CHAPTER XVIII. MR. MERL'S EXPERIENCES IN THE WEST
"What card is this?--who left it?" said Mary, as she took up one fromher breakfast-table.
"It is a gentleman that came to the inn late last night, miss, and senta boy over to ask when he could pay his respects at the castle."
"'Mr. Herman Merl,'--a name I never heard of," muttered Mary to herself."Doubtless some stranger wishing to see the house. Say, whenever hepleases, George; and order Sorrel to be ready, saddled and at the door,within an hour. This must be a busy day," said she, still speaking toherself, as the servant left the room. "At Oughterard before one; ameeting of the Loan Fund--I shall need some aid for my hospital; theGovernment order for the meal to be countersigned by a justice--Mr.Nelligan will do it. Then there 's Taite's little boy to be ballotedfor in the Orphan House; and Cassidy's son to be sent up to Dublin.Poor fellow, he has a terrible operation to go through. And I shallneed Priest Rafferty's name to this memorial from the widows; the castleauthorities seem to require it. After that, a visit to Kyle-a-Noe, tosee all my poor sick folk: that will be a long business. I hope I may beable to get down to the shore and learn some tidings of poor Joan. Shenever leaves my thoughts, and yet I feel that no ill has befallen her."
"The gentleman that sent the card, miss, is below stairs. He is with Mr.Crow, at the hall-door," said George.
"Show him into the drawing-room, George, and tell Mr. Crow to come here,I wish to speak to him." And before Mary had put away the papers andletters which littered the table, the artist entered.
"Good morning, Mr. Crow," said Mary, in return for a number of mostcourteous salutations, which he was performing in a small semicircle infront of her. "Who is your friend Mr.--'Mr. Herman Merl '?" read she,taking up the card.
"A friend of your cousin's, Miss Mary,--of the Captain's. He brought aletter from him; but he gave it to Scanlan, and somehow Mr. Maurice, Ibelieve, forgot to deliver it."
"I have no recollection of it," said she, still assorting the papersbefore her. "What is this visit meant for,--curiosity, pleasure,business? Does he wish to see the house?"
"I think it's Miss Martin herself he'd like to see," said Crow, halfslyly.
"But why so? It's quite clear that I cannot show him any attentions. Ayoung girl, living as I do here, cannot be expected to receive guests.Besides, I have other things to attend to. You must do the honors ofCro' Martin, Mr. Crow. You must entertain this gentleman for me. I 'llorder luncheon before I go out, and I 'm sure you 'll not refuse me thisservice."
"I wish I knew a real service to render you, Miss Mary," said he, withunfeigned devotedness in his look as he spoke.
"I think I could promise myself as much," said Mary, smiling kindly onhim. "Do you happen to know anything of this stranger, Mr. Crow?"
"Nothing, miss, beyond seeing him this week back at Kilkieran."
"Oh, I have heard of him, then," broke in Mary. "It is of him the peopletell me such stories of benevolence and goodness. It was he that sentthe yawl out to Murran Island with oatmeal and potatoes for the poor.But I thought they called him Mr. Barry?"
"To be sure they do; and he's another guess man from him below stairs.This one here"--Mr. Crow now spoke in a whisper--"this one here is aJew, I 'd take the Testament on it, and I 'd not be surprised if he wasone of them thieving villains that they say robbed the Captain! All thequestions he does be asking about the property, and the rents, if they're well paid, and what arrears there are, shows me that he isn't herefor nothing."
"I know nothing of what you allude to, Mr. Crow," said she, halfproudly; "it would ill become _me_ to pry into my cousin's affairs. Atthe same time, if the gentleman has no actual business with me, I shalldecline to receive him."
"He says he has, miss," replied Crow. "He says that he wants to speak toyou about a letter he got by yesterday's post from the Captain."
Mary heard this announcement with evident impatience; her head was,indeed, too full of other cares to wish to occupy her attention with aceremonial visit. She was in no mood to accept the unmeaning complimentsof a new acquaintance. Shall we dare to insinuate, what after all isa mere suspicion on our part, that a casual glance at her pale cheeks,sunken eyes, and careworn features had some share in the obstinacy ofher refusal? She was not, indeed, "in looks," and she knew it. "Must Irepeat it, Mr. Crow," said she, peevishly, "that you can do all this forme, and save me a world of trouble and inconvenience besides? If thereshould be--a very unlikely circumstance--anything confidential tocommunicate, this gentleman may write it." And with this she left theroom, leaving poor Mr. Crow in a state of considerable embarrassment.Resolving to make the best of his difficulty, he returned to thedrawing-room, and apologizing to Merl for Miss Martin's absence onmatters of great necessity, he conveyed her request that he would stopfor luncheon.
"She ain't afraid of me, I hope?" said Merl.
"I trust not. I rather suspect she is little subject to fear upon anyscore," replied Crow.
"Well, I must say it's not exactly what I expected. The letter I holdhere from the Captain gives me to understand that his cousin will notonly receive me, but confer with and counsel me, too, in a somewhatimportant affair."
"Oh, I forgot," broke in Crow; "you are to write to her, she said,--thatis, if there really were anything of consequence, which you deemedconfidential, you know,--you were to write to her."
"I never put my hand to paper, Mr. Crow, without well knowing why. WhenHerman Merl signs anything, he takes time to consider what's in it,"said the Jew, knowingly.
"Well, shall I show you the house,--there are some clever specimens ofthe Dutch masters here?" asked Crow, anxious to change the topic.
"Ay, with all my heart. I suppose I must accept this privilege as myexperience of the much-boasted Irish hospitality," said he with a sneer,which required all Crow's self-control to resist answering. To masterthe temptation, and give himself a few moments' repose, he went aboutopening windows and drawing back curtains, so as to admit a fuller andstronger light upon the pictures along the walls.
"There now," said he, pointing to a large landscape, "there's a Both,and a fine one too; as mellow in color and as soft in distance as everhe painted."
"That's a copy," said the other. "That picture was painted by Woeffel,and I 'll show you his initials, too, A. W., before we leave it."
"It came from the Dordrecht gallery, and is an undoubted Both!"exclaimed Crow, angrily.
"I saw it there myself, and in very suitable company, too, with aSnyders on one side and a Rubens on t' other, the Snyders being a Faltk,and the Rubens a Metziger; the whole three being positively dear attwenty pounds. Ay, here it is," continued he, pointing to the hollowtrunk of a decayed tree: "there's the initials. So much for youroriginal by Both."
"I hope you'll allow that to be a Mieris?" said Crow, passing on toanother.
"If you hadn't opened the shutters, perhaps I might," said Merl; "butwith a good dash of light I see it is by Jansens,--and a clever copy,too."
"A copy!" exclaimed the other.
"A good copy," I said. "The King of Bavaria has the original. It is in thesmall collection at Hohen Schwangau."
"There, that's good!" cried he, turning to a small unfinished sketch inoils.
"I often wondered who did it," cried Crow.
"That! Why, can you doubt, sir? That's a bit of Vandyke's own. It wasone of the hundred and fifty rough things he threw off as studies forhis great picture of St. Martin parting his cloak."
"I'm glad to hear you say so," said Crow, in delight. "I felt, when Ilooked at it, that it was a great hand threw in them colors."
"You call this a Salvator Rosa, don't you?" said Merl, as he stoodbefore a large piece representing a bandit's bivouac in a forest, with apale moonlight stealing through the trees.
"Yes, that we do," said Crow, stoutly.
"Of course, it's quite sufficient to have blended lights, ruggedforegrounds, and plenty of action to make a Salvator; but let me tellyou, sir, that it's not even a copy of him.
It is a bad--ay, and a verybad--Haemlens,--an Antwerp fellow that lived by poor facsimiles."
"Oh dear, oh dear!" cried Crow, despairingly. "Did I ever hear the likeof this!"
"Are these your best things, Mr. Crow?" said Merl, surveying the roomwith an air of consummate depreciation.
"There are others. There are some portraits and a number of smallcabinet pictures."
"Gerard Dows, and Jansens, and such like?" resumed Merl; "I understand:a mellow brown tint makes them, just as a glossy white satin petticoatmakes a Terburg. Mr. Crow, you 've caught a Tartar," said he, with agrin. "There's not a man in Europe can detect a copy from the originalsooner than him before you. Now seven out of every eight of these hereare veritable 'croutes,'--what we call 'croutes,' sir,--things sold atChristie's, and sent off to the Continent to be hung up in old chateauxin Flanders, or dilapidated villas in Italy, where your exploringEnglishman discovers them by rare good luck, and brings them home withhim as Cuyps or Claudes or Vandykes. I'll undertake," said he, lookingaround him,--"I'll undertake to furnish you with a gallery, in everyrespect the duplicate of this, for--let me see--say three hundredpounds. Now, Mr. Crow," said Merl, taking a chair, and spreading out hislegs before the fire, "will you candidly answer me one question?"
"Tell me what it is," said Crow, cautiously.
"I suppose by this time," said Merl, "you are tolerably well satisfiedthat Herman Merl is not very easily duped? I mean to say that at leastthere are _softer_ fellows to be found than the humble individual whoaddresses you."
"I trust there are, indeed," said the other, sighing, "or it would be amighty poor world for Simmy Crow and the likes of him."
"Well, I think so too," said Merl, chuckling to himself. "The wide-awakeones have rather the best of it. But, to come back to my question, Iwas simply going to ask you if the whole of the Martin estate--house,demesne, woods, gardens, quarries, farms, and fisheries--was not prettymuch of the same sort of thing as this here gallery?"
"How? What do you mean?" asked Crow, whose temper was barely, and withsome difficulty, restrainable.
"I mean, in plain words, a regular humbug,--that's all! and no more therepresentative of real value than these daubs here are the works of thegreat masters whose names they counterfeit."
"Look here, sir," said Crow, rising, and approaching the other with aface of angry indignation, "for aught I know, you may be right aboutthese pictures. The chances are you are a dealer in such wares,--atleast you talk like one,--but of the family that lived under this roof,and whose bread I have eaten for many a day, if you utter one word thateven borders on disrespect,--if you as much as hint at--"
What was to be the conclusion of Mr. Crow's menace we have no means ofrecording, for a servant, rushing in at the instant, summoned the artistwith all speed to Miss Martin's presence. He found her, as he entered,with flushed cheeks and eyes flashing angrily, in one of the deeprecesses of a window that looked out upon the lawn.
"Come here, sir," cried she, hurriedly,--"come here, and behold a sightsuch as you scarcely ever thought to look upon from these windows. Lookhere!" And she pointed to an assemblage of about a hundred people,many of whom were rudely armed with stakes, gathered around the chiefentrance of the castle. In the midst was a tall man, mounted upon awretched horse, who seemed from his gestures to be haranguing the mob,and whom Crow speedily recognized to be Magennis of Barnagheela.
"What does all this mean?" asked he, in astonishment.
"It means this, sir," said she, grasping his arm and speaking in a voicethick from passionate eagerness. "That these people whom you see therehave demanded the right to enter the house and search it from basementto roof. They are in quest of one that is missing; and although I havegiven my word of honor that none such is concealed here, they have daredto disbelieve me, and declare they will see for themselves. They mightknow me better," added she, with a bitter smile,--"they might know mebetter, and that I no more utter a falsehood than I yield to a menace.See!" exclaimed she, "they are passing through the flower-garden,--theyare approaching the lower windows. Take a horse, Mr. Crow, and ride forKiltimmon; there is a police-station there,--bring up the force withyou,--lose no time, I entreat you."
"But how--leave you here all alone?"
"Have no fears on that score, sir," said she, proudly; "they may insultthe roof that shelters me, to myself they will offer no outrage. But bequick; away at once, and with speed!"
Had Mr. Crow been, what it must be owned had been difficult, a worsehorseman than he was, he would never have hesitated to obey this behest.Ere many minutes, therefore, he was in the saddle and flying acrosscountry at a pace such as he never imagined any energy could haveexacted from him.
"They have got a ladder up to the windows of the large drawing-room,Miss Mary," said a servant; "they'll be in before many minutes."
Taking down two splendidly ornamented pistols from above thechimney-piece, Mary examined the priming, and ordering the servant away,she descended by a small private stair to the drawing-room beneath.Scarcely, however, had she crossed the threshold than she was met bya man eagerly hurrying away. Stepping back in astonishment, and with aface pale as death, he exclaimed, "Is it Miss Martin?"
"Yes, sir," replied she, firmly; "and your name?"
"Mr. Merl--Herman Merl," said he, with a stealthy glance towardsthe windows, on the outside of which two fellows were now seated,communicating with those below.
"This is not a moment for much ceremony, sir," said she, promptly; "butyou are here opportunely. These people will have it that I am harboringhere one that they are in pursuit of. I have assured them of theirerror, I have pledged my word of honor upon it, but they are notsatisfied. They declare that they will search the house, and _I_ asfirmly declare they-shall not."
"But the person is really not here?" broke in Merl.
"I have said so, sir," rejoined she, haughtily.
"Then why not let them search? Egad, I'd say, look away to your heart'scontent, pry into every hole and corner you please, only don't do anymischief to the furniture--don't let any--"
"I was about to ask your assistance, sir, but your counsel saves me fromthe false step. To one who proffers such wise advice, arguments likethese"--and she pointed to the pistols--"arguments like these would bemost distasteful; and yet let us see if others may not be of your mindtoo." And steadily aiming her weapon for a second or two, she senta ball through the window, about a foot above the head of one of thefellows without. Scarcely had the report rung out and the splinteringglass fallen, than the two men leaped to the ground, while a wild cheer,half derision, half anger, burst from the mob beneath. "Now, sir,"continued she, with a smile of a very peculiar meaning, as she turnedtowards Merl,--"now, sir, you will perceive that you have got into veryindiscreet company, such as I 'm sure Captain Martin's letter neverprepared you for; and although it is not exactly in accordance with theusual notions of Irish hospitality to point to the door, perhaps youwill be grateful to me when I say that you can escape by that corridor.It leads to a stair which will conduct you to the stable-yard. I'llorder a saddle-horse for you. I suppose you ride?" And really the glancewhich accompanied these words was not a flattery.
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However the proposition might have met Mr.' Merl's wishes there is nomeans of knowing, for a tremendous crash now interrupted the colloquy,and the same instant the door of the drawing-room was burst open, andMagennis, followed by a number of country people, entered.
"I told you," cried he, rudely, "that I'd not be denied. It's your ownfault if you would drive me to enter here by force."
"Well, sir, force has done it," said she, taking a seat as she spoke. "Iam here alone, and you may be proud of the achievement!" The glance shedirected towards Merl made that gentleman shrink back, and eventuallyslide noiselessly from the room, and escape from the scene altogether.
"If you'll send any one with me through the house, Miss Martin," beganMagennis, in a tone of much subdued meaning--"No, sir," broke shein--"no, sir, I'll give n
o such order. You have already had my solemnword of honor, assuring you that there was not any one concealedhere. The same incredulous disrespect you have shown to my word wouldaccompany whatever direction I gave to my servants. Go wherever youplease; for the time you are the master here. Mark me, sir," said she,as, half crestfallen and in evident shame, he was about to move fromthe room--"mark me, sir, if I feel sorry that one who calls himselfa gentleman should dishonor his station by discrediting the word, theplighted word, of a lady, yet I can forgive much to him whose feelingsare under the impulse of passion. But how shall I speak my contemptfor _you_,"--and she turned a withering look of scorn on the men whofollowed him,--"for you, who have dared to come here to insult me,--I,that if you had the least spark of honest manhood in your natures, youhad died rather than have offended? Is this your requital for the part Ihave borne amongst you? Is it thus that you repay the devotion by whichI have squandered all that I possessed, and would have given my life,too, for you and yours? Is it thus, think you, that your mothers andwives and sisters would requite me? Or will they welcome you back fromyour day's work, and say, Bravely done? You have insulted a lone girl inher home, outraged the roof whence she never issued save to serve you,and taught her to believe that the taunts your enemies cast upon you,and which she once took as personal affronts to herself, that they arejust and true, and as less than you merited. Go back, men," added she,in a voice trembling with emotion,--"go back, while it is time. Go backin shame, and let me never know who has dared to offer me this insult!"And she hid her face between her hands, and bent down her head upon herlap. For several minutes she remained thus, overwhelmed and absorbed byintensely painful emotion, and when she lifted up her head, and lookedaround, they were gone! A solemn silence reigned on every side; not aword, nor a footfall, could be heard. She rushed to the window just intime to see a number of men slowly entering the wood, amidst whom sherecognized Magennis, leading his horse by the bridle, and following theothers, with bent-down head and sorrowful mien.
"Oh, thank Heaven for this!" cried she, passionately, as the tearsgushed out and coursed down her face. "Thank Heaven that they are not asothers call them--cold-hearted and treacherous, craven in their hour oftrial, and cruel in the day of their vengeance! I knew them better!"It was long before she could sufficiently subdue her emotion to thinkcalmly of what had occurred. At last she bethought her of Mr. Merl, anddespatched a servant in his pursuit, with a polite request that he wouldreturn. The man came up with Merl as he had reached the small gateof the park, but no persuasions, no entreaties, could prevail on thatgentleman to retrace his steps; nay, he was frank enough to say, "Hehad seen quite enough of the West," and to invoke something very unlikebenediction on his head if he ever passed another day in Galway.