Elster's Folly by Mrs. Henry Wood (most important books to read TXT) 📖
- Author: Mrs. Henry Wood
Book online «Elster's Folly by Mrs. Henry Wood (most important books to read TXT) 📖». Author Mrs. Henry Wood
"Fortified" Herself Against Infection By Eating And Drinking More Than
Ever.
Nothing Else Was Said: She Shunned Allusion To It When She Could: And
Presently She And Maude Left The Dining-Room. "You Won't Be Long,
Hartledon?" She Observed, Sweetly, As She Passed Him. Val Only Bowed In
Answer, Closed The Door Upon Them, And Rang For Hedges.
"Is There Much Alarm Regarding This Fever At The Rectory?" He Asked Of
The Butler.
"Not Very Much, I Think, My Lord. A Few Are Timid About It; As Is Always
The Case. One Of The Other Servants Has Taken It; But Mr. Hillary Told Me
When He Was Here This Morning That He Hoped It Would Not Spread Beyond
The Rectory."
"Was Hillary Here This Morning? Nobody's Ill?" Asked Lord Hartledon,
Quickly.
"No One At All, My Lord. The Countess-Dowager Sent For Him, To Ask What
Her Diet Had Better Be, And How She Could Guard Against Infection More
Effectually Than She Was Doing. She Did Not Allow Him To Come In, But
Spoke To Him From One Of The Upper Windows, With A Cloak And Respirator
On."
Lord Hartledon Looked At His Butler; The Man Was Suppressing A Grim
Smile.
"Nonsense, Hedges!"
"It's Quite True, My Lord. Mrs. Mirrable Says She Has Five Bowls Of
Disinfectant In Their Rooms."
Lord Hartledon Broke Into A Laugh, Not Suppressed.
"And In The Courtyard, Looking Towards The Rectory, As May Be Said,
There's Several Pitch-Pots Alight Night And Day," Added Hedges. "We Have
Had A Host Of People Up, Wanting To Know If The Place Is On Fire."
"What A Joke!" Cried Val--Who Was Not Yet Beyond The Age To Enjoy Such
Jokes. "Hedges," He Resumed, In A More Confidential Tone, "No Strangers
Have Been Here Inquiring For Me, I Suppose?"
He Alluded To Creditors, Or People Acting For Them. To A Careless Man, As
Val Had Been, It Was A Difficult Matter To Know Whether All His Debts
Were Paid Or Not. He Had Settled What He Remembered; But There Might Be
Others. Hedges Understood; And His Voice Fell To The Same Low Tone: He
Had Been Pretty Cognizant Of The Embarrassments Of Mr. Percival Elster.
"Nobody At All, My Lord. They Wouldn't Have Got Much Information Out Of
Me, If They Had Come."
Lord Hartledon Laughed. "Things Are Changed Now, Hedges, And They May
Have As Much Information As They Choose. Bring Me Coffee Here; Make
Haste."
Coffee Was Brought, And He Went Out As Soon As He Had Taken It, Following
The Road To The Rectory. It Was A Calm, Still Night, The Moon Tolerably
Bright; Not A Breath Of Wind Stirred The Air, Warm And Oppressive For
October; Not By Any Means The Sort Of Night Doctors Covet When Fever Is
In The Atmosphere.
He Turned In At The Rectory-Gates, And Was Crossing To The House, When A
Rustling Of Leaves In A Shrubbery Path Caused Him To Look Over The Dwarf
Laurels, And There Stood Anne. He Was At Her Side In An Instant. She Had
Nothing On Her Head, As Though She Had Just Come Forth From The Rooms For
A Breath Of Air. As Indeed Was The Case.
"My Darling!"
"I Heard You Had Come," She Whispered, As He Held Both Her Hands In His,
And Her Heart Bounded With An Exquisite Flutter Of Delight.
"How Did You Hear That?" He Said, Placing Her Hand Within His Arm, That
He Might Pace The Walk With Her.
"Papa Heard It. Some One Had Seen You Walking Home From The Train: I
Think It Was Mr. Hillary. But, Percival, Ought You To Have Come Here?"
She Added In Alarm. "This Is Infected Ground, You Know."
"Not For Me. I Have No More Fear Of Fever Than I Have Of Moonstroke.
Anne, I Hope _You_ Will Not Take It," He Gravely Added.
"I Hope Not, Either. Like You, I Have No Fear Of It. I Am So Glad Arthur
Is Away. Was It Not Wrong Of That Landlady To Let Her Rooms To Us When
She Had Fever In Them?"
"Infamously Wrong," Said Lord Hartledon Warmly.
"She Excused Herself Afterwards By Saying, That As The People Who Had The
Fever Were In Quite A Different Part Of The House From Ours, She Thought
There Could Be No Danger. Papa Was So Angry. He Told Her He Was Sorry The
Law Did Not Take Cognizance Of Such An Offence. We Had Been A Week In The
House Before We Knew Of It."
"How Did You Find It Out?"
"The Lady Who Was Ill With It Died, And Matilda Saw The Coffin Going Up
The Back Stairs. She Questioned The Servants Of The House, And One Of
Them Told Her All About It Then, Bit By Bit. Another Lady Was Lying Ill,
And A Third Was Recovering. The Landlady, By Way Of Excuse, Said The
Greatest Wrong Had Been Done To Herself, For These Ladies Had Brought The
Fever Into Her House, And Brought It Deliberately. Fever Had Broken Out
In Their Own Home, Some Long Way Off, And They Ran Away From It, And Took
Her Apartments, Saying Nothing; Which Was True, We Found."
"Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right," Observed Lord Hartledon. "Their Bringing
The Fever Into Her House Was No Justification For Receiving You Into It
When It Was There. It's The Way Of The World, Anne: One Wrong Leading To
Others. Is Matilda Getting Over It?"
"I Hardly Know. She Is Not Out Of Danger; But Mr. Hillary Has Hopes Of
Her. One Of The Other Servants Has Taken It, And Is Worse Than Matilda.
Mr. Hillary Has Been With Her Three Times To-Day, And Is Coming Again.
She Was Ill When I Last Wrote To You, Val; But We Did Not Know It."
"Which Of Them Is It?" He Asked.
"The Dairymaid; A Stout Girl, Who Has Never Had A Day's Illness Before.
I Don't Suppose You Know Her. There Was Some Trouble With Her. She Would
Not Take Any Medicine; Would Not Do Anything She Ought To Have Done, And
The Consequence Is That The Fever Has Got Dangerously Ahead. I Am Sure
She Is Very Ill."
"I Hope It Will Not Spread Beyond The Rectory."
"Oh, Val, That Is Our One Great Hope," She Said, Turning Her Earnest Face
To Him In The Moonlight. "We Are Taking All Possible Precautions. None Of
Us Are Going Beyond The Grounds, Except Papa, And We Do Not Receive Any
One Here. I Don't Know What Papa Will Say To Your Coming."
He Smiled. "But You Can't Keep All The World Away!"
"We Do--Very Nearly. Mr. Hillary Comes, And Dr. Beamish From Garchester,
And One Or Two People Have Been Here On Business. If Any One Calls At The
Gate, They Are Not Asked In; And I Don't Suppose They Would Come In If
Asked. Jabez Gum's The Most Obstinate. He Comes In Just As Usual."
"Lady Kirton Is In An Awful Fright," Said Val, In An Amused Tone.
"Oh, I Have Heard Of It," Cried Anne, Clasping Her Hands In Laughter.
"She Is Burning Tar Outside The House; And She Spoke To Mr. Hillary This
Morning Through The Window Muffled Up In A Cloak And Respirator. What A
Strange Old Thing She Is!"
Val Shrugged His Shoulders. "I Don't Think She Means Badly _Au Fond_; And
She Has No Home, Poor Creature."
"Is That Why She Remains At Hartledon?"
"I Suppose So. Reigning At Hartledon Must Be Something Like A Glimpse Of
Paradise To Her. She Won't Quit It In A Hurry."
"I Wonder You Like To Have Her There."
"I Know I Shall Never Have Courage To Tell Her To Go," Was The Candid And
Characteristic Answer. "I Was Afraid Of Her As A Boy, And I'm Not Sure
But I'm Afraid Of Her Still."
"I Don't Like Her--I Don't Like Either Of Them," Said Anne In A Low Tone.
"Don't You Like Maude?"
"No. I Am Sure She Is Not True. To My Mind There Is Something Very False
About Them Both."
"I Think You Are Wrong, Anne; Certainly As Regards Maude."
Miss Ashton Did Not Press Her Opinion: They Were His Relatives. "But I
Should Have Pitied Poor Edward Had He Lived And Married Her," She Said,
Following Out Her Thoughts.
"I Was Mistaken When I Thought Maude Cared For Edward," Observed Lord
Hartledon. "I'm Sure I Did Think It. I Used To Tell Edward So; But A Day
Or Two After He Died I Found I Was Wrong. The Dowager Had Been Urging
Maude To Like Him, And She Could Not, And It Made Her Miserable."
"Did Maude Tell You This?" Inquired Anne; Her Radiant Eyes Full Of
Surprise.
"Not Maude: She Never Said A Word To Me Upon The Subject. It Was The
Dowager."
"Then, Val, She Must Have Said It With An Object In View. I Am Sure Maude
Did Love Him. I Know She Did."
He Shook His Head. "You Are Wrong, Anne, Depend Upon It. She Did Not Like
Him, And She And Her Mother Were At Variance Upon The Point. However, It
Is Of No Moment To Discuss It Now: And It Might Never Have Come To An
Issue Had Edward Lived, For He Did Not Care For Her; And I Dare Say Never
Would Have Cared For Her."
Anne Said No More. It Was Of No Moment As He Observed; But She Retained
Her Own Opinion. They Strolled To The End Of The Short Walk In Silence,
And Anne Said She Must Go In.
"Am I Quite Forgiven?" Whispered Lord Hartledon, Bending His Head Down To
Her.
"I Never Thought I Had Very Much To Forgive," She Rejoined, After A
Pause.
"My Darling! I Mean By Your Father."
"Ah, I Don't Know. You Must Talk To Him. He Knows We Have Been Writing To
Each Other. I Think He Means To Trust You."
"The Best Plan Will Be For You To Come Soon To Hartledon, Anne. I Shall
Never Go Wrong When Once You Are My Wife."
"Do You Go So Very Wrong Now?" She Asked.
"On My Honour, No! You Need Not Doubt Me, Anne; Now Or Ever. I Have Paid
Up What I Owed, And Will Take Very Good Care To Keep Out Of Trouble For
The Future. I Incurred Debts For Others, More Than For Myself, And Have
Bought Experience Dearly. My Darling, Surely You Can Trust Me Now?"
"I Always Did Trust You," She Murmured.
He Took A Long, Fervent Kiss From Her Lips, And Then Led Her To The Open
Lawn And Across To The House.
"Ought You To Come In, Percival?"
"Certainly. One Word, Anne; Because I May Be Speaking To The Rector--I
Don't Mean To-Night. You Will Make No Objection To Coming Soon To
Hartledon?"
"I Can't Come, You Know, As Long As Lady Kirton Is Its Mistress," She
Said, Half Seriously, Half Jestingly.
He Laughed At The Notion. Lady Kirton Must Be Going Soon Of Her Own
Accord; If Not, He Should Have To Pluck Up Courage And Give Her A Hint,
Was His Answer. At Any Rate, She'd Surely Take Herself Off Before
Christmas. The Old Dowager At Hartledon After He Had Anne There! Not If
He Knew It, He Added, As He Went On With Her Into The Presence Of Dr. And
Mrs. Ashton. The Rector Started From His Seat, At Once Telling Him That
He Ought Not To Have Come In. Which Val Did Not See At All, And Decidedly
Refused To Go Out Again.
Meanwhile The Countess-Dowager And Maude Were Wondering What Had Become
Of Him. They Supposed He Was Still Sitting In The Dining-Room. The Old
Dowager Fidgeted About, Her Fingers Ominously Near The Bell. She Was
Burning To Send To Him, But Hardly Knew How He Might Take The Message: It
Might Be That He Would Object To Leading Strings, And Her Attempt To Put
Them On Would Ruin All. But The Time Went On; Grew Late; And She Was
Dying For Her Tea, Which She Had Chosen Should Wait Also. Maude Sat
Before The Fire In A Large Chair; Her Eyes, Her Hands, Her Whole Air
Supremely Listless.
"Don't You Want Tea, Maude?" Suddenly Cried Her Mother, Who Had Cast
Innumerable Glances At Her From Time To Time.
"I Have Wanted It For Hours--As It Seems To Me."
"It's A Horrid Custom For Young Men, This Sitting Long After Dinner. If
He Gets Into It--But You Must See To That, And Stop It, If Ever You Reign
At Hartledon. I Dare Say He's Smoking."
"If Ever I Reign At Hartledon--Which I Am Not Likely To Do--I'll Take
Care Not To Wait Tea For Any One, As You Have Made Me Wait For It This
Evening," Was Maude's Rejoinder, Spoken With Apathy.
"I'll Send A Message To Him," Decided Lady Kirton, Ringing Rather
Fiercely.
A Servant Appeared.
"Tell Lord Hartledon We Are Waiting Tea For Him."
"His Lordship's Not In, My Lady."
"Not In!"
"He Went Out Directly After Dinner, As Soon As He Had Taken Coffee."
"Oh," Said The Countess-Dowager. And She Began To Make The Tea With
Vehemence--For
Comments (0)