THE ale being ended, Iden walked with him through the orchard.
"Famous wall that," said John, presently, nodding towards the great red
brick wall which adorned that side of the place. "Knowed how to build
walls in those days."
"No such wall as that anywhere about here," said Iden, as proud of his
wall as his ale. "No such bricks to be got. Folk don't know how to put
up a wall now--you read in the papers how the houses valls down in
Lunnon."
"Sort of cracks and comes in like--jest squashes up," said John.
"Now, that's a real bit of brickwork," said Iden. "That'll last--ah,
last----"
"No end to it," said John, who had admired the wall forty times before,
thinking to himself as he saw Amaryllis leaning over the corner,
"Blessed if I don't think as 'twas she as dropped summat on my hat."
This strengthened his hopes; he had a tolerably clear idea that Mr. and
Mrs. Iden were not averse to his suit; but he was doubtful about
Amaryllis herself.
Amaryllis had not the slightest idea Duck had so much as looked at
her--he called often, but seemed absorbed in the ale and gossip. Fancy
her scorn if she had guessed!
John Duck was considered one of the most eligible young men thereabouts,
for though by no means born in the purple of farming, it was believed he
was certain to be very "warm" indeed when his father died. Old Duck, the
son of a common labourer, occupied two or three of the finest farms in
the neighbourhood. He made his money in a waggon--a curious place, you
will say; why so? Have you ever seen the dingy, dark china-closets they
call offices in the City? Have you ever ascended the dirty, unscrubbed,
disgraceful staircase that leads to a famous barrister's "chambers"?
These are far less desirable, surely, than a seat in a waggon in a
beautiful meadow or cornfield. Old Duck, being too ponderous to walk,
was driven about in a waggon, sitting at the rear with his huge, short
legs dangling down; and, the waggon being halted in a commanding
position, he overlooked his men at work.
One day he was put in a cart instead, and the carter walking home beside
the horse, and noting what a pull it was for him up the hills, and
drawling along half asleep, quite forgot his master, and dreamed he had
a load of stones. By-and-by, he pulled out the bar, and shot Old Duck
out. "A shot me out," grumbled the old man, "as if I'd a been a load of
flints."
Riding about in this rude chariot the old fellow had amassed
considerable wealth--his reputation for money was very great indeed--and
his son John would, of course, come in for it.
John felt sure of Mr. and Mrs. Iden, but about Amaryllis he did not
know. The idea that she had dropped "summat" on his hat raised his
spirits immensely.
Now Amaryllis was not yet beautiful--she was too young; I do not think
any girl is really beautiful so young--she was highly individualized,
and had a distinct character, as it were, in her face and figure. You
saw at a glance that there was something about her very different from
other girls, something very marked, but it was not beauty yet.
Whether John thought her handsome, or saw that she would be, or what, I
do not know; or whether he looked "forrard," as he would have said.
"Heigh for a lass with a tocher!"
John had never read Burns, and would not have known that tocher meant
dowry; nor had he seen the advice of Tennyson--
"Doesn't thee marry for money,
But go where money lies."
but his native intelligence needed no assistance from the poets,
coronetted or otherwise.
It was patent to everyone that her father, Iden, was as poor as the
raggedest coat in Christendom could make him; but it was equally well
known and a matter of public faith, that her grandfather, the great
miller and baker, Lord Lardy-Cake, as the boys called him derisively,
had literally bushels upon bushels of money. He was a famous stickler
for ancient usages, and it was understood that there were twenty
thousand spade guineas in an iron box under his bed. Any cottager in the
whole country side could have told you so, and would have smiled at your
ignorance; the thing was as well known as that St. Paul's is in the
City.
Besides which there was another consideration, old Granfer Iden was a
great favourite at Court--Court meaning the mansion of the Hon. Raleigh
Pamment, the largest landowner that side of the county. Granfer Iden
entered the Deer Park (which was private) with a special key whenever he
pleased, he strolled about the gardens, looked in at the conservatory,
chatted familiarly with the royal family of Pamment when they were at
home, and when they were away took any friend he chose through the
galleries and saloons.
"Must be summat at the bottom on't," said John Duck to himself many a
time and oft. "They stuck-up proud folk wouldn't have he there if there
wasn't summat at the bottom on't." A favourite at Court could dispense,
no doubt, many valuable privileges.
Amaryllis heard their talk as they came nearer, and turned round and
faced them. She wore a black dress, but no hat; instead she had
carelessly thrown a scarlet shawl over her head, mantilla fashion, and
held it with one hand. Her dark ringlets fringed her forehead, blown
free and wild; the fresh air had brought a bright colour into her
cheeks. As is often the case with girls whose figure is just beginning
to show itself, her dress seemed somewhat shortened in front--lifted up
from her ankles, which gave the effect of buoyancy to her form, she
seemed about to walk though standing still. There was a defiant light in
her deep brown eyes, that sort of "I don't care" disposition which our
grandmothers used to say would take us to the gallows. Defiance,
wilfulness, rebellion, was expressed in the very way she stood on the
bank, a little higher than they were, and able to look over their heads.
"Marning," said John, rocking his head to one side as a salute.
"Marning," repeated Amaryllis, mocking his broad pronunciation.
As John could not get any further Iden helped him.
"Jack's going to the fair," he said, "and thought you would like to ride
with him. Run in and dress."
"I shan't ride," said Amaryllis, "I shall walk."
"Longish way," said John. "Mor'n two mile."
"I shall walk," said Amaryllis, decidedly.
"Lot of cattle about," said John.
"Better ride," said Iden.
"No," said Amaryllis, and turned her back on them to look over the wall
again.
She was a despot already. There was nothing left for them but to walk
away.
"However," said Iden, always trying to round things off and make square
edges smooth, "very likely you'll overtake her and pick her up."
"Her wull go across the fields," said John. "Shan't see her."
As he walked down the road home for his dog-trap he looked up at the
corner of the wall, but she was not looking over then. Mrs. Iden had
fetched her in, as it was time to dress.
"I don't want to go," said Amaryllis, "I hate fairs--they are so silly."
"But you must go," said Mrs. Iden. "Your grandfather sent a message last
night; you know it's his dinner-day."
"He's such a horrid old fellow," said Amaryllis, "I can't bear him."
"How dare you speak of your grandfather like that? you are getting very
rude and disrespectful."
There was no depending on Mrs. Iden. At one time she would go on and
abuse Granfer Iden for an hour at a time, calling him every name she
could think of, and accusing him of every folly under the sun. At
another time she would solemnly inform Amaryllis that they had not a
farthing of money, and how necessary it was that they should be
attentive and civil to him.
Amaryllis very slowly put her hat on and the first jacket to hand.
"What! aren't you going to change your dress?"
"No, that I'm not."
"Change it directly."
"What, to go in and see that musty old----"
"Change it directly; I _will_ be obeyed."
Amaryllis composedly did as she was bid.
One day Mrs. Iden humoured her every whim and let her do just as she
pleased; the next she insisted on minute obedience.
"Make haste, you'll be late; now, then, put your things on--come."
So Amaryllis, much against her will, was bustled out of the house and
started off. As John had foreseen, she soon quitted the road to follow
the path across the fields, which was shorter.
An hour or so later Iden came in from work as usual, a few minutes
before dinner, and having drawn his quart of ale, sat down to sip it in
the bow window till the dishes were brought.
"You're not gone, then?" said Mrs. Iden, irritatingly.
"Gone--wur?" said Iden, rather gruffly for him.
"To fair, of course--like other people."
"Hum," growled Iden.
"You know your father expects all the family to come in to dinner on
fair day; I can't think how you can neglect him, when you know we
haven't got a shilling--why don't you go in and speak to him?"
"You can go if you like."
"I go!" cried Mrs. Iden. "I go!" in shrill accents of contempt. "I don't
care a button for all the lardy-cake lot! Let him keep his money. I'm as
good as he is any day. My family go about, and do some business----"
"_Your_ family," muttered Iden. "The Flammas!"
"Yes, _my_ family--as good as yours, I should think! What's your family
then, that you should be so grand? You're descended from a lardy-cake!"
"You be descended from a quart pot," said Iden.
This was an allusion to Mrs. Iden's grandfather, who had kept a small
wayside public. There was no disgrace in it, for he was a very
respectable man, and laid the foundation of his family's fortune, but it
drove Mrs. Iden into frenzy.
"You talk about a quart pot--_you_," she shrieked. "Why, your family
have drunk up thousands of pounds--you know they have. Where's the
Manor? they swilled it away. Where's Upper Court? they got it down their
throats. They built a house to drink in and nothing else. You know they
did. You told me yourself. The most disgraceful set of drunkards that
ever lived!"
"Your family don't drink, then, I suppose?" said Iden.
"Your lot's been drinking two hundred years--why, you're always talking
about it."
"Your family be as nervous as cats--see their hands shake in the
morning."
"They go to business in the City and do something; they don't mess about
planting rubbishing potatoes." Mrs. Iden was London born.
"A pretty mess they've made of their business, as shaky as their hands.
Fidgetty, miserable, nervous set they be."
"They're not stocks and stones like yours, anyhow, as stolid, and slow,
and stupid; why, you do nothing but sleep, sleep, sleep, and talk, talk,
talk. You've been talking with the lazy lot over at the stile, and
you've been talking with that old fool at the back door, and talking
with Jack Duck--and that's your second mug! You're descended from a
nasty, greasy lardy-cake! There!"
Iden snatched a piece of bread from the table and thrust it in one
pocket, flung open the oven-door, and put a baked apple in the other
pocket, and so marched out to eat what he could in quiet under a tree in
the fields.
In the oratory of abuse there is no resource so successful as raking up
the weaknesses of the opponent's family, especially when the parties are
married, for having gossiped with each other for so long in the most
confidential manner, they know every foible. How Robert drank, and Tom
bet, and Sam swore, and Bill knocked his wife about, and Joseph did as
Potiphar's spouse asked him, and why your uncle had to take refuge in
Spain; and so on to an indefinite extent, like the multiplication table.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]