Dumbleton Common

Front matter

DUMBLETON COMMON. BY THE HONBLE ELEANOR EDEN. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 1867. CONTENTS TO VOL, II. PiGE CHAPTEE I. THE VIETUOTTS GENTLEWOMAN . . .1 CHAPTEE II. A PUBLIC MEETING . . . .25 CHAPTEE III. SITPPEB AT THE VICARAGE . . .43 CHAPTEE IV. miss wolff's little pamphlet . . 61 CHAPTEE V. "the festive scene" . . . .81 CHAPTEE VI. " SATJVE QTTI PEUT" . . . .99 CHAPTEE VII. LOST AND GONE .... 122 CHAPTEE VIII. LAD1 TENETIA'S YEESION OF IT . . . CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTEE IX. LOED templecombe's YICTOEY . . . 161 CHAPTEE X. A COMMEECIAL CEISIS . . . 185 CHAPTEE XI. mona's isle ..... 205 CHAPTEE XII. THE " EAIL YABEEY " . . . . 224 CHAPTEE XIII. found ! . . . . . . 242 CHAPTEE XIV. BECONCILIATION .... 260 CHAPTEE XV. " SHE SHINES ME DOWN "... 276 POSTSCRIPT .....

Chapter I. The Virtuous Gentlewoman

" She rose, Her arms upon her breast across, and stood A virtuous gentlewoman deeply wrong'd, Upright and flushed before him ; then she said, ' There must be now no passages of love Betwixt us twain, henceforward evermore.' " Tennyson. After dinner, the ladies went out on the lawn, to stroll about under the fine, old, cedar trees and to drink iced coffee. Mr. Quilp 1 VOL. honoured them with his company, and trotted about after his mistress as fast as his little bandy legs could carry him. " Dear me ! how I wish I had a cigarette," cried Lady Diana. " I should like to try one of Spencer's. I shall go and fetch one out of his room, Sydney. Will you come and help me?" • " Oh ! no — let us wait till he comes. I think he won't like us to go and meddle with his things," said Sydney, drawing back.

" Why, you silly, little coward, do you mean to say, you dare not take Spencer's cigars ? What would he do to you now, if he caught you stealing one ?" " Oh ! I don't know. I never tried — I can't smoke. I don't even know where he keeps his cigars." " I'll tell you what — it seems to me that this cousin of mine, is a regular Bluebeard. You poor little mouse ! you are dreadfully afraid of him, ain't you ? The idea of any body being afraid of Spencer. It's a capital joke, upon my word ! Augusta, this thing is frightened to death to take a cigar out of her husband's room. Did you ever hear anything so absurd?" " I am not much surprised, I must con fess," replied Mrs. Dawkins. " Spencer is a very different person when with you and your sister, to what he is with other people. I should not call Spencer's temper a com fortable one to live with, I confess.

I know you both think it is, because he has always been a perfect slave to all your little whims and fancies ; but I don't know that I should have said Spencer would be an easy husband to please. You don't find him so, I daresay, my dear Mrs. Hamilton, if the truth were 1—2 known," added Mrs. Dawkins, suddenly turning to Sydney. " I found him most amiable, most easy to please. He was everything that was kind and indulgent, all the time we were at Midsummer Verney," answered Sydney, evasively. " Ah ! I can understand that — there was no counter-influence at work there," said Mrs. Dawkins to herself, as if unconsciously. " But, my dear, I forget who I am talking to — I must not say a word against Spencer to Spencer's wife, of course ; — but I, for one, have no very high opinion of conjugal bliss.

I have no reason to speak favourably of the holy estate of matrimony," continued this exemplary woman, who had passed many years of her married life, in making an honest man's life, a burden to him. " You may always rely upon my sympathy. Come to me in all your little matrimonial troubles and difficulties, my dear. I always take the woman's part on these occasions, and I invariably believe the man to be a brute, even before I have heard a single particular of the case in dispute." " But I am sure Spencer is not a brute," exclaimed Sydney indignantly, " and I don't know that we have had any dispute — only about one thing, at least." " I see ! Via forbade you to ask Mrs. Broke to dinner, and yet you had the courage to do so. You would not desert your old friend to please your husband's cousin, and so- — and so — your husband is angry with you !

Don't speak now — I saw it all and heard it all, and understand it all, perfectly. Poor child ! poor, innocent, unsuspecting child ! Well ! well ! — it is only the way of the world ! You are not worse off than half the women I know, after all. Only take my advice, dear. If you want to please your husband and retain (I won't say his affection, for perhaps that would be a mockery), but his kindness ; his forbearance ; his appro bation, in short ; always make it a point to do whatever Lady Venetia tells you — that's all. It is a simple rule — is it not ? and easy enough to follow, if you will but bear in mind that in pleasing her, lies your only chance of pleasing him. But here come the gentleman, already, I declare." " Spencer, I want a cigarette," cried Lady Die, running to meet her cousin.

" Your excellent wife would not let me go and steal one for myself." " And quite right too," said Spencer, " I wish you would give up that horrid practice, Die." " Will nobody take pity upon me, when you all know, I can't exist without a cigarette after dinner ?" said Lady Diana. " I am ordered it by my doctor." " May I have the pleasure of giving you one, Lady Diana," said Lord Templecombe. The offer was accepted with a sweet smile, and the young man was made happy for the evening. " Well !" said Spencer Hamilton, joining Lady Venetia, and leading her into a side avenue, a covered walk of thick hornbeam, where they were out of sight and hearing ; " I believe we have got rid of that fellow at last, more easily than I had bargained for. Die's bright smile and sparkling eyes left him an easy prey to Beaumont and myself, after you were gone.

Poor fellow ! Parlia ment is not much in his line, and he would never have done any good there — if he had got in. It was all old Cleveden's doing. Tempey himself, is only too happy to get off. I believe it is to be announced publicly at the meeting to-morrow ; in the meantime, he is amply rewarded by seeing Die smoke one of his cigarettes." " It was too absurd, his thinking of stand ing at all," said Lady Venetia. " He has no talent whatever for that sort of thing. So different from you, Spencer. I almost wonder, now you are able to afford it, that you don't try a parliamentary life. You would be so certain to make a name there, and would get into office in no time. Shall I speak to Sir Robert about it ?" " No ! thank you, Via .' I would rather you did not. I am very well satisfied as I am."

" I hope you are happy, Spencer," asked Lady Venetia anxiously. " I feel in a sort of way, responsible, you know, for your happiness, having so strongly advised your marrying that dear child, Sydney. I am sure it is impossible to help liking her. She is so thoroughly amiable and good." " Oh ! yes ! she is good enough in all conscience," said Spencer. " I have only one fault to find with my wife, and that is that she is not you, Via. I am afraid, how ever, it is an irreparable fault, and poor Sydney can't help it, any how." " Now, Spencer, this is very wrong ! You know we settled that when once you were married, we were never to refer to the past. But, I do hope and trust, you will, in time, learn to like poor little Sydney. She has just the least, tiny tendency to be jealous, I fancy, of me, and if she really were to suspect that you had ever cared for me, it might make things very uncomfortable for us all.

Her mother, I hear, plagues poor James Lambert's heart out, with her jealousies, and Sydney has quite a look of her mother, now and then." " I would advise her not to try to torment me in that way," exclaimed Spencer angrily. " I should soon put a stop to it, I can tell her. I have no notion of standing that sort of thing, from a wife one does not care particularly about. I think Sydney knows me better than to take up that line. If not, she will very soon find it out." " Oh ! dear ! dear ! What a tiresome impetuous creature you are ! You quite frighten me. I meant nothing of that sort ; only you know, they do say (it is too absurd to repeat really), but they tell me, poor James Lambert had to take his wife abroad, because she was so jealous of his speaking to me. It's so excessively ridiculous that it makes me die of laughing whenever I think of it.

But if that is a family failing, perhaps you ought to be a little on your guard. Don't you think so, yourself? I am only warning you to be careful, for the sake of your own happiness, and Sydney's, and — mine .'" added Lady Venetia, emphati cally, as if this last consideration were the only really important one of the three. " Thanks, dearest Via ! I will bear in mind what you say, and if I should detect the slightest symptom of any such tendency on Sydney's part, believe me, I shall know how to put a stop to it at once." " Well ! but don't be cross to the poor little thing ; because if you are, I shall hate you, Spencer, and what is more, I shall hate myself — for I shall feel it was all my fault for persuading you to marry her. Now, pray be gentle with her, if you don't wish to make me a prey to remorse.

No ! we won't take another turn now. We have been here alone, quite long enough, to scan dalize the good people of Dumbleton. Think of all Augusta Dawkins must be saying about us, at this moment. Go and talk to somebody else now, and don't speak to me again, the whole evening. Promise me this ;" and having allowed Spencer to kiss her white hand, just as a pledge of his obedience to her high behest, Lady Venetia issued forth alone, from an opening in the hornbeam hedge, feeling much elated with the deep sense she entertained of her own extreme prudence and discretion ; and not a little triumphant also, to find that she had not yet lost all power over the heart of the unfortunate young man, whose life she had in a great measure, sacrificed to her own selfish vanity. Spencer shortly afterwards appeared on the lawn, from a walk on the opposite side of the garden ; and these foolish people, like two ostriches hiding their heads in a bush, flattered themselves that nobody (especially Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins) would suspect them of having walked up and down the hornbeam avenue together, for the last half hour, in close conversation.

Mrs. Dawkins meantime had not forgotten to " improve the opportunity" by having a little conversation with Sydney. This female Mephistophiles loved to make mischief for her own private amusement. She was — " O'er quick To catch a lothly plume, fall'n from the wing Of that foul bird of rapine, whose whole prey Is man's good name." Besides, being unhappy and discontented herself, she hated to see other people happy and contented, and above all, she had her own private reasons for wishing to destroy Lady Venetia Verney 's domestic felicity — (or, perhaps domestic prosperity would be the right expression to use, in this case.) In fact, Lady Venetia had married a man whom Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins had marked for her own. Sir Robert had, in bygone years, flirted a little in a stately, dignified manner with Mrs. Dawkins, who at one period of her life, had certainly had some attractions to boast of.

But Sir Robert, poisoned no doubt, by the base insinuations of his wife, had since his marriage, evinced no disposition whatever to cultivate the society of Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins ; and what was more, he had joined with Lady Venetia in trying to persuade Lady Diana Hartland to give up her friend, and to leave Augusta to her fate. " Revenge is sweet," and Mrs. Dawkins could think of no more easy and convenient manner of revenging herself upon Lady Venetia, than by working upon the feelings of poor, jealous, Sydney. Mrs. Dawkins hoped to bring matters to a crisis between Lady Venetia and Spencer Hamil ton, and thus create a scandal which would ultimately arouse the attention of that sleeping hon, Sir Robert, and induce him to shake his mane, and roar, and even perhaps to crush some of Augusta's enemies with one stroke of his mighty paw.

Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins therefore, looked forward with pleasure to the prospect of a light and amusing occupation for the remainder of her sojourn on Dumbleton Common, and (as she confessed to herself) she saw her way to despatching several little birds who had annoyed her, with the same stone. This was a kind of sport in which Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins took great delight, and for which she was not only eminently fitted # by nature, but well skilled by constant practice. " You have a charming neighbour in Lady Venetia," began the wily woman, as she slipped her arm through Sydney's, and led her to a seat under one of the grand, old trees on the lawn. " She is very agreeable," said Sydney with a sigh. " Oh ! nobody so agreeable as Via — a very popular woman — everybody likes her — it's impossible to help it, is not it ?"

This time Sydney's reply was inaudible ; but Mrs. Dawkins proceeded — " It's such a pity, poor thing, she is not more happily married. If Via had been married to the man she loved, I do believe she would have been a very different person. Poor, dear Via ! I can't help suspecting that she really had a heart, once upon a time i but she made a fatal mistake in marrying a man so many years older than herself, and for whom, she never cared twopence." ' Yet, I should have thought any woman might have been happy with Sir Robert," said Sydney. " He seems so kind and attentive to her, and he is so good, and so clever. I could fancy Sir Robert's wife might have been very proud' of him." " Ah ! some wives might have been ; but Venetia is not a woman to take a pride in her husband. She requires to be the first object with everyone.

Now she is not Sir Robert's first object. His whole soul is absorbed in his work. He cares for very little else, in comparison. He is, as you observe, very kind and attentive to his wife ; but his wife is quite a secondary con sideration with him. That does not suit 2 VOL. Via, and so she tries to become the first consideration with — with — other people," added Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins hesitating, and stopping short awkwardly, as Sydney thought, but in fact, very skilfully. " I often think, it must have been rather a blow to poor Venetia," continued Mrs. Dawkins, " when Spencer married — though she told us it was all her doing, and that she made up the match herself ; but I never could quite believe that." " But why should it matter to Lady Venetia," asked Sydney, " who Spencer married, or whether he was married at all ?

She has her own husband, and I don't see what difference it could make to her." 1 Why, my dear child, don't you know ? but of course you do — married people never have any secrets from each othei*, do they ? so I need scarcely remind you of Venetia's former attachment to her cousin. You know all about it, I have no doubt." " Yes. Spencer told me that Lady Vene tia and Lady Diana had always been just like sisters to him," said Sydney. " Sisters ! Eh ? Something more than sisters I should have said," insinuated the artful woman. " He may have looked upon Die as a sister perhaps ; but Via is a very different story. But you need not be cautious and reserved with me, dear child. Remember, I have known them all my life, and all the ins and outs of the whole story. Poor Via ! it was a sad business.

I do believe Spencer is the only human being she ever really liked better than herself." " But, indeed, Mrs. Dawkins, I don't understand, the least in the world. Lady Venetia is married now, and so is Spencer, so what does it matter? I suppose you 9 mean that they were once in love with each other; but that is all over, long ago." " Do you think so ? Well ! you ought to know. It strikes me that they flirt quite as much as ever, and rather more openly ; but to be sure, you know best. If you are satisfied, it is nothing to me ! After having been engaged to each other for three, or four years, quite clandestinely, one has no very great faith in their candour. I shall never forget what a terrible scene old Lord Os terley made about it, when he found it out." " I know his father died when he was a little boy, and left him quite dependent upon his uncle," said Sydney eagerly ; " and then he went to live with Lord Osterley, and was brought up quite like one of his own children."

" Yes ! and then showed his gratitude by persuading Via to elope with him. Just at the last moment, the plot was fortunately discovered, and the whole thing was hushed up ; but the fact was, they had been engaged for three years, and had carried on a long correspondence, and in short, nothing could have been more foolish than Venetia's conduct, or more reckless than Spencer's. How ever, from the moment he found out what had been going on, old Osterley forbade him the house, and they never met again till Via was married to Sir Robert Verney. I often wonder Sir Robert allowed Spencer to be for ever with Via after she married ; but it was no affair of mine. But you knew all this before, my dear Mrs. Hamilton, of course? I need not ask such a question." " Most of it," answered Sydney, deter miningto make the best of the matter.

" Spencer did not enter into particulars, but he gave me the outline of the story." " And you still think it wise to let him be so much with Lady Venetia ? You are a bold, little woman, Sydney. (You must let me call you Sydney. I always call him Spencer, you know). Now I am going to be very candid, my dear Sydney. You are a very pretty, attractive creature, but you are no match for Venetia Verney. There's not a woman in England who has more power of fascination than Via, when she chooses to exert it — and 1 know her. well enough to see that she has by no means relinquished her hold upon Spencer Hamil ton yet. The man is perfectly infatuated with her still. There seems to me to be very little attempt at concealment. Now I am a woman of the world, my dear Sydney, and you may take my word for it, that you are not wise in remaining so near that dan gerous, and not very high-principled woman.

Some of these days, when it is too late, you will be sorry you did not take my friendly advice. Ah ! I know the routine of these sort of things, only too well. Be guided by me, my child. I can have no motive, you know, in making mischief. What difference can it possibly make to me, one way, or the other ; but you are a sweet, innocent, guile less darling — and I cannot help longing to be your friend. If I had had a friend when I first married, who would have taken the same kind of motherly interest in me, my life might have been a happy one. Your mother, my dear, is abroad, I hear, or I should not have taken the liberty of speak ing to you so frankly. You will forgive me, won't you ? But it is getting late, and they are going, I declare. Good night, my child ! You have a difficult task before you ; but I cannot help thinking you will triumph at last.

Your youth and innocence will some day win Spencer's heart, depend upon it. Remember in the meantime that you have a true friend in me." Sydney thanked her " true friend" cordially, and went to " speed her parting guests" with a heavy heart.

Chapter II

A PUBLIC MEETING. " Cato — Meanwhile we'll sacrifice to Liberty. Remember, O my friends . the laws, the rights. The generous plan of power delivered down Prom age to age, by your renowned forefathers, (So dearly bought, the price of so much blood ;) Oh, let it never perish in your hands ! Bat piously transmit it to your children ; Do thou, great Liberty, inspire our souls, And make our lives, in thy possession, happy, Or our deaths glorious in thy just defence." Addison. As it was a fine moonlight night, the ladies chose to walk home, and Lord Templecombe, John Beaumont, and Spencer Hamilton accompanied them. Sydney was soon left alone with the some what painful reflections, which had been suggested to her mind, by Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins. " Oh ! what shall I do ! what can I do !" she cried, as she sank into a low chair near the open window in her dressing-room.

" This is dreadful ! — almost too dreadful to bear. If it is true ?" she added, as a ray of hope darted across her mind ; " but I don't know that it is true, after all. They all dislike this Mrs. Bowyer Dawkins. She may really not know anything about the matter. No, I will not act hastily ; I will be calm, and wait, and consider, and be very, very careful ; much more cautious and thoughtful than I have ever been before, in the whole course of my life. I will not throw away all my happiness on the spur of the moment. Mrs. Dawkins meant kindly, I am sure, poor woman ; but she has been unhappy herself, and I dare say, she suspects people on rather doubtful evidence. She was very kind to me, I must own that ; but she may have heard things that were not quite true about — them, or she may even have fancied things that are totally without foundation.

I will not give up Spencer without hearing the truth from his own lips ; but if — if — oh !" she gasped, suddenly breaking down and bursting into tears, " if he really does like her best, I must go — I must get away — far, far away, out of their sight somewhere ; I cannot — cannot live here and watch them day after day. Yet, I must be cautious, and find out the real truth before I take any further steps; but not to-night — I could not go through any more to-night, I have been so very miserable already this evening. I will wait till this election business is settled, I think ; Spencer has so much to do just now. I will put it off, till after that, and then — ah ! then ! then ! then ! — What will happen to me then, I wonder ? I must know the worst — I cannot bear this terrible sus pense ; it will drive me mad, I am afraid, if it lasts much longer.

But, ah ! here he comes ! how gay and happy he seems ; he can whistle to himself as he walks along ; he is happy, whilst I it must be nonsense — I will not believe it ; I am a jealous, foolish wretch, to believe every idle report I hear. It is not true — it shall not be true. I will go to bed and go to sleep, and in the morn ing I shall laugh, to think how foolish I have been. Spencer must not come in and find me crying. Why," she said, laughing hysterically, as she looked at her tear stained, swollen face in the glass, " what a horrible figure I have made of myself, and all for nothing ! — for nothing at all ! Ha ! ha I ha ! How absurd it is ! Aunt Patty will be quite amused when I tell her what a fool I have been !" Perhaps it was fortunate for once, that Mr. Hamilton's work kept him employed in his study till nearly three o'clock in the morning, and by that time poor Sydney had fallen into one of those heavy, dreamless sleeps which often follow any violent emotion, and she awoke late the next morning, with so bad a head-ache that she had a very good excuse for not coming down to breakfast.

When she did leave her room, Spencer had gone to town, so that no uncomfortable conversation ensued between them that day. In the evening, a great public meeting of Sir Robert's supporters was to be held in the Town Hall, and a place had been espe cially reserved for the ladies in the gallery usually appropriated to the orchestra on festive occasions. Of course, we all determined to go, and Tom kindly took me in early, and found for me a quiet seat in a dark corner in the background. Lady Ve netia and her party arrived shortly after wards, all dressed in blue, or blue and white ; and her ladyship looked, I thought, particularly handsome and animated, as she bowed gracefully in acknowledgment of the accla mations which greeted her entrance. Sydney came and sat in the dark by me, and com plained still of her head, and said, she was afraid of the flare of the gas lights.

Miss Verney looked very well in her blue bonnet and mantle, and went at once to a seat by Margaret Beaumont, who appeared to be only too glad to make room for her. We, who had been behind the scenes a little, were aware that Lord Templecombe's retirement was to be announced at the close of the evening, but this fact was not yet known to the general public. His Lordship and the Vicar came up into our gallery, where as they said, they could " see and not be seen ;" and I cannot say their spirits suffered much in consequence of their defeat, for they both talked a vast deal of nonsense, and seemed to be mightily amused at everything that occurred, however trivial. Mrs. Broke had invited us all to drink tea at the Vicarage, and though Selina had assured us that we should be half-starved, as she had nothing in the house but the " co opei-ative" tea and sugar and a loaf of bread, we agreed to go, nevertheless, and take our chance ; though I must confess that I for one, had taken the precaution to order a good, substantial supper to be ready for Tom when we got home, for I had no idea of letting him suffer, poor fellow ! from ex haustion, after his hard day's work.

He, with Mr. Hamilton, John Beaumont, and many other of the leading men of Dumble ton, were on the platform, and by eight o'clock the large hall was more than crowded. The Liberal party had flocked in, to do honour to their candidate, and were evidently in a state of enthusiastic delight at the prospect of carrying all before them. John Beaumont — as chairman of Sir Robert's committee, having been requested to preside — opened the proceedings by express ing his feelings of pride and gratification at seeing the hall so well filled with a respectable and influential assemblage. He begged to remind them of the immense advantages which Dumbleton had for many years de rived from being represented in Parliament by a man of such undoubted reputation as Sir Robert Verney ; and he recounted in very forcible language, the numerous merits of that gentleman, and the many valuable services which he had rendered, not only to Dumbleton, but to the country at large.