"Thankyou,"saidTrefusisdrily;"butwhyshouldwetroubleyouwhenwehaveapathofourowntousefiftytimesadayifwechoose,withoutanymanbarringourwayuntilourconducthappenstopleasehim？Besides,yournextheirwouldprobablyshutthepathupthemomenthecameintopossession。"
"Offeringthemapathisjustwhatmakesthemimpudent,"saidLadyBrandontoherhusband。"Whydidyoupromisethemanything？
Theywouldnotthinkitahardshiptowalkamileandahalf,ortwentymiles,toapublic—house,butwhentheygototheirworktheythinkitdreadfultohavetowalkayard。Perhapstheywouldlikeustolendthemthewagonettetodrivein？"
"Ihavenodoubttheywould,"saidTrefusis,beamingather。
"Prayleavemetomanagehere,Jane;thisisnoplaceforyou。
BringErskinetothehouse。Hemustbe——"
"Whydon'tthepolicemakethemgoaway？"saidLadyBrandon,tooexcitedtolistentoherhusband。
"Hush,Jane,pray。Whatcanthreemendoagainstthirtyorforty？"
"Theyoughttotakeupsomebodyasanexampletotherest。"
"Theyhaveoffered,inthehandsomestmanner,toarrestmeifSirCharleswillgivemeincharge,"saidTrefusis。
"There！"saidLadyJane,turningtoherhusband。"Whydon'tyougivehim——orsomeone——incharge？"
"Youknownothingaboutit,"saidSirCharles,vexedbyasensethatshewaspubliclymakinghimridiculous。
"Ifyoudon't,Iwill,"shepersisted。"Theideaofhavingourgroundbrokenintoandournewwallknockeddown！Anicestateofthingsitwouldbeifpeoplewereallowedtodoastheylikedwithotherpeoples'property。Iwillgiveeveryoneofthemincharge。"
"Wouldyouconsignmetoadungeon？"saidTrefusis,inmelancholytones。
"Idon'tmeanyouexactly,"shesaid,relenting。"ButIwillgivethatclergymanintocharge,becauseheoughttoknowbetter。Heistheringleaderofthewholething。"
"Hewillbedelighted,LadyBrandon;hepinesformartyrdom。Butwillyoureallygivehimintocustody？"
"Iwill,"shesaidvehemently,emphasizingtheassurancebyaplungeinthesaddlethatmadethebaystagger。
"Onwhatcharge？"hesaid,pattingthehorseandlookingupather。
"Idon'tcarewhatcharge,"shereplied,consciousthatshewasbeingadmired,andnotdispleased。"Letthemtakehimup,that'sall。"
Humanbeingsonhorsebackaresofarcentaursthatlibertiestakenwiththeirhorsesarealmostaspersonalaslibertiestakenwiththemselves。WhenSirCharlessawTrefusispattingthebayhefeltasmuchoutragedasifLadyBrandonherselfwerebeingpatted,andhefeltbitterlytowardsherforpermittingthefamiliarity。Heuasrelievedbythearrivaloftheprocession。Ithaltedasthe1eaderecameuptoTrefusis,whosaidgravely:
"Gentlemen,Icongratulateyouonthefirmnesswithwhichyouhavethisdayassertedtherightsofthepeopleofthisplacetotheuseofoneofthefewscrapsofmotherearthofwhichtheyhavenotbeendespoiled。"
"Gentlemen,"shoutedanexcitedmemberoftheprocession,"threecheersfortheresumptionofthelandofEnglandbythepeopleofEngland！Hip,hip,hurrah！"
Thecheersweregivenwithmuchspirit,SirCharles'scheeksbecomingredderateachrepetition。Helookedangrilyattheclergyman,nowdistractedbythecharmsofLadyBrandon,whosescorn,asshesurveyedthecrowd,expresseditselfbyapoutwhichbecameherprettylipsextremely。
Thenamiddle—agedlaborersteppedfromtheroadintothefield,hatinhand,duckedrespectfully,andsaid:"Look'ehere,SirCharles。Don't'emindthemfellers。Thereain'tamanbelongingtothisneighborhoodamong'em;notoneinyouremployoronyourland。Ourdootytoyouandyourladyship,andwewilltrusttoyoutodowhatisfairbyus。WewantnointerlopersfromLunnontogetusintotroublewithyourhonor,and——"
"Youunmitigatedcur,"exclaimedTrefusisfiercely,"whatrighthaveyoutogiveawaytohisunbornchildrenthelibertyofyourown？"
"They'renotunborn,"saidLadyBrandonindignantly。"Thatjustshowshowlittleyouknowaboutit。"
"No,normineeither,"saidtheman,emboldenedbyherladyship'ssupport。"Andwhoareyouthatcallmeacur？"
"WhoamI！Iamarichman——oneofyourmasters,andprivilegedtocallyouwhatIplease。Youareagrovellingfamine—brokenslave。Nowgoandseekredressagainstmefromthelaw。IcanbuylawenoughtoruinyouforlessmoneythanitwouldcostmetoshootdeerinScotlandorverminhere。Howdoyoulikethatstateofthings？Eh？"
Themanwastakenaback。"SirCharleswillstandbyme,"hesaid,afterapause,withassumedconfidence,butwithananxiousglanceatthebaronet。
"Ifhedoes,afterwitnessingthereturnyouhavemademeforstandingbyyou,heisagreaterfoolthanItakehimtobe。"
"Gently,gently,"saidtheclergyman。"Thereismuchexcusetobemadeforthepoorfellow。"
"Asgentlyasyoupleasewithanymanthatisafreemanatheart,"saidTrefusis;"butslavesmustbedriven,andthisfellowisaslavetothemarrow。"
"Still,wemustbepatient。Hedoesnotknow——"
"Heknowsagreatdealbetterthanyoudo,"saidLadyBrandon,interrupting。"Andthemoreshameforyou,becauseyououghttoknowbest。Isupposeyouwereeducatedsomewhere。Youwillnotbesatisfiedwithyourselfwhenyourbishophearsofthis。Yes,"sheadded,turningtoTrefusiswithaninfantileairofwantingtocryandbeingforcedtolaughagainstherwill,"youmaylaughasmuchasyouplease——don'ttroubletopretendit'sonlycoughing——butwewillwritetohisbishop,asheshallfindtohiscost。"
"Holdyourtongue,Jane,forGod'ssake,"saidSirCharles,takingherhorsebythebridleandbackinghimfromTrefusis。
"Iwillnot。Ifyouchoosetostandhereandallowthemtowalkawaywiththewallsintheirpockets,Idon't,andwon't。Whycannotyoumakethepolicedosomething？"
"Theycandonothing,"saidSirCharles,almostbesidehimselfwithhumiliation。"IcannotdoanythinguntilIseemysolicitor。
Howcanyoubeartostayherewranglingwiththesefellows？ItisSOundignified！"
"It'sallverywelltotalkofdignity,butIdon'tseethedignityoflettingpeopletrampleonourgroundswithoutleave。
Mr。Smilash,willyoumakethemallgoaway,andtellthemthattheyshallallbeprosecutedandputinprison？"
"Theyaregoingtothecrossroads,toholdapublicmeetingand——ofcourse——makespeeches。Iamdesiredtosaythattheydeeplyregretthattheirdemonstrationshouldhavedisturbedyoupersonally,LadyBrandon。"
"Sotheyought,"shereplied。"Theydon'tlookverysorry。Theyaregettingfrightenedatwhattheyhavedone,andtheywouldbegladtoescapetheconsequencesbyapologizing,mostlikely。Buttheyshan't。Iamnotsuchafoolastheythink。"
"Theydon'tthinkso。Youhaveprovedthecontrary。"
"Jane,"saidSirCharlespettishly,"doyouknowthisgentleman？"
"IshouldthinkIdo,"saidLadyBrandonemphatically。
Trefusisbowedasifhehadjustbeenformallyintroducedtothebaronet,who,againsthiswill,returnedthesalutationstiffly,unabletoignoreanolder,firmer,andquickermanunderthecircumstances。
"Thisseemsanunneighborlybusiness,SirCharles,"saidTrefusis,quiteathisease;"butasitisapublicquestion,itneednotprejudiceourprivaterelations。AtleastIhopenot。"
SirCharlesbowedagain,morestifflythanbefore。
"Iam,likeyou,acapitalistandlandlord。"
"Whichitseemstomeyouhavenorighttobe,ifyouareinearnest,"struckinChester,whohadbeenwatchingthesceneinsilencebySirCharles'sside。
"Which,asyousay,Ihaveundoubtedlynorighttobe,"saidTrefusis,surveyinghimwithinterest;"butwhichIneverthelesscannothelpbeing。HaveIthepleasureofspeakingtoMr。
ChichesterErskine,authorofatragedyentitled'ThePatriotMartyrs,'dedicatedwithenthusiasticdevotiontotheSpiritofLibertyandhalfadozenfamousupholdersofthatprinciple,anddenouncinginforciblelanguagethetyrannyofthelateTsarofRussia,BombaofNaples,andNapoleontheThird？"
"Yes,sir,"saidErskine,reddening;forhefeltthatthisdescriptionmightmakehisdramaseemridiculoustothosepresentwhohadnotreadit。
"Then,"saidTrefusis,extendinghishand——Erskineatfirstthoughtforaheartyshake——"givemehalf—a—crowntowardsthecostofourexpeditionhereto—daytoasserttherightofthepeopletotreadthesoilwearestandingupon。"
"Youshalldonothingofthesort,Chester,"criedLadyBrandon。
"Ineverheardofsuchathinginmylife！Doyoupayusforthewallandfenceyourpeoplehavebroken,Mr。Smilash;thatwouldbemoretothepurpose。"
"IfIcouldfindathousandmenaspracticalasyou,LadyBrandon,Imightaccomplishthenextgreatrevolutionbeforetheendofthisseason。"Helookedatherforamomentcuriously,asiftryingtoremember;andthenaddedinconsequently:"Howareyourfriends？TherewasaMiss——Miss——IamafraidIhaveforgottenallthenamesexceptyourown。"
"GertrudeLindsayisstayingwithus。Doyourememberher？"
"Ithink——no,IamafraidIdonot。Letmesee。Wassheahaughtyyounglady？"
"Yes,"saidLadyBrandoneagerly,forgettingthewallandfence。
"ButwhodoyouthinkiscomingnextThursday？ImetheraccidentallythelasttimeIwasintown。She'snotabitchanged。Youcan'tforgether,sodon'tpretendtobepuzzled。"
"Youhavenottoldmewhosheisyet。AndIshallprobablynotrememberher。Youmustnotexpectmetorecognizeeveryoneinstantaneously,asIrecognizedyou。"
"Whatstuff！YouwillknowAgathafastenough。"
"AgathaWylie！"hesaid,withsuddengravity。
"Yes。SheiscomingonThursday。Areyouglad？"
"IfearIshallhavenoopportunityofseeingher。"
"Oh,ofcourseyoumustseeher。Itwillbesojollyforusalltomeetagainjustasweused。Whycan'tyoucometoluncheononThursday？"
"Ishallbedelighted,ifyouwillreallyallowmetocomeaftermyconducthere。"
"Thelawyerswillsettlethat。Nowthatyouhavefoundoutwhoweareyouwillstoppullingdownourwalls,ofcourse。"
"Ofcourse,"saidTrefusis,smiling,ashetookoutapocketdiaryandenteredtheengagement。"Imusthurryawaytothecrossroads。Theyhaveprobablyvotedmeintothechairbythistime,andarewaitingformetoopentheirmeeting。Good—bye。Youhavemadethisplace,whichIwasgrowingtiredof,unexpectedlyinterestingtome。"
Theyexchangedglancesoftheoldcollegepattern。ThenhenoddedtoSirCharles,wavedhishandfamiliarlytoErskine,andfollowedtheprocession,whichwasbythistimeoutofsight。
SirCharles,who,waitingtospeak,hadbeenrepeatedlybaffledbythehastyspeechesofhiswifeandtheunhesitatingrepliesofTrefusis,nowturnedangrilyuponher,saying:
"Whatdoyoumeanbyinvitingthatfellowtomyhouse？"
"Yourhouse,indeed！IwillinvitewhomIplease。Youaregettingintooneofyourtempers。"
SirCharleslookedabouthim。Erskinehaddiscreetlyslippedaway,andwasintheroad,tighteningascrewinhisbicycle。Thefewpersonswhoremainedwereoutofearshot。
"Whoandwhatthedevilishe,andhowdoyoucometoknowhim？"
hedemanded。Heneversworeinthepresenceofanyladyexcepthiswife,andthenonlywhentheywerealone。
"Heisagentleman,whichismorethanyouare,"sheretorted,and,withacutofherwhipthatnarrowlymissedherhusband'sshoulder,sentthebayplungingthroughthegap。
"Comealong,"shesaidtoErskine。"Weshallbelateforluncheon。"
"HadwenotbetterwaitforSirCharles？"heaskedinjudiciously。
"NevermindSirCharles,heisinthesulks,"shesaid,withoutabatinghervoice。"Comealong。"Andshewentoffatacanter,Erskinefollowingherwithamisgivingthathisvisitwasunfortunatelytimed。unworthyofyourself,andthatanetisclosingroundyou？"
"No。Nothingofthesort！"
"Thenwhyareyousoanxioustogetaway？"
"Idon'tknow,"saidAgatha,affectingtolaughashelookedscepticallyatherfrombeneathhisloweredeyelids。"PerhapsI
dofeelalittlelikethat;butnotsomuchasyousay。"
"Iwillexplaintheemotiontoyou,"hesaid,withasubduedardorthataffectedAgathastrangely。"Butfirsttellmewhetheritisnewtoyouornot。"
"Itisnotanemotionatall。Ididnotsaythatitwas。"
"Donotbeafraidofit。Itisonlybeingalonewithamanwhomyouhavebewitched。Youwouldbemistressofthesituationifyouonlyknewhowtomanagealover。Itisfareasierthanmanagingahorse,orskating,orplayingthepiano,orhalfadozenotherfeatsofwhichyouthinknothing。"
Agathacoloredandraisedherhead。
"Forgiveme,"hesaid,interruptingtheaction。"Iamtryingtooffendyouinordertosavemyselffromfallinginlovewithyou,andIhavenotthehearttoletmyselfsucceed。Onyourlife,donotlistentomeorbelieveme。Ihavenorighttosaythesethingstoyou。SomefiendentersintomewhenIamatyourside。
Youshouldwearaveil,Agatha。"
Sheblushed,andstoodburningandtingling,herpresenceofmindgone,andherchiefsensationoneofrelieftohear——forshedidnotdaretosee——thathewasdeparting。Herconsciousnesswasinadeliciousconfusion,withtheonedefinitethoughtinitthatshehadwonherloveratlast。ThetoneofTrefusis'svoice,richwithtruthandearnestness,hisquickinsight,andhispassionatewarningtohernottoheedhim,convincedherthatshehadenteredintoarelationdestinedtoinfluenceherwholelife。
"Andyet,"shesaidremorsefully,"Icannotlovehimashelovesme。Iamselfish,cold,calculating,worldly,andhavedoubteduntilnowwhethersuchathingaslovereallyexisted。IfIcouldonlylovehimrecklesslyandwholly,ashelovesme！"
Smilashwasalsosoliloquizingashewentonhisway。
"NowIhavemadethepoorchild——whowassoanxiousthatIshouldnotmistakeherforasupernaturallygiftedandlovelywoman——ashappyasanangel;andsoisthatfinegirlwhomtheycallJaneCarpenter。Ihopetheywon'texchangeconfidencesonthesubject。"
CHAPTERXII
OnthefollowingThursdayGertrude,Agatha,andJanemetforthefirsttimesincetheyhadpartedatAltonCollege。Agathawastheshyestofthethree,andexternallytheleastchanged。ShefanciedherselfverydifferentfromtheAgathaofAlton;butitwasheropinionofherselfthathadaltered,notherperson。
Expectingtofindacorrespondingalterationinherfriends,shehadlookedforwardtothemeetingwithmuchdoubtandlittlehopeofitsprovingpleasant。
ShewasmoreanxiousaboutGertrudethanaboutJane,concerningwhom,atabriefinterviewinLondon,shehadalreadydiscoveredthatLadyBrandon'smanner,mind,andspeechwerejustwhatMissCarpenter'shadbeen。But,evenfromAgatha,Janecommandedmorerespectthanbefore,havingchangedfromanovergrowngirlintoafinewoman,andmadeabrilliantmatchinherfirstseason,whilstmanyofherpretty,proud,andclevercontemporaries,whomshehadenviedatschool,werestillunmarried,andwerehavingtheirhomesmadeuncomfortablebyparentsanxioustogetridoftheburthenofsupportingthem,andtoprofitinpurseorpositionbytheirmarriages。
ThiswasGertrude'scase。LikeAgatha,shehadthrownawayhermatrimonialopportunities。Proudofherrankandexclusiveness,shehadresolvedtohaveaslittleaspossibletodowithpersonswhodidnotsharebothwithher。Shebeganbyrepulsingtheprofferedacquaintanceofmanyfamiliesofgreatwealthandfashion,whoeitherdidnotknowtheirgrandparentsorwereashamedofthem。Havingshutherselfoutoftheircircle,shewaspresentedatcourt,andthenceforthacceptedtheinvitationsofthoseonlywhohad,inheropinion,arighttothesamehonor。
AndshewasfarstricteronthatpointthantheLordChamberlain,whohad,sheheld,betrayedhistrustbypracticallyturningLeveller。Shewaswelleducated,refinedinhermannersandhabits,skilledinetiquettetoanextentirritatingtotheignorant,andgiftedwithadelicatecomplexion,pearlyteeth,andafacethatwouldhavebeenGrecianbutforaslightupwardtiltofthenoseandtracesofasquare,heavytypeinthejaw。
Herfatherwasaretiredadmiral,withsufficientinfluencetohavehadasinecuremadebyaConservativegovernmentexpresslyforthemaintenanceofhissonpendingalliancewithsomeheiress。YetGertruderemainedsingle,andtheadmiral,whohadformerlyspentmoremoneythanhecouldcomfortablyaffordonhereducation,andwasstilldoingsouponherstateandpersonaladornment,wascomplainingsounpleasantlyofherfailuretogettakenoffhishands,thatshecouldhardlybeartoliveathome,andwasreadytomarryanythoroughbredgentleman,howeverunsuitablehisageorcharacter,whowouldrelieveherfromherhumiliatingdependence。Shewaspreparedtosacrificehernaturaldesireforyouth,beauty,andvirtueinahusbandifshecouldescapefromherparentsonnoeasierterms,butshewasresolvedtodieanoldmaidsoonerthanmarryanupstart。
Thedifficultyinherwaywaspecuniary。Theadmiralwaspoor。Hehadnotquitesixthousandayear,andthoughhepracticedtheutmosteconomyinordertokeepupthemostexpensivehabits,hecouldnotaffordtogivehisdaughteradowry。Nowthewellbornbachelorsofherset,havingmorebluebood,butmuchlesswealth,thantheyneeded,admiredher,paidhercompliments,dancedwithher,butcouldnotaffordtomarryher。Someofthemeventoldherso,marriedrichdaughtersofteamerchants,ironfounders,orsuccessfulstocktrokers,andthentriedtomakematchesbetweenherandtheirlowlybornbrothers—in—law。
So,whenGertrudemetLadyBrandon,herlotwassecretlywretched,andshewasgladtoacceptaninvitationtoBrandonBeechesinordertoescapeforawhilefromtheadmiral'sdailysarcasmsonthemarriagelistinthe"Times。"TheinvitationwasthemoreacceptablebecauseSirCharleswasnomushroomnoble,and,intheschooldayswhichGertrudenowrememberedasthehappiestofherlife,shehadacknowledgedthatJane'sfamilyandconnectionsweremorearistocraticthanthoseofanyotherstudentthenatAlton,herselfexcepted。ToAgatha,whosegrandfatherhadamassedwealthasaproprietorofgasworks（noveltiesinhistime）,shehadneverofferedherintimacy。
Agathahadtakenitbyforce,partlymoral,partlyphysical。Butthegasworkswereneverforgotten,andwhenLadyBrandonmentioned,asapieceofdelightfulnews,thatshehadfoundouttheiroldschoolcompanion,andhadaskedhertojointhem,Gertrudewasnotquitepleased。Yet,whentheymet,hereyesweretheonlywetonesthere,forshewastheleasthappyofthethree,and,thoughshedidnotknowit,herspiritwassomewhatbroken。Agatha,shethought,hadlostthebloomofgirlhood,butwasbolder,stronger,andclevererthanbefore。Agathahad,infact,summonedallherself—possessiontohidehershyness。ShedetectedtheemotionofGertrude,whoatthelastmomentdidnottrytoconcealit。Itwouldhavebeenpouredoutfreelyinwords,hadGertrude'ssocialtrainingtaughthertoexpressherfeelingsaswellasithadaccustomedhertodissemblethem。
"DoyourememberMissWilson？"saidJane,asthethreedrovefromtherailwaystationtoBrandonBeeches。"DoyourememberMrs。
Millerandhercat？DoyouremembertheRecordingAngel？DoyourememberhowIfellintothecanal？"
ThesereminiscenceslasteduntiltheyreachedthehouseandwenttogethertoAgatha'sroom。HereJane,havingsomeorderstogiveinthehousehold,hadtoleavethem——reluctantly;forshewasjealouslestGertrudeshouldgetthestartofherintherenewalofAgatha'saffection。Sheeventriedtotakeherrivalawaywithher;butinvain。Gertrudewouldnotbudge。
"Whatabeautifulhouseandsplendidplace！"saidAgathawhenJanewasgone。"AndwhatanicefellowSirCharlesis！WeusedtolaughatJane,butshecanaffordtolaughattheluckiestofusnow。Ialwayssaidshewouldblunderintothebestofeverything。
Isittruethatshemarriedinherfirstseason？"
"Yes。AndSirCharlesisamanofgreatculture。Icannotunderstandit。Hersizeisreallybeyondeverything,andhermannersarebad。"
"Hm！"saidAgathawithawiseair。"TherewasalwayssomethingaboutJanethatattractedmen。Andsheismoreknavethanfool。
Butsheiscertainlyagreatass。"
Gertrudelookedserious,toimplythatshehadgrownoutofthehabitofusingorlisteningtosuchlanguage。Agatha,stimulatedbythis,continued:
"HereareyouandI,whoconsiderourselvestwiceaspresentableandconversableasshe,twooldmaids。"Gertrudewinced,andAgathahastenedtoadd:"Why,asforyou,youareperfectlylovely！Andshehasaskedusdownexpresslytomarryus。"
"Shewouldnotpresume——"
"Nonsense,mydearGertrude。Shethinksthatweareacoupleoffoolswhohavemismanagedourownbusiness,andthatshe,havingmanagedsowellforherself,cansettleusinajiffy。Come,didshenotsaytoyou,beforeIcame,thatitwastimeformetobegettingmarried？"
"Well,shedid。But——"
"Shesaidexactlythesamethingtomeaboutyonwhensheinvitedme。"
"Iwouldleaveherhousethismoment,"saidGertrude,"ifI
thoughtshedaredmeddleinmyaffairs。WhatisittoherwhetherIammarriedornot？"
"Wherehaveyoubeenlivingalltheseyears,ifyoudonotknowthattheveryfirstthingawomanwantstodowhenshehasmadeagoodmatchistomakeonesforallherspinsterfriends。Janedoesnotmeananyharm。Shedoesitoutofpurebenevolence。"
"IdonotneedJane'sbenevolence。"
"NeitherdoI;butitdoesn'tdoanyharm,andsheiswelcometoamuseherselfbytrottingouthermaleacquaintancesformyapproval。Hush！Hereshecomes。"
Gertrudesubsided。ShecouldnotquarrelwithLadyBrandonwithoutleavingthehouse,andshecouldnotleavethehousewithoutreturningtoherhome。ButsheprivatelyresolvedtodiscouragetheattentionsofErskine,suspectingthatinsteadofbeinginlovewithherashepretended,hehadmerelybeenrecommendedbyJanetomarryher。
ChichesterErskinehadmadesketchesinPalestinewithSirCharles,andhadtrampedwithhimthroughmanyEuropeanpicturegalleries。Hewasayoungmanofgentlebirth,andhadinheritedfifteenhundredayearfromhismother,thebulkofthefamilypropertybeinghiselderbrother's。Havingnoprofession,andbeingfondofbooksandpictures,hehaddevotedhimselftofineart,apursuitwhichofferedhimonthecheapesttermsahighopinionofthebeautyandcapacityofhisownnature。Hehadpublishedatragedyentitled,"ThePatriotMartyrs,"withanetchedfrontispiecebySirCharles,andaneditionofithadbeenspeedilydisposedofinpresentationstothefriendsoftheartistandpoet,andtothereviewsandnewspapers。SirCharleshadaskedaneminenttragedianofhisacquaintancetoplacetheworkonthestageandtoenactoneofthepatriotmartyrs。Butthetragedianhadobjectedthattheotherpatriotmartyrshadpartsofequalimportancetothatproposedforhim。Erskinehadindignantlyrefusedtocutthesepartsdownorout,andsotheprojecthadfallenthrough。
SincethenErskinehadbeenbentonwritinganotherdrama,withoutregardtotheexigenciesofthestage,buthehadnotyetbegunit,inconsequenceofhisinspirationcominguponhimatinconvenienthours,chieflylateatnight,whenhehadbeendrinking,andhadleisureforsonnetsonly。Themorningairandbicycleridingwerefataltotheveininwhichpoetrystruckhimasbeingworthwriting。Inspiteofthebicycle,however,thedrama,whichwastobeentitled"Hypatia,"wasnowinafairwaytobewritten,forthepoethadmetandfalleninlovewithGertrudeLindsay,whosealmostGrecianfeatures,andsomeknowledgeofthedifferentcalculuawhichshehadacquiredatAlton,helpedhimtobelievethatshewasafitmodelforhisheroine。
WhentheladiescamedownstairstheyfoundtheirhostandErskineinthepicturegallery,famousintheneighborhoodforthesumithadcostSirCharles。Therewasanewetchingtobeadmired,andtheywerecalledontoobservewhatthebaronetcalleditstones,andwhatAgathawouldhavecalleditsdegreesofsmudginess。SirCharles'sattentionoftenwanderedfromthisworkofart。Helookedathiswatchtwice,andsaidtohiswife:
"Ihaveorderedthemtobepunctualwiththeluncheon。"
"Oh,yes;it'sallright,"saidLadyBrandon,whohadgivenordersthatluncheonwasnottobeserveduntilthearrivalofanothergentleman。"ShowAgathathepictureofthemaninthe——"
"Mr。Trefusis,"saidaservant。
Mr。Trefusis,stillinsnuffcolor,entered;coatunbuttonedandattentionunconstrained;exasperatinglyunconsciousofanyoccasionforceremony。
"Hereyouareatlast,"saidLadyBrandon。"Youknoweverybody,don'tyou？"
"Howdoyoudo？"saidSirCharles,offeringhishandasasevereexpressionofhisdutytohiswife'sguest,whotookitcordially,noddedtoErskine,lookedwithoutrecognitionatGertrude,whosefrostystillnessrepudiatedLadyBrandon'simplicationthatthestrangerwasacquaintedwithher,andturnedtoAgatha,towhomhebowed。Shemadenosign;shewasparalyzed。
LadyBrandonreddenedwithanger。SirCharlesnotedhisguest'sreceptionwithsecretsatisfaction,butsharedtheembarrassmentwhichoppressedallpresentexceptTrefusis,whoseemedquiteindifferentandassured,andunconsciouslyproducedanimpressionthattheothershadnotbeenequaltotheoccasion,asindeedtheyhadnot。
"Wewerelookingatsomeetchingswhenyoucamein,"saidSirCharles,hasteningtobreakthesilence。"Doyoucareforsuchthings？"Andhehandedhimaproof。
Trefusislookedatitasifhehadneverseensuchathingbeforeanddidnotquiteknowwhattomakeofit。"Allthesescratchesseemtometohavenomeaning,"hesaiddubiously。
SirCharlesstoleacontemptuoussmileandsignificantglanceatErskine。He,seizedalreadywithaninstinctiveantipathytoTrefusis,saidemphatically:
"Thereisnotoneofthosescratchesthathasnotameaning。"
"Thatone,forinstance,likethelimbofadaddy—long—legs。Whatdoesthatmean？"
Erskinehesitatedamoment;recoveredhimself;andsaid:
"Obviouslyenough——tomeatleast——itindicatesthemarkingoftheroadway。"
"Notabitofit,"saidTrefusis。"Thereneverwassuchamarkasthatonaroad。Itmaybeaverybadattemptatabriar,butbriarsdon'tstraggleintothemiddleofroadsfrequentedasthatoneseemstobe——judgingbythoseoverdoneruts。"Heputtheetchingaway,showingnodispositiontolookfurtherintotheportfolio,andremarked,"Theonlyartthatinterestsmeisphotography。"
ErskineandSirCharlesagainexchangedglances,andtheformersaid:
"PhotographyisnotanartinthesenseinwhichIunderstandtheterm。Itisaprocess。"
"Andamuchlesstroublesomeandmoreperfectprocessthanthat,"
saidTrefusis,pointingtotheetching。"Theartistsarestickingtotheoldbarbarous,difficult,andimperfectprocessesofetchingandportraitpaintingmerelytokeepupthevalueoftheirmonopolyoftherequiredskill。Theyhaveleftthenew,morecomplexlyorganized,andmoreperfect,yetsimpleandbeautifulmethodofphotographyinthehandsoftradesmen,sneeringatitpubliclyandresortingtoitsaidsurreptitiously。