MARION FAY.
CHAPTER I.
"I WILL COME BACK AS I WENT."
While Lord Hampstead's party were at Gorse Hall, some weeks beforepoor Walker's accident, there came a letter from George Roden to LadyFrances, and she, when she reached Hendon Hall, found a second. Boththese letters, or parts of them, shall be here given, as they willtell all that need be added to what is already known of the storyof the man, and will explain to the reader the cause and manner ofaction which he adopted.
Rome, January 30th, 18--.
DEAREST FANNY,--
I wonder whether it will seem as odd to you to receive a letter from me written at Rome as it is to me to write it. Our letters hitherto have been very few in number, and have only declared that in spite of obstacles we shall always love each other. I have never before had anything in truth to tell you; but now I have so much that I do not know how to begin or how to go on with it. But it must be written, as there is much that will interest you as my dearest friend, and much also that will concern yourself should you ever become my wife. It may be that a point will arise as to which you and your friends,--your father, for instance, and your brother,--will feel yourselves entitled to have a voice in deciding. It may be quite possible that your judgment, or, at any rate, that of your friends, may differ from my own. Should it be so I cannot say that I shall be prepared to yield; but I will, at any rate, enable you to submit the case to them with all fairness.
I have told you more than once how little I have known of my own family,--that I have known indeed nothing. My mother has seemed to me to be perversely determined not to tell me all that which I will acknowledge I have thought that I ought to know. But with equal perversity I have refrained from asking questions on a subject of which I think I should have been told everything without questioning. And I am a man not curious by nature as to the past. I am more anxious as to what I may do myself than as to what others of my family may have done before me.
When, however, my mother asked me to go with her to Italy, it was manifest that her journey had reference to her former life. I knew from circumstances which could not be hidden from me,--from her knowledge, for instance, of Italian, and from some relics which remained to her of her former life,--that she had lived for some period in this country. As my place of birth had never been mentioned to me, I could not but guess that I had been born in Italy, and when I found that I was going there I felt certain that I must learn some portion of the story of which I had been kept in ignorance. Now I have learnt it all as far as my poor mother knows it herself; and as it will concern you to know it too, I must endeavour to explain to you all the details. Dearest Fanny, I do trust that when you have heard them you will think neither worse of me on that account,--nor better. It is as to the latter that I am really in fear. I wish to believe that no chance attribute could make me stand higher in your esteem than I have come to stand already by my own personal character.
Then he told her,--not, perhaps, quite so fully as the reader hasheard it told in the last chapter,--the story of his mother'smarriage and of his own birth. Before they had reached Rome, wherethe Duca di Crinola at present lived, and where he was at present amember of the Italian Cabinet, the mother had told her son all thatshe knew, having throughout the telling of the story unconsciouslymanifested to him her own desire to remain in obscurity, and to bearthe name which had been hers for five-and-twenty years; but at thesame time so to manage that he should return to England bearing thetitle to which by his birth she believed him to be entitled. When indiscussing this he explained to her that it would be still necessaryfor him to earn his bread as a clerk in the Post Office in spite ofhis high-sounding nobility, and explained to her the absurdity ofhis sitting in Mr. Jerningham's room at the desk with young Crocker,and calling himself at the same time the Duca di Crinola, she in herarguments exhibited a weakness which he had hardly expected from her.She spoke vaguely, but with an assurance of personal hope, of LadyFrances, of Lord Hampstead, of the Marquis of Kingsbury, and of LordPersiflage,--as though by the means of these noble personages theDuca di Crinola might be able to live in idleness. Of all this Rodencould say nothing in this first letter to Lady Frances. But it was tothis that he alluded when he hoped that she would not think better ofhim because of the news which he sent her.
"At present," he wrote, continuing his letter after the telling ofthe story,
we are staying with my uncle, as I presume I am entitled to call him. He is very gracious, as also are his wife and the young ladies who are my cousins; but I think that he is as anxious as I am that there should be no acknowledged branch of the family senior to his own. He is Duca di Crinola to all Italy, and will remain so whether I assume the title or not. Were I to take the name, and to remain in Italy,--which is altogether impossible,--I should be nobody. He who has made for himself a great position, and apparently has ample means, would not in truth be affected. But I am sure that he would not wish it. He is actuated by a sense of honesty, but he certainly has no desire to be incommoded by relatives who would, as regards the family, claim to be superior to himself. My dearest mother wishes to behave well to him, wishes to sacrifice herself; but is, I fear, above all things, anxious to procure for her son the name and title which his father bore.
As for myself, you will, I think, already have perceived that it is my desire to remain as I was when last I saw you, and to be as ever
Yours, most affectionately,
GEORGE RODEN.
Lady Frances was, as may be imagined, much startled at the receiptof this letter;--startled, and also pleased. Though she had alwaysdeclared to herself that she was in every respect satisfied with herlover from the Post Office, though she had been sure that she hadnever wanted him to be other than he was, still, when she heard ofthat fine-sounding name, there did for a moment come upon her anidea that, for his sake, it might be well that he should have thepossession of all that his birth had done for him. But when she cameto understand the meaning of his words, as she did on the second orthird reading of his letter,--when she discovered what he meant bysaying that he hoped she would not think better of him by reasonof what he was telling her, when she understood the purport of themanner in which he signed his name, she resolved that in everyrespect she would think as he thought and act as he wished her toact. Whatever might be the name which he might be pleased to giveher, with that would she be contented, nor would she be led by anyone belonging to her to ask him to change his purpose.
For two days she kept the letter by her unanswered, and withoutspeaking of it to anybody. Then she showed it to her brother,exacting from him a promise that he should not speak of it to any onewithout her permission. "It is George's secret," she said, "and I amsure you will see that I have no right to disclose it. I tell youbecause he would do so if he were here." Her brother was willingenough to make the promise, which would of course be in force onlytill he and Roden should see each other; but he could not be broughtto agree with his sister as to his friend's view of the position.
"He may have what fancies he pleases about titles," he said, "as mayI; but I do not think that he would be justified in repudiating hisfather's name. I feel it a burden and an absurdity to be born to bean earl and a marquis, but I have to put up with it; and, thoughmy reason and political feeling on the matter tell me that it is aburden and an absurdity, yet the burden is easily borne, and theabsurdity does not annoy me much. There is a gratification in beinghonoured by those around you, though your conscience may be twingedthat you yourself have done nothing to deserve it. It will be so withhim if he takes his position here as an Italian nobleman."
"But he would still have to be a clerk in the Post Office."
"Probably not."
"But how would he live?" asked Lady Frances.
"The governor, you would find, would look upon him in a much morefavourable light than h
e does at present."
"That would be most unreasonable."
"Not at all. It is not unreasonable that a Marquis of Kingsburyshould be unwilling to give his daughter to George Roden, a clerk inthe Post Office,--but that he should be willing to give her to a Ducadi Crinola."
"What has that to do with earning money?"
"The Governor would probably find an income in one case, and not inthe other. I do not quite say that it ought to be so, but it is notunreasonable that it should be so." Then Lady Frances said a greatdeal as to that pride in her lover which would not allow him toaccept such a position as that which was now suggested.
There was a long discussion on the subject. Her brother explained toher how common it was for noblemen of high birth to live on meansprovided by their wives' fortunes, and how uncommon it was that menborn to high titles should consent to serve as clerks in a publicoffice. But his common sense had no effect upon his sister, who endedthe conversation by exacting from him a renewed assurance of secrecy."I won't say a word till he comes," said Hampstead; "but you may besure that a story like that will be all over London before he doescome."
Lady Frances of course answered her lover's letter; but of whatshe said it is only necessary that the reader should know that shepromised that in all things she would be entirely guided by hiswishes.
Then came his second letter to her, dated on the day on which poorWalker had nearly been crushed to death. "I am so glad that you agreewith me," he wrote.
Since my last letter to you everything here has been decided as far as I can decide it,--or, indeed, as far as any of us can do so. There can, I think, be no doubt as to the legality of my mother's marriage. My uncle is of the same opinion, and points out to me that were I to claim my father's name no one would attempt to dispute it. He alone could do so,--or rather would be the person to do so if it were done. He would make no such attempt, and would himself present me to the King here as the Duca di Crinola if I chose to remain and to accept the position. But I certainly will not do so. I should in the first place be obliged to give up my nationality. I could not live in England bearing an Italian title, except as an Italian. I do not know that as an Italian I should be forced to give up my place in the Post Office. Foreigners, I believe, are employed in the Civil Service. But there would be an absurdity in it which to me would be specially annoying. I could not live under such a weight of ridicule. Nor could I live in any position in which some meagre income might be found for me because of my nobility. No such income would be forthcoming here. I can imagine that your father might make a provision for a poor son-in-law with a grand title. He ought not to do so, according to my ideas, but it might be possible that he should find himself persuaded to such weakness. But I could not accept it. I should not be above taking money with my wife, if it happened to come in my way, provided that I were earning an income myself to the best of my ability. For her sake I should do what might be best for her. But not even for your sake,--if you wished it, as I know you do not,--could I consent to hang about the world in idleness as an Italian duke without a shilling of my own. Therefore, my darling, I purpose to come back as I went,
Your own,
GEORGE RODEN.
Clerk in the Post Office, and entitled to consider myself as being on "H.M.S." when at work from ten till four.
This letter reached Lady Frances at Hendon Hall on the return ofherself and her brother from Gorse Hall. But before that time theprophecy uttered by Lord Hampstead as to the story being all overLondon had already been in part fulfilled. Vivian during theirhunting weeks at Gorse Hall had been running continually up and downfrom London, where his work as private secretary to the Secretaryof State had been, of course, most constant and important. He had,nevertheless, managed to have three days a week in Northamptonshire,explaining to his friends in London that he did it by sitting up allnight in the country, to his friends in the country that he sat upall night in town. There are some achievements which are never donein the presence of those who hear of them. Catching salmon is one,and working all night is another. Vivian, however, managed to do whatwas required of him, and to enjoy his hunting at the same time.
On his arrival at Gorse Hall the day before the famous accident hehad a budget of news of which he was very full, but of which he atfirst spoke only to Hampstead. He could not, at any rate, speak of itin the presence of Lady Frances. "You have heard this, haven't you,about George Roden?" he asked, as soon as he could get Lord Hampsteadto himself.
"Heard what about George Roden?" asked the other, who, of course, hadheard it all.
"The Italian title."
"What about an Italian title?"
"But have you heard it?"
"I have heard something. What have you heard?"
"George Roden is in Italy."
"Unless he has left it. He has been there, no doubt."
"And his mother." Hampstead nodded his head. "I suppose you do knowall about it?"
"I want to know what you know. What I have heard has come to me as asecret. Your story can probably be divulged."
"I don't know that. We are apt to be pretty close as to what we hearat the Foreign Office. But this didn't come as specially private.I've had a letter from Muscati, a very good fellow in the ForeignOffice there, who had in some way heard your name as connected withRoden."
"That is very likely."
"And your sister's," said Vivian in a whisper.
"That is likely too. Men talk about anything now-a-days."
"Lord Persiflage has heard direct from Italy. He is interested, ofcourse, as being brother-in-law to Lady Kingsbury."
"But what have they heard?"
"It seems that Roden isn't an Englishman at all."
"That will be as he likes, I take it. He has lived here as anEnglishman for five-and-twenty years."
"But of course he'll prefer to be an Italian," said Vivian. "It turnsout that he is heir to one of the oldest titles in Italy. You haveheard of the Ducas di Crinola?"
"I have heard of them now."
"One of them is Minister of Education in the present Cabinet, and islikely to be the Premier. But he isn't the head of the family, andhe isn't really the Duca di Crinola. He is called so, of course. Buthe isn't the head of the family. George Roden is the real Duca diCrinola. I thought there must be something special about the man whenyour sister took such a fancy to him."
"I always thought there was something special about him," saidHampstead; "otherwise I should hardly have liked him so well."
"So did I. He always seemed to be,--to me,--just one of ourselves,you know. A fellow doesn't come out like that unless he's somebody.You Radicals may say what you please, but silk purses don't get madeout of sow's ears. Nobody stands up for blood less than I do; but, byGeorge, it always shows itself. You wouldn't think Crocker was heirto a dukedom."
"Upon my word, I don't know. I have a great respect for Crocker."
"And now what's to be done?" asked Vivian.
"How done?"
"About Di Crinola? Lord Persiflage says that he can't remain in thePost Office."
"Why not?"
"I'm afraid he doesn't come in for much?"
"Not a shilling."
"Lord Persiflage thinks that something should be done for him. Butit is so hard. It should be done in Italy, you know. I should thinkthat they might make him extra Secretary of Legation, so as to leavehim here. But then they have such a small salary!" As the story ofGeorge Roden's birth was thus known to all the Foreign Office, it wasprobable that Hampstead's prophecy would be altogether fulfilled.