Inchbracken: The Story of a Fama Clamosa

  CHAPTER XXXVI.

  _AUGUSTUS WALLOWBY_.

  Eppie Ness was at her door when Kenneth and his friend drew up beforeit. She had a foreboding, when she saw two of them, that the othermust be the father of her baby, and that he was come to take it away;and tears rose plentifully to her eyes and trickled over her witheredcheeks as she led them into her house.

  The baby was in its cradle and asleep, and however homely might be thecottage surroundings, no one could say that it had suffered fromneglect or privation. It lay among dainty coverings of cambric andlace, like some infant princess, or a sacred image before which aperpetual oblation of praise and incense is offered up.

  It was impossible that Steele should recognize his child, seeing thatits life had been measured only by days when he last saw it, but he_thought_ he recognized it, and no one would dispute his right to doso. He also observed a strong resemblance in it to its deceasedmother, which confirmed his faith in its identity, if that werepossible. Yet, when one recalls that only a few weeks before Mrs.Sangster had seen with equal clearness its strong family likeness toTibbie Tirpie, one may doubt if the likeness test is of muchconsequence.

  The clothing in which it had been wrapped up when found was produced.It consisted entirely of Indian fabrics. Even Steele could tell thatmuch, but not having the feminine eye for embroideries and tissues, hecould not identify any of the articles. He was able to recognize hiswife's cipher, however, embroidered on a handkerchief, so that allpossibility of doubt was at an end.

  He thanked Eppie profusely, and handed her his purse as someinstalment of the debt he owed her.

  'Na na, sir!' she said, 'Miss Brown pays me weel, an' it's her ye'reawin' yer thanks til, for the care o' yer bairn, for she cudna haeta'en mair tent on't gin it had been her ain. I'm misdoubtin' butshe'll be wae to ken it's to be ta'en frae her. An', oh sir! gin yehae nae body partic'lar to mind it for ye, will ye tak _me_ for itsnurse? It wad be a sair heartbreak to me to be parted frae the weedawtie, an', I'm thinkin', she wad miss me hersel'!'

  Steele felt a twinge of jealousy already. To think that any one shouldhave a nearer place than himself in his child's regard; but heconsented, and with thanks, that his daughter should remain for thepresent where she was, till he had time to consider of her futuredisposal. After hanging over the cradle, awakening the baby and makingit cry with his awkward endearments, he was at last persuaded to handback the new and incomprehensible possession to Eppie to be soothedand comforted, and then after lingering and talking, and repetitionmanifold, Kenneth was able to get him away and to carry him home.

  All the village idlers were in the street to admire the dog-cart andthe groom, and wonder what the gentlemen could have to say in so longan interview with Eppie Ness. No sooner had they gone, however, thanEppie herself came forth brimming over with the news, and mightilyuplifted, if also sad at the possible chance of being parted from hercharge, to tell the neighbours that a great gentleman was claiming hernurseling for his own child, that it was to be brought up as one ofthe first ladies of the land, and that aiblins she, Eppie Ness, mighthave to journey into foreign parts in attendance on the preciousinfant.

  'An' it's wae gude Mister Brown wull be, to hae the wee dawtie ta'enfrae him!'

  'An' it's blate the Presbytery may weel be,' added Peter Malloch 'fora' the daftlike clavers they hae set rinnin' fornent him.'

  Mrs. Sangster was in Ebenezer Prittie's shop when the news was broughtin of the father that had appeared to claim the minister's bairn. Theyboth listened to the tale with much curiosity and interest, butwithout one twinge of compunction at their own uncharitableconstructions in time past. They were both far too excellent for that,and the lady's mind too well regulated to suppose that she couldpossibly have acted or thought amiss. On the contrary, she wasdisposed to draw improvement and instruction from the whole matter inthe usual way, by moralizing on the inscrutable ways of Providence,and hoping that it would be 'a warning to the church office-bearers topractice a more abundant charity in the future, and to refrain fromhasty judgments.'

  'Hech! ay, mem,' sighed Ebenezer, 'it's juist hum'lin' to think whathaste an' uncharitableness the Presbytery hae leuten themsel's bebetrayed intil! An' Mester Dowlas! an' Mester Geddie! twa sic gudemen. That they suld sae far hae forgotten a' christian charity! It'sjuist hum'lin'! But the best o' us wull gae wrang whiles!'

  Joseph Smiley was the last man in the village to hear the news. Hiswife was cooking, while he sat rocking the cradle till the food shouldbe prepared. Tibbie came bustling in from the street.

  'There's news steerin', Tib!' she cried, 'but I haena juist gotten therichts o't yet. Get up! Joseph Smiley, I win'er ye dinna think shame!A muckle man like you, hingin' about the house like a singet cat, atthis time o' day! Out wi' ye! an' bring back word what's steerin'. An'de'il a bite ye'se get, till ye can tell us a' about it!'

  'Poor Joseph! He had come to this! Laid by the heels at last! and nomistake. The jaunty bachelor, so alert and brisk, was quenched forever, and a poor, meek, hen-pecked creature had taken his place,sighing under a mother-in-law's iron yoke, which grew heavier each dayas the victim developed new capacity of endurance.

  After Tibbie's bold stroke of invasion, there was nothing left for himbut to succumb. Resistance would have raised such a scandal as musthave lost him his beadleship, and would probably have driven him fromthe parish, so he had felt compelled to admit his marriage as thelesser evil, even although it involved a severe private _rebuke_before the assembled kirk-session for the matrimonial irregularity.

  The bitterest day of his life was probably the Sunday on which he'kirket' his wife. Shambling down the village street in front of hismother-in-law, who stepped out behind with the briskness and precisionof a corporal's guard, he seemed 'going,' as Mrs. Ebenezer Prittie,who surveyed them out of her window, observed to her spouse, 'like afool to the correction of the stocks,' and Mrs. P. was not sorry forhim. There was a twinkle of scornful pity in the eye of the onlookersat seeing this notorious lady-killer thus taken in charge, which stungJoseph's self-love like the cut of a whip; but his discomfiture wasnot complete till they met Jean Macaulay. Jean surveyed theirprocession with open eyes, and then looking her old sweetheart full inthe face, she threw back her head and uttered an echoing laugh. Therewas a ring of vexation in the sound which might have broughtconsolation for the affront, but Joseph was already too miserable tobe nicely observant. His eyes fell before her, and his head hungforward in abject confusion; and he crept about his duties that dayaround the tent more like a whipped cur than the brisk andconsequential beadle of other days.

  As Kenneth drove his friend home to Inchbracken, his kind heart wasrejoicing to note the improvement in his condition. The happydiscovery had acted on him like a cordial given to a fainting man. Hisvery bearing was altered. He sat squarely in his seat looking abouthim with clear and animated eyes, a different person from the limp andnerveless invalid, seeing nothing left to him in earth or sky worth amoment's regard, whom he had driven out a few hours before. Findingthere was still something left in his own life to interest him, Steelebegan also to interest himself in the life of his fellows. He talkedto Kenneth about the Browns who had so tenderly cared for his child,and the Browns with Kenneth was an inexhaustible subject. Now that hehad found a friendly listener, he talked about them freely enough, andby the time they had reached Inchbracken, Steele knew all about hisengagement.

  Understanding in what direction the morning drive had been made, thesympathetic Julia had arranged herself for dinner in a species of halfmourning, and her voice and mien were more subduedly sorrowful thanever. As the disconsolate entered the drawing room, she lifted herhead from a book over which she had been drooping in willowy fashion,all mournful sympathy for the haggard desolation she expected to seedepicted on his face; but for once she found herself completely out oftune.

  Major Steele sat down beside Lady Caroline and began to recount thediscovery he had made--what a miracl
e had occurred on his behalf, andwhat a paragon among infants was his new found daughter.

  'Mary Brown's baby! your daughter?' cried Lady Caroline. 'That isperfectly delightful! Would you like me to send over for it, that youmay have it here under your own eye?'

  She was probably not very sorry, however, that Major Steele thought itwould be better for him to make a daily visit to his offspring, untilhe could arrange to remove it to Edinburgh.

  The two elder men were agreeably surprised by the brightened manner oftheir guest. He seemed transformed since morning from a dismalhypochondriac, into a person cheerful and companionable; or, asCaptain John put it, 'he seemed to have completely picked himself up.'He in particular was well pleased to meet some one who could talk tohim of India, and enable him to live over again the years he spentthere in his youth. It followed that they sat longer than usual in thedining room, drank their coffee there, and adjourned straight to thesmoking room, so that the ladies saw no more of them that evening.

  This was just as well for Julia, whose artistic soul had been sadlyjarred by finding herself pitched in a wrong key. It took her hours tomodulate down into a more everyday state of feeling,--for there mustbe a kind of feeling at the back even of make-believe emotion, if itis to be a successful representation. But that was only part of whatshe would have to do. The spectator must be led down by easygradation, or her revulsion from pensive melancholy to a chastenedcheerfulness might seem abrupt, intentional, and ridiculous.Artificial feeling has this advantage in displaying itself, that it issingle, and free from the complexities and contradictions whichconfuse and distract the real, in its manifestation; and hence griefon the stage is often beautiful, while in private life it is generallyrevolting and grotesque. But this very singleness and clear definitionmakes it more difficult for the artificial to change front; while thereal, having been always blurred and muddy and indistinct, can readilytransfer itself to a new category. The floating cloud passes readilyenough from the form of an eagle to a ship, a horse or a whale; butclay once trimmed and modelled into a given shape must be broken downand worked up afresh in order to take a new form. Julia therefore keptin the background for a day or two, before coming forward prominentlyin a new role. Prominence, however, was by no means so very easy now.Since Major Steele's mind had recovered a healthier tone, the men inthe house were all eager for his company. The General had Blue-Booksand Reports of the Board of Control on which he desired information,and Captain John talked pig-sticking and tigerhunts by the hour.

  If Julia would only have taken some personal interest in the baby, shemight have succeeded, but she was much too clever and artistic to tryany course so obvious as that. Besides, she abominated babies. 'Damp,sticky little abominations, which always squalled when you didanything to them! and scrabbled their little wet fingers over yourface, which was always unpleasant, and sometimes inconvenient.' If shewould have talked about bringing up young children, infant health anddisease, baths, powders, pap and teething, she might have kept theMajor at her side by the hour; for the new responsibilities of aparent weighed heavily upon him, and he had no one to advise with,Lady Caroline having forgotten all she ever knew on such matters, ifshe ever knew anything. He rode over to Eppie every day and had longtalks with her on the engrossing subject; but when he returned, thebilliard room or smoking room were his usual haunts.

  It was not long too before Julia had other matters of her own toattend to. Since the awakening of her fantastical interest in MajorSteele, Augustus Wallowby's daily offerings of amorous rubbish hadgrown wearisome, and reply to them a positive bore. Her letters hadgrown intermittent, and dwindled down to the shortest billets.Augustus remonstrated--waxed plaintive--drivelled--Julia lost patienceand ceased to write altogether. Had Augustus followed suit, it islikely the correspondence would not have remained long in abeyance,and that it would have been the lady who would have revived it; butAugustus dared not venture on that experiment, indeed he had becometoo deeply in earnest to think of it. He had thought over her prettyspeeches spoken, and written in her earlier letters, and the delightof having a lord for a cousin and visitor, till from merely supposingthat she must admire him very much, he had worked himself up to analmost crazy eagerness about _her_, believed himself to be cherishinga most ardent attachment, and began to feel deeply touched at his ownsensibility.

  Likewise he had cut the ground from under his own feet; or perhaps'burned his ships' is the more usual metaphor. On returning home fromthe North, his good fortune with the ladies and this new conquest weremuch in his thoughts, weighty hints and dark sayings babbled from hislips before he was aware, and then, to mend matters, he would explainand confide till they were made much worse. All his acquaintance knewthat he was going to be married, and the younger men reverenced him inadvance on account of the noble family he was about to enter, 'relatedto half the peerage.'

  The news did not act so pleasantly for him on his lady friends. No oneshould say that they had been jilted, or had made fruitless attemptsto win him! and they took care that the cooling of the intimacy shouldbegin on their side. His neighbour Sir Timothy Kettlebotham had threefine daughters, with L20,000 certain to their fortunes a-piece, and hehad been wont to practise a good deal of archery with them on thelawn, as well as to sing numberless duets and glees, and assist atsmall carpet dances in the evening. But now Miss Kitura had strainedher wrist and could not draw a bow, Miss Felicia had medical ordersnot to sing until her chest grew stronger, and Miss Frances was awayon a visit. He found himself condemned to dine at home four or fivetimes in the week, and to knock about the billiard hall of an eveningif he could secure a companion, or to fall asleep in his chair if hecould not, without a chance of the female society and admiration towhich he had grown accustomed.

  He wrote more and more pleadingly, which to Julia was more and moretiresome, and therefore elicited no reply. In sheer desperation, hepacked his portmanteau and hurried to the north. He had a standinginvitation to return when he pleased from Mrs. Sangster, who stillcherished fatuous hopes of making him a son-in-law. Therefore, whenone frosty evening about Christmas time he drew up at the door, he wasmade as welcome as the flowers in spring. Since the vindication ofRoderick Brown's character, that lady had an uncomfortable intuitionthat her all-wisdom was set less store on both by her husband anddaughter. But here was the prize returned; it could be with only oneobject, and these ingrates would have to admit her judiciousmanagement after all.

  Augustus drove over to Inchbracken the following day very early. Whenhis card was brought to Julia she was greatly surprised, and betterpleased with the man than she had been yet. This long journey at sucha season, and over muddy roads showed some energy and strength ofpurpose, and if only he would talk like a rational being and agentleman, instead of maundering like a lackadaisical idiot as he hadbeen doing of late in his letters, she believed she might bringherself to respect and even like him. She was beginning to realize,too, that her sympathy for Major Steele was so much brain power thrownaway. There had been something respectable, nay more, touching, andalmost grand, in such abandonment of grief and utter desolation on thepart of a widower crushed by the untimely loss of his wife and child;but that a distinguished officer should ride away from good companyevery day to drivel for hours with an old woman over a sticky infantwas preposterous, nay it was disgusting!

  There were half-a-dozen of Augustus' latest letters on her table stillunopened. She tore them open now, and glanced at the contents to placeherself _au courant_ with the gentleman's ideas, but the readingnearly destroyed her good resolutions. The letters were both abjectand ridiculous, and she wondered how she would even learn to toleratesuch a husband, and hesitated whether to go down to him at all. Being,however, a business minded person, who meant to settle herselfcomfortably and respectably in life, and knew she could not haveeverything, she choked down the unpractical idea, and after a criticalsurvey of herself in the glass, she went down to receive her visitor.

  Her manner was all gracious friendliness, and Augustus w
as disarmedfor the moment, and saved from doing anything absurd, which might havebeen the death of his hopes. He had expected to be received withcoldness, and had prepared many moving protestations; he had evenselected the precise spot of the carpet on which he was prepared tokneel; and surely that, he thought, with perhaps a tear or two (and hehad a misgiving that in certain contingencies they would not be farof!) would finish the matter. And so it would have done, for in spiteof self-command, Julia would have laughed, and Augustus Wallowby'slove, his infatuation,--whatever it should be called,--would neverhave survived a laugh. He would have rushed from the house, and noapology would ever have induced him to return.

  They chatted as pleasantly as possible, thanks to Julia, who kept theconversation well on the ordinary track, carefully avoiding sentimentand everything tiresome. Augustus regained his equanimity under thistreatment, and was saved from making a fool of himself. He had comewith a purpose, however; and that purpose must be fulfilled, if not inthe melodramatic fashion he had intended, at least in such form ascircumstances would permit. He told her that his life was a burden tohim at so great a distance from her, and begged that she would let themarriage take place the following month.

  She replied that it was very nice of him to be so impatient, ofcourse; but really he must allow her a little time to prepare for somomentous a change in her life. He pressed her to name a time. Shesupposed in a year. 'And you must not, dear Augustus, be so exactingas you have shown signs of being lately. A woman should be allowed totake the full enjoyment out of her last year of freedom. You know,after that, you expect us to be obedient slaves. Oh yes! Don'tprotest! Men are all alike!' with an engaging smile, which gratifiedAugustus, and made him pull out his whiskers to their greatest length.

  He remonstrated about the year, however, with great earnestness, andthere were threatenings of a watery look in his eyes, which inducedher to relent so far; for her gracious blandishments being really welldone, had had a reflex action, and she was getting into a less hardhumour herself.

  'Six months! then,' she said. 'Now see what influence you havealready! It quite frightens me.'

  But Augustus was not yet content. He reminded her of the discomfortsof a northern spring. 'Would she not like to spend the dreariestmonths of the year in Italy, with its blue skies and its--' Thespecial descriptive attributes of Italy forsook him at the moment,but, 'and all that sort of thing' answered as well. 'And we mightspend Holy Week in Rome, and see all the church ceremonies; and thereare to be an unusual number of foreign princes there this year, I amtold. Would you not like to be there?'

  Julia thought that she _would_ like it. And after all, if it was tobe, the sooner she entered on her fortune, and the less time she hadto think about it beforehand, perhaps the better. So March was fixedon as the date of their happiness, and Wallowby was led up stairs toLady Caroline's sitting-room, to be presented as an expectantrelative, and to be duly congratulated. The interview did not lastlong, however; Lady Caroline speedily got tired of tiresome people,and Julia, knowing the signs, bundled her admirer off in good time. Hewas invited to dinner for the following day, with instructions to goback to Manchester the day after, and to remain there till the day ofthe wedding, as the settlements could be arranged between Mr.MacSiccar (who had Lady Caroline and the General's instructions as towhat was proper) and his solicitors.

  He returned to Auchlippie in exuberant delight, and unburdened himselfof his good news to his hostess, who made shift to receive it as wellas she could. So he had come north with matrimonial intent after all!And yet he had turned his eyes elsewhere! It was too bad! And herhusband and daughter would think less of her wisdom than ever.

  She was not very effusive in her congratulations, and she told himthat he would no doubt stay at Inchbracken when he came north nexttime; from which he was left to infer that the Lady of Auchlippie hadno wish to see his face again.