CHAPTER XXXI
THE BARRISTER'S FEE
Six months later, on a fine evening which came as the fitting close of aperfect May afternoon, Brereton got out of a London express at Norcasterand entered the little train which made its way by a branch line to thevery heart of the hills. He had never been back to these northernregions since the tragedies of which he had been an unwilling witness,and when the little train came to a point in its winding career amongstthe fell-sides and valleys from whence Highmarket could be seen, withthe tree-crowned Shawl above it, he resolutely turned his face andlooked in the opposite direction. He had no wish to see the town again;he would have been glad to cut that chapter out of his book of memories.Nevertheless, being so near to it, he could not avoid the recollectionswhich came crowding on him because of his knowledge that Highmarket'sold gables and red roofs were there, within a mile or two, had he caredto look at them in the glint of the westering sun. No--he would neverwillingly set foot in that town again!--there was nobody there now thathe had any desire to see. Bent, when the worst was over, and the strangeand sordid story had come to its end, had sold his business, quietlymarried Lettie and taken her away for a long residence abroad, beforereturning to settle down in London. Brereton had seen them for an houror two as they passed through London on their way to Paris and Italy,and had been more than ever struck by young Mrs. Bent's philosophicalacceptance of facts. Her father, in Lettie's opinion, had always been adeeply-wronged and much injured man, and it was his fate to havesuffered by his life-long connexion with that very wicked person,Mallalieu: he had unfortunately paid the penalty at last--and there wasno more to be said about it. It might be well, thought Brereton, thatBent's wife should be so calm and equable of temperament, for Bent, onhis return to England, meant to go in for politics, and Lettie woulddoubtless make an ideal help-meet for a public man. She would facesituations with a cool head and a well-balanced judgment--and so, inthat respect, all was well. All the same, Brereton had a strong notionthat neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bent would ever revisit Highmarket.
As for himself, his thoughts went beyond Highmarket--to the placeamongst the hills which he had never seen. After Harborough's dueacquittal Brereton, having discharged his task, had gone back to London.But ever since then he had kept up a regular correspondence with Avice,and he knew all the details of the new life which had opened up for herand her father with the coming of Mr. Wraythwaite of Wraye. Her letterswere full of vivid descriptions of Wraye itself, and of the steward'shouse in which she and Harborough--now appointed steward and agent tohis foster-brother's estate--had taken up their residence. She had agift of description, and Brereton had gained a good notion of Wraye fromher letters--an ancient and romantic place, set amongst the wild hillsof the Border, lonely amidst the moors, and commanding wide views ofriver and sea. It was evidently the sort of place in which a lover ofopen spaces, such as he knew Avice to be, could live an ideal life. ButBrereton had travelled down from London on purpose to ask her to leaveit.
He had come at last on a sudden impulse, unknown to any one, andtherefore unexpected. Leaving his bag at the little station in thevalley at which he left the train just as the sun was setting behind thesurrounding hills, he walked quickly up a winding road between groves offir and pine towards the great grey house which he knew must be theplace into which the man from Australia had so recently come underromantic circumstances. At the top of a low hill he paused and lookedabout him, recognizing the scenes from the descriptions which Avice hadgiven him in her letters. There was Wraye itself--a big, old-worldplace, set amongst trees at the top of a long park-like expanse offalling ground; hills at the back, the sea in the far distance. Theruins of an ancient tower stood near the house; still nearer toBrereton, in an old-fashioned flower garden, formed by cutting out aplateau on the hillside, stood a smaller house which he knew--also fromprevious description--to be the steward's. He looked long at this beforehe went nearer to it, hoping to catch the flutter of a gown amongst therose-trees already bright with bloom. And at last, passing through therose-trees he went to the stone porch and knocked--and was half-afraidlest Avice herself should open the door to him. Instead, came; astrapping, redcheeked North-country lass who stared at this evidenttraveller from far-off parts before she found her tongue. No--Miss Avicewasn't in, she was down the garden, at the far end.
Brereton hastened down the garden; turned a corner; they metunexpectedly. Equally unexpected, too, was the manner of their meeting.For these two had been in love with each other from an early stage oftheir acquaintance, and it seemed only natural now that when at lastthey touched hands, hand should stay in hand. And when two young peoplehold each other's hands, especially on a Springtide evening, and underthe most romantic circumstances and surroundings, lips are apt to saymore than tongues--which is as much as to say that without furtherpreface these two expressed all they had to say in their first kiss.
Nevertheless, Brereton found his tongue at last. For when he had taken along and searching look at the girl and had found in her eyes what hesought, he turned and looked at wood, hill, sky, and sea.
"This is all as you described it" he said, with his arm round her, "andyet the first real thing I have to say to you now that I am here is--toask you to leave it!"
She smiled at that and again put her hand in his.
"But--we shall come back to it now and then--together!" she said.
THE END
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