Dolly Loraine

Front matter

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Chapter I

Breakfast was over at St. Mildred's on the morning after the ball ; Humphrey was gone to his work, Lettice had disappeared, and Mrs. Armstrong was sitting alone in her little drawing-room, when General Brereton was announced. The close friendship between them dated from very early years. An only child herself, he had always been to her the nearest approach to a brother she had ever known, for as a boy he had always spent part of his holidays with an uncle, who was the rector of the country parish in which her father lived after his re- VOL. it. tirement from business. On his side the feel ing had been even stronger, and she had been the object of a steady, life-long attachment, which had effectually prevented his marriage with anyone else. She had refused him before her own marriage, and again after her early widowhood, and then once more long after wards when, on his return from service in India, he had found her soon after her son's death, hidden from the world at Scot's Gap, in real poverty and with an almost broken heart.

She had parted with her fortune to shield her son's good name, and she had taken upon herself the charge of his orphan chil dren. Douglas Brereton would even then have gladly shared her burdens with her, but to that she would not consent, and he had been obliged to content himself with helping her in every way that was possible without wounding her pride. He had never concealed from her that he disapproved in many ways of the line she had taken, but as his influence was not strong enough to dissuade her from following it, he had, after the first, only ex pressed his opinion at long intervals and on special occasions. '' I am an early visitor," he said, as he came in, " but I know you will excuse it." " It is a pleasant surprise," was the cordial reply. " I was half afraid that I was not to see you at all this time."

" I only came back on Tuesday, as you know," he said. " Engagements have been many, and I find years begin to tell. I can not keep going without intermission, as one used to do, or I should have been here before. I am on my way to the station as it is, and have very little time to spare — but I wanted to see you. Judith ! how much do the young ones tell you as to their private affairs ? " Mrs. Armstrong looked up with quick, anxious interrogation. 17* " One may know a great deal," she said, "and yet never even suspect that there is more to be known." " Exactly. Well ; I am bound to no secrecy as to my own doings, and I think it right to tell you that yesterday I gave Philip my consent to his marrying Lettice if he could obtain hers — and I promised to make things as easy as I could for him."

" How very kind ! " exclaimed Mrs. Arm strong. " It is more than I had any right to expect, Douglas." " It was only just, in my opinion," replied General Brereton ; " but I learn this morning that at the ball last night she refused him. She prefers, she says, to make a career for herself as an actress. I am sorry for Phil's disappointment, for I like the child herself very much, and I should have been glad, too, to know that your mind was at ease as to her future ; but of course there is no more to be said now, for she has a right to decide for herself." " I am very sorry. How could I fail to be ? " said Mrs. Armstrong. " I had not the least idea that anything of the sort was going on. I have scarcely seen her this morning, or no doubt she would have told me." General Brereton smiled. " Boys and girls now-a-days seldom acknowledge any responsi bility to their elders for what they see fit to do in such matters, unless they depend on them for money.

I myseif, however, think it right that you should know the fact, as you will then be better able to judge how to deal with this silly craze of hers." " Thanks," Mrs. Armstrong replied. " Don't suppose that I do not feel all the kindness of your ready consent, or that 1 do not appreciate the value of what she has thrown away. My only consolation is that she is almost too young to marry yet. She is not quite eighteen." " True ; but Phil would have taken good care of a young wife. You might safely have trusted her to him." Mrs. Armstrong sighed. " I know it, Douglas ; indeed I feel it so strongly that I am almost glad I knew nothing beforehand, lest I should have been tempted to try to influence her. She is rio;ht to refuse if she O does not care about him, but I hope you do not think she has been trifling with him — that is conduct I cannot tolerate."

" Oh, no ! Poor child. I fancy she was too young to know what it meant till the crisis came, and then was baby enough to be startled into clinging all the tighter to her pet whim. Phil was foolish to speak so soon, but he lost his head at the last, I suspect, and did it on impulse. I only hope he won't con sole himself by rushing into some other marriage, and making a mess of the whole thing." "I wonder that Humphrey did not warn me of what was likely," said Mrs. Armstrong thoughtfully. " My dear Judith, you can't reasonably expect to shut yourself up at home aud to know all that is going on in the world at the same time. Humphrey's head has been far too full of his own affairs to allow of his watching over his sister to any purpose." " Humphrey F " exclaimed Mrs. Armstrong. " What of him ?

" General Brereton smiled. " As might have been expected, Dolly has bewitched him com pletely, and I am sorry for it, as one cannot see how that can come to anything. Fortu nately, my time is up, and express trains can't be trifled with. I must meet Phil at the station, so we cannot hark back to our old points of difference, but I still think it a great pity that you did not throw all mystery over long ago, instead of leaving the young ones to stumble blindfold along a difficult path." A peremptory summons from the coachman called General Brereton away, and Mrs. Arm st-onqwas left to think it all over. It was impossible not to regret Lettice's decision, but at the same time a chord in her own nature responded so heartily to the girl's independence of spirit and instinctive recoil from merging her life in that of another, that she could not help feeling proud of her.

She wondered if Lettice would tell her what had happened. If she did not do so, Mrs. Arm strong felt that she should not speak to her about it, for she had a deeply-rooted aversion to forcing even a child's confidence on a purelv personal matter. Mrs. Armstrong was a woman of strono convictions and vigorous will, who habitually trusted her own judgment and acted upon it in perfect independence of other people's opinions, but she was quite incapable of wilfully shutting out the light when it dawned upon her because its first effects were painful, and for long after General Brereton left her she sat absorbed in thought. Few things are more depressing than to become suddenly aware, by seeing its bad results, of having for years blindly persisted in a course of action seriously endangering the welfare and happiness of those for whose advantap-e no sacrifice would have seemed too great, and this was now her case.

She saw at last that General Brereton had been right from the beginning, and that she had herself been grievously mistaken in yielding, after her son's death, to her own cowardly shrinking from everything connected with her past life. She had invented plausible educational theories to justify her in following out her own wishes and by doing so had involved both her grandchildren in unnecessary difficulties. If she had brought them up without any mystery, though in other respects exactly in the same way as she had done, the idea of Lettice becoming an actress would probably never have been started by anyone, and Humphrey would certainly not have been likely to fall a victim to Dolly's fascinations had he known his father's story. But it was too late now to change her plans suddenly. She must continue to keep her secret, if not quite so long as she had originally intended, at any rate until the present act of the drama was over and ' Lord Alresford had left Piercebrido-e. There was only ten days left now before he and Dolly were to go, and then surely Humphrey would soon shake off any disappointment he might feel.

She could not believe that a daughter of Walter Loraine and Florence Damerel, brought up at Ashworth by old Lady Alresford, could possibly have the power of exciting a really deep attachment ! She might bewitch for the moment — but that must be all. She was sorry that her boy should suffer at Dolly's hands, and bitterly repented her own error of judgment which had placed him in his present position, but it was too late now to prevent the mischief, and she could only hope that it would not affect him seriously. Humphrey came home in the afternoon with the good news of his sudden promotion. Mr. Ponsonby had given it with perfect tact and kindness, and without the faintest allusion to past anno}7ances or to Bertram's urgent petitions. The thing was done liberally and gracefully and Humphrey was touched and grateful, while Bertram's delight and the cordial satisfaction expressed by the staff of the Bank naturally enhanced his pleasure.

At any other time Mrs. Armstrong would have enjoyed this tribute to her grandson's merits without any reserva tion, but now she privately wished that it had been delayed for a few weeks, as she could not blind herself to the fact that this change in his position might not only encourage him to hope for success with Miss Loraine, but might even really make it possible that he should succeed. At that moment nothing would have induced her to make it known that he had also an advantage so likely to weigh heavily in his favour as equality of birth. Humphrey did not stay long at home, lie had hurried back to tell his news to his grandmother as early as he could, but he was to dine with the Ponsonbys, and as he had also promised to spend as much time as possible before dinner with Lord Alresford to cheer his solitude, he dressed for the evening and was gone again very quickly.

Bertram Ponsonby soon afterwards made his appearance, having come with a cordially courteous message from his father, as well as to pour out his own satisfaction to more thoroughly sympathising ears than in his uncle's absence he could find at home. He said, of course, nothing as to his own share in the matter, and with commendable reticence abstained from any allusion to Miss Loraine. To all outward appearance Humphrey went through the day with most creditable composure, and while frankly acknowledg ing Mr. Ponsonby's kindness and rejoicing in his own good fortune, showed no undue excitement. No one but Bertram guessed the strength of the feelings which were secretly filling his heart, and Bertram was by this time far too well-trained a friend to venture uninvited on delicate ground. He was content to know that he had put it in Humphrey's power to seek the happiness he desired, while at the same time riveting still closer the bonds which united him to himself.

The day was one of almost unmixed gratifica tion to both friends, but at its close there came the inevitable alloy, and a skilful touch marred for both the perfection of their pleasure. Cecilia Ponsonby heard the news from her father at luncheon. He told her the facts, adding : " I have chosen this moment to settle the thing, to please Bertie, whose head is full of some romantic nonsense, but it is only forestalling by a few weeks what I should certainly have done without any outside pressure before long. Never was promotion better earned." "It will be a comfort to you, Papa, no doubt, to have put things on a permanent footing, and of course it is great luck for Mr. Armstrong. As for Bertie, I suppose he is in the seventh heaven of delight ! " said Cecilia. " I hope so," answered Mr. Ponsonby who was leaving the room.

" Humphrey dines here to day, by the by." The brother and sister were left together. " So you have got your own way after all, Bertie ! " said Cecilia. " I congratulate you." Bertram was too much out of charity with her to answer pleasantly. "It is thanks to no good offices of yours, at any rate," he said shortly. " My father has been very kind. It was only just that the thing should be done, but he has done it in the best and pleasantest way possible." "I am glad of that," replied Cecilia, declining to quarrel. " And as my help was not wanted it is far better dispensed with. But what a pity you must think it that Miss Loraine has gone away just at the critical moment ! " " She is coming back on Monday," said Bertram. " Surely, Bertie, you are not really in earnest about that ? You cannot be so silly as to encourage Mr. Armstrong in such ridiculous presumption ?

" " As I told you yesterday, that is no business of either yours or mine. But to my thinking — and most people would agree with me I suspect — the luck would be on her side." He followed his father and Cecilia was left alone, but she was glad to have too many engagements for the afternoon to allow of leisure for quiet thought. She was due at once at the Deanery, where the Ladies' Committee for the bazaar was to meet for a final settlement of accounts, and after that she went with Lady Mary to a special meeting connected with the Piercebridge School of Art. She was thus brought into contact with many acquaintances, and as somehow the news from the Bank seemed to be already generally known, she learned the impression made by it. That Mr. Ponsonby had been most kind and generous, and that Humphrey thoroughly deserved his good fortune, was apparently the universal opinion, while hints were not wanting that others besides Bertram had indulged in interesting speculations as to Miss Loraine.

" What busybodies people are ! " said Lady Mary afterwards, as she and Cecilia walked home. " Why should they think it any affair of theirs whether Dolly marries Humphrey Armstrong or not ? Your father has been truly kind about it, Cecil. He has made it possible, and I, for one, heartily hope she will know better than to refuse such a fair prospect of happiness if it is offered to her" "She will choose for herself, anyhow," VOL. II. answered Cecilia. " She is not likely to ask advice." " Nor should I like the responsibility of giving it," said Lady Mary. "It is quite risk enough to choose one's own husband, my dear." Every hour that passed seemed to bring something to add force to the stormy passions rap-insf in Cecilia's heart, but true to her social <D G * training, she did not therefore nep-lect the proper courtesies of the occasion, and before she dressed for dinner a few lines of quiet gracefully-worded congratulation were written and despatched to Mrs. Armstrong.

Some thing, too, must be said to Humphrey, and as she desired that it should be said without witnesses, she took care to be in the draw ing room in good time before dinner. She knew that Humphrey was always punctual, while Bertram was almost invariably late, and Mr. Ponsonby seldom appeared until within a moment of the announcement of dinner. " You must be quite tired of congratula tions," she said when Humphrey came in. " I have written mine to Mrs. Armstrong, thinking they would be better bestowed upon her, and that you would rather take them for granted." "Everybody has been very kind," an swered Humphrey, " and it is pleasant to believe that my friends are really glad of my good luck'" " Yrou choose a modest word," said Cecilia, " no one else uses it, I assure you." Humphrey hesitated for a moment — then he said : " You know better than anybody how much reason I have to be grateful for this.

It has been done by Mr. Ponsonby in the kindest way, with the most generous delicacy, at a time when I could scarcely expect any special favour. Such a volun- 18* tary proof of confidence from him is particu larly welcome, because it makes it easy now for us all to forget completely the misunder standing among us not long ago." " You are generally credited, too, with strong private reasons for being glad of a little promotion just at present," said Cecilia, declining altogether to accept the generous meaning of his words as regarded herself. " I am certainly very glad of it for my own sake," replied Humphrey. " I do not know who would not be so in my place." " Oh ! don't suspect me of impertinent curiosity," said Cecilia. " I only meant that, if it is so, I am glad that Bertie has for once proved himself not merely a zealous but a successful advocate with Papa, and has got his own way at last."

Bertram, who with his father came into the room behind her as she finished speaking, heard her last words and was furious. She had wilfully betrayed what they had carefully concealed, lest the knowledge should take the edge off Humphrey's pleasure. To reproach her would, however, only make matters worse, and he could only marvel at such inexplicable ill-nature, little guessing at the feelings which had driven his sister to inflict what pain she could, under cover of cour teous consratulations. Mr. Ponsonby (of whose entrance with his son Cecilia was unaware till he spoke) came promptly to the rescue. " Go further, Cecil," he said, " and repeat all that I said to you this morning — that Bertie's energy had only made me forestall my own intentions by a few weeks, for that never was promotion more thoroughly deserved."

He had made the best of it, but it was an awkward moment, and the announcement of dinner was a relief to them all. " That was an unlucky speech, Cecil," said Mr. Ponsonby, as he crossed the hall with his daughter. " We did not want him to know that Bertie had had to stir me up to do him justice ; but of course you could not know that." Cecilia could only be silent. " What does her malice mean ? " said Bertram, as he and Humphrey followed. " For malice it most certainly was." " I cannot tell you," replied Humphrey, in a tone which so unmistakably meant " I will not," that Bertram could say no more. A jarring note had however been struck, and Cecilia had succeeded in effectually spoiling the perfect harmony of the evening, though whether she was herself the gainer in any way by having done so might be doubted.

Chapter II

While 'all this was happening at Piercebridge Dolly Loraine was travelling southwards by the same train as the Breretons. She really had business at Ashworth. It was indeed almost necessary that she and her maid (who had been for years old Lady Alresford's con fidential maid and housekeeper and still retained the same post under Dolly) should go and ascertain for themselves whether the place — which had been given up for some weeks to an army of workmen for essential repairs — was again in a fit state for Lord Alresford's return. Lord Alresford himself, too, wanted some private papers to show to Humphrey, which only Dolly could get for him. She had therefore settled to go up for a day or two, leaving Piercebridge on Friday morning and returning on Monday evening, after spending Saturday and Sunday at Ashworth.

Dolly, however, being a young lady of considerable enterprise and energy, by no means contemplated spending all her time in dull, domestic details ; and when she told Mr. Ponsonby at the ball that she saw her way to providing herself with an efficient antidote to any amount of local social torpor, her words had a very distinct meaning in her own mind. She knew exactl)7 what she intended to do and how she meant to do it, and she set off in good spirits to face her adventures. She chatted away during the journey, successfully entertaining old General Brereton and covering Philip's rather unusual silence, while she seized a favourable moment to give him a hint as to her own view of Lettice's state of mind, which he could follow up or not as he liked at some future time when an opportunity offered itself.

The two gentlemen were going on to London ; but Dolly left them at the Junction where she had to branch off to Norbury, which was the station for Ashworth. " I suppose you will indemnify yourself for your hard day's work to-morrow by spending Sunday at Celdestone with the Faulkners ? " said General Brereton as she took leave of them. " No such luck ! " she replied. " They are away, I know, but I have plenty of employ ment on hand for both days without leaving Ashworth. I shan't be dull ! " She did not add that for once she could not regret the absence of her friends, because she had a plan for Sunday afternoon which she preferred to keep to herself, it being one which the more discreet spirits of the world would certainly disapprove of her carrying out, but which she did not mean to give up.

Intentional self-deception was not one of Dolly's weaknesses. According to her own phraseology, " there was no use in hum bugging oneself." Neither did she shut her eyes to the common-sense view of her own troubles. She knew perfectly well that had circumstances been propitious she would have asked no happier fate than to devote herself to making Humphrey as good a wife as she knew how — but she saw also that it could not be — and there was an end of it. She could not, however, bear to think of Humphrey chafing under a continued sense of misconception ; and though she honoured him for not choosing to unmask Cecilia himself, she could see no objection to her doing it for him — if she could — of course without his knowledge, and therefore with out his sanction. It was only right that he should be cleared from all blame in Mr. Ponsonby's eyes, and to confess the truth Dolly rather enjoyed the idea of a passage at arms on her own account with the over-rated Cecilia, whom she did not like and whose contemptible conduct she thought fully deserved even the sharp punishment of en forced confession.

As to any difficulty in clearing Humphrey, it seemed to Dolly that " only to a lot of stupidly scrupulous men" would it have occurred that there could be any ! Either they were not sharp enough to suspect Cecilia or they were above taking the necessary steps to change suspicion into certainty. Dolly herself was hampered by no such weakness, but, combative and daring though she was, she had no intention of dropping her velvet gloves until she was certain that Cecilia was at her mercy. On the principle that " all was fair in love and war," she coolly put aside every scruple as to the trick by which she meant to win. To do Humphrey a service and to punish Cecilia she would have gone much further than she should need to go. Tlie result of this determination was that on Sunday afternoon Dolly proceeded to business in her own peculiar fashion, and betook herself across the park to pay a visit to two ladies who lived in a pretty little house not far from one of the lodges.

It was in fact the Dower House belongins to Ashworth, but not being at present wanted for any of the family was let to strangers. The mother was very old, the daughter was an invalid, and neither was in any way in teresting or amusing, and though Dolly was always good-naturedly attentive to them, she would scarcely have gone to see them when only at home for a couple of days, had she not had a purpose of her own to serve in doing so. DOLLY LURAIXE. 29 Mrs. and Miss Yansittart were in fact tin? mother and sister of the well-known editor of the Whard, and she happened to know that. he was now staying with, them, because Miss Yansittart had mentioned iM fact a couple of days ago when writing a note of thanks fi >r o present of fruit and game. This information she had received at Piercebridge on Thursilav morning (the last day of the bazaar), mid ir had caused her at once to arrange for hen own flying visit of inspection to Ashworth.

After her arrival there she sent a basket of hot-house flowers to Miss Vansittart, with A message to the effect that she hoped to call on Sunday afternoon, and this she knew would ensure Mr. Vansittart's presence in Ilia mother's drawing-room, which was what she wanted. She had made up her mind from tin.- first to obtain from him, sooner or later, all the information she.requiredj.as to the nithorship of "Nicholas Hartley," but she had not known until she had received Miss Vansittart's note how quickly her opportunity for doing so would come, or that she should have the pleasure of winding up her stay at Piercebridge with such an effective coup de theatre as seemed now to be within her reach. Dolly knew Mr. Vansittart very well. He was a man no longer young, though scarcely middle-aged, of great ability and somewhat shady character.

He had no particular connections, was indeed half an American, and had no ostensible means of living except the profits of the fashionably scandalous paper of which he was at once proprietor and editor. These, however, were apparently large enough for his needs. He was a great deal about in the world and had a large acquaint ance, though the best sort of people, both men and women, looked coldly on him. One really good quality it could not be denied that he possessed. He was thoroughly good to his mother and sister, being personally attentive to them as well as liberal in provid ing for their comfort. He himself lived chiefly in London, for club life was a business necessity to him but he often ran down to Ashworth Grange. It was no doubt true that the home in which he had established them was in the heart of a fashionable hunting country where he had many ac quaintances, and that he was thus able to turn to good account the time he spent there, but that did not prevent him from being a good son and brother, though it might prove him to be also a sharp man of business.

Lord Alresford found his tenant amusing, and encouraged him to spend many idle hours at Ashworth Court whenever he was at the Grange, so that Dolly, though she did not like him, was on easy terms with him. She thought him entertaining, while he, like most men, always welcomed a chance of spending an hour or two in her company. She was sure, without any undue vanity, that he would on no account miss her promised visit that Sunday afternoon, for apart from such pleasure as he might find in her society at all times, her report of the recent gaieties at Piercebridge would be valuable to him. He would be on the look-out for crumbs of piquant gossip, would in fact fish for scandal while she fished for truths to serve her purpose. "And I'll back myself to win!" she thought as she entered the garden at the Grange.