there is no knowing how long sir gilbert clare might have kept on expecting the arrival of his daughter-in-law had it not been for a visit which mrs. tew paid him in the course of the day following luigi's departure from the chase.
late in the afternoon of the previous day mrs. clare's maid had arrived at maylings in a cab, bringing with her a note from her mistress, in which the canon's widow was informed that although the writer had returned from italy it was not her present intention to again take up her abode in the house which sir gilbert clare had so generously placed at her disposal. would mrs. tew, therefore, be at the trouble to hand over to her maid whatever personal belongings she had left behind when she went abroad--a request with which that lady had at once complied. in answer to her questions the maid could tell her nothing, except that the fly in which she and her mistress were being conveyed from the railway station had been met and stopped by mr. lewis clare; that mrs. clare had thereupon alighted and had accompanied him into the crown and cushion hotel (at a window of which she, lucille, had caught a glimpse of captain verinder), and that she was still there, awaiting lucille's return from maylings.
from all this it was clear to sir gilbert that he need no longer expect the coming of his daughter-in-law. she had been intercepted by rispani and verinder, had been told of what had come to light during her absence, and, like her nephew, had preferred an ignominious flight to facing the man she had so bitterly wronged. evidently she had no plea to urge in extenuation of what she had done. there was nothing for it but to accept her guilt as proved, and to try to forget that any such person had ever intruded her presence upon him.
as we have seen, lady pell had long ago penetrated everard lisle's love secret, and of late certain signs which, to any eyes less experienced than hers, would have passed unnoted, seemed to indicate that the time had come when he need no longer delay his confession, but might with some measure of confidence ask for that which she felt nearly sure would not be denied him. many were the opportunities she contrived for throwing the young people together, but day after day went by and the all-important question still remained unasked. at length she began to lose patience with lisle. "who would have dreamt that so much timidity lay at the back of that confident bearing and resolute face? oh, to be a man and afraid of a girl's no! your laggard courage evidently needs whipping up, my good sir, and mine shall be the hand to do it!"
on the saturday she said to sir gilbert: "i have several times promised myself a visit to the ruins of dunarvon castle, but something has always intervened. now, however, i will put it off no longer, or the last of the fine weather will be gone. you placed the wagonette at my disposal whenever i might choose to avail myself of it, so i shall take miss thursby and mrs. tew with me, and, as we can't very well dispense with the services of a gentleman on such an occasion, i want you to spare me mr. lisle for the whole of monday."
"certainly, louisa. utilise his services in whatever way may seem best to you."
"i am quite aware that it is not a bit of use asking you to join our little party."
"not the slightest use, louisa. as you are aware, i never go anywhere."
"i can't help saying, gilbert, that it would be better for you in many ways if you did go somewhere. a man in your position, and with your duties, has no business to make a recluse of himself."
"i don't dispute your dictum, only, as it happens, we are not all made after the same pattern. several years ago the world had become such a tiresome place to me that henceforward i determined to see as little of it as possible. it may have been a weak resolve to come to, but, such as it was, i have kept it, and i am afraid that now i am far too old to change."
everard lisle could almost have gone down on his knees to lady pell when told of the good fortune in store for him. he had already been to dunarvon and knew of the lovely woodland walks by which the ruins were surrounded, and that he and ethel should be able to spend a whole autumn afternoon among them seemed almost too much happiness to be possible. that lady pell would afford them ample opportunities for wandering away by their two selves he did not doubt. what if he were to seize the occasion to break the rule of silence he had hitherto imposed on himself, and try for the second time to win where he had failed once already? well, he would be guided by circumstances. should a propitious moment offer itself, he would not let it slip, but if not, then would he wait a little longer.
sir gilbert in person saw them off. this morning, or so it seemed o her ladyship, he looked more cheerful and in better spirits than she had seen him in since the affair of the strong-room, now a week ago. "he will get over the worst of it in time, as we do with all our troubles," she told herself: "only, he will carry the scar of it to his dying day."
a drive of a dozen miles brought our little party to their destination, whereupon lady pell issued her instructions. the first thing to do was to explore the ruins under the conduct of the authorised guide.
after that would come luncheon in a room in the custodian's cottage, which was frequently utilised for that purpose. they had brought their own hamper of good things with them, and their own man to wait upon them. after which it would be time enough to decide how the rest of the day should be spent.
at the end of an hour, having seen all there was to be seen, lady pell paid and dismissed the guide; then, in an aside to mrs. tew, she said: "i want you to engage miss thursby for a few minutes while i have a little private talk with mr. lisle."
the canon's widow nodded, and presently the young people found themselves drawn apart, to all appearance in a quite fortuitous way.
"if it won't be troubling you too much, mr. lisle," said lady pell, "i think i should like to take another peep at that old dungeon about which the guide told us that gruesome legend. such places have a peculiar but quite absurd fascination for me."
having taken a second peep into the dungeon, her ladyship led the way up the winding stairs which brought them out on the leads of the keep. "now that we have got rid of that tiresome guide, one can enjoy the view and be left to find out its most interesting features for oneself."
lisle did not answer; he was wondering what had become of ethel and why they couldn't all four be enjoying the view from the keep.
"if i had known that dunarvon was half as picturesque as it is," said lady pell presently, "i would certainly have got miss thursby to bring her drawing materials with her. there are charming sketches to be made from half-a-dozen different points of view."
"would it not be possible to come to dunarvon on some future day and rectify the omission?" queried everard with the most innocent air imaginable.
"come again another day? impossible!" cried her ladyship. "my time at the chase is nearly up. a few more days, and miss thursby and i will be winging our flight elsewhere. and high time too, in my opinion." she was looking full at lisle, and he felt himself colouring under her regard.
"why do you say--'and high time too,' lady pell? i--i fail to understand you." it was many a year since his cheeks had burnt as hotly as they did at that moment.
"i should have thought my words were plain enough to be understood by anybody. however, since it seems that nothing else will do, i will deal with you still more plainly." laying a hand for a moment on his sleeve, she said: "everard lisle, you are in love with ethel thursby--and small blame to you either! ah! you needn't start. i've known it all along. of course you thought, as most of your sex do in such cases, that nobody could see what was the matter with you; whereas to me--not that i set myself up as being cleverer than other people--it was as plain as a pikestaff. very well. perceiving what ailed you, i went out of my way to make opportunities for you to be together, and indeed, in a quiet way, did all i could to help you. and with what result, pray? simply none at all. week after week has gone by, and here you are, to all seeming, not a bit nearer what you are dying to possess than you were when i arrived at withington chase. i am disappointed in you, everard lisle."
her ladyship's somewhat lengthy diatribe had afforded everard time to recover his self-possession. "lady pell," he returned with some emotion, "that in you i have all along had a friend i have felt assured in my own mind, but i must confess i did not think that the feelings with which i regard miss thursby had betrayed themselves so plainly on the surface as they seem to have done. however, you have surprised my secret, and i am confident it could not be in better keeping. you deem me dilatory, in that i have so long delayed putting my fortune to the touch; but there is one circumstance i may be permitted to urge in extenuation of which i feel assured you have no knowledge. six months ago i proposed to miss thursby and was rejected. can you wonder, then, if i hesitate and seem to shilly-shally before venturing to run the same risk again?"
"that is something which i never so much as suspected," replied her ladyship. "yes, that certainly puts a somewhat different complexion on the affair. but i would not let myself be too much discouraged by it if i were you, mr. lisle."
"i don't think i let it discourage me overmuch," said everard with a smile. "only, as i said before, it lies at the back of my apparent hesitation."
"then take the advice of an old woman who has seen something of the world, and hesitate no longer."
"ah! then you think i have a chance of success?" exclaimed lisle with a sudden glow which seemed to irradiate him from head to foot. "you have seen something--you know something?"
"not quite so fast, my young friend, if you please," said her ladyship in her dryest accents. "i know nothing--absolutely nothing. no whisper in connection with yourself and her has ever passed miss thursby's lips to me. as for what i have seen, or may have fancied i have seen, that is a matter of no moment and concerns no one but myself. still, i say to you as i said before: were i in your place i should hesitate no longer. are you prepared to seize the first occasion that offers itself?"
"after what has passed between us, i should indeed be a coward not to do so."
"very well then, the needful opportunity shall be given you after luncheon this afternoon."
