Lord Wastwater

Front matter

LORD WASTWATER LO ED WASTWATER nv SIDNEY BOLTON IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I. WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCXCII All Rights reserved CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAP. PAGE I. HATTON TOWERS, ..... 1 II. PATIENCE IN LONDON, . . '. . 24 III. THE MARAZIONS AT HOME, ... 40 iv. murchison's venture, .... 66 V. A DISPUTE, ...... 84 VI. THE GARDEN-PARTY, .... 103 VII. THE INQUEST, ..... 129 VIII. ROKE AT WORK, . . . . .154 IX. JENNY ALLEN'S EVIDENCE, . . . 178 X. ST BURYANS AGAIN, .... 207 XI. MRS DEARING'S INDISCRETION, . . 245 XII. THE CURIOUS KNIFE, ....

Chapter I. Hatton Towers

It had long been a subject of regret to Blankshire society that Flatton Towers, the largest and most beautiful place in the county, was shut up. It was the home of the Carshaltons, an ancient family who had lived in Blankshire since the Conquest, and whose riches and splendour had only increased in modern times. The vol. i. A family came to an eud, however, if its riches did not, and only one girl was left to inherit Hatton Towers and all the other places and possessions of the Carshaltons. She had married, when very young, the Duke of Beverley, a man approaching middle age, attractive and handsome, but with the worst reputation in London. The Duke, at that time nearly ruined by his various follies, met Mary Carshalton one day at a country house, and in a short time so captivated her that she in sisted upon marrying him against the wishes of her mother, her guardians, and every one who took an interest in her.

All they could do was to insist that nearly all her large fortune should be settled upon herself, and at her death upon her eldest son. For about a year she found some happiness ; then the Duke tired of her, and resumed his old habits, leaving her quite neglected, and only occasionally coming to her for money. She was weak, and she still cared for her graceless husband, and gave him all he asked. But by degrees her health failed her, her wish to live departed, and she faded slowly away. Her death angered the Duke more than anything in her life, for with it the supplies stopped ; the money was all tied up until his son Hugo, Lord AVastwater, should come of age, and the Duke could not get at a penny of it. He hated the sight of the boy, who he said had robbed him; and after making arrange ments for his school and university career, for which the trustees paid, he went to live abroad.

Hugo grew up uncared for and unloved. He was handed from tutor to tutor, sometimes living with one guardian and sometimes with another, ancl no one tried to make friends with him or to influence him. One of his guardians was an unmarried man living in London, who was simply bored by the boy ; while the other was a rich worldly man with a still more worldly wife, who made up to him, spoilt him, and flattered him. At last he went to Oxford, ancl here for the first time he was happy. Gifted with great ability, brilliant in conversation, good-looking, aud rich, he seemed to have everything heart could desire, ancl, unlike some men in his position, he chose to work. His friends considered him as one of the most promising men of the day, and Hugo, Earl of AVastwater, was cited as a proof that the aristocracy of England had preserved all its old qualities, ancl that it was possible to be an eldest son and yet an intellectual being.

AA7hen he came of age the festivities were on an enormous scale, and the rejoicings at Hatton Towers and at the other country places possessed by him and his father lasted for weeks. The Duke returned from abroad, and for a while all was well. But the Duke soon asked for money, which his son gave him ; then for more, till at last, and after repeated re quests had been granted, Lord AVastwater agreed to settle a certain annual sum on his father. Before long, however, there came another demand, the result of which was a violent quarrel, ancl the Duke and his son parted, vowing never to meet again. Lord AVastwater was fitted for many things, but he was not fitted for managing large estates and for the various duties of an English landowner. After a few months' experience of Blankshire, he was bored to death.

" If those excellent trustees had only mismanaged the property and left it to me to bring round," he said one day when talking to a friend, " I could have borne it ; but as it is, what can a man find to do ? Blankshire is just about a century behind the rest of the world ; the dulnesss of its inhabitants is simply ab normal. AVhat am I to do, Payne ? You tell me not to race, but what else can I do ? " His friend urged him to take to politics. " Yes, and just as I get in terested, the Duke will die, ancl I shall be a Peer. There's only one place duller than Blankshire, ancl that's the House of Lords. Besides, I don't care a rap which party is in ancl which out ; the result is always just the same. No, I shall keep race-horses." And he did, and, as usual, success attended him, till he tired of Newmarket ancl of London as he had tired of Blankshire, and went abroad.

For the next twelve years he passed through very strange vicissitudes. He began by travelling through all the out of-the-way countries he could think of, and he tried to live the life of each. He spent some time among the gold-diggers of California, and was lucky in findinggold ; but he was robbed and nearly killed on his way from the gold-fields, and escaped almost by a miracle. Then he became a cow-boy, and for a year lived as roughly as ever man did before, till he tired of the discomfort ancl hardship, and went off to an island in the South Pacific, where months of lazy, luxurious idleness made up to him for the discipline he had gone through. In this island he was the only white man, and the natives, a gentle race, treated him almost like a god. Then he fitted out a privateer, and went off to take part in one of the constant wars in South America ; but after a good deal of fighting he was wounded and taken prisoner, and detained in captivity until the war ended.

Thus the years went on, and his life was passed alternately in wild adventures, and in long sojourns on his island, spent some times in hard study, sometimes in dreamy idleness. There was nothing on earth which Lord AVastwater would not have attempted had it been possible, but he did nothing for long. One occupation after another pleased him for a time, but for a time only ; and at last, one day, after a long residence on the island in the warm Pacific sea, he resolved to go home to England. There was a commotion in Blankshire when the news was known. People had got to look on Lord Wastwater as a sort of monster, for reports of his doings had occasionally reached England, and had penetrated to Blankshire in a form which was exaggerated even for county gossip. Indeed, a perfect mythology had grown up about him ; it was said that he had be come a cannibal, a Mahometan, that in Hayti he had taken part in the rites of the Vaudoo, ancl much more.

Even in London there was considerable excitement, and people looked with interest at Wastwater House, and wondered about its owner. AVhen he appeared, however, there was some disappointment. He looked neither like a pirate nor a sultan. He was tall, with thick light curly hair, deep-set grey blue eyes, and a full fair beard. His features were well cut, and his only peculiarity was a certain immobility of expression and manner which made him appear difficult of access. But he was obviously an agreeable and highly culti vated gentleman ; and after he had given a few shooting-parties at Hatton Towers, and a ball or two at AVastwater House, society was ready to make a hero of him and to give him its daughters in marriage. Only in Blankshire some suspicion still reigned, and the good squires ancl their wives showed a certain distrust of him.

But even this was disappearing by degrees, ancl all the stories of his doings abroad were beginning to be looked upon as fables. AVith Lord AVastwater there lived as secretary a young fellow who had just left Oxford, named Frank Murchison. Frank's father, who held a post in one of the colonies, had on one occasion been of some service to Lord AVastwater, and on hearing by chance of his return to England, wrote to ask him to interest himself in his son. Lord AVastwater saw the young man and liked him, and offered to take him as his secretary until he should find some permanent occupation. Frank, who was a good honest young fellow, with fair abilities and a strong character, liked his employment well enough ; the life was interesting, the work light, and Lord AA7astwater was a pleasant master.

About a mile from Hatton Towers, in a small house belonging to Lord AVastwater, lived one of the few people he cared to see in Blankshire. This was Mr De Lisle, an old scholar and student, whose life had been passed with books, and who cared for nothing else in the world except his daughter Patience. He had been twice married : his first wife had died on giv ing birth to a son, and some ten years after he had married the Hon. Edith Treblazou, a sister of Lord St Buryans, afterwards created Earl of Marazion. By her he had one daughter, Patience, who at the time of Lord Wastwater's return to England was about eighteen years of age. Of Patience and Mr De Lisle Lord AVastwater saw much. AVhenever he was alone at Hatton Towers, he would persuade the old man to come and dine with him, and the evening would be spent in the library discussing curious books and old editions.

The old student interested Lord AVastwater, while he in his turn was de lighted to find some one who would listen to him, and still more, to have the splendid old library of Hatton Towers at his dis posal. Patience, too, whose education had been a strange one, and had fitted her to appreciate medieval more than modern literature, enjoyed the evenings ; while Frank was interested in Patience, and this feeling kept him agreeably occupied, when perhaps his eagerness to pore over folios might have flagged. So things went o oo o pleasantly enough at Hatton Towers when Lord AVastwater was there. Little by little he had got to like old Mr De Lisle, and by degrees told him much of his life abroad, and of his efforts to find some abiding interest. Such conversations grew more frequent as time went on, and Lord AVastwater became more intimate with the old student.

Some times, while he watched the keen pleasure with which Mr De Lisle handled the old books, as if only to touch them were a joy, he would burst out into scornful remarks about his own indifference, the emptiness and dulness of life. " I declare," he said one day, as he saw the old man's almost reverent delight in a manuscript of one of Eoger Bacon's scientific treatises, which he had just taken off a shelf of rarities, " I envy your life. You at least find interest in something ; there is nothing on earth that I want to do, or ever shall want to do." The old man looked at Lord AVastwater with indignation in his eyes. "It is shameful that you should talk like that," he said : " look at these books ; there is enough here to interest a man during ten lives. Ah, what wouldn't I give for a few more years !

This is a book which I have never even seen, and I am so old I cannot live long." He opened the pages and peered at them through his spectacles. " You are little more than forty, you could do so much, and you talk of finding noth ing to interest you. It is shameful." He bent down over the book again, and Lord AATastwater looked at the shrunken old figure with a curious expression. "AVeU, I would willingly change places with you," he said, "you are old and you want to live longer. I suppose I have another thirty years before me, perhaps more, for my father is ninety, and what to do with them I don't know." He turned carelessly to the table and took up a volume. " There, if you want to see the book which interests me most, it is this." The old man carefully put down Roger Bacon, and took the book Lord AVastwater gave him.

In a moment he threw it con temptuously aside. " ' Nihilism ! ' absurd ; what is there in teresting in that 1 " " Simply that sometimes I think I shall become a Nihilist," said Lord AVastwater. Mr De Lisle looked at him. " You are laughing at me, I suppose," he said. VOL. i. B " Not at all. These men seem to have a very exciting time, and I am told that the expectation of life amongst the ' unlawful people' as they are called, doesn't exceed two years. Think of that." "If you want to die," said the other composedly, " which I don't believe, why don't you shoot yourself ? It's simpler." " Suicide ? " said Lord Wastwater thoughtfully, " of course it has often been in my mind, but to tell you the truth, suicide seems to me so dull. There is no intel lectual interest in merely getting rid of life.

I don't mean that it's conventional, that's not it ; I'd just as soon clo what is conventional as what is not; but it is dull." After a pause, he continued with a laugh, "Unluckily I can't hand over my odd years to you, or that might make a difference." " I see," said Mr De Lisle, " you would like to manufacture out of death the ex citement you fail to find in life. You might as well try to square the circle. But this is nonsense. Come and look at this splendid copy of Marsilio Ficino." The intimacy, however, was destined to last very little longer. The poor old scholar caught a chill one cold autumn evening, and in a few days his life and his learning came to an end together. The little home was of course broken up, for Patience could not live there alone, and her brother Bobby, who was in a Government office, was kept most of the year in London.

Besides, they were not very great friends. Patience was very poor, for her father's money all went to Bobby, aud she was left with about £100 a-year. Her aunt, Mrs Dearing, however, came to the rescue and carried her off to live with her in London. Mrs Dearing was her mother's sister. As the Hon. Almira Treblazon she had lived for nearly forty years in single blessedness, and had then married a rich cotton - spinner, who was anxious to ally himself with the noble and ancient house of Treblazon. After a happy and uneventful married life of fif teen years, the cotton-spinner died, leaving his widow with some £8000 a-year. All this money, except a sum of £1000 a-year, however, was to be lost to her in the event of a second marriage, — a provision which Mrs Dearing was disposed at first to resent, but to which she afterwards reconciled herself.

For some years she had been in the habit of inviting her friends' daughters to stay with her in London, and prided herself very justly on the advantageous marriages they had all made while under her care. She was a kind, fat, good - humoured lady, with hair that was rather too black for her age, and a set of admirable false teeth. O ' To her house Patience now betook herself as her home. The change was very great. To the quiet country life, varied at most by an occasional garden - party, and per haps twice a-year by a ball, succeeded all the bustle and racket of London. Mrs Dearing loved society, ancl even Patience's deep mourning could not keep her in check. So there had been many dinner parties ancl tea - parties in the house in Berkeley Square during the winter, and now that the spring had begun Mrs Dealing was looking forward to a bril- O O liant season.

For Patience was distinctly a pleasant girl to take out. Although not exactly beautiful, she possessed the far more important quality of charm. She was tall, with reddish - brown hair, grey eyes, and well - formed features, but her chief beauty lay in her figure and in the carriage of her head, which was set on her shoulders in such a way as to give a queenly air to her appearance. She was clever and bright, and, considering her quiet country life, strangely at home in society. But she had been accus tomed to attention whenever she did appear in Blankshire, and the intimacy of the past two years with Lord AVast water had helped to form her and give her assurance. So Mrs Dearing was well satisfied with her charge, ancl began to fear that her marriage might come all too soon. Patience, however, gave no sign of desiring this.

She had plenty of friends, but never seemed to wish them to be more. She had already refused two very possible men, and marriage was ap parently far from her thoughts. Thus the months passed on, till it was the very end of May, and the two ladies had just returned to town after the AVhitsuntide holidays.

Chapter II. Patience In London

It was the night of one of the Richter concerts. Mrs Dearing did not much care for music, but Patience was devoted to it, and her aunt therefore resigned herself to being bored. They had stalls in the balcony at St James's HaU, and two or three friends were near them, — Lord and Lady Marazion in the row behind, and Lord AVastwater and Frank not far off. On this particular night Patience had been anxiously watching her aunt during the performance of the scene be tween the hero and Mime in Wagner's Siegfried. The duet was long and unin teresting to some people, and of these Mrs Dearing was one. The good lady dropped off to sleep once or twice, then she woke up, rustled her programme, read sentences of it here ancl there, and went off to sleep again. At last the first part ended, to Patience's relief, and Mrs Dear ing said, " AVell, my dear, I suppose it's very pretty, but I confess I prefer some thing with a little more tune.

How nice it would be now if some one would get up ancl sing ' The Last Rose of Summer, or ' Robin Adair ' ! " Patience laughed. " That scene is rather trying," she said, " but you know you like AVagner sometimes : there is the overture to Tannhauser." " Oh, of course, that's beautiful," returned her aunt, " only there is so much more sound in an orchestra : but here's Jane coming to speak to me. I wonder what she wants." Lady Marazion, who now approached, was a tall, gaunt, sallow woman, who always dressed in unbecoming colours. She was a rigid person, who took severe views of other people, and thereby kept up a high standard for herself. The only individual she cared much about was her son, Lord St Buryans, and for him she showed a weakness of which he took full advantage. It appeared that she wanted to talk to Mrs Dealing about a servant, and Patience, finding the conversation dull, turned away to look for other amusement.

She soon saw that Murchison was making his way towards her, and she welcomed him gladly, " It is a long time since I have seen you," she said. The new - comer was of middle height ancl square build. He had dark hair and moustache, and kindly brown eyes, which lighted up as Patience spoke to him. " I have been with Lord AVastwater in Ireland, and at Hatton Towers, and we only returned to London to - day, or I should have come to see you," he answered. She smiled, " And where is Lord AVast water ? " "Oh, he went down-stairs to speak to some one ; he will be back directly. How do you like the concert ? " he said. " I like it very much ; but my poor aunt ! " said Patience, with a comical look at Mrs Dearing, " I thought she would have died of Siegfried and Mime's long O O conversation. However, we shall do better in the second part.

She will think she likes the Fifth Symphony even if she doesn't, because she knows one ought to ' O admire Beethoven." They went on talking, he leaning over the seat just behind Patience. Mrs Dear ing, who had finished her conversation, now turned towards them, ancl suddenly her face assumed an expression of inter est it had not had before. She looked sharply at Frank, then at Patience, then back again at Frank, and then proceeded to interrupt the conversation. " AVhere is Lord AVastwater ? " she asked. " Gone down-stairs," returned Frank ; " we were just talking of him." " I always expect to hear he has gone off to the North Pole or somewhere, if I don't see him," said Mrs Dealing. " Oh, we have only been in Blank shire, doing nothing particular." " AVho has our old house now ? " asked Patience.

" A retired navy captain, with eleven children. You would not know the place again if you saw it." " I don't want to see it," said Patience, with a sigh, " and I don't suppose I shall." " But you will be coming to stay at Hatton Towers this summer, shan't you ? " he asked, eagerly. " Our summer plans are quite unde cided as yet," returned Mrs Dearing, with some coldness in her manner ; " sometimes I think that we may go to America. Patience and I were talking of it the other clay." He was beginning to exclaim, when o o ? they were interrupted by a short fat man with sleek black hair and a curled black moustache, who came up to them, and after shaking hands effusively with Mrs Dealing and Patience, said to the latter, " May I hope to see you at my party on AVednesday afternoon % " " I don't know," said Patience, looking at him with a hostile glance, " I haven't heard what are my aunt's engagements."

" Oh, you positively must come ; I have Tschainovsky and lots of delightful mu sicians. Mrs Dearing, I entreat you to bring your niece, AVednesday afternoon, — now, you won't forget." " I can't tell for certain, Mr Goldstein," said Mrs Dearing- ; " but we hope to come. Your parties are always perfect." Mr Goldstein laughed softly, and let his eyes rest on Patience with a look of admiration. " I hate him," she said in a whisper to Murchison. " Can't you take him away ? " And she turned from the new-comer and looked over the hall, as if trying to recog nise some friend. Fortunately for her the conversation came to an end, for the first notes of the orchestra warned every one to return to their seats. But Patience whispered to Mrs Dearing, " AVe are not going, are we ? I can't bear him or his parties."

"Well," said her aunt, doubtfully, "you see his parties are very smart, my dear ; many people would give their eyes to go. And he is a cousin of the Treblazons and all. I think we ought just to look in. But we'll see when the day comes." The concert went on ancl ended, ancl at its close Lord AVastwater and Frank came to see Mrs Dearing and Patience to their carriage. After they had driven away, Lord AVastwater said, " I'm going home, Frank. I'm asked to three parties and two balls to-night. It is unendurable. Come back with me. Or do you want to go and amuse yourself somewhere ? " " Not at all," answered Frank in a gloomy voice, as they emerged into Piccadilly. Lord AVastwater looked at him for an instant, and then they walked on for some way in silence. Presently Lord AVastwater began, " I saw you talking to Miss De Lisle to-night.

Is she well % " " Quite well," returned Frank. " She asked where you were ; she wanted to see you, I think." " Oh, I wouldn't interrupt," said Lord Wastwater, with a short laugh. " There was nothing to interrupt," said Frank ; " and sometimes I think there never will be." vol. i. c " Can't tell whether she likes you, eh ? " " Not in the least." " Nonsense," said Lord AVastwater ; " any sensible man knows if a woman likes him or not, unless she is trying to deceive him. And Patience won't do that sort of thing." " Still it is true that I don't know," replied Frank, with some irritation in his voice. " AVhy don't you ask her then ? " said Lord AVastwater. Frank was silent for a moment, then burst out, " How can I, a penniless fellow like me?" "If she likes you, she won't care about that. Besides, money need be no difficulty.

I should like to see Patience happily marricd, and you too. If you would only let me " "But I won't," interrupted Frank. "I can't let you give me money, Lord AVast water. I know you would ; you are very generous to me, but I can't take it." " It's not very generous to give away what I don't the least want," said Lord AVastwater. " But have it your own way. AVe must find you something to do, that's all. And by the by, Frank, it's quite true, isn't it, that you're that rich fellow Gold stein's heir ? " " Yes, it is quite true — that is, if he has no children ; but he is sure to marry." "AVell, he may not," said Lord Wast water. " But where does the money come from ? " " His mother and mine were sisters. My grandfather left all he had to my aunt, Mrs Goldstein, who was the elder, and her de scendants ; but failing direct heirs it was to return to my mother, or after her death to her descendants, of whom I am the only one.

My father was expressly excluded ; my grandfather did not like him or my mother's marriage. " " And you inherit everything ? " " Oh no, only about £70,000 or £80,000, I should think." " And who will the rest go to if he dies ? " asked Lord AVastwater. " I have no idea," returned Frank. " He certainly won't leave it to me." " AVhy shouldn't he ? Have you quar relled ? " Frank hesitated. "AA7e used to be pretty good friends, but just now I am very angry with him," he said. " There's a farmer on his estate in Wessex to whose sister he has behaved very badly. He went through a form of marriage with her, which she be lieved was valid." "And of course it was nothing of the O sort," said Lord AVastwater. "Exactly; and he has deserted her." " I am not the least surprised to hear it," said Lord AA^astwater, in an indifferent voice.

" But what is all this to you % " "I happen to know the farmer, and he asked me to help him. So we are going to see Goldstein together, and try and shame him into helping the child at any rate." Lord AVastwater burst out laughing. " AVhat a quixotic fellow you are, Frank ! You'll have the trouble for nothing, and I don't suppose the girl's worth it." " It may be," said Frank, shortly ; " but I mean to try what I can do." Lord AVastwater laughed again, and they walked on again in silence till they reached AVastwater House. It was a very large house, standing some way from the street, and surrounded by a garden. The two men turned from the front door ancl went through a little gate in the garden - railing, and so by a side-door into the house. They passed through a passage into the entrance-hall, ancl then Lord AVastwater, turning into the library, said, " Come in here for a minute, Frank, before you go to bed ; I want to talk a little more to you."

The library was a large room filled with books, its windows opened on to the gar den, ancl just now the night air was coming in fresh and sweet with tlie scent of flowers. The room was very luxuriously furnished : the tables were littered with new books of all sorts, among which science predominated, and there was a mingled air of cultivation ancl untidiness which made it an eminently pleasant room to live in. It was sparingly lighted, however, for Lord AVastwater dis liked any glare of light, and the reading lamps with green shades only just sufficed to show that the room was large, and to cast a mysterious half-light into its recesses. Lord AVastwater lighted a cigar, and Frank sat down in one of the arm-chairs ancl looked at the fire ; but he was soon startled at hearing Lord AVastwater say, " Has it ever occurred to you that Bobby De Lisle wants his sister to marry St Buryans?