there certainly was no justification for the ill-humour which lady kingsbury displayed to her husband because hampstead and his sister had been invited down to castle hautboy. the hautboy people were her own relations,—not her husband's. if lady persiflage had taken upon herself to think better of all the evil things done by the children of the first marchioness, that was not the fault of the marquis! but to her thinking this visit had been made in direct opposition to her wishes and her interests. had it been possible she would have sent the naughty young lord and the naughty young lady altogether to coventry,—as far as all aristocratic associations were concerned. this encouragement of them at castle hautboy was in direct contravention of her ideas. but poor lord kingsbury had had nothing to do with it. "they are not fit to go to such a house as castle hautboy," she said. the marquis, who was sitting alone in his own morning room at trafford, frowned angrily. but her ladyship, too, was very angry. "they have disgraced themselves, and geraldine should not have received them."
there were two causes for displeasure in this. in the first place the marquis could not endure that such hard things should be said of his elder children. then, by the very nature of the accusation made, there was a certain special honour paid to the hauteville family which he did not think at all to be their due. on many occasions his wife had spoken as though her sister had married into a house of peculiar nobility,—because, forsooth, lord persiflage was in the cabinet, and was supposed to have made a figure in politics. the marquis was not at all disposed to regard the earl as in any way bigger than was he himself. he could have paid all the earl's debts,—which the earl certainly could not do himself,—and never have felt it. the social gatherings at castle hautboy were much more numerous than any at trafford, but the guests at castle hautboy were often people whom the marquis would never have entertained. his wife pined for the social influence which her sister was supposed to possess, but he felt no sympathy with his wife in that respect.
"i deny it," said the father, rising from his chair, and scowling at his wife as he stood leaning upon the table. "they have not disgraced themselves."
"i say they have." her ladyship made her assertion boldly, having come into the room prepared for battle, and determined if possible to be victor. "has not fanny disgraced herself in having engaged herself to a low fellow, the scum of the earth, without saying anything even to you about it?"
"no!" shouted the marquis, who was resolved to contradict his wife in anything she might say.
"then i know nothing of what becomes a young woman," continued the marchioness. "and does not hampstead associate with all manner of low people?"
"no, never."
"is not this george roden a low person? does he ever live with young men or with ladies of his own rank?"
"and yet you're angry with him because he goes to castle hautboy! though, no doubt, he may meet people there quite unfit for society."
"that is not true," said the marchioness. "my brother-in-law entertains the best company in europe."
"he did do so when he had my son and my daughter under his roof."
"hampstead does not belong to a single club in london," said the step-mother.
"so much the better," said the father, "as far as i know anything about the clubs. hautboy lost fourteen hundred pounds the other day at the pandemonium; and where did the money come from to save him from being expelled?"
"that's a very old story," said the marchioness, who knew that her husband and hampstead between them had supplied the money to save the young lad from disgrace.
"and yet you throw it in my teeth that hampstead doesn't belong to any club! there isn't a club in london he couldn't get into to-morrow, if he were to put his name down."
"i wish he'd try at the carlton," said her ladyship, whose father and brother, and all her cousins, belonged to that aristocratic and exclusive political association.
"i should disown him," said the still liberal marquis;—"that is to say, of course he'll do nothing of the kind. but to declare that a young man has disgraced himself because he doesn't care for club life, is absurd;—and coming from you as his stepmother is wicked." as he said this he bobbed his head at her, looking into her face as though he should say to her, "now you have my true opinion about yourself." at this moment there came a gentle knock at the door, and mr. greenwood put in his head. "i am busy," said the marquis very angrily. then the unhappy chaplain retired abashed to his own rooms, which were also on the ground floor, beyond that in which his patron was now sitting.
"my lord," said his wife, towering in her passion, "if you call me wicked in regard to your children, i will not continue to live under the same roof with you."
"then you may go away."
"i have endeavoured to do my duty by your children, and a very hard time i've had of it. if you think that your daughter is now conducting herself with propriety, i can only wash my hands of her."
"wash your hands," he said.
"very well. of course i must suffer deeply, because the shadow of the disgrace must fall more or less upon my own darlings."
"bother the darlings," said the marquis.
"they're your own children, my lord; your own children."
"of course they are. why shouldn't they be my own children? they are doing very well, and will get quite as good treatment as younger brothers ought to have."
"i don't believe you care for them the least in the world," said the marchioness.
"that is not true. you know i care for them."
"you said 'bother the darlings' when i spoke of them." here the poor mother sobbed, almost overcome by the contumely of the expression used towards her own offspring.
"you drive a man to say anything. now look here. i will not have hampstead and fanny abused in my presence. if there be anything wrong i must suffer more than you, because they are my children. you have made it impossible for her to live here—"
"i haven't made it impossible for her to live here. i have only done my duty by her. ask mr. greenwood."
"d—— mr. greenwood!" said the marquis. he certainly did say the word at full length, as far as it can be said to have length, and with all the emphasis of which it was capable. he certainly did say it, though when the circumstance was afterwards not unfrequently thrown in his teeth, he would forget it and deny it. her ladyship heard the word very plainly, and at once stalked out of the room, thereby showing that her feminine feelings had received a wrench which made it impossible for her any longer to endure the presence of such a foul-mouthed monster. up to that moment she had been anything but the victor; but the vulgarity of the curse had restored to her much of her prestige, so that she was able to leave the battlefield as one retiring with all his forces in proper order. he had "bothered" his own children, and "damned" his own chaplain!
the marquis sat awhile thinking alone, and then pulled a string by which communication was made between his room and that in which the clergyman sat. it was not a vulgar bell, which would have been injurious to the reverence and dignity of a clerical friend, as savouring of a menial's task work, nor was it a pipe for oral communication, which is undignified, as requiring a man to stoop and put his mouth to it,—but an arrangement by which a light tap was made against the wall so that the inhabitant of the room might know that he was wanted without any process derogatory to his self-respect. the chaplain obeyed the summons, and, lightly knocking at the door, again stood before the lord. he found the marquis standing upon the hearth-rug, by which, as he well knew, it was signified that he was not intended to sit down. "mr. greenwood," said the marquis, in a tone of voice which was intended to be peculiarly mild, but which at the same time was felt to be menacing, "i do not mean at the present moment to have any conversation with you on the subject to which it is necessary that i should allude, and as i shall not ask for your presence for above a minute or two, i will not detain you by getting you to sit down. if i can induce you to listen to me without replying to me it will, i think, be better for both of us."
"certainly, my lord."
"i will not have you speak to me respecting lady frances."
"when have i done so?" asked the chaplain plaintively.
"nor will i have you speak to lady kingsbury about her step-daughter." then he was silent, and seemed to imply, by what he had said before, that the clergyman should now leave the room. the first order given had been very simple. it was one which the marquis certainly had a right to exact, and with which mr. greenwood felt that he would be bound to comply. but the other was altogether of a different nature. he was in the habit of constant conversation with lady kingsbury as to lady frances. twice, three times, four times a day her ladyship, who in her present condition had no other confidant, would open out her sorrow to him on this terrible subject. was he to tell her that he had been forbidden by his employer to continue this practice, or was he to continue it in opposition to the marquis's wishes? he would have been willing enough to do as he was bidden, but that he saw that he would be driven to quarrel with the lord or the lady. the lord, no doubt, could turn him out of the house, but the lady could make the house too hot to hold him. the lord was a just man, though unreasonable, and would probably not turn him out without compensation; but the lady was a violent woman, who if she were angered would remember nothing of justice. thinking of all this he stood distracted and vacillating before his patron. "i expect you," said the marquis, "to comply with my wishes,—or to leave me."
"to leave trafford?" asked the poor man.
"yes; to leave trafford; to do that or to comply with my wishes on a matter as to which my wishes are certainly entitled to consideration. which is it to be, mr. greenwood?"
"of course, i will do as you bid me." then the marquis bowed graciously as he still stood with his back to the fire, and mr. greenwood left the room.
mr. greenwood knew well that this was only the beginning of his troubles. when he made the promise he was quite sure that he would be unable to keep it. the only prospect open to him was that of breaking the promise and keeping the marquis in ignorance of his doing so. it would be out of his power not to follow any lead in conversation which the marchioness might give him. but it might be possible to make the marchioness understand that her husband must be kept in the dark as to any confidence between them. for, in truth, many secrets were now discussed between them, as to which it was impossible that her ladyship should be got to hold her tongue. it had come to be received as a family doctrine between them that lord hampstead's removal to a better world was a thing devoutly to be wished. it is astonishing how quickly, though how gradually, ideas of such a nature will be developed when entertainment has once been given to them. the devil makes himself at home with great rapidity when the hall door has been opened to him. a month or two back, before her ladyship went to k?nigsgraaf, she certainly would not have ventured to express a direct wish for the young man's death, however frequently her thoughts might have travelled in that direction. and certainly in those days, though they were yet not many weeks since, mr. greenwood would have been much shocked had any such suggestion been made to him as that which was now quite commonly entertained between them. the pity of it, the pity of it, the pity of it! it was thus the heart-broken mother put the matter, reconciling to herself her own wishes by that which she thought to be a duty to her own children. it was not that she and mr. greenwood had between them any scheme by which lord hampstead might cease to be in the way. murder certainly had not come into their thoughts. but the pity of it; the pity of it! as lord hampstead was in all respects unfit for that high position which, if he lived, he would be called upon to fill, so was her boy, her lord frederic, made to adorn it by all good gifts. he was noble-looking, gracious, and aristocratic from the crown of his little head to the soles of his little feet. no more glorious heir to a title made happy the heart of any british mother,—if only he were the heir. and why should it be denied to her, a noble scion of the great house of montressor, to be the mother of none but younger sons? the more her mind dwelt upon it, the more completely did the iniquity of her wishes fade out of sight, and her ambition appear to be no more than the natural anxiety of a mother for her child. mr. greenwood had no such excuses to offer to himself; but with him, too, the devil having once made his entrance soon found himself comfortably at home. of meditating lord hampstead's murder he declared to himself that he had no idea. his conscience was quite clear to him in that respect. what was it to him who might inherit the title and the property of the traffords? he was simply discussing with a silly woman a circumstance which no words of theirs could do aught either to cause or to prevent. it soon seemed to him to be natural that she should wish it, and natural also that he should seem to sympathize with her who was his best friend. the marquis, he was sure, was gradually dropping him. where was he to look for maintenance, but to his own remaining friend? the marquis would probably give him something were he dismissed;—but that something would go but a short way towards supporting him comfortably for the rest of his life. there was a certain living in the gift of the marquis, the rectory of appleslocombe in somersetshire, which would exactly suit mr. greenwood's needs. the incumbent was a very old man, now known to be bed-ridden. it was ￡800 a year. there would be ample for himself and for a curate. mr. greenwood had spoken to the marquis on the subject;—but had been told, with some expression of civil regret, that he was considered to be too old for new duties. the marchioness had talked to him frequently of appleslocombe;—but what was the use of that? if the marquis himself were to die, and then the rector, there would be a chance for him,—on condition that lord hampstead were also out of the way. but mr. greenwood, as he thought of it, shook his head at the barren prospect. his sympathies no doubt were on the side of the lady. the marquis was treating him ill. lord hampstead was a disgrace to his order. lady frances was worse even than her brother. it would be a good thing that lord frederic should be the heir. but all this had nothing to do with murder,—or even with meditation of murder. if the lord should choose to take the young man it would be well; that was all.
on the same afternoon, an hour or two after he had made his promise to the marquis, lady kingsbury sent for him. she always did send for him to drink tea with her at five o'clock. it was so regular that the servant would simply announce that tea was ready in her ladyship's room up-stairs. "have you seen his lordship to-day?" she asked.
"yes;—i have seen him."
"since he told you in that rude way to leave the room?"
"yes, he called me after that."
"well?"
"he bade me not talk about lady frances."
"i dare say not. he does not wish to hear her name spoken. i can understand that."
"he does not wish me to mention her to you."
"not to me? is my mouth to be stopped? i shall say respecting her whatever i think fit. i dare say, indeed!"
"it was to my talking that he referred."
"he cannot stop people's mouths. it is all nonsense. he should have kept her at k?nigsgraaf, and locked her up till she had changed her mind."
"he wanted me to promise that i would not speak of her to your ladyship."
"and what did you say?" he shrugged his shoulders, and drank his tea. she shook her head and bit her lips. she would not hold her tongue, be he ever so angry. "i almost wish that she would marry the man, so that the matter might be settled. i don't suppose he would ever mention her name then himself. has she gone back to hendon yet?"
"i don't know, my lady."
"this is his punishment for having run counter to his uncle's wishes and his uncle's principles. you cannot touch pitch and not be defiled." the pitch, as mr. greenwood very well understood, was the first marchioness. "did he say anything about hampstead?"
"not a word."
"i suppose we are not to talk about him either! unfortunate young man! i wonder whether he feels himself how thoroughly he is destroying the family."
"i should think he must."
"those sort of men are so selfish that they never think of any one else. it does not occur to him what frederic might be if he were not in the way. nothing annoys me so much as when he pretends to be fond of the children."
"i suppose he won't come any more now."
"nothing will keep him away,—unless he were to die." mr. greenwood shook his head sadly. "they say he rides hard."
"i don't know." there was something in the suggestion which at the moment made the clergyman almost monosyllabic.
"or his yacht might go down with him."
"he never yachts at this time of the year," said the clergyman, feeling comfort in the security thus assured.
"i suppose not. bad weeds never get cut off. but yet it is astonishing how many elder sons have been—taken away, during the last quarter of a century."
"a great many."
"there never could have been one who could be better spared," said the stepmother.
"yes;—he might be spared."
"if you only think of the advantage to the family! it will be ruined if he comes to the title. and my fred would be such an honour to the name! there is nothing to be done, of course." that was the first word that had ever been spoken in that direction, and that word was allowed to pass without any reply having been made to it, though it had been uttered almost in a question.
