Jack's Cousin Kate. A novel

Front matter

JACK'S COUSIN KATE. a i&obel. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY E. C. KENYON. " I make a picture in the brain." In Memoeiam. VOL II. ILotiBon : REMINGTON AND CO., New Bond Street, W. 1883. [All Rights Reserved.] CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE. I. Tennis Party at Taliesin Hall j II. Jack Harvey's Walking Tour 21 III. Setting off for Tal-y-llyn 36 IV. Tal-y-llyn 59 V. Eisteddfod at Borth 85 VI. In the Duff ryn Valley... ... ... ... ... 102 VII. Mynydd-Coch 143 VIII. Lost 167 IX. Among the Mynydd-Coch Bogs 188 X. Home again ... ... ... 215 XI. Barmouth 233 XII. On the Hill

Chapter I. Tennis Party At Taliesin Hall

A chiel's am ang you takin' notes. Burns. It was a very pretty tennis party. Every thing was exceedingly recherche and select. In honour of its being Fannie's birthday all the unmarried ladies, with the exception of Kate, were in white, and very charming they looked. So at least thought the gentlemen, of whom, including young and old, about a score were present. The ladies numbered about a third more. And Kate, in her simple, well-fitting black grenadine — with one splendid white rose gathered for her ex pressly for the occasion by Hubert — looked as well or better than any of them. There VOL. II. u was not a doubt about that, at least not in any unprejudiced masculine mind. The prejudiced were three. First, little Richards, who trotted about after Sophy Morgan, talking a great amount of nonsense and longing very much to sing.

Second, James Hughes, who secretly admired Kathleen's dark and somewhat peculiar style of beauty, but who never yet had advanced any further towards the expression of his sentiments than a melancholy sigh and a headlong rush to help her, whenever she needed assistance or any of those little courtesies which it is always so pleasing to a woman to receive. And the third was Dr. Griffiths, who perhaps admired Kate as much as anyone, but who always loyally placed his wife first in any estimation of other ladies, even of their appearance, which some considered a point that might be waived. It was a lovely day, neither too hot nor too cold. The sky was blue, interspersed here and there with feathery white clouds, which bore the happy characteristics of only lookino ornamental and not threatening.

The hills were at their greenest, the larches on the one opposite Taliesin were in full foliage and in the height of their summer beauty, not a leaf of them having as yet changed colour from the rich hue usually only to be seen for a few weeks in July and August, while the mountains beyond, Cader Idris, Aran Mowddy and Pen Daran were veiled in a bluish-purple haze, which was at least suggestive of as many charms as it concealed. There they stood, in their majestic grandeur, making such a background to the picture as mountain scenery alone can supply, and showing themselves a lofty emblem of the truest and highest greatness which enhances, instead of annihilating all minor points of beauty in that which is immediately surrounding. Just as the sun lends its brightness to every other object, to be in no way impoverished thereby itself, but only to be all the more clearly seen in its own resplendent glory.

Taliesin Hall was looking at its best, too, with its doors and windows standing hospit ably open, and everything within and with out in first-class order, thanks to Kate's able management. The hall, drawing and dining rooms and even the library were perfect bowers of ferns and flowers, while the garden had never been known to be in such excellent order, at any rate not since it had been under the care of Uncle Hugh. The roses, it is true, were not all so perfect as they might have been if it had not been such a particularly wet season, but what there were had been made the most of, and the geraniums, calceolarias and other hot-house flowers, which had been planted out late on account of the weather, were unusually fine. The shrubs, too, of which there was a good number in other places, as well as by the drive, had thriven in the rain and looked very well.

On account of there being only two tennis grounds, there were, of course, many present who could play and who yet had to wait their turn as patiently as they could, and amongst these Kate, who was still not in good practice, goodnaturedly took her place. She was very happy, perhaps more so than she had ever been before. In fact, she felt quite ashamed of her own good spirits — dressed in such deep mourning as she was. But Frank was standing by her side. How then could she be sad ? He had brought her a chair just before, and still lingered near her. She had been urging him to play, as, in his position, it was desirable he should mingle with the guests and take an active part in leading their amusements. But he would not be persuaded. " Not unless you do, Miss Montague," he had replied in his slow way, raising his long eye-lashes for a moment or two to look down upon her with his beautiful blue eyes, and then dropping them lazily again as if to hide their eloquent appeal.

Kate coloured. She dare not look towards where Mrs. Hughes was sitting, ostensibly engaged in conversation with her great friend Mrs. Morgan, but really attending more to what was passing with them. Frank lowered his voice when he spok e again . "You never come to the library now for a book, I believe," he said. Kate looked up quickly. " I have not much time for reading," she said. " And how can you know when I go there when you live in town ?" " I am here almost every day," he said, " and in that room most of all. Can you not come sometimes ? " Kate was prevented replying by the Rector, who addressed her from the other side. "You are making a long stay in Wales, Miss Montague," he said, in a tone of half inquiry. A speech of such length from him was surprising ; but it had been prompted by his wife, who had asked him to try and get to know how long she would be in the neigh bourhood.

" For there is our Charlie coming home from the Continent," she said, " and it will be most serious if he falls in love with her." Poor Kate, in her penniless beauty, was a terror to all anxious, match-making mothers for miles round. Mrs. Morgan had said that the night before, and her husband had replied by timidly requesting her to be so good as to put the question herself, but she knew better than to do so. " Miss Montague will never tell me her plans," she said. " I don't get on well with her ; she is so reserved and taciturn. But she may tell you ; I have noticed she talks freely enough with some people — mostly gen tlemen. I believe" (rather savagely) "those fair girls are always flirts. Yes, she may tell you, for I don't believe you've asked her a question in the whole course of your ac quaintance."

That last remark was true enough. Mr. Morgan was indeed innocent of ever asking o o questions, knowing, as he did, that his good lady asked sufficient for ■ them both. But now he knew who would conquer in the end, so he gave in like a wise man, and said, albeit with a sigh, that he would try what he could do. Mrs. Morgan's " "Well, indeed you must, for I want to know," had clenched the vic tory on her part, and hence his unwonted curiosity and conversational exertion. "Yes, I am, Mr. Morgan," replied Kate, quite taken off her guard, " and my kind friends will not hear of my going away ; but I don't know." She began to look uneasy, and for the first time found herself wondering what people would think about her being so long there. O O " When we're tired of you, Kate, we'll tell you," broke in Mr. Hughes, who was never very far from the Rector on such occasions as these.

" And that will be never, I am sure," said Mr. Morgan, with his most benign smile. " I don't know," said Mr. Hughes roughly, but giving Kate a kindly pat on the shoulder to reassure her. " She might turn out awk ward. Frank, you lazy fellow ! " he ex claimed, suddenly noticing his son's presence. " Why don't you go and play ? " " It is too hot," answered Frank indolently. " Too hot, indeed ! I don't remember it was ever too hot for me when I was young ! " quoth his father in a very indignant tone. " Were there tennis parties in those days, Mr. Hughes ? " asked Kate, innocently. Whereupon Frank bowed, and murmured " Thanks," because he thought she was taking his part. " Get along with you," said Mr. Hughes, pretending not to hear, " Get along with you, Frank, for a lazy good-for-nothing, and tell the servants to bring some champagne and iced claret out here, instead of waiting in the hall with them, as I at first directed, thinking anyone who liked could go there for refreshment."

Frank went slowly towards the house. " Miss Montague," cried Hugh, hurrying up, " Miss Montague, are you enjoying your self?" Kate smiled, " I am enjoying the view and the tennis playing and everything, thank you,'' she said. " I am very glad. I feared you would find it so wretchedly dull and stupid." Kate wondered why he should. " Because it must be slow for you sitting still, with only elderly people," he said, ignoring his nephew's presence. Kate thought he was then and always strangely unconscious of Frank's attractive qualities. But the fact was, he thought his nephew, knowing his intentions, would never for a moment think of endeavour ing to frustrate them. And, as for Frank's superiority in any way, he was completely unconscious of it. Some people have no idea of beauty, and he had none.

If he thought anything about it at all, he imagined he was quite as good looking as his nephew. He was only a little sensitive about being so small, but he knew he was far richer than Frank would ever be, and he believed that would quite make up for it. " For shame, Hugh," exclaimed his brother, " to apply such an epithet to Mr. Morgan and myself 1" " I — I beg your pardon, Rice, and Mr. Morgan's, too ; I was only thinking Miss Montague would find it slow." "Worse and worse," growled his brother, in well-feigned wrath. " Why should she when I am here, and the Rector, to say nothing of Frank ? " " Indeed, I think it must have been very lively for Miss Montague," said Kathleen, coming languidly towards them. " Where have you been burying yourself, my child ? " asked her father. " I have been sitting at the other side of the tennis grouud with the Misses Toft and Mrs. Masters, and none of you gentlemen came near us."

" Ah ! well, well, you must excuse us. Don't you know we are shy, and like to keep together," said Mr. Hughes. " Shy, indeed ! " exclaimed Kathleen, in a tone and with an air of affected anger, " You remind me of Mark Twain ; what was that he said about himself and his companions being unprotected gentlemen, alone in a foreign country ? " However, no one remembered the quo tation, which did not much matter, as Frank just then returned with the servants carrying wine, ices, &c, and their arrival effectually prevented coherent conversation. Kate rose and offered her chair to Kath leen. "You look tired, Miss Morgan," she said kindly, " and I should like to stand a little." " Thank you," said Kathleen, accepting it at once, " you are very kind. I will take a little claret, if you please." This last to Frank, who was asking her, with a rather stoical expression on his handsome face, what she would have.

As it took him some time, in his deliberate way, to wait upon them all, Kate, who was standing doing nothing, handed one or two of the glasses for him, which made Mr. Hugh Hughes hasten off to get her another chair. He did not like her to assume for a moment any of the duties which might have devolved upon her as lady-help. " Thank you, Miss Montague," said Kath leen, with a sardonic smile, as she took her glass of claret from her hand. She did not like Frank, but she liked him to pay her a little attention in society, and she thought Kate might have her own object in prevent ing his doing so. She did not think very deeply about anything ; only that was upper most in her thoughts just then. However, she was too much a woman of the world to show what she felt; so she turned to talk to Mr. Hughes.

"What extraordinary facility," she was beginning, when an interruption occurred which effectually prevented the handing down to posterity of the remainder of that, her maiden speech. James came hurrying up from the tennis ground, racquet in hand, head and shoulders first and long legs flying after, in his usual headlong way. " Look, Dad," he cried. " Look on that hill. Who is it ?" "Who? What?" all exclaimed, looking ■* O at the hill where grew the stags-horn-moss. An object, which seemed in the distance to be about the size and have much of the ap pearance of a stick with one end inserted in the ground, was standing on the otherwise smooth brow of the hill. " It is some one watching us," said Mrs. Morgan. There would have been nothing at all un usual in that if the hill had not been so steep and high.

For their poorer neighbours often came to watch them from a smaller eminence. But it was rare indeed for any of them to climb such a tremendous hill without some purpose sufficiently important to compensate for the exertion. They would walk miles to attend a fair, or to hear a ser mon, or in Welsh fashion (in the chapels) succession of sermons, but that was quite another thing, and they would not take so much trouble merely to overlook a party or to have a more extensive view. Besides, the hill was the property of Mr. Hughes, and he and his business-like son James knew that none of the servant-men would be likely to be up there just then looking after the sheep. Altogether, whoever it might be, the figure upon the hill aroused their curiosity, and made them suspect the presence of some stranger in that out-of-the-way place.

" We are overlooked," cried Kathleen, in a tone of wounded dignity. " Indeed, but it is a breach of manners in someone," said her mother. " Humph ! It is only someone wanting to see what is going on," said Mr. Hughes. " Impertinent creature ! " said his wife. " Perhaps it is an admirer of Fannie's, who wishes to pay his respects to her, on this her natal day, and whose ambition thereto has soared so high as to carry him to the top of the hill instead of to the party," suggested Dr. Griffiths drolly. " What a gifted man ! you're too clever to live, Dr. Griffiths ; of course that is it ! " cried James. "Where is she? Where is the heroine of the romance ? " asked someone else. "Hubert, go and fetch Fannie," said James. " Where is she ? " said the boy shyly. He was present very much against his in clination, and solely because his mother wished it.

And he was ready to go anywhere to be out of the gaiety which was, in an op posite way, quite as uncongenial to his feel ings as the gloomy little iron church. " She's playing on the other tennis ground; run," said James. Hubert went to tell her, and then slipped quietly away. He, too, was curious about the object on the hill, but his curiosity was not sufficiently great to cause him to return among all the visitors; it only kept him hanging about in the background. "You might come with me," said Fannie, when she was summoned. "Not I," the boy had replied; "but perhaps I'd better tell you something has happened." " What is it ? " But Hubert had slipped away, so Fannie came to those who had sent for her, looking very rosy and excited, and followed by the other tennis players and their onlookers, whose curiosity had been aroused.

"Come and look at your admirer, Fan," said her father, laughing and carrying on the joke. " I haven't got one, and I'm sure I don't want one either," cried Fannie very seriously, changing colour and feeling very much distressed to find herself the cynosure of so many eyes. "Why do you call him mine?" she went on excitedly, as she found they were all laughing. " Why, whose admirer should he be but yours, coming on your birthday like this," said James mischievously. " And testifying to his regard for you in this public manner," said Dr. Griffiths. Fannie almost began to cry, and looked helplessly around. Kate took her hand and smiled reassuringly at the troubled, blushing face. " Don't mind them, Fannie," she said, in a low voice, " they're only joking." " Never mind, Fannie dear, I'll fetch my gun and shoot him," said James, laughing noisily.

" Be quiet, James," said their father. " Cheer up, Fannie, my love, we will not have anything to do with such an ill-mannered fellow." " I don't care," pouted Fannie. " Oh ! look ! see, Mr. Hughes, what is he doing now ? " cried Kathleen. The stick had developed a knitting-needle sort of arm, which it waved first to one side and then the other, finally pointing it straight at them. " What is it ? What is it ? " was the universal cry. " You should not have spoken so loud, James," said one of his friends, " when you mentioned firearms, perhaps he is going to shoot us now." VOL. II. C There was a general laugh. " What is he doing ? " almost screamed the excitable Kathleen. "Humph! it's only someone watching us through a glass ; pray calm yourselves, ladies," said their host. " Shall I shoot him," persisted James absurdly.

" You'd better get a similar weapon to that which he is pointing at us," said Dr. Griffiths. "Bring a telescope; yes, do bring a telescope," said more than one or two voices. " Shall I go for one ? " asked Frank, in his ■slow way. " You," said his brother slightingly ; " even his persistent gaze might be wearied out by the time you returned. I will go myself." Away he went, head and shoulders first, while the tedium of waiting was relieved by another general laugh both at him and his brother. The telescope was soon brought, however, and dutifully handed to Mr. Hughes, who declared he could not see through it. TENNIS PART? AT TALIESIN HALL. 19 " You try, my dear," he said to Kate, who happened to be near him. ■' Kate's quick eyes perceived the figure of a tall young man, dressed in grey serge, with a soft grey cap, and with a small black bag strapped across his shoulders.

Those were her first impressions, which she quickly im parted to the others. " And what is the arm ? " asked Dr. Griffiths. " Is it a telescope as we suspect ? " " Tt is," replied Kate. Then something in the young man's motionless figure struck her as being strangely familiar. That attitude, who was it always stood just so, with his head thrown back in a half-defiant manner ? She was puzzled. " Wait one moment, please," she said, in answer to James' impatient, " Oh ! I say, can a fellow have a look, now, Miss Montague ? " " Wait, please," she went on almost breathlessly. In a moment or two her face lighted up into a smile, at first rather incredulous and then of intense amusement. She laid the telescope down on her knee, laughing heartily. " What is the matter ? " cried Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Morgan and half a dozen more ladies.

Kate could not answer ; but she took the glass up again and tried to look through it in vain. She could not see for the mist before her eyes. She could do nothing but laugh ;. and well she might laugh, too, for she had discovered whom the intruder happened to be. It was her cousin, Jack Harvey. He was taking a survey of " the savages."

Chapter II. Jack Harvey's Walking Tour

As the earth when leaves are dead, As the night when sleep is sped, As the heart when joy is fled, I am left alone, alone. Shelley. When Kate went away it seemed to Jack Harvey as though all the sunshine had suddenly faded out of his life. His buoyant spirits had before that risen and fallen intermittently, according to circumstances, like the mercury of a barometer. He had been all gloom and despair after that first interview with Kate when she was left alone in the world, and all hope and expectation when the storm had blown over, and he had been, as he thought, restored to favour. After he had seen his cousin off at Euston Square, for her new home, he felt very much distressed and became somewhat taciturn and morose. What his thoughts were it would be difficult to describe, but the leading ideas in his mind seemed to be that, at all hazards, he must rescue Kate as soon as possible from the terrible things which he was certain were in store for her.

Mingled with this feeling was one of joy that he had succeeded in doing something for his idol. She had accepted his present, that was so much gain to his side of the case. Then the note in the purse. Poor boy. He could but flatter himself that Kate would think ever so much more of him when she found it and perused its contents. And all this was followed, as was natural in a high-spirited youth, by Jack making a firm resolve to work harder than ever to prepare for his examinations, and win his spurs with as much glory as possible. He thought it would all lead one way, towards the attainment of his one desired object. But he was only a youth ; and, in the hey-day of life, such sanguine dreams and wild flights of fancy will seem to overcome all obstacles and gain for us all our wishes. At that age our imaginations picture glorious things, and JACK HARVE_'S WALKING TOUR. 23 we fancy that, though others may have been compelled at length to admit the uncertainty and illusiveness of life, yet that we shall escape their fate and obtain all our desires when some great event or other happens for us.

Such is being in love. Ah ! happy youth. How soon do thy dreams flee away, and the growing coldness of what was once most ardent affection prove to us all alike that this is a world of change. Jack set to work in real earnest that very evening. He never took long to put any good resolution into practice. The books on his little shelf were brought into greater requisition than ever. They were more frequently to be found lying open on his writing table, with slips of paper par tially covered with notes inserted between the open pages, showing how thoroughly he performed his tasks. And not only were his books brought into greater requisition, his pipe, too, was made to do extra duty. Some men cannot use their brains without the aid of tobacco. It soothes them, they say, and helps them won derfully.

Jack from the time he became a medical student had allowed himself that luxury. Most of his fellow-students smoked. His father, too, was a smoker, so he followed his example in becoming one. It is a won derful "weed" is tobacco. It has had a share in many abstruse calculations. The amiability which Jack displayed to wards his fellow-students had secured for him a fair share of that regard which such young men generally give to those who, being con temporary with themselves, know how to be tolerably agreeable and companionable. It is a very fleeting thing, which often lasts no longer than the acquaintance, although in after life, when chance throws former fellow students together for a brief period, the old affection sometimes blossoms forth in quite a new and a very delightful way. But Jack's abilities were such as to cause his fellow students to add respect to their regard for him.

Harvey and his opinion always com manded attention. Hence what he did and how he acted were of more importance, and possessed more interest to the others than is usual under similar circumstances. Such being the case, it was no wonder that his companions began to remark that he had undergone a change. It was generally ascribed to his studiousness, and this no doubt had something to do with it ; but that plodding perseverance in hard work, that easy " don't care " way in which he would often escape from uncongenial amusements and lazy, light-hearted companions, were the result of Jack's determination to work for and win his princess, as he delighted to call Kate to himself. He frequently wondered why she had not written to him again since she had gone away. She had merely sent him a short note announcing her arrival, thanking him for his present, and promising to write again when she had more leisure ; and, unfortunately, she had omitted to put anything at the head of her letter but " Taliesin Hall, North Wales."

Jack had entirely forgotten the name of her post town, Melynbrehedyn, and he felt uncertain as to her address, for, on consulting a guide to North Wales, he dis covered that other Taliesin, viz., the village and grave of the bard of that name, which has been already mentioned in these pages, and it had puzzled him very much, for he knew Kate had not gone there. Perhaps, he thought, there was another Taliesin Hall there, and if he wrote, his letter might be opened by some horrid creature, who would laugh over it and consider it a good joke, or it might be returned to the pitiless hands of a lot of clerks in the dead letter office. It did not occur to him that they are used to the ways of letter-writers, whether senti mental or matter-of-fact, and that they treat such things as matters of business, never troubling their heads with the contents of letters beyond the name and address of the writers, to whom they have to be returned.

So he decided he would not run any risk, but would wait as quietly as he could for Kate's next letter. One day, however, as he was thinking about that letter which never came, and the letter to Kate which he dared not write, a thought flashed through his mind, and quickening his step — for he was in the street at the time — he muttered to himself, but so loudly that he might easily have been overheard — " The very thing ! Grand ! I might have thought of it sooner ! " O He strode into a shop forthwith, and pur chased a little phial of a cream-like sort of liquid, and then he went home to carry out the rest of his idea. And first he sharpened pencils and spent quite half an hour in seek ing suitable material upon which to operate. Oh ! the bread he wasted, cleaning paper which was eventually consigned to the empty grate, behind the gaudy ornament which all summer hung in front of the fire-place in his sitting-room.

That ornament was looking rather forlorn now, but it had once seen better days, and had been considered a very grand one indeed. What it had been and how long since were two things which would require a great deal of calculation ; in fact, no one but Jack's landlady would have been equal to the effort, and no one but herself would have been competent to understand the heterogeneous way in which she would achieve the feat. For she, good soul, mixed up years with events and events with years in such a manner that she would probably have stated that the fire ornament was new the second summer after her poor dear Jemima's Tommy, that's dead a nd gone this seven year come next Easter, was a baby. The remainder of that day and a great part of the next were devoted by Jack to the great work he had taken in hand for Kate, and at last it was completed, not entirely to his satisfaction, but he thought " Darling Kate," printed so beautifully in luminous paint, would answer his purpose, and be a bright reminder to Kate of his affection for herself.

Having something to send, he now sought more zealously than ever to discover Kate's address, and there in the atlas, at which he had so often gazed despairingly, was the name of her post town. Jack recognised it in a moment, and wondered he had not done so before. Hurrah ! Now he would write, and he did so at once, only spoiling some half dozen envelopes over the address which was such a queer thing to indite. Jack thought it most absurd to give a place such a name as that, with its confused unortho graphical mixing of vowels and consonants, the latter having much the best of it. Then for the letter; there was almost as much paper wasted over it too. Jack's brain being stirred by many conflicting thoughts, the idea of going some day to rescue Kate out of the wild uncivilized country into which he thought she had banished herself, occurred to him, and he alluded to it in his letter.