The Stilwinches of Combe Mavis. A novel

Front matter

THE STILWINCHES ui COMBE MAVIS. 3i ftotrcl. BY T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE, AUTHOR OF "THE GARSTANGS," ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON. 1872. [AU Rights reserved.] CONTENTS OF VOL. II. CHAPTER PACT. I. BEN BATT'S VICTORY 1 MRS. FRAMPTON AND BARBARA BOTH TAKE II. STRONG MEASURES 17 HI. A PAIR OF FELLOW TRAVELLERS . . .31 IV. ARRIVALS 45 V. A MOTHER TO THE RESCUE . . . .GO VI. BOYS WILL BE BOYS 76 VII. PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL . . .90 VIH. MRS. FRAMPTON EXPLAINS HER VIEWS. . 109 IX. ON THE LAWN AGAIN 124 X. FLIRTING WITH THE GRAIN, AND FLIRTING AGAINST THE GRAIN . . . .134 XI. IN THE SCHOOL ROOM 152 XII. WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK . . .166 XIII. " SANCTA SIMPLICITA " . . . .183 CONTENTS. IV CHAPTER PAGE XIV. YET ANOTHER LOVE-LETTER . . .198 XV. A FATHER OF EIGHT DAUGHTERS. . .214 XVI.

AT COMBE VICARAGE 230 XVII. THE TWO BEN BAHS 242 XVIII. BEN BATT'S AWKWARD JOB .... 255 XIX. IKEY IN PURSUIT OF INFORMATION . . 272 XX. A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION .... 285 XXI. "WITHOUT PREJUDICE" .... COMBE MAVIS.

Chapter I. Ben Batt's Victory

Y return of post on the morning of the day on Avhich Ben Batt's croquet match was to come off — the same morning on which the letters from Australia and the Isle of Man had reached Coppleford — the two following letters were delivered at the Vicarage of Whitton Parva : " To the Hon. and Rev. Mr. Alleyne. " Hon. and Rev. Sir, " Them as is not mothers can t be expected to have the feelings of mothers. It VOL. ii. CO 21 BE 21 AVIS. 2 stands to reason they shouldn't. But it was a great satisfaction to me to hire a honourable gent for my son's tutor ; and now I see that I was right and that it was worth the money, for you have acted honourable to me. And there's no harm done. And don't you be frightened, honourable and reverend sir ; and don't let poor Gussy be frightened neither. For I am coming.

Just keep cool and easy, and don't let Gussy fret hisself, poor boy ! There's not the least bit of danger. For the boy has got a mother, heavens be praised. And I am coming. Please be so kind as to look up for me some lodging for me and my maid as near you as you can. If you can't I shall go to the inn at Petheram. Please write and teU me if you can take me a lodging. I shall come next Wednesday, being obligated to go to the flower shew on Tuesday. " Your faithful servant, " Martha Fitzwilliam.'7 The second letter ran as follows " Darling Gussy, " I got yours and the honourable and reverend's the same day. Don't you go for to take on about this matter in no way. Them as has no mothers may be took in and done for. For boys will be boys, and girls will be girls. But you may be thankful you have got a mother, and one, thanks be, that knows what is what.

Don't you be frightened nor worrited, for I am coming. My dear boy, whether you said this to the girl, or whether you said that don't signify a but ton, for I shall be there as soon as the flower shew is over. Be sure the reverend writes to me whether he can find me a lodging. " Your affectionate mother, "Martha Fitzwilliam." Mr. AUeyne, as soon as he had glanced at his letter, rose from the breakfast-table and stepped with it to the window, as if he had needed a more perfect light for the reading of it. As he read it, a bright pink blush, like a girl's, came first into his pale cheeks and delicately cut features, but this was soon succeeded by a smile ; and as he concluded the letter he covered the lower part of his face with his hand before he turned to come back to his place at the breakfast-table.

It was at 1—2 TIIE STILWINCHES OF C021BE 21 A VIS. 4 all events a great relief to find that Mrs. Fitz william's feelings as a mother had not taken the form of violent anger as he had feared they might. Augustus, having duly asked Miss Alleyne's permission, read his letter in his place at the table, and was blushing violently when Mr. Alleyne returned to it. " So your mother is coming down herself, Augustus, — so she tells me," said the vicar. " Yes, sir ; she says so, too, in her letter to me. " Perhaps it is the best course she could take. I shall be very glad to see her here." " She speaks in her letter to me, sir, of asking you to find a lodging for her," said Augustus, rather hesitatingly. " Yes ; and as it fortunately happens, I think I can do so. I w7ish we could have received her here.

But as you know that is impossible, you must explain to your mother how sorry we are that we have not a room to offer her." " Thank you, sir ; it is very kind of you. Don't you think she could find rooms at Farmer Gilling's ?" " Yes ; that is what I am thinking of. Mrs. Gilling is a tidy woman, and I dare say she could make your mother tolerably com fortable for the short time she would probably wish to stay." " And that would be quite close at hand, you know. Shall I write, sir, to save' you the trouble, and say that she can have lodgings close to the vicarage ? " " No. As your mother requests me to do so, I will write to her myself. But we must speak to Mrs. Gilling first." As soon as the breakfast was over Mr. Alleyne and Augustus went out together to step as far as Farmer Gilling's house.

But before doing so the vicar found a moment to say to his sister — " I am afraid, dear, that it will be a sad bore, and the worst of it will fall upon you, my poor Agnes. But for all that I am very glad she is coming. It will take a very pain ful responsibility off my shoulders. And I am agreeably surprised to find that she does not seem to be angry." " May I see her letter ?" said Agnes. " There it is, dear. Bead it wdien you are TIIE STILWINCIIES OF C 021 BE 21 AVIS. 6 by yourself. I declare I feel as if I was ashamed to show it to you. It is worse than I could have thought." " Worse ! in what way ?' " Oh, you will see ! At all events she does not seem to be furious, as I expected. What she does mean I don't quite understand." And then Augustus came from the hall with his hat and stick, and he and the vicar passed out of the window of the breakfast room together.

" My mother does not seem at all angry in her letter to me," said Augustus in a hopeful tone to his tutor. " No. I cannot say that she expresses any anger in her letter to me either. I am very glad of it," returned the vicar. " And I am sure when she sees Maggie that it will be all right," pursued the young man, looking rather wistfully at his com panion. " Humph, I don't know. I don't feel at all sure what your mother's intentions may be ! We shall see," said the vicar somewhat drily. " I am sure mother will take to Maggie. It is impossible that she should not like her." " Of course you will tell the young lady that your mother is expected here shortly, and that all arrangements between you must be understood as subordinate to what may then be thought best." " WeU, sir, I don't know. Of course I shall tell her that my mother is coming.

But you see, sir, when a gentleman has given his word to a lady, he can't break it for all the mothers in the world !" said the young man, with a greater amount of straightforward decision of purpose, and (as the vicar could not help admitting to liimself) right-hearted feeling than he had given him credit for. " But you must remember, Augustus, that you are under age — in statu pupillari, as we say — and are not as yet competent to bind yourself by any promise ;" said the vicar, in his anxiety to ward off the trouble which he feared he sawr looming in the future. " But then, sir, I should feel myself bound in honour to renew the promise as soon as I am of age. But you will see, sir, that mother THE STILWINCHES OF C02IBE 21 A VIS. 8 will make no objection when she has seen Maggie." And then Mrs. Gilling was talked to, and a couple of beautifully clean lavender-smelling rooms was hired for Mrs. Fitzwilliam's use ; and the vicar on his return wrote to that lady to tell her that such accommodation as he had been able to secure would be ready for her on the Wednesday.

And Augustus, meantime, went in to the morning-room to Miss Agnes, in quest of some more comfortable assurance from her than he had been able to extract from her brother, to the effect that his mother would not and could not feel anything save admiration for his Maggie, and that no sort of oppo sition was to be expected from her. But gentle httle Miss Agnes, much as she would have liked to be able to think so, and pleasant as it would have been to her, to see the matter in the same couleur de rose aspect that Augustus did, did not feel at liberty to speak any very comforting words on the subject. " But it's not as if Maggie were only a pretty girl, you know, Miss Agnes. Beautiful as she is, her beauty is the least admirable thing about her. She is so good, and so clever ! You don't know how clever she is wdien you come to talk to her.

And mother has a great opinion of cleverness in a girl !" " Well, we shall see. I am sure, if your heart is set upon it, I hope sincerely that your mother will approve your choice," said poor little Miss Agnes. " But what do you think ? If it was your self, now, would not you think any man for tunate to win such a wife as Maggie !" per sisted the young man, with an earnestness that the little lady found it very difficult to answer. " To me Miss Maggie seems a very amiable girl. But then people take such different views, you know, Mr. Fitzwilliam ! You must know better than I can, whether Miss Maggie Stilwinche is likely to appear to your mother to be everything, in all respects, that she would wish in a daughter-in-law." "lam sure she is ! She must be ! Why look at all those other girls. They are very nice girls, very good, and very pretty, several C021BE 21 A VIS. 10 of them.

But there is not one of them to compare to Maggie," said the lover. And then Mr. Alleyne came in with his letter, and Augustus volunteered to carry it to the post-office. Mr.' Alleyne made no attempt to induce him to employ any portion of the morning hours with his books as usual, for it was evident that he was in too great a state of nervous excitement to make it pos sible for him to do so with any profit. And then, at last, to the great relief of Miss Agnes, came the luncheon time, and soon after that it was time to start for Combe Mavis for the croquet match. On this occa sion Miss Agnes excused herself from accom panying Augustus, and he pressed her to do so but feebly. Mr. Ironside was there to act as umpire, and Miss Awdry sat on the lawn and talked with Mrs. Frampton. She was a httle dis appointed at not meeting Miss Alleyne, and was half inclined to say some word to Mrs. Frampton on the subject on which she had spoken to Miss Agnes.

But she determined not to do so for the present, but content her self with observing what should pass before her eyes. Her interest in the matter was mainly prompted by kindness for Maggie. For she dreaded for her the disappointment which she very httle doubted was in store for her. Upon this occasion the game at croquet was ■a much shorter one than it had been on the previous day. For Ben Batt and his partner not only beat their opponents, but did so in a very short space of time. Ben ran his ball round and home to the goal without having been once touched, and then not having touched it, made himself a rover, and scattering the enemy far to the right "and left, victoriously brought up his partner with small difficulty. There was dissention, moreover, in the opposite camp. Charley Cornland and the other girls complained that neither Augustus nor Maggie paid due attention or took any interest in the game.

More than once it happened that when Maggie's ball had been sent far away in the distance by a vigorous stroke from Ben's mallet, Augustus lounged away with her to the spot, and had to be hallooed to when the turn was for him to play. Then besides that, there was evidently C02IBE 21 A VIS. 12 no good intelligence between Barbara and Millicent, though they were playing on the same side. The mixture of skill and audacity with which Barbara contrived to keep Charley, the captain, on her side, always close in atten dance on her and away from Millicent, was curious to see. When her ball had been croque, she never would go after it without calling on him to come and tell her how she wras to strike it in order to send it up again towards the hoops. If a similar opportunity occurred to Millicent, she took care just at that moment to consult the captain wdiether at her next stroke she ought to try for the next hoop or only to lay her ball up.

And then Millicent seemed to get tired of the game, and played in a languid and nonchalant manner, quite unlike her usual self. Never before had any of her sisters seen Barbara exert herself to be attractive, as she evidently did to fascinate Charley Cornland. Whether it were that she had been piqued by wdiat had been told her of what happened at that first visit, w7hen Beatrice, Charity, and Millicent had gone with their aunt to call on the Cornlands, and by the young man's evident admiration of her younger sister, between whom and herself there had never been any very cordial feeling, or whether it were that she was really herself attracted by the handsome face and figure and frank ways of the young farmer, it might be hard to say, but that she was violently bent on captivating him was plain enough.

"And now, you defeated captain," she said, when Beatrice had struck her ball against the goal and so ended the contest, " after having tired me to death with fighting on your side, the least you can do is to get that garden chair, and put it for me under the shade of that yew tree yonder ; that is my favourite place, and I shall sit and rest there till tea time." Of course Charles could but carry the seat to the spot she had pointed out, and of course when he had placed it for her, it was im possible for him to turn his back and leave her there to herself. " There ! you may sit down at the foot of the tree yourself, I am sure you must be tired too !" she said, pointing to a seat which would bring his eyes within about half a yard C 021 BE 21 A VIS. 14 of two charmingly slender little feet, exquisitely exhibited in pink silk stockings and bronze slippers, — which, how7ever, his eyes did not rest on then for the first time.

Barbara was very proud of her pretty feet and hands, which she had in common with her sisters Beatrice and Millicent, but which she would by no means admit to be no prettier than theirs. " What a stupid game it was !" said she. " Did you think so? I enjoyed it amazingly ! . . . . but then that's different, of course. What a charming place this is !" " Do you think so ? I assure you I find life a very dull affair here !" " I think if I was in your place I should be as happy as the day is long !" " And I think that if I was in your place I should be as happy as the day is long ! That's always the way, people know so little about what other people have to make them happy, or the reverse !" "Oh! Miss Barbara; how can you have anything to make you unhappy ! I don't believe a word of it !" " You may believe it or not, as you like, but it is true !

You don't know what it is to be one of eight daughters, when people are poor as Job !" " I am sure Mr. Stilwinche has a very good estate, I know that much !" said Charles, rather at a loss what to answer. " Yes ! an estate that has been in the family I don't know how many centuries ; and that of course makes it necessary for us to keep up certain appearances. But think what it is for a man to have eight daughters, altogether unprovided for !.-... That is to say, six daughters, I should say ; for Beatrice and I are provided for. We two have com fortable fortunes of our own, thanks to two old aunts ! So its not on my own account that I am anxious. But think of six girls utterly unprovided for ! Can you wonder that it does not always seem to me all couleur de rose ?" " I suppose most people have something to be anxious about," said Charles, unable to think of anything better to say than that banal platitude.

" I suppose so, but there is no use in thinking about it. What a lovely moonlight THE STILWINCHES OF C 021 BE 21 A VIS. walk we had that evening ; I shall never forget it ! T do hope we may have such another to-night. Come ! let us go and see if they are going to have tea ; if we prolong our tSte-d-tSte the girls will be saying all sorts of ill-natured things ; and I am sure w7e don't deserve them, do we ?" And so having contrived to give Charles the information she was anxious he should be in possession of; having improved the ac quaintance between herself and him by a conversation of a semi-confidential kind ; having done, as she flattered herself, a little more towards making herself irresistible to him ; and last, but not least, having, as she very well knew, given little Millicent the heart-ache, she lounged back, leaning on his arm, to the part of the lawn wdiere the rest of the party were gathering themselves around the tea-table.

Chapter II. Mrs

FRAMPTON AND BARBARA BOTH TAKE STRONG MEASURES. IISS AWDRY, for reasons of her own, to which the reader has the key, would fain have avoided the moonlight w^alk across the park at the end of the evening, to which the young folks were looking forward. There would be, as she said to herself, another opportunity for a long tete a-tete flirtation between Fitzwilliam and Mag dalen Stilwinche. More mischief woidd be done. Or rather the mischief which she feared had been done would become more and more irre parable. And the excellent lady had prepared herself to throw cold water upon the scheme as soon as it should be mooted accordingly. " But all her strategy to that effect was un- VOL. ii TIIE STIL WINCHES OF C02IBE MA VIS. 18 expectedly defeated by Mrs. Frampton ; who also had probably reasons of her own for choosing that the walk should take place beside those which she adduced to the effect that the beauty of the night was so tempting that she thought she should enjoy a walk herself.

To this, which was received with acclamation by all the younger members ofthe party, there was nothing more to be said ; and the walk took place accordingly. " Now Millicent, my dear, I shall not allow you to escape as you did the other evening," said the old lady, " I don't approve of such lazy habits. Tired indeed ! A healthy girl of your age ! All blatherum skate ! I was never tired at your age ; and the consequence is that. I am not often tired now ! Go and get your hat and shawl at once, and come and walk with me. Perhaps I may want your arm coming back. My pet Barbara would give me an arm I know. But she is so delicate herself, poor girl !" So Millicent had to go and do as her aunt bade her ; for direct opposition to Mrs. Framp ton's behests was rarely attempted at Combe Mavis. Barbara's hat and scarf were lying on a little garden table near the place, wliich she had indicated to Charles Cornland as her favourite seat.

Perhaps she too had had her reasons for taking care that they should be there at hand, instead of having to go into the house for them. But while she was walking across the lawn with her usual languidly sauntering step towards the table on which they were, the old lady called to Charles, who was about follow7 ing her ; and when he came to her side, where she was standingclose to the verandah window through which Millicent had gone to get her hat : — " Now, young gentleman," said she, " I am going to see whether you have as much gal lantry as the young men used to have when I was young. I want you to give me your arm as far as the bottom of the hill. Yes, that's what I call being gallant ! All the lads can run after the lasses, but a really gallant man wdl give an old woman the attention she wants."

" Indeed, ma'am, I shall be proud if I can be of any use to you," protested Charles, putting the best face he could upon the o s.) TIIE STILWINCIIES OF CO 21 BE 21 AVIS. 20 matter, though in fact he was terribly disap pointed. " Only to the bottom ofthe hill, you know. Then I can go by myself well enough, and you may go and join the young folks. Now Millicent," she continued, as the latter came out from the house with her hat on, " you come and w^alk with me — I don't at all approve of your giving up your walking." And so in the midst of a lecture on the excellence of exercise, the old lady moved off with Charles on one side of her and Milly on the other, just as Barbara returning across the lawn with her hat and scarf came up in time to perceive her aunt's arrangement. And if the lightnings that lie in a lady's eye were anything more than a poet's phrase, it is probable that no one of the trio, who so started on their walk, would ever have stirred foot again.

Barbara, however, was not going to do as that silly, simple Millicent had done the other evening — give up her walk, and re tire vanquished from the field at the first reverse. Not a bit of it. " Oh, Mr. Fitzwilliam !" she exclaimed as Augustus was hastily passing her, " do take pity on me, and give me your arm, I am such a bad walker !" It was rather a strong measure perhaps, but then the occasion required a strong mea sure. Barbara was in a state of repressed fury. It was horrible to her under all the circumstances both that Charles and that Mfllicent should see her setting forth on the walk by herself or with one of her sisters only. She knew perfectly well, that by taking posses sion of Augustus, she should be spoding Mag gie's enjoyment of the wTalk, and that was something. And then the direct appeal she had made, rendered it, as she flattered herself, impossible that the means she had adopted should fad in their intent.

What was her rage and indignation then, when Augustus, instead of stopping, increased his pace to a run, merely saying over his shoulder as he went, " Very sorry, Miss Barbara, but I promised to walk with Miss Maggie — and she is waiting for me." Oh ! ! ! If only the genuine article in the way of lightning or thunder-bolts had been at hand, there would have been few left to walk that evening. C02IBE 21 A VIS. 22 Barbara sauntered up to a group composed of Faith, Charity, and Peter Cornland ; and just at the moment when they were all turning to follow Mrs. Frampton, Milly and Charles, w7ho passed down the lawn, contrived so to place herself by the young man's side, that he naturally offered his arm, which she took in silence. And so she and Peter, together wdth the twins, moved off together.

Pernel and Mr. Ironside had taken the lead. And Beatrice and Miss Awdry with Ben Batt on Beatrice's other side foUowed them. It was Beatrice who had'attached herself to Miss Awdry. Perhaps she was a httle alarmed at the very downright and uncompromising love making of her Australian adorer. Pen had declared as usual that the im mense pressure of her multifarious occupa tions and duties made it impossible for her to join the party. It is intelligible that Augustus should have made a vigorous resistance to Barbara's at tempt to capture him. He had been looking forward all day to this walk with Maggie, and there was much to be said between them. " Have you said anything to your people, dearest ? " asked Fitzwilliam eagerly, as soon as they were out of hearing of the others. " No, I meant to ; but I did not know which of them I had better speak to.

Mamma, you know .... seems somehow never to pay much attention to anything. And I am so afraid of my aunt. And I thought that I would teU Pen. But I thought, perhaps the best thing wrould be for you to speak to papa, Gussy, dear, .... if you think it right," said Maggie hanging on his arm and looking fondly into his face. " But I have something to tell you, darling. What do you think ? My mother is coming. She is to be here on Wednesday." " Oh, I shall be so frightened ! Oh, Gussy, I do hope she won't be angry ! Do you think she will dislike me ? I am so afraid that she wiU not think me worthy of you, Gussy dearest." " The question is, my darling, whether you can think me worthy of your own dear self. I have no doubt — no doubt at all, that my mother will think as I think, when she knows you, that I might look all England over, and C 021 BE 21 A VIS. 24 never find so good, so sweet, so lovely, and — and sodear awife.

I fully hope and think so, dearest. But we must understand each other, Maggie, come what will, and let them say what they will, we are to be true to each other. You have my promise, and I have yours. Have not I ? You swear you will not give me up. And I swear to you that nothing shall ever make me love any other but you. You promise, darling ?" " Yes, Gussy, I promise," said Maggie, a little falteringly, putting out her hand to take his, and casting her fine large silly eyes up to the moon. " And I swear in the sight of heaven — and that is the same by night as by day, you know Maggie," said Augustus, looking at her very gravely ; " I swear in the sight of heaven, that I will be true to you, and stand by you, and love you always better than all the world, and marry you if you wdl give yourself to me, come what will."

" I do love you, Gussy," said Maggie, pressing closer to his side, and feeling w7ith a perfect fulness of persuasion that the moon did not look down that night upon another, so noble, so brave, so true, so loving as he, whose love her happy fate had given her. Mrs. Frampton was true to her promise, when the bottom of the hill was reached ; but she accomplished it not by telling Charles that he might leave her, but by herself leaving him and Millicent and joining Miss Awdry and her two companions ; the result of which was that Ben found some little opportunity of tete-a-tete talk with Beatrice. Mdlicent and Charles were then left to make the rest of the walk together. And at the moment when Mrs. Frampton deserted them, both of them almost felt as if they would have preferred that she should have remained, for both felt shy and afraid of the other.