"You are an extremely handsome young woman, and I like the bright,
intelligent look in your eyes," said Geoffrey Trethick to himself; "but
I'll swear you have got a temper."
"You are a nice, frank, manly fellow," said Rhoda Penwynn to herself;
"and I wonder whether you are as sensible and not so stubborn as you
look."
Introductions were just over in Mr Penwynn's drawing-room, and
Geoffrey, who was in no wise taken aback by the splendour of his host's
surroundings, walked across to where, cold and stiff and quiet, his
travelling-companion stood, with one arm upon the mantelpiece, looking
uneasily on.
"It seems as if we are to be thrown together," said Geoffrey, offering
the young clergyman his hand, which the latter took as if under protest,
and then glanced from Mr Penwynn to his daughter, as if in apology for
allowing himself to be claimed as an acquaintance by his bluff
travelling-companion.
"You have met Mr Lee, then?" said the host stiffly.
"Yes--yes," said the new vicar; "Mr Trethick is an old Oxford man."
"And you don't like him," said Rhoda to herself, as she observed every
thing; "and I don't like you."
"We were fellow-passengers by the coach this morning," said Geoffrey,
and as he spoke he glanced by Mr Penwynn at where Rhoda was
re-arranging some flowers, and found that the Reverend Edward Lee had
brought his spectacles to bear in the same direction. Then, looking
back at his host, he fancied that this gentleman had not been
unobservant of the glances of his guests.
Mr Penwynn smiled to himself directly after as Geoffrey moved towards
Rhoda, and began talking to her about the view from the drawing-room
window and his walk along the coast; but the young clergyman looked at
his host as if in remonstrance at his allowing this stranger to make so
free, when the door opened, and the servant announced,--
"Mr Tregenna!"
"Ah, Tregenna! You are late. Glad to see you."
"Business, my dear sir. The old story--business. My dear Miss Penwynn,
you must forgive me," he continued, speaking in a low voice full of
deference, but with lips that did not seem to move as he spoke, as Rhoda
turned from Geoffrey, and took a couple of steps towards the fresh
comer--a tall, handsome man of _distingue_ appearance, but with a rather
sallow complexion, made deeper by his jet black hair and whiskers.
Geoffrey started slightly, and then gazed keenly at this man, who bent
down over Rhoda Penwynn's hand as he took it, and retained it just a
moment longer than custom dictates, and smiled in her face directly
after as, in a quiet, self-possessed way, she said that they had not
been waiting.
"Waiting? No!" said Mr Penwynn smiling; "but I should have thought you
would have been first."
"I hurried all I could," said Tregenna, as a slight flush came over
Rhoda's cheek; "but one cannot always command one's time, even to devote
it to one's aims."
Geoffrey Trethick half-closed his eyes, as he looked on trying to think
out something which had puzzled him, but without avail, and for the
moment he gave it up, and began to turn over the leaves of an album, but
taking ample notice the while of what was going on.
"If I were interested in mine host's daughter," mused Geoffrey, "I
should feel uncomfortable about that dark, smoothly-shaven gentleman. I
don't like the look of his mouth, and I don't like his eyes, and--Most
happy!"
This last in answer to his host's introduction to the last comer, who
smiled upon him in the most friendly of ways, asked him what he thought
of Carnac, seemed to be particularly refined, and then turned to go
through a little preliminary chat with the new clergyman, who was more
bland and agreeable than he had been to his travelling-companion.
"Ah! the parson gets on better with you, my fine fellow," said Geoffrey.
"You haven't so many corners as I have. Humph! I don't like you,
though. You seem to be the man in possession, though, here, and
certainly she is a very charming girl."
He met Rhoda's eyes as these thoughts passed through his mind, and she
encountered his gaze with a frank, open look, though he fancied that she
seemed a shade paler than when he was talking to her a few minutes
before.
Just then dinner was announced, and Mr Penwynn turned to speak to
Geoffrey, but bit his lip and glanced at Tregenna, who, however, only
smiled back and nodded, as if amused; for Rhoda, acting the part of
mistress of the house, extended her gloved hand so unmistakably that
Geoffrey stepped forward, the hand was laid upon his arm, and, passing
the others, he led her across the hall to the handsome dining-room,
thinking to himself that by rights the Reverend Edward Lee ought to have
occupied his place.
The dinner was good and well served, every thing making it evident that
Mr Penwynn was a wealthy man, and one who liked to show it; but the
ostentation was a good deal toned down by his child's refined taste, and
was not obtrusive. The conversation kept up was such as would be heard
at any gentleman's table, and it soon became evident that the
West-country banker and his daughter were well-informed, and loved and
cultivated refinement.
Geoffrey particularly noted how clever and gentlemanly Mr Tregenna
could be. By degrees it dawned upon him that he was the principal
solicitor of the place, and without its troubling him in the slightest
degree, he made out that Tregenna was evidently a suitor for Rhoda
Penwynn's hand. Both father and lover showed this, the former being
plainly in favour of the match; while, in spite of her efforts to the
contrary, Rhoda Penwynn displayed her consciousness of Tregenna's
expressive looks by redoubling her attention to Geoffrey and the new
vicar--Geoffrey chatting freely, and in the most unembarrassed way, so
different to any young man she had met before, and questioning her
largely about the place and people.
"A glass of wine with you, Mr Trethick," said the host, who, in spite
of advances, adhered somewhat to old customs. "Tregenna, will you join
us?"
"With pleasure," said the latter, looking up and smiling, and as he did
so the thought that had been puzzling Geoffrey all through the dinner
met with a solution.
He had been wondering--his wonder running like a vein through the whole
of the conversation--where he had met Tregenna before; but now it came
to him that for certain they had never met, but that it was that smooth,
deep, mellow voice that he had heard, but where?
"I have it," he mentally exclaimed, as, raising his glass, he looked
full in John Tregenna's eyes. "You were the fellow I heard talking to
that girl by the ruined mine?"