Sackcloth and Broadcloth. A novel

Chapter I. On The Riviera

' And drags at each remove a lengthening chain.' UCH, allegorically, wras Claire Bailey's state, as, after accom panying her mother from place to place on the continent, they finally settled down for a while at Mentone, the last station on that renowned line of outworks against ' Pallida Mors,' known as the Riviera. Claire's father had died at an early age from consumption ; this Lady Laura bore ever in mind as she watched through the different stages of her child's depression, and VOL. III. A noted the ravages sorrow was making on her fresh young face. That Claire was fretting incessantly there was little doubt, the more so, perhaps, because she but rarely alluded to the cause of her distress ; and it will easily be conceived that, if the child was suffering acutely, the mother suffered even more ; also, that by far the deepest throes these two unselfish natures were enduring, were caused by the silent but only too apparent sorrow of each other.

Had Lady Laura been a father or a brother, she would pro bably have railed furiously against Matthew, perhaps even, as actually happened in a celebrated instance not many years ago, might she have driven up to his paternal seat in a four-in-hand, surrounded by influ ential friends, and demanded, in tones as stern as they were courteous, explanation and satisfaction. But patient, refined, high minded Lady Laura was only a woman ; what could she do in her anguish, her just anger, her despair, but live on, pray, and be patient. Letters from home came but seldom, and when they did come, the tidings they brought were scarcely inspiriting. Matthew had written more than once, but Lady Laura noted the flush on Claire's face as she opened his missives, and how it became overcast as she finished reading them, and she felt seriously inclined to for bid the correspondence, only perhaps she was a little afraid of what effect another violent and sudden wrench might have on her child.

It was a strange whim, which, possessing itself of Matthew's mind at this time, made him write pages on pages about Lady Valentina to Claire, while to the former he had never once spoken of his little self-exiled love. Perhaps when Claire left England she still retained a lingering hope that all was not positively and for ever at an end between her and Matthew ; but now the image of the stately Valentina, as he describes her, with her queenly beauty, her composure and her sterling sense, helping him through all the difficult bits of life, seems ever to stand conspicuously between them. And as she pictures her rival, the last faint scintilla of hope dies out of Claire's heart. That Matthew deserves censure for Claire's sufferings there is little doubt ; still he is not as much to blame as Lady Laura supposes.

Although Valentina, with her fascination of manner ; fascinating, that is, to Matthew — since she possesses the very strength of will in which he himself is wanting — has come between them, yet he has never entirely with drawn his allegiance to Claire. He considers himself as much bound to her now as on the day when, mounted on Prig, he led her across the meadow to Swanover, and asked her mother's consent to their union. He is merely doing as many another man has done before him — he is playing with two hearts. Whether honour will win or lose in the struggle remains to be proved, the issue depending on a great extent on how much sincere honest loyalty Matthew's developing character will evince. In extenuation, too, of his seemingly heartless conduct, be it re membered he has no idea of the amount of pain Claire is enduring.

She had herself suggested a cancelling of their engagement. She had gone abroad without even telling him of her intention ; for all he knew she was enjoying herself excessively, for her letters, ever uncomplaining, were always kind and cheerful. Had any mutual friend hinted to Matthew that pretty Claire, down on the Riviera, was fretting her life away on his account, the human kindness with which his nature abounded, if no stronger feeling, would have taken him at once to Mentone to learn the truth for himself. But no word came to him save from her own pen, so, con demning her a little in his heart for cold ness and want of regard for his feelings, he dawdled by Lady Valentina's side, and left the affair with Claire to ripen or die out, according as the time and place of their next meeting should influence the atmosphere of their hearts.

Meanwhile everything that could be done to distract her mind was put into practice by her anxious mother, even at the risk of burdening her conscience and of shocking Mr Lently, should he happen to learn what was passing, for Claire had been taken to pass a few fleeting hours watching the play at Monte Carlo. Even that haunt of tem pestuous pleasure, with its eager uproarious throng, failed however to afford her excite ment. She wandered about the ' gilded halls.' and felt a little heartsick at the pictures of life there represented ; she would ask her mother not to bring her again — she thought surely it were better to be moped and sad than to take part in such a scene as that. Then she turned to the window and stood leaning against it, gazing dreamily on fair nature as she lay around clad in loveliest sheen, as though striving, by her beauty, to lure away the crowd within the rooms from the fascinations of her powerful rival — the green table.

Had they all been of Claire's mind the feat had not been difficult, but ' Messieurs faites votre jeu,' ' Le jeu est fait' 'Rien ne va plus' 'Sept,' ' Noir,' ' Im paire et impasse] went on incessantly around her as she stood and looked into the world beyond ; while Lady Laura, half amused, half saddened by the scene, was loitering a few yards off. ' Miss Bailey!' exclaimed a voice close to Claire, as though in a tone of wonder at her presence there. She turned instantly, then held out her hand to a young man, who had more than once been her partner at dances in the neighbourhood of Swanover. ' You here ? I had no idea,' he almost stammered. Claire coloured up ; his words seemed to imply a reproach, while in reality he was vexed at being himself caught following to its fullest bent the pleasures offered by the goddess Play Young Leverton had a great respect for the Baileys, and he scarcely wanted them to^know that he had lost large sums that he could ill afford, which they evitably would do from some of the chatterers at Monte Carlo.

Claire's answer somewhat reassured him, however. ' We have only come over from Mentone for an hour or two. I have been ill, and mamma thought the place would amuse me, but it does not' ' Doesn't amuse you ? How odd ! Why, this room represents life in more varied phases than any other in Europe.' ' Very likely ; but to look at the people here makes me, oh, so miserable ! I hope you have not come to play, Mr Leverton ?' ' I only arrived about four days ago,' he answered, falling back once again into stammering. ' I was at home this day last week.' ' Tell me, how is everything looking round about Swanover ? Ravensholme, and all the poor people, I wonder how they are ? ' Yes, Claire's heart was at Swanover, and Lady Laura, who from where she was standing heard this conversation, began to think so.

Mr Leverton was scarcely the sort of man to be able to give her a detailed account of the ailments and requirements of all the Ravensholme cottagers. He tried, however, as well as he could, to furnish her with some home news. ' The Desboroughs have come back from London.' Ah, yes ; the mention of that name did interest Claire, for her colour heightened as he spoke. ' Lord Beaurepaire and his daughter have accompanied them,' he went on. ' I have met Lady Valentina driving about with Mrs Desborough once or twice ; such a beautiful, distinguished - looking girl. Do you know her, Miss Bailey ? ' An almost inarticulate ' No ' fell from Claire's white lips. ' Oh, you will admire her so much, and every one says she is as nice as she is handsome. I am quite in love with her ; but it is no use, for I am afraid some one else is in the field before me.

Some one you know too, Miss Bailey.' Claire did not speak, and Lady Laura did not come to the rescue, because, never having heard anything about Matthew's friendship with Lady Valentina, she did not note the danger signals, or guess what trouble these careless remarks were bringing to her child. Young Leverton went on ; he was only too glad to find what he supposed to be a neutral topic for conversation, so as to keep off any allusion to gambling. ' Of course the Desboroughs would like to the match, they are so terribly addicted to swells — at least Mrs Desborough is, and everybody about seems to regard it as a settled thing.' Fortunately this last speech was too much to the point for Lady Laura any longer to mistake Mr Leverton's meaning. She held out her hand to the young man, who had not noticed her standing partly concealed by a curtain as she did. ' How do you do, Mr Leverton ?

Full of gossip from the home county ? I am glad to hear of old friends, but I think at this moment I am more especially anxious for some descriptive account of the new faces by which we are surrounded. This room is a book that sorely wants an index. Can you supply it ? ' Now Mr Leverton was one of those men who hate to be supposed not to know every thing and everybody who either legitimately or illegitimately has made any mark in the world. Of course he knew the biographies and genealogies of at least half of the there assembled crowd, and he began forthwith to tell her how the fat pompous man over there was a general, who had married beneath him that pretty-looking woman without one ' h ' in her whole vocabulary ; then he proceeded to relate how M — was the lover of Madame ; how the wife of Sir Lewis J — had come there with the husband of Lady C — , till Lady Laura would fain have closed her ears against the horrible tale of fashionable depravity, and at any other time would have silenced him with authority, only anything was better than the discussion of Matthew Desborough and English news.

Finding therefore a pleased ready listener as he thought in Lady Laura, whom till that moment Mr Leverton had believed to be a little strait-laced, he drew such a vivid sketch of Monaco life and manners that the mother, ever thinking of her child, looked round to see what effect this initiation into the details of fast ways and habits might have on her ; but Claire was men tally far away in a dreamland of her own, where Matthew, not Mr Leverton, was playing the prominent part. She scarcely heard that he was speaking, much less did she take in the subject of his discourse. She did not heed him, or would have shown her disapproval, for nothing could be more repulsive to Claire's mind than a minute, almost eulogistic description of the lax con dition of public morals, as it existed in the atmosphere around.

To Lady Laura the account was nauseating in its effect ; though she condemned gambling as a vice, she was little prepared to acknowledge the deep sub stratum of iniquity which lay beneath the seemingly decent manners of the assembled throng. If only half Mr Leverton's account were true, this was scarcely a scene into which she ought to have conducted a pure English girl, even with the strong incen tive that Lady Laura had, and she felt almost inclined to make a formal excuse to Mr Leverton for her daughter's presence. But discretion overcame the desire to speak, especially as when she looked round and saw more than one girl walking about the rooms whose social position was quite the equal of Claire's. Alas for the laxity of an age in which the moral tone has so much degenerated ! Lady Laura waited for a pause in the young man's scandalous reminiscences, then she touched Claire gently on the arm. ' We must go, my child, or we shall scarcely get back to Mentone in time for dinner.

If to those dull quarters have any attraction for you, Mr Leverton, we shall be delighted to see you. I do not think we shall return here.' This was all gentle Lady Laura said in disapprobation. A better example was set by action than by speech, she was wont to aver. And they bade Mr Leverton good bye, and wandered through the gardens, making rather a circuit to reach the carriage in which they had driven from Mentone. 'A foolish babbling boy,' was Lady Laura's stricture on Leverton, as she walked beside Claire, ' he has told me stories about half the people in the room — he knows far too much to be accurate in his knowledge ; in fact, God grant he may not be so.' Claire did not answer, the only gossip she had heard from Mr Leverton had Matthew's letters to verify it ; thus, how could she flatter herself that it was untrue ?

Had he not written pages about Lady Valentina ? What then more likely than, now that he had a large fortune to offer, he should make this great lady his wife. Poor little Claire was very humble about her own attributes, and she was quite ready to believe that she was very inferior in every way to Lady Valen tina. It was only natural, she thought, that Matthew should be impressed by this great beauty, since every one agreed she was so handsome and so good and nice ; but still it was very very hard to bear, and the thought of her rival made her very unhappy, notwithstanding the excuse of perfection with which Claire tried to invest her. All the way back to Mentone Claire was quite silent, and Lady Laura wished they had never gone to Monte Carlo, or at all events had not met Mr Leverton there.

Arrived at the hotel, there was a letter from Matthew lying on the table. It contained only a few, a very sew lines, simply stating the fact that he was going home shortly to Vantage. His reasons for throwing up his work so abruptly he did not give her ; it would not have occurred to Matthew to treat Claire to the long dissertations about Wharton's philosophy he had inflicted on Valentina. What, then, could she suppose but that he was going to Vantage solely for Valentina's sake, and with an ' Ah! ' that to Lady Laura's quick ear was pregnant with meaning, she thrust the letter into her pocket and walked away to change her dress for dinner. VOL. III. B

Chapter II. Pairing

T was the first spring day. The party from Montarlis Castle had driven over to luncheon at Vantage, where of course they met the never failing Mr Sivewright. It is not to be supposed that Mrs Des borough, because she occasionally assembled her friends round her, grieved for and talked of her son George any the less ; quite the contrary, only hers was not the sort of nature that could pine in solitude. No, her sorrow required an audience to stimulate it ; but about all things Mrs Desborough, in society's world and in the private recesses Pairing. 19 of her own apartment, was a very different individual. After luncheon a walk had been suggested by Violet, and seconded by Lord Beaure paire. No one else seemed particularly inclined to sally forth, till it occurred to Lady Valentina that it were as well per haps that she should accompany them, in order to chaperone her father, and then Mr Sivewright offered to make one of the party.

So they sallied forth, leaving Mrs Desborough to pour her sorrows into the duchess's sympathetic ear, while the squire dawdled through the afternoon by himself in his own room, where, however, his studies made by no means the valuable progress they used to do before the death of his elder son. For hours he would sit among his papers without looking at them, his thoughts far away. He was fretting out his heart in solitude, and yet his wife invariably gave him credit for caring more for his fusty researches than for the passing away of a whole line of Desboroughs. How apt are quiet undemonstrative natures to be wholly misunderstood ! An opportunity to begin a conversation with Mr Sivewright about Matthew was just what Lady Valentina had been seeking for the last two days. During this walk surely an auspicious moment would offer itself, and so it did, for Mr Sivewright was almost as anxious to sound Lady Valentina on the subject of her feelings for Matthew as the young lady was to extract from him his opinions anent Matthew's longer residence in the Whartonian household.

As far as playing chaperone to Lord Beaurepaire went, Lady Valentina soon dis covered that she might as well have re mained indoors ; he and Mrs Tremayne paired off forthwith, walking a great deal faster than would have suited the style of the queenly Valentina, who was thus left Pairing. 21 nolens volens in the charge of the Rev. Lawrence, in whom she had a far more ardent admirer than she in the very least suspected. She knew that Mr Sivewright was the mundane friend as well as the spiritual director of both the duchess and Mrs Desborough, and that when those ladies were together it was with some difficulty that he contrived to divide his attention so equally as to give dissatisfaction to neither. She also knew that Mr Sivewright objected strongly to Mrs Tremayne. For this very reason, perhaps, she herself had first con ceived a regard for him ; but what she did not know was, that the Vicar of Fernwood-cum-Grasdale had more than once thought that to render that same vicarage quite Utopian, was wanting the presence of such a superb aristocratic beauty as was the Lady Valentina.

True, for many years Mr Sivewright had deemed that it would be ill in accordance with his highly philosophical tendencies to shackle their freedom by putting his neck into the matrimonial noose ; but the acquaintance he had lately formed with Lady Valentina had made him to a great extent forego his ideas on the subject. Only there was Matthew ; he was not quite sure about the reciprocal feelings of these two young people, and the Rev. Lawrence Sivewright was keenly alive to the fact that his entering the lists as the rival of Matthew Desborough would be essentially ridiculous. It was not because he believed his chance of success to be inferior to Matthew's that he took this view of the case, but simply because he thought a passage at arms between him and this boy would be absurd. They sauntered on slowly together for some time, talking pleasantly and intellectu ally.

Mr Sivewright, be it observed, was partial to the society of intellectual women, the duchess, perhaps, being the only one Pairing. 23 of his ' very dear friends ' in whom physical attractions were the sole fascination. Lady Valentina was not clever in the strict sense of the word ; her brain was incapable of producing a single original idea ; but she was well read, and remembering what she had read, was always prepared to reproduce it at the right moment. Thus she presented a very good imitation of a blue stocking ; moreover, she never condescended to talk nonsense. At last, when they had passed the vicar age house, gone across the glebe, through a wood there was to the left, walked about two miles in fact, always keeping Lord Beaurepaire and Mrs Tremayne more or less in view, Lady Valentina began the subject she had been seeking to introduce ever since they started from Vantage.

It came up quite naturally at this juncture. They had been discussing the political posi tion of Europe, and had somehow strayed into a conversation on its relations with pro phecy, of which Lady Valentina had been reading in some recently published pamphlet. It was a relation which Mr Sivewright scouted, and he refuted the argument ad duced with so much energy and cleverness, that Lady Valentina exclaimed, — ' How charming it is to hear you talk ! So strange that in London I do not know a single clergyman intimately, so have no one to put me right in matters of difficulty. I often do wish I had some master-mind to consult' The Rev. Lawrence smiled benignly; per haps he took this speech of Valentina's for encouragement. She went on, — ' I have had it in my head for the last two days to ask you about something, Mr Sivewright.

I wonder if you would mind ? ' ' In anything that I can be of service to you, Lady Valentina, pray command me — always.' Pairing. 25 ' It is a matter of conscience,' she said, looking rather shy and speaking very low, as she proceeded to state her case to the divine whose opinion she craved, while Mr Sivewright looked consciously grateful for the choice which had fallen on him. Although no confessor by name or practice, nothing afforded him more gratification than to be selected as the confidential possessor of the catalogue raisonnd of a woman's shortcomings. ' Say on, dear lady, and be assured of my secrecy and discretion.' 'Well, you know, Mr Sivewright, I have been brought up from babyhood in good old-fashioned Church of England principles. Ritualism perplexes me, while Heterodoxy, as it presents itself in the so-called philosophical opinions of the day, seems so contrary to everything one has been taught to believe, that it quite frightens me.' ' Why go out of the good old-established path to investigate either creed ? ' asked Mr Sivewright, while he looked just a little bit disappointed.

Probably he had expected a different confession. ' One cannot always close one's ears to every call,' answered Lady Valentina, ' especially when the voice that asks counsel of you is that of a friend.' ' No, truly. But unless I know the precise facts of the case, I cannot give an opinion.' ' Confidentially, then, it is about Matthew Desborough I want to speak to you,' and Lady Valentina blushed, while Mr Sivewright — but no, he did not change countenance, he only looked as though he would fain read her through and through. Matthew Desborough ! when would Mat thew Desborough's affairs cease to be the main topic of discussion among his friends, he wondered ; but he concealed from Lady Valentina the knowledge that this subject had begun to bore him. Pairing. 27 ' Poor Matthew ! ' he said, after a second's pause. ' Has he been getting into fresh difficulties.

I am afraid he is of too sensi tive a nature to make much way against the troubles and temptations of life.' ' That is just it. Matthew is scrupulous and conscientious to a fault — not that I think it a fault — there must be something so grand, so honest, so saint-like in a character that is in constant fear of acting disloyally both to God and man ; but knowing as we do what Matthew feels about all these things, don't you think we ought to help him as much as we can out of difficulties, instead of urging him into them ? ' ' Who has been urging him into diffi culties ? ' I am afraid you and I are not exempt. How so ?' . ' Well, you know, Mr Sivewright, that since poor George Desborough's death Matthew has been a great deal with us, and both my father and I take the very live liest interest in him — in fact one cannot help doing so, he is so very amiable and con fiding.

I think, too, he sets some store on our — that is, on my opinion.' Mr Sivewright smiled, but did not speak, but he thought he saw Lady Valentina rapidly disappearing from the imaginary place she had held for a brief space in Fernwood Vicarage. She went on, — 'A short time ago I advised Matthew to return to Mr Wharton's for a few months, so as to fit himself by study and argument the better to hold his position in life. I have, however, since had cause to waver in my judgment.' ' And your reasons are ? ' ' That I don't believe Mr Wharton to be a Christian.' ' Ah ! What has that to do with Matthew's secular studies ?' ' Mr Sivewright, I am surprised. I thought Pairing. 29 that you, as a clergyman, would be shocked and horrified.' The Rev. Lawrence scarcely liked to feel that he had lost way with Lady Valentina, so he shifted his ground somewhat, and said rather sternly for him, — ' Lady Valentina, I may speak to you, candidly may I not, as to a woman possess ing much common sense ? ' She bowed her head and accepted the compliment. ' There has been far too much talk and fuss made over Matthew.

He has been coddled and all his fancies listened to, till he has become a mental malade imaginaire. Why on earth should he not rough it with other young men ? Now that he is heir of Vantage, the question of orders is, I presume, set at rest for ever. Let him go then where he can learn the greatest amount about life in the shortest possible time. Books will not teach him the things he ought to know, or transform him from a sick hermit into a hale squire.' ' You are rather severe, Mr Sivewright,' she remarked, for no one perhaps had ever heard so much acerbity in the Rev. Lawrence's tones before. ' The case merits it,' he answered ; ' they are the truest friends to Matthew who do not pamper him.' Pamper him ! had she been pampering him, she wondered, and they walked along for some little distance together without speaking ; each was holding a mirror in order to reflect feeling, both rather unsuc cessfully, as feelings seldom allow themselves to be clearly and distinctly reflected.

When next they spoke, the subject of Matthew, which evidently irritated Mr Sivewright as much as a man of his placid temperament could be irritated, was waived, and he said in his usual bland unctuous voice,- — ' A lovely bit of landscape just here ; it is Pairing. 31 worthy of Constable. I hope you appreciate the art that represents nature faithfully, Lady Valentina ? ' She did not paint herself, but was an ardent admirer of fine pictures, had been in many of the great continental galleries, and so they fell to discussing the varied features of the several European schools, Mr Sive wright interesting as well as surprising Lady Valentina not a little by his knowledge and remarks, during which Matthew's fierce struggles with life were alike forgotten by them both, till at last this discussion was interrupted by their coming abruptly on the other couple, who, not knowing the country as well as Mr Sivewright did, had followed a path which they supposed would take them back to Vantage, but which had circuitously led them back to its commencement.

It mattered but little whether a conversation on art were continued or arrested, it could be resumed at any moment ; but the topic Lord Beaurepaire and the pretty widow had been discussing was evidently of a much more delicate nature. The old earl looked earnest and devoted, while on Violet's face there was a deep flush. She sprang towards Lady Valentina when she saw her, thereby disengaging her hand from that of Lord Beaurepaire, and hoping that the little manœuvre might pass unperceived. She looked at Mr Sivewright : by the cynical curl of his lip she knew that nothing had escaped him. Had the duchess gained his silence. That was all she hoped ? ' We have been wondering where you had strolled to, Mrs Tremayne ? We scarcely expected to find our lost Pearl at this corner.' A paleness, as of death, spread itself over Violet's face, so much so that Lady Valen tina, though disliking her most intensely, yet felt her womanly kindness aroused as she looked at her, for she said with less hauteur Pairing. 33 than she usually displayed when addressing Mrs Tremayne. ' You seem tired.

Shall we sit on the trunk of this old tree for a few minutes ? The air is so balmy we can scarcely take cold.' A very few minutes' rest, and the gentle men suggested that a chill might come if they stayed longer, and having delegated to Mr Sivewright the office of pioneer, the little party set off for Vantage by a short route. The pairing, however, for that day was at an end. Lady Valentina and Mrs Tre mayne walked together, the two men a few paces in front. Either Violet did not care to trust the Rev. Lawrence alone with Lady Valentina after what he had just said, or she was a little ashamed of the very flagrant flirtation in which she had been surprised, for she remained close to Lady Valentina's side, making herself so agreeable and fas cinating all the while, that by the time they VOL. III. c had reached Vantage Lady Valentina had almost forgotten her prejudices against Mrs Tremayne.