CHAPTER V
After only one week of travelling in Scotland, my lord and my ladyreturned unexpectedly to London. Introduced to the mountains and lakesof the Highlands, her ladyship positively declined to improve heracquaintance with them. When she was asked for her reason, sheanswered with a Roman brevity, 'I have seen Switzerland.'
For a week more, the newly-married couple remained in London, in thestrictest retirement. On one day in that week the nurse returned in astate of most uncustomary excitement from an errand on which Agnes hadsent her. Passing the door of a fashionable dentist, she had met LordMontbarry himself just leaving the house. The good woman's reportdescribed him, with malicious pleasure, as looking wretchedly ill.'His cheeks are getting hollow, my dear, and his beard is turning grey.I hope the dentist hurt him!'
Knowing how heartily her faithful old servant hated the man who haddeserted her, Agnes made due allowance for a large infusion ofexaggeration in the picture presented to her. The main impressionproduced on her mind was an impression of nervous uneasiness. If shetrusted herself in the streets by daylight while Lord Montbarryremained in London, how could she be sure that his next chance-meetingmight not be a meeting with herself? She waited at home, privatelyashamed of her own undignified conduct, for the next two days. On thethird day the fashionable intelligence of the newspapers announced thedeparture of Lord and Lady Montbarry for Paris, on their way to Italy.
Mrs. Ferrari, calling the same evening, informed Agnes that her husbandhad left her with all reasonable expression of conjugal kindness; histemper being improved by the prospect of going abroad. But one otherservant accompanied the travellers--Lady Montbarry's maid, rather asilent, unsociable woman, so far as Emily had heard. Her ladyship'sbrother, Baron Rivar, was already on the Continent. It had beenarranged that he was to meet his sister and her husband at Rome.
One by one the dull weeks succeeded each other in the life of Agnes.She faced her position with admirable courage, seeing her friends,keeping herself occupied in her leisure hours with reading and drawing,leaving no means untried of diverting her mind from the melancholyremembrance of the past. But she had loved too faithfully, she hadbeen wounded too deeply, to feel in any adequate degree the influenceof the moral remedies which she employed. Persons who met with her inthe ordinary relations of life, deceived by her outward serenity ofmanner, agreed that 'Miss Lockwood seemed to be getting over herdisappointment.' But an old friend and school companion who happened tosee her during a brief visit to London, was inexpressibly distressed bythe change that she detected in Agnes. This lady was Mrs. Westwick,the wife of that brother of Lord Montbarry who came next to him in age,and who was described in the 'Peerage' as presumptive heir to thetitle. He was then away, looking after his interests in some miningproperty which he possessed in America. Mrs. Westwick insisted ontaking Agnes back with her to her home in Ireland. 'Come and keep mecompany while my husband is away. My three little girls will make youtheir playfellow, and the only stranger you will meet is the governess,whom I answer for your liking beforehand. Pack up your things, and Iwill call for you to-morrow on my way to the train.' In those heartyterms the invitation was given. Agnes thankfully accepted it. Forthree happy months she lived under the roof of her friend. The girlshung round her in tears at her departure; the youngest of them wantedto go back with Agnes to London. Half in jest, half in earnest, shesaid to her old friend at parting, 'If your governess leaves you, keepthe place open for me.' Mrs. Westwick laughed. The wiser children tookit seriously, and promised to let Agnes know.