WHAT HAPPENED ON SUNDAY NIGHT.
At first Iris intended to follow Milly, thinking that she suffered
from some slight indisposition; but recollecting that up to the moment
of leaving the girl had seemed perfectly well, she concluded that it
was merely to escape the sermon Milly had left so hurriedly. For this
reason she kept her seat, until it struck her that the exit might be
designed in order to meet Lovel. However, a glance assured her that
the young man was still in his seat, and showed no intention of
following her sister. The strange lady remained, but of course Iris
had not observed her as Milly had done. Mrs. Drass, in a pew a little
way off, gave a sniff of significance, and glanced at Miss Clyde, but
that lady, seeing that Lucas was listening attentively to the sermon
(she had caught a glimpse of him, and had turned round to look), paid
no attention to the hint. All this passed unperceived by the rest of
the congregation.
Mr. Chaskin invariably limited his discourse to fifteen minutes; and
on this occasion he was even shorter and more pithy than usual. The
service was concluded by eight o'clock, and Lucas was one of the first
to leave the church. At once he was followed by the strange lady, whom
he had not observed, and when Iris emerged from the porch she found
that both had disappeared. Neither was Milly in sight, so, concluding
that she had gone home, Iris prepared to follow. Shortly, however, she
was accosted by Mrs. Drass, who had left Miss Clyde in order to
discover the reason of Milly's exit. To the suspicious mind of the
ex-governess, everything done by the doctor's daughter was a covert
act of insolence against her former pupil. To such an extent can
prejudice distort a naturally liberal nature.
"Good evening, Miss Link," said Mrs. Drass, puffing and blowing--for
she was very stout, and had made considerable haste to overtake Iris.
"I am so glad to see you. I want to walk home with you and see your
dear pa. He is in, I dare say?"
"He was when I left, Mrs. Drass," replied Iris, who quite understood
what the good lady was aiming at. "Do you not feel well?"
"Not very, my dear. The heart, you know, and shortness of breath. I
thought I would just see Dr. Lester before I drove home with Selina."
"Where is she?" asked Iris, glancing round at the dispersing
congregation.
"Speaking with Mr. Chaskin. She will call for me at your house in half
an hour, so I shall have time to see your pa. By the way, my dear,"
said Mrs. Drass, as they walked slowly onward side by side, "I hope
your sister is not ill?"
"She did not mention that she was ailing," replied Iris, dryly.
"Then why did she leave before the sermon?"
"I do not know, Mrs. Drass. No doubt we shall find her indoors, and
then you can ask her yourself."
"Oh, my dear!" Mrs. Drass exclaimed in a shocked tone, as though
virtuously indignant at the idea of gossiping. "I would not think of
troubling about such a trifle. I simply thought your dear sister was
ill, seeing she left before Mr. Chaskin's sweet discourse; and I had
half a mind to follow with my smelling bottle."
"Very kind of you," said Iris, briefly; and then, as she disliked the
conversation, held her tongue. Mrs. Drass at once began on a fresh
topic.
"Did you see that stranger in church?" she asked--"a handsome young
lady, most beautifully dressed. I wonder who she can be?"
"I did not observe her particularly."
"She looked at Mr. Lovel a great deal," continued Mrs. Drass artfully,
"and at your sister. I was ill-placed for observation, but I turned
and saw their looks."
"I don't understand you," said Iris, on her guard at this coupling of
Milly's name with that of Lovel.
Mrs. Drass became tart at once. "Oh, my love, it is not very difficult
to understand," she said stiffly; "in my opinion, your sister
exchanged so many glances with Mr. Lovel that the strange lady
thought----"
"I don't want to know what she thought, Mrs. Drass. You forget that my
sister is engaged."
"I think it is Milly Lester who forgets that!" cried Mrs. Drass
venomously; "it is really disgraceful the way in which she flirts with
Mr. Lovel!"
"Mrs. Drass!"
"Now, don't be cross with me, my dear," wheezed the fat old lady, as
they stopped at the gate of Poverty Villa. "I only repeat what all the
village talks about. I don't know what Mr. Herne will say to your
sister's conduct! Such a good young man as he is!"
"Here is Dr. Lester," said Iris, cutting short these remarks; and
leaving Mrs. Drass in the company of her stepfather, she retired
hastily in search of Milly. To her surprise, the girl was not in the
house. Iris searched everywhere, and, alarmed by this unexpected
absence, went downstairs with the intention of leaving the house to
look for her. Passing by Dr. Lester's room, the door of which was
ajar, she heard the oily voice of Mrs. Drass accusing Milly of
flirting with Lovel. Although she hated eavesdropping, Iris listened
in the interests of her sister.
"Indeed, my dear doctor, I should advise you to interfere," Mrs. Drass
was saying; "you know how particular Mr. Herne is. If he learnt too
much about Milly----"
"He shall learn nothing," broke in Dr. Lester's harsh voice, "unless
you tell him."
"Excuse me, I never speak of my neighbours' business. This has nothing
to do with me."
"But it has a great deal to do with Miss Clyde."
"I don't understand----" began Mrs. Drass, when the doctor cut her
short with a short and rude laugh.
"Oh, you understand well enough!" he said, contemptuously. "I
hear gossip as well as you do. Miss Clyde wants to marry Lovel, and
cannot do so till Milly is out of the way. In the interest of your
friend, you wish Milly to marry Herne, and so will not tell him of
this--flirtation."
"There is some truth in that," admitted Mrs. Drass, "although you put
it rudely."
"I put it plainly, you mean," said Lester. "You can go away content,
madam, for I shall speak to Milly."
"Poor motherless girl! She needs talking to," sighed Mrs. Drass, and
prepared to take her leave, satisfied in every way with the success of
her mission.
Before searching for Milly, who was yet absent, Iris determined to
speak to her stepfather. The ice had been broken, and it was now
easier to induce him to interfere. When Mrs. Drass took her departure,
which she did almost immediately, Iris entered the doctor's consulting
room at once. Lester already had got out the brandy bottle and was
filling himself a glass. He looked red-eyed and wrathful, and turned
viciously on Iris before she had time to open her mouth.
"What is this I hear about Milly and Mr. Lovel?" he snarled. "Is her
name to be on the lips of every village gossip? Can't you look after
her?"
"No, I can't. She laughs at me."
"Where is she? I'll take care she doesn't laugh at me!" cried Lester.
"Send her in here at once."
"How can I? She is not yet in."
Lester looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes past eight o'clock!" he
growled; "and you let her gad about at this hour! No doubt she is with
Lovel now!"
"I should not be at all surprised," said Iris, coldly.
"Good Lord! how coolly you speak!" raged the doctor, setting down his
empty glass and filling it again. "Don't you know that if Herne hears
of these things he'll break off the marriage!"
"I shouldn't blame him if he did."
"Rubbish! I tell you, if Milly loses Herne, everything will smash up.
We can't hold out much longer. Herne has promised to pay all we owe
and to lend me money. It all depends on Milly; yet you let her flirt
with Lovel, and run the risk of ruining all. If Chaskin heard about
this Lovel affair, he would tell Herne, and then--curse it!"--the
doctor broke off hastily, and drank another glass of brandy--"I must
do something!"
"You won't do much if you go on taking that!" said Iris pointedly.
"What is that to you, miss? Mind your own business! I shall drink as
much as I please." He filled himself a third glass of brandy. "As for
Lovel, if I catch him I'll trash the life out of him! Spoiling Milly's
chance of a rich husband--I'll kill him before he does that. I shall
lock her up, and you also, you--you----"
Not waiting to hear what he called her, Iris withdrew, sick at heart.
She knew well enough that this was the commencement of a drinking
bout, which would last three or four days. Did Lester meet his
daughter in the company of Lovel while the drunken fit was on him, he
was quite capable of proceeding to personal violence. Iris left the
house hurriedly, with the intention of finding Milly, and bringing her
home lest ill should befall. At that moment, with her miserable home,
the burden of Milly's follies, and her own aching heart, the poor girl
felt thoroughly ill and wretched.
On leaving Poverty Villa, she turned her steps towards the main street
of the village, and wondered where she would find Milly. It was yet
light, a kind of luminous twilight, with a star-sprinkled heaven, and
a gentle breeze sighing amid the trees. Few people were about, as it
was now about nine o'clock, and the majority of Barnstead folk were
within doors, lingering over their suppers. Iris paced slowly along,
her head aching with nervous pain, and her heart full of anxiety. When
she arrived in the square where St. Dunstan's Church was situated she
paused in utter helplessness, for she knew not in which direction to
look for the truant; nor for very shame could she ask any of the
passers-by if they had seen the girl. For the moment she was
completely at a loss what to do.
Unexpectedly the chimes began to ring, and the clock of St. Dunstan's
struck nine with slow and ponderous strokes. As Iris counted them
idly, she fancied she heard the sharp sound of a distant shot, and,
for the moment wondered who could be shooting at that late hour. But
the deep tone of the church bell striking the hour confused her, and
hearing no more shots she thought that she must have been dreaming.
After a pause she pursued her way, and turned homeward.
It struck Iris that Milly might have met Lovel by appointment, in
which case the meeting, to elude observation, would undoubtedly take
place on the outskirts of the village. Iris therefore made a detour,
and walked homeward round by the common and through the sparse woods
which fringed the town. But all to no purpose; not a sign of Milly or
of anyone else could she see, and it was with a sigh that she
reentered Barnstead streets on her way to the villa. As she passed the
Herne Arms, she saw a carriage drive off, and as it whirled past her
on the road to Marborough, she noted that it was occupied by a lady.
However, as she did not recognize the face--which she saw indistinctly
in the twilight--she took no further note of the incident. In a few
moments she reached home, and was met at the door by Eliza in a great
state of alarm.
"Oh, miss, I am glad you've come," cried the servant. "Your pa's run
out like a raging bull, and I was feared lest he could 'urt you."
"I did not meet him," replied Iris, with a chill feeling in her heart.
"Is Milly inside?"
"No, mum; that's why I am feared. Your pa was screeching out something
about you and Miss Milly, an' I did believe as he was wanting to
murder you both."
"Nonsense!" cried Iris irritably, as she entered the dining-room. "Dr.
Lester is not well, and I daresay Miss Milly will be back soon.
She--she has gone to see some friends," finished Iris, thinking she
must make some excuse.
"Well, I 'ope she's safe, miss," said Eliza, ominously, "for if she
meets her pa he'll hurt 'er. Jus' like a mad lion he were, miss."
When the servant withdrew Iris sat down and tried to eat; but all in
vain. The excitement and trouble of the evening were too much for her,
and she could only swallow a glass of wine and water. Eliza was
informed that she might go to bed, and Iris sat up far into the night
waiting for the return of Milly. Ten, eleven and twelve o'clock
struck; still the girl did not appear, and Iris became terrified. Such
a thing had never happened before; and she felt sure that some
accident had occurred. Several times she went to the door, but saw no
one. At twelve she ventured as far as the gate, and then in the
darkness she heard the tramp of feet, and saw several men advancing,
bearing something between them. In front walked a man alone.
"Father!" cried Iris, throwing open the gate. "Milly!"
"Hush!" said the grave voice of Mr. Chaskin. "It is I, Miss Link.
There has been an--an accident. Your sister is--dead!"