Mrs. Hazleton was up in the morning early. She was at all times an
early riser, for she well knew what a special conservator of beauty is
the morning dew, but on this occasion certain feelings of impatience
made her a little earlier than usual. Besides, she knew that Sir
Philip Hastings was always a matutinal man, and would certainly be in
the library before she was down. Nor was she disappointed. There she
found the Baronet reaching up his hand to take down Livy, after having
just replaced Tacitus.
"It is a most extraordinary thing, my dear madam," said Sir Philip,
after the salutation of the morning, "and puzzles me more than I can
explain."
Mrs. Hazleton fancied that her friend had discovered some very knotty
point in the case with Mr. Marlow, and she rejoiced, for her object
was not, to emulate but to entangle. Sir Philip, however, went on to
put her out of all patience by saying, "How the Romans, so sublimely
virtuous at one period of their history, could fall into so debased
and corrupt a state as we find described even by Sallust, and depicted
in more frightful colors still by the latter historians of the
empire."
Mrs. Hazleton, as I have said, was out of all patience, and ladies in
that state sometimes have recourse to homely illustration. "Their
virtue got addled, I suppose," she replied, "by too long keeping.
Virtue is an egg that won't bear sitting upon--but now do tell me, Sir
Philip, had you any conversation with Mr. Marlow last night upon this
troublesome affair of mine?"
"I had, my dear madam," replied Sir Philip, with a very faint smile,
for Sir Philip could not well bear any jesting on the Romans. "I did
not only converse with Mr. Marlow on the subject, but I examined
carefully the papers he brought down with him, and perceived at once
that you have not the shadow of a title to the property in question."
Mrs. Hazleton's brow grew dark, and she replied in a somewhat sullen
tone, "You decided against me very rapidly, Sir Philip. I hope you did
not let Mr. Marlow see your strong prepossession--opinion I mean to
say--in his favor."
"Entirely," replied Sir Philip Hastings.
Mrs. Hazleton was silent, and gazed down upon the carpet as if she
were counting the threads of which it was composed, and finding the
calculation by no means satisfactory.
Sir Philip let her gaze on for some time, for he was not very easily
moved to compassion in cases where he saw dishonesty of purpose as
well as suffering. At length, however, he said, "My judgment is not
binding upon you in the least; I tell you simply, my dear madam, what
is my conclusion, and the law will tell you the same."
"We shall see," muttered Mrs. Hazleton between her teeth; but then
putting on a softer air she asked, "Tell me, Sir Philip, would you, if
you were in my situation, tamely give up a property which was honestly
bought and paid for, without making one struggle to retain it?"
"The moment I was convinced I had no legal right to it," replied Sir
Philip. "However, the law is still open to you, if you think it better
to resist; but before you take your determination, you had better hear
what Mr. Marlow proposes, and you will pardon me for expressing to you
what I did not express to him: an opinion that his proposal is founded
upon the noblest view of equity."
"Indeed," said Mrs. Hazleton, with her eyes brightening, "pray let me
hear this proposal."
Sir Philip explained it to her most distinctly, expecting that she
would be both surprised and pleased, and never doubted that she would
accept it instantly. Whether she was surprised or not, did not appear,
but pleased she certainly was not to any great extent, for she did not
wish the matter to be so soon concluded. She began to make objections
immediately. "The enormous expense of building this house has not been
taken into consideration at all, and it will be very necessary to have
the original papers examined before any thing is decided. There are
two sides to every question, my dear Sir Philip, and we cannot tell
that other papers may not be found, disentailing this estate before
the sale took place."
"This is impossible," answered Sir Philip Hastings, "if the papers
exhibited to me are genuine, for this young gentleman, on whom, as his
father's eldest son, the estate devolved by the entail, was not born
when the sale took place. By his act only could it be disentailed, and
as he was not born, he could perform no such act."
He pressed her hard in his cold way, and it galled her sorely.
"Perhaps they are not genuine," she said at length.
"They are all attested," replied Sir Philip, "and he himself proposes
that the originals should be examined as the basis of the whole
transaction."
"That is absolutely necessary," said Mrs. Hazleton, well satisfied to
put off decision even for a time. But Sir Philip would not leave her
even that advantage.
"I think," he said; "you must at once decide whether you accept his
proposal, on condition that the examination of the papers proves the
justice of his claim to the satisfaction of those you may appoint to
examine it. If there are any doubts and difficulties to be raised
afterwards, he might as well proceed by law at once."
"Then let him go to law," exclaimed Mrs. Hazleton with a flashing eye.
"If he do, I will defend every step to the utmost of my power."
"Incur enormous expense, give yourself infinite pain and
mortification, and ruin a fine estate by a spirit of unnecessary and
unjust resistance," added Sir Philip, in a calm and somewhat
contemptuous tone.
"Really, Sir Philip, you press me too hard," exclaimed Mrs. Hazleton
in a tone of angry mortification, and, sitting down to the table, she
actually wept.
"I only press you for your own good," answered the Baronet, not at all
moved, "you are perhaps not aware that if this gentleman's claim is,
just, and you resist it, the whole costs will fall upon you. All that
could be expected of him was to submit his claim to arbitration, but
he now does more; he proposes, if arbitration pronounce it just, to
make sacrifices of his legal rights to the amount of many thousand
pounds. He is not bound to refund one penny paid for this estate, he
is entitled to back rents for a considerable number of years, and yet
he offers to repay the money, and far from demanding the back rents,
to make compensation for any loss of interest that may have been
sustained by this investment. There are few men in England, let me
tell you, who would have made such a proposal, and if you refuse it
you will never have such another."
"Do not you think, Sir Philip," asked Mrs. Hazleton sharply, "that he
never would have made such a proposal if he had not known there was
something wrong about his title?"
Now there was something in this question which doubly provoked Sir
Philip Hastings. He never could endure a habit which some ladies have
of recurring continually to points previously disposed of, and
covering the reiteration by merely putting objections in a new form.
Now the question as to the validity of Mr. Marlow's title, he looked
upon as entirely disposed of by the proposal of investigation and
arbitration. But there was something more than this; the very question
which the lady put showed an incapacity for conceiving any generous
motive, which thoroughly disgusted him, and, turning with a quiet step
to the window, he looked down upon the lawn which spread far away
between two ranges of tall fine wood, glowing in the yellow sunshine
of a dewy autumnal morning. It was the most favorable thing he could
have done for Mrs. Hazleton. Even the finest and the strongest and the
stoutest minds are more frequently affected unconsciously by external
things than any one is aware of. The sweet influences or the
irritating effects of fine or bad weather, of beautiful or tame
scenery, of small cares and petty disappointments, of pleasant
associations or unpleasant memories, nay of a thousand accidental
circumstances, and even fancies themselves, will affect considerations
totally distinct and apart, as the blue or yellow panes of a stained
glass window cast a melancholy hue or a yellow splendor upon the
statue and carvings of the cold gray stone.
As Sir Philip gazed forth upon the fair scene before his eyes, and
thought what a lovely spot it was, how calm, how peaceful, how
refreshing in its influence, he said to himself, "No wonder she is
unwilling to part with it."
Then again, there was a hare gambolling upon the lawn, at a distance
of about a hundred yards from the house, now scampering along and
beating up the dew from the morning grass, now crouched nearly flat so
as hardly to be seen among the tall green blades, then hopping quietly
along with an awkward, shuffling gait, or sitting up on its hind legs,
with raised ears, listening to some distant sound; but still as it
resumed its gambols, again going round and round, tracing upon the
green sward a labyrinth of meandering lines. Sir Philip watched it for
several moments with a faint smile, and then said to himself, "It is
the beast's nature--why not a woman's?"
Turning himself round he saw Mrs. Hazleton, sitting at the table with
her head leaning in a melancholy attitude upon her hand, and he
replied to her last words, though he had before fully made up his mind
to give them no answer whatever.
"The question in regard to title, my dear madam," he said, "is one
which is to be decided by others. Employ a competent person, and he
will insure, by full investigation, that your rights are maintained
entire. Your acceptance of Mr. Marlow's proposals contingent on the
full recognition of his claim, will be far from prejudicing your case,
should any flaw in your title be discovered. On the contrary, should
the decision of a point Of law be required, it will put you well with
the court. By frankly doing so, you also meet him in the same spirit
in which I am sure he comes to you; and as I am certain he has a very
high sense of equity, I think he will be well inclined to enter into
any arrangement which may be for your convenience. From what he has
said himself, I do not believe he can afford to keep such an
establishment as is necessary for this house, and if you cling to it,
as you may well do, doubtless it may remain your habitation as long as
you please at a very moderate rent. Every other particular I think may
be settled in the same manner, if you will but show a spirit of
conciliation, and--"
"I am sure I have done that," said Mrs. Hazleton, interrupting him.
"However, Sir Philip, I will leave it all to you. You must act for me
in this business. If you think it right, I will accept the proposal
conditionally as you mention, and the title can be examined fully
whenever we can fix upon the time and the person. All this is very
hard upon me, I do think; but I suppose I must submit with a good
grace."
"It is certainly the best plan," replied Sir Philip; and while Mrs.
Hazleton retired to efface the traces of tears from her eyelids, the
Baronet walked into the drawing-room, where he was soon after joined
by Mr. Marlow. He merely told him, however, that he had conversed with
the lady of the house, and that she would give him her answer in
person. Now, whatever were Mrs. Hazleton's wishes or intentions, she
certainly was not well satisfied with the precise and rapid manner in
which Sir Philip brought matters of business to an end. His last
words, however, had afforded her a glimmering prospect of somewhat
lengthy and frequent communication between herself and Mr. Marlow, and
one thing is certain, that she did not at all desire the transaction
between them to be concluded too briefly. At the same time, it was not
her object to appear otherwise than in the most favorable light to his
eyes; and consequently, when she entered the drawing-room she held out
her hand to him with a gracious though somewhat melancholy smile,
saying, "I have had a long conversation with Sir Philip this morning,
Mr. Marlow, concerning the very painful business which brought you
here. I agree at once to your proposal in regard to the arbitration
and the rest;" and she then went on to speak of the whole business as
if she had made not the slightest resistance whatever, but had been
struck at once by the liberality of his proposals, and by the sense of
equity which they displayed. Sir Philip took little notice of all
this; for he had fallen into one of his fits of musing, and Mr. Marlow
had quitted the room to bring some of the papers for the purpose of
showing them to Mrs. Hazleton, before the Baronet awoke out of his
reverie. The younger gentleman returned a moment after, and he and Sir
Philip and Mrs. Hazleton were busily looking at a long list of
certificates of births, deaths and marriages, when the door opened,
and Mr. Shanks, the attorney, entered the room, booted, spurred, and
dusty as if from a long ride. He was a man to whom Sir Philip had a
great objection; but he said nothing, and the attorney with a tripping
step advanced towards Mrs. Hazleton.
The lady looked confused and annoyed, and in a hasty manner put back
the papers into Mr. Marlow's hand. But Mr. Shanks was one of the keen
and observing men of the world. He saw every thing about him as if he
had been one of those insects which have I do not know how many
thousand pair of lenses in each eye. He had no scruples or hesitation
either; he was all sight and all remark, and a lady of any kind was
not at all the person to inspire him with reverence.
He was, in short, all law, and loved nothing, respected nothing, but
law.
"Dear me, Mrs. Hazleton," he exclaimed, "I did not expect to find you
so engaged. These seem to be law papers--very dangerous, indeed,
madam, for unprofessional persons to meddle with such things. Permit
me to look at them;" and he held out his hand towards Mr. Marlow, as
if expecting to receive the papers without a word of remonstrance. But
Mr. Marlow held them back, saying, in a very calm, civil tone, "Excuse
me, sir! We are conversing over the matter in a friendly manner; and I
shall show them to a lawyer only at Mrs. Hazleton's request."
"Very improper--that is, I mean to say very unprofessional!" exclaimed
Mr. Shanks, "and let me say very hazardous too," rejoined the lawyer
abruptly; but Mrs. Hazleton herself interposed, saying in a marked
tone and with an air of dignity which did not always characterize her
demeanor towards her "right hand man," as she was accustomed sometimes
to designate Mr. Shanks, "We do not desire any interference at this
moment, my good sir. I appointed you at twelve o'clock. It is not yet
nine."
"O I can see, I can see," replied Mr. Shanks, while Sir Philip
Hastings advanced a step or two, "his worship here never was a friend
of mine, and has no objection to take a job or two out of my hands at
any time."
"We have nothing to do with jobs, sir," said Sir Philip Hastings, in
his usual dry tone, "but at all events we do not wish you to make a
job where there is none."
"I must take the liberty, however, of warning that lady, sir," said
Mr. Shanks, with the pertinacity of a parrot, which he so greatly
resembled, "as her legal adviser, sir, that if----"
"That if she sends for an attorney, she wants him at the time she
appoints," interposed Sir Philip; "that was what you were about to
say, I suppose."
"Not at all, sir, not at all," exclaimed the lawyer; for very shrewd
and very oily lawyers will occasionally forget their caution and their
coolness when they see the prospect of a loss of fees before them. "I
was going to say no such thing. I was going to warn her not to meddle
with matters of business of which she can understand nothing, by the
advice of those who know less, and who may have jobs of their own to
settle while they are meddling with hers."
"And I warn you to quit this room, sir," said Sir Philip Hastings, a
bright spot coming into his usually pale cheek; "the lady has already
expressed her opinion upon your intrusion, and depend upon it, I will
enforce mine."
"I shall do no such thing, sir, till I have fully----"
He said no more, for before he could conclude the sentence, the hand
of Sir Philip Hastings was upon his collar with the grasp of a giant,
and although he was a tall and somewhat powerful man, the Baronet
dragged him to the door in despite of his half-choking struggles, as a
nurse would haul along a baby, pulled him across the stone hall, and
opening the outer door with his left hand, shot him down the steps
without any ceremony; leaving him with his hands and knees upon the
terrace.
This done, the Baronet returned into the house again, closing the door
behind him. He then paused in the hall for an instant, reproaching
himself for certain over-quick beatings of the heart, tranquillized
his whole look and demeanor, and then returning to the drawing-room,
resumed the conversation with Mrs. Hazleton, as if nothing had ever
occurred to interrupt it.