Beechcroft at Rockstone

  Lord Rotherwood came in to try to wile his cousin to share in thesurvey of the country; but she declared it to be impossible, as allher avocations had fallen into arrear, and she had to find a couple ofservants as well as a house for the Merrifields. This took her in thedirection of the works, and Gillian proposed to go with her as far asthe Giles's, there to sit a little while with Lilian, for whom she had anew book.

  'My dear, surely you must be tired out!' exclaimed the stay-at-homeaunt.

  'Oh no, Aunt Ada! Quite freshened by that blow on the common.'

  And Miss Mohun was not sorry, thinking that to leave Gillian free tocome home by herself would be the best refutation of Mrs. Mount's doubtsof her.

  They had not, however, gone far on their way--on the walk ratherunfrequented at this time of day--before Gillian exclaimed, 'Is thatKally? Oh! and who is that with her?' For there certainly was a figurein somewhat close proximity, the ulster and pork-pie hat being such asto make the gender doubtful.

  'How late she is! I am afraid her mother is worse,' said Miss Mohun,quickening her steps a little, and, at the angle of the road, thepair in front perceived them. Kalliope turned towards them; thecompanion--about whom there was no doubt by that time--gave a petulantmotion and hastened out of sight.

  In another moment they were beside Kalliope, who looked shaken andtrembling, with tears in her eyes, which sprang forth at the warmpressure of her hand.

  'I am afraid Mrs. White is not so well,' said Miss Mohun kindly.

  'She is no worse, I think, thank you, but I was delayed. Are you goingthis way? May I walk with you?'

  'I will come with you to the office,' said Miss Mohun, perceiving thatshe was in great need of an escort and protector.

  'Oh, thank you, thank you, if it is not too much out of your way.'

  A few more words passed about Mrs. White's illness and what advice shewas having. Miss Mohun could not help thinking that the daughter did notquite realise the extent of the illness, for she added--

  'It was a good deal on the nerves and mind. She was so anxious about Mr.James White's arrival.'

  'Have you not seen him?'

  'Oh no! Not yet.'

  'I think you will be agreeably surprised,' said Gillian. And here theyleft her at Mrs. Giles's door.

  'Yes,' added Miss Mohun, 'he gave me the idea of a kind, just man.'

  'Miss Mohun,' said the poor girl, as soon as they were tete-a-tete, 'Iknow you are very good. Will you tell me what I ought to do? You sawjust now--'

  'I did; and I have heard.'

  Her face was all in a flame and her voice choked. 'He says--Mr. Frankdoes--that his mother has found out, and that she will tell her ownstory to Mr. White; and--and we shall all get the sack, as he calls it;and it will be utter misery, and he will not stir a finger to vindicateme; but if I will listen to him, he will speak to Mr. White, and bearme through; but I can't--I can't. I know he is a bad man; I know how hetreated poor Edith Vane. I never can; and how shall I keep out of hisway?'

  'My poor child,' said Miss Mohun, 'it is a terrible position for you;but you are doing quite right. I do not believe Mr. White would go muchby what that young man says, for I know he does not think highly ofhim.'

  'But he does go altogether by Mr. Stebbing--altogether, and I knowhe--Mr. Stebbing, I mean--can't bear us, and would not keep us on ifhe could help it. He has been writing for another designer--anartist--instead of me.'

  'Still, you would be glad to have the connection severed?'

  'Oh yes, I should be glad enough to be away; but what would become of mymother and the children?'

  'Remember your oldest friends are on their way home; and I will try tospeak to Mr. White myself.'

  They had reached the little door of Kalliope's office, which she couldopen with a latch-key, and Miss Mohun was just about to say some partingwords, when there was a sudden frightful rumbling sound, somethingbetween a clap of thunder and the carting of stones, and the groundshook under their feet, while a cry went up--loud, horror-struck menand women's voices raised in dismay.

  Jane had heard that sound once before. It was the fall of part of theprecipitous cliff, much of which had been quarried away. But in spiteof all precautions, frost and rain were in danger of loosening theremainder, and wire fences were continually needing to be placed toprevent the walking above on edges that might be perilous.

  Where was it? What had it done? was the instant thought. Kalliope turnedas pale as death; the girls came screaming and thronging out of theirworkshop, the men from their sheds, the women from the cottages, as allthronged to the more open space beyond the buildings where they couldsee, while Miss Mohun found herself clasped by her trembling niece.

  Others were rushing up from the wharf. One moment's glance showed allfamiliar with the place that a projecting point, forming a sort of cuspin the curve of the bay, had gone, and it lay, a great shattered mass,fragments spreading far and wide, having crashed through the roof of astable that stood below.

  There was a general crowding forward to the spot, and crying andexclamation, and a shouting of 'All right' from above and below. Hadany one come down with it? A double horror seized Miss Mohun asshe remembered that her cousin was to inspect those parts that veryafternoon.

  She caught at the arm of a man and demanded, 'Was any one up there?'

  'Master's there, and some gentlemen; but they hain't brought down withit,' said the man. 'Don't be afraid, miss. Thank the Lord, no one wasunder the rock--horses even out at work.'

  'Thank God, indeed!' exclaimed Miss Mohun, daring now to look up, andseeing, not very distinctly, some figures of men, who, however, weretoo high up and keeping too far from the dangerous broken edge forrecognition.

  Room was made for the two ladies, by the men who knew Miss Mohun, topush forward, so as to have a clearer view of the broken wall androof of the stable, and the great ruddy blue and white veined mass oflimestone rock, turf, and bush adhering to what had been the top.

  There was a moment's silence through the crowd, a kind of awe at thespectacle and the possibilities that had been mercifully averted.

  Then one of the men said--

  'That was how it was. I saw one of them above--not Stebbing--No--comingout to the brow; and after this last frost, not a doubt but that musthave been enough to bring it down.'

  'Not railed off, eh?' said the voice of young Stebbing from among thecrowd.

  'Well, it were marked with big stones where the rail should go,' saidanother. 'I know, for I laid 'em myself; but there weren't no ordersgiven.'

  'There weren't no stones either. Some one been and took 'em away,' addedthe first speaker.

  'I see how it is,' Frank Stebbing's metallic voice could plainly beheard, flavoured with an oath. 'This is your neglect, White, droning,stuck-up sneak as you always were and will be! I shall report this.Damage to property, and maybe life, all along of your confoundedidleness.'

  And there were worse imprecations, which made Miss Mohun break out in atone of shocked reproof--

  'Mr. Stebbing!'

  'I beg your pardon, Miss Mohun; I was not aware of your presence--'

  'Nor of a Higher One,' she could not help interposing, while he went onjustifying himself.

  'It is the only way to speak to these fellows; and it is enough to driveone mad to see what comes of the neglect of a conceited young ass abovehis business. Life and property--'

  'But life is safe, is it not?' she interrupted with a shudder.

  'Ay, ay, ma'am,' said the voice of the workman, 'or we should know it bythis time.'

  But at that moment a faint, gasping cry caught Jane's ear.

  Others heard it too. It was a child's voice, and grew stronger after amoment. It came from the corner of the shed outside the stable.

  'Oh, oh!' cried the women, pressing forward, 'the poor little Fields!'

  Then it was recollected that Mrs. Field--one of those impracticablewomen on whom the shafts of school officers were lost, and who wasalways wandering in the town--had been s
een going out, leaving two smallchildren playing about, the younger under the charge of the elder. Thefather was a carter, and had been sent on some errand with the horses.

  This passed while anxious hands were struggling with stones and earth,foremost among them Alexis White. The utmost care was needful to preventthe superincumbent weight from falling in and crushing the life therecertainly was beneath, happily not the rock from above, but some of thedebris of the stable. Frank Stebbing and the foreman had to drive backanxious crowds, and keep a clear space.

  Then came running, shrieking, pushing her way through the men, the poormother, who had to be forcibly withheld by Miss Mohun and one of themen from precipitating herself on the pile of rubbish where her childrenwere buried, and so shaking it as to make their destruction certain.

  Those were terrible moments; but when the mother's voice penetrated tothe children, a voice answered--

  'Mammy, mammy get us out, there's a stone on Tommy,'--at least so thepoor woman understood the lispings, almost stifled; and she shriekedagain, 'Mammy's coming, darlings!'

  The time seemed endless, though it was probably only a few minutesbefore it was found that the children were against the angle of theshed, where the wall and a beam had protected the younger, a little girlof five, who seemed to be unhurt. But, alas! though the boy's limbs werenot crushed, a heavy stone had fallen on his temple.

  The poor woman would not believe that life was gone. She disregarded thelittle one, who screamed for mammy and clutched her skirts, in spite ofthe attempts of the women to lift her up and comfort her; and gatheringthe poor lifeless boy in her arms, she alternately screamed for thedoctor and uttered coaxing, caressing calls to the child.

  She neither heard nor heeded Miss Mohun, with whom, indeed, herrelations had not been agreeable; and as a young surgeon, sniffing theaccident from afar, had appeared on the scene, and had, at the firstglance, made an all too significant gesture, Jane thought it safeto leave the field to him and a kind, motherly, good neighbour, whopromised her to send up to Beechcroft Cottage in case there was anythingto be done for the unhappy woman or the poor father. Mr. Hablot, who nowfound his way to the spot, promised to walk on and prepare him: he wasgone with a marble cross to a churchyard some five miles off.

  Gillian had not spoken a word all this time. She felt perfectly stunnedand bewildered, as if it was a dream, and she could not understand it.Only for a moment did she see the bleeding face and prone limbs of thepoor boy, and that sent a shuddering horror over her, so that she feltlike fainting; but she had so much recollection and self-consciousness,that horror of causing a sensation and giving trouble sent the bloodback to her heart, and she kept her feet by holding hard to her aunt'sarm and presently Miss Mohun felt how tight and trembling was the grasp,and then saw how white she was.

  'My dear, we must get home directly,' she said kindly. 'Lean onme--there.'

  There was leisure now, as they turned away, for others to see the younglady's deadly paleness, and there were invitations to houses and offersof all succours at hand, but the dread of 'a fuss' further revivedGillian, and all that was accepted was a seat for a few moments and aglass of water, which Aunt Jane needed almost as much as she did.

  Though the girl's colour was coming back, and she said she could walkquite well, both had such aching knees and such shaken limbs that theywere glad to hold by each other as they mounted the sloping road, andhalf-way up Gillian came to a sudden stop.

  'Aunt Jane,' she said, panting and turning pale again, 'you heard thatdreadful man. Oh! do you think it was true? Fergus's bit of spar--Alexisnot minding. Oh! then it is all our doing!'

  'I can't tell. Don't you think about it now,' said Aunt Jane, feeling asif the girl were going to swoon on the spot in the shock. 'Consequencesare not in our hands. Whatever it came from, and very sad it was, therewas great mercy, and we have only to thank God it was no worse.'

  When at last aunt and niece reached home, they had no sooner opened thefront door than Adeline came almost rushing out of the drawing-room.

  'Oh! my dearest Jane,' she cried, clasping and kissing her sister,'wasn't it dreadful? Where were you? Mr. White knows no one was hurtbelow, but I could not be easy till you came in.'

  'Mr. White!'

  'Yes; Mr. White was so kind as to come and tell me--and aboutRotherwood.'

  'What about Rotherwood?' exclaimed Miss Mohun, advancing into thedrawing-room, where Mr. White had risen from his seat.

  'Nothing to be alarmed about. Indeed, I assure you, his extraordinarypresence of mind and agility--'

  'What was it?' as she and Gillian each sank into a chair, the onebreathless, the other with the faintness renewed by the fresh shock, butable to listen as Mr. White told first briefly, then with more detail,how--as the surveying party proceeded along the path at the top of thecliffs, he and Lord Rotherwood comparing recollections of the formeroutline, now much changed by quarrying--the Marquis had stepped out toa slightly projecting point; Mr. Stebbing had uttered a note of warning,knowing how liable these promontories were to break away in the end ofwinter, and happily Lord Rotherwood had turned and made a step or twoback, when the rock began to give way under his feet, so that, being aslight and active man, a spring and bound forward had actually carriedhim safely to the firm ground, and the others, who had started back inself-preservation, then in horror, fully believing him borne down todestruction, saw him the next instant lying on his face on the pathbefore them. When on his feet, he had declared himself unhurt, andsolely anxious as to what the fall of rock might have done beneath; buthe was reassured by those cries of 'All right' which were uttered beforethe poor little Fields were discovered; and then, when the party weregoing to make their way down to inspect the effects of the catastrophe,he had found that he had not escaped entirely unhurt. Of course he hadbeen forced to leap with utter want of heed, only as far and wide ashe could, and thus, though he had lighted on his feet, he had fallenagainst a stone, and pain and stiffness of shoulder made themselvesapparent; though he would accept no help in walking back to the hotel,and was only anxious not to frighten his wife and daughter, and desiredMr. White, who had volunteered to go, to tell the ladies next door thathe was convinced it was nothing, or, if anything, only a trifle of acollar-bone. Mr. White had, since the arrival of the surgeon, madean expedition of inquiry, and heard this verdict confirmed, with thefurther assurance that there was no cause for anxiety. The accountof the damage and disaster below was new to him, as his partner haddeclared the stables to be certain to be empty, and moreover in need ofbeing rebuilt; and he departed to find Mr. Stebbing and make inquiries.

  Miss Mohun, going to the hotel, saw the governess, and heard that allwas going on well, and that Lord Rotherwood insisted that nothing wasthe matter, and would not hear of going to bed, but was lying on thesofa in the sitting-room. Her ladyship presently came out, and confirmedthe account; but Jane agreed with her that, if possible, the knowledgeof the poor child's death should be kept from him that night, lest theshock should make him feverish. However, in that very moment when shewas off guard, the communication had been made by his valet, only tooproud to have something to tell, and with the pleasing addition thatMiss Mohun had had a narrow escape. Whereupon ensued an urgent messageto Miss Mohun to come and tell him all about it.

  Wife and cousin exchanged glances of consternation, and perhaps eachknew she might be thankful that he did not come himself insteadof sending, and yet feared that the abstinence was a proof more ofincapacity than of submission.

  Lying there in a dressing-gown over a strapped shoulder, he showed hisagitation by being more than usually unable to finish a sentence.

  'Jenny, Jenny--you are--are you all safe? not frightened?'

  'Oh no, no, I was a great way off; I only heard the noise, and I did notknow you were there.'

  'Ah! there must be--something must be meant for me to do. Heaven mustmean--thank Him! But is it true--a poor child? Can't one ever be foolishwithout hurting more than one's self?'

  Jane t
old him the truth calmly and quietly, explaining that the survivorwas entirely unhurt, and the poor little victim could not have suffered;adding with all her heart, 'The whole thing was full of mercy, and Ido not think you need blame yourself for heedlessness, for it was anaccident that the place was not marked.'

  'Shameful neglect' said Lady Rotherwood.

  'The partner--what's-his-name--Stebbing--said something about hisson being away. An untrustworthy substitute, wasn't there?' said LordRotherwood.

  'The son was the proficient in Leopardine Italian we heard of lastnight,' said Jane. 'I don't know what he may be as an overlooker here.He certainly fell furiously on the substitute, a poor cousin of Mr.White's own, but I am much afraid the origin of the mischief was nearerhome--Master Fergus's geological researches.'

  'Fergus! Why, he is a mite.'

  'Yes, but Maurice encore. However, I must find out from him whether thisis only a foreboding of my prophetic soul!'

  'Curious cattle,' observed Lord Rotherwood.

  'Well,' put in his wife, 'I do not think Ivinghoe has ever given uscause for anxiety.'

  'Exactly the reason that I am always expecting him to break out in someunexpected place! No, Victoria,' he added, seeing that she did not likethis, 'I am quite ready to allow that we have a model son, and I onlypity him for not having a model father.'

  'Well, I am not going to stay and incite you to talk nonsense,' saidJane, rising to depart; 'I will let you know my discoveries.'

  She found Fergus watching for her at the gate, with the appeal, 'AuntJane, there's been a great downfall of cliff, and I want to see whatformations it has brought to light, but they won't let me through tolook at it, though I told them White always did.'

  'I do not suppose that they will allow any one to meddle with it atpresent,' said Aunt Jane; then, as Fergus made an impatient exclamation,she added, 'Do you know that a poor little boy was killed, and CousinRotherwood a good deal hurt?'

  'Yes,' said Fergus, 'Big Blake said so.'

  'And now, Fergus, I want to know where you took that large stone fromthat you showed me with the crack of spar.'

  'With the micaceous crystals,' corrected Fergus. 'It was off the top ofthat very cliff that fell down, so I am sure there must be more in it;and some one else will get them if they won't let me go and see forthem.'

  'And Alexis White gave you leave to take it?'

  'Oh yes, I always ask him.'

  'Were you at the place when you asked him, Fergus?'

  'At the place on the cliff? No. For I couldn't find him for a long time,and I carried it all the way down the steps.'

  'And you did not tell him where it came from?'

  'He didn't ask. Indeed, Aunt Jane, I always did show him what I took,and he would have let me in now, only he was not at the office; and theman at the gate, Big Blake, was as savage as a bear, and slammed thedoor on me, and said they wouldn't have no idle boys loafingabout there. And when I said I wasn't an idle boy but a scientificmineralogist, and that Mr. Alexis White always let me in, he laughed inmy face, and said Mr. Alexis had better look out for himself. I shalltell Stebbing how cheeky he was.'

  'My dear Fergus, there was good reason for keeping you out. You did notknow it, nor Alexis; but those stones were put to show that the cliffwas getting dangerous, and to mark where to put an iron fence; and itwas the greatest of mercies that Rotherwood's life was saved.'

  The boy looked a little sobered, but his aunt had rather that his nextquestion had not been: 'Do you think they will let me go there again!'

  However, she knew very well that conviction must slowly soak in, andthat nothing would be gained by frightening him, so that all she didthat night was to send a note by Mysie to her cousin, explaining herdiscovery; and she made up her mind to take Fergus to the inquestthe next day, since his evidence would exonerate Alexis from the mostculpable form of carelessness.

  Only, however, in the morning, when she had ascertained the hour of theinquest, did she write a note to Mrs. Edgar to explain Fergus's absencefrom school, or inform the boy of what she intended. On the whole hewas rather elated at being so important as to be able to defend AlexisWhite, and he was quite above believing that scientific research couldbe reckoned by any one as mischief.

  Just as Miss Mohun had gone up to get ready, Mysie ran in to say thatCousin Rotherwood would be at the door in a moment to take Fergus down.

  'Lady Rotherwood can't bear his going,' said Mysie, 'and Mr. White andMr. Stebbing say that he need not; but he is quite determined, though hehas got his arm in a sling, for he says it was all his fault for goingwhere he ought not. And he won't have the carriage, for he says it wouldshake his bones ever so much more than Shank's mare.'

  'Just like him,' said Aunt Jane. 'Has Dr. Dagger given him leave?'

  'Yes; he said it wouldn't hurt him; but Lady Rotherwood told Miss Elburyshe was sure he persuaded him.'

  Mysie's confused pronouns were cut short by Lord Rotherwood's ownappearance.

  'You need not go, Jane,' he said. 'I can take care of this littlechap. They'll not chop off his head in the presence of one of theLegislature.'

  'Nice care to begin by chaffing him out of his wits,' she retorted. 'Thequestion is, whether you ought to go.'

  'Yes, Jenny, I must go. It can't damage me; and besides, to tell thetruth, it strikes me that things will go hard with that unlucky youngfellow if some one is not there to stand up for him and elicit Fergus'sevidence.'

  'Alexis White!'

  'White--ay, a cousin or something of the exemplary boss. He's beendining with his partners--the old White, I mean--and they've beencramming him--I imagine with a view to scapegoat treatment--jealousy,and all the rest of it. If there is not a dismissal, there's a hoveringon the verge.'

  'Exactly what I was afraid of,' said Jane. 'Oh, Rotherwood, I couldtell you volumes. But may I not come down with you? Could not I dosomething?'

  'Well, on the whole, you are better away, Jenny. Consider William'sfeelings. Womankind, even Brownies, are better out of it. Prejudiceagainst proteges, whether of petticoats or cassocks--begging yourpardon. I can fight battles better as an unsophisticated stranger comingdown fresh, though I don't expect any one from the barony of Beechcroftto believe it, and maybe the less I know of your volumes the better tillafter--

  'Oh, Rotherwood, as if I wasn't too thankful to have you to send forme!'

  'There! I've kept the firm out there waiting an unconscionable time.They'll think you are poisoning my mind. Come along, you imp of science.Trust me, I'll not bully him, though it's highly tempting to make thechien chasser de race.'

  'Oh, Aunt Jane, won't you go?' exclaimed Gillian in despair, as hercousin waved a farewell at the gate.

  'No, my dear; it is not for want of wishing, but he is quite right. Hecan do much better than I could.'

  'But is he in earnest, aunt?'

  'Oh yes, most entirely, and I quite see that he is right--indeed I do,Gillian. People pretend to defer to a lady, but they really don't likeher poking her nose in, and, after all, I could have no right to sayanything. My only excuse for going was to take care of Fergus.'

  A further token of Lord Rotherwood's earnestness in the cause was thearrival of his servant, who was to bring down the large stone whichMaster Merrifield had moved, and who conveyed it in a cab, being muchtoo grand to carry it through the streets.

  Gillian was very unhappy and restless, unable to settle to anything, andlinking cause and effect together disconsolately in a manner Mysie, whomshe admitted to her confidence, failed to understand.

  'It was a great pity Fergus did not show Alexis where the stone camefrom, but I don't see what your not giving him his lessons had to dowith it. Made him unhappy? Oh! Gilly dear, you don't mean any one wouldbe too unhappy to mind his business for such nonsense as that! I am surenone of us would be so stupid if Mr. Pollock forgot our Greek lessons.'

  'Certainly not,' said Gillian, almost laughing; 'but you don'tunderstand, Mysie. It was the taking him up and letting him down, and Ic
ould not explain it, and it looked so nasty and capricious.'

  'Well, I suppose you ought to have asked Aunt Jane's leave; but I dothink he must be a ridiculous young man if he could not attend to hisproper work because you did not go after him when you were only justcome home.'

  'Ah, Mysie, you don't understand!'

  Mysie opened a round pair of brown eyes, and said, 'Oh! I did thinkpeople were never so silly out of poetry. There was Wilfrid in Hokeby,to be sure. He was stupid enough about Matilda; but do you mean that heis like that!'

  'Don't, don't, you dreadful child; I wish I had never spoken to you,'cried Gillian, overwhelmed with confusion. 'You must never say a word toany living creature.'

  'I am sure I shan't,' said Mysie composedly; 'for, as far as I can see,it is all stuff. This Alexis never found out what Fergus was about withthe stone, and so the mark was gone, and Cousin Rotherwood trod on it,and the poor little boy was killed; but as to the rest, Nurse Halfpennywould say it was all conceited maggots; and how you can make so muchmore fuss about that than about the poor child being crushed, I can'tmake out.'

  'But if I think it all my fault?'

  'That's maggots,' returned Mysie with uncompromising common-sense. 'Youaren't old enough, nor pretty enough, for any of that kind of stuff,Gill!'

  And Gillian found that either she must go without comprehension, or havea great deal more implied, if she turned for sympathy to any one saveAunt Jane, who seemed to know exactly how the land lay.

  CHAPTER XVI. -- VANISHED