"Ah, what is love? It is a pretty thing,
As sweet unto a shepherd as a king."
GREENE.
"Cease, cease these jars, and rest your mind in peace."
HENRY VI., _Part_ 1, _Act_ 1, _Sc._ 1.
When we left John Ferguson after his departure from Strawberry Hill, we
attempted to depict his feelings; as well as the motives which
influenced the minds of the Rainsfield ladies. In the resumption of our
narrative, we will follow our hero in the continuance of his mental
aberration. His misery and dejection were intense; and such were his
sufferings, that he moved about his station a mere shadow of his former
self, and kept himself exclusively to his own place; attempting to
relieve his feelings by engrossing his mind on his avocation. Tom
Rainsfield, in the meantime, had learnt from his sister-in-law the cause
of John's estrangement; and deeply sympathising with his friend, he made
his visits to Fern Vale as frequent as possible, to cheer and enliven
him in his dullness. Tom imagined if he could but induce him to banish
his despondency, he would be enabled to make him feel there was a chance
of his succeeding in overcoming Eleanor's scruples in breaking faith
with Smithers; by inducing her to look favourably upon his addresses. At
the same time, he felt the delicacy of his task; for he had no warrant,
on which to ground his assumption of his friend's attachment; though
(notwithstanding that John Ferguson had not breathed to a creature his
love for Eleanor) he was perfectly convinced, he was irretrievably lost
in the passion. Whether or not Tom had been enlisted into the services
of his sister-in-law, we will not stop to consider; or in fact can we
pretend to say; though, from the earnestness with which he proceeded
with his scheme, we are led to imagine that, possibly stimulated by his
own inclinations, he was, nevertheless, acting under the guidance of
that astute and pertinent directress. He had laid down certain plans for
operation; and had so far succeeded in their execution, as to induce
John Ferguson to lend the aid he had on a former occasion promised to
Mr. Rainsfield, in the erection of a bridge over the Wombi; and to
proceed himself to the river, and assist in its construction.
The house at Fern Vale was by this time finished, and the carpenters who
had been employed in its erection were consequently disengaged. This was
considered a good opportunity by Tom Rainsfield; and the men were
forthwith despatched to the Wombi, to assist in the construction of the
bridge. On the appointed day, John met Mr. Rainsfield and Tom at the
scene of action, and work was at once commenced.
They first selected the two largest trees on the bank of the river; and
after attaching strong ropes to their trunks, to guard against their
falling into the stream, and thus elude their destiny, they felled them.
Their next arrangement, after clearing the stems of their branches, was
to make them span the creek; which being accomplished they left the
carpenters to do the rest. This was to strengthen and support the beams,
by erecting upright pieces as buttresses at the edge of the stream, so
as, not only to keep the fallen trees firmly fixed, but to give them
additional power to sustain weight. After this the men were to make a
flooring, by firmly fixing across the main trunks some stout saplings,
and cover it with earth, which would complete, what our friends
considered would be, a very serviceable structure.
The young men, after they had accomplished the task of getting the logs
to span the creek, as we have said, left the carpenters to complete the
work; while they took their departure from the spot, and turned home.
Here John Ferguson essayed to leave his friends; but that they would not
hear of. Tom, especially, was loud in declaiming against such a course;
declaring that the ladies would be justly offended when they knew that
he had been at Strawberry Hill without calling upon them. "You may just
as well drop in," he said, "and dine with us, and I will ride over to
Fern Vale with you in the evening."
To this invitation John could offer no reasonable objection; and not
wishing it to be imagined that he entertained any disrespect for Mrs.
Rainsfield, he wavered in his rigid determination to absent himself;
while his friends were the more pressing for him to accompany them; and
at last all further parley was ended by Tom turning the heads of the
horses towards the house, and constraining his companion to follow him.
When the party rode up to the station, they left their horses at the
stable, and walked into the house, at the entrance of which they were
met by Mrs. Rainsfield. John she at once attacked for his past coolness
and unneighbourly conduct in abstaining from ever calling upon her; and
he, when he had entered the parlour, and was met by Eleanor with just
sufficient confusion and reserve to make her more than ever interesting,
and with a warmth that quite overcame him, felt the old fire in his
heart burning with redoubled fury. But when she exclaimed, "Really, Mr.
Ferguson we had quite relinquished the idea of ever seeing you again,
you have so long estranged yourself from our society;" and continued, "I
can't think you could have taken any offence at anything we may have
done or said; but if so, upon your mentioning it, we will endeavour to
make the _amende honorable_,"--he was perfectly reclaimed from his
"slough of despond." At the same time he knew he could make no
explanation, and therefore kept silent. What was he to do? he was again
enslaved as hopelessly as ever; for the charm of Eleanor's presence he
could not resist. How could he act a part of coldness or indifference,
when she enchanted him with her kindest manner, and gladdened his heart
with her sweetest smile? At that moment he made a determination which
seemed to alter his whole manner, and infuse new life into his spirits;
what that determination was, gentle reader, thou shalt shortly know by
his actions. The thought passed through his mind, as the transient cloud
flits across the face of the sun; it thawed the ice-bound ligaments of
his heart, and gave him utterance in the following remark:
"I am afraid I am indeed a truant, Miss Rainsfield, and ought therefore
to make my apologies due on my neglect; but it would be useless in my
attempting to exonerate, or even excuse myself; so I will throw myself
on your clemency, and crave your interpretation of my abandonment, in
the most charitable light."
This speech of John's, if it were uttered designedly, was a masterpiece.
To Mr. Rainsfield it had an air of flippancy that indicated to him a
total suppression of any tender feeling; and he congratulated himself
that his young friend had had sufficient good sense to see the justice
of his remarks to him with respect to Eleanor. To Mrs. Rainsfield it
appeared in a different light; she detected in it a warmth that sprung
spontaneously from the heart; and from it she argued favourably of the
success of her schemes, and the happiness of her friends. To Eleanor it
was mysterious; whether it was that it was the first time John had
attempted anything in the shape of flattery to her, and that she felt
surprised; or that her vanity was pleased with the flattery, we cannot
say. Bear with us, gentle reader, when we make the allusion, for how
perfect soever a woman may be, she is not completely devoid of vanity;
and chaste and innocent as was our Eleanor, it was possible for her to
receive a thrill of pleasure, at hearing a well-directed compliment from
one whom she respected; believing it to be uttered with an expression
of something more than mere idle coquetry. Or, it may be, a certain
truth flashed across her mind; but certain it is that, when she heard
it, the blush mantled her fair cheek, and she turned away her head. To
Tom it was the source of rejoicing; for he did not consider whether the
speech was expressive of genuine or assumed sentiment, but simply
noticed in it a return of his friend to his former self.
Such, then, were the mutual feelings of the party assembled at the
Rainsfield's table, as they sat down, with all restraint and formality
dissipated from their circle. Mrs. Rainsfield, who was bent upon a _coup
de main_, now proposed to John Ferguson, that he should stop the night
at Strawberry Hill; and she would make up a little pic-nic, for the
following day, to the falls of the Wombi; which she had heard the people
talk a good deal about, and had often desired to see. She said she had
contemplated the party for some time, and wished to have had it
organized while William was at home; but John had kept himself so much
aloof from them, that she had not had the opportunity. She appealed to
her husband to head the party, but he excused himself on the grounds of
employment, and proposed that Tom should act as their guide instead;
while he stated, if they wanted any of the men to carry their things out
in the morning, he would spare them two. This arrangement they all
seemed delighted with; and it was finally settled that Mrs. Rainsfield,
Eleanor, Tom, and John Ferguson, should start about eleven o'clock on
the following morning, and that the ladies should prepare a cold
collation, which was to precede them.
The falls of the Wombi were insignificant, compared with what we are
used to witness in the romantic scenery of Scotland, or the lake
district of England; though in themselves, and for the Australian bush,
they were at times anything but contemptible. After heavy rains, when
the river was swollen into a large body of water, they were certainly
grand. During the early part of the summer, when the stream was lower,
they might be designated pretty; but towards the close of the dry
season, when the rivers ceased to flow, and their courses become divided
into endless chains of pools, preserving in their concatenation an
independent existence, the "falls" were either extremely mean, or
entirely evanescent. For the present, however, we will refrain from
making any further description, until we visit them with our friends on
the morrow; merely premising that the summer was about half spent, that
it was in fact about Christmas time, and the water in the creek rather
low.
On the following day, as had been previously arranged, the party, having
been preceded by the provender carriers, mounted their horses and moved
off from the house under the guidance of Tom Rainsfield. The shortest
route to the falls lay through the bush, in a direct line of about seven
miles; but the equestrians preferred following up the course of the
river; as, though longer by some three miles, it was pleasanter and
more picturesque. At the same time they had no desire to hurry
themselves; but determined to spend the greater portion of the day in
the excursion, and therefore rode on at their leisure, in couples; how
arranged, we need not say.
After nearly two hours riding, upon their arrival at the desired goal,
the scene that presented itself to their view, was pleasing and
charmingly picturesque. Facing the party, and extending in either
direction for a considerable distance, was a ridge or range forming a
natural terrace, rising from eighty to a hundred feet almost
perpendicularly. It was literally covered with bush of various
descriptions, from the dwarfish wattle to the lofty gum, and iron bark;
presenting to each other, in their various tints of foliage, a relieving
contrast of colour. From the very midst of this, the fall emerged; and
after tumbling over a few impediments in its way, through which it
seemed vainly endeavouring to force a passage, it made a leap of about
sixty feet; and formed as pretty a little cascade as could be imagined.
The party stopped at the head of the creek, where they obtained a good
view of the falls; and were perfectly enraptured with the scene, which,
though in itself was but ordinary, had an influence, in the
circumstances under which they were assembled, in directing their minds
into a pleased and contented channel. Besides, there was a novelty in
such scenery in Australia; and humble as the pretensions of the falls
might have been to the picturesque, in the eyes of an English tourist,
John Ferguson, who had rarely, and Eleanor Rainsfield, who had never
seen anything like it, could not help admiring the beauty of the
landscape. Our friends soon selected a spot for their camp; in fact, the
spot had already been chosen by their harbingers, who had fixed upon a
little rising knoll on the bank of the creek, a short distance below the
falls; of which they commanded an excellent view. Here the party
dismounted, and leaving the horses to the care of the men, they
discussed the nature of their further proceedings; while the ladies
arranged their equestrian habiliments, so as not to incommode them in
their walking. Then putting all things in order for their luncheon, and
requesting the men to boil some water (on a fire the fellows had
kindled), for the purpose of making that universal beverage in the bush,
without which no meal would be considered complete; Mrs. Rainsfield
proposed to the gentlemen that they should take a walk up to the falls,
and see if the ascent of the range was practicable, and if so, what sort
of a prospect there was from the summit.
The suggestion was instantly acted upon; and after thoroughly surveying
the falls, from every point of view at its foot, Tom was despatched to
attempt the ascent; while the rest in the meantime sat down on the
grass, to await his return. This, however, was not until some time had
elapsed; and when he did make his appearance, he stated that the range
could be mounted; but he would not advise them to try it, as the hill
abounded with snakes. He then hurriedly informed them, that he had come
down for a gun, which he had noticed one of the men had brought with
him; and was going to return to shoot a reptile that had impeded his
progress. Mrs. Rainsfield desired him to stay, saying she was sure the
snake would not have waited for his return; but he only laughed and
assured her that he would certainly find it upon his return, and bring
it to her as a trophy. He then dashed away, and was seen in a few
minutes, posting up the acclivity with the gun in his hand ready for
execution.
"What a stupid fellow that is," remarked Mrs. Rainsfield, "to be running
away from us to kill a snake, and perhaps incur the risk of getting
bitten by another. While he was here, and it was not safe for us to go
up, he might as well have remained."
We will not follow the conversation that ensued; but merely state that
after some minutes had elapsed, as the party began to expect the return
of Tom disappointed of his game, a shot was heard, and after a few
moments another; upon which Mrs. Rainsfield remarked, "I suppose we
shall soon see our snake-hunter now, and see what sport he has had. If
he does not produce some trophy, we must give him no peace; but here he
comes." At which moment Tom Rainsfield presented himself, and threw down
before his friends the bodies of two green snakes; which we may here
remark are a kind extremely dangerous, from the difficulty of detecting
them, owing to their colour so much resembling that of the foliage of
the trees or grass. The ladies instantly jumped up from their sitting
posture with a scream; but perceiving that the snakes were no longer
dangerous, they were speedily reassured, and demanded to hear the
adventure which had resulted in their destruction. This Tom promised to
tell them, after he had submitted his hands to a slight ablution in the
creek; and accordingly did so as they retraced their steps to the camp;
and we, to enlighten the reader on the subject, will follow him
succinctly in his own words.
"I managed," said he, "to get up the face of the range with some
difficulty, for it was awfully steep; but though I succeeded in reaching
the top, I had little or nothing for my trouble; for beyond an expanse
of bush, there was absolutely no view. It is true I could just obtain a
glimpse of 'the hill,' and the windings of the river at various bends,
but that was all; and the prospect was certainly not worth the trouble
of reaching the elevation to obtain. I was soon satisfied with its
contemplation; and turned to come down, which, if not convenient or
safe, was certainly easy and expeditious; for I had continually to hold
on by one of the overhanging branches of the smaller trees, and either
slide, jump, or precipitate myself down steeps and over perpendicular
rocks. In making one of these little exploits, I lost my footing by
dislodging a large stone; which, but for the grasp I had of the stout
bough of a tree, I should certainly have followed. However, I saved
myself; and watching the stone in its downward progress, as it went
bounding along, taking others with it in its descent, and crushing the
small bushes in its passage; I saw, or fancied I saw, a large green
snake suddenly dart out of its way, and up into a tree. I kept my eye on
the tree until I got down to it; and then minutely inspected every
branch, as well as I could with my simple vision, but could see nothing.
I then thought I might have been mistaken, but at the same time, could
hardly believe my eyes had been deceived. The tree was only a young
sapling, and could be bent with ease; so to satisfy myself, I determined
to try if my friend was a myth, or a genuine snake, which had really
taken up his quarters in the sheltering boughs above my head. With this
intent I took its stem in my double grasp, and gave it a shake, the
like of which I am certain it never had since it became a tree; it was
enough to shake the very ghost out of it, and had the effect of
displacing my verdant friend, who dropt at my very feet. He did not
exactly know what to make of it, though he did not wait long to
consider, for he soon twisted off, and darted into another tree rather
larger than the first."
"I then looked out for a good-sized-stick, to touch him up with when he
next visited _terra firma_; and for the purpose of discovering his
position, and compelling his immediate capitulation, I besieged the tree
with stones. He was not long in giving me indication of his _locale_,
for I soon distinguished him, coiled round a branch almost at its
extreme end; with his head and about a foot of his body protruding. I
continued to pelt him; and he to dart his head at me, thrusting out his
tongue and hissing fearfully, as much as to say, 'If I only could,
wouldn't I, hat's all.' I twice or thrice shook him in his position,
but could not dislodge him; for he had got himself too firmly coiled
round the bough: then I thought of our fellow's gun. I knew the snake
was too frightened to leave his place for some time; so I discontinued
the discharge of my missiles, took my note of the tree, came down for
the fowling-piece, returned to the scene of battle; and then commenced
another pelting, to ascertain if the reptile had retained his post. Sure
enough it was there, for the head soon made itself visible; but strange
to say from quite a different part of the tree. I imagined from this,
that the beast must have removed in my absence; but I was mistaken, for
I soon detected my friend in his old place, and perceived that I had got
a pair of beauties to deal with. I was aware that the snakes usually go
in pairs; but having seen the first one mount the tree alone, I never
dreamt of his having a mate, which I suppose must have joined him while
I was away. However, I soon made short work of the two; for I shot them
one after the other, and they dropt down as quietly as possible; while I
gave them each a crack on the head, to knock out any sense that might
have remained, and then laid them, like a dutiful gallant, at your
feet."
"You were certainly very gracious, but we could have well dispensed with
that piece of gallantry," replied his sister-in-law; "however, we
forgive you: and now for our repast."
The repast was soon spread on a cloth on the grass; and the party sat
down to its discussion in the highest glee, which was maintained during
the meal's continuance. Theirs was the cup "which cheers, but not
inebriates;" and they indulged in their merriments and pleasantries,
without the aid of those stimulants which create an excitement at the
expense of health, both corporeal and mental. After the conclusion of
their tiffin, Mrs. Rainsfield proposed a walk down the bank of the
creek, to collect a few of the wild flowers she had noticed when coming
up; and leaving the man in attendance to pack up the things, and have
their horses ready for them in about half an hour or so, they sauntered
along the stream.