The Light of Scarthey: A Romance

  CHAPTER XVIII

  "LOVE GILDS THE SCENE AND WOMAN GUIDES THE PLOT"

  Tanty's wrath upon discovering Sir Adrian's departure was all thegreater because she could extort no real explanation from Rupert, andbecause her attacks rebounded, as it were, from the polished surfacehe exposed to them on every side. Madeleine's indifference, andMolly's apparently reckless spirits, further discomposed her duringsupper; and upon the latter young lady's disappearance after the meal,it was as much as she could do to finish her nightly game of patiencebefore mounting to seek her with the purpose of relieving herovercharged feelings, and procuring what enlightenment she might.

  The unwonted spectacle of the saucy damsel in tears made MissO'Donoghue halt upon the threshold, the hot wind of anger upon whichshe seemed to be propelled into the room falling into suddennothingness.

  There could be no mistake about it. Molly was weeping; soenergetically indeed, with such a passion of tears and sobs, that thenoise of Tanty's tumultuous entrance fell unheeded upon her ears.

  All her sympathies stirred within her, the old lady advanced to thegirl with the intention of gathering her to her bosom. But as she drewnear, the black and white of the open diary attracted her eye underthe circle of lamplight, and being possessed of excellent long sight,she thought it no shame to utilise the same across her grand-niece'sprostrate, heaving form, before making known her presence.

  _"And so I sit and cry."_

  Miss Molly was carrying out her programme with much precision, ifindeed her attitude, prone along the table, could be described assitting.

  Miss O'Donoghue's eyes and mouth grew round, as with the expression ofan outraged cockatoo she read and re-read the tell-tale phrases. Herewas a complication she had not calculated upon.

  "Dear, dear," she cried, clacking her tongue in disconsolate fashion,so soon as she could get her breath. "What is the meaning of this, mypoor girl?"

  Molly leaped to her feet, and turning a blazing, disfiguredcountenance upon her relative, exclaimed with more energy thanpoliteness: "Good gracious, aunt, what _do_ you want?"

  Then catching sight of the open diary, she looked suspiciously from itto her visitor, and closed it with a hasty hand. But Miss O'Donoghue'snext words settled the doubt.

  "Well, to be sure, what a state you have put yourself into," shepursued in genuine distress. "What has happened then between you andthat fellow, whom I declare I begin to believe as crazy as Rupertsays, that you should be crying your eyes out over his going back tohis island?--you that I thought could not shed a tear if you tried.Nothing left but to sit and cry, indeed."

  "So you have been reading my diary, you mean thing," cried Miss Molly,stamping her foot. "How dare you come creeping in here, spying at myprivate concerns! Oh! oh! oh!" with unpremeditated artfulness,relapsing into a paroxysm of sobs just in time to avert the volley ofrebuke with which the hot-tempered old lady was about to greet thisdisrespectful outburst. "I am the most miserable girl in all theworld. I wish I were dead, I do."

  Again Tanty opened her arms, and this time she did draw the stormycreature to a bosom, as warm and motherly as if all the joys ofwomanhood had not been withheld from it.

  "Tell me all about it, my poor child." There was a distinct feeling ofcomfort in the grasp of the old arms, comfort in the very ring of thedeep voice. Molly was not a secretive person by nature, and moreovershe retained quite enough shrewdness, even in her unwonted break-down,to conjecture that with Tanty lay her sole hope of help. So rollingher dark head distractedly on the old maid's shoulder, the young maidnarrated her tale of woe. Pressed by a pointed question here andthere, Tanty soon collected a series of impressions of Molly's visitto Scarthey, that set her busy mind working upon a startlingly newline. It was her nature to jump at conclusions, and it was not strangethat the girl's passionate display of grief should seem to be theunmistakable outcome of tenderer feelings than the wounded pride anddisappointment which were in reality its sole motors.

  "I am convinced it is Rupert that is at the bottom of it," cried Mollyat last, springing into uprightness again, and clenching her hands."His one idea is to drive his brother permanently from his ownhome--and he _hates me_."

  Tanty sat rigid with thought.

  So Molly was in love with Sir Adrian Landale, and he--who knows--wasin love with her too; or if not with her, with her likeness to hermother, and that was much the same thing when all was said and done.Could anything be more suitable, more fortunate? Could ever two birdsbe killed with one stone with more complete felicity than in thissettling of the two people she most loved upon earth? Poor prettyMolly! The old lady's heart grew very tender over the girl who nowstood half sullenly, half bashfully averting her swollen face; fivedays ago she had not known her handsome cousin, and now she wasbreaking her heart for him.

  It might be, indeed, as she said, that they had to thank Rupert forthis--and off flew Tanty's mind upon another tangent. Rupert was verydeep, there could be no doubt of that; he was anxious enough to keepAdrian away from them all; what would it be then when it came to aquestion of his marriage?

  Tanty, with the delightful optimism that seventy years' experience hadfailed to damp, here became confident of the approach of her youngernephew's complete discomfiture, and in the cheering contemplation ofthat event chuckled so unctuously that Molly looked at her amazed.

  "It is well for you, my dear," said the old lady, rising and waggingher head with an air of enigmatic resolution, "that you have got anaunt."

  * * * * *

  Some two days later, Rene, sitting upon a ledge of the old Scartheywall, in the spare sunshine which this still, winter's noon shonepearl-like through a universal mist, busy mending a net, to the tuneof a melancholy, inward whistle, heard up above the licking of thewaves all around him and the whimper of the seagulls overhead, thebeat of steady oars approaching from land side.

  Starting to his feet, the little man, in vague expectation, ran to apoint of vantage from which to scan the tideway; after a few seconds'investigation he turned tail, dashed into the ruins, up the steps, andburst open the door of the sitting-room, calling upon his master witha scared expression of astonishment.

  Captain Jack, poring over a map, his pipe sticking rakishly out of oneside of his mouth, looked up amused at the Frenchman's evidentexcitement, while Adrian, who had been busy with the uppermost row ofbooks upon his west wall, looked down from his ladder perch, with thepessimist's constitutional expectation of evil growing upon his face.

  "One comes in a boat," ejaculated Rene, "and I thought I ought to warnhis honour, if his honour will give himself the trouble to look out."

  "It must be the devil to frighten Renny in this fashion," mutteredCaptain Jack as distinctly as the clench of his teeth upon the pipewould allow him. Sir Adrian paled a little, he began to descend hisladder, mechanically flicking the dust from his cuffs.

  "Your honour," said Rene, drawing to the window and looking outcautiously, "I have not yet seen her, but I believe it is oldmiss--the aunt of your honour and these ladies."

  Captain Jack's pipe fell from his dropping jaw and was broken intomany fragments as he leaped to his feet with an elasticity of limb anda richness of expletive which of themselves would have betrayed hiscalling.

  Flinging his arm across one of Adrian's shoulders he peeped across theother out of the window, with an alarm half mocking, half genuine.

  "The devil it is, friend Renny," he cried, drawing back and runninghis hands with an exaggerated gesture of despair through his browncurls; "Adrian, all is lost unless you hide me."

  "My aunt here, and alone," exclaimed Adrian, retreating from thewindow perturbed enough himself, "I must go down to meet her. Pray Godit is no ill news! Hurry, Renny, clear these glasses away."

  "In the name of all that's sacred, clear me away first!" interposedCaptain Jack, this time with a real urgency; through the open latticecame the sound of the grating of the boat's keel upon the sand and avigorous hail from a masculine throat--"Ah
oy, Renny Potter, ahoy!""Adrian, this is a matter of life and death to my hopes, hide me inyour lowest dungeon for goodness' sake; I do not know my way aboutyour ruins, and I am convinced the old lady will nose me out like abadger."

  There was no time for explanation; Sir Adrian made a sign to Rene, whohighly enjoying the situation and grinning from ear to ear, wasalready volunteering to "well hide Mr. the Captain," and the pairdisappeared with much celerity into the inner room, while Adrian,unable to afford himself further preparation, hurried down the greatstairs to meet this unexpected guest.

  He emerged bareheaded into the curious mist which hung pall-like uponthe outer world, and seemed to combine the opposite elements of glareand dulness, just as Tanty, aided by the stalwart arm of the boatman,who had rowed her across, succeeded in dragging her rheumatic limbs upthe last bit of ascent to the door of the keep.

  She halted, disengaged herself, and puffing and blowing surveyed hernephew with a stony gaze.

  "My dear aunt," cried Adrian, "nothing has happened, I trust?"

  "Sufficient has already happened, nephew, I should _hope_," retortedthe old lady with extreme dignity, "sufficient to make me desire toconfer with you most seriously. I thank you, young man," turning toWilliam Shearman who stood on one side, his eager gaze upon "themaster," ready to pull his forelock so soon as he could catch his eye,"be here again in an hour, if you please."

  "But you will allow me to escort you myself," exclaimed Adrian, risingto the situation, "and I hope there need be no hurry so long asdaylight lasts--Good-morning, Will, I am glad the new craft is asuccess--you need not wait. Tanty, take my arm, I beg, the steps aresteep and rough."

  Gripping her nephew's arm with her bony old woman's hand, MissO'Donoghue began a laborious ascent, pausing every five steps tobreathe stertorously and reproachfully, and look round upon thesandstone walls with supreme disdain; but this was nothing to the airwith which, when at last installed upon a high hard chair, in thesitting-room (having sternly refused the easy one Sir Adrian humblyproffered), she deliberately proceeded to survey the scene. In truth,the neatness that usually characterised Adrian's surroundings wasconspicuously absent from them, just then.

  Two or three maps lay overlapping each other upon the table beside thetray with its flagon of amber ale, which had formed the captain'smorning draught; and the soiled glass, the fragments of his pipe, andits half-burnt contents lay strewn about the prostrate chair whichthat lively individual had upset in his agitation. Adrian's ladder,the books he had been handling and had not replaced, the white ash ofthe dying fire, all contributed to the unwonted aspect of somewhatmelancholy disorder; worse than all, the fumes of the strong tobaccowhich the sailor liked to smoke in his secluded moments hung rank,despite the open window, upon the absolute motionlessness of theatmosphere.

  Tanty snorted and sniffed, while Adrian, after picking up the chair,began to almost unconsciously refold the maps, his eyes fixedwonderingly upon his visitor's face.

  This latter delivered herself at length of some of the indignationthat was choking her, in abrupt disjointed sentences, as if she wereuncorking so many bottles.

  "Well I'm sure, nephew, I am not surprised at your _extraordinary_behaviour, and if this is the style you prefer to live in--style, didI say?--sty would be more appropriate. Of course it is only what Ihave been led to expect, but I must say I was ill prepared to betreated by you with actual disrespect. My sister's child and I yourguest, not to speak of your aunt, and you your mother's son, and herhost besides! It is a slap in the face, Adrian, a slap in the facewhich has been a very bitter pill to have to swallow, I assure you--Imay say without exaggeration, in fact, that it has cut me to thequick."

  "But surely," cried the nephew, laughing with gentle indulgence atthis complicated indictment, "surely you cannot suppose I would havebeen willingly guilty of the smallest disrespect to you. I am a mostunfortunate man, most unfortunately situated, and if I have offended,it is, you must believe, unwittingly and unavoidably. But you got myletter--I made my motives clear to you."

  "Oh yes, I got your letter yesterday," responded Tanty, not at allsoftened, "and a more idiotic production from a man of yourattainments, allow me to remark, I never read. Adrian, you are makinga perfect fool of yourself, and _you cannot afford it_!"

  "I fear you will never really understand my position," murmured Adrianhopelessly.

  Tanty rattled her large green umbrella upon the floor with a violencethat made her nephew start, then turned upon him a countenanceinflamed with righteous anger.

  "It is only three days ago since I gave you fully my view of thesituation," she remarked, "you were good enough at the time to admitthat it was a remarkably well-balanced one. I should be glad if youwill explain in what manner your position could have changed in thespace of just three hours after, to lead you to rush back to yourisland, really as if you were a mole or a wild Indian, or some otherstrange animal that could not bear civilised society, without even somuch as a good-bye to me, or to your cousins either? What isthat?--you say you wrote--oh, ay--you wrote--to Molly as well as tome; rigmaroles, my dear nephew, mere absurd statements that have not agrain of truth in them, that do not hold water for an instant. You arenot made for the world forsooth, nor the world for you! and if that isnot flying in the face of your Creator, and wanting to know betterthan Providence!--And then you say, 'you cast a gloom by your merepresence.' Fiddle-de-dee! It was not much in the way of gloom thatMolly brought back with her from her three days' visit to you--or ifthat is gloom--well, the more your presence casts of it thebetter--that is all I can say. Ah, but you should have seen her, poorchild, after you went away in that heartless manner and you hadremoved yourself and your shadow, and your precious gloom--if youcould have seen how unhappy she has been!"

  "Good God!" exclaimed the man with a paling face, "what are yousaying?"

  "Only the truth, sir--Molly is breaking her heart because of your basedesertion of her."

  "Good God," muttered Adrian again, rose up stiffly in a sort ofhorrified astonishment and then sat down again and passed his handover his forehead like a man striving to awaken from a painful dream.

  "Oh, Adrian, don't be more of a fool than you can possibly help!"cried his relative, exasperated beyond all expression by hisinarticulate distress. "You are so busy contemplating all sorts ofabsurdities miles away that I verily believe you cannot see an inchbeyond your nose. My gracious! what is there to be so astonished at?How did you behave to the poor innocent from the very instant shecrossed your threshold? Fact is, you have been a regular gay Lothario.Did you not"--cried Tanty, starting again upon her fine vein ofmetaphor--"did you not deliberately hold the cup of love to thoseyoung lips only to nip it in the bud? The girl is not a stock or astone. You are a handsome man, Adrian, and the long and the short ofit is, those who play with fire must reap as they have sown."

  Tanty, who had been holding forth with the rapidity of a loosewindmill in a hurricane, here found herself forced to pause and takebreath; which she did, fanning herself with much energy, a triumphantconsciousness of the unimpeachability of her logic written upon herheated countenance. But Adrian still stared at her with the sameincredulous dismay; looking indeed as little like a gay Lothario as itwas possible, even for him.

  "Do you mean," he said at last, in slow broken sentences, as his mindwrestled with the strange tidings; "am I to understand that Molly,that bright beautiful creature, has been made unhappy through me? Oh,my dear Tanty," striving with a laugh, "the idea is too absurd, I amold enough to be her father, you know--what evidence can you have fora statement so distressing, so extraordinary."

  "I am not quite in my dotage yet," quoth Tanty, drily; "neither am Iin the habit of making unfounded assertions, nephew. I have heard whatthe girl has said with her own lips, I have read what she has writtenin her diary; she has sobbed and cried over your cruelty in these veryarms--I don't know what further evidence----"

  But Sir Adrian had started up again--"Molly crying, Molly crying forme--God help us al
l--Cecile's child, whom I would give my life to keepfrom trouble! Tanty, if this is true--it must be true since you sayso, I hardly know myself what I am saying--then I am to blame, deeplyto blame--and yet--I have not said one word to the child--didnothing...." here he paused and a deep flush overspread his face tothe roots of his hair; "except indeed in the first moment of herarrival--when she came in upon me as I was lost in memories of thepast--like the spirit of Cecile."

  "Humph," said Tanty, pointedly, "but then you see what you took forCecile's spirit happened to be Molly in the flesh." She fixed hersharp eyes upon her nephew, who, struck into confusion by her words,seemed for the moment unable to answer. Then, as if satisfied with theimpression produced, she folded her hands over the umbrella handle andobserved in more placid tones than she had yet used:

  "And now we must see what is to be done."

  Adrian began to pace the room in greater perturbation.

  "What is to be done?" he repeated, "alas! what can be done? Tanty, youwill believe me when I tell you that I should have cut off my righthand rather than brought this thing upon the child--but she is veryyoung--the impression, thank heaven, cannot in the nature of thingsendure. She will meet some one worthy of her--with you, Tanty, kindestof hearts, I can safely trust her future. But that she should suffernow, and through me, that bright creature who flitted in upon my darklife, like some heaven-sent messenger--these are evil tidings. Tanty,you must take her away, you must distract her mind, you must tell herwhat a poor broken-down being I am, how little worthy of her sweetthoughts, and she will learn, soon learn, to forget me, to laugh atherself."

  Although addressing the old lady, he spoke like a man reasoning withhimself, and the words dropped from his lips as if drawn from a verywell of bitterness. Tanty listened to him in silence, but the tensionof her whole frame betrayed that she was only gathering her forces foranother explosion.

  When Adrian's voice ceased there was a moment's silence and then thestorm burst; whisking herself out of her chair, the umbrella cameinto play once more. But though it was only to thump the table, it wasevident Miss O'Donoghue would more willingly have laid it about thedelinquent's shoulders.

  "Adrian, are you a man at all?" she ejaculated fiercely. Then withsudden deadly composure: "So _this_ is the reparation you propose tomake for the mischief you have wrought?"

  "In God's name!" cried he, goaded at length into some sort ofdespairing anger himself, "what would you have me do?"

  The answer came with the promptitude of a return shot:

  "Do? why marry her, of course!"

  "_Marry her!_"

  There was a breathless pause. Tanty, leaning forward across the table,crimson, agitated, yet triumphant; Adrian's white face blasted withastonishment. "Marry her," he echoed at length once more, in a whisperthis time. Then with a groan: "This is madness!"

  Miss O'Donoghue caught him up briskly. "Madness? My good fellow, not abit of it; on the contrary, sanity, happiness, prosperity.--Adrian,don't stand staring at me like a stuck pig! Why, in the name ofconscience, should not you marry? You are a young man still--pooh,pooh, what is forty!--you are a very fine-looking man, clever,romantic--hear me out, sir, please--_and you have made the child loveyou_. There you are again, as if you had a pain in your stomach; youwould try the patience of Job! Why, I don't believe there is anotherman on earth that would not be wild with joy at the mere thought ofhaving gained such a prize. A beautiful creature, with a heart of goldand a purse of gold to boot."

  "Oh, heavens, aunt!" interrupted the man, passionately, "leave thatquestion out of the reckoning. The one thing, the only thing, toconsider is _her_ happiness. You cannot make me believe it can be forher happiness that she should marry such as me."

  "And why shouldn't it be for her happiness?" answered the dauntlessold lady. "Was not she happy enough with you here in this God-forsakenhole, with nothing but the tempest besides for company? Why should notshe be happy, then, when you come back to your own good place? Wouldnot you be _kind_ to her?--would not you cherish her if she were yourwife?"

  "Would I not be kind to her?--would I not cherish her?--would Inot----? My God!"

  "Why, Adrian," cried Tanty, charmed at this unexpected disclosure offeeling and the accent with which it was delivered, "I declare you areas much in love with the girl as she is with you. Why, now you shalljust come back with me to Pulwick this moment, and she shall tell youherself if she can find happiness with you or not. Oh--I will hear nomore--your own heart, your feelings as a gentleman, as a man ofhonour, all point, my dear nephew, in the same direction. And if youneglect this warning voice you will be blind indeed to the call ofduty. Come now, come back to your home, where the sweetest wife ever aman had awaits you. And when I shall see the children spring up aroundyou, Adrian, then God will have granted my last wish, and I shall diein peace.... There, there, I am an old fool, but when the heart isover full, then the tears fall. Come, Adrian, come, I'll say no more;but the sight of the poor child who loves you shall plead for herhappiness and yours. And hark, a word in your ear: let Rupert bark andsnarl as he will! And what sort of a devil is it your generosity hasmade of _him_? You have done a bad day's work there all these years,but, please God, there are better times dawning for us all.--What areyou doing, Adrian? Oh! writing a few orders to your servant to explainyour departure with me--quite right, quite right, I won't speak a wordthen to interrupt you. Dear me! I really feel quite in spirits. Oncedear Molly and you settled, there will be a happy home for Madeleine:with you, we can look out a suitable husband for her. Well, well, Imust not go too fast yet, I suppose: but I have not told you in whatdeep anxiety I have been on _her_ account by reason of a mostdeplorable affair--a foolish girl's fancy only, of course, with a mostundesirable and objectionable creature called _Smith_.... Oh! you areready, are you?--My dear Adrian, give me your arm then, and let usproceed."

  * * * * *

  Silence had reigned for but a few seconds in the great room of thekeep when Captain Jack re-entered, bearing on his face an expressionat once boyishly jubilant and mockingly astonished. He plantedhimself in front of the landward window, and gazed forth a while.

  "There goes my old Adrian, as dutifully escorting that walkingsack of bones, that tar-barrel ornament--never mind, old lady,from this moment I shall love you for your brave deeds of thismorning--escorting his worthy aunt as dutifully as though he were apenniless nephew.... Gently over the gunnel, madam! That's done! Soyou are going to take my gig? Right, Adrian. Dear me, how she holdsforth! I fancy I hear her from here.--Give way, my lads! That's allright. Gad! Old Adrian's carried off on a regular journey to Cythera,under a proper escort!"

  With this odd reminiscence of early mythological reading, the sailorburst into a loud laugh and walked about slapping his leg.

  "Would ever any one have guessed anything approaching this?Star-gazing, book-grubbing Sir Adrian ... in love! Adrian thesolitary, the pessimist, the I-don't-know-what superior man, in love!Neither more nor less! In love, like an every-day inhabitant of theserealms, and with that black-eyed sister of mine that is to be! Myword, it's too perfect! Adrian my brother-in-law--for if I gauge thatfine creature properly--splendid old lady--she won't let him slideback this time. No, my dear Adrian, you are hooked for matrimony and areturn to the living world. That black-eyed jade too, that Mollysister of my Madeleine, will wake up and lead you a life, byGeorge!... Row on, my lads," once more looking at the diminishingblack spot upon the grey waters. "Row on--you have never done a betterday's work!"

  Rene, entering a few moments later, with an open note in his hand,found his master's friend still chuckling, and looked at himinquisitively.

  "His honour has returned to Pulwick," said he, in puzzled tones,handing the missive.

  "Ay, lad," answered the sailor, cheerily. "The fact is, my good Renny,that in that room of Sir Adrian's where you ensconced me for safetyfrom that most wonderful specimen of her sex (I refer to your master'sworthy aunt), it was impossible to avoid overhearing ma
ny of herremarks--magnificent voice for a storm at sea, eh? Never mind what itwas all about, my good man; what I heard was good news. Ah!"directing his attention to the note; "his honour does not say when hewill return, but will send back the gig immediately; and you, M.Potter, are to look after me for as long as I choose to stop here."

  Rene required no reflection to realise that anything in the shape ofgood news which took his master back to his estate must be good newsindeed; and his broad face promptly mirrored, in the broadest ofgrins, the captain's own satisfaction.

  "For sure, we will try to take care of M. the captain, as well as ifhis honour himself was present. He told me you were to be masterhere."

  "Make it so. I should like some dinner as soon as possible, and one ofmy bro----of Sir Adrian's best bottles. It's a poor heart that neverrejoices. Meanwhile, I want to inspect your ruins and your caves indetail, if you will pilot me, Renny. This is a handy sort of an oldRobinson Crusoe place for hiding and storing, is it not?"