The Small House at Allington
abroad, no one would probably make more of them than Lady De Courcy.
Many, when they heard that Mr. Palliser was to be at the castle, had
expressed their surprise at her success in that quarter. Others, when
they learned that Lady Dumbello had consented to become her guest,
had also wondered greatly. But when it was ascertained that the two
were to be there together, her good-natured friends had acknowledged
that she was a very clever woman. To have either Mr. Palliser or Lady
Dumbello would have been a feather in her cap; but to succeed in
getting both, by enabling each to know that the other would be there,
was indeed a triumph. As regards Lady Dumbello, however, the bargain
was not fairly carried out; for, after all, Mr. Palliser came to
Courcy Castle only for two nights and a day, and during the whole of
that day he was closeted with sundry large blue-books. As for Lady
De Courcy, she did not care how he might be employed. Blue-books and
Lady Dumbello were all the same to her. Mr. Palliser had been at
Courcy Castle, and neither enemy nor friend could deny the fact.
This was his second evening; and as he had promised to meet his
constituents at Silverbridge at one P.M. on the following day, with
the view of explaining to them his own conduct and the political
position of the world in general; and as he was not to return from
Silverbridge to Courcy, Lady Dumbello, if she made any way at all,
must take advantage of the short gleam of sunshine which the present
hour afforded her. No one, however, could say that she showed any
active disposition to monopolize Mr. Palliser's attention. When he
sauntered into the drawing-room she was sitting, alone, in a large,
low chair, made without arms, so as to admit the full expansion of
her dress, but hollowed and round at the back, so as to afford her
the support that was necessary to her. She had barely spoken three
words since she had left the dining-room, but the time had not passed
heavily with her. Lady Julia had again attacked the countess about
Lily Dale and Mr. Crosbie, and Alexandrina, driven almost to rage,
had stalked off to the farther end of the room, not concealing her
special concern in the matter.
"How I do wish they were married and done with," said the countess;
"and then we should hear no more about them."
All of which Lady Dumbello heard and understood; and in all of it she
took a certain interest. She remembered such things, learning thereby
who was who, and regulating her own conduct by what she learned. She
was by no means idle at this or at other such times, going through,
we may say, a considerable amount of really hard work in her manner
of working. There she had sat speechless, unless when acknowledging
by a low word of assent some expression of flattery from those around
her. Then the door opened, and when Mr. Palliser entered she raised
her head, and the faintest possible gleam of satisfaction might have
been discerned upon her features. But she made no attempt to speak
to him; and when, as he stood at the table, he took up a book and
remained thus standing for a quarter of an hour, she neither showed
nor felt any impatience. After that Lord Dumbello came in, and he
stood at the table without a book. Even then Lady Dumbello felt no
impatience.
Plantagenet Palliser skimmed through his little book, and probably
learned something. When he put it down he sipped a cup of tea, and
remarked to Lady De Courcy that he believed it was only twelve miles
to Silverbridge.
"I wish it was a hundred and twelve," said the countess.
"In that case I should be forced to start to-night," said Mr.
Palliser.
"Then I wish it was a thousand and twelve," said Lady De Courcy.
"In that case I should not have come at all," said Mr. Palliser. He
did not mean to be uncivil, and had only stated a fact.
"The young men are becoming absolute bears," said the countess to her
daughter Margaretta.
He had been in the room nearly an hour when he did at last find
himself standing close to Lady Dumbello: close to her, and without
any other very near neighbour.
"I should hardly have expected to find you here," he said.
"Nor I you," she answered.
"Though, for the matter of that, we are both near our own homes."
"I am not near mine."
"I meant Plumstead; your father's place."
"Yes; that was my home once."
"I wish I could show you my uncle's place. The castle is very fine,
and he has some good pictures."
"So I have heard."
"Do you stay here long?"
"Oh, no. I go to Cheshire the day after to-morrow. Lord Dumbello is
always there when the hunting begins."
"Ah, yes; of course. What a happy fellow he is; never any work to do!
His constituents never trouble him, I suppose?"
"I don't think they ever do, much."
After that Mr. Palliser sauntered away again, and Lady Dumbello
passed the rest of the evening in silence. It is to be hoped
that they both were rewarded by that ten minutes of sympathetic
intercourse for the inconvenience which they had suffered in coming
to Courcy Castle.
But that which seems so innocent to us had been looked on in a
different light by the stern moralists of that house.
"By Jove!" said the Honourable George to his cousin, Mr. Gresham,
"I wonder how Dumbello likes it."
"It seems to me that Dumbello takes it very easily."
"There are some men who will take anything easily," said George, who,
since his own marriage, had learned to have a holy horror of such
wicked things.
"She's beginning to come out a little," said Lady Clandidlem to Lady
De Courcy, when the two old women found themselves together over a
fire in some back sitting-room. "Still waters always run deep, you
know."
"I shouldn't at all wonder if she were to go off with him," said Lady
De Courcy.
"He'll never be such a fool as that," said Lady Clandidlem.
"I believe men will be fools enough for anything," said Lady De
Courcy. "But, of course, if he did, it would come to nothing
afterwards. I know one who would not be sorry. If ever a man was
tired of a woman, Lord Dumbello is tired of her."
But in this, as in almost everything else, the wicked old woman spoke
scandal. Lord Dumbello was still proud of his wife, and as fond of
her as a man can be of a woman whose fondness depends upon mere
pride.
There had not been much that was dangerous in the conversation
between Mr. Palliser and Lady Dumbello, but I cannot say the same as
to that which was going on at the same moment between Crosbie and
Lady Alexandrina. She, as I have said, walked away in almost open
dudgeon when Lady Julia recommenced her attack about poor Lily, nor
did she return to the general circle during the evening. There were
two large drawing-rooms at Courcy Castle, joined together by a narrow
link of a room, which might have been called a passage, had it not
been lighted by two windows coming down to the floor, carpeted as
were the drawing-rooms, and warmed with a separate fireplace. Hither
she betook herself, and was soon followed by her married sister
Amelia.
"That woman almost drives me mad," said Alexandrina, as they stood
together with their toes upon the fender.
"But, my dear, you of all people should not allow yourself to be
driven mad on such a subject."
"That's all very well, Amelia."
"The question is this, my dear,--what does Mr. Crosbie mean to do?"
"How should I know?"
"If you don't know, it will be safer to suppose that he is going to
marry this girl; and in that case--"
"Well, what in that case? Are you going to be another Lady Julia?
What do I care about the girl?"
"I don't suppose you care much about the girl; and if you care as
little about Mr. Crosbie, there's an end of it; only in that case,
Alexandrina--"
"Well, what in that case?"
"You know I don't want to preach to you. Can't you tell me at
once whether you really like him? You and I have always been good
friends." And the married sister put her arm affectionately round the
waist of her who wished to be married.
"I like him well enough."
"And has he made any declaration to you?"
"In a sort of a way he has. Hark, here he is!" And Crosbie, coming in
from the larger room, joined the sisters at the fireplace.
"We were driven away by the clack of Lady Julia's tongue," said the
elder.
"I never met such a woman," said Crosbie.
"There cannot well be many like her," said Alexandrina. And after
that they all stood silent for a minute or two. Lady Amelia Gazebee
was considering whether or no she would do well to go and leave the
two together. If it were intended that Mr. Crosbie should marry her
sister, it would certainly be well to give him an opportunity of
expressing such a wish on his own part. But if Alexandrina was simply
making a fool of herself, then it would be well for her to stay.
"I suppose she would rather I should go," said the elder sister
to herself; and then, obeying the rule which should guide all our
actions from one to another, she went back and joined the crowd.
"Will you come on into the other room?" said Crosbie.
"I think we are very well here," Alexandrina replied.
"But I wish to speak to you,--particularly," said he.
"And cannot you speak here?"
"No. They will be passing backwards and forwards." Lady Alexandrina
said nothing further, but led the way into the other large room. That
also was lighted, and there were in it four or five persons. Lady
Rosina was reading a work on the Millennium, with a light to herself
in one corner. Her brother John was asleep in an arm-chair, and a
young gentleman and lady were playing chess. There was, however,
ample room for Crosbie and Alexandrina to take up a position apart.
"And now, Mr. Crosbie, what have you got to say to me? But, first,
I mean to repeat Lady Julia's question, as I told you that I should
do.--When did you hear last from Miss Dale?"
"It is cruel in you to ask me such a question, after what I have
already told you. You know that I have given to Miss Dale a promise
of marriage."
"Very well, sir. I don't see why you should bring me in here to tell
me anything that is so publicly known as that. With such a herald as
Lady Julia it was quite unnecessary."
"If you can only answer me in that tone I will make an end of it at
once. When I told you of my engagement, I told you also that another
woman possessed my heart. Am I wrong to suppose that you knew to whom
I alluded?"
"Indeed, I did not, Mr. Crosbie. I am no conjuror, and I have not
scrutinized you so closely as your friend Lady Julia."
"It is you that I love. I am sure I need hardly say so now."
"Hardly, indeed,--considering that you are engaged to Miss Dale."
"As to that I have, of course, to own that I have behaved
foolishly;--worse than foolishly, if you choose to say so. You cannot
condemn me more absolutely than I condemn myself. But I have made
up my mind as to one thing. I will not marry where I do not love."
Oh, if Lily could have heard him as he then spoke! "It would be
impossible for me to speak in terms too high of Miss Dale; but I am
quite sure that I could not make her happy as her husband."
"Why did you not think of that before you asked her?" said
Alexandrina. But there was very little of condemnation in her tone.
"I ought to have done so; but it is hardly for you to blame me with
severity. Had you, when we were last together in London--had you been
less--"
"Less what?"
"Less defiant," said Crosbie, "all this might perhaps have been
avoided."
Lady Alexandrina could not remember that she had been defiant; but,
however, she let that pass. "Oh, yes; of course it was my fault."
"I went down there to Allington with my heart ill at ease, and now I
have fallen into this trouble. I tell you all as it has happened. It
is impossible that I should marry Miss Dale. It would be wicked in me