CHAPTERX
Inthemeantime,Mrs。Ferrariheldtoherresolution。
ShewentstraightfromMr。Troy’sofficetoNewbury’sHotel。
LadyMontbarrywasathome,andalone。Buttheauthoritiesofthehotelhesitatedtodisturbherwhentheyfoundthatthevisitordeclinedtomentionhername。Herladyship’snewmaidhappenedtocrossthehallwhilethematterwasstillindebate。
ShewasaFrenchwoman,and,onbeingappealedto,shesettledthequestionintheswift,easy,rationalFrenchway。
’Madame’sappearancewasperfectlyrespectable。MadamemighthavereasonsfornotmentioninghernamewhichMiladimightapprove。
Inanycase,therebeingnoordersforbiddingtheintroductionofastrangelady,thematterclearlyrestedbetweenMadameandMiladi。
WouldMadame,therefore,begoodenoughtofollowMiladi’smaidupthestairs?’
Inspiteofherresolution,Mrs。Ferrari’sheartbeatasifitwouldburstoutofherbosom,whenherconductressledherintoanante-room,andknockedatadooropeningintoaroombeyond。
Butitisremarkablethatpersonsofsensitively-nervousorganisationaretheverypersonswhoarecapableofforcingthemselves(apparentlybytheexerciseofaspasmodiceffortofwill)
intotheperformanceofactsofthemostaudaciouscourage。
Alow,gravevoicefromtheinnerroomsaid,’Comein。’Themaid,openingthedoor,announced,’Apersontoseeyou,Miladi,onbusiness,’
andimmediatelyretired。Intheoneinstantwhiletheseeventspassed,timidlittleMrs。Ferrarimasteredherownthrobbingheart;
steppedoverthethreshold,consciousofherclammyhands,drylips,andburninghead;andstoodinthepresenceofLordMontbarry’swidow,toalloutwardappearanceassupremelyself-possessedasherladyshipherself。
Itwasstillearlyintheafternoon,butthelightintheroomwasdim。
Theblindsweredrawndown。LadyMontbarrysatwithherbacktothewindows,asifeventhesubdueddaylightweredisagreeabletoher。
Shehadalteredsadlyfortheworseinherpersonalappearance,sincethememorabledaywhenDoctorWybrowhadseenherinhisconsulting-room。Herbeautywasgone——herfacehadfallenawaytomereskinandbone;thecontrastbetweenherghastlycomplexionandhersteelyglitteringblackeyeswasmorestartlingthanever。
Robedindismalblack,relievedonlybythebrilliantwhitenessofherwidow’scap——reclininginapanther-likesupplenessofattitudeonalittlegreensofa——shelookedatthestrangerwhohadintrudedonher,withamoment’slanguidcuriosity,thendroppedhereyesagaintothehand-screenwhichsheheldbetweenherfaceandthefire。’Idon’tknowyou,’shesaid。’Whatdoyouwantwithme?’
Mrs。Ferraritriedtoanswer。Herfirstburstofcouragehadalreadywornitselfout。Theboldwordsthatshehaddeterminedtospeakwerelivingwordsstillinhermind,buttheydiedonherlips。
Therewasamomentofsilence。LadyMontbarrylookedroundagainatthespeechlessstranger。’Areyoudeaf?’sheasked。
Therewasanotherpause。LadyMontbarryquietlylookedbackagainatthescreen,andputanotherquestion。’Doyouwantmoney?’
’Money!’Thatonewordrousedthesinkingspiritofthecourier’swife。
Sherecoveredhercourage;shefoundhervoice。’Lookatme,mylady,ifyouplease,’shesaid,withasuddenoutbreakofaudacity。
LadyMontbarrylookedroundforthethirdtime。ThefatalwordspassedMrs。Ferrari’slips。
’Icome,mylady,toacknowledgethereceiptofthemoneysenttoFerrari’swidow。’
LadyMontbarry’sglitteringblackeyesrestedwithsteadyattentiononthewomanwhohadaddressedherinthoseterms。
Notthefaintestexpressionofconfusionoralarm,notevenamomentaryflutterofintereststirredthedeadlystillnessofherface。
Shereposedasquietly,sheheldthescreenascomposedly,asever。
Thetesthadbeentried,andhadutterlyfailed。
Therewasanothersilence。LadyMontbarryconsideredwithherself。
Thesmilethatcameslowlyandwentawaysuddenly——thesmileatoncesosadandsocruel——showeditselfonherthinlips。
Sheliftedherscreen,andpointedwithittoaseatatthefartherendoftheroom。’Besogoodastotakethatchair,’
shesaid。
Helplessunderherfirstbewilderingsenseoffailure——notknowingwhattosayorwhattodonext——Mrs。Ferrarimechanicallyobeyed。
LadyMontbarry,risingonthesofaforthefirsttime,watchedherwithundisguisedscrutinyasshecrossedtheroom——thensankbackintoarecliningpositiononcemore。’No,’shesaidtoherself,’thewomanwalkssteadily;sheisnotintoxicated——theonlyotherpossibilityisthatshemaybemad。’
Shehadspokenloudenoughtobeheard。Stungbytheinsult,Mrs。Ferrariinstantlyansweredher:’Iamnomoredrunkormadthanyouare!’
’No?’saidLadyMontbarry。’Thenyouareonlyinsolent?
TheignorantEnglishmind(Ihaveobserved)isapttobeinsolentintheexerciseofunrestrainedEnglishliberty。Thisisverynoticeabletousforeignersamongyoupeopleinthestreets。OfcourseIcan’tbeinsolenttoyou,inreturn。Ihardlyknowwhattosaytoyou。
Mymaidwasimprudentinadmittingyousoeasilytomyroom。
Isupposeyourrespectableappearancemisledher。Iwonderwhoyouare?
Youmentionedthenameofacourierwholeftusverystrangely。
Washemarriedbyanychance?Areyouhiswife?Anddoyouknowwhereheis?’
Mrs。Ferrari’sindignationburstitswaythroughallrestraints。
Sheadvancedtothesofa;shefearednothing,inthefervourandrageofherreply。
’Iamhiswidow——andyouknowit,youwickedwoman!
Ah!itwasanevilhourwhenMissLockwoodrecommendedmyhusbandtobehislordship’scourier——!’
Beforeshecouldaddanotherword,LadyMontbarrysprangfromthesofawiththestealthysuddennessofacat——seizedherbybothshoulders——
andshookherwiththestrengthandfrenzyofamadwoman。’Youlie!
youlie!youlie!’Shedroppedherholdatthethirdrepetitionoftheaccusation,andthrewupherhandswildlywithagestureofdespair。
’Oh,JesuMaria!isitpossible?’shecried。’Canthecourierhavecometomethroughthatwoman?’SheturnedlikelightningonMrs。Ferrari,andstoppedherasshewasescapingfromtheroom。
’Stayhere,youfool——stayhere,andanswerme!Ifyoucryout,assureastheheavensareaboveyou,I’llstrangleyouwithmyownhands。
Sitdownagain——andfearnothing。Wretch!ItisIwhoamfrightened——
frightenedoutofmysenses。Confessthatyoulied,whenyouusedMissLockwood’snamejustnow!No!Idon’tbelieveyouonyouroath;
IwillbelievenobodybutMissLockwoodherself。Wheredoesshelive?
Tellmethat,younoxiousstinginglittleinsect——andyoumaygo。’
Terrifiedasshewas,Mrs。Ferrarihesitated。LadyMontbarryliftedherhandsthreateningly,withthelong,lean,yellow-whitefingersoutspreadandcrookedatthetips。Mrs。Ferrarishrankatthesightofthem,andgavetheaddress。LadyMontbarrypointedcontemptuouslytothedoor——thenchangedhermind。’No!notyet!youwilltellMissLockwoodwhathashappened,andshemayrefusetoseeme。
Iwillgothereatonce,andyoushallgowithme。Asfarasthehouse——
notinsideofit。Sitdownagain。Iamgoingtoringformymaid。
Turnyourbacktothedoor——yourcowardlyfaceisnotfittobeseen!’
Sherangthebell。Themaidappeared。
’Mycloakandbonnet——instantly!’
Themaidproducedthecloakandbonnetfromthebedroom。
’Acabatthedoor——beforeIcancountten!’
Themaidvanished。LadyMontbarrysurveyedherselfintheglass,andwheeledroundagain,withhercat-likesuddenness,toMrs。Ferrari。
’Ilookmorethanhalfdeadalready,don’tI?’shesaidwithagrimoutburstofirony。’Givemeyourarm。’
ShetookMrs。Ferrari’sarm,andlefttheroom。’Youhavenothingtofear,solongasyouobey,’shewhispered,onthewaydownstairs。
’YouleavemeatMissLockwood’sdoor,andneverseemeagain。’
Inthehalltheyweremetbythelandladyofthehotel。
LadyMontbarrygraciouslypresentedhercompanion。
’MygoodfriendMrs。Ferrari;Iamsogladtohaveseenher。’
Thelandladyaccompaniedthemtothedoor。Thecabwaswaiting。
’Getinfirst,goodMrs。Ferrari,’saidherladyship;’andtellthemanwheretogo。’
Theyweredrivenaway。LadyMontbarry’svariablehumourchangedagain。
Withalowgroanofmisery,shethrewherselfbackinthecab。
Lostinherowndarkthoughts,ascarelessofthewomanwhomshehadbenttoherironwillasifnosuchpersonsatbyherside,shepreservedasinistersilence,untiltheyreachedthehousewhereMissLockwoodlodged。Inaninstant,sherousedherselftoaction。
Sheopenedthedoorofthecab,andcloseditagainonMrs。Ferrari,beforethedrivercouldgetoffhisbox。
’Takethatladyamilefartheronherwayhome!’shesaid,asshepaidthemanhisfare。Thenextmomentshehadknockedatthehouse-door。’IsMissLockwoodathome?’’Yes,ma’am。’
Shesteppedoverthethreshold——thedoorclosedonher。
’Whichway,ma’am?’askedthedriverofthecab。
Mrs。Ferrariputherhandtoherhead,andtriedtocollectherthoughts。
CouldsheleaveherfriendandbenefactresshelplessatLadyMontbarry’smercy?Shewasstillvainlyendeavouringtodecideonthecoursethatsheoughttofollow——whenagentleman,stoppingatMissLockwood’sdoor,happenedtolooktowardsthecab-window,andsawher。
’AreyougoingtocallonMissAgnestoo?’heasked。
ItwasHenryWestwick。Mrs。Ferrariclaspedherhandsingratitudeassherecognisedhim。
’Goin,sir!’shecried。’Goin,directly。ThatdreadfulwomaniswithMissAgnes。Goandprotecther!’
’Whatwoman?’Henryasked。
Theanswerliterallystruckhimspeechless。Withamazementandindignationinhisface,helookedatMrs。Ferrariasshepronouncedthehatednameof’LadyMontbarry。’’I’llseetoit,’
wasallhesaid。Heknockedatthehouse-door;andhetoo,inhisturn,wasletin。
CHAPTERXI
’LadyMontbarry,Miss。’
Agneswaswritingaletter,whentheservantastonishedherbyannouncingthevisitor’sname。Herfirstimpulsewastorefusetoseethewomanwhohadintrudedonher。ButLadyMontbarryhadtakencaretofollowcloseontheservant’sheels。
BeforeAgnescouldspeak,shehadenteredtheroom。
’Ibegtoapologiseformyintrusion,MissLockwood。
Ihaveaquestiontoaskyou,inwhichIamverymuchinterested。
Noonecananswermebutyourself。’Inlowhesitatingtones,withherglitteringblackeyesbentmodestlyontheground,LadyMontbarryopenedtheinterviewinthosewords。
Withoutanswering,Agnespointedtoachair。Shecoulddothis,and,forthetime,shecoulddonomore。AllthatshehadreadofthehiddenandsinisterlifeinthepalaceatVenice;allthatshehadheardofMontbarry’smelancholydeathandburialinaforeignland;
allthatsheknewofthemysteryofFerrari’sdisappearance,rushedintohermind,whentheblack-robedfigureconfrontedher,standingjustinsidethedoor。ThestrangeconductofLadyMontbarryaddedanewperplexitytothedoubtsandmisgivingsthattroubledher。
TherestoodtheadventuresswhosecharacterhadleftitsmarkonsocietyalloverEurope——theFurywhohadterrifiedMrs。Ferrariatthehotel——inconceivablytransformedintoatimid,shrinkingwoman!
LadyMontbarryhadnotonceventuredtolookatAgnes,sinceshehadmadeherwayintotheroom。Advancingtotakethechairthathadbeenpointedouttoher,shehesitated,putherhandontherailtosupportherself,andstillremainedstanding。
’Pleasegivemeamomenttocomposemyself,’shesaidfaintly。Herheadsankonherbosom:shestoodbeforeAgneslikeaconsciousculpritbeforeamercilessjudge。
Thesilencethatfollowedwas,literally,thesilenceoffearonbothsides。Inthemidstofit,thedoorwasopenedoncemore——
andHenryWestwickappeared。
HelookedatLadyMontbarrywithamoment’ssteadyattention——
bowedtoherwithformalpoliteness——andpassedoninsilence。
Atthesightofherhusband’sbrother,thesinkingspiritofthewomansprangtolifeagain。Herdroopingfigurebecameerect。HereyesmetWestwick’slook,brightlydefiant。Shereturnedhisbowwithanicysmileofcontempt。
HenrycrossedtheroomtoAgnes。
’IsLadyMontbarryherebyyourinvitation?’heaskedquietly。
’No。’
’Doyouwishtoseeher?’
’Itisverypainfultometoseeher。’
Heturnedandlookedathissister-in-law。’Doyouhearthat?’
heaskedcoldly。
’Ihearit,’sheanswered,morecoldlystill。
’Yourvisitis,tosaytheleastofit,ill-timed。’
’Yourinterferenceis,tosaytheleastofit,outofplace。’
Withthatretort,LadyMontbarryapproachedAgnes。ThepresenceofHenryWestwickseemedatoncetorelieveandemboldenher。
’Permitmetoaskmyquestion,MissLockwood,’shesaid,withgracefulcourtesy。’Itisnothingtoembarrassyou。
WhenthecourierFerrariappliedtomylatehusbandforemployment,didyou——’Herresolutionfailedher,beforeshecouldsaymore。
Shesanktremblingintothenearestchair,and,afteramoment’sstruggle,composedherselfagain。’DidyoupermitFerrari,’
sheresumed,’tomakesureofbeingchosenforourcourierbyusingyourname?’
Agnesdidnotreplywithhercustomarydirectness。Triflingasitwas,thereferencetoMontbarry,proceedingfromthatwomanofallothers,confusedandagitatedher。
’IhaveknownFerrari’swifeformanyyears,’shebegan。
’AndItakeaninterest——’
LadyMontbarryabruptlyliftedherhandswithagestureofentreaty。
’Ah,MissLockwood,don’twastetimebytalkingofhiswife!
Answermyplainquestion,plainly!’
’Letmeanswerher,’Henrywhispered。’Iwillundertaketospeakplainlyenough。’
Agnesrefusedbyagesture。LadyMontbarry’sinterruptionhadrousedhersenseofwhatwasduetoherself。Sheresumedherreplyinplainerterms。
’WhenFerrariwrotetothelateLordMontbarry,’shesaid,’hedidcertainlymentionmyname。’
Evennow,shehadinnocentlyfailedtoseetheobjectwhichhervisitorhadinview。LadyMontbarry’simpatiencebecameungovernable。
Shestartedtoherfeet,andadvancedtoAgnes。
’WasitwithyourknowledgeandpermissionthatFerrariusedyourname?’sheasked。’Thewholesoulofmyquestionisinthat。
ForGod’ssakeanswerme——Yes,orNo!’
’Yes。’
ThatonewordstruckLadyMontbarryasablowmighthavestruckher。
Thefiercelifethathadanimatedherfacetheinstantbefore,fadedoutofitsuddenly,andleftherlikeawomanturnedtostone。
Shestood,mechanicallyconfrontingAgnes,withastillnesssowraptandperfectthatnoteventhebreathshedrewwasperceptibletothetwopersonswhowerelookingather。
Henryspoketoherroughly。’Rouseyourself,’hesaid。
’Youhavereceivedyouranswer。’
Shelookedroundathim。’IhavereceivedmySentence,’sherejoined——
andturnedslowlytoleavetheroom。
ToHenry’sastonishment,Agnesstoppedher。’Waitamoment,LadyMontbarry。Ihavesomethingtoaskonmyside。YouhavespokenofFerrari。Iwishtospeakofhimtoo。’
LadyMontbarrybentherheadinsilence。Herhandtrembledasshetookoutherhandkerchief,andpasseditoverherforehead。
Agnesdetectedthetrembling,andshrankbackastep。’Isthesubjectpainfultoyou?’sheaskedtimidly。
Stillsilent,LadyMontbarryinvitedherbyawaveofthehandtogoon。
Henryapproached,attentivelywatchinghissister-in-law。Agneswenton。
’NotraceofFerrarihasbeendiscoveredinEngland,’shesaid。
’Haveyouanynewsofhim?Andwillyoutellme(ifyouhaveheardanything),inmercytohiswife?’
LadyMontbarry’sthinlipssuddenlyrelaxedintotheirsadandcruelsmile。
’Whydoyouaskmeaboutthelostcourier?’shesaid。
’Youwillknowwhathasbecomeofhim,MissLockwood,whenthetimeisripeforit。’
Agnesstarted。’Idon’tunderstandyou,’shesaid。’HowshallIknow?
Willsomeonetellme?’
’Someonewilltellyou。’
Henrycouldkeepsilencenolonger。’Perhaps,yourladyshipmaybetheperson?’heinterruptedwithironicalpoliteness。
Sheansweredhimwithcontemptuousease。’Youmayberight,Mr。Westwick。Onedayoranother,ImaybethepersonwhotellsMissLockwoodwhathasbecomeofFerrari,if——’Shestopped;
withhereyesfixedonAgnes。
’Ifwhat?’Henryasked。
’IfMissLockwoodforcesmetoit。’
Agneslistenedinastonishment。’Forceyoutoit?’sherepeated。
’HowcanIdothat?Doyoumeantosaymywillisstrongerthanyours?’
’Doyoumeantosaythatthecandledoesn’tburnthemoth,whenthemothfliesintoit?’LadyMontbarryrejoined。’Haveyoueverheardofsuchathingasthefascinationofterror?Iamdrawntoyoubyafascinationofterror。Ihavenorighttovisityou,Ihavenowishtovisityou:youaremyenemy。Forthefirsttimeinmylife,againstmyownwill,Isubmittomyenemy。See!Iamwaitingbecauseyoutoldmetowait——andthefearofyou(Iswearit!)
creepsthroughmewhileIstandhere。Oh,don’tletmeexciteyourcuriosityoryourpity!FollowtheexampleofMr。Westwick。
Behardandbrutalandunforgiving,likehim。Grantmemyrelease。
Tellmetogo。’
ThefrankandsimplenatureofAgnescoulddiscoverbutoneintelligiblemeaninginthisstrangeoutbreak。
’Youaremistakeninthinkingmeyourenemy,’shesaid。
’ThewrongyoudidmewhenyougaveyourhandtoLordMontbarrywasnotintentionallydone。Iforgaveyoumysufferingsinhislifetime。
Iforgiveyouevenmorefreelynowthathehasgone。’
Henryheardherwithmingledemotionsofadmirationanddistress。
’Saynomore!’heexclaimed。’Youaretoogoodtoher;sheisnotworthyofit。’
TheinterruptionpassedunheededbyLadyMontbarry。ThesimplewordsinwhichAgneshadrepliedseemedtohaveabsorbedthewholeattentionofthisstrangely-changeablewoman。Asshelistened,herfacesettledslowlyintoanexpressionofhardandtearlesssorrow。
Therewasamarkedchangeinhervoicewhenshespokenext。
Itexpressedthatlastworstresignationwhichhasdonewithhope。
’Yougoodinnocentcreature,’shesaid,’whatdoesyouramiableforgivenessmatter?Whatareyourpoorlittlewrongs,inthereckoningforgreaterwrongswhichisdemandedofme?
Iamnottryingtofrightenyou,Iamonlymiserableaboutmyself。
Doyouknowwhatitistohaveafirmpresentimentofcalamitythatiscomingtoyou——andyettohopethatyourownpositiveconvictionwillnotprovetrue?WhenIfirstmetyou,beforemymarriage,andfirstfeltyourinfluenceoverme,Ihadthathope。
Itwasastarvelingsortofhopethatlivedalingeringlifeinmeuntilto-day。Youstruckitdead,whenyouansweredmyquestionaboutFerrari。’
’HowhaveIdestroyedyourhopes?’Agnesasked。’WhatconnectionistherebetweenmypermittingFerraritousemynametoLordMontbarry,andthestrangeanddreadfulthingsyouaresayingtomenow?’
’Thetimeisnear,MissLockwood,whenyouwilldiscoverthatforyourself。Inthemeanwhile,youshallknowwhatmyfearofyouis,intheplainestwordsIcanfind。OnthedaywhenItookyourherofromyouandblightedyourlife——Iamfirmlypersuadedofit!——
youweremadetheinstrumentoftheretributionthatmysinsofmanyyearshaddeserved。Oh,suchthingshavehappenedbeforeto-day!Onepersonhas,beforenow,beenthemeansofinnocentlyripeningthegrowthofevilinanother。Youhavedonethatalready——
andyouhavemoretodoyet。Youhavestilltobringmetothedayofdiscovery,andtothepunishmentthatismydoom。Weshallmeetagain——hereinEngland,orthereinVenicewheremyhusbanddied——
andmeetforthelasttime。’
Inspiteofherbettersense,inspiteofhernaturalsuperioritytosuperstitionsofallkinds,Agneswasimpressedbytheterribleearnestnesswithwhichthosewordswerespoken。
SheturnedpaleasshelookedatHenry。’Doyouunderstandher?’
sheasked。
’Nothingiseasierthantounderstandher,’herepliedcontemptuously。
’SheknowswhathasbecomeofFerrari;andsheisconfusingyouinacloudofnonsense,becauseshedaren’townthetruth。
Lethergo!’
Ifadoghadbeenunderoneofthechairs,andhadbarked,LadyMontbarrycouldnothaveproceededmoreimpenetrablywiththelastwordsshehadtosaytoAgnes。
’AdviseyourinterestingMrs。Ferraritowaitalittlelonger,’
shesaid。’Youwillknowwhathasbecomeofherhusband,andyouwilltellher。Therewillbenothingtoalarmyou。Sometriflingeventwillbringustogetherthenexttime——astrifling,Idaresay,astheengagementofFerrari。Sadnonsense,Mr。Westwick,isitnot?
Butyoumakeallowancesforwomen;wealltalknonsense。Goodmorning,MissLockwood。’
Sheopenedthedoor——suddenly,asifshewasafraidofbeingcalledbackforthesecondtime——andleftthem。
CHAPTERXII
’Doyouthinksheismad?’Agnesasked。
’Ithinksheissimplywicked。False,superstitious,inveteratelycruel——
butnotmad。Ibelievehermainmotiveincomingherewastoenjoytheluxuryoffrighteningyou。’
’Shehasfrightenedme。Iamashamedtoownit——butsoitis。’
Henrylookedather,hesitatedforamoment,andseatedhimselfonthesofabyherside。
’Iamveryanxiousaboutyou,Agnes,’hesaid。’Butforthefortunatechancewhichledmetocallhereto-day——whoknowswhatthatvilewomanmightnothavesaidordone,ifshehadfoundyoualone?
Mydear,youareleadingasadlyunprotectedsolitarylife。
Idon’tliketothinkofit;Iwanttoseeitchanged——especiallyafterwhathashappenedto-day。No!no!itisuselesstotellmethatyouhaveyouroldnurse。Sheistooold;sheisnotinyourrankoflife——thereisnosufficientprotectioninthecompanionshipofsuchapersonforaladyinyourposition。Don’tmistakeme,Agnes!whatIsay,Isayinthesincerityofmydevotiontoyou。’
Hepaused,andtookherhand。Shemadeafeebleefforttowithdrawit——
andyielded。’Willthedaynevercome,’hepleaded,’whentheprivilegeofprotectingyoumaybemine?whenyouwillbetheprideandjoyofmylife,aslongasmylifelasts?’Hepressedherhandgently。
Shemadenoreply。Thecolourcameandwentonherface;hereyeswereturnedawayfromhim。’HaveIbeensounhappyastooffendyou?’
heasked。
Sheansweredthat——shesaid,almostinawhisper,’No。’
’HaveIdistressedyou?’
’Youhavemademethinkofthesaddaysthataregone。’Shesaidnomore;
sheonlytriedtowithdrawherhandfromhisforthesecondtime。
Hestillheldit;heliftedittohislips。
’CanInevermakeyouthinkofotherdaysthanthose——ofthehappierdaystocome?Or,ifyoumustthinkofthetimethatispassed,canyounotlookbacktothetimewhenIfirstlovedyou?’
Shesighedasheputthequestion。’SparemeHenry,’sheansweredsadly。
’Saynomore!’
Thecolouragainroseinhercheeks;herhandtrembledinhis。
Shelookedlovely,withhereyescastdownandherbosomheavinggently。
Atthatmomenthewouldhavegiveneverythinghehadintheworldtotakeherinhisarmsandkissher。Somemysterioussympathy,passingfromhishandtohers,seemedtotellherwhatwasinhismind。
Shesnatchedherhandaway,andsuddenlylookedupathim。
Thetearswereinhereyes。Shesaidnothing;shelethereyesspeakforher。Theywarnedhim——withoutanger,withoutunkindness——
butstilltheywarnedhimtopresshernofurtherthatday。
’OnlytellmethatIamforgiven,’hesaid,asherosefromthesofa。
’Yes,’sheansweredquietly,’youareforgiven。’
’Ihavenotloweredmyselfinyourestimation,Agnes?’
’Oh,no!’
’Doyouwishmetoleaveyou?’
Sherose,inherturn,fromthesofa,andwalkedtoherwriting-tablebeforeshereplied。TheunfinishedletterwhichshehadbeenwritingwhenLadyMontbarryinterruptedher,layopenontheblotting-book。
Asshelookedattheletter,andthenlookedatHenry,thesmilethatcharmedeverybodyshoweditselfinherface。
’Youmustnotgojustyet,’shesaid:’Ihavesomethingtotellyou。
Ihardlyknowhowtoexpressit。Theshortestwayperhapswillbetoletyoufinditoutforyourself。Youhavebeenspeakingofmylonelyunprotectedlifehere。Itisnotaveryhappylife,Henry——Iownthat。’
Shepaused,observingthegrowinganxietyofhisexpressionashelookedather,withashysatisfactionthatperplexedhim。
’DoyouknowthatIhaveanticipatedyouridea?’shewenton。
’Iamgoingtomakeagreatchangeinmylife——ifyourbrotherStephenandhiswifewillonlyconsenttoit。’Sheopenedthedeskofthewriting-tablewhileshespoke,tookaletterout,andhandedittoHenry。
Hereceiveditfromhermechanically。Vaguedoubts,whichhehardlyunderstoodhimself,kepthimsilent。Itwasimpossiblethatthe’changeinherlife’ofwhichshehadspokencouldmeanthatshewasabouttobemarried——andyethewasconsciousofaperfectlyunreasonablereluctancetoopentheletter。Theireyesmet;shesmiledagain。
’Lookattheaddress,’shesaid。’Yououghttoknowthehandwriting——
butIdaresayyoudon’t。’
Helookedattheaddress。Itwasinthelarge,irregular,uncertainwritingofachild。Heopenedtheletterinstantly。
’DearAuntAgnes,——Ourgovernessisgoingaway。Shehashadmoneylefttoher,andahouseofherown。Wehavehadcakeandwinetodrinkherhealth。Youpromisedtobeourgovernessifwewantedanother。Wewantyou。Mammaknowsnothingaboutthis。
PleasecomebeforeMammacangetanothergoverness。YourlovingLucy,whowritesthis。ClaraandBlanchehavetriedtowritetoo。
Buttheyaretooyoungtodoit。Theyblotthepaper。’
’Youreldestniece,’Agnesexplained,asHenrylookedatherinamazement。
’ThechildrenusedtocallmeauntwhenIwasstayingwiththeirmotherinIreland,intheautumn。Thethreegirlsweremyinseparablecompanions——theyarethemostcharmingchildrenIknow。
ItisquitetruethatIofferedtobetheirgoverness,iftheyeverwantedone,onthedaywhenIleftthemtoreturntoLondon。
Iwaswritingtoproposeittotheirmother,justbeforeyoucame。’
’Notseriously!’Henryexclaimed。
Agnesplacedherunfinishedletterinhishand。EnoughofithadbeenwrittentoshowthatshedidseriouslyproposetoenterthehouseholdofMr。andMrs。StephenWestwickasgovernesstotheirchildren!
Henry’sbewildermentwasnottobeexpressedinwords。
’Theywon’tbelieveyouareinearnest,’hesaid。
’Whynot?’Agnesaskedquietly。
’YouaremybrotherStephen’scousin;youarehiswife’soldfriend。’
’Allthemorereason,Henry,fortrustingmewiththechargeoftheirchildren。’
’Butyouaretheirequal;youarenotobligedtogetyourlivingbyteaching。Thereissomethingabsurdinyourenteringtheirserviceasagoverness!’
’Whatisthereabsurdinit?Thechildrenloveme;themotherlovesme;
thefatherhasshownmeinnumerableinstancesofhistruefriendshipandregard。Iamtheverywomanfortheplace——and,astomyeducation,Imusthavecompletelyforgottenitindeed,ifIamnotfittoteachthreechildrentheeldestofwhomisonlyelevenyearsold。
YousayIamtheirequal。Aretherenootherwomenwhoserveasgovernesses,andwhoaretheequalsofthepersonswhomtheyserve?Besides,Idon’tknowthatIamtheirequal。
HaveInotheardthatyourbrotherStephenwasthenextheirtothetitle?Willhenotbethenewlord?Nevermindansweringme!
Wewon’tdisputewhetherImnrightorwronginturninggoverness——
wewillwaittheevent。Iamwearyofmylonelyuselessexistencehere,andeagertomakemylifemorehappyandmoreuseful,inthehouseholdofallothersinwhichIshouldlikemosttohaveaplace。
Ifyouwilllookagain,youwillseethatIhavethesepersonalconsiderationsstilltourgebeforeIfinishmyletter。
Youdon’tknowyourbrotherandhiswifeaswellasIdo,ifyoudoubttheiranswer。IbelievetheyhavecourageenoughandheartenoughtosayYes。’
Henrysubmittedwithoutbeingconvinced。
Hewasamanwhodislikedalleccentricdeparturesfromcustomandroutine;
andhefeltespeciallysuspiciousofthechangeproposedinthelifeofAgnes。Withnewintereststooccupyhermind,shemightbelessfavourablydisposedtolistentohim,onthenextoccasionwhenheurgedhissuit。Theinfluenceofthe’lonelyuselessexistence’
ofwhichshecomplained,wasdistinctlyaninfluenceinhisfavour。
Whileherheartwasempty,herheartwasaccessible。
Butwithhisniecesinfullpossessionofit,thecloudsofdoubtovershadowedhisprospects。Heknewthesexwellenoughtokeepthesepurelyselfishperplexitiestohimself。ThewaitingpolicywasespeciallythepolicytopursuewithawomanassensitiveasAgnes。
Ifheonceoffendedherdelicacyhewaslost。Forthemomenthewiselycontrolledhimselfandchangedthesubject。
’Mylittleniece’sletterhashadaneffect,’hesaid,’whichthechildnevercontemplatedinwritingit。ShehasjustremindedmeofoneoftheobjectsthatIhadincallingonyouto-day。’
Agneslookedatthechild’sletter。’HowdoesLucydothat?’
sheasked。
’Lucy’sgovernessisnottheonlyluckypersonwhohashadmoneylefther,’Henryanswered。’Isyouroldnurseinthehouse?’
’Youdon’tmeantosaythatnursehasgotalegacy?’
’Shehasgotahundredpounds。Sendforher,Agnes,whileIshowyoutheletter。’
Hetookahandfuloflettersfromhispocket,andlookedthroughthem,whileAgnesrangthebell。Returningtohim,shenoticedaprintedletteramongtherest,whichlayopenonthetable。Itwasa’prospectus,’andthetitleofitwas’PalaceHotelCompanyofVenice(Limited)。’Thetwowords,’Palace’and’Venice,’instantlyrecalledhermindtotheunwelcomevisitofLadyMontbarry。’Whatisthat?’
sheasked,pointingtothetitle。
Henrysuspendedhissearch,andglancedattheprospectus。
’Areallypromisingspeculation,’hesaid。’Largehotelsalwayspaywell,iftheyarewellmanaged。Iknowthemanwhoisappointedtobemanagerofthishotelwhenitisopenedtothepublic;
andIhavesuchentireconfidenceinhimthatIhavebecomeoneoftheshareholdersoftheCompany。’
ThereplydidnotappeartosatisfyAgnes。’Whyisthehotelcalledthe\"PalaceHotel\"?’sheinquired。
Henrylookedather,andatoncepenetratedhermotiveforaskingthequestion。’Yes,’hesaid,’itisthepalacethatMontbarryhiredatVenice;andithasbeenpurchasedbytheCompanytobechangedintoanhotel。’
Agnesturnedawayinsilence,andtookachairatthefartherendoftheroom。Henryhaddisappointedher。Hisincomeasayoungersonstoodinneed,asshewellknew,ofalltheadditionsthathecouldmaketoitbysuccessfulspeculation。Butshewasunreasonableenough,nevertheless,todisapproveofhisattemptingtomakemoneyalreadyoutofthehouseinwhichhisbrotherhaddied。
Incapableofunderstandingthispurelysentimentalviewofaplainmatterofbusiness,Henryreturnedtohispapers,insomeperplexityatthesuddenchangeinthemannerofAgnestowardshim。
Justashefoundtheletterofwhichhewasinsearch,thenursemadeherappearance。HeglancedatAgnes,expectingthatshewouldspeakfirst。Sheneverevenlookedupwhenthenursecamein。
ItwaslefttoHenrytotelltheoldwomanwhythebellhadsummonedhertothedrawing-room。
’Well,nurse,’hesaid,’youhavehadawindfallofluck。
Youhavehadalegacyleftyouofahundredpounds。’
Thenurseshowednooutwardsignsofexultation。Shewaitedalittletogettheannouncementofthelegacywellsettledinhermind——
andthenshesaidquietly,’MasterHenry,whogivesmethatmoney,ifyouplease?’
’Mylatebrother,LordMontbarry,givesittoyou。’(Agnesinstantlylookedup,interestedinthematterforthefirsttime。Henrywenton。)
’Hiswillleaveslegaciestothesurvivingoldservantsofthefamily。
Thereisaletterfromhislawyers,authorisingyoutoapplytothemforthemoney。’
Ineveryclassofsociety,gratitudeistherarestofallhumanvirtues。
Inthenurse’sclassitisextremelyrare。Heropinionofthemanwhohaddeceivedanddesertedhermistressremainedthesameopinionstill,perfectlyundisturbedbythepassingcircumstanceofthelegacy。
’Iwonderwhoremindedmylordoftheoldservants?’shesaid。
’Hewouldneverhaveheartenoughtorememberthemhimself!’
Agnessuddenlyinterposed。Nature,alwaysabhorringmonotony,institutesreservesoftemperaselementsinthecompositionofthegentlestwomenliving。EvenAgnescould,onrareoccasions,beangry。
Thenurse’sviewofMontbarry’scharacterseemedtohaveprovokedherbeyondendurance。
’Ifyouhaveanysenseofshameinyou,’shebrokeout,’yououghttobeashamedofwhatyouhavejustsaid!Youringratitudedisgustsme。
Ileaveyoutospeakwithher,Henry——youwon’tmindit!’
Withthissignificantintimationthathetoohaddroppedoutofhiscustomaryplaceinhergoodopinion,shelefttheroom。
Thenursereceivedthesmartreproofadministeredtoherwitheveryappearanceoffeelingratheramusedbyitthannot。
Whenthedoorhadclosed,thisfemalephilosopherwinkedatHenry。
’There’sapowerofobstinacyinyoungwomen,’sheremarked。
’MissAgneswouldn’tgivemylordupasabadone,evenwhenhejiltedher。Andnowshe’ssweetonhimafterhe’sdead。
Sayawordagainsthim,andshefiresupasyousee。Allobstinacy!
Itwillwearoutwithtime。Sticktoher,MasterHenry——
sticktoher!’
’Shedoesn’tseemtohaveoffendedyou,’saidHenry。
’She?’thenurserepeatedinamazement——’sheoffendme?
Ilikeherinhertantrums;itremindsmeofherwhenshewasababy。