His Cousin Betty

Front matter

HIS COUSIN BETTY. i;v FRANCES MARY PEARD, AUTHOR OF 'THE ROSE GARDEN,' 'CONTRADICTIONS,' 'ALICIA TENNANT/ ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON : RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, publishers in ©rbiitarg to $« #ajests the <S2»«n. 1888. [All Rights Reserved.] CONTENTS OF VOL. II. CHAPTER PAGE I. IN BOHEMIA .... 1 II. 'DO WHAT I TELL YOU ' . . .29 III. MUSIC MOA'ES HEARTS .. . . 55 IV. IN THE OLD STREETS . . .80 V. AVHAT HAD HORATIA SAID 1 .99 VI. 'SPECTRES VAGUE' ■ " . . .129 VII. HORATIA HAS AN IMPULSE . .156 VIII. LAST DAYS . . . .182 IX. FIRST DAYS .... 209 X. SHAKING IN . . .231 HIS COUSIN BETTY

Chapter I In Bohemia

IRANZENSBAD is a little town which, without possessing a single feature of intrinsic beauty, has at times succeeded in impress ing an effect of prettiness upon its visitors. It is like a plain woman with a good ex pression. It lies in the middle of an ugly plain ; the distant hills are too insignifi cant for much notice, and it is wooded VOL. II. with attenuated birches, too thickly grown for effective grouping. Its streets run in straight angles, and its baths necessitate the building of tall chimneys which at certain hours of the day smoke violently. There is nothing to see and nothing to do except to sip the waters and take the peat-baths, than which no London mud-cart is less inviting. Yet the little place is not without a certain gay charm. The white houses have irregular red-tiled roofs, and number less outer shutters of brown or green, wreaths of Virginia creeper hang, flowers glow from the windows, and the people sit and drink their coffee at little tables under the closely clipped horse-chestnuts.

There is a constant coming and going, a buzz of voices and laughter such as our crowded streets never offer. Everything is clean and bright and cheerful and full 77V BOHEMIA. 3 of colour. Round the springs where the water-drinkers daily gather, the garden is brilliant with flowers, and every now and then some picturesque group comes into view — a primitive cart drawn by handsome oxen, old women with tall baskets on their backs, Roumanian girls, Polish Jews. All this, taken with the warm sunshine and the dewy mornings, with the women sitting amidst their fresh roses on the way to the Salzquelle, and with a certain simplicity and ease of life, is pleasant enough, going far to redeem the weariness of the artificial side of the place. At first Betty would not admit the pleasantness. She hated the life, and mocked at the people.

There was room enough for mockery, it must be owned, in the variegated crowd of Austrians, Ger mans, Poles, and Russians, for among them 20 — fashion betook itself to wildest excesses, and the day seemed to be spent in a re-arrangement of toilettes. And whereas Mrs. Hume was immediately provoked into rivalry, Betty chose to attire herself in her plainest dresses, and to march out, day after day, in the same costume. It was in vain that Horatia took her seriously to task. ' Why should you turn yourself into a perpetual protest ? You would be far more amiable, Betty, if you let yourself float with the stream, instead of always trying to stop it with little banks of your own building. What do you suppose those people would care if you made yourself into a complete guy ?' ' They would think my tastes and theirs were similar — that is all,' said Betty coolly.

IN BOHEMIA. 5 ' You know that is not what I mean.' ' Oh no, my dear ; I know you had no intention of complimenting me ; you only did it unawares.' Horatia's efforts to patronize Betty, of which she attempted not a few, generally ended in this fashion, for Betty would not stand them, and made this evident through all her real liking for Horatia. Why — why did she like her ? Never did she own to herself that the spell which blinded her to selfishness and vanity, and made her value a lazy good-nature at more than its moral worth, existed merely because Horatia was John's sister ; but in truth there lay the attraction, and it was this — the hearing his name, the being, as it were, in an atmosphere in which he shared — which caused life in an Austrian watering-place to be tolerable to Betty, although she screened her weakness from herself by venting upon it all the abuse in her power.

Horatia listened and understood. She was not, perhaps, what is called a clever woman, but she had what many women who are not clever possess, a sharp intui tion in matters which related to her own sex ; and as for several reasons she had determined that her brother would do well to marry Betty, she let drop many hints which fell sweetly on the girl's heart, and made the circle of her thoughts more complete. When Betty let fly her small arrows at the peacock throng — ' You are as absurd as John !' she would answer, and the comparison incited Betty to sharper satire. In the brief letters which Leyburn wrote, there was generally some sort of message for his cousin ; it might be no more than — ' I hope Betty keeps you in IN BOHEMIA. 7 order,' but there, at all events, was her name, and Horatia never failed to read it out, and often allowed herself to strengthen the message by emphasis.

So Franzensbad was endurable. Betty went through the small and cheerful rou tine, walked in the early and misty morning under the trees, and past the rose sellers, whose masses of crimson and yellow roses made the air fragrant, from the Salz quelle, and sat among the circles at the Franzensquelle, and learnt to know all the tunes which the band played, and all the things in the shops— the Bohemian glass, and the Eger purses — and all the children, and the dogs, and the elder people, and the wonderful dresses, and the dishes at the restaurants, the backhuhn, and the oblaten, and the qualities of the waiters. Sometimes they dined at the Hiibner, and COUSIN BETTY. then sat at the same table in the same places ; but one day Mrs. Hume invited her to change, and placed the unconscious Betty where the light fell full on her face. ' Have you had any letters ?' she asked presently. ' No ; it's rather wicked of Lilias, but I know she has her hands full during the boys' holidays.' ' I have a piece of news,' said Horatia calmly. ' John is coming.' She had Betty well in view, ' Coming !

Coming here ? What pos sesses him !' Mrs. Hume smiled. The ssirl had guarded both voice and movements ; what she could not restrain was a sudden glad leap of light into her eyes. She turned her head quickly, but her cousin had seen all she wanted. 77V BOHEMIA. 9 ' Baireuth possesses him ; and he could hardly have the face to be within two hours of Franzensbad without coming on,' remarked Horatia. ' Of course now we must all go, and you shall write this very day for places.' ' How long our waiter is in bringing the dinner !' said Betty carelessly. But all the while her pulses were beat ing. He was coming, coming, coming. And was it Baireuth that was drawing him, or was there something else, some thing which she dared not put into words, but which rose in her heart, and spoke there ? ' I dare say it will bore me a good deal ; but I had begun to think we should have to go to this Wagner affair,' said Horatia meditatively. ' You see, people seem to be coming to it from all parts of the world, and it would be rather idiotic to go back, and have nothing to say about it.

Having a man will make all the difference in one's comfort.' ' Don't we get on very well V inquired Betty deceitfully. Her cousin shrugged her shoulders. ' Admirably, my dear — for two women. I don't mind owning, however, that there must always be a sort of incompleteness in such a limited society. A brother isn't much, but he's something.' ' Certainly we are limited,' said the girl, with a happy laugh. That afternoon Horatia wrote : ' You know I am always glad to see you, but let me just mention that some body else will be excessively glad. Per haps we were getting the least bit in the world tired of our own society, though I IN BOHEMIA. 11 have found Betty a great success ; she is a capital companion, and has borne trans plantation from the wilds of her Dartmoor into the head-quarters of frivolity better than I could have anticipated.

She seems quite fond of me. I wonder ' — Horatia paused — ' I wonder whether by any chance she feels an interest in your relations ? What do you think ? Speaking seriously, it is my impression that Betty certainly expects you to propose ; and if you don't, I must say I think you will have behaved unfairly. The adoration will be on her side, no doubt ; but you like her, and she will make an excellent wife. Isn't that enough ?' Written and folded, the letter lay in Mrs. Hume's lap, while she thought with some hesitation of what she had said. ' He will be angry, or think himself so, but that doesn't matter, as I shan't be there to see. It will have an effect one way or another : if he is really vexed, and thinks no more about Betty, he'll give up coming, and there's an end of it ; I shall have done my best, and can't trouble my self any more.

But if — if his indignation is imaginary, he will be conscious of an interest, a wish to see her again, and — he'll come. I know — I am certain be'll be marrying somebody soon ; and it might be somebody very inconvenient, with whom I shouldn't get on. Now, if I help Betty, she'll always be grateful to me — conscien tiously grateful, which is something one can really depend upon ; and as they must have a house in London, I might find it very useful and pleasant.' She broke off with a light laugh. ' If anyone heard my reasons for encouraging this marriage, I am afraid they might accuse me of looking out for Number One ! Well, I don't see why one shouldn't, when the best course for other people is so exceedingly plain. I don't think I have said too much. I think it was quite judicious. And as for Betty — ah, my dear Betty, I needn't trouble myself to say much to you !' To this view she kept, though often tempted to amuse herself by teasing the girl by small suggestive pin-pricks, and if Betty had been on the alert their very absence might have warned her.

But her joyful anticipations gave her quite enough to think about. On the day when Leyburn was to arrive, Horatia and Betty were sitting in the Park. Everyone who comes to Franzens bad arrives at about four o'clock ; but between Munich time and Prag time, and COUSIN BETTY. 14 orts time, the hour becomes difficult to cal culate. Betty had thought they might as well have remained in the Konigsvilla to welcome him, but Horatia scouted the idea. ' He must find us. He knows the sort of place where I am likely to be, and that I don't go in for retirement, and all that sort of thing. Of course he must find us.' ' Well, there are hundreds of round tables, and everybody looks exactly alike.' Horatia laughed. ' Do you really suppose that ? My poor Betty, do you imagine yourself to be in the least like these people dressed in the very pink of fashion ?

Why, even I have never indulged in such a preposterous idea ! I can't,' with a sigh — ' I can't pro duce four ravishing toilettes in the day.' ' If you could,' said Betty bluntly, ' you would not put them all on at once, I suppose ? I don't see much difference be tween you and your neighbour, except that you don't wear a ridiculous hat. Be sides, men ought not to think of such trifles.' Horatia gazed at the person to whom Betty alluded, and sighed again. ' Ah, there is a difference,' she said, ' and John would be the first to perceive it. My dear, he notices everything. When poor Isabel and I were in the schoolroom, he was the plague of our lives, with his fidgets about our dresses and our hair, and the hundred-and-one things which offended his royal highness's notions of neatness.' Now that Horatia seemed to be blaming her brother, Betty might relent. ' Oh, neatness !' she said. ' That's an other thing.' COUSIN BETTY. ' Well, John is provokingly neat.

He is an old bachelor, if ever there was one in this world. Betty, I do not believe you have ordered any coffee at all !' ' I have.' ' And did you say it was to be verkehrt ? I cannot drink coffee which ' ' I remembered it all, I assure you. Don't you think men are generally neater than women ?' ' You are not neat, my dear child, certainly. Only look at that dress ! Oh, now I know ! The girl is a Jewess, and wears jewels to the value of nearly a thousand pounds — such an extraordinary idea in the daytime, but that lace of hers is really mag nificent ! What are they playing ? What were we talking about ? Oh, John. Well, yes, I think he is too fastidious ; sometimes there is no pleasing him. When he does v like anything or anyone, it is a real com pliment, there is that to be said ; but he is often exceedingly tiresome.' Depression stole over Betty.

Her own judgment told her there was foundation for her cousin's remarks ; and if this were indeed the case, if John the particular took to comparing her with his own ideal standard, what chance was there that she would find any pleasantness in his visit ? She glanced over her own dress with dis satisfaction — it was not fresh enough or cool enough to content her ; for almost the first time in her life she longed for a perfectly fitting and charming dress. It must not be supposed that she carried all these reflections to their fitting sequence ; she merely imagined that it was possible criticism in the abstract which affected her, forgetting that in past times she VOL. II. 2 COUSIN BETTY. would have cared for it no more than for a feather which fluttered against her. Mrs. Hume enjoyed nothing better than sitting in the Park, drinking coffee, and noticing' what dresses were different from those of the day before.

There is a gay cheerfulness about the scene. The sun sends long shafts between the light foliage of the birches, the band plays, bright colours flit about, daring birds fly down and carry off crumbs, all the little tables with their red covers and white cups add to the gaiety ; people get tired of the same ness, but the sunny open-air life is not without its idle charm, and Betty had owned this more than once. Not this afternoon. She grew impatient of it all ; the small dramas which she had recognised or invented had no interest for her ; her ears were waiting for the sound of footsteps, of a familiar voice. Yet when they came she started. ' So here you are,' John Leyburn said cheerfully. ' When I saw this crowd I began to think I should never find you.' ' How did you know we were here ?' ' Because a crowd is just the place where Horatia would be disporting herself ' How can you say so !' said his offended sister. ' We often go for a drive, don't we, Betty ?

I can't walk, but now you are come, you and Betty can scour the country. Are you tired ? Have you travelled far ? And about " Parsifal" ? — we have tickets for Monday. I suppose that is right V ' Quite right.' ' Quite right ! That is all he has to say after my telegraphing and taking no end of trouble ! Quite right !' ' What can be better ?' 21—2 ' Something a little more appreciative. But now I will tell you something. It was Betty who did it all.' ' That was very good of Betty.' ' There, Betty ! I have extracted rather more on your behalf, and I hope you are grateful, if he is not.' ' Who says I am not grateful ?' said Mr. Leyburn, throwing some crumbs to the birds. ' I. Men never are. They expect everything to be done for them,' said Mrs. Hume, laughing. ' You are teaching me what to expect.' He spoke good-humouredly, but Betty privately thought that Horatia's small jokes bored him.

Certainly he turned to her with an air of relief. How did she like Franzensbad ? Had she been into the country ? What was there to see — to do ? And her answers seemed to entertain him, for he listened amusedly, and led her on to extend her remarks. It was Horatia's turn to look a little bored ; she was anxious that her brother should increase his fancy for Betty, but her anxiety would never go to the lengths of meekly accepting her own effacement as part of the process. She yawned, and at last jumped up. ' There are the Carlyons. Come, John, I will introduce you, and then you will not be able to say that you do not know a man in the place.' ' Why should I say that ?' asked her brother objectively. ' Oh, you will. Before you have been here four-and-twenty hours we shall hear — shall we not, Betty ? — " Stupid hole of a place ; not a soul to speak to !"

No, make up your mind that you will be introduced to everyone with whom I can scrape an acquaintance, so that you may have the least possible cause for complaint. And now, listen. There is a reading-room, with newspapers in every outlandish tongue, and the Times — what do you think of that ? Have I taken a load off your mind ?' ' I am afraid you have carried a great many on your own. ' Well, I did think that if you passed the shop where a Standard two months old is hanging up in the window, without preparation, you might hastily make up your mind we were insupportable. Betty suggested buying it, but I thought that would deprive Franzensbad of one of its features. By this time they had overtaken the Carlyons. John must make their acquaint ance, must be asked the usual questions. But as they all went down the Kaiser strasse, on their way to the Franzensquelle, he managed to fall behind the others, so as to walk with Betty, and she was imme diately conscious of an increase of cordiality in his tone. ' Now tell me exactly,' he said, ' how you two have been getting on.

Do you like it ? Has Horatia been good to you ?' ' Oh, very good !' ' But let me look at you. I don't realize you here in the least, Betty. You ought to be standing on a grey tor, with your dress blown by the wind, a bundle of green things in your hands, two or three dogs jumping about ' ' Thank you.' ' You can't deny the truth of my picture.' ' Am I to stand in one position all my life ?' asked Betty, a little piqued. ' If we come to that ' ' You mean that I should be walking about with my head tied up ? By the way, you have not troubled yourself to in quire after my head, and considering how much you had to do with it ' ' It looks very much like other heads,' said his cousin, demurely glancing up. ' But does it feel so ? That is the point. If Mrs. Pentecost were here she Avould not be so unsympathetic.

She would have put a hundred questions as to my symptoms.' ' I don't believe you have any symptoms. If you have, you had better drink the waters.' ' Of course I shall drink them. What must I do first ?' ' You must buy a glass and sling it round your shoulders. Don't you see that everyone does this ?' John groaned. ' Is there no other way ?' ' Yes. You may carry it jauntily at the end of a stick, holding it — so.' ' What are you two laughing about ?' said Mrs. Hume, looking round. ' John, this is the Franzensquelle.' ' What do you do here ?' ' Do ? We walk about, and sit down. Now, remember, you are not to begin the very first day.' ' How am I beginning, as you call it ? Could any remark be more innocent ? I am merely inquiring beforehand, so that excite ment unawares should not turn my brain.' ' Ah !

I know what that means. You and Betty have been abusing poor little Franzensbad.' ' No, no !' put in Betty eagerly. She was on good terms with all the world ; she could not have liked Franzensbad better. ' Yes, yes ! Mr. Carlyon, you must come to my rescue : help me to convince this brother of mine that he is not such an illused individual after all. You know all the places about ; I am sure there must be a great deal worth seeing. There is a volcano for one thing, an extinct volcano, which you told me Goethe had written about, and it is not every place which has a volcano. What have you to say to that, John ?' He had not much to say. Betty was certain that he disliked being dragged to the front in this manner, and that he would rather have carried on his talk with her. It was a pity Horatia, with all her good nature, did not see when people preferred being left alone.

Horatia did see, per fectly, and extracted a little amusement from her perceptions. If John was to marry Betty, she was convinced it would require a good deal of arrangement on her side, and she intended him to look upon the girl as something pleasant to fall back upon. He should not have her always at his beck and call, for not only would that interfere with her own comfort, but it would render it too easy for him. He was a man who required difficulties to make any pursuit interesting, and if difficulties did not exist, they must be created. So John had no more opportunities that day of chatting with Betty alone ; they stayed out until dusk crept on, and after wards Horatia managed to engross him. Betty was quite content that it should be COUSIN BETTY. so. She sat very happily on the balcony, while her cousins talked.

In front of the Konigsvilla people were strolling about enjoying the warm air ; and overhead, as the sunset lights faded, stars came twinkling out of the clear darkness. Once John stretched across his sister, and asked Betty whether she were not dreaming of Dartmoor ; and the girl started, knowing that it was not Dartmoor or anything beyond the present which engrossed her.

Chapter II

' DO WHAT I TELL YOU.' is not always a clock which measures the hours, but feeling and the swift rush of emotions. By the end of the next day it seemed to Betty as if John had been there a week. It was not that the minutes dragged ; they fled only too swiftly, but they were so full — and full, to her eyes, of meaning — that she could scarcely realize the actual short ness of the time. Things took shape, stole out of the hiding-places where she was for ever trying to cover them up, crept, smiling, into the sunshine of her thoughts. She began to say to herself, softly, that perhaps John Leyburn loved her, and had come to Franzensbad in order to tell her so. Heavens, how blue the skies were, how warm the sun ! John himself was conscious of the same sort of thrills, only, alas ! slighter. He had liked Betty very well when he lay ill at the Jointure House, finding a subtle flattery in the girl's softened manner, for at first there could be no doubt she was antago nistic.

He laughed to himself now when he thought of her fiery words, and the way in which she had sprung to the defence of her brothers whenever she thought he was down upon them. ' What a peppery loyal little soul it was, and how she detested me !' he thought that Sunday afternoon, with pleased amusement. There is a sort of triumph in vanquishing dislike, and he had conquered — of that there could be no doubt. Betty no longer flamed over his opinions, she listened gently ; and yet it was not that her nature had changed. He had heard one or two spirited retorts already : he did not think that she was a favourite with Mr. Carlyon. They were walking along one of the flat roads which branch out of the little town, Mr. Carlyon, a Miss Oswald — a friend of his wife's — Mrs. Hume, Betty, and Mr. Leyburn.

Mrs. Hume had protested largely, declaring that such a walk as was suggested would undo all the good of the baths ; but when she found that the others were coing, she was by no means inclined to be left behind, and was now conversing vivaciously with Mr. Carlyon in front. Miss Oswald, who was young, fair-haired and pretty, was doing her utmost to amuse Mr. Leyburn, and apparently suc ceeding very well. Betty listened to her with interest ; it did not cost her a pang to be left to listen — hers was not a nature to be troubled by small jealousies ; and besides, every now and then John took care to bring her into the conversation. She was quite content that things should go on as they were going — at present quite content. She saw and enjoyed all the small beauties of the road — the farm with its open gates, its tall pigeon-cote, its long cart with a handsome pair of black oxen standing in the yard.

By-and-by they turned across the fields to Ludwigshohe, and there the harvest was going on. The laden ladder-carts stood against a back ground of far-away, delicately tinted hills ; more women than men were at work, and the women's gay handkerchiefs and cotton skirts made bright patches of colour, pleasant to the eye. ' I hope you know that we — Mr. Car lyon and I — are going with you to-morrow to Baireuth ?' It was Miss Oswald who put this inno cent question, and John smiled. Did he not know ? Had not a great deal been already said about it ? ' You don't suppose I was likely to forget ?' he said. ' I only hope you have good places.' ' They are behind, I'm afraid some way behind yours,' she explained. ' If we had only known at first we might have taken them all together. As it is ' ' I don't mind where I sit,' Mr. Leyburn returned. 22 VOL. ' But I think he will mind whom he sits next,' murmured Betty under her breath, with a happy smile. ' We shall see.' ' Neither do I, of course,' Miss Oswald hastened to aver. ' It is poor Mr. Car lyon who is to be pitied if we are very far back.

He has not very good sight, you know ; and if he does not see distinctly, I am afraid he will get impatient.' ' I understand,' John said gravely. ' It is quite certain that he must not be far back.' ' Thanks. That is a relief. Then you will manage somehow ?' ' Oh yes, we will manage somehow.' ' We,' reflected Miss Oswald triumph antly ; and ' we,' thought Betty with another smile. 'I do hope you will explain anything that is too deep for poor me. Even the libretto has such a dreadfully difficult look,' pursued Miss Oswald in a deprecating tone, ' that I know I shall have to call upon you to act as a dictionary.' ' The real thing would be more effec tive,' said John drily. ' If I were you I should go through it thoroughly to-night.' ' No ' — gaily — ' I shall trust to you.' How could she be so stupid !

Betty wondered. Did she not see that he was only really laughing at her, that he had not the slightest intention of ministering to her small requirements ? Little she knew if she thought that he would allow his festival to be disturbed by explaining its subtleties for her comprehension ! ' What are you thinking about, Betty ?' said he, suddenly turning upon her. ' That you would not be a very good dictionary.' 22 — ' Don't believe her, Miss Oswald ; she has got a wretched little acquaintance with the patois they talk here, and sets herself up on the strength of it. I confine my self to classical German.' Miss Oswald protested — Betty laughed in her sleeve ; she was quite content that the other girl should enjoy her small ap parent triumphs, while she herself could read between the lines, and knew very well what were John's real feelings.