‘o heaven! that one might read the book of fate!’
churchill penwyn looked something the worse for that half-hour’s excitement overnight when the manor house party assembled at breakfast, between eight and nine next morning. the days began early at penwyn, and only lady cheshunt was guilty of that social malingering involved in a chronic headache, which prevented her appearing on the dewy side of noon. perhaps mr. penwyn’s duties as host during the previous evening might have fatigued him a little. he had a weary look in that bright morning sunshine—a look of unrest, as of one who had slept but little in the night hours. madge glanced at him every now and then with half-concealed anxiety. every change, were it ever so slight, in that one beloved face was visible to her.
‘i hope last night’s business has not worried you, love,’ she said tenderly, making some excuse for carrying him his breakfast-cup with her own hands. ‘the diamonds are safe, and no doubt the man will be properly punished for his audacity.’
churchill had told her all about the attempted robbery, in his clear, passionless way, but not a word of that interview in the study, between gentleman and vagabond. madge, merciful to all innocent sufferers, had no sentimental compassion for this frustrated burglar, but desired that he should be duly punished for his crime.
‘i am not particularly worried, dear. it was rather an unpleasant ending to a pleasant evening, that is all.’
they were still seated at the breakfast-table, and sir lewis dallas was still listening with rapt attention to viola’s account of her feelings at the sight of the thief, when the butler, who had left the room a few minutes before, in compliance with a whispered request from his subordinate, re-entered, solemn of aspect, and full of that self-importance common to the craft.
‘the man has been taken again, sir, and is in the village lock-up,’ he announced to his master.
churchill rose hastily.
‘taken again! what do you mean? i left him locked up in my study at two o’clock this morning.’
‘yes, sir, but he unfastened the shutters and got out of the window, and would have got clean off, i dare say, if tyrrel, the gamekeeper, and his son hadn’t been about with a couple of dogs, on the look-out for poachers. the dogs smelt him out just as he was getting over the fence in the pine wood, and the tyrrels collared him, and took him off to the lock-up then and there. he fought hard, tyrrel says, and would have been almost a match for the two of ’em if it hadn’t been for the dogs. they turned the scale,’ concluded the butler, grandly.
‘imagine the fellow so nearly getting off!’ exclaimed sir lewis. ‘i wonder it didn’t strike you that he would get out at the window, penwyn. you locked the door, and thought you had him safe. something like the painter fellow, who went in for the feline species, and cut two holes in his studio door, a big one for his cat, and a little one for her kitten, forgetting that the little cat could have got through the big cat’s door. that’s the way with you clever men, you’re seldom up to trap in trifles.’
‘rather stupid of me, i confess,’ said churchill, ‘but i suppose i was a little obfuscated by the whole business. one hasn’t a burglar on one’s hands every night in the week. however,’ he added, slowly, ‘he’s safe in the lock-up; that’s the grand point, and i shall have the pleasure of assisting at his official examination at twelve o’clock.’
‘are the petty sessions on to-day?’ asked sir lewis, warmly interested. ‘how jolly!’
‘you don’t mean to say that you take any interest in that sort of twaddle?’ said churchill.
‘anything in the way of crime is interesting to me,’ replied the young man; ‘and to assist at the examination of the ruffian who frightened miss bellingham will be rapture. i only regret that the old hanging laws are repealed.’
‘i don’t feel quite so unmerciful as that,’ said madge, ‘but i should like the man to be punished, if it were only as an example. it isn’t nice to lose the sense of security in one’s own house, to be afraid to open one’s window after dark, and to feel that there may be a burglar lurking in every corner.’
‘and to know that your burglar is your undeveloped assassin,’ added sir lewis. ‘i’ve no doubt that scoundrel would have tried to murder us both last night if it hadn’t been for my biceps and churchill’s revolver.’
the breakfast party slowly dispersed, some to the grounds, some to the billiard-room. every one had letters to write, or some duty to perform, but no one felt in the cue for performance. nor could anybody talk of anything except the burglar, viola’s courage, churchill’s coolness in the hour of peril, and carelessness in the matter of the shutters. lady cheshunt required to have bulletins carried to her periodically, while she sipped orange pekoe in the luxurious retirement of an arabian bed.
thus the morning wore on till half-past eleven, at which time the carriage was ordered to convey mrs. penwyn, miss bellingham, and sir lewis dallas to the village inn, attached whereto was the justices’ room, where mr. penwyn and his brother magistrate, or magistrates, were to meet in solemn assembly.
viola and sir lewis were wanted as witnesses. mrs. penwyn went, ostensibly to take care of her sister, but really because she was acutely anxious to see the result of the morning’s work. that look of secret care in her husband’s face had disturbed her. looks which for the world at large meant nothing had their language for her. she had studied every line of that face, knew its lights and shadows by heart.
the day was lovely, another perfect august day. the shining faces of the reapers turned towards them as they drove past the golden fields, broad peasant faces, sun-browned, and dewy with labour’s honourable sweat. all earth was gay and glad. madge penwyn looked at this fair world sadly, heavy with a vague sense of secret care. the skylark sang his thrilling joy-notes high up in the blue vault that arched these golden lands, and the note of rapture jarred upon the wife’s ear.
‘i’m afraid we have been too happy, churchill and i,’ she thought, and then recalled two lines of hood’s, full of deepest pathos,—
‘for there is e’en a happiness
that makes the heart afraid.’
they had been utterly happy only a little while ago, but since that confession of churchill’s, the wife’s heart had been burdened with a secret grief. and to-day she felt that hidden care keenly. something in her husband’s manner had suggested concealed anxieties, fears, cares which he could not or would not share with her. ‘if he did but know how loyal i could be to him,’ she thought, ‘he would hardly shrink from trusting me.’
viola was full of excitement, and quite ferociously disposed towards the burglar.
‘i suppose to-day’s business is only a kind of rehearsal,’ she said, gaily, ‘and that we shall have to give our evidence again at bodmin assizes. and some pert young barrister on the western circuit will browbeat me and try to make me contradict myself, and make fun of me, and ask if i had put my hair in papers, or had unplaited my chignon when i ran downstairs after the burglar.’
‘i should like to see him do it,’ muttered sir lewis, in a vengeful tone.
they were in penwyn village by this time, the old-fashioned straggling village, two rows of cottages scattered apart on the wide high road, a tiny methodist chapel in a field, the pound, the lock-up, big enough for one culprit, and the village inn, attached to which there was the justice-room, a long narrow upper chamber, with a low ceiling.
all the inhabitants of penwyn had turned out to see the great folks. it was like an irish crowd, children, old women, and young matrons with infants in their arms. the children had just turned out from the pretty gothic school-house, which mr. penwyn had built for them. they bobbed deferentially as their patroness descended from her carriage, and a murmur of praise and love ran through the little crowd—sweetest chorus to a woman’s ear.
‘we ought to be happy in this fair land,’ thought madge, as her heart thrilled at the sight of her people. ‘it is like ingratitude to god to keep one secret care when he has blessed us so richly.’
