A Civil Contract

prefer to keep my old maid with me! I know a grand dresser would despise me!”

“If all dressers are like my mother’s Miss Poolstock she’d hold up her nose at both of us. A more top-lofty female I never encountered!”

“Then may I tell Papa you don’t think it necessary?”

“Yes, tell him Miss Poolstock has given me such a hatred of dressers that I won’t have one in the house! And, talking of houses, what do you wish me to do about a town-house? Wimmering tells me there will be no difficulty in selling the one in Grosvenor Street, so perhaps we should be looking about us for another — if either of us can spare the time, which I doubt! Shall I tell Wimmering to try what he can find for us while we are in Hampshire? then, if he saw any he thought suitable we may inspect them before I take you to Fontley.”

She agreed at once; and asked if they were to go to Fontley immediately after the honeymoon.

“Unless you should dislike it I want to make you acquainted with it, and with my people.”

“Would you like to remain there? Not come to town at all this season?”

“What, miss all the season?” he replied in a rallying tone, “No, indeed! Have you forgotten that you are to be presented? We ought to make a push to be back in town before the middle of May, which will relegate our stay at Fontley to a very few days.”

“I only thought — since you are in mourning — that perhaps you had liefer not go to parties?”

“On the contrary, I’ve consulted Lady Oversley, and she assures me that it will be proper for us to do everything but dance. And I don’t dance, you know — though I’ll engage to escort you to balls next year, and stand, as my sister tells me Byron does, gloomily surveying the company!”

Chapter VI

Lady Lynton took two days to reach London, since she elected to travel in the family coach, an old-fashioned vehicle which had not been designed for swift progress. It had the advantage of being roomy enough to accommodate Miss Poolstock, as well as herself and Charlotte, but she did not mention this when she explained to Adam why she had lumbered up to town in it. She reminded him instead that one of his first economies had been to dismiss the postilions always kept by his father. “Whether that was quite wise, dearest, I must leave it to you to decide. I am sure you did what you thought right, and I don’t regard the inconvenience to myself.”

“But you could have hired postilions, and come in the postchaise, Mama!” expostulated Adam.

He would have done better to have held his peace, for he was speedily brought to a sense of his shortcomings. These included a callousness which made it possible for him to contemplate with equanimity all the dangers to which his mother would be subjected were she to entrust herself to hired post-boys.

He had time, while this homily was being delivered, to assimilate the details of her raiment; and as soon as he found himself alone with his sister he demanded to be told whether Mama meant to call in Russell Square rigged out in crimped crape, and with her only ornament a large mourning-brooch, depicting, in grisaille on mother-of-pearl, a female drooping miserably over a tomb. “And why hasn’t Lydia come with you?”

Charlotte was obliged to confess that Lydia had not wished to come. “She is so very much attached to you that she felt she couldn’t bear — that is to say, she — ”

“I understand you,” he interrupted. “She is mistaken, however. Miss Chawleigh is a very agreeable girl. I think Lydia will like her. I hope she will, for if she doesn’t it must lead to a breach between us, which would grieve me very much indeed.”

She bowed her head, but ventured to say: “Only let me once tell you, my dear brother, how deeply sensible I am of the sacrifice you are making! When I reflect that if I had had your resolution — ”

“Charlotte, don’t be a goose! You are not assisting at a tragedy! Oh, I know what’s in your mind, but that was put out of the question whether I married, or stayed single. Don’t, I beg of you, make a piece of work of it!” He gave her a slight hug, which told her more than anything he had said. “Has Mama made up her mind where she wishes to live? Does she remain at Fontley, or does she hold by the Bath scheme?”

“By the Bath scheme, and — oh, Adam, I am in such a worry over it, and can’t help feeling that perhaps it is my duty to accompany her! But Lambert thinks that if once I go to Bath Mama will renew all her objections to my marriage. I am in the wretchedest indecision, and wish you will advise me!”

“You’ll marry Lambert, of course. Mama will have Lydia to bear her company, and Aunt Bridestow as well. Why should you hesitate?”

“If you don’t think it would be wrong — Mama so lately bereaved!” she faltered.

He assured her that he did not, which made her look brighter, and later won him a hearty handshake from Mr Ryde, who told him that the Dowager had been showing disquieting signs of rescinding her consent to the marriage.

“The thing is, old chap, that now you are going to mend matters so handsomely she won’t like the match any more than she ever did,” he confided. “Let her but take Charlotte off to Bath and shell find first one excuse and then another to keep her there!”

“I see. Well, if my mother insists on going there at once we had best fix the date of your wedding for the week following my — Jenny’s and my return from Hampshire,”

“This arrangement quite failed to win the Dowager’s approval. She said that two such hasty weddings in one family would present a very odd appearance.

“I must own that I think it would be better to postpone Charlotte’s marriage for a few months,” Adam agreed. “If you feel that, don’t remove to Bath till the autumn! There is no occasion for you to do so, after all.”

“Dearest, you must not ask too much of me!” countered her ladyship. “If my remaining at Fontley could benefit you I would stay, exerting my last strength to suppress the painful feelings that must arise from seeing a stranger — and one who I cannot believe is worthy of the position she is to fill — set in, my place! But there is nothing I could, do to help you, my poor boy.”

This did not augur well for the forthcoming visit to Russell Square; but this seemed, from what Adam could gather, to have passed off fairly well. Lady Lynton and Charlotte found Miss Chawleigh and her chaperon at home, but since theirs was a morning-call they did not meet the master of the house. Charlotte thought that Mama had been agreeably surprised by Miss Chawleigh, for although she deplored her lack of countenance, and prophesied that she would be fat before she was forty, she had said, as she and Charlotte drove back to Albemarle Street, that she was thankful at least that she would not have to blush for her daughter-in-law’s manners. “And, indeed, Adam, I thought her very unaffected and pleasant, and I am sure I shall learn to be fond of her,” said Charlotte nobly.

Lady Lynton’s severest strictures were reserved for Mrs Quarley-Bix, whom she described as odious and insinuating. She said that a worse trial than to be obliged to endure the company of such a person could not be imagined. But that was before she had made the acquaintance of Mr Chawleigh.

The meeting took place at Lothian’s Hotel, and was of an informal character, the task of inviting the Chawleighs to dine quietly there being entrusted to Adam, Lady Lynton, facing this subdued festivity with the courage of a martyr, adjured him to do what he could to exclude Mrs Quarley-Bix from the invitation, but very handsomely exonerated him from future blame by saying that she had no hope of his succeeding, since such Encroaching Females could be depended on to thrust themselves in wherever they were least welcome. However, all was rendered easy by Mr Chawleigh, who, after expressing his gratitude for what he termed her la’ship’s condescension, added: “And mind, now! Not a word to Mrs Q.-B., for I’ll be bound her la’ship don’t want her simpering and writhing all over!”

Only the Chawleighs, therefore, presented themselves at Lothian’s Hotel on the appointed evening, and were ushered into Lady Lynton’s private parlour. Miss Chawleigh’s jewels were rather too magnificent both for her age and the occasion, but there was no fault to be found with her half-robe of lilac silk: and if her parent’s knee- breeches and blazing tie-pin were more suited to a Court function than to a family dinner-party this outmoded style did him no disservice in the Dowager’s eyes.

Her son might view with dismay the trappings of her woe, but on Mr Chawleigh they exercised an instant effect. He bowed low over the frail hand extended to him, and said that he took it very kindly of her to have invited