Saint Alice, who, however, was no Saint, etc

Front matter

•0 vol. in. WHO, HOWEVER, WAS NO SAINT, BUT " A creature not too bright or good For human nature's daily food, For transient sorrows, simple wiles, Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears and smiles. " A perfect woman, nobly planned To warn, to comfort, and command ; And yet a spirit atil), and bright With something of an angel-light.'' BY EDWARD CAMPBELL TAINSH. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1867. The right of Translation is reserved.

Chapter I

1st Gentleman. — " How say you, gentlemen ? Who's here for war P" 2nd Gentleman. — " If now you mean real war, fury and blood, Battles and sieges, glorious victories, And plunder, peradventure, I'm for war !" 3rd Gentleman. — " And I will stay at home and keep the house." 4th Gentleman. — " Ha, ha ! brave work ? I'll neither stay at home Nor go to war for plunder ! give to me Some knightly errand — to beat down a churl, Or some fair lady rescue from assail, Then I'm for war." IN country walks and drives, rambles by the sea-shore, visiting cottages, training servant-maids, and such employ ments several weeks passed on, and then VOL. III. B Herbert came to spend a few days with us. Our friend the Colonel was invited to meet him tbe first day. " This is my brother, Colonel Sanfield." " Very glad to make your acquaintance, young man.

I am a friend of the family, you must remember." " So my sister tells me, Sir, and I am very glad to have the pleasure of seeing you." " Don't see much of old men, I ex pect ?" "We keep a few dons that are fairly advanced in life." " And are very fond of them, I ex pect ?" " I have a great respect for grey hairs, Sir." " So have I — wish I had some instead of a wig." " The wig saves trouble, Sir, does not want cutting so often." "H'm." The Colonel was not quite sure whether the scapegrace was not laughing at him. " Fond of what we used to call ' chaff,' young man?" " What does that mean, Sir, is it a Greek word?" " No, plain English, I believe." " Oh, I see — chaff, the refuse portion of corn. No, I am not fond of it, my digestion is weak. I take brown bread occasionally." The two men looked at each other for a minute, and then burst into a laugh.

" All right, young man, I see you do not like ' chaff' Happily my diges tion is not weak, I can stand a good deal of it. We shall do, I think." " I agree with you, Sir, we shall do, I think. You that are strong, can bear the infirmities ofthe weak." B "By the way, Herbert," I said, "are we to bear your infirmities for a week ?" " Exactly that time, Uncle. You per ceive, Colonel Sanfield, my Uncle has acquired an unfortunate habit of punning. I always feel thankful that the practice is forbidden at College ; of course, we never do it. Is it forbidden in the army, Sir ?" " Oh, of course ; we keep young men in order there." " What an excellent thing for the young men !" " Yes, indeed !" from Alice, sotto voce. " Did you speak, my sister ? I was about to remark, Colonel, that it was so excellent a thing, I should almost like to be there."

The Colonel pursed up his lips, as if nothing on earth should induce him to speak a word upon so dangerous a topic. He grew absolutely red in. the V face in his endeavour to keep silence, and looked ludicrous in the extreme. Alice tried to appear unconscious — tried, and signally failed. "You are not ill, Sir, I hope?" said Herbert. " Not in the least, never better in my life." " You have something on your mind, perhaps. If it would be any relief to you to make me your confidant, I shall be most happy — " " Get out, you impudent fellow, I have nothing on my mind, at least — " " At least, you have nothing except just one little thing. Shall I tell you, what that little thing is ?" " Certainly. I should like to hear you if you can tell." " Yes, Colonel, I will tell you. Per haps I ought to inform you before I begin that I am not a witch.

First, then, you are a soldier, and, therefore, supposed to be a very temptatious sort of person to all young men; second, my sister is a young lady with nerves, and, therefore, dreadfully anxious that her brother should not be led away into being a soldier — ergo, she exacted a promise from you that you would not attempt to mislead me. I could have told you this without those alarming symptoms that made me so anxious about you just now, with those symptoms and my sister's peculiarly in nocent look, the thing was as plain as a pikestaff." " Sharp, young man. You would do for a — that is, you might have done, that is, hem — I mean to say, you would — may I do anything for you, Miss Alice?" That relentless girl had been staring the unfortunate gentleman full in the face during the utterance of the whole of this highly consecutive sentence.

By great good fortune, dinner was just then announced, and the old gentleman thereby delivered from his perplexities. By a remarkable chance the conver sation was not resumed for some minutes. I wonder what we were all doing in the interim ! After some minutes, Herbert resumed, " So, Ahce, you were afraid I should be tempted to become a soldier." " I was anxious you should not be tempted, dear." " Highly considerate, my child ; but as it happens, I have no weakness that way." "Why, Sir?" says the soldier, fired with zeal for the honour of his profession. " I did not think you were altogether one ofthe peace party." " Nor am I, when there is anything to make war for. I should not choose to be a prize-fighter, yet I would not advise any one to assume the aggres sive within the range of my dehcate hands."

" Well, you would defend yourself, but not your country ?" " Yes, I would, but I would not attack my neighbour, either across the street or across the Channel." " Well, but to defend yourself you must have soldiers." " Soldiers, and not soldiers." " What do you mean ?" " I would have volunteers /" I mildly remarked, "My nephew's resources are limited, he cannot afford to keep a horse, so he keeps a hobby." " And my Uncle is consistent enough to laugh at what he agrees with." " But," said the soldier, returning to the charge as a soldier should, " while your neighbours have standing armies, you must." " And while you do, your neighbour must. There is no getting to the end of it that way. But, Sir, I do not agree with you. I believe well-trained volun teers would be quite competent to defend their country against any invading force.

Take away the standing army, and .you do not destroy the defensive power of the nation, only its aggressive power." " H'm," said the Colonel, " I had heard of you as a pugnacious, belligerent sort of fellow ; and I find you a perfect sucking dove." " Not at all. I am an enthusiastic volunteer ; but I think it is high time nations left off being a terror to each other, and, moreover, I am most anxious to save Uncle something-in-the-pound in come-tax. I do not suffer from income tax myself." "But," I said, "Herbert, thanking you for your disinterested anxiety about the income-tax, you will at least admit that a great nation has to do police duty in the family of nations, to prevent the strong preying upon the weak ?" " If the volunteer system were universal, and there were no standing armies, there would be no danger of this kind to fear."

"And meantime — " " Meantime, you must, I suppose, keep your standing army. But I think it is a pity to lose sight of the fact, that in this movement there is the means of getting rid of that incubus of great states — a permanent and expensive mihtary force. The volunteer army gives you a cheap and efficient means of defence, and does not tempt you by putting the means of ag gressive war into your power." " And suppose you abolished the standing army, and put in its place the volunteer army; in almost any country of Europe, except our own, what is the first thing that would happen ?" " I will tell you, Sir," said the Colonel, " revolution !" " Just so. Then, you see, Herbert, before there is any hope of your volunteer scheme becoming general, all peoples must have found the governments of their choice,, and all governments must have learned the right way to govern ; in other words, freedom and justice must have become universal throughout the world.

Will you wait till the millenium, or will that be too soon ? Meantime, I am afraid you will have to be content with regarding the volunteer movement as a happy expedient for aiding old England to defend her shores, and continue still to be respectful to the gallant officers of her standing army." " Bravo ! the man of the pen has spoken better than the young soldier that ought to have been." " But," said Alice, with flushed cheeks, jealous for the honour of her brother, " Herbert is quite right in his thought, it is only because men are so unjust, and cruel, and wicked, that it cannot be carried out. If men were what they should be, his plan would do capitally." " Doubtless, my child. Utopia is an excellent place ; but I suspect that there they have not much occasion for soldiers, volunteer or otherwise."

" Oh, yes, you may laugh at us as long as you please. I agree with Herbert, and I am sure he is right in spite of you." )> For a wonder, Herbert did not snub his sister in her enthusiasm. I suspect he saw both sides of the question, saw that he was right, but, as things are, impractically right. I wonder where is the thoughtful man who has not passed through that stage. I wonder if he is much better off for having got beyond it. I am afraid the Colonel felt a little disappointed at the view Herbert took of soldiering. No man hkes to have his profession undervalued. But no one could look at the young man, and think that his sentiments arose from any want of spirit. So, as the Colonel was cer tainly past the first flush of youth, he, perhaps, forgave the young contemner of the art of professional killing more readily than he might otherwise have done.

A day or two after, the Colonel said : " So, Mr. Herbert, you don't intend to be a soldier ?" " By your leave, I am a soldier ?" " Well, then, you don't intend to enter her Majesty's service ?" " By your leave, again, I am in her Ma jesty's service. "Bother the fellow! You do not mean, then — choose your own expres sion, there !" " My own expression for what, Sir ?" " For what I mean, Sir." " And what do you mean, Sir ?" "I know what I would mean if I had you in the regiment. You don't intend to be a soldier by profession ? Will that do ?" " Yes, I think that will do, Colonel. No, I only intend to be a soldier by practice, when the time comes !" " And what is your regular profession to be?" " Oh, he means to be a college tutor, and then a don — to make sure of never being bothered with a wife," said Alice.

" I am not sure about that, I have half altered my mind." " I suppose " ' You've so great a mind It takes a long time making up !! " Exactly, my sister. Nature has been liberal to the family, though she may have overlooked some of its members." " I appeal to you, Colonel Sanfield. Is not he one of the rudest young men you ever came across ?" " You must make allowances, Miss Alice, he is only a volunteer." I interposed, " But, seriously, I am getting very anxious that Herbert should fix on a profession; it is certainly high time he had done so." " I quite agree with you, Uncle, but the difficulty is to know what to fix upon. I should not like to turn away from books and scholarship, yet I should like a life of action. The fact is, I was cut out for the sixteenth century, not the nineteenth.

I suppose I was forgotten then, and sent now by mistake. I should like the life of the north of England, only it asks too much of one, or too little ; that is to say, it draws so largely upon one side of the mind only." " Anyhow, before the next long vacation you will have taken your B.A., and you must have made up your mind by .that time." " Yes, I promise !" " If you think of any work in the North that would be likely to suit you, I can per haps help you. I have one or two friends who are manufacturers down there," the Colonel said. Herbert was a good deal struck with our new protegee. He thought her very pretty and graceful, simple and refined ; in fact, he rather raved about her. This young man was somewhat Quixotic, the fact that she was of gipsy origin, and of humble position had, I believe, much to do with his admiration for her.

" Low tastes," says some exquisite. I think the exquisite is fully justified in taking his revenge beforehand, for I know what Herbert would have exclaimed, had he seen him. " Contemptible puppy !" would have been his elegant ejaculation. It would seldom be otherwise than instructive to know by what different standards any two men estimate each other. Nella seemed also very much taken with Herbert, and blushed and looked as pleased as possible whenever she had to do any thing for him. Young men of this stamp are always popular in a house. There is a republican air about them that tends to pull down the mighty from their seats, and raise them of low degree. Coming in one day from a wklk, Alice called Nella, but received no answer. Upon asking the person of the house VOL. in. c where she was, we were informed that a man had come to the house soon after we had left, and that Nella had gone away with him.

Except the clothes she wore, she had taken nothing with her. We did not understand it, having never heard of any man belonging to her, but thought she would probably return before long. However, as evening approached, and still she did not come, we began to feel anxious ; and Herbert and Alice de termined to walk to the Undercliff, and try and find out the mother. They returned with at least a partial solution of the mystery. The poor woman was dis tressed beyond measure when she heard the girl had gone, and said she was sure some deception had been practised upon her. She suspected who had taken her — her own husband, and stepfather to Nella. He was a rough, cruel man, and she had been long parted from him. He kept a show-caravan, and had long wanted to have Nella, to form one of its attractions.

He had lately been heard of at South ampton. The poor woman implored them to do what they could to recover the child, as she was sure it would be ruin and misery to her to remain with that man. She was to come round to us the first thing in the morning, to consult with us what was best to be done. The result of our conference was, that I determined to set off immediately in pur suit of the stolen lamb. We made no doubt she would wish to return ; otherwise we could, of course, do nothing. The gipsy gave us particulars enough to enable us to recognize the man, and our friend the Colonel promised to keep military guard over the ladies. So we took a post chaise to Ryde, and crossed by the early boat. We reached Southampton soon after mid-day, and learned that such a show as o the one we were in pursuit of had been in the town until the previous night, but that it had gone on to Portsmouth.

To Ports mouth we followed it, but found that it would not begin to exhibit until the next day. We thought it best to make no more stir until then, so looked for a quiet hotel to spend the night in. During the evening we arranged our plan of proceeding. Then we had a long talk over all the members of our little party, and confidentially ex changed certain private opinions. Finally, we had a " night-cap," and retired to rest. Herbert did not tell me his dreams next morning ; for myself, I know I have seldom had such a medley of imaginings in my life — a medley in which a gipsy play ing marbles with the stars, a man beat ing a showman's drum, and exhibiting a regiment of volunteers, and an alligator contained in a caravan of infinite length, and swallowing every quarter of an hour a blue-eyed, dark-haired girl, were among the least ridiculous figures.

In the morning we set out for the cara van. It was in a field outside the town. We had taken the precaution to give our selves as much of the shabby-genteel air as possible, that we might not seem too much out of place as spectators. There were the usual gorgeous paintings outside the show, and a man describing in forcible language the attractions to be seen inside. We recognized this man as the husband of our gipsy, and, as we did not doubt, the purloiner of our protegee. He was a some what formidable looking personage — dark, scowling and muscular. We stood outside the crowd, looking carelessly on, and, for fear of exciting suspicion, waiting to be personally appealed to before we attempted to enter — then we turned laughingly to each other as if the thing were a good joke. The exhibition had not commenced when we went in, but we saw Nella at the back of the caravan looking gloomy enough.

Presently she caught sight of us and started, and the colour came to her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled again. I put my finger to my lips, and she brought herself to order again in a moment, very cleverly. " Bravo," whispered Herbert," she is a brick !" " You had better save your exclama^ tions." Presently in the act of folding my arms and putting my hand to my chin — I pointed to the door — she gave the faintest possible nod to show that she understood. We, of course, saw the exhibition out, and per ceived that the good looks of Nella formed the chief attraction to many of the spec tators. I expect it was her most suc cessful performance, and the wretched pro prietor doubtless thought she was beginning to come to her senses, and to plume himself on the capital hit he had made. One part of Nella's business was to suffer a disgusting snake to coil itself about her arms and neck.

I thought it curiously symbolical of what would in evitably -happen, if she were allowed to remain in that den. The performance over, we left the c ira van, and strolled round it to reconnoitre. We saw there was a little door at the back, and doubted not that Nella would make her exit by it. So we threw our selves carelessly on the grass, that still we might not attract attention. By and by the dark man began to exert his per suasive powers upon the open-mouthed idlers again, and then the little door opened, and out stepped Nella with her bonnet in her hand. I must say she looked very pretty as well as very frightened as she glanced towards us, and ran hurriedly along, beckoning us to follow. We caught up with her in a moment, and I said, "All right, Nella, you are safe enough, now." " Oh, come," she said, " they are sure to miss me in a minute."

" Well, come along, then, we. may as well save a scene if possible." " I am not so sure of that," observed Herbert, rather sulkily, " I had rather set my heart upon a scene." " You are very kind, but I would rather not, unless you particularly wish it." However, he was not to be baulked, for we had only just crossed the field and en tered a lane (we were obliged to make a circuit in order to avoid the front of the caravan), before we heard him of the scowl ing aspect calling us to stop. There was no mistaking the voice. Nella screamed, and set off running, but Herbert exclaimed, " I say, Uncle, stop her, you are not going to show the white feather in that way, and I particularly want to have a word with my exigent friend behind here." So I restrained Nella, and we walked on at our old pace, as Herbert said, " Look here, Uncle, you won't interfere, you'll leave me to settle with the gentleman."

" You shall have that luxury, if you par ticularly wish." By this time the "gentleman" was somewhat out of breath. He looked very fierce — a veritable "fire-eater," as Her bert afterwards observed. " What are you doing with that girl?" " I don't know that it is your business, but if you wish to know, we are taking her home." " Taking her away from home, you mean. Perhaps you don't know she be longs to me." " I did not know before." " WeU, now you do, then. So you had better give her up." "Perhaps I may first ask what relation she is to you." " She is my daughter." " Step-daughter, you mean." " It's all the same." " Not quite, I think." " You'll find it is. Do you mean to give her up ?" "We will ask her first. Will you go back with him, Nella ?" " No, oh, no ; not for the world." The child clung to me convulsively.

" Who the cares what she says. I tell you I mean to have her !" And here he stepped forward and put his hand upon her arm. " Stand back, friend !" said Herbert, giving him a sharp push, " and keep your hands off, above all things !" " Who the are you ?"and as he spoke he approached Herbert menacingly, only to be sent back by a push more violent than before. "Go on, Uncle, and take Nella; I will settle with this fellow." We moved on a few paces, but I was not inclined to leave the field of battle altogether, until I saw what sort of a match our champion would prove for the foul-tongued Hercules. However, I need have had no fear. The fellow, big as he was, did not seem anxious to engage, but endeavoured to push past Herbert. That youth's blood was evidently getting up. " Will you stand back, fellow ?"

" No, I mean to have my girl." " Then take that !" and a telling blow laid him prostrate. He jumped up in a furious passion and flew at Herbert, only to be returned to the bosom of his mother earth by a repetition of the dose. He did not seem anxious for a third. It was the old story, the big-bodied, evil-tongued bully was a coward. So he stood there venting his devilspirit in appropriate language. Even this our St. George would not suffer. His eyes flashed and he went up to the man, " Stop that language !" The creature went on. It came spon taneously. " Stop it, I say !" and St. George stamped his foot. The dragon's mouth closed at last. " Now," I said, turning to go, " one word with you, my man. If we ever see anything of you again, we shall have occasion to talk of a certain visit of yours to a farm not a hundred miles off ; and a woman you once knew remembers a few of the facts ofthe case."

The dragon turned pale, (Did anybody ever see a pale dragon ?) and also turned on his heel. (Did any body ever see a dragon turn on his heel ?) Henceforth he crossed our path no more. As we walked along, Nella was crying and sobbing with excitement and joy. Presently she became a little quieter, but suddenly with a fresh burst of tears, she threw her arms around Herbert's neck, and, with all the passionate eloquence of a woman and the abandonment of a child, thanked him for saving her from that dreadful man and that dreadful hfe. Herbert coloured to the roots of his hair, and gently disengaging her arms from his neck, soothed (I had almost said ' petted') her, telling her how glad he was to have been able to save her, and bidding her be quite sure the fellow should never get hold of her again.

It was pretty to see how as she became calm, her diffidence and bashfulness returned, and she grew more and more confused in the remembrance of her violent demon stration of gratitude. But Herbert was so gentle with her, and treated her so much like a child, that she was soon herself again, and began to give us a graphic account of her experience of caravan life. We made our way home as quickly as possible, and arrived before evening. Our friends were surprised to see us so soon, and were overjoyed at our success. Alice gave Nella a right warm welcome, and there was no mistaking the girl's delight at getting back to us again. The gipsy mother was not long behind. She had been to the house several times in the course of the day. As soon as we were quietly settled for the evening, we had to recount our ad ventures.

When we came to the combat, the Colonel said, " Well done, young volunteer, there is really some fight in him after all !" " I told you I could fight when there was occasion — not that it took much trouble to settle that creature. His size seemed only to make the bigger coward of him." I noticed that Herbert carefully avoided any mention of the embracing scene, and observing his cue, I was not less prudent. Bat I pondered a little over the reason for his reticence, and did not feel sure whether it was simply consideration for Nella, or whether his own feehngs were concerned in the matter. It may seem improbable that Herbert the Indifferent should have his feelings concerned in what it might please the gipsy girl to do. But I have lived long enough to know that improbable things very frequently come to pass, nevertheless.

On the other hand, it is possible to be so wisely cautious in one's judgments, as to be what a boy would call " too sharp." We were all talking about Nella one day, when the Colonel said, " Do you know anything about her father — who he was, and so on?" I answered. " No, I do not, but why do you ask." " I cannot help thinking that he must have been of a different class from the mother, there is so much refinement about the girl." " I have thought the same thing myself, but I believe it is not a fact. Every now and then we meet with such cases, in which the nature of the child seems to contradict entirely the nature of its parents. Whether in such cases we must look to some earlier progenitor it is difficult to say." " Can Nella read ?" " A little, and but a little." " That is a pity. It would be almost a good thing to give her some education."

" Education, certainly, but not schoohng, at present, at all events." " Well, if you think so." " Yes, I do think so, Colonel. I believe the very best kind of education she could have will be what she will get with Alice." " Well, I dare say you are right." So Nella remained Alice's maid.

Chapter II

"It is a beauteous evening, calm and free, The holy time is quiet as a nun Breathless with adoration, the broad sun Is sinking down in its tranquillity, The gentleness of heaven is on the seas." " But garlands wither, festal shows depart, Like dreams themselves ; and sweetest sound Albeit of effect profound, It was — and it is gone." TT BRBERT'S stay was to be a short -*-*- one, and it had come to an end all but one day. That last day we planned should be an extra pleasant one. So we engaged a small sailing-boat, and set off early in the morning to Freshwater Bay. We took Nella with us, so we were a party VOL. III. D of six. We had a fair wind, and not too much of it, so the journey there was a very successful one. As every one knows, the island looks well from the sea ; the Black-gang; Chine fiercer than ever.