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
After The Surgeon's Departure, She Went Down To Her Husband, Meeting
Hedges On The Stairs, Who Was Coming To Inquire After The Patient For His
Master, For About The Fiftieth Time. Hartledon Was In The Library, Pacing
About Incessantly In The Darkness, For The Room Was Only Lighted By The
Fire. Anne Closed The Door And Approached Him.
"Percival, I Do Not Bring You Very Good Tidings," She Said; "And Yet They
Might Be Worse. Mr. Brook Tells Me He Is In Great Danger, But Thinks He
Sees A Gleam Of Hope."
Lord Hartledon Took Her Hand Within His Arm And Resumed His Pacing; His
Eyes Were Fixed On The Carpet, And He Said Nothing.
"Don't Grieve As Those Without Hope," She Continued, Her Eyes Filling
With Tears. "He May Yet Recover. I Have Been Praying That It May Be So."
"Don't Pray For It," He Cried, His Tone One Of Painful Entreaty. "I Have
Been Daring To Pray That It Might Please God To Take Him."
"Percival!" She Exclaimed, Starting Away From Him.
"I Am Not Mad, Anne. Death Would Be A More Merciful Fate For My Boy Than
Life. Death Now, Whilst He Is Innocent, Safe In Christ's Love!--Death, In
Heaven's Mercy!"
And Anne Crept Back To The Upper Chamber, Sick With Terror; For She Did
Think That The Trouble Of His Child's State Was Affecting Her Husband's
Brain.
Chapter 35 (A Painful Scene)
Lord And Lady Hartledon Were Entertaining A Family Group. The Everlasting
Dowager Kept To Them Unpleasantly; Making Things Unbearable, And Wearing
Out Her Welcome In No Slight Degree, If She Had Only Been Wise Enough To
See It. She Had Escaped Scarlet-Fever And Other Dreaded Ills; And Was
Alive Still. For That Matter, The Little Lord Elster Had Come Out Of It
Also: _Not_ Unscathed; For The Boy Remained A Sickly Wreck, And There Was
Very Little Hope That He Would Really Recover. The Final Close Might Be
Delayed, But It Was Not To Be Averted. Before Easter They Had Left London
For Hartledon, That He Might Have Country Air. Lord Hartledon's Eldest
Sister, Lady Margaret Cooper, Came There With Her Husband; And On This
Day The Other Sister, Lady Laura Level, Had Arrived From India. Lady
Margaret Was An Invalid, And Not An Agreeable Woman Besides; But To Laura
And Anne The Meeting, After So Many Years' Separation, Was One Of Intense
Pleasure. They Had Been Close Friends From Childhood.
They Were All Gathered Together In The Large Drawing-Room After Luncheon.
The Day Was A Wet One, And No One Had Ventured Out Except Sir James
Cooper. Accustomed To The Scotch Mists, This Rain Seemed A Genial Shower,
And Sir James Was Enjoying It Accordingly. It Was A Warm, Close Day, In
Spite Of The Rain; And The Large Fire In The Grate Made The Room
Oppressive, So That They Were Glad To Throw The Windows Open.
Lying On A Sofa Near The Fire Waas All The
More Sorry Because It Was My Own Fault."
Mr. Fairfax Was Silent For A Few Minutes After This Bold Confession. He
Had Interdicted Any Communication With The Forest, As Mr. Carnegie
Prevised. He Did Not, However, Consider It Necessary To Provoke Bessie's
Ire By Telling Her That He Was Responsible For Her Immense
Disappointment. He Let That Pass, And When He Spoke Again It Was To Draw
Her Out On The More Important Subject Of What Progress Mr. Cecil
Burleigh Had Made In Her Interest. It Was Truly Vexatious, But As Bessie
Told Her Simple Tale She Was Conscious That Her Color Rose And Deepened
Slowly To A Burning Blush. Why? She Vehemently Assured Herself That She
Did Not Care A Straw For Mr. Cecil Burleigh, That She Disliked Him
Rather Than Otherwise, Yet At The Mere Sound Of His Name She Blushed.
Perhaps It Was Because She Dreaded Lest Anybody Should Suspect The
Mistake Her Vanity Had Made Before. Her Grandfather Gave Her One Acute
Glance, And Was Satisfied That This Business Also Went Well.
"Mr. Cecil Burleigh Left The Yacht At Ryde. It Was The First Day Of The
Regatta When We Anchored There, And We Landed And Saw The Town," Was All
Bessie Said In Words, But Her Self-Betrayal Was Eloquent.
"We--What Do You Mean By _We_? Did Your Uncle Frederick Land?" Asked The
Squire, Not Caring In The Least To Know.
"No--Only Mr. Cecil Burleigh And Myself. We Went To The House Of Some
Friends Of His Where We Had Lunch; And Afterward Mrs. Gardiner And One
Of The Young Ladies Took Me To The Arcade. My Uncle Never Landed At All
From The Day We Left Caen Till We Arrived At Scarcliffe. Mrs. Betts Went
Into Harwich With Me. That Is A Very Quaint Old Town, But Nothing In
England Looks So Battered And Decayed As The French Cities Do."
Mr. Fairfax Knew All About Miss Julia Gardiner, And Elizabeth's
Information That Mr. Cecil Burleigh Had Called On The Family In Ryde
Caused Him To Reflect. It Was Very Imprudent To Take Elizabeth With
Him--Very Imprudent Indeed; Of Course, The Squire Could Not Know How
Little He Was To Blame. To Take Her Mind Off The Incident That Seriously
Annoyed Himself, He Asked What Troubles Caen Had Seen, And Bessie,
Thankful To Discourse Of Something Not Confusing, Answered Him Like A
Book:
"Oh, Many. It Is Very Impoverished And Dilapidated. The Revocation Of
The Edict Of Nantes Ruined Its Trade. Its Principal Merchants Were
Huguenots: There Are Still Amongst The Best Families Some Of The
Reformed Religion. Then In The Great Revolution It Suffered Again; The
Churches Were Desecrated, And Turned To All Manner Of Common Uses; Some
Are Being Restored, But I Myself Have Seen Straw Hoisted In At A Church
Window, Beautiful With Flamboyant Tracery In The Arch, The Shafts Below
Being Partly Broken Away."
Mr. Fairfax Remarked That France Was Too Prone To Violent Remedies; Then
Reverting To The Subjects Uppermost In His Thoughts, He Said, "Elections
And Politics Cannot Have Much Interest For You Yet, Elizabeth, But
Probably You Have Heard That Mr. Cecil Burleigh Is Going To Stand For
Norminster?"
"Yes; He Spoke Of It To My Uncle Frederick. He Is A Very Liberal
Conservative, From What I Heard Him Say. There Was A Famous Contest For
Hampton When I Was Not More Than Twelve Years Old: We Went To See The
Members Chaired. My Father Was Orange--The Carnegies Are Almost
Radicals; They Supported Mr. Hiloe--And We Wore Orange Rosettes."
"A Most Unbecoming Color! You Must Take Up With Blue Now; Blue Is The
Only Wear For A Fairfax. Most Men Might Wear Motley For A Sign Of Their
Convictions. Let Us Return To The Octagon Parlor; It Is Cheerful With A
Fire After Dinner. At Abbotsmead There Are Not Many Evenings When A Fire
Is Not Acceptable At Dusk."
The Fire Was Very Acceptable; It Was Very Composing And Pleasant. Bright
Flashes Of Flame Kindled And Reddened The Fragrant Dry Pine Chips And
Played About The Lightly-Piled Logs. Mr. Fairfax Took His Own
Commodious Chair On One Side Of The Hearth, Facing The Uncurtained
Windows; A Low Seat Conf Edward," Returning To The
Other Subject, "I Thought You Meant The Boy."
Lady Laura Shook Her Head. "He Will Never Get Well, Anne. Death Is
Written On His Face."
"You Would Say So, If You Saw Him Some Days. He Is Excitable, And Your
Coming Has Roused Him. I Never Saw Any One Fluctuate So; One Day Dying,
The Next Better Again. For Myself I Have Very Little Hope, And Mr.
Hillary Has None; But I Dare Not Say So To Margaret And The Dowager."
"Why Not?"
"It Makes Them Angry. They Cannot Bear To Hear There's A Possibility Of
His Death. Margaret May See The Danger, But I Don't Believe The Dowager
Does."
"Their Wishes Must Blind Them," Observed Lady Laura. "The Dowager Seems
All Fury And Folly. She Scarcely Gave Herself Time To Welcome Me This
Morning, Or To Inquire How I Was After My Long Voyage; But Began
Descanting On A Host Of Evils, The Chief Being That Her Grandson Should
Have Had Fever."
"She Would Like Him To Bear A Charmed Life. Not For Love Of Him, Laura."
"What Then?"
"I Do Not Believe She Has A Particle Of Love For Him. Don't Think Me
Uncharitable; It Is The Truth; Val Will Tell You The Same. She Is Not
Capable Of Experiencing Common Affection For Any One; Every Feeling Of
Her Nature Is Merged In Self-Interest. Had Her Daughter Left Another Boy
She Would Not Be Dismayed At The Prospect Of This One's Death; Whether He
Lived Or Died, It Would Be All One To Her. The Grievance Is That Reginald
Should Have The Chance Of Succeeding."
"Because He Is Your Son. I Understand. A Vain, Puffed-Up Old Thing! The
Idea Of Her Still Painting Her Face And Wearing False Curls! I Wonder You
Tolerate Her In Your House, Anne! She's Always Here."
"How Can I Help Myself? She Considers, I Believe, That She Has More Right
In This House Than I Have."
"Does She Make Things Uncomfortable?"
"More So Than I Have Ever Confessed, Even To My Husband. From The Hour Of
My Marriage She Set The Two Children Against Me, And Against My Children
When They Came; And She Never Ceases To Do So Still."
"Why Do You Submit To It?"
"She Is Their Grandmother, And I Cannot Well Deny Her The House. Val
Might Do So, But He Does Not. Perhaps I Should Have Had Courage To
Attempt It, For The Children's Own Sake, It Is So Shocking To Train Them
To Ill-Nature, But That He Appears To Think As She Does. The Petty
Disputes Between The Children Are Frequent--For My Two Elder Ones Are
Getting Of An Age To Turn Again When Put Upon--But Their Father Never
Corrects Edward And Maude, Or Allows Them To Be Corrected; Let Them Do
What Wrong They Will, He Takes Their Part. I Believe That If Edward
_Killed_ One Of My Children, He Would Only Caress Him."
Lady Laura Turned Her Eyes On The Speaker's Face, On Its Flush Of Pain
And Mortification.
"And Val Loved You: And Did _Not_ Love Maude! What Does It Mean, Anne?"
"I Cannot Tell You. Things Altogether Are Growing More Than I Can Bear."
"Margaret Has Been With You Some Time; Has She Not Interfered, Or Tried
To Put Things Upon A Right Footing?"
Anne Shook Her Head. "She Espouses The Dowager's Side; Upholds The Two
Children In Their Petty Tyranny. No One In The House Takes My Part, Or My
Children's."
"That Is Just Like Margaret. Do You Remember How You And I Used To Dread
Her Domineering Spirit When We Were Girls? It's Time I Came, I Think, To
Set Things Right."
"Laura, Neither You Nor Any One Else Can Set Things Right. They Have Been
Wrong Too Long. The Worst Is, I Cannot See What The Evil Is, As Regards
Val. If I Ask Him He Repels Me, Or Laughs At Me, And Tells Me I Am
Fanciful. That He Has Some Secret Trouble I Have Long Known: His Days Are
Unhappy, His Nights Restless; Often When He Thinks Me Asleep I Am
Listening To His Sighs. I Am Glad You Have Come Home; I Have Wanted A
True Friend To Confide These Troubles To, And I Could Only Speak Of Them
To One Of The Family."
"It Sounds Like A Romance," Cried Laura. "Some Secret Grief! What Can It
Be?"
They Were Interrupted By A Commotion. Maude Had Been Threading A Splendid
Ring All The Colours Of The Rainbow, And Now Exhibited It For The Benefit
Of Admiring Beholders.
"Papa--Aunt Margaret--Look At My Ring."
Lord Hartledon Nodded Pleasantly At The Child From His Distant Seat; Lady
Margaret Appeared Not To Have Heard; And Maude Caught Up A Soft Ball And
Threw It At Her Aunt.
Unfortunately, It Took A Wrong Direction, And Struck The Nodding Dowager
On The Nose. She Rose Up In A Fury And Some Commotion Ensued.
"Make Me A Ring, Maude," Little Anne Lisped When The Dowager Had Subsided
Into Her Chair Again. Maude Took No Notice; Her Finger Was Still Lifted
With The Precious Ornament.
"Can You See It From Your Sofa, Edward?"
The Boy Rose
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