when churchill returned to bissett, he found that a considerable change had taken place in the aspect of affairs there. beresford and lyster had departed, and old miss lexden was on the point of starting that very afternoon, her natty boxes in their leather cases lining the hall; for the old lady was calmly implacable, and never altered one jot of her original determination. after his talk with frank churchill, sir marmaduke had determined on using his best efforts towards restoring peace, and setting affairs on an amicable footing; so the next morning, when he was closeted with major stone discussing various points of business, the old gentleman gradually wore round to the matter perplexing him, took stone into his confidence, and finished by commanding the major immediately to seek a conference with miss lexden, to inform her of sir marmaduke's views, and use his best efforts to bring her at least to a compromise. the gallant warrior received the commission with a very ill grace. he hinted that to look after his friend's rents and tenants, farm and live-stock, servants and money-matters, was all well enough; but to have to collogue with a parcel of old cats who--however, since it was to be done, he supposed he must do it; and he would "tackle" the old lady at once. but the old lady carried far too many guns for this blundering half-pay major, and before he had been in her company five minutes made him feel exceedingly sorry that he had asked for the interview. miss lexden received him in the pleasantest manner, talked lightly of the weather, praised in the highest terms major stone's admirable management of sir marmaduke's estate, could not imagine how sir marmaduke would get on without his "other self;" and then, when stone's flattered vanity led him to disclose the real object of his visit, miss lexden pulled up short, and in her most dignified and icy manner declared that "these were family matters, which allowed of no intervention by a third person, especially one entirely unconnected with either side, and therefore incapable of appreciating the delicacies of the position; what, for instance, would sir marmaduke have thought of her if she had sent withers to enter into negotiations!" and thus having completely upset the major, miss lexden summarily dismissed him.
when he returned to his principal, and gave him a full account of his treatment, the old gentleman was very wrath, and took a speedy opportunity of waiting personally upon miss lexden.
after exchanging ordinary civilities, their conversation was short and sharp.
"susan! you're behaving sillily, worse than sillily, in this matter of barbara and frank churchill; and i've come to tell you of it!"
"it's not the first time, marmaduke, that you have come to me on a fool's errand."
first blood to miss lexden the old man thought of the days of his courtship, when he owed but little to susan lexden's assistance, and winced.
"thank you! you're kind and generous as ever! but it was not to talk of bygone times that i came here. take my word, susan, you're wrong in your treatment of this business."
"as how, pray?"
"you've played for a big stake with barbara, and she won't have it! she's fallen in love, in real desperate love; no make-believe humbug, but regular love!"
miss lexden shrugged her shoulders, raised her eyebrows, and tattooed impatiently with her foot.
"god knows she's to be envied," said the old gentleman; "how many girls are there, do you think, who are booked for marriage before next spring, who would give their ears to feel to their future husbands as barbara does to hers? it's not about her i'm come to preach, it's about you. you're behaving like an idiot, susan,--worse than an idiot,--in thus refusing your countenance to the match."
"you're growing horribly coarse in your language, marmaduke, and unfit for me to listen to. but since you've broached the topic, hear me: i shall leave bissett at once; and once gone, i shall never see barbara again. i shall not give her one sixpence for her trousseau, or make one addition to her wardrobe. i will not allow her a penny, and i will strive to forget that i ever knew there was such a person on earth. she has grievously disappointed me, and been selfish and ungrateful; but i shall not cast her off, or do any thing melodramatic or nonsensical; i shall simply ignore her existence, and live on as though she had never been."
sir marmaduke retired, boiling over with rage. an hour afterwards he sent for barbara to the library and placing a cheque for 100l. in her hands, told her he had arranged with mrs. vincent to accompany her to town and get the requisite articles for her trousseau at once. her aunt was about to leave, he said; but mrs. vincent had promised to stop and act chaperon, and miss townshend would be bridesmaid. let the wedding take place at once, since both the young people wished it, and let it be from bissett. there would be no fuss, no tomfoolery; but no one should be able to say in future that there was any thing underhand or secret about her marriage, or that it was not properly countenanced by some of the family. if her aunt chose to be an old fool, that was her look-out, not his. and then the old gentleman kissed her on the forehead, and told her that while he lived she and frank should never want a friend.
miss lexden left on the evening of the day on which churchill returned, without seeing him or taking farewell of any of the household. mr. townshend would have liked to go too, but his daughter strongly objected, determining to remain with barbara; a determination in which she was well supported by mr. schr?der, who had taken great interest in barbara's "love-affair" ever since it had been made public--as apparently seeing therein an excess of romance which might cast a halo over his own somewhat meagre and prosaic wooing. mrs. vincent, too, entered into the affair with great spirit, principally incited thereto by her hatred of old miss lexden, who had been particularly rude about mr. vincent's little gastronomical tastes; and sir marmaduke seemed for a time to have eschewed his eccentricity, and to have become perfectly humanised. of course major stone was in great force, rallying the lovers with much subtle humour, and looking after all the preparations for the wedding with as much interest as though he were a person principally concerned.
the day arrived, and the weather did its very noblest for the young people. the sky was cloudless, and the sun brilliant, if not warm. barbara was in the finest health and spirits, and never looked more lovely than in her plain white silk dress and brussels lace--the latter an old family relic. the wedding took place at the little parish-church, where three bells rang a somewhat abbreviated but merry peal, while the villagers thronged the churchyard and did proper obeisance and gratulation to a party coming from "the grange." afterwards there was a breakfast, at which no one save the clergyman and the house-inmates were present, where there was only one speech of four words,--"god bless them both!" from sir marmaduke; and then, kisses and hand-shakings done, they departed. as churchill shook hands with the old gentleman, the latter left an envelope in his godson's hands, which, on opening, he found to contain a banknote for fifty pounds, with the words "for the honeymoon" in the envelope. nor had barbara been without her presents. on the previous evening she had received a packet containing a necklace of ivy-leaves in dead deep-coloured gold, with earrings to match, and in the case captain lyster's card, with "with all good wishes" written on it; while a splendid enamel and diamond bracelet came to her as the joint gift of mr. schr?der and alice townshend.
while the happy couple were honeymooning it in the north of devon, unconsciously standing as capital models of posed figures to several artists who had lingered beyond most of their fraternity in those pleasant quarters, old mrs. churchill, having engaged a tolerably neat lodging not far from her old abode, devoted herself and some of her savings to the embellishment of the house in great adullam street, which was newly painted outside, and revived within to the extent of new carpeting and a general polishing of the furniture. intelligence of these triumphs had been duly conveyed in letters to frank, who in return, thanked his mother, and sent a postscript by barbara, who, addressing her as "her dear mother," begged her not to over-fatigue herself in their service; which little message, signed "your affectionate daughter, b. c.," brought tears of delight into the old lady's eyes, and had the effect of causing her to redouble her exertions. at last the day for their return arrived, and the rain, which had been threatening for nearly a week past, broke through the yellow canopy of fog hanging over london, and came down heroically. it was not favourable weather in which to make one's first acquaintance with great adullam street, which required a good deal of sunlight to do away with its normal ghastliness; and as the evening twilight, drear and dim, came rolling up, eleanor churchill, sitting at the window of her lodgings on the look-out for the cab, which must pass her door, felt her heart sink within her with a strange, indefinable sensation of dread. her delicacy had prevented her being present on her new daughter's first arrival at her home; but she now almost regretted that she had not gone round to welcome her among her new and strange surroundings. great adullam street very seldom had a cab rattling over its ill-set stones; there was a large gate at one end (as is frequently the case in the neighbourhood), where every public vehicle was stopped, and sent by a different route, at the mandate of a very sullen gate-keeper, unless it happened to be bound to some house in the street. so that when mrs. churchill heard the creaking gates open, followed by the noise of wheels, she knew that her children had arrived, and looking out, saw by the lamplight barbara's handsome face at the cab-window. "handsome, very handsome and patrician-looking," thought the ow lady; "but what a strange look of bewilderment on it!"
the cab stopped, and churchill jumped out and handed barbara into the house. lucy, old mrs. churchill's servant, stood within the door, and gave a very grim bow as barbara passed; the two newly-hired servants were smirking in the passage. frank hurried past them, and led barbara into the little dining-room. she was very tired with her journey, and at once sat down.
"who was that horrid person, frank, at the door,--with the strange sour look, i mean?"
"oh, my mother's servant, old lucy; been with her since her girlhood. she has not prepossessing manners, but she's a faithful creature. you'll make much of her, dearest."
"nothing, i should hope; she's too horrible! what a disagreeable colour this paper is, and what a horribly prim carpet! i'll take off my things, frank, at once, and come down to dinner; i'm rather faint."
churchill lit a candle, and preceded her up the stairs--at the carpet on which barbara made a despairing shrug--to the best bedroom, erst his mother's, where stood the heavy four-post bed, the old-fashioned mahogany wardrobe, the dingy pictures of sacred subjects--all the furniture just as he recollected it for years. it was rather a ghastly room, certainly; and when frank had left her, to go down and pay the cabman and see about the luggage, she glanced nervously round, and burying her face in her hands, burst into a flood of tears.
thus her husband found her when he returned. he a once rushed up to her, and asked her what was the matter; but she replied that she was a little over-fatigued, and would be better after the dinner and rest.
"that's well," said frank cheerfully; "you must not give way now, darling; recollect you're at home."
at which words, strange though it may appear, barbara's sobs were redoubled.
