CHAPTER LVIII.
REVIVING HOPES AND BRIGHTENING PROSPECTS.
"If you can without fatigue, dear, do come down to dinner to-day;you'll then see the people one by one as they appear, instead ofhaving to encounter a crowd of strangers. Hollingford will be heretoo. I hope you'll find it pleasant."
So Molly made her appearance at dinner that day; and got to know, bysight at least, some of the most distinguished of the visitors at theTowers. The next day was Thursday, Cynthia's wedding-day; bright andfine in the country, whatever it might be in London. And there wereseveral letters from the home-people awaiting Molly when she camedownstairs to the late breakfast. For, every day, every hour, she wasgaining strength and health, and she was unwilling to continue herinvalid habits any longer than was necessary. She looked so muchbetter that Sir Charles noticed it to Lady Harriet; and several ofthe visitors spoke of her this morning as a very pretty, lady-like,and graceful girl. This was Thursday; on Friday, as Lady Harriet hadtold her, some visitors from the more immediate neighbourhood wereexpected to stay over the Sunday; but she had not mentioned theirnames, and when Molly went down into the drawing-room before dinner,she was almost startled by perceiving Roger Hamley in the centre ofa group of gentlemen, who were all talking together eagerly, and, asit seemed to her, making him the object of their attention. He madea hitch in his conversation, lost the precise meaning of a questionaddressed to him, answered it rather hastily, and made his wayto where Molly was sitting, a little behind Lady Harriet. He hadheard that she was staying at the Towers, but he was almost as muchsurprised by hers, as she was by his unexpected appearance, for hehad only seen her once or twice since his return from Africa, andthen in the guise of an invalid. Now in her pretty evening dress,with her hair beautifully dressed, her delicate complexion flushed alittle with timidity, yet her movements and manners bespeaking quietease, Roger hardly recognized her, although he acknowledged heridentity. He began to feel that admiring deference which most youngmen experience when conversing with a very pretty girl: a sort ofdesire to obtain her good opinion in a manner very different to hisold familiar friendliness. He was annoyed when Sir Charles, whoseespecial charge she still was, came up to take her in to dinner. Hecould not quite understand the smile of mutual intelligence thatpassed between the two, each being aware of Lady Harriet's planof sheltering Molly from the necessity of talking, and acting inconformity with her wishes as much as with their own. Roger foundhimself puzzling, and watching them from time to time duringdinner. Again in the evening he sought her out, but found her againpre-occupied with one of the young men staying in the house, who hadhad the advantage of two days of mutual interest, and acquaintancewith the daily events and jokes and anxieties of the family circle.Molly could not help wishing to break off all this trivial talk andto make room for Roger: she had so much to ask him about everythingat the Hall; he was, and had been such a stranger to them all forthese last two months, and more. But though each wanted to speak tothe other more than to any one else in the room, it so happened thateverything seemed to conspire to prevent it. Lord Hollingford carriedoff Roger to the cluster of middle-aged men; he was wanted to givehis opinion upon some scientific subject. Mr. Ernulphus Watson,the young man referred to above, kept his place by Molly, as theprettiest girl in the room, and almost dazed her by his never-ceasingflow of clever small-talk. She looked so tired and pale at last thatthe ever-watchful Lady Harriet sent Sir Charles to the rescue, andafter a few words with Lady Harriet, Roger saw Molly quietly leavethe room; and a sentence or two which he heard Lady Harriet addressto her cousin made him know that it was for the night. Thosesentences might bear another interpretation than the obvious one.
"Really, Charles, considering that she is in your charge, I think youmight have saved her from the chatter and patter of Mr. Watson I canonly stand it when I am in the strongest health."
Why was Molly in Sir Charles's charge? why? Then Roger rememberedmany little things that might serve to confirm the fancy he had gotinto his head; and he went to bed puzzled and annoyed. It seemedto him such an incongruous, hastily-got-up sort of engagement, ifengagement it really was. On Saturday they were more fortunate: theyhad a long _tete-a-tete_ in the most public place in the house--on asofa in the hall where Molly was resting at Lady Harriet's commandbefore going upstairs after a walk. Roger was passing through, andsaw her, and came to her. Standing before her, and making pretence ofplaying with the gold-fish in a great marble basin close at hand,--
"I was very unlucky," said he. "I wanted to get near you last night,but it was quite impossible. You were so busy talking to Mr. Watson,until Sir Charles Morton came and carried you off--with such an airof authority! Have you known him long?"
Now this was not at all the manner in which Roger had pre-determinedthat he would speak of Sir Charles to Molly; but the words came outin spite of himself.
"No! not long. I never saw him before I came here--on Tuesday. ButLady Harriet told him to see that I did not get tired, for I wantedto come down; but you know I have not been strong. He is a cousin ofLady Harriet's, and does all she tells him to do."
"Oh! he is not handsome; but I believe he is a very sensible man."
"Yes! I should think so. He is so silent though, that I can hardlyjudge."
"He bears a very high character in the county," said Roger, willingnow to give him his full due.
Molly stood up.
"I must go upstairs," she said; "I only sate down here for a minuteor two because Lady Harriet bade me."
"Stop a little longer," said he. "This is really the pleasantestplace; this basin of water-lilies gives one the idea, if not thesensation, of coolness; besides--it seems so long since I saw you,and I have a message from my father to give you. He is very angrywith you."
"Angry with me?" said Molly in surprise.
"Yes! He heard that you had come here for change of air; and he wasoffended that you hadn't come to us--to the Hall, instead. He saidthat you should have remembered old friends!"
Molly took all this quite gravely, and did not at first notice thesmile on his face.
"Oh! I am so sorry!" said she. "But will you please tell him how itall happened. Lady Harriet called the very day when it was settledthat I was not to go to--" Cynthia's wedding, she was going to add,but she suddenly stopped short, and, blushing deeply, changed theexpression, "go to London, and she planned it all in a minute, andconvinced mamma and papa, and had her own way. There was really noresisting her."
"I think you will have to tell all this to my father yourself if youmean to make your peace. Why can you not come on to the Hall when youleave the Towers?"
To go in the cool manner suggested from one house to another, afterthe manner of a royal progress, was not at all according to Molly'sprimitive home-keeping notions. She made answer,--
"I should like it very much, some time. But I must go home first.They will want me more than ever now--"
Again she felt herself touching on a sore subject, and stopped short.Roger became annoyed at her so constantly conjecturing what he mustbe feeling on the subject of Cynthia's marriage. With sympatheticperception she had discerned that the idea must give him pain; andperhaps she also knew that he would dislike to show the pain; but shehad not the presence of mind or ready wit to give a skilful turn tothe conversation. All this annoyed Roger, he could hardly tell why.He determined to take the metaphorical bull by the horns. Until thatwas done, his footing with Molly would always be insecure; as italways is between two friends, who mutually avoid a subject to whichtheir thoughts perpetually recur.
"Ah, yes!" said he. "Of course you must be of double importance nowMiss Kirkpatrick has left you. I saw her marriage in _The Times_yesterday."
His tone of voice was changed in speaking of her, but her name hadbeen named between them, and that was the great thing to accomplish.
"Still," he continued, "I think I must urge my father's claim for ashort visit, and all the more, because I can really see the apparentimprovement in your health since I
came,--only yesterday. Besides,Molly," it was the old familiar Roger of former days who spoke now,"I think you could help us at home. Aimee is shy and awkward with myfather, and he has never taken quite kindly to her,--yet I know theywould like and value each other, if some one could but bring themtogether,--and it would be such a comfort to me if this could takeplace before I have to leave."
"To leave--are you going away again?"
"Yes. Have you not heard? I didn't complete my engagement. I'm goingagain in September for six months."
"I remember. But somehow I fancied--you seemed to have settled downinto the old ways at the Hall."
"So my father appears to think. But it is not likely I shall evermake it my home again; and that is partly the reason why I want myfather to adopt the notion of Aimee's living with him. Ah, here areall the people coming back from their walk. However, I shall see youagain; perhaps this afternoon we may get a little quiet time, for Ihave a great deal to consult you about."
They separated then, and Molly went upstairs very happy, very fulland warm at her heart; it was so pleasant to have Roger talking toher in this way, like a friend; she had once thought that she couldnever look upon the great brown-bearded celebrity in the former lightof almost brotherly intimacy, but now it was all coming right. Therewas no opportunity for renewed confidences that afternoon. Molly wenta quiet decorous drive as fourth with two dowagers and one spinster;but it was very pleasant to think that she should see him again atdinner, and again to-morrow. On the Sunday evening, as they all weresitting and loitering on the lawn before dinner, Roger went on withwhat he had to say about the position of his sister-in-law in hisfather's house: the mutual bond between the mother and grandfatherbeing the child; who was also, through jealousy, the bone ofcontention and the severance. There were many little details to begiven in order to make Molly quite understand the difficulty of thesituations on both sides; and the young man and the girl becameabsorbed in what they were talking about, and wandered away into theshade of the long avenue. Lady Harriet separated herself from a groupand came up to Lord Hollingford, who was sauntering a little apart,and putting her arm within his with the familiarity of a favouritesister, she said,--
"Don't you think that your pattern young man, and my favourite youngwoman, are finding out each other's good qualities?"
He had not been observing as she had been.
"Who do you mean?" said he.
"Look along the avenue; who are those?"
"Mr. Hamley and--is it not Miss Gibson? I can't quite make out. Oh!if you're letting your fancy run off in that direction, I can tellyou it's quite waste of time. Roger Hamley is a man who will soonhave an European reputation!"
"That's very possible, and yet it doesn't make any difference in myopinion. Molly Gibson is capable of appreciating him."
"She is a very pretty, good little country-girl. I don't mean to sayanything against her, but--"
"Remember the Charity Ball; you called her 'unusually intelligent'after you had danced with her there. But, after all, we are likethe genie and the fairy in the _Arabian Nights' Entertainment_, whoeach cried up the merits of the Prince Caramalzaman and the PrincessBadoura."
"Hamley is not a marrying man."
"How do you know?"
"I know that he has very little private fortune, and I know thatscience is not a remunerative profession, if profession it can becalled."
"Oh, if that's all--a hundred things may happen--some one may leavehim a fortune--or this tiresome little heir that nobody wanted, maydie."
"Hush, Harriet, that's the worst of allowing yourself to plan farahead for the future; you are sure to contemplate the death of someone, and to reckon upon the contingency as affecting events."
"As if lawyers were not always doing something of the kind!"
"Leave it to those to whom it is necessary. I dislike planningmarriages or looking forward to deaths about equally."
"You are getting very prosaic and tiresome, Hollingford!"
"Only getting!" said he smiling; "I thought you had always lookedupon me as a tiresome matter-of-fact fellow."
"Now, if you're going to fish for a compliment I am gone. Onlyremember my prophecy when my vision comes to pass; or make a bet,and whoever wins shall spend the money on a present to PrinceCaramalzaman or Princess Badoura, as the case may be."
Lord Hollingford remembered his sister's words as he heard Roger sayto Molly as he was leaving the Towers on the following day,--
"Then I may tell my father that you will come and pay him a visitnext week? You don't know what pleasure it will give him." He hadbeen on the point of saying "will give _us_," but he had an instinctwhich told him it was as well to consider Molly's promised visit asexclusively made to his father.
The next day Molly went home; she was astonished at herself forbeing so sorry to leave the Towers; and found it difficult, if notimpossible, to reconcile the long-fixed idea of the house as a placewherein to suffer all a child's tortures of dismay and forlornnesswith her new and fresh conception. She had gained health, she hadhad pleasure, the faint fragrance of a new and unacknowledged hopehad stolen into her life. No wonder that Mr. Gibson was struck withthe improvement in her looks, and Mrs. Gibson impressed with herincreased grace.
"Ah, Molly," said she, "it's really wonderful to see what a littlegood society will do for a girl. Even a week of association with suchpeople as one meets with at the Towers is, as somebody said of alady of rank whose name I have forgotten, 'a polite education initself.' There is something quite different about you--a _je nesais quoi_--that would tell me at once that you have been minglingwith the aristocracy. With all her charms, it was what my darlingCynthia wanted; not that Mr. Henderson thought so, for a more devotedlover can hardly be conceived. He absolutely bought her a parure ofdiamonds. I was obliged to say to him that I had studied to preserveher simplicity of taste, and that he must not corrupt her with toomuch luxury. But I was rather disappointed at their going off withouta maid. It was the one blemish in the arrangements--the spot in thesun. Dear Cynthia, when I think of her, I do assure you, Molly, Imake it my nightly prayer that I may be able to find you just suchanother husband. And all this time you have never told me who you metat the Towers?"
Molly ran over a list of names. Roger Hamley's came last.
"Upon my word! That young man is pushing his way up!"
"The Hamleys are a far older family than the Cumnors," said Molly,flushing up.
"Now, Molly, I can't have you democratic. Rank is a greatdistinction. It is quite enough to have dear papa with democratictendencies. But we won't begin to quarrel. Now that you and I areleft alone, we ought to be bosom friends, and I hope we shall be.Roger Hamley did not say much about that unfortunate little OsborneHamley, I suppose?"
"On the contrary, he says his father dotes on the child; and heseemed very proud of him, himself."
"I thought the Squire must be getting very much infatuated withsomething. I daresay the French mother takes care of that. Why! hehas scarcely taken any notice of you for this month or more, andbefore that you were everything."
It was about six weeks since Cynthia's engagement had become publiclyknown, and that might have had something to do with the Squire'sdesertion, Molly thought. But she said,--
"The Squire has sent me an invitation to go and stay there next weekif you have no objection, mamma. They seem to want a companion forMrs. Osborne Hamley, who is not very strong."
"I can hardly tell what to say,--I don't like your having toassociate with a Frenchwoman of doubtful rank; and I can't bear thethought of losing my child--my only daughter now. I did ask HelenKirkpatrick, but she can't come for some time; and the house is goingto be altered. Papa has consented to build me another room at last,for Cynthia and Mr. Henderson will, of course, come and see us;we shall have many more visitors, I expect, and your bedroom willmake a capital lumber-room; and Maria wants a week's holiday. I amalways so unwilling to put any obstacles in the way of any one'spleasure,--weakly unwilling, I believe,--b
ut it certainly would bevery convenient to have you out of the house for a few days; so, foronce, I will waive my own wish for your companionship, and plead yourcause with papa."
Miss Brownings came to call and hear the double batch of news. Mrs.Goodenough had called the very day on which they had returned fromMiss Hornblower's, to tell them the astounding fact of Molly Gibsonhaving gone on a visit to the Towers; not to come back at night, butto sleep there, to be there for two or three days, just as if shewas a young lady of quality. So Miss Brownings came to hear all thedetails of the wedding from Mrs. Gibson, and the history of Molly'svisit at the Towers as well. But Mrs. Gibson did not like thisdivided interest, and some of her old jealousy of Molly's intimacy atthe Towers had returned.
"Now, Molly," said Miss Browning, "let us hear how you behaved amongthe great folks. You must not be set up with all their attentionremember that they pay it to you for your good father's sake."
"Molly is, I think, quite aware," put in Mrs. Gibson, in her mostsoft and languid tone, "that she owes her privilege of visiting atsuch a house to Lady Cumnor's kind desire to set my mind quite atliberty at the time of Cynthia's marriage. As soon as ever I hadreturned home, Molly came back; indeed, I should not have thoughtit right to let her intrude upon their kindness beyond what wasabsolutely necessary."
Molly felt extremely uncomfortable at all this, though perfectlyaware of the entire inaccuracy of the statement.
"Well, but, Molly!" said Miss Browning, "never mind whether you wentthere on your own merits, or your worthy father's merits, or Mrs.Gibson's merits; but tell us what you did when you were there."
So Molly began an account of their sayings and doings, which shecould have made far more interesting to Miss Browning and MissPhoebe if she had not been conscious of her stepmother's criticallistening. She had to tell it all with a mental squint; the surestway to spoil a narration. She was also subject to Mrs. Gibson'sperpetual corrections of little statements which she knew to befacts. But what vexed her most of all was Mrs. Gibson's last speechbefore the Miss Brownings left.
"Molly has fallen into rambling ways with this visit of hers, ofwhich she makes so much, as if nobody had ever been in a great housebut herself. She is going to Hamley Hall next week,--getting quitedissipated, in fact."
Yet to Mrs. Goodenough, the next caller on the same errand ofcongratulation, Mrs. Gibson's tone was quite different. There hadalways been a tacit antagonism between the two, and the conversationnow ran as follows:--
Mrs. Goodenough began,--
"Well! Mrs. Gibson, I suppose I must wish you joy of Miss Cynthia'smarriage; I should condole with some mothers as had lost theirdaughters; but you're not one of that sort, I reckon."
Now, as Mrs. Gibson was not quite sure to which "sort" of mothers thegreatest credit was to be attached, she found it a little difficulthow to frame her reply.
"Dear Cynthia!" she said. "One can't but rejoice in her happiness!And yet--" she ended her sentence by sighing.
"Ay. She was a young woman as would always have her followers; for,to tell the truth, she was as pretty a creature as ever I saw in mylife. And all the more she needed skilful guidance. I'm sure I, forone, am as glad as can be she's done so well by herself. Folks sayMr. Henderson has a handsome private fortune over and above what hemakes by the law."
"There is no fear but that my Cynthia will have everything this worldcan give!" said Mrs. Gibson with dignity.
"Well, well! she was always a bit of a favourite of mine; and as Iwas saying to my grand-daughter there" (for she was accompanied by ayoung lady, who looked keenly to the prospect of some wedding-cake),"I was never one of those who ran her down and called her a flirtand a jilt. I'm glad to hear she's like to be so well off. And now,I suppose, you'll be turning your mind to doing something for MissMolly there?"
"If you mean by that, doing anything that can, by hastening hermarriage, deprive me of the company of one who is like my own child,you are very much mistaken, Mrs. Goodenough. And pray remember,I am the last person in the world to match-make. Cynthia made Mr.Henderson's acquaintance at her uncle's in London."
"Ay! I thought her cousin was very often ill, and needing hernursing, and you were very keen she should be of use. I'm not sayingbut what it's right in a mother; I'm only putting in a word for MissMolly."
"Thank you, Mrs. Goodenough," said Molly, half-angry, half-laughing."When I want to be married, I'll not trouble mamma. I'll look out formyself."
"Molly is becoming so popular, I hardly know how we shall keep herat home," said Mrs. Gibson. "I miss her sadly; but, as I said to Mr.Gibson, let young people have change, and see a little of the worldwhile they are young. It has been a great advantage to her being atthe Towers while so many clever and distinguished people were there.I can already see a difference in her tone of conversation: anelevation in her choice of subjects. And now she is going to HamleyHall. I can assure you I feel quite a proud mother, when I see howshe is sought after. And my other daughter--my Cynthia--writing suchletters from Paris!"
"Things is a deal changed since my days, for sure," said Mrs.Goodenough. "So, perhaps, I'm no judge. When I was married first, himand me went in a postchaise to his father's house, a matter of twentymile off at the outside; and sate down to as good a supper amongsthis friends and relations as you'd wish to see. And that was my firstwedding jaunt. My second was when I better knowed my worth as abride, and thought that now or never I must see London. But I werereckoned a very extravagant sort of a body to go so far, and spendmy money, though Harry had left me uncommon well off. But now youngfolks go off to Paris, and think nothing of the cost: and it's wellif wilful waste don't make woeful want before they die. But I'mthankful somewhat is being done for Miss Molly's chances, as I saidafore. It's not quite what I should have liked to have done for myAnnabella though. But times are changed, as I said just now."