A Diamond in the rough

Chapter I. Hester Courteney Tells Her Secret

Between that afternoon when Charlie Nunnerley had broken off his clandestine engagement to Hester Courteney, and the evening of the concert, nearly a fortnight had elapsed. In the interim, so far as he knew, Hester had kept the knowledge of his faithlessness to herself, and the young man began to hope that the strong element of pride in her nature would triumph over that other strong element of vindictiveness, and that she would never now reveal their common secret. VOL. III. B Meanwhile, he had given himself up to his love for Idalia Bretherton ; and on the evening of the concert, carried away by the excitement of the music and the beautiful girl's close proximity, as she sat by his side, he had again blurted out dur ing the interval, a passionate avowal of his attachment. To this Idalia had not, as on that former occasion, refused to listen.

On the contrary, she had done so with a blushing cheek and no evidence of dis pleasure, and she had promised to give his proposal an earnest consideration, and to return him an answer some time during the next day. Over that answer she was pondering on the following afternoon when a visitor was announced who requested to speak with her alone. Repairing to the drawing room, Idalia found Miss Courteney there, and something in Hester's face caused her to fancy from the first that she had some object in her visit otber than to make a friendly call. This surmise proved correct. After the exchange of a few conventional remarks, Hester observed, ' Will you excuse me, Miss Bretherton, if I introduce a subject which it is not, perhaps, very usual for comparative strangers like ourselves to discuss?

I understand — at least I have beard — that Mr. Charles Nunnerley is a suitor for your hand ?' ' Well !' exclaimed Idalia in surprise, a warm blush overspreading her face, ' I must say that I think such a question is rather an unusual one.' ' You must allow me to press it, never theless. Please tell me whether you are engaged to him ?' Idalia's beautiful eyes widened. But, after a moment of hesitation, she answered with simple dignity, 'No, we are not engaged.' ' But, believe me, I have a good motive, b2 for asking,' Hester persisted. 'Yon are perhaps interested in him ? That he admires you I am quite aware.' Idalia's colour deepened still further. ' You should have explained your motive, I think, before putting me through this catechism,' she said, smiling a little ; ' but, since you wish to know it I own that I am interested in Mr. Nunnerley.' ' Then,' remarked Hester, with cool deliberation, 'you are interested, allow me to inform you, Miss Bretherton, in a scoundrel — a despicable scoundrel!' Idalia drew herself up. ' Miss Courteney !' she cried, a whole world of indignant astonishment in her tone. ' What I say is true,' resumed Hester, quietly, 'though, of course, I should not say it unless I were prepared to justify the assertion.' Idalia did not reply ; and for a brief space the two girls sat eyeing each other — on the one side with covert enmity, on the other with undisguised disapprobation.

Then a bitter smile curled Hester's spare lips. ' I won't pretend,' she re-commenced, ' that in revealing what I am about to do I am actuated purely by a disinterested desire to save you from falling into the clutches of a designing and heartless fortune-hunter ; but, as I expect that will be the result, I have no doubt that you will come in time to regard my interference with gratitude.' ' What makes you loathe him so ?' de manded Idalia. ' Loathe ? Yes, that is a very good word. I do loathe him, though, unfortunately, I have not always done so. Has he happened to mention to you, Miss Bre therton, that until within about a fortnight ago he and I were engaged to each other ?' ' You ? He ? A fortnight ago ?' faltered Idalia, the colour which had again rushed to her cheeks ebbing as swiftly away. ' Miss Courteney, he is our friend, and — * and my father's guest.

I hate to listen to anything against him — but is that really true?' ' I am quite prepared to prove my state ment,' rejoined Hester, in her low, calm voice. ' If, however, you will first glance over some of these, it will help you to believe me more easily.' She rose as she spoke, and, untying a packet, laid a number of the letters which comprised it on a table before Miss Bretherton. Half-unconsciously, Idalia took one of them up and began to read. But at the end of a second or two she laid it down. ' Oh !' she exclaimed, 'I cannot look at these : they are private letters.' ' They are my letters, and I give you leave to look at them,' said Hester ; ' you need, therefore, feel no scruple.' ' Thank you, I cannot. I don't wish it,' answered Idalia. ' They were never meant to meet anyone's eyes but your own.' ' And your tone seems to say that you consider it a kind of treachery in me to show them.

Don't you think a traitor may be fought with his own weapons ?' ' I should like,' said Idalia, ignoring the question, ' to hear just the simple truth about this, if you will tell it to me. I did not know that Mr. Nunnerley had been engaged to you, and I am very much shocked to learn it — particularly if, as you say, it was so short a time ago. Oh, are you sure? I can't understand how ib could be only a fortnight since, be cause ' ' Because he was then making love to you? Yes, I know all that perfectly. Nevertheless, it is a fact that until last Tuesday week, when he politely gave me to understand that he had transferred his valuable affections, I was his promised wife. Do not suppose, however,' she went on, with a momentary betrayal of her well repressed passion, 'that I am jealous of your victory, or that I would marry him now if I could.

I would a great deal rather shoot him !' There was no difficulty for Idalia, as she marked the venomous flash of Hester's usually cold grey eyes, in believing this assertion, and, without speaking, she sat re garding her companion with something of that mingled curiosity and repugnance wherewith she might have studied some unknown and dangerous animal. ' However, not to prolong this interview, which can scarcely be pleasant for either of us,' resumed Hester, 'I will, as you sug gest, just state the plain facts of the case ;' and without any change of colour or fal tering of her firm, quiet accents, she went on to relate, with determined frankness, the history of the secret engagement with Mr. Nunnerley, and of her clandestine correspondence. She mentioned her intention of eloping with him when the right time had come, and of consummat ing her folly and deceit by an unsanction ed marriage.

She explained, moreover, very fully the cause of her father's strong dislike and distrust of the young artist, dwelling with careful minutiæ on every particular of that crime which, under very strong temptation, Charlie had actually committed so many years ago; and she finished by subjecting the young man's character to a cool and subtle analysis, and by holding up his motives, in his love making both to herself and Idalia, for the latter's inspection, with a very ugly and sinister light upon them. Idalia listened to the end without the interruption of a word, but not without certain involuntary comments of her mobile and expressive features. 'Well!' she ejaculated, when Miss Courteney at length paused, ' I should guess that tale has been a pretty painful one for you to tell, especially the part that shows how you have behaved to your father, Miss Courteney.

But I am glad he didn't have all the trouble you were meaning him to have, poor man !' ' Thank you,' observed Hester, haugh tily. ' I am very fond of my father.' ' Are you ?' questioned Idalia, drily. ' But the point at issue is not, I think, my conduct, but that of Mr. Charles Nunnerley,' pursued Hester. ' I suppose you believe what I have told you ?' ' Yes,' returned Idalia, slowly, ' I believe ib. And,' (there was a look of pain in her eyes and a slight quaver in her voice),' and whabever your object may have been, Miss Courbeney, I am greably obliged bo you for — for lebting me know bhis.' Hester's pursed lips parted in a faint smile of triumph. 'My principal object — I don't bhink I have made any secret of the fact — was to punish Mr. Nunnerley for making me feel, as he has done, like a fool in my own eyes,' she protested, calmly, 'and he will be punished if he is prevented from gaining possession of you and your fortune, though not by any means so heavily as he deserves.

I imagine, Miss Bretherton, that you will not marry him now ?' ' No,' returned Idalia, ' I shall nob marry him now. Yet last night ' She paused, looking earnestly at her companion, and debating within herself whether she should give Hester something of her con fidence in return. Eventually, however, she decided not to do so, and, leaving the sentence she had commenced incomplete, she added, ' Miss Courteney, I should like, if you don't mind, that you and Mr. Nun nerley should meet here in my presence. At a quarter to four this afternoon he is coming to this room. He expects to find me here alone. Will you wait till then ? — it will not be very long.' ' Certainly, it will give me the greatest satisfaction to do so,' assented Hester. And the sudden gleam in her grey eyes, which vanished as swiftly as it appeared, abbesbed the veracity of this assurance.

Naturally very warm-hearted, and gift ed witb, perhaps, almost too keen and ready sympathies, Idalia felt a little self reproachful on reflecting, as she did during a short silence which now en sued between them, that she had not ex pressed the slightest regret as to the gross ill-treatment which Miss Courteney had received ab bhe hands of bhe gentleman who now professed to be her own lover. But whilst she felt immensely shocked and hotly indignant against young Nunnerley, she could not, though she tried to do so, move herself to sympathy wibh Hester. In the first place, the latber did nob seem to desire her piby and kindly feeling. It was evident that she had suffered, but equally evident that her resentful pride had kept her from being crushed by that suffering. Moreover, whilsb she had done Idalia a service (bhe kind of service bhab a docbor renders in performing a necessary but painful operation), she had nob done ib from friendly or benevolent motives, but in order to gain her own ends.

Then, again, in the story which she had told, and in her manner of telling it, Hester had betrayed a nature which awakened in Idalia a strong aversion. She could not, there fore, notwithstanding the attempt to do so, feel much sympathy towards her visitor, and she was too honest and unconventional to pretend to sentiments which she did not experience. It was a relief when, after a little desultory conversation, Hester presently took up a book of engravings, and, asking permission to look over it, carried the handsomely-bound volume to a seat in the window-recess, where she proceeded to turn over its pages in silence. Guessing cor rectly that Miss Courteney as little desired to make talk as she did, Idalia did not in terrupb her, and for nearly a quarber of an hournob asingle observabion was exchanged bebween bhe two young ladies.

At the end of that time (with the effect of quickening by a very natural excitement the pulses of both) the drawing-room door unclosed, and Mr. Charles Nunnerley entered. ' Ah, how good this is of you !' he exclaimed, approaching Idalia with an air of rapturous delight. ' I did not expect you to be here already. It is a good deal before the time, but I was so anxious — so impatient, that — ' he stopped short, struck with vague uneasiness by something in the steadfast luminous gaze of Idalia's eyes. ' You don't see that I have a visitor, Mr. Nunnerley,' she said, indicating by a movement of her head the place where Hester sat, but still keeping her eyes upon him. Charlie turned quickly and perceived Hester, who, laying down her book of engravings, now slowly rose from her chair. Instanbly his face changed.

The colour forsook his cheeks, leaving them of a curious leaden hue. If the young lady had been a ghost, her apparition could scarcely have called forth more unequivo cal signs of alarm and dismay. In face of such confirmation, Idalia could no longer have doubted — if indeed she had so doubted — the full truth of Miss Cour teney's arraignments. Her countenance reflecting, in some degree, the pallor of his, she sank back upon her seat, just as the young man, by a strenuous efforb, managed bo recover himself. ' Hesber ! — Miss Courbeney, how do you do?' he asked, sbepping forward wibh an outstretched hand, and a covertly depre cating, appealing glance. ' Thank you, I am perfectly well,' an swered Hester, deliberately putting both her own hands behind her back as she spoke. 'But I do not shake hands with you, Mr. Nunnerley.' 'Why not? — Oh, just as you please, of course,' sbammered Charlie, again losing his self-possession, and bhis time evidenc ing ib by a furious blush. ' Miss Bretherton understands the reason of my refusal,' pursued Hesber, ' and she will be as much asbonished ab your audacity in offering me your hand as 1 am myself.' Rebreabing a few sbeps, as though he had received a physical blow, Charlie caught at the back of a chair, and sbood supporbing himself upon ib, whilsb he looked questioningly from one of his com panions to the other.

Then, all at once, VOL. III. c his eyes fell on the packet of letters upon the table, and once more he changed colour. ' Yes, they are your lebters,' observed Hester, seeing that he had recognised them. ' I brought them for Miss Brether ton to look at. I thought they might interest her a little. But you can take possession of them now if you like.' ' I have not read a word of the letters, Mr. Nunnerley. You may be sure of that,' put in Idalia, hurriedly. But Charlie did not appear to hear this protest. Drawing himself up, he turned towards Hester, perfectly collecbed now, with the blank, frozen calmness of sudden despair. ' Oh, how cruel you are !' he cried, in a strained undertone ; ' how cruel and un womanly.' ' You do well to make such accusations,' rejoined Hester, with a wibhering smile; ' bhey fall sweebly from your perjured lips.' ' And bhis is your revenge ?

Ah, you don't know how deep it is. You have robbed me of every chance of happiness on earth ! Bub whab good will ib do you ?' he demanded, bitberly. ' What good, indeed ! Do you not see,' she sneered, ' how you are committing yourself in asking such questions? Do you not see how you are betraying your base selfishness, your utter ignobleness? But I will leave you now to your inter view with Miss Bretherton. I think,' she added, turning to bow to the latter, ' that you will have a pretty clear conception by now of this gentleman's worth, and I may wish you joy of him as a lover. Good afternoon !' Charlie sprang to open the door. ' Yes, go !' he cried, ' go, before I am tempted to forget that you are a woman!' Except by one quick scorching glance, Hester deigned no further retort. Gather ing her skirts away as she passed him, she swept out into the hall and crossed it witb a stately step, under which, poor girl, she tried to cover a miserable sense of lost dignity, hardly compensated, she already began to feel, by that of satisfied revenge.

A servant was loibering about the en trance-door, and, signing to the man to show Miss Courteney out, Charlie followed only a few steps, keeping guard the while over the drawing-room, in fear lest Idalia should escape. Then, when the visitor had gone, he re-entered the room, and, closing the door, stood leaning his back against ib. Idalia had not stirred from the place where he had left her, but she had folded both arms on the table before her, and she now faced him as he came in with sad, dilated eyes. There was a quality in her gaze which gave the young man a sensation as though he were sink ing through space, like a lost spirib ejecbed from Paradise, whilst an angel bending, half in pity and half in horror, watched his downward flight from above. Alas ! only a momenb before, as ib seemed, he had indeed been in Paradise.

He had climbed up to it by the golden ladder of hope, and he had felt strangely secure of his foothold there. He had for gotten about Hester, or, at least, he had lost his fear of her, and he had been sure, almost sure of his success with Idalia. What a blind idiot he now seemed bo himself, and how he cursed bhe besobbed confidence which had broughb him this horrible, this unbearable disappointment ! He was like a king who — in the very act of being crowned, with the sceptre already in his hand, the joy-bells ringing all round, the crown just suspended above his brow — had been found to be an impostor, and incontinently hurried from the palace to the dungeon. The fate of Tantalus was no worse than his. He had been so thirsty — so thirsty for those pure waters of Idalia's affection, which had seemed just within reach of his lips, but which all unexpectedly had sunk from his sight into the arid earth.

From the moment of seeing Hester, or, at all events, from the moment of discovering that she had told her secret to Idalia, Charlie had felt that his case was hopeless. Idalia would never have him now. He understood her character too well to deceive himself on that score. With such knowledge of his duplicity and faithlessness in her possession, he was doomed. Nevertheless, he could not, he felt, accept his doom without oue despairing effort to avert it. Eagerly approaching her, he threw him self upon his knees. ' Oh ! Idalia, Miss Bretherton,' he im plored, ' have pity on me ! Have a little pity on me !' The words and the attitude might have seemed melodramatic, but that the young man's earnest utterance and pain-drawn face robbed them of all suspicion of affectation. ' You will not condemn me unheard ?' he went on. 'You have listened to her; you ought, in justice, to let me give my explanation.' ' If you have anything to say thab I ought to hear, of course I will listen to it,' said Idalia. ' But please get up, Mr. Nunnerley ; I cannob speak to you while you kneel bhere.' . ' Ib is my right posibion, the only one in which it seems proper for me to address you,' protested Charlie ; ' I feel so repent ant, so abject.

But I will get up if you wish ib,' he added, rising, and seabing himself in the nearest chair. ' Ah ! if you could only conceive how wretched and ashamed I feel !' ' Yes,' answered Idalia, simply, ' I can see that you are wretched ; aud I think you ought to feel ashamed.' ' I am ashamed of my want of candour towards you — that is what I am ashamed of,' averred the young man, disingenuous ly. ' I ought to have confessed my former relations with Miss Courteney before tell ing you of my love for yourself. But I am not, perhaps, so culpable as you think. I don't know what Miss Courteney may have said to you,' he subjoined, tentatively, ' but I am quite sure she has thrown the worst possible light upon my conduct.' ' She told me that you were engaged to her without her father's consent. I suppose you own to that ?' ' I own that there was something of the sort — some kind of foolish understanding: between us,' he assented, ' but I deny that I ever loved her.

Oh ! Idalia, believe me in this, at any rate. I have never loved anyone iu the world but yourself!' ' Well, that makes it all the worse for you,' said Idalia, severely. ' If you did not love her, there is no sort of excuse for you whatever.' ' But you have not let me try to give you one,' remonstrated Charlie, feebly. ' How can I make you understand ?' ' I understand enough,' said Idalia ; ' I know that you have corresponded with Miss Courteney secretly, for, though I did not read your lebbers, I saw bhat bhey were direcbed bo a post-office, and not to her own home. I know that you proposed a run-away marriage, which I consider an abominable thing. How could you be so cruel to her poor father ? You must have seen — anyone can see how fond he is of her. I don't defend Miss Courteney, of course ; I think she is as bad as you are, and I don'b want ever to see her again, I believe.

But you,' with a momentary fal ter of her voice, ' you have disappointed me awfully. I can hardly tell you what I think of your conduct. It is hateful, mean, and cowardly ! You had best not try to explain it, I guess. Your explanations would only make things worse.' ' Then all is over between us ?' cried Charlie in despair. ' Certainly it is,' answered Idalia, making no attempt to deny that there had been something between them. ' And yet you were going — I think you were going bo say " Yes " to the quesbion I asked you lasb night ? Oh, tell me ! Let me know the extent of my punishment — the lowesb depth of my misfortune.' ' No, I was nob. I was neibher going bo say " Yes " nor " No," reburned Idalia, colouring slightly ; ' I was intending to tell you bhab I liked you very much, more than I had ever liked any other young man, but bhab I wasn'b sure I loved you.

And I was meaning to ask you to wait a year, and to come to me again then, if you cared to.' ' Oh, Idalia, keep to that arrangement ? Dear, dearest Idalia !' he rose hurriedly, and, dropping on one knee by her side, attempted to seize her hand, ' do keep to that arrangement ! I will make myself worthy of you. I will become all you could wish. Oh, if you only knew how I love you — -how I worship you. how I adore you — you would have some mercy — you would give me some hope. Ha ! don't say " No " now ! Let me come to you again at the end of a year,' he pleaded, vehemently. But Idalia, with a visible shudder, with drew herself from his touch. ' No, no, Mr. Nunnerley, I can never, never love you now ; that is impossible, utterly impossible. Please move away ; go back to your chair ?' He obeyed with a groan. ' This will kill me !' he ejaculated. ' Oh, how hard you are !' ' No, I am not hard,' she answered, looking at him with large, troubled eyes ; ' I am very sorry for you.

But this has been a great shock to me. It has made me feel as though I could never trust anyone again — my own impressions, I mean, of any person's character. I thought you were good, and true, and noble-minded. I — have been dreadfully mistaken in you.' In the anguish of his mind, Charlie's shapely white hand tore restlessly at his long moustache, whilst beads of perspira tion stood upon his brow. ' Oh, you don't know how I suffer !' he cried. 'I have been a fool, it is brue, and worse. Bub I love you, Idalia, I love you ! I can be — I will be as good and as true as you have thoughb me. Only give me a trial. Don't give me up ; if you do, I shall go straight to the dogs.' Idalia shook her head. ' I don't know what you mean by that exactly,' she reburned ; ' bub I hope thab you are ashamed of your falseness for your own sake, Mr. Nunnerley, and bhat you mean to be more honourable in future be cause it is right and proper, and in order bhat you may be able to respect yourself, not in order that you may please me.

It is of no use your frying bo do anybhing bo please me.' ' Do you mean that it is too late ? That you can never like — never even respecb me again?' he demanded, in a hoarse whisper. ' I am very sorry,' said Idalia, gently. ' Then you do mean it ?' ' How can I like or respect anyone who could behave as you have done ?' ' Then it is really, really all over? There is no hope for me ?' ' There is not the slightest hope of what you mean, Mr. Nunnerley,' she returned, with a decision that could not fail to be convincing. ' I must leave the house at once, then f he exclaimed, springing up in desperation. ' I could not bear to sleep another night under this roof. It would drive me mad !' ' I don'b suppose you will go mad,' said Idalia, with a shade of sarcasm ; ' and I expect you will soon get over your dis appointment.

Any way, you will feel bhab you have well deserved it. Bub I quibe agree bhat you had bebter leave Monks wood at once.' 'I will be gone in an hour,' he declared, standing before her pale and crushed. ' Please tell no one till I have left the house. I cannot say good-bye, or enter into any explanations wibh Percival or Mr. Bretherbon. You can do ib for me, if you will. I leave my characber in your hands. Nob bhab I care though, now, what anyone thinks of me, or what becomes of me,' he added, bitterly. 'My life has lost all value !' ' That is a very foolish thing to say, Mr. Nunnerley, and a very weak one. I would be more manly !' reproved Idalia, scorn fully. ' Thank you ; you have the courage of your opinions, at any rate, Miss Brether ton. You are not afraid of letting a fellow know what you feel about him.

By Jove! you have hit me pretty hard ! But — but I love you,' he continued, breaking down, ' aud your candour is only a part of your true, sweet self. Good-bye, dear Idalia — let me call you so jusb this once more;' and he held out his hand. Idalia put hers within it, and the tears rose to her eyes, though she did not suffer them to fall. She had really liked this young man very much. She had almost loved him; ib had been a serious trouble to find him so unworthy of her affection. Moreover, although she knew that that affection was dead — that it had been slain by the blow just dealt to it — yet the aroma of her former liking, like the scent of the dead rose, still seemed to linger about him, and she had not during this interview been able to feel all that contempt and indigna tion for his conduct which a cooler inspection and a fuller realisation of it was yet to bring her.

The tears, in fact, were only kept back until she had escaped to her own room, where, though she was not bhe sorb of girl bhat is given bo weeping, she allowed them full vent, and in doing so found relief from the agitation and the shock she had under gone. In about an hour she caught the sound of wheels crushing the gravel drive beneath her window, and looking forth she saw Charlie Nunnerley seated upon a dog cart, which he had mounted in the stable yard, with his portmanteau and other belongings on the opposite seab. A few momenbs afber he had driven off, a nobe was broughb to her. Its contents were very brief, ancl ran as follows : — ' Dear Miss Bretherton, ' I shall send a man down from London to-morrow, whom I hope you will allow to pack and bring to me bhe still unfinished portraib. As I have now only bhe background to put in, I can do that easily in my own studio.