XIII.
To return to Charlotte De Stancy. When the train had borne Somerset fromher side, and she had regained her self-possession, she became consciousof the true proportions of the fact he had asserted. And, further, ifthe telegram had not been his, why should the photographic distortionbe trusted as a phase of his existence? But after a while it seemed soimprobable to her that God's sun should bear false witness, that insteadof doubting both evidences she was inclined to readmit the first.Still, upon the whole, she could not question for long the honesty ofSomerset's denial and if that message had indeed been sent by him, itmust have been done while he was in another such an unhappy stateas that exemplified by the portrait. The supposition reconciled alldifferences; and yet she could not but fight against it with all thestrength of a generous affection.
All the afternoon her poor little head was busy on this perturbingquestion, till she inquired of herself whether after all it might notbe possible for photographs to represent people as they had never been.Before rejecting the hypothesis she determined to have the word of aprofessor on the point, which would be better than all her surmises.Returning to Markton early, she told the coachman whom Paula had sent,to drive her to the shop of Mr. Ray, an obscure photographic artist inthat town, instead of straight home.
Ray's establishment consisted of two divisions, the respectable and theshabby. If, on entering the door, the visitor turned to the left,he found himself in a magazine of old clothes, old furniture, china,umbrellas, guns, fishing-rods, dirty fiddles, and split flutes. Enteringthe right-hand room, which had originally been that of an independenthouse, he was in an ordinary photographer's and print-collector'sdepository, to which a certain artistic solidity was imparted by afew oil paintings in the background. Charlotte made for the latterdepartment, and when she was inside Mr. Ray appeared in person from thelumber-shop adjoining, which, despite its manginess, contributed by farthe greater share to his income.
Charlotte put her question simply enough. The man did not answer herdirectly, but soon found that she meant no harm to him. He told her thatsuch misrepresentations were quite possible, and that they embodied aform of humour which was getting more and more into vogue among certainfacetious persons of society.
Charlotte was coming away when she asked, as on second thoughts, if hehad any specimens of such work to show her.
'None of my own preparation,' said Mr. Ray, with unimpeachable probityof tone. 'I consider them libellous myself. Still, I have one or twosamples by me, which I keep merely as curiosities.--There's one,' hesaid, throwing out a portrait card from a drawer. 'That represents theGerman Emperor in a violent passion: this one shows the Prime Ministerout of his mind; this the Pope of Rome the worse for liquor.'
She inquired if he had any local specimens.
'Yes,' he said, 'but I prefer not to exhibit them unless you really askfor a particular one that you mean to buy.'
'I don't want any.'
'O, I beg pardon, miss. Well, I shouldn't myself own such things wereproduced, if there had not been a young man here at one time who wasvery ingenious in these matters--a Mr. Dare. He was quite a gent, andonly did it as an amusement, and not for the sake of getting a living.'
Charlotte had no wish to hear more. On her way home she burst intotears: the entanglement was altogether too much for her to tear asunder,even had not her own instincts been urging her two ways, as they were.
To immediately right Somerset's wrong was her impetuous desire asan honest woman who loved him; but such rectification would be thejeopardizing of all else that gratified her--the marriage of her brotherwith her dearest friend--now on the very point of accomplishment. It wasa marriage which seemed to promise happiness, or at least comfort, ifthe old flutter that had transiently disturbed Paula's bosom could bekept from reviving, to which end it became imperative to hide from herthe discovery of injustice to Somerset. It involved the advantage ofleaving Somerset free; and though her own tender interest in him hadbeen too well schooled by habitual self-denial to run ahead on vainpersonal hopes, there was nothing more than human in her feelingpleasure in prolonging Somerset's singleness. Paula might even beallowed to discover his wrongs when her marriage had put him out of herpower. But to let her discover his ill-treatment now might upset theimpending union of the families, and wring her own heart with the sightof Somerset married in her brother's place.
Why Dare, or any other person, should have set himself to advance herbrother's cause by such unscrupulous blackening of Somerset's characterwas more than her sagacity could fathom. Her brother was, as far as shecould see, the only man who could directly profit by the machination,and was therefore the natural one to suspect of having set it going. Butshe would not be so disloyal as to entertain the thought long; and whoor what had instigated Dare, who was undoubtedly the proximate cause ofthe mischief, remained to her an inscrutable mystery.
The contention of interests and desires with honour in her heart shookCharlotte all that night; but good principle prevailed. The weddingwas to be solemnized the very next morning, though for before-mentionedreasons this was hardly known outside the two houses interested; andthere were no visible preparations either at villa or castle. De Stancyand his groomsman--a brother officer--slept at the former residence.
De Stancy was a sorry specimen of a bridegroom when he met his sisterin the morning. Thick-coming fancies, for which there was more than goodreason, had disturbed him only too successfully, and he was as full ofapprehension as one who has a league with Mephistopheles. Charlotte toldhim nothing of what made her likewise so wan and anxious, but droveoff to the castle, as had been planned, about nine o'clock, leaving herbrother and his friend at the breakfast-table.
That clearing Somerset's reputation from the stain which had been thrownon it would cause a sufficient reaction in Paula's mind to dislocatepresent arrangements she did not so seriously anticipate, now thatmorning had a little calmed her. Since the rupture with her formerarchitect Paula had sedulously kept her own counsel, but Charlotteassumed from the ease with which she seemed to do it that her feelingstowards him had never been inconveniently warm; and she hoped that Paulawould learn of Somerset's purity with merely the generous pleasure of afriend, coupled with a friend's indignation against his traducer.
Still, the possibility existed of stronger emotions, and it was only tooevident to poor Charlotte that, knowing this, she had still less excusefor delaying the intelligence till the strongest emotion would bepurposeless.
On approaching the castle the first object that caught her eye wasDare, standing beside Havill on the scaffolding of the new wing. Hewas looking down upon the drive and court, as if in anticipation of theevent. His contiguity flurried her, and instead of going straight toPaula she sought out Mrs. Goodman.
'You are come early; that's right!' said the latter. 'You might as wellhave slept here last night. We have only Mr. Wardlaw, the London lawyeryou have heard of, in the house. Your brother's solicitor was hereyesterday; but he returned to Markton for the night. We miss Mr. Powerso much--it is so unfortunate that he should have been obliged to goabroad, and leave us unprotected women with so much responsibility.'
'Yes, I know,' said Charlotte quickly, having a shy distaste for thedetails of what troubled her so much in the gross.
'Paula has inquired for you.'
'What is she doing?'
'She is in her room: she has not begun to dress yet. Will you go toher?'
Charlotte assented. 'I have to tell her something,' she said, 'whichwill make no difference, but which I should like her to know thismorning--at once. I have discovered that we have been entirely mistakenabout Mr. Somerset.' She nerved herself to relate succinctly what hadcome to her knowledge the day before.
Mrs. Goodman was much impressed. She had never clearly heard before whatcircumstances had attended the resignation of Paula's architect. 'We hadbetter not tell her till the wedding is over,' she presently said; 'itwould only disturb her, and do no good.'
'But will it be
right?' asked Miss De Stancy.
'Yes, it will be right if we tell her afterwards. O yes--it mustbe right,' she repeated in a tone which showed that her opinion wasunstable enough to require a little fortification by the voice. 'Sheloves your brother; she must, since she is going to marry him; and itcan make little difference whether we rehabilitate the character of afriend now, or some few hours hence. The author of those wicked trickson Mr. Somerset ought not to go a moment unpunished.'
'That's what I think; and what right have we to hold our tongues evenfor a few hours?'
Charlotte found that by telling Mrs. Goodman she had simply made twoirresolute people out of one, and as Paula was now inquiring for her,she went upstairs without having come to any decision.