Wife and Child

Chapter I

sFHE carriage had started, and was rolling -*- rapidly out of sight ; yet Louis continued to stand there, endeavouring with strained eyes to catch the last glimpse of its adored occu pant. When at length a winding branch of the road brought her face once more into full though distant view, she turning towards him, as if with an answering look ; he sprang up the hilly side of the way, and waived his cap in a final salute of all-rapturous love ; then in the very exhaustion of nervous excitement, he leant against a tree, half buried his head in his cap while murmuring, " Oh ! Harley, happiness like mine becomes almost painful from the fulness of its measure. VOL. III. B WIFE AND CHILD. What have I done to deserve the love of a being like that ." " Your appreciation of its worth is the best claim to desert," I answered.

" Appreciation of it !" he echoed ; " ah ! who would not — but you smile in mockery ; yet surely if the ravings of rhapsody could ever be excused, it would be when such as Marguer ite is their object !" " Indeed my smile was not one of derision ; but rather of intense pleasure, at finding in this blase age that there are yet some choice natures who have not dried up the youthful spring of life ; who have not covered the righteous glow of fervent feeling with the sickly crust of affec tation, and whose hearts, in escaping alike from the benumbing inanition of selfish indifference, and the corrupting repletion of selfish interest, have the power to feel, and the courage to pro claim, that they are the blessed adherents to nature's most genial laws." " No wonder I have ever felt so strong a sympathy towards you, Harley," exclaimed Louis with a warm grasp of my hand, " for it is that vein of enthusiasm which flows through your WIFE AXD CHILD. 3 chai-acter that so assimilates it to my own.

Do you remember when first I met you, I could scarcely reconcile the existence of the sentiment with your nationality. How our simple acquaintance has ripened into friendship ! — friendship of which you have given such sterling proofs in action, but that I as yet can only repay in words. How strangely propitious this forest has been to me ! There was an instinct in letting it induce compliance with my mother's wish for settling at Craintour, for it first led to my fortuitous meeting with you, and now to this one again with my heart's idol — my soul's treasure! Is she not lovely. Beyond the dreams of loveliness ! Even I, who have, as it were, watched the budding growth of her beauty, hardly conceived it reaching suoh ma turity of loveliness. Yes, that is it — maturity. There is about her an air — a something undefin able — felt more than perceived — which almost gave me a feeling of timidity when at first in her presence, only that her cry of greeting ring ing in my ears and filling my heart, dispelled the sentiment, and made me again conscious that, despite the change, there still shone in her B WIFE AM) CHILD. glorious eyes the depth of her soul's purity, her mind's excellence, which places her moral worth at even a higher standard than her personal attributes."

" The maturity at which she has arrived has been gained through immense suffering; and our object must now be to prevent her having to endure any more," said I, thinking he had had quite sufficient indulgence in lover-like ecstacies, so that it was time to bring him to the consideration of stern realities. The word "suffering" easily attained the purpose, and he at once entered with grave seriousness on the momentous question of Mar guerite's rights. He acknowledged having been able to interpret the significance of the gesture by which I had just before imposed silence on any allusion to Adele's conduct, through recol lection of the troubled conversation held in my bedroom up at the Chateau. In recalling it he was much inclined to reproach me for not having then proclaimed the identity of Nora — whom he had deemed so uninteresting — with his beloved Marguerite, while renewing expres sions of discontent at my having concealed the fact of her near vicinity.

Soon reconvincing him, however, of the integrity of my motives, he once for all confessed that his reason ap proved, while his heart regretted, the course I had taken; for had he then met Marguerite, Adele, who must have been ever on the watch, would have found means to misrepresent it, and compromise the young girl, perhaps irretriev ably, in his mother's eyes. " And now, Harley," said he, " as one point of obscurity has been cleared, you will no lon ger refuse to enlighten me on that other, which is of a much more terrible nature — I mean the iniquitous share my amiable cousin takes regarding Marguerite's claims. I have not forgotten the war of words you held with her in the drawing-room, and your after-declaration of its having concerned Nora, of whom she knew something, and refused to reveal it."

" She does know something, and knows it through that Jose " I stopped in my speech, for we distinctly heard a noise near us, and fancying it to be some one making inspection of the Column, we decided on wending our way home, as conversation could be easily pursued during the walk. Leav ing the broad road, we took the by-path Ma dame Planchette had made known to me, and while slowly walking on, I fully related all I imagined Adele and Jose knew of Marguerite, her poor mother and their antecedents ; and though his questions forced me to describe the means by which I had gained the knowledge, and thus allude to my first memorable inter view with his cousin, as well as to the second one when the interchange of polite conversation had such an undercurrent of terrible meaning, yet I took care to keep two facts under the seal of silence ; one was — Adele's morning assigna tion in the grounds, and my discovery of it through the finding of her brooch ; the other — her further folly in writing me the mysteriously sent paper; these were two circumstances I wished to keep in reserve, for a sort of coup d'etat on a future occasion.

I found it difficult indeed to evade his hard-pressing comments on Adele's satirical mention of the existence of " wagers " between us ; yet I managed it pretty well, treat ing it as a sort of clever pleasantly on her part, to entangle me. As this statement was in a measure really true, I quieted my conscience about using any sort of subterfuge, and compensated for reserve on these points by the most open candour on others, while heartily indorsing the torrent of invectives against the " two fiends " it immedi ately called forth. Louis confirmed Marguer ite's description of his cousin's patronage of Jos<_ in Touraine, and how it must have been then that he had made her his confidant, in re turn for which she favoured his insolent designs on her rival. The assertion of Jose as to the mother of Marguerite having promised her daughter to him, he unhesitatingly pronounced to be an impudent lie — a cowardly invention to frighten the poor girl.

" I horsewhipped him well for it," said he ; " and now that you tell me he is in this neigh bourhood again, I shall be ready to protect Marguerite from any annoyance by more forci ble means than even a whip, for the police " This time he was arrested in liis speech, by our again hearing a similar noise to the one which had previously interrupted me in mine. We both looked round, but could see nothing; and as the sounds had ceased the instant we stood still, we attributed it to having been the crackling of the leaves under our own feet. The decay of autumn was naturally more rapid in the interior of the forest than elsewhere, as the density of the trees shut out the sun, and promoting humidity, had already covered the ground with a thick carpet of yellow leaves. Fancying, then, that we might ourselves have easily been the originators of the noise, we walked and talked on ; but as every now and again the sounds occurred, we both continually looked round with uneasy misgivings that some one besides ourselves was assisting to press the withered mementoes of autumn's season.

The afbernoon was too far advanced to afford suffi cient light for discerning any person who might seek concealment among the shadows of the thickly-set trees ; but fearing some one was accidentally, or not, playing the listener, we in stinctively increased our pace, and lowered our voices. We discussed every part of the affair, from every point of view, everything still resulting iu the one question — how much Jose and Adele really knew, and if the first possessed Marie's marriage papers . To discover this there was need of sagacity and prudence, and I candidly told Louis that I feared his impetuous nature would, unless kept under strict control, undo the calm efforts of others. "With a wily villain like this Jose, and a daring spirit like Adele, we must use the ut most diplomacy to take them unawares.

Hot indignation will never do, and as that would be your natural impulse, you will have to make strenuous efforts to curb it," said I. " I have an incentive to the effort that will enable me to achieve it," he answered ; " but as your national characteristic will be the best adjunct in this case, I am more than willing to leave the organization of plans in your hands." " You mean my British phlegm — oh ! there is no need for deprecations, for do you know I am rather proud of the quality. Well, then, let us organize our plans at once. I will accompany you to the Chateau now, have some further talk with your mother, see the result on your cousin Adele of all these discoveries of Marguerite's identity, and how she takes the change in your mother's opinion regarding your desires, as change there must be ; and then you, as Mar guerite's future husband, and I as her father's countryman, will take authority into our own hands, and apply for legal measures to aid in righting the poor wronged girl.

The Maire here must be a great aid ; and then there is a lawyer here, a Monsieur Devarme, who, I fancy, is the very man we need, for not only was he well acquainted with the Gentilhomme., but he possesses the quick intelligence and subtle finesse we shall require." Louis agreed fully to these proposals, but ex pressed his wonder that I had not told his mother of Adele's holding knowledge concerning Marguerite. " I intended to have asked you at first why you stopped me when I was about to divulge some part of her nefarious conduct, but in the numberless questions that arose have forgotten that one," said he ; " it would be Adele's great est punishment to reveal her true character to my mother, who is so strangely blinded on the point." " Precisely ; and that is the very reason why I thought it better to wait for an occasion when Mademoiselle d'Arvigny should herself be pre sent, and thus our power be strengthened by more directly confounding her.

Had you told your mother just now, she might have at tributed it to all sorts of motives — intrigue on my part, prejudice on yours, she well knowing how you dislike your cousin." " Dislike her !" he exclaimed ; " oh ! no, that is a mistake ; were my sentiments of that kind, they would have a more powerful form ; yet though I hold her person in aversion, her nature in abhorrence, my unmitigated scorn it is that saves her from my hate ! " Louis had stood still while giving utterance to words which acquired a double concentration of energy through expression of face and tone of voice ; but scarcely had he terminated them, when the sounds that had all along annoyed us became more distmct ; and at length some thing issuing from out the shadows that kept deepening around us, we saw it to be the figure of a man, who, darting across our very pathway, fled with lightning swiftness into the dense shades on the other side.

" Jose !" was the simultaneous exclamation of both, as with one accord we sprang after him in the same direction. Our pursuit was a short one, however, for the sound of his footsteps being the only real guide, pausing to listen what way they were taking gave the advantage to him. We were novices, too, in the intersected paths of the forest ; yet though we began to think we were losing ourselves, we at one moment came very close upon him; but he baffled us still more completely, for leaping up to a tree, he swung himself on to almost its highest branch. While Louis was preparing to follow him in the perilous venture, and I waited below to prevent escape, we heard him give a loud laugh of triumphant derision an im mense distance off, and were fain to confess that his acrobatic capacities were proof against all our efforts.

Louis became at once possessed with the idea that the fellow was making his way to the farm with evil intents towards Marguerite. Fortunately we soon found that the path led us out of the forest into a sort of village called the Tuileries, and there gaining proper directions, we sped on our way to Gamaches. ■ * On emerging from the forest we left dark ness behind us, for in the open country ample daylight yet remained, so that the only difficulty now was entailed on me by having to keep up with Louis' impatient pace ; and I certainly found myself considerably out of breath when at last we reached the farm, and speedily learnt that Marguerite was safe, and no Jose had been seen or heard of. We found a great stir going on at the farm, in consequence of Madame de Vermandois having visited it ; and it was easy to see that Mar guerite's prestige was largely augmented in old Magnon's eyes, through the open friendship displayed to her by the " great lady of Craintour."

This effect again reached a climax of respect when Louis appeared ; for as the young heir of the Chateau, he was looked upon in the neigh bourhood as a very important personage in deed; and when the greeting between the lovers — modest and shy as it was on her part, open and manly on his — fully betrayed then position to each other, it was evident that the farmer inwardly congratulated himself on having extended to his beautiful lodger the protection of a roof which had come to be so honoured. Clarice regarded the affair with the full sympathy of a fellow feeling, and slyly gave me to understand that she knew Louis was the " real one " who had been so anxiously expected ; while at the same time maliciously informing me that the "handsome one" had been there that afternoon, inquiring after Marguerite.

An noyed as I was at this, I preferred he should have been the visitor instead of Jose. Strangely enough, the latter had not been near the place ; and after describing his person, that he might be known, and declaring him an impudent fel low, who sought to persecute Marguerite, old Magnon swore if he came near the premises it would be at the peril of his life, for he would have the farm dogs put into the garden, while he himself would keep a loaded blunderbuss in the house. Louis was partially satisfied with these arrangements for the safety of his be loved, and was almost completely so, when we were told that Fortune was to be at the farm that evening, bringing with him a model of the ploughing machine he had invented, and about which he wished to consult the farmer ; Clarice blushingly whispering to Marguerite that the gentleman might feel quite easy, for she would take care the lad remained to as late an hour as possible.

Marguerite was as anxious about Louis' safety as he was regarding hers, but he declared that Jose was too great a coward to touch him — the fellow's courage extending no further than frightening a girl. I am sure my landlady would have been pleased at the way I managed to let the lovers have a walk down the garden by themselves ; but when I at length joined them there, both were looking somewhat dis pirited. "Marguerite is nervous about my mother's views," said Louis, turning at once to me ; " for it appears that during the drive from the forest she altered the tone of cordiality with which she had at first treated the important topic, and suddenly cut short " "No, Louis," interrupted Marguerite, "not cut short exactly, but gradually ceased its discussion, and I fancied she began to look upon it all in a different light ; but perhaps it is my over-susceptibility."

Louis and I both endeavoured to assure her that it was so ; and while I assisted to remove uneasiness by exhorting them to the fullest con fidence in Madame de Vermandois' upright jus tice, and affection for her son, he openly de clared that her opposition, even if she wished to exercise it, would be useless, as things had arrived at a point where maternal interference was despoiled of all power. Having in some measure reassured the young girl, he insisted on seeing her safely back to the house ; and, as he afterwards told me, would only leave her then on her promise not to stir from the farm precincts until she saw him again. Scarcely had we turned off from the farm road, when we met the Craintour carriage — Madame de Vermandois having sent it to meet us coming from the forest. By its aid we were thus enabled to reach the Chateau a few minutes before the dinner-bell rang ; so, hurrying with my toilet, it was not long ere I joined the com pany at table.

To my surprise I found two of the principal personages absent — Adele and ■» Madame de Vermandois. The latter had sent an ample apology, pleading fatigue after her journey, and promising to join us afterwards, when she should be a little more composed. Louis delivered the message himself, and he having seen his mother, corroborated the state ment of her being really knocked up. Madame Renoix, too, further confirmed it, adding that it was by her persuasion her friend had consented to seek some repose. There was no apology from Mademoiselle d'Arvigny, however ; and as she did not make her appearance, a servant was despatched to in form her of the dinner behig ready. He returned with the information that Mademoiselle d'Ar vigny had been seen to go out into the grounds some time back, and had not yet returned.

Louis and I exchanged a quick glance of meaning — it instantly flashed across us both that Jose had avoided the farm indeed, but was conveying elsewhere the full import of what he had overheard in the forest. Madame d'Ar vigny expressed uneasiness regarding her daughter, which Francois thoughtlessly aug mented, by saying that as he was returning V VOL. III. C from a walk just recently, he had noticed a sus picious-looking fellow about the shrubbery grounds ; and what rendered him more sus picious was the fact of his pulling his cap over his face and running off to prevent being recog nized. " Did you not see his face at all . Was there nothing about him that you had ever seen be fore . " asked Louis. " Well, really, Louis," answered the Viscount, " you must imagine I have a very select circle of acquaintances, to suppose that an idle vaga bond like this fellow could claim to be one of them !

If you can aspire to the honour of his friendship, you had better go out and seek him — and then rescue your fair cousin at the same time." The speech alone would have caused surprise, but the tone that accompanied it rendered it so marked, that everyone looked at the Viscount in a sort of bewilderment ; and Louis, hurt and vexed, was about to reply, when the door opened, and the " fair cousin " herself appeared. She was flushed, heated, her hair ruffled, as if she had only just thrown off its covering in the hurry to get in to dinner. At least, this was what her mother and Madame Renoix suggested, for she herself merely implied the excuse by silent acquiescence in it. A cold bow to all round was the only greeting afforded, while a curt answer to inquiries regardhig her walk quickly checked any closer investigation of her conduct.

Her presence now completed the uncomfort able feeling that had previously been engender ed by the absence of the hostess and the Vis count's strange manner, so that everyone eager ly seized the signal for rising from the table. Francois and Monsieur Renoix went off to smoke ; Louis, to see after his mother ; the two matron ladies mysteriously disappeared — pro bably for a private discussion of many matters — and Adele retired to her room. I went to the drawing-room ; finding no one there, and thinking the company's dispersion would render it secure from intrusion, I tore a leaf out of my pocket-book, wrote a line to Mdlle. d'Arvigny, requesting to speak with her a few moments, and gave it to a servant to de liver. C2 She instantly answered it in person ; and on entering the room, her feelings, no longer held under the necessity of conventional control, lit up her whole face with the full evidence of the storm that raged in her heart.

" Your walk in the grounds, Mdlle. d'Arvigny, removes the necessity of much explanation," said I, boldly coming to the point, and antici pating her first remarks. " Jose has too much interest at stake not to have been a careful in formant of all he overheard hi the forest. You already know what our plans are ; but before they are put into execution, I wish to ask you one question." " Yes, I do know all," answered she, iu a voice which fully corresponded to the blazing fire in her eyes, " and am no longer a dupe to the false visions that have hitherto beguiled me. Louis' definition of his feelings would have me tamorphosed mine, even if the description of the meeting with this girl had not sufficiently alter ed them. He holds me in aversion, and I must thank his scorn for saving me from his hate !

My sentiments have passed through an inverted change, for while I now hate him with as deep an intensity as I before loved, I scorn myself for having wasted years in thinking of him. And it is to you, Monsieur Harley, I owe this. You, with your interference, your meddling in things that were no concern of yours ; you have de stroyed Madame de Vermandois' hopes with my own ; but though ours are crushed, those you and Louis have formed shall never, never be realised." " The agitation you are in warps your judgment, Mademoiselle, or you would see that a Higher Power than human interference directs all these events. The same one who described the meeting at the Column, must have also told what proves that I had no hand in bringing Marguerite to Picardy; and you should draw the inference that He who has made the past can equally shape the future, and that it is alike useless and impious to oppose human scheming to Providential designs."

" But like all sermonisers, you are taking it for granted that those designs are to be in your favour. I have an equal right to suppose that they will be in accordance with my wishes ; at any rate, I am prepared to try for the venture, so put your question at once, and I will answer it." " I could have wished you to have been in a different frame of mind ere putting it, for it is one that involves your whole future peace ; but time presses — this evening there will be a full discussion with Madame de Vermandois regarding the welfare of her son and Marguerite — I have a dutyt o perform towards each — either you must tell all, or / must* — therefore the question I have to ask is this — am I to denounce you . " " As you will !" said she, throwing back her head, as if to enhance the effect of her unappal led spirit.

"Oh ! Mademoiselle," I exclaimed, "you cannot mean it. I will not believe that you consent to my doing what will place you in a more than equivocal light in the eyes of all. Think for a moment what would be the result, were it known that you are the abettor of a scoundrel, the possessor with him of means to right an in nocent girl — to render justice to the dead — to repair a grievous wrong — and that in union with him you refuse to deliver them up ! Be generous ; listen to your better nature ; a false, a baseless sentiment, alone has prevented that. Turn while it is time from a course that will lead you to a very abyss of wrong. From Jose's repetition of our conversation in the forest, you will have gathered that you are still safe ; Louis as yet knows nothing of your morning assigna tion with Jos _, no living being here has seen your brooch, still less the paper wherein you so betrayed the cards you held in hand, say the word, then, reveal what you know, and let me tear the paper, and return the bro " " Never !" interrupted she, with dauntless firmness.

"I accept my fate; for surely there was a fatality that morning that I could not unfasten my bed-room window, and was compelled to re sort to the medium of the door ; as for the paper, it may have shown the cards, but the secret was written on them with the impenetra bility of hieroglyphics. Find the key to that if you can." " But surely you have not considered it," I persisted ; " you cannot consent to put yourself in a position where you will be covered with ob loquy — with shame." " I can bear all and everything, so that ihe does not triumph in my downfall. Without the certificate of the parents' marriage, Louis' mother will never consent to his marriage with Mar guerite ; and thus, though I have lost him, she shall never win him." " Oh ! Mademoiselle," I exclaimed, unutterably shocked, "your excitement blinds you to the import of what you are saying ; be calm " " Calm !" she broke in ; "it is easy for such as you to talk of being calm !

What do cold Nor therners, frozen English, know of passion, either of love or hate . Your feelings are mere ripples on an easily-flowing stream — ours, the surging billows of a stormy sea; and while they are dashing us onward, you come and mildly tell us to be calm!" " Stay, there is one thing you have not calcu lated," said I, taking no apparent notice of her outburst. "My denouncing you will simply crush yourself ; your true character will be re vealed to Madame de Vermandois, and will arouse in her every sense of justice and affection tow ards Marguerite, when she finds all that the poor girl suffers at your hands. But you forget Jos<_ ; he can be forced to tell what he knows, for we are prepared to put the whole machinery of the law in motion*- " " Jos<_ will never tell, any more than myself," she interrupted.

" I do not doubt but what you give him forc ible persuasions to keep silence; but no bribe can withstand the power of the law, while through that very bribe you yourself may be come implicated." " It is useless trying to frighten me, Monsieur Harley," she returned, with a bitter laugh of mockery ; " for I have had no need to resort to any stronger motive for inducing silence than what has animated him throughout." " You mean his fancy for Marguerite ; but that was long ago, and such as he must be incapable of further caring for one who is in every way opposed to his ignoble nature." " He does not seem to think so, then, for after just seeing her at the Column, he came here and nearly drove me mad with his raptures over her transcendant beauty ! " I had thought Adele d'Arvigny handsome ; as I looked at her while she made that speech, I thought her hideous !

" Then here our discussion ends," said I, " for there is no time to prolong it, if even there would be gain — footsteps are approaching — listen, that is Madame de Vermandois' voice — one word yet and save your credit, your honour — do not, oh ! do not say that I must denounce you ! " " Yes, do it !" was still the dauntless answer. " I will !" was my as firm rejoinder, just as the door opened, and Madame de Vermandois entered, leaning on the arm of her son.