CHAPTER VI. THE STORY OF KILMENY
Wednesday evening Eric went to the orchard again; and again he wasdisappointed. He went home, determined to solve the mystery by openinquiry. Fortune favoured him, for he found Mrs. Williamson alone,sitting by the west window of her kitchen and knitting at a long graysock. She hummed softly to herself as she knitted, and Timothy sleptblackly at her feet. She looked at Eric with quiet affection in herlarge, candid eyes. She had liked Mr. West. But Eric had found his wayinto the inner chamber of her heart, by reason that his eyes were solike those of the little son she had buried in the Lindsay churchyardmany years before.
"Mrs. Williamson," said Eric, with an affectation of carelessness, "Ichanced on an old deserted orchard back behind the woods over there lastweek, a charming bit of wilderness. Do you know whose it is?"
"I suppose it must be the old Connors orchard," answered Mrs. Williamsonafter a moment's reflection. "I had forgotten all about it. It must beall of thirty years since Mr. and Mrs. Connors moved away. Their houseand barns were burned down and they sold the land to Thomas Gordon andwent to live in town. They're both dead now. Mr. Connors used to bevery proud of his orchard. There weren't many orchards in Lindsay then,though almost everybody has one now."
"There was a young girl in it, playing on a violin," said Eric, annoyedto find that it cost him an effort to speak of her, and that the bloodmounted to his face as he did so. "She ran away in great alarm assoon as she saw me, although I do not think I did or said anything tofrighten or vex her. I have no idea who she was. Do you know?"
Mrs. Williamson did not make an immediate reply. She laid down herknitting and gazed out of the window as if pondering seriously somequestion in her own mind. Finally she said, with an intonation of keeninterest in her voice,
"I suppose it must have been Kilmeny Gordon, Master."
"Kilmeny Gordon? Do you mean the niece of Thomas Gordon of whom yourhusband spoke?"
"Yes."
"I can hardly believe that the girl I saw can be a member of ThomasGordon's family."
"Well, if it wasn't Kilmeny Gordon I don't know who it could have been.There is no other house near that orchard and I've heard she plays theviolin. If it was Kilmeny you've seen what very few people in Lindsayhave ever seen, Master. And those few have never seen her close by. Ihave never laid eyes on her myself. It's no wonder she ran away, poorgirl. She isn't used to seeing strangers."
"I'm rather glad if that was the sole reason of her flight," saidEric. "I admit I didn't like to see any girl so frightened of me as sheappeared to be. She was as white as paper, and so terrified that shenever uttered a word, but fled like a deer to cover."
"Well, she couldn't have spoken a word in any case," said Mrs.Williamson quietly. "Kilmeny Gordon is dumb."
Eric sat in dismayed silence for a moment. That beautiful creatureafflicted in such a fashion--why, it was horrible! Mingled with hisdismay was a strange pang of personal regret and disappointment.
"It couldn't have been Kilmeny Gordon, then," he protested at last,remembering. "The girl I saw played on the violin exquisitely. I neverheard anything like it. It is impossible that a deaf mute could playlike that."
"Oh, she isn't deaf, Master," responded Mrs. Williamson, looking at Erickeenly through her spectacles. She picked up her knitting and fell towork again. "That is the strange part of it, if anything about hercan be stranger than another. She can hear as well as anybody andunderstands everything that is said to her. But she can't speak a wordand never could, at least, so they say. The truth is, nobody knows muchabout her. Janet and Thomas never speak of her, and Neil won't either.He has been well questioned, too, you can depend on that; but he won'tever say a word about Kilmeny and he gets mad if folks persist."
"Why isn't she to be spoken of?" queried Eric impatiently. "What is themystery about her?"
"It's a sad story, Master. I suppose the Gordons look on her existenceas a sort of disgrace. For my own part, I think it's terrible, the wayshe's been brought up. But the Gordons are very strange people, Mr.Marshall. I kind of reproved father for saying so, you remember, but itis true. They have very strange ways. And you've really seen Kilmeny?What does she look like? I've heard that she was handsome. Is it true?"
"I thought her very beautiful," said Eric rather curtly. "But HOW hasshe been brought up, Mrs. Williamson? And why?"
"Well, I might as well tell you the whole story, Master. Kilmeny is theniece of Thomas and Janet Gordon. Her mother was Margaret Gordon, theiryounger sister. Old James Gordon came out from Scotland. Janet andThomas were born in the Old Country and were small children when theycame here. They were never very sociable folks, but still they used tovisit out some then, and people used to go there. They were kind andhonest people, even if they were a little peculiar.
"Mrs. Gordon died a few years after they came out, and four years laterJames Gordon went home to Scotland and brought a new wife back with him.She was a great deal younger than he was and a very pretty woman, as mymother often told me. She was friendly and gay and liked social life.The Gordon place was a very different sort of place after she camethere, and even Janet and Thomas got thawed out and softened down agood bit. They were real fond of their stepmother, I've heard. Then, sixyears after she was married, the second Mrs. Gordon died too. She diedwhen Margaret was born. They say James Gordon almost broke his heartover it.
"Janet brought Margaret up. She and Thomas just worshipped the child andso did their father. I knew Margaret Gordon well once. We were justthe same age and we set together in school. We were always good friendsuntil she turned against all the world.
"She was a strange girl in some ways even then, but I always liked her,though a great many people didn't. She had some bitter enemies, but shehad some devoted friends too. That was her way. She made folks eitherhate or love her. Those who did love her would have gone through fireand water for her.
"When she grew up she was very pretty--tall and splendid, like a queen,with great thick braids of black hair and red, red cheeks and lips.Everybody who saw her looked at her a second time. She was a littlevain of her beauty, I think, Master. And she was proud, oh, she was veryproud. She liked to be first in everything, and she couldn't bear not toshow to good advantage. She was dreadful determined, too. You couldn'tbudge her an inch, Master, when she once had made up her mind on anypoint. But she was warm-hearted and generous. She could sing like anangel and she was very clever. She could learn anything with just onelook at it and she was terrible fond of reading.
"When I'm talking about her like this it all comes back to me, just whatshe was like and how she looked and spoke and acted, and little ways shehad of moving her hands and head. I declare it almost seems as ifshe was right here in this room instead of being over there in thechurchyard. I wish you'd light the lamp, Master. I feel kind ofnervous."
Eric rose and lighted the lamp, rather wondering at Mrs. Williamson'sunusual exhibition of nerves. She was generally so calm and composed.
"Thank you, Master. That's better. I won't be fancying now that MargaretGordon's here listening to what I'm saying. I had the feeling so stronga moment ago.
"I suppose you think I'm a long while getting to Kilmeny, but I'm comingto that. I didn't mean to talk so much about Margaret, but somehow mythoughts got taken up with her.
"Well, Margaret passed the Board and went to Queen's Academy and gota teacher's license. She passed pretty well up when she came out, butJanet told me she cried all night after the pass list came out becausethere were some ahead of her.
"She went to teach school over at Radnor. It was there she met a mannamed Ronald Fraser. Margaret had never had a beau before. She couldhave had any young man in Lindsay if she had wanted him, but shewouldn't look at one of them. They said it was because she thoughtnobody was good enough for her, but that wasn't the way of it at all,Master. I knew, because Margaret and I used to talk of those matters,as girls do. She didn't believe in going with anybody unless it wassomebody she thought everything of. And there
was nobody in Lindsay shecared that much for.
"This Ronald Fraser was a stranger from Nova Scotia and nobody knew muchabout him. He was a widower, although he was only a young man. He hadset up store-keeping in Radnor and was doing well. He was real handsomeand had taking ways women like. It was said that all the Radnor girlswere in love with him, but I don't think his worst enemy could have saidhe flirted with them. He never took any notice of them; but the veryfirst time he saw Margaret Gordon he fell in love with her and she withhim.
"They came over to church in Lindsay together the next Sunday andeverybody said it would be a match. Margaret looked lovely that day, sogentle and womanly. She had been used to hold her head pretty high, butthat day she held it drooping a little and her black eyes cast down.Ronald Fraser was very tall and fair, with blue eyes. They made ashandsome a couple as I ever saw.
"But old James Gordon and Thomas and Janet didn't much approve of him. Isaw that plain enough one time I was there and he brought Margaret homefrom Radnor Friday night. I guess they wouldn't have liked anybody,though, who come after Margaret. They thought nobody was good enough forher.
"But Margaret coaxed them all round in time. She could do pretty nearanything with them, they were so fond and proud of her. Her father heldout the longest, but finally he give in and consented for her to marryRonald Fraser.
"They had a big wedding, too--all the neighbours were asked. Margaretalways liked to make a display. I was her bridesmaid, Master. I helpedher dress and nothing would please her; she wanted to look that nicefor Ronald's sake. She was a handsome bride; dressed in white, with redroses in her hair and at her breast. She wouldn't wear white flowers;she said they looked too much like funeral flowers. She looked like apicture. I can see her this minute, as plain as plain, just as she wasthat night, blushing and turning pale by turns, and looking at Ronaldwith her eyes of love. If ever a girl loved a man with all her heartMargaret Gordon did. It almost made me feel frightened. She gave him theworship it isn't right to give anybody but God, Master, and I think thatis always punished.
"They went to live at Radnor and for a little while everything wentwell. Margaret had a nice house, and was gay and happy. She dressedbeautiful and entertained a good deal. Then--well, Ronald Fraser's firstwife turned up looking for him! She wasn't dead after all.
"Oh, there was terrible scandal, Master. The talk and gossip wassomething dreadful. Every one you met had a different story, and it washard to get at the truth. Some said Ronald Fraser had known all the timethat his wife wasn't dead, and had deceived Margaret. But I don't thinkhe did. He swore he didn't. They hadn't been very happy together, itseems. Her mother made trouble between them. Then she went to visit hermother in Montreal, and died in the hospital there, so the word cameto Ronald. Perhaps he believed it a little too readily, but that he DIDbelieve it I never had a doubt. Her story was that it was another womanof the same name. When she found out Ronald thought her dead she and hermother agreed to let him think so. But when she heard he had got marriedagain she thought she'd better let him know the truth.
"It all sounded like a queer story and I suppose you couldn't blamepeople for not believing it too readily. But I've always felt it wastrue. Margaret didn't think so, though. She believed that Ronald Fraserhad deceived her, knowing all the time that he couldn't make her hislawful wife. She turned against him and hated him just as much as shehad loved him before.
"Ronald Fraser went away with his real wife, and in less than a yearword came of his death. They said he just died of a broken heart,nothing more nor less.
"Margaret came home to her father's house. From the day that she wentover its threshold, she never came out until she was carried out in hercoffin three years ago. Not a soul outside of her own family ever sawher again. I went to see her, but Janet told me she wouldn't see me. Itwas foolish of Margaret to act so. She hadn't done anything real wrong;and everybody was sorry for her and would have helped her all theycould. But I reckon pity cut her as deep as blame could have done, anddeeper, because you see, Master, she was so proud she couldn't bear it.
"They say her father was hard on her, too; and that was unjust if it wastrue. Janet and Thomas felt the disgrace, too. The people that had beenin the habit of going to the Gordon place soon stopped going, for theycould see they were not welcome.
"Old James Gordon died that winter. He never held his head up againafter the scandal. He had been an elder in the church, but he handed inhis resignation right away and nobody could persuade him to withdraw it.
"Kilmeny was born in the spring, but nobody ever saw her, except theminister who baptized her. She was never taken to church or sent toschool. Of course, I suppose there wouldn't have been any use in hergoing to school when she couldn't speak, and it's likely Margaret taughther all she could be taught herself. But it was dreadful that she wasnever taken to church, or let go among the children and young folks.And it was a real shame that nothing was ever done to find out why shecouldn't talk, or if she could be cured.
"Margaret Gordon died three years ago, and everybody in Lindsay went tothe funeral. But they didn't see her. The coffin lid was screwed down.And they didn't see Kilmeny either. I would have loved to see HER forMargaret's sake, but I didn't want to see poor Margaret. I had neverseen her since the night she was a bride, for I had left Lindsay on avisit just after that, and what I came home the scandal had just brokenout. I remembered Margaret in all her pride and beauty, and I couldn'thave borne to look at her dead face and see the awful changes I knewmust be there.
"It was thought perhaps Janet and Thomas would take Kilmeny out afterher mother was gone, but they never did, so I suppose they must haveagreed with Margaret about the way she had been brought up. I've oftenfelt sorry for the poor girl, and I don't think her people did right byher, even if she was mysteriously afflicted. She must have had a verysad, lonely life.
"That is the story, Master, and I've been a long time telling it, as Idare say you think. But the past just seemed to be living again forme as I talked. If you don't want to be pestered with questions aboutKilmeny Gordon, Master, you'd better not let on you've seen her."
Eric was not likely to. He had heard all he wanted to know and more.
"So this girl is at the core of a tragedy," he reflected, as he went tohis room. "And she is dumb! The pity of it! Kilmeny! The name suits her.She is as lovely and innocent as the heroine of the old ballad. 'Andoh, Kilmeny was fair to see.' But the next line is certainly not soappropriate, for her eyes were anything but 'still and steadfast'--aftershe had seen me, at all events."
He tried to put her out of his thoughts, but he could not. The memory ofher beautiful face drew him with a power he could not resist. The nextevening he went again to the orchard.