"My word!" said Sir John to Mr. Knight in tones of savage sarcasm asthey surveyed the two through this door. "We've got here just at theright time. Don't they look pretty, and don't you wish that you werehis age and that was someone else's daughter? I tell you, I do."
Mr. Knight gurgled something in his inarticulate wrath, for at thatmoment he hated Isobel's father as much as he did Isobel, which wassaying a great deal.
"Well, my pretty pair of cooing turtle-doves," went on Sir John in asort of shout, addressing himself to them, "be so good as to stop that,or I think I shall wring both your necks, damn you."
"Not in this Holy House, which these infamous and shameless personshave desecrated with their profane embraces," interrupted Mr. Knight.
"Yes, according to your ideas it will be almost a case ofre-consecration. You'll have to write to the bishop about it, Mr.Parson. Oh! confound you. Don't stand there like a couple of stuckpigs, but come out of that and let us have a little chat in thechurchyard."
Now, at the first words that reached their ears Godfrey and Isobel haddrawn back from each other and stood side by side quite still beforethe altar, as a pair about to be married might do.
They were dumbfounded, and no wonder. As might be expected Isobel wasthe first to recover herself.
"Come, my dear," she said in a clear voice to Godfrey, "my father andyours wish to speak to us. I am glad we have a chance of explainingmatters so soon."
"Yes," said Godfrey, but in a wrathful voice, for he felt angerstirring in him. Perhaps it was excited by that ancient instinct whichcauses the male animal to resent the spying upon him when he iscourting his female as the deadliest of all possible insults, orperhaps by some prescience of affronts which were about to be offeredto him and Isobel by these two whom he knew to be bitterly hostile. Atleast his temper was rising, and like most rather gentle-natured menwhen really provoked and cornered, he could be dangerous.
"Yes," he repeated, "let us go out and see this matter through."
So they went, Sir John and Mr. Knight drawing back a little beforethem, till they were brought to a halt by the horrible memorial whichthe former had erected over his wife's grave. Here they stood, preparedfor the encounter. Sir John was the first to take the lists, saying:
"Perhaps you will explain, Isobel, why I found you, as I thought,kissing this young fellow--like any village slut beneath a hedge."
Isobel's big eyes grew steely as she answered:
"For the same reason, Father. Like your village slut, I kissed this manbecause he is my lover whom I mean to marry. If, as I gather, you arenot certain as to what you saw, I will kiss him again, here in front ofyou."
"I have no doubt you will; just like your cheek!" ejaculated Sir John,taken a little aback.
Then Mr. Knight took up the ball, addressing himself to his son:
"Could you find no other place for your immoral performances except thechurch, Godfrey, and my chancel too?"
"No," answered Godfrey, "because it was raining and we sheltered there.And what do you mean by your talk about immorality? Is it not lawfulfor a man to love a woman? I should have thought that the Bible, whichyou are always quoting, would have taught you otherwise. Also, once youwere married yourself else I should not be here, for which I am notsure that I thank you; at least, I shouldn't were it not for Isobel."
For a moment Mr. Knight could think of no answer to these arguments,but Sir John having recovered his breath, attacked again:
"Look here, young fellow, I have no time to listen to jaw about theBible and moral and immoral and all that bosh, which you can have outwith your reverend parent afterwards. I am a plain man, I am, and wanta plain answer to a plain question. Do you think that you are going tomarry my daughter, Isobel?"
"Such is my desire and intention," replied Godfrey, with vaguerecollections of the baptismal service, though of these at the momenthe was not aware.
"Oh, is it? Then you are jolly well mistaken in your desire andintention. Let's make things clear. You are a beggarly youngster whopropose to enter the army at some future date, which you may or may notdo. And you have the impudence to wish to marry one of the biggestheiresses in England against my will."
"And against mine," burst in Mr. Knight, "who consider her a mostpernicious young woman, one who rejects the Christian faith and willlead you to perdition. That is why, when I chanced to espy you in sucha compromising position, I hastened to inform the lady's father."
"Oh! you did that, did you?" interposed Isobel, contemplating himsteadily. "Well, I am glad to know who could have been so cowardly,"she added with withering contempt. "Now I begin to wonder whether aletter which some years ago, I brought to the Abbey House to beforwarded to Godfrey, was ever posted to him who did not receive it, orwhether, perhaps, it fell into the hands of--someone like you."
"It did," said Mr. Knight. "I read it and have it to this day. In mydiscretion as a father I did not consider it desirable that my youngson should receive that letter. What I have witnessed this afternoonshows me how right was my judgment."
"Thank you so much," said Isobel. "That takes a great weight off mymind. Godfrey, my dear, I apologise to you for my doubts. The truth didoccur to me, but I thought it impossible that a clergyman," here shelooked again at Mr. Knight, "could be a thief also who did not dare toown to his theft."
"Never mind all that," went on Sir John in his heavy, masterful voice."It stands like this. You," and he pointed a fat finger at Godfrey,"are--well, I'll tell you what you are--you're just a cunning youngfortune-hunter. You found out that this property and a good bit besidesare coming to Isobel, and you want to collar the sag, like you did thatof the old woman out in Lucerne. Well, you don't do it, my boy. I'veother views for Isobel. Do you think I want to see her marriedto--to--the son of a fellow like that--a canting snuffler who prigsletters and splits on his own son?" and swinging the fat finger roundhe thrust it almost into the face of Mr. Knight.
"What did you say?" gasped Godfrey. "That I am a fortune-hunter?"
"Yes, that's what I said, and I'll repeat it if you like."
"Then," went on Godfrey, speaking in a thick, low voice, for now histemper had mastered him thoroughly, "I say that you are a liar. I saythat you are a base and vulgar man who has made money somehow andthinks that this justifies him in insulting those who are not base orvulgar, because they have less money."
"You infernal young scamp," shouted Sir John in a roar like to that ofan angry bull. "Do you dare to call me a liar? Apologise at once,or----" and he stopped.
"I do not apologise. I repeat that you are a liar, the greatest liar Iever met. Now--or what?"
Thus spoke Godfrey, drawing up his tall, slim young form to its fullheight, his dark eyes flashing, his fine face alight with righteousrage. Isobel, who was standing quite still and smiling a little, rathercontemptuously, looked at him out of the corners of her eyes andthought that anger became him well. Never before had he seemed sohandsome to her approving judgment.
"Or this," bellowed Sir John, and, lifting the tightly rolled umbrellahe carried, he struck Godfrey with all his strength upon the side ofthe head.
Godfrey staggered, but fortunately the soft hat he was wearing, uponthe brim of which the stroke fell, broke its weight to some extent, sothat he was not really hurt. Only now he went quite mad in a kind oficy way, and, springing at Sir John with the lightness of a leopard,dealt him two blows, one with his left hand and the next with his right.
They were good, straight blows, for boxing had been his favouriteamusement at Sandhurst where he was a middleweight champion. The firstcaught Sir John upon his thick lips which were badly cut against theteeth, causing him to stagger; while the second, that with the right,landed on the bridge of his nose and blacked both his eyes. This, sostrong and heavy was it, notwithstanding Sir John's great weight,knocked him clean off his feet. Back he went, and in his efforts tosave himself gripped Mr. Knight with one hand and with the other thelegs of the early Victorian angel that surmounted Lady Jane's grave
against which they were standing. Neither of these could withstand thestrain. The angel, which was only pinned by lead-coated rivets to itsbase and the column behind, flew from its supports, as did Mr. Knightfrom his, so that in another second, the men having tripped against thesurround of the grave, all three rolled upon the path, the marbleluckily falling clear of both of them.
"Now I've done it," said Godfrey in a reflective voice as hecontemplated the tangled ruin.
"Yes," exclaimed Isobel, "I think you have."
Then they remained grim and silent while the pair, who were not reallymuch injured, picked themselves up with groans.
"I am sorry that I knocked you down, since I am young and you are not,"said Godfrey, "but I repeat that you are a liar," he added by anafterthought.
Sir John spat out a tooth, and began to mop the blood from his nosewith a silk pocket-handkerchief.
"Oh! you do, do you?" he said in a somewhat subdued voice. "Well,you'll find out that I'm other things too before I'm done with you. AndI repeat that you are fortune-hunting young rascal and that I wouldrather see my daughter dead than married to you."
"And I say, Godfrey, I would rather see you dead than married to her!"broke in Mr. Knight, spitting out his words like an angry cat.
"I don't think that you need be afraid, Father," answered Godfreyquietly, although his rage burned as fiercely as ever. "You have workedthis business well, and it seems a little impossible now, doesn't it?Listen, Sir John Blake. Not even for the sake of Isobel will I submitto such insults. I will not give her up, but I swear by God that whileyou are alive I will not marry Isobel, nor will I write to her or speakto her again. After you are dead, which I dare say will be before sovery long," and he surveyed the huge, puffy-fleshed baronet with acritical eye, "then--if she cares to wait for me--I will marry her,hoping that in the meanwhile you may lose your money or dispose of itas you like."
Sir John stared, still mopping his face, but finding no words. Hefeared death very much and this prophecy of it, spoken with such a ringof truth, as though the speaker knew, frightened him. At that moment inhis heart he cursed the Reverend Mr. Knight and his tale-bearing, andwished most earnestly that he had never been led into interference withthis matter. After all Godfrey was a fine young man whom his daughtercared for, and might do well in life, and he had struck him first afteroffering him intentional and pre-arranged insult. Such were thethoughts that flashed through his somewhat muddled brain. Also another,that they were too late. The evil was done and never could be undone.
Then Isobel spoke in cold, clear tones, saying:
"Godfrey is quite right and has been right all through. Had you,Father, and that man," and she pointed contemptuously at Mr. Knight,"left us alone we should have come and told you what had happenedbetween us, and if you disapproved we would have waited until we wereof full age and have married as we should have been free to do. But nowthat is impossible, for blows have passed between you. After slanderinghim vilely, you struck Godfrey first, Father, and he would not havebeen a man if he had not struck you back; indeed I should have thoughtlittle of him afterwards. Well, he has made an oath, and I know that hewill keep it. Now I, too, make an oath which certainly I shall keep. Iswear in the presence of both of you, by myself and by Godfrey, thatneither in this world or in any other, should I live again and haveremembrance, will I marry any man or exchange tendernesses with anyman, except himself. So all your plans come to nothing; yes, you havebrought all this misery upon us for nothing, and if you want to found agreat family, as I know you do, you had better marry again yourself andlet me go my way. In any case, if I should survive you and shouldGodfrey live, I will marry him after your death, even if we have towait until we are old to do so. As to your fortune, I care nothing forit, being quite ready to work in the world with the help of the littleI have."
She paused as though for an answer, but none came, for if Sir John hadbeen frightened before, now he was terrified of this outraged youngwoman who, tall, commanding and stern-eyed, looked to him like anavenging angel.
"There doesn't seem much more to say, does there?" she went on, "exceptthat I think, Father, you had better telegraph to your guests that youare not well and cannot receive them, for I won't. So good-bye, dearestGodfrey. I shall remember all that you have said, and you will rememberall that I have said, and as I believe, we shall live to meet again oneday. Meanwhile, don't think too bitterly of my father, or of your own,because they have acted according to their natures and lights, thoughwhere these will lead them I am sure I do not know. Good-bye, dearest,dearest Godfrey. Do your best in the world and keep out of troubles ifyou can. Oh! what a lot we shall have to tell each other when we meetagain."
Then before them both she kissed him, and he kissed her back, saying:
"I will remember. I am glad you think there was nothing else to bedone. God bless you, Isobel. Make the best of your life, as I will tryto do with mine. Good-bye."
"Good-bye, dear," she answered, "think of me always when you wake andbefore you go to sleep, as I will think of you."
Then she turned and went, never looking behind her.