dreams—first impressions—the man in the plum-coloured suit.
the sun shone cheerily through the casement of the quaint and pretty little chamber which called mary ashwoode its mistress. it was a fresh and sunny autumn morning; the last leaves rustled on the boughs, and the thrush and blackbird sang their merry morning lays. mary sat by the window, looking sadly forth upon the slopes and woods which caught the slanting beams of the ruddy sun.
"i have passed, indeed, a very troubled night—i have been haunted with strange and fearful dreams. i feel very sorrowful and uneasy—indeed, indeed i do, carey."
"it's only the vapours, my lady," replied the maid; "a glass of orange-flower water and camphor is the sovereignest thing in the world for them."
"indeed, carey," continued the young lady, still gazing sadly from the casement, "i know not why it is so—a foolish dream, wild and most extravagant, yet still it will not leave me. i cannot shake off this fear and depression. i will run down stairs and talk with my dear brother—that may cheer me."
she arose, ran lightly down the stairs, and entered the parlour. the first object that met her gaze, standing full before her, was a large and singularly ill-looking man, arrayed in a suit of plum-coloured cloth, richly laced. it was nicholas blarden. with a vulgar swagger, half abashed and half impudent, the fellow acknowledged her entrance by retreating a little and making an awkward bow, while a smile and a leer, more calculated to frighten than to attract, lighted his coarse and swollen features. the girl looked at this object with a startled air, she felt that she had seen that sinister face before, but where or when—whether waking or in a dream, she strove in vain to remember.
"i say, ashwoode, where's your manners?" said blarden, turning angrily towards the young baronet, who was scarcely less confounded at her sudden entrance than was the girl herself. "what do you stand gaping there for? don't you see the young lady wants to know who i am?"
blarden followed this vehement exhortation with a look which at once recalled ashwoode to his senses.
"mary," said he, approaching, "this is my particular friend, mr. nicholas blarden. mr. blarden, my sister, miss mary ashwoode."
"your most obedient humble servant, mistress mary," said blarden, with a gallant air. "wonderful beautiful weather; d—— me, but it's like the middle of summer. i'm just going out to take a bit of a tramp among the bushes and lead goddesses," he added, not feeling, spite of all his effrontery, quite at his ease in the presence of the elegant and high-born girl; and, more confounded and abashed by the simple dignity of her artless nature than he ever remembered to have been before, under any circumstances whatever, he made his exit from the chamber.
"who is that man?" said the girl, drawing close to her brother's side, and clinging timidly to his arm. "his face is familiar to me—i have seen or dreamed of it before; it has been before me either in some troubled scene or dream. i feel frightened and oppressed when he is near me. who is he, brother?"
"pshaw! nonsense, girl," said her brother, in vain attempting to appear unconstrained and at his ease; "he is a very good, honest fellow, not, as you see, the most polished in the world, but in essentials an excellent fellow; you'll easily get over your antipathy—his oddity of manner and appearance is soon forgotten, and in all other points he is an admirable fellow. pshaw! you have too much sense to hate a man for his face and manner."
"i do not hate him, brother," said mary, "how could i? the man has never wronged me; but there is something in his eye, in his air and expression, in his whole appearance, sinister and terrible—something which oppresses and terrifies me. i can scarcely move or breathe in his presence. i only hope that i may never meet him so near again."
"your hope is not likely to be realized, then," replied ashwoode, abruptly, "he makes a stay here of a week, or perhaps more."
a silence followed, during which he revolved the expediency of hinting at once at the designs of blarden. as he thus paused, moodily plotting how best to open the subject, the unconscious girl stood beside him, and, looking fondly in his face, she said,—
"dear brother, you must not be so sad. when all's done, what have we lost but some of the wealth which we can spare? we have still enough, quite enough. you shall live with your poor little sister, and i will take care of you, and read to you, and sing to you whenever you are sad; and we will walk together in the old green woods, and be far happier and merrier than ever we could have been in the midst of cold and heartless luxury and dissipation. brother, dear brother, when shall we go to incharden?"
"i can't say; i—i don't know that we shall go there at all," replied he, shortly.
deep disappointment clouded the poor girl's face for a moment, but as instantly the sweet smile returned, and she laid her hand affectionately upon her brother's shoulder, and looked in his face.
"well, dear brother, wherever you go, there is my home, and there i will be happy—as happy as being with the only creature that cares for me now can make me."
"perhaps there are others who care for you—ay—even more than i do," said the young man deliberately, and fixing his eyes upon her searchingly, as he spoke.
"how, brother; what do you mean?" said the poor girl, faintly, and turning pale as death. "have you seen—have you heard from——" she paused, trembling violently, and ashwoode resumed,—
"no, no, child; i have neither seen nor heard from anyone whom you know anything of. why are you so agitated? pshaw! nonsense."
"i know not how it is, brother; i am depressed, and easily agitated to-day," rejoined she; "perhaps it is that i cannot forget a fearful dream which troubled me last night."
"tut, tut, child," replied he; "i thought you had other matters to think of."
"and so i have, god knows, dear brother," resumed she—"so i have; but this dream haunted me long, and haunts me still; it was about you. i dreamed that we were walking, lovingly, hand in hand, among the shady walks in this old place; when, on a sudden, a great savage dog—just like the old blood-hound you had shot last summer—came, with open jaws and all its fangs exposed, springing towards us. i threw myself, terrified, into your arms, but you grasped me, with iron strength, and held me forth toward the frightful animal. i saw your face; it was changed and horrible. i struggled—i screamed—and awakened, gasping with afright."
"a silly, unmeaning dream," said ashwoode, slightly changing colour, and turning from her. "you're not such a child, surely, as to let that trouble you."
"no, indeed, brother," replied she, "i do not suffer it to trouble my mind; but it has fastened somehow upon my imagination, and spite of all i can do, the impression remains—— there—there—see that horrible man staring in at us, from behind the evergreens," she added, glancing at a large, tufted laurel, which partially screened the unprepossessing form of nicholas blarden, who was intently watching the youthful pair as they conversed. perhaps conscious that he had been observed, he quitted his lurking-place, and plunged deeper into the thick screen of foliage.
"dear henry," said she, turning imploringly toward her brother, "there is something about that man which frightens me; my heart sickens whenever i see him. i feel like some poor bird under the eye of a hawk. i do not feel safe when he is looking at me; there is some evil influence in his gaze—something bad, satanic, in his look and presence; i dread him instinctively. for god's sake, dear, dear brother, do not keep company with him—he will harm you—it cannot lead to good."
"this is mere folly—downright raving," said ashwoode, vehemently, but with an uneasiness which he could not conceal. "he is my guest, and will remain so for some weeks. i must be civil to him—both of us must."
"surely, dear brother—after all i have said—you will not ask me to associate with him during his stay, since stay he must," urged mary.
"we ought not to consult our whims at the expense of civility," retorted the baronet, drily.
"but surely my presence is not required," urged she.
"you cannot tell how that may be," replied ashwoode, abruptly, and then added, abstractedly, as he walked slowly towards the door: "we often speak, we know not what; we often stand, we know not where—necessity, fate, destiny—whatever is, must be. let this be our philosophy, mary."
wholly at a loss to comprehend this incoherent speech, his sister remained silent for some minutes.
"well, child, how say you?" exclaimed ashwoode, turning suddenly round.
"dear brother," said she, "i would fain not meet that man any more while he remains here. you will not ask me to come down."
"a truce to this folly," exclaimed ashwoode, with loud and sudden emphasis. "you must—you must, i say, appear at breakfast, at dinner, and at supper. you must see blarden, and talk with him—he's my friend—you must know him." then checking himself, he added, in a less vehement tone—"mary, don't act like a fool—you are none: these silly fancies must not be indulged—remember, he's my friend. there, there, be a good girl—no more folly."
he came over, patted her cheek, and then turned abruptly from her, and left the room. his parting caress, however, was not sufficient to obliterate the painful impression which his momentary violence had left, for in that brief space of angry excitement his countenance had worn the self-same sinister expression which had appalled her in her last night's dream.
