\"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。