griffith, with an effort he had not the skill to hide, stammered out, "mistress kate, i do wish you joy." then with sudden and touching earnestness, "never did good fortune light on one so worthy of it."
"thank you, griffith," replied kate, softly. (she had called him 'mr. gaunt' in public till now.) "but money and lands do not always bring content. i think i was happier a minute ago than i feel now," said she, quietly.
the blood rushed into griffith's face at this; for a minute ago might mean when he and she were talking almost like lovers about to wed. he was so overcome by this, he turned on his heel, and retreated hastily to hide his emotion, and regain, if possible, composure to play his part of host in the house that was his no longer.
kate herself soon after retired, nominally to make her toilet before dinner; but really to escape the public; and think it all over.
the news of her advancement had spread like wildfire: she was waylaid at the very door by the housekeeper, who insisted on showing her her house. "nay, never mind the house," said kate: "just show me one room where i can wash my face and do my hair."
mrs. hill conducted her to the best bedroom: it was lined with tapestry, and all the colors flown; the curtains were a deadish yellow.
"lud! here's a colored room to show me into," said the blonde kate: "and a black grate, too. why not take me out o' doors and bid me wash in the snow?"
"alack, mistress," said the woman, feeling very uneasy, "we had no orders from mr. gaunt to light fires up stairs."
"oh, if you wait for gentlemen's orders to make your house fit to live in! you knew there were a dozen ladies coming, yet you were not woman enough to light them fires. come, take me to your own bedroom."
the woman turned red: "mine is but a small room, my lady," she stammered.
"but there's a fire in it," said kate, spitefully. "you servants don't wait for gentlemen's orders, to take care of yourselves."
mrs. hill said to herself, "i'm to leave; that is flat." however, she led the way down a passage, and opened the door of a pleasant little room in a square turret: a large bay window occupied one whole side of the room, and made it inexpressibly bright and cheerful, though rather hot and stuffy; a clear coal fire burnt in the grate.
"ah!" said kate, "how nice. please open those little windows every one. i suppose you have sworn never to let wholesome air into a room. thank you: now go and forget every cross word i have said to you—i am out of sorts, and nervous, and irritable. there, run away, my good soul, and light fires in every room; and don't you let a creature come near me, or you and i shall quarrel downright."
mrs. hill beat a hasty retreat. kate locked the door and threw herself backwards on the bed, with such a weary recklessness and abandon, as if she was throwing herself into the sea, to end all her trouble—and burst out crying.
it was one thing to refuse to marry her old sweetheart; it was another to take his property and reduce him to poverty. but here was she doing both, and going to be persuaded to marry neville, and swell his wealth with the very possessions she had taken from griffith; and him wounded into the bargain for love of her. it was really too cruel. it was an accumulation of different cruelties. her bosom revolted: she was agitated, perplexed, irritated, unhappy, and all in a tumult: and, although she had but one fit of crying,—to the naked eye,—yet a person of her own sex would have seen that at one moment she was crying from agitated nerves, at another from worry, and at the next from pity, and then from grief.
in short she had a good long, hearty, multi-form cry; and it relieved her swelling heart so far, that she felt able to go down now, and hide her feelings, one and all, from friend and foe; to do which was, unfortunately, a part of her nature.
she rose and plunged her face into cold water, and then smoothed her hair.
now, as she stood at the glass, two familiar voices came in through the open window, and arrested her attention directly. it was her father conversing with griffith gaunt. kate pricked up her quick ears and listened, with her back hair in her hand. she caught the subject of their talk, only now and then she missed a word or two.
mr. peyton was speaking rather kindly to griffith, and telling him he was as sorry for his disappointment as any father could be whose daughter had just come into a fortune. but then he went on and rather spoiled this by asking griffith bluntly what on earth had ever made him think mr. charlton intended to leave him bolton and hernshaw.
griffith replied, with manifest agitation, that mr. charlton had repeatedly told him he was to be his heir. "not," said griffith, "that he meant to wrong mistress kate, neither: poor old man, he always thought she and i should be one."
"ah! well," said squire peyton, coolly, "there is an end of all that now."
at this observation kate glided to the window, and laid her cheek on the sill to listen more closely.
but griffith made no reply.
mr. peyton seemed dissatisfied at his silence, and being a person who, notwithstanding a certain superficial good-nature, saw his own side of a question very big, and his neighbor's very little, he was harder than perhaps he intended to be.
"why, master gaunt," said he, "surely you would not follow my daughter now; to feed upon a woman's bread. come, be a man; and, if you are the girl's friend, don't stand in her light. you know she can wed your betters, and clap bolton hall on to neville's court. no doubt it is a disappointment to you: but what can't be cured must be endured; pluck up a bit of courage, and turn your heart another way; and then i shall always be a good friend to you, and my doors open to you come when you will."
griffith made no reply. kate strained her ears, but could not hear a syllable. a tremor ran through her. she was in distance farther from griffith than her father was; but superior intelligence provided her with a bridge from her window to her old servant's mind. and now she felt that this great silence was the silence of despair.
but the squire pressed him for a definite answer; and finally insisted on one. "come, don't be sulky," said he; "i'm her father: give me an answer, ay or no."
then kate heard a violent sigh, and out rushed a torrent of words that each seemed tinged with blood from the unfortunate speaker's heart. "old man," he almost shrieked, "what did i ever do to you that you torment me so? sure you were born without bowels. beggared but an hour agone, and now you must come and tell me i have lost her by losing house and lands! d'ye think i need to be told it? she was too far above me before, and now she is gone quite out of my reach. but why come and fling it in my face? can't you give a poor undone man one hour to draw his breath in trouble? and, when you know i have got to play the host this bitter day, and smile, and smirk, and make you all merry, with my heart breaking. oh christ, look down and pity me, for men are made of stone! well, then, no; i will not, i cannot, say the word, to give her up. she will discharge me, and then i'll fly the country, and never trouble you more. and to think that one little hour ago she was so kind, and i was so happy: ah, sir, if you were born of a woman, have a little pity, and don't speak to me of her at all one way or other. what are you afraid of? i am a gentleman and a man, though sore my trouble: i shall not run after the lady of bolton hall. why, sir, i have ordered the servants to set her chair in the middle of the table, where i shall not be able to speak to her, or even see her. indeed i dare not look at her: for i must be merry. merry! my arm it worries me, my head it aches, my heart is sick to death. man! man! show me some little grace, and do not torture me more than flesh and blood can bear."
"you are mad, young sir," said the squire, sternly, "and want locking up on bread and water for a month."
"i am almost mad," said griffith, humbly. "but if you would only let me alone, and not tear my heart out of my body, i could hide my agony from the whole pack of ye, and go through my part like a man. i wish i was lying where i laid my only friend this afternoon."
"oh! i don't want to speak to you," said peyton, angrily; "and, by the same token, don't you speak to my daughter any more."
"well, sir, if she speaks to me i shall be sure to speak to her, without asking your leave or any man's. but i will not force myself upon the lady of bolton hall; don't you think it. only for god's sake let me alone. i want to be by myself." and, with this, he hurried away, unable to bear it any more.
peyton gave a hostile and contemptuous snort, and also turned on his heel, and went off in the opposite direction. the effect of this dialogue on the listener was not to melt, but exasperate her. perhaps she had just cried away her stock of tenderness. at any rate, she rose from her ambush a very basilisk; her eyes, usually so languid, flashed fire, and her forehead was red with indignation. she bit her lip, and clenched her hands, and her little foot beat the ground swiftly.
she was still in this state when a timid tap came to the door, and mrs. hill asked her pardon, but dinner was ready, and the ladies and gentlemen all a waiting for her to sit down.
this reminded kate she was the mistress of the house. she answered civilly she would be down immediately. she then took a last look in the glass; and her own face startled her.
"no," she thought; "they shall none of them know nor guess what i feel." and she stood before the glass and deliberately extracted all emotion from her countenance, and by way of preparation screwed on a spiteful smile.
when she had got her face to her mind, she went down stairs.
the gentlemen awaited her with impatience, the ladies with curiosity, to see how she would comport herself in her new situation. she entered, made a formal curtsy, and was conducted to her seat by mr. gaunt. he placed her in the middle of the table. "i play the host for this one day," said he, with some dignity; and took the bottom of the table himself.
mr. hammersley was to have sat on kate's left, but the sly neville persuaded him to change, and so got next to his inamorata: opposite to her sat her father, major rickards, and others unknown to fame.
neville was in high spirits. he had the good taste to try and hide his satisfaction at the fatal blow his rival had received, and he entirely avoided the topic; but kate saw at once, by his demure complacency, he was delighted at the turn things had taken; and he gained nothing by it: he found her a changed girl. cold monosyllables were all he could extract from her. he returned to the charge a hundred times with indomitable gallantry, but it was no use. cold, haughty, sullen!
her other neighbor fared little better; and in short the lady of the house made a vile impression. she was an iceberg: a beautiful kill-joy: a wet blanket of charming texture.
and presently nature began to co-operate with her: long before sunset it grew prodigiously dark; and the cause was soon revealed by a fall of snow in flakes as large as a biscuit. a shiver ran through the people; and old peyton blurted out, "i shall not go home to-night." then he bawled across the table to his daughter: "you are at home. we will stay and take possession."
"oh, papa!" said kate, reddening with disgust.
but if dulness reigned around the lady of the house, it was not so everywhere: loud bursts of merriment were heard at the bottom of the table. kate glanced that way in some surprise, and found it was griffith making the company merry; griffith of all people.
the laughter broke out at short intervals, and by-and-by became uproarious and constant. at last she looked at neville inquiringly.
"our worthy host is setting us an example of conviviality," said he. "he is getting drunk."
"oh, i hope not," said kate. "has he no friend to tell him not to make a fool of himself?"
"you take a great interest in him," said neville, bitterly.
"of course i do. pray do you desert your friends when ill luck falls on them?"
"nay, mistress kate, i hope not."
"you only triumph over the misfortunes of your enemies, eh?" said the stinging beauty.
"not even that. and, as for mr. gaunt, i am not his enemy."
"oh no, of course not. you are his best friend. witness his arm at this moment."
"i am his rival; but not his enemy: i'll give you a proof." then he lowered his voice, and said in her ear: "you are grieved at his losing bolton; and, as you are very generous, and noble-minded, you are all the more grieved because his loss is your gain." (kate blushed at this shrewd hit.) neville went on: "you don't like him well enough to marry him; and, since you cannot make him happy, it hurts your good heart to make him poor."
"it is you for reading a lady's heart," said kate, ironically.
george proceeded steadily. "i'll show you an easy way out of this dilemma."
"thank you," said kate, rather insolently.
"give mr. gaunt bolton and hernshaw, and give me—your hand."
kate turned and looked at him with surprise: she saw by his eye it was no jest. for all that, she effected to take it as one. "that would be long and short division," said she: but her voice faltered in saying it.
"so it would," replied george, coolly; "for bolton and hernshaw both are not worth one finger of that hand i ask of you. but the value of things lies in the mind that weighs 'em. mr. gaunt, you see, values bolton and hernshaw very highly; why, he is in despair at losing them. look at him; he is getting rid of his reason before your very eyes, to drown his disappointment."
"oh, that is it, is it?" and, strange to say, she looked rather relieved.
"that is it, believe me: it is a way we men have. but, as i was saying, i don't care one straw for bolton and hernshaw. it is you i love; not your land nor your house, but your sweet self: so give me that, and let the lawyers make over this famous house and lands to mr. gaunt. his antagonist i have been in the field, and his rival i am and must be, but not his enemy, you see, and not his ill-wisher."
kate was softened a little. "this is all mighty romantic," said she, "and very like a prolix chevalier, as you are; but you know very well he would fling land and house in your face if you offered them him on these terms."
"ay, in my face if i offered them; but not in yours if you."
"i am sure he would, all the same."
"try him."
"what is the use?"
"try him."
kate showed symptoms of uneasiness. "well, i will," said she, stoutly. "no, that i will not. you begin by bribing me; and then you would set me to bribe him."
"it is the only way to make two honest men happy."
"if i thought that?"
"you know it. try him."
"and suppose he says nay?"
"then we shall be no worse than we are."
"and suppose he says ay?"
"then he will wed bolton hall and hernshaw; and the pearl of england will wed me."
"i have a great mind to take you at your word," said kate; "but no; it is really too indelicate."
george neville fixed his eyes on her. "are you not deceiving yourself?" said he. "do you not like mr. gaunt better than you think? i begin to fear you dare not put him to this test: you fear his love would not stand it?"
kate colored high, and tossed her head proudly.
"how shrewd you gentlemen are," she said. "much you know of a lady's heart. now the truth is i don't know what might happen were i to do what you bid me. nay, i'm wiser than you would have me, and i'll pity mr. gaunt at a safe distance, if you please, sir."
neville bowed gravely: he felt sure this was a plausible evasion; and that she really was afraid to apply his test to his rival's love.
so now for the first time he became silent and reserved by her side. the change was noticed by father francis, and he fixed a grave remonstrating glance on kate. she received it, understood it, affected not to notice it, and acted upon it.
drive a donkey too hard; it kicks.
drive a man too hard; it hits.
drive a woman too hard; it cajoles.
now amongst them they had driven kate peyton too hard; so she secretly formed a bold resolution; and, this done, her whole manner changed for the better. she turned to neville, and flattered and fascinated him. the most feline of her sex could scarcely equal her calinerie on this occasion. but she did not confine her fascination to him. she broke out, pro bono publico, like the sun in april, with quips and cranks and dimpled smiles, and made everybody near her quite forget her late hauteur and coldness, and bask in this sunny sweet hostess. when the charm was at its height, the siren cast a seeming merry glance at griffith, and said to a lady opposite, "methinks some of the gentlemen will be glad to be rid of us," and so carried the ladies off to the drawing-room.
there, her first act was to dismiss her smiles without ceremony, and her second was to sit down and write four lines to the gentleman at the head of the dining-table.
and he was as drunk as a fiddler.
