A Laodicean : A Story of To-day

  IV.

  On a windy afternoon in November, when more than two months had closedover the incidents previously recorded, a number of farmers were sittingin a room of the Lord-Quantock-Arms Inn, Markton, that was used for theweekly ordinary. It was a long, low apartment, formed by the union oftwo or three smaller rooms, with a bow-window looking upon the street,and at the present moment was pervaded by a blue fog from tobacco-pipes,and a temperature like that of a kiln. The body of farmers who stillsat on there was greater than usual, owing to the cold air without, thetables having been cleared of dinner for some time and their surfacestamped with liquid circles by the feet of the numerous glasses.

  Besides the farmers there were present several professional men ofthe town, who found it desirable to dine here on market-days for theopportunity it afforded them of increasing their practice among theagriculturists, many of whom were men of large balances, even luxuriouslivers, who drove to market in elegant phaetons drawn by horses ofsupreme blood, bone, and action, in a style never anticipated by theirfathers when jogging thither in light carts, or afoot with a butterbasket on each arm.

  The buzz of groggy conversation was suddenly impinged on by the notes ofa peal of bells from the tower hard by. Almost at the same instant thedoor of the room opened, and there entered the landlord of the littleinn at Sleeping-Green. Drawing his supply of cordials from this superiorhouse, to which he was subject, he came here at stated times like aprebendary to the cathedral of his diocesan, afterwards retailing tohis own humbler audience the sentiments which he had learnt of this. Butcuriosity being awakened by the church bells the usual position was forthe moment reversed, and one of the farmers, saluting him by name, askedhim the reason of their striking up at that time of day.

  'My mis'ess out yonder,' replied the rural landlord, nodding sideways,'is coming home with her fancy-man. They have been a-gaying togetherthis turk of a while in foreign parts--Here, maid!--what with the wind,and standing about, my blood's as low as water--bring us a thimbleful ofthat that isn't gin and not far from it.'

  'It is true, then, that she's become Mrs. Somerset?' indifferently askeda farmer in broadcloth, tenant of an estate in quite another directionthan hers, as he contemplated the grain of the table immediatelysurrounding the foot of his glass.

  'True--of course it is,' said Havill, who was also present, in the toneof one who, though sitting in this rubicund company, was not of it. 'Icould have told you the truth of it any day these last five weeks.'

  Among those who had lent an ear was Dairyman Jinks, an old gnarledcharacter who wore a white fustian coat and yellow leggings; the onlyman in the room who never dressed up in dark clothes for marketing. Henow asked, 'Married abroad, was they? And how long will a wedding abroadstand good for in this country?'

  'As long as a wedding at home.'

  'Will it? Faith; I didn't know: how should I? I thought it might be somenew plan o' folks for leasing women now they be so plentiful, so as toget rid o' 'em when the men be tired o' 'em, and hev spent all theirmoney.'

  'He won't be able to spend her money,' said the landlord ofSleeping-Green. ''Tis her very own person's--settled upon the hairs ofher head for ever.'

  'O nation! Then if I were the man I shouldn't care for such a one-eyedbenefit as that,' said Dairyman Jinks, turning away to listen to thetalk on his other hand.

  'Is that true?' asked the gentleman-farmer in broadcloth.

  'It is sufficiently near the truth,' said Havill. 'There is nothing atall unusual in the arrangement; it was only settled so to prevent anyschemer making a beggar of her. If Somerset and she have any children,which probably they will, it will be theirs; and what can a man wantmore? Besides, there is a large portion of property left to her personaluse--quite as much as they can want. Oddly enough, the curiositiesand pictures of the castle which belonged to the De Stancys are notrestricted from sale; they are hers to do what she likes with. Old Powerdidn't care for articles that reminded him so much of his predecessors.'

  'Hey?' said Dairyman Jinks, turning back again, having decided that theconversation on his right hand was, after all, the more interesting.'Well--why can't 'em hire a travelling chap to touch up the picters intoher own gaffers and gammers? Then they'd be worth sommat to her.'

  'Ah, here they are? I thought so,' said Havill, who had been standing upat the window for the last few moments. 'The ringers were told to beginas soon as the train signalled.'

  As he spoke a carriage drew up to the hotel-door, followed by anotherwith the maid and luggage. The inmates crowded to the bow-window, exceptDairyman Jinks, who had become absorbed in his own reflections.

  'What be they stopping here for?' asked one of the previous speakers.

  'They are going to stay here to-night,' said Havill. 'They have comequite unexpectedly, and the castle is in such a state of turmoil thatthere is not a single carpet down, or room for them to use. We shall gettwo or three in order by next week.'

  'Two little people like them will be lost in the chammers of thatwandering place!' satirized Dairyman Jinks. 'They will be bound to havea randy every fortnight to keep the moth out of the furniture!'

  By this time Somerset was handing out the wife of his bosom, andDairyman Jinks went on: 'That's no more Miss Power that was, than myniece's daughter Kezia is Miss Power--in short it is a different womanaltogether!'

  'There is no mistake about the woman,' said the landlord; 'it is her furclothes that make her look so like a caterpillar on end. Well, she isnot a bad bargain! As for Captain De Stancy, he'll fret his gizzardgreen.'

  'He's the man she ought to ha' married,' declared the farmer inbroadcloth. 'As the world goes she ought to have been Lady De Stancy.She gave up her chapel-going, and you might have thought she wouldhave given up her first young man: but she stuck to him, though by allaccounts he would soon have been interested in another party.'

  ''Tis woman's nature to be false except to a man, and man's nature to betrue except to a woman,' said the landlord of Sleeping-Green. 'However,all's well that ends well, and I have something else to think of thannew-married couples;' saying which the speaker moved off, and theothers returned to their seats, the young pair who had been their themevanishing through the hotel into some private paradise to rest and dine.

  By this time their arrival had become known, and a crowd soon gatheredoutside, acquiring audacity with continuance there. Raising a hurrah,the group would not leave till Somerset had showed himself on thebalcony above; and then declined to go away till Paula also hadappeared; when, remarking that her husband seemed a quiet young manenough, and would make a very good borough member when their present onemisbehaved himself, the assemblage good-humouredly dispersed.