the eastward, round which they had come, and the little
yacht at anchor off the beach; but anxious as she was to produce a
satisfactory sketch, a duplicate of which Harry had begged her to give
to him, her hand trembled, and her heart felt very sad. It was the last
day they were to be together, and she thought of the long, long months
which must elapse before he was to return.
"My memory will often fly back to this spot when I am far away," said
Harry; "and though leagues of land and ocean divide us, we shall here
meet in spirit and talk to each other, shall we not, dearest?"
"I am sure of it," said Clara, looking into his handsome, honest
countenance. "I wish that I could make a better sketch, but I will try
to improve it at home."
"Oh! no, no! leave it just as it is; I wish to think of you as you are
now," said Harry, "my own dear girl; and I would rather see every line
as you have traced it on the paper before my eyes."
"Well, then, I will keep the copy for myself," said Clara; "or I can
come here with papa in the yacht, and take it over again."
The sketch was finished, and seeing their friends assembling, and Mrs
Sims beckoning vehemently to them, they rose to return.
"I hope that my father will remain at Updown till I come back," said
Harry. "You will always trust to him, Clara, as to one who loves you as
his daughter; and it will be a happiness to me to know that he will be
near you, should Captain Maynard's health fail."
Clara sighed. "I much fear that is likely to happen--indeed, I have
been unable to conceal from myself that he has greatly altered lately."
Harry, wishing to avoid melancholy thoughts, changed the subject.
"I am not quite satisfied with your new vicar," he observed; "I am
afraid that he belongs to a school of which I have the utmost possible
dread. Believe me, dearest, I was most thankful to find, when I first
came down to Luton, that Captain Maynard held the opinions I do, and
that your parish was free from any of the ritualistic practices of the
day. Much as all must like Mr Lennard for his pleasant manners and
kind heart, he is not exactly what I should wish a clergyman to be, but
he is at all events thoroughly sound in practice. Believe me, Clara,
that however much I might admire a girl, and be inclined to love her, I
would not risk my domestic happiness by marrying, should I find that she
was enslaved by those plotting the overthrow of the Protestant
principles of our Church. You know, dearest, how strongly I feel on the
subject, and I trust that you will, for your own sake, as well as mine,
withstand all the allurements and artifices which either lay or clerical
ritualists may use to induce you to support or take a part in their
practices."
"I hope so," said Clara, "though Lady Bygrave, when last she called on
us, told me that there are many true and devoted men who are called
ritualists; and I cannot say that I see any objection to good music and
elegantly built churches, which it is their chief aim to introduce for
the purpose of forwarding the cause of religion and devotion. Many
people are dissatisfied with the untrained attempts at harmony in our
too often unsightly churches."
Harry was going to reply, but he found that the last remark had been
made unintentionally in the hearing of Mr Lerew. That gentleman
watched his opportunity, and while Harry had left Clara's side for a
moment, he observed in a low, soft voice, "I see, Miss Maynard, that you
are a young lady of good taste, and above the vulgar prejudices of the
Calvinistic school, who stubbornly refuse to dedicate the best of their
substance and talents to God, and rest satisfied with offering to Him
the ugliest buildings their imaginations can devise, and the refuse of
their possessions."
He stopped on seeing Harry, who quickly rejoined Clara.
"Here they come! here they come!" exclaimed several of the most hungry
of the party, as a tall gentleman and lady, accompanied by two sombre,
well-dressed persons, were seen descending the hill. "Who can those
people be with Sir Reginald and Lady Bygrave, I wonder?" cried Mrs
Sims; "they look to me for all the world like Jesuit priests."
Mr Lerew's countenance brightened, and Master Alfred Lennard showed
more interest than he had hitherto exhibited in any of the proceedings
of the day.
"So I fear they are," observed General Caulfield. "What can have
induced Sir Reginald and his wife to bring them here?"
Mr Lerew, however, with several other persons, hurried up the pathway,
to greet the chief people of that part of their county. Lady Bygrave,
escorted by one of the priests, who gave her his hand at the steeper
parts of the path, came first, and at once introduced their friend
Monsieur l'Abbe Henon, who with his companion, Father Lascelles, had
arrived only that morning, and had begged leave to accompany them. They
had come to see Sir Reginald on the subject of forming a new settlement
in South America, as it was well known he was deeply interested in the
subject of colonisation, and they hoped to obtain his influence and
support.
"They are most delightful people," whispered Lady Bygrave to Miss
Pemberton, who met her ladyship at the bottom of the descent; "everybody
will be pleased with them, they are so full of information, and so free
from prejudices--they will disabuse all our minds of the vulgar notion
that Catholic priests can talk of nothing but masses and penances; and
they are so noble-minded and philanthropic."
The abbe, who overheard what was said, smiled blandly, and addressed
himself to Miss Pemberton. He spoke English perfectly, with only a
slight foreign accent, in a melodious voice, attractive and soothing to
his hearers. He and Father Lascelles bowed politely as they were
introduced to the company, and at once made themselves at home, uttering
not a word to which even the most prejudiced could object.
Lady Bygrave was still young, with a decidedly aristocratic appearance,
and very pleasant manners when she had to be condescending. Sir
Reginald was a tall, good-looking man, who seldom expressed an opinion,
his florid countenance not exhibiting any large amount of intellect; but
as he was considered straightforward and honest, he was generally liked.
With as little delay as possible, not to show the last comers too much
that they had been waited for, the party assembled round the ample
repast; and while the older gentlemen were employed in carving, the
younger ones, aided by Mrs Sims, busied themselves in carrying round
the plates. The usual conversation at picnics then became general. The
abbe and his companion, having glanced round the company, and carefully
noted each person present, were soon enabled to take part in it. They
said nothing very remarkable, but managed, notwithstanding, to draw out
the opinions of most of those to whom they addressed themselves. The
abbe was especially attentive to Mr and Mrs Lerew, and both seemed
highly flattered with what he said. He fixed his glance on Master
Alfred, and having ascertained who he was, spoke to him in a gentle,
encouraging tone. Mr Lennard himself seemed pleased with Sir
Reginald's visitors, and remarked to General Caulfield that he had
seldom met more agreeable foreigners. "I don't trust them," answered
the general; "the more pleasant and insinuating they are, the more
necessary it is to avoid them. I would never allow such men to enter my
house or become intimate with any of my family."
Captain Maynard entertained much the same feeling as his friend.
Lieutenant Sims never did care about foreigners, and thought the idea of
getting Englishmen to emigrate to such a country as they talked of was
all humbug. The abbe and his friends might have heard many of the
observations made; but whether complimentary or not, they did not allow
a muscle of their countenances to change. Lady Bygrave happened to
upset her wineglass, and soon afterwards the abbe did exactly the same
thing; on which he turned with a bow to her ladyship, observing, "I am
sure whatever Lady Bygrave does is the right thing, and cannot therefore
be reproved."
"I am thankful, Monsieur l'Abbe," said Lady Bygrave, smiling. "I am
sure that I can always rely upon you for support."
"Ah, yes, madam, in spiritual matters as in temporal," whispered the
abbe.
The conversation was, however, generally of a lively character, and all
agreed that the picnic was a success, and that they had enjoyed
themselves amazingly. Captain Maynard, however, looking at his watch,
declared that those who intended to return in the yacht must come on
board without delay. Miss Pemberton declined, if she could possibly get
a conveyance, and Lady Bygrave offered to take her in her carriage;
Father Lascelles begging leave to return in a pony-carriage which had
brought the hampers, if some one who knew the way would drive him--on
which Alfred Lennard requested to be allowed the honour of doing so.
Harry and Clara of course went back in the yacht, as did the rest of the
party who had come in her.
"Mr Lennard must take care that that Jesuit priest does not get hold of
his son," observed Harry to Clara; "you might get Mary to speak to her
father and warn him, for he seemed as much pleased with the strangers as
Sir Reginald and Lady Bygrave. I hold with my father about them; and I
would as soon trust a couple of serpents within my doors."
"Are you not rather severe on the poor men?" asked Clara.
"Knowing their principles and their great object--to bring under
subjection the minds of their fellow-creatures, and thus to amass wealth
for the purpose of raising their order above all the ruling powers on
earth--I cannot say anything too severe. To attain their ends they will
allow nothing to stand in their way; they will hesitate at no crime, no
deceit; they will assume any character which suits them, and will
undertake the lowest offices, and will employ the vilest means, or will
pretend to the most exalted piety."
"Surely, Harry, the men we saw to-day could not be guilty of such
conduct," said Clara.
"Every Jesuit is trained in the same school, and I therefore make no
exceptions," answered Harry. "We shall find that even those gentlemen,
fascinating as they appeared, had some object in visiting Sir Reginald,
ulterior to that of presenting him with a scheme of colonisation. He is
wealthy; and depend on it, they were informed of the proclivities of
Lady Bygrave."
Clara was not quite convinced. It was not likely, however, that the
abbe and his companion would pay a visit to Luton.