frank found it very difficult to make out, both at that and a subsequent period, how it was that no dog-cart came for him from the manor on that saturday night. to be sure, the circumstance was easily enough explained as a matter of fact, and meant simply this, neither more nor less,—that his letter, intimating his intention to spend the sunday with his mother, and giving instructions when he was to be sent for, reached mrs. renton only on sunday at noon. but what providence meant by permitting such a thing to happen, was of course a totally different matter. the mistake fitted in wonderfully, as mistakes so often do, with the course of events. richmont might not be so refined as the manor, but it certainly was, at the present moment, much more amusing. and though of course frank, like a good son, had been quite willing to give up the sunday to his mother, yet he was aware of the fact beforehand that the sunday would be dull. mrs. renton had lived a semi-invalid life so long that it{199} was rather a pleasure to her, now she was alone, to relapse into full and unmitigated invalidism. she had so many draughts to take, and precautions to bear in mind, that her whole time was filled up, and that not so unpleasantly as might have been supposed. she had her favourite maid, who never permitted her to forget anything; and when there was no draught to be taken, was always hovering in the background with cups of tea or arrowroot to sustain her mistress’s strength. mrs. renton was very fond of her boys, but still, her own circumstances being of such a character, she was not entirely dependent upon them for her happiness. to be sure, if any one had so much as mentioned happiness to her, she would have wept, poor soul, and declared positively that no such thing was possible to her, thus left alone in the vacant house, her husband dead, and her sons absent. but, nevertheless, the draughts, and the care, and the tea, and the arrowroot, occupied her time, and gave that gentle support of routine which is so invaluable to a languid life. but it may be supposed that her room was not the most lively place in the world to a young man; and frank, in the drawing-room at richmont, with mrs. rich making all sorts of comical speeches, and nelly quite disposed to flirt, and alice ready to play, did not feel any sensation of despair when he was informed that no dog-cart had come, and that it was now too late to expect it. ‘all the better luck for us,’ said mr. rich. ‘nothing for making{200} acquaintance like a sunday in the country. there is your room ready, and we’re delighted to have you. by monday you will know how you like us, and we shall have found out how much we like you.’
‘we know that already,’ said mrs. rich, who was fond of little inuendos; ‘and i am sure i don’t know how far it is safe to keep a handsome young guardsman in the house along with two girls. for my part, i don’t answer for the consequences. i can’t be sure how i shall stand it myself,’ she added, with a laugh, which was a little vulgar, no doubt, but mellow, and not unpleasant to hear. nelly looked up at her mother as if she could have pinched her; but as for papa rich, this kind of humour was in his way, and he laughed too.
‘i’ll risk it,’ he said, ‘especially as the guardsman has other fish to fry, my dear, and isn’t likely to interfere with you. what’s the matter, little nell? you need not knit your brows at me. i hope i may express myself as i like in my own house, and no offence to any one. mr. frank, here, understands what i mean; and i am very glad he is going to stop with us, whatever you may be, you little flirt. and where has alice severn gone to? i want to speak to her. don’t you think you could play us some nice, old-fashioned tunes, my dear? i don’t understand your grand music. that’s why i like your mamma’s pictures, you know. ’igh art goes a step beyond me; but give me a pretty woman{201} and a bunch of nice children, and i know what that means. and it is just the same in music;—“sally in our alley,” and two or three more,—i like them better than your sonatas; but i suppose you think me an ignorant old wretch for that?’
‘no, indeed,’ said alice; ‘i will play whatever you please.’
‘then come with me,’ said the patron of art, giving alice his fat arm. alf of the buffs, who had arrived by the train, and on whose account dinner had been postponed, was the only other member of the party, and he had stretched himself at full length on the sofa with all the appearance of being asleep. the other people had gone away early; and frank had mrs. rich and nelly, in the intimacy of the domestic circle, all to himself. old rich took alice quite to the other end of the great drawing-room, to the piano, which stood there, and the conversation went on with a distracting accompaniment of tunes and the clapping of hands, with which alice’s audience hailed each air in succession. frank’s attention in particular was sadly distracted,—he could neither listen nor stop listening; and yet the talk had taken a turn which, on the whole, was rather interesting.
‘how will your mamma bear your going away?’ said mrs. rich. ‘her youngest;—i can feel for her. my eldest are married, and out in the world; and i know it’s best for themselves, and i do{202}n’t mind. but alf and nelly are my babies, just as you are your mother’s, mr. frank. what should i do, if any one came to carry my little girl off to the end of the world? and it will be harder still on your poor, dear mamma.’
‘but i can’t help it,’ said frank. ‘you know,—i suppose everybody knows,—the peculiarity in our circumstances. i can’t go on as i am doing. india’s the place when a man has no money. i don’t know what would become of me if i were to stay at home.’
‘well,—you might marry an heiress, you know,’ said mrs. rich.
‘mamma,’ said alf, from the sofa,—not asleep, though he looked like it,—‘if you have any heiresses in your pocket remember your own flesh and blood first of all; don’t turn them over to renton;—he can manage for himself.’
‘oh, yes; i don’t doubt he can manage beautifully for himself,’ said mrs. rich, nodding her head; ‘but still he may be the better for a little advice. an heiress is the very thing for you, mr, frank. as for alf, of course,—though i say it that shouldn’t,—he’ll be very well off, and a catch for any one; as you would have been, but for that fancy of your poor papa’s; mr. rich’s opinion has always been that his brain must have been touched. but that is the thing for you,—as clear as daylight. marry a girl with money, and settle down at home; and do{203}n’t go and break your mother’s heart. you take my advice, and tell her it was i who gave it, and she’ll order her carriage directly, and come over to richmont and hug me,—though she would not so much as call, you know, only for me.’
‘indeed you do her an injustice,’ said frank; ‘she is a great invalid,—she never goes anywhere now.’
‘then her carriage goes to the rectory, which is not half a mile off; but never mind,’ said mrs. rich. ‘i am sure i don’t mind. give us a little time, and well make our way. yes; that’s what you’ve got to do. marry a girl with money. i’m sure you’d make her a good husband all the same.’
i hope, if i were a husband at all, i should be a good one,’ said frank, laughing; ‘but i don’t think i should like to marry money. a little could do no harm, of course,—just enough to keep her comfortable, and as she had been used to be.’ as he said this, frank, without knowing it, looked direct at nelly; and, to his consternation, caught her eye, and saw her grow suddenly crimson; an example which, man of the world as he was, he immediately followed. then, to make things worse, he came to an alarmed, embarrassed pause. ‘the man who ought to marry money is my brother laurie,’ he said hastily, and then stopped. what had he done? was it the fifty thousand pounds he was thinking of?—or what was it? this was only the second time he had been in{204} her company, and yet he had committed both himself and nelly,—or, at least, in the consternation of the moment, so he thought.
‘it must be pleasant for the heiress to be discussed so calmly,’ said nelly all at once. ‘of course, any woman is ready to marry any man who presents himself. that’s the conclusion, isn’t it? but some girls are of a different way of thinking. why should mr. laurence renton marry money, i should like to know? i think he is very nice,—a great deal nicer than——most men,’ said nelly, with emphasis. her cheek was more crimson than ever, and the defiance was an exquisite compliment which went to frank’s heart. yes,—it was droll, but it did really seem to him that if he was disposed he might have that fifty thousand pounds. with that he could have his horse and a great many luxuries besides; and nelly was very pretty, sitting there, opposite to him, with that blush on her cheek, and soft indignation in her eyes.
‘laurie is the best fellow that ever lived,’ he cried, recovering himself with an effort; ‘but he does things for other people with a much better grace than for himself. he has always been like that. lazy laurence everybody calls him. he will never make his own way. i don’t know what he has gone to do in italy. but, all the same, there never was such a good fellow. he is the kind of fellow,’ said{205} frank, with a little effusion, ‘that something out of the way should happen to. he ought to find a beautiful princess in a wood, and fall in love with her, and save her from the giant; and then find out after all that she was the daughter of the king of the gold-mines, and had her pockets full of diamonds. that is the fate i should like for laurie. somehow he seems to deserve it; and it never would occur to him to plan anything for himself.’
‘now i like that,’ cried mrs. rich; ‘i like you for being so proud of your brother. there are heaps of heiresses, you know, in italy—at least so one reads in books; ladies travelling alone, that a young man could make himself very useful to, and then in common gratitude—— why it is quite like a fairy tale. and when will your brother go? and what will he do in italy? mr. rich has promised to take us there next winter. i have wanted to go all my life, mr. frank. it has been my dream. how strange it would be if we should meet him! but, alas! we have no heiresses,’ said mrs. rich, casting a glance at nelly, who, for her part, gave her mother a quick, indignant look.
‘we shall go like a caravanserai,’ said nelly, ‘with servants, and companions, and all sorts of dead-weights. papa says he means to take that count with him who is sick, and heaps of people. what i should like to do would be to go all by{206} myself, and live out of the english quarter, and see all the pictures, and never say a word to anybody. fancy going to rome and somebody saying to you, “ isn’t it lovely?” as if it were a scene in a pantomime! i do so hate all that. i hate the books about parties to the colosseum and rides in the campagna. i want to go to rome, and live and work. i wish i were your brother. i wish i could go wherever i pleased, and run about everywhere alone.’
‘i wish you could go with laurie,’ said frank, and for the moment it was said with absolute simplicity, without a thought of his scheme; ‘that is precisely what he will do; and he knows everything,—where to go, and what to see.’ then he caught the odd, inquiring glance nelly shot at him, and grew confused, he could scarcely tell why. ‘of course, that is nonsense,’ he said, with a laugh. ‘but it must be the pleasantest of all when two people, just two, can ramble all about the world alone.’
then there was another pause. what did he mean? he asked himself the question, and could not answer it. was it that he himself would like to be one of the two, with a bright, little, vivacious, enthusiastic creature by his side to make everything interesting? or was it laurie who should take that place? frank was so bewildered that he did not know; and nelly, sitting opposite to him, was so{207} softened by this curious talk, and looked so much a sweeter version of herself, as with her face crimsoned and her eyes lit up, she sent a glance at him now and then, half stealthy, half candid, that the heart began to beat in the guardsman’s bosom. not that he cared much for rome, or for rambling about the world in general. the pictures would bore him. the rides in the campagna and the parties to the colosseum would be best for frank; and as for running about among all the old holes and corners as laurie did, would not india be a thousand times better, with promotion, and fighting, and tigers, and general novelty? clearly providence had made a mistake about that dog-cart. it was laurie who should have been stranded at richmont, and left to concert an italian tour with nelly rich. how perfectly they would have suited each other! but all the time frank’s heart felt soft to the bright, sparkling creature, who was actually waiting, expecting the next words which he should speak.
‘it is very stupid on my part to talk like this,’ he said, with a little forced laugh. ‘i shall be crossing the desert most likely when you are on your way, or creeping about bombay or calcutta, or some other wretched place. but i must tell laurie to look out for you, mrs, rich. he is sure to be of use,’ he added, hastily. and then frank’s temples throbbed and grew crimson, and his heart gave a jump. was it that nelly sighed, and gave her head a little, scarcely perceptible shake, like one who has relinquished some pleasant thought? it was intensely flattering, and frank could not but feel the compliment. what a dear little thing she was! how warm-hearted and how discriminating in her judgment! frank felt disposed to kiss her hand, or even her cheek, out of pure gratitude. but still he was not disposed to give up india and his own way, and wander over the world with her, even had she possessed twice fifty thousand pounds.
and there was still the music going on at the other end of the room, and mr. rich clapping his hands at the conclusion of each melody. it was very different certainly from the programme up-stairs in the dark in the music-room; but yet there was a charm in the quaint old airs which alice went on playing one after another, over and over again, without a sign of weariness. a distant, visionary, unconscious creature, still unawakened to any sense of personal life, rapt in the strains of her own music—half child, half angel—as calmly indifferent to him and every man as though they had all been like old rich! somehow this was the image which most captivated the young man’s perverse fancy. he turned his chair round and listened when the talk had come to this point. and nelly did not wonder. it seemed as if all had been said that could be said{209} thus. and mrs. rich began to applaud loudly. and then the saturday came to an end. it was only the second time he had been in this house. that was the extraordinarily ludicrous part of it! in such a house men grow quickly intimate.