Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor
I have eaten many things myself, with very great enjoyment, and keen
perception of their merits, and some thanks to God for them. But I never
did enjoy a thing, that had found its way between my own lips, half, or
even a quarter as much as I now enjoyed beholding Lorna, sitting
proudly upwards (to show that she was faint no more) entering into
that mince-pie, and moving all her pearls of teeth (inside her little
mouth-place) exactly as I told her. For I was afraid lest she should be
too fast in going through it, and cause herself more damage so, than she
got of nourishment. But I had no need to fear at all, and Lorna could
not help laughing at me for thinking that she had no self-control.
Some creatures require a deal of food (I myself among the number), and
some can do with a very little; making, no doubt, the best of it. And I
have often noticed that the plumpest and most perfect women never eat so
hard and fast as the skinny and three-cornered ones. These last be often
ashamed of it, and eat most when the men be absent. Hence it came to
pass that Lorna, being the loveliest of all maidens, had as much as she
could do to finish her own half of pie; whereas Gwenny Carfax (though
generous more than greedy), ate up hers without winking, after finishing
the brown loaf; and then I begged to know the meaning of this state of
things.
“The meaning is sad enough,” said Lorna; “and I see no way out of it. We
are both to be starved until I let them do what they like with me.
“That is to say until you choose to marry Carver Doone, and be slowly
killed by him?”
“Slowly! No, John, quickly. I hate him so intensely, that less than a
week would kill me.”
“Not a doubt of that,” said Gwenny; “oh, she hates him nicely then; but
not half so much as I do.”
I told them that this state of things could be endured no longer, on
which point they agreed with me, but saw no means to help it. For
even if Lorna could make up her mind to come away with me and live at
Plover's Barrows farm, under my good mother's care, as I had urged so
often, behold the snow was all around us, heaped as high as mountains,
and how could any delicate maiden ever get across it?
Then I spoke with a strange tingle upon both sides of my heart, knowing
that this undertaking was a serious one for all, and might burn our farm
down,--
“If I warrant to take you safe, and without much fright or hardship,
Lorna, will you come with me?”
“To be sure I will, dear,” said my beauty, with a smile and a glance to
follow it; “I have small alternative, to starve, or go with you, John.”
“Gwenny, have you courage for it? Will you come with your young
mistress?”
“Will I stay behind?” cried Gwenny, in a voice that settled it. And so
we began to arrange about it; and I was much excited. It was useless
now to leave it longer; if it could be done at all, it could not be too
quickly done. It was the Counsellor who had ordered, after all other
schemes had failed, that his niece should have no food until she would
obey him. He had strictly watched the house, taking turns with Carver,
to ensure that none came nigh it bearing food or comfort. But this
evening, they had thought it needless to remain on guard; and it
would have been impossible, because themselves were busy offering high
festival to all the valley, in right of their own commandership. And
Gwenny said that nothing made her so nearly mad with appetite as
the account she received from a woman of all the dishes preparing.
Nevertheless she had answered bravely,--
“Go and tell the Counsellor, and go and tell the Carver, who sent you to
spy upon us, that we shall have a finer dish than any set before them.”
And so in truth they did, although so little dreaming it; for no Doone
that was ever born, however much of a Carver, might vie with our Annie
for mince-meat.
Now while we sat reflecting much, and talking a good deal more, in spite
of all the cold--for I never was in a hurry to go, when I had Lorna with
me--she said, in her silvery voice, which always led me so along, as if
I were a slave to a beautiful bell,--
“Now, John, we are wasting time, dear. You have praised my hair, till it
curls with pride, and my eyes till you cannot see them, even if they are
brown diamonds which I have heard for the fiftieth time at least; though
I never saw such a jewel. Don't you think it is high time to put on your
snow-shoes, John?”
“Certainly not,” I answered, “'till we have settled something more. I was
so cold when I came in; and now I am as warm as a cricket. And so are
you, you lively soul; though you are not upon my hearth yet.”
“Remember, John,” said Lorna, nestling for a moment to me; “the severity
of the weather makes a great difference between us. And you must never
take advantage.”
“I quite understand all that, dear. And the harder it freezes the
better, while that understanding continues. Now do try to be serious.”
“I try to be serious! And I have been trying fifty times, and could
not bring you to it, John! Although I am sure the situation, as the
Counsellor says at the beginning of a speech, the situation, to say the
least, is serious enough for anything. Come, Gwenny, imitate him.”
Gwenny was famed for her imitation of the Counsellor making a speech;
and she began to shake her hair, and mount upon a footstool; but I
really could not have this, though even Lorna ordered it. The truth
was that my darling maiden was in such wild spirits, at seeing me so
unexpected, and at the prospect of release, and of what she had never
known, quiet life and happiness, that like all warm and loving natures,
she could scarce control herself.
“Come to this frozen window, John, and see them light the stack-fire.
They will little know who looks at them. Now be very good, John. You
stay in that corner, dear, and I will stand on this side; and try to
breathe yourself a peep-hole through the lovely spears and banners. Oh,
you don't know how to do it. I must do it for you. Breathe three times,
like that, and that; and then you rub it with your fingers, before it
has time to freeze again.”
All this she did so beautifully, with her lips put up like cherries, and
her fingers bent half back, as only girls can bend them, and her little
waist thrown out against the white of the snowed-up window, that I made
her do it three times over; and I stopped her every time and let it
freeze again, that so she might be the longer. Now I knew that all her
love was mine, every bit as much as mine was hers; yet I must have her
to show it, dwelling upon every proof, lengthening out all certainty.
Perhaps the jealous heart is loath to own a life worth twice its own. Be
that as it may, I know that we thawed the window nicely.
And then I saw, far down the stream (or rather down the bed of it, for
there was no stream visible), a little form of fire arising, red, and
dark, and flickering. Presently it caught on something, and went upward
boldly; and then it struck into many forks, and then it fell, and rose
again.
“Do you know what all that is, John?” asked Lorna, smiling cleverly at
the manner of my staring.
“How on earth should I know? Papists burn Protestants in the flesh; and
Protestants burn Papists in effigy, as we mock them. Lorna, are they
going to burn any one to-night?”
“No, you dear. I must rid you of these things. I see that you are
bigoted. The Doones are firing Dunkery beacon, to celebrate their new
captain.”
“But how could they bring it here through the snow? If they have
sledges, I can do nothing.”
“They brought it before the snow began. The moment poor grandfather was
gone, even before his funeral, the young men, having none to check them,
began at once upon it. They had always borne a grudge against it; not
that it ever did them harm; but because it seemed so insolent. 'Can't a
gentleman go home, without a smoke behind him?' I have often heard them
saying. And though they have done it no serious harm, since they threw
the firemen on the fire, many, many years ago, they have often promised
to bring it here for their candle; and now they have done it. Ah, now
look! The tar is kindled.”
Though Lorna took it so in joke, I looked upon it very gravely, knowing
that this heavy outrage to the feelings of the neighbourhood would cause
more stir than a hundred sheep stolen, or a score of houses sacked. Not
of course that the beacon was of the smallest use to any one, neither
stopped anybody from stealing, nay, rather it was like the parish knell,
which begins when all is over, and depresses all the survivors; yet
I knew that we valued it, and were proud, and spoke of it as a mighty
institution; and even more than that, our vestry had voted, within
the last two years, seven shillings and six-pence to pay for it, in
proportion with other parishes. And one of the men who attended to
it, or at least who was paid for doing so, was our Jem Slocombe's
grandfather.
However, in spite of all my regrets, the fire went up very merrily,
blazing red and white and yellow, as it leaped on different things.
And the light danced on the snow-drifts with a misty lilac hue. I was
astonished at its burning in such mighty depths of snow; but Gwenny said
that the wicked men had been three days hard at work, clearing, as it
were, a cock-pit, for their fire to have its way. And now they had a
mighty pile, which must have covered five land-yards square, heaped up
to a goodly height, and eager to take fire.
In this I saw great obstacle to what I wished to manage. For when this
pyramid should be kindled thoroughly, and pouring light and blazes
round, would not all the valley be like a white room full of candles?
Thinking thus, I was half inclined to abide my time for another night:
and then my second thoughts convinced me that I would be a fool in this.
For lo, what an opportunity! All the Doones would be drunk, of course,
in about three hours' time, and getting more and more in drink as the
night went on. As for the fire, it must sink in about three hours or
more, and only cast uncertain shadows friendly to my purpose. And then
the outlaws must cower round it, as the cold increased on them, helping
the weight of the liquor; and in their jollity any noise would be
cheered as a false alarm. Most of all, and which decided once for all my
action,--when these wild and reckless villains should be hot with ardent
spirits, what was door, or wall, to stand betwixt them and my Lorna?
This thought quickened me so much that I touched my darling reverently,
and told her in a few short words how I hoped to manage it.
“Sweetest, in two hours' time, I shall be again with you. Keep the bar
up, and have Gwenny ready to answer any one. You are safe while they are
dining, dear, and drinking healths, and all that stuff; and before they
have done with that, I shall be again with you. Have everything you care
to take in a very little compass, and Gwenny must have no baggage. I
shall knock loud, and then wait a little; and then knock twice, very
softly.”
With this I folded her in my arms; and she looked frightened at me; not
having perceived her danger; and then I told Gwenny over again what I
had told her mistress: but she only nodded her head and said, “Young
man, go and teach thy grandmother.”
CHAPTER XLIV
BROUGHT HOME AT LAST
To my great delight I found that the weather, not often friendly to
lovers, and lately seeming so hostile, had in the most important matter
done me a signal service. For when I had promised to take my love from
the power of those wretches, the only way of escape apparent lay
through the main Doone-gate. For though I might climb the cliffs myself,
especially with the snow to aid me, I durst not try to fetch Lorna up