“It ain’t beer,” said Dr. Harford’s cook, who had come from the midland counties, and knew what good beer was. “It’s a nasty muddle of stuff, not fit for any Christian who has to earn her victuals over a kitchen fire.”
It came to pass speedily that Luke Rowan was expected to build a new brewery, and that the event of the first brick was looked for with anxious expectation. And that false report which had spread itself through Baslehurst respecting him and his debts had taken itself off. It had been banished by a contrary report; and there now existed in Baslehurst a very general belief that Rowan was a man of means—of very considerable means—a man of substantial capital, whom to have settled in the town would be very beneficial to the community. That false statement as to the bill at Griggs’ had been sifted, and the truth made known—and somewhat to the disgrace of the Tappitt faction. The only article supplied by Griggs to Rowan’s order had been the champagne consumed at Tappitt’s supper, and for this Rowan had paid ready money within a week of the transaction. It was Mrs. Cornbury who discovered all this, and who employed means for making the truth known in Baslehurst. This truth also became known at last to Mrs. Ray—but of what avail was it then? She had desired her daughter to treat the young man as a wolf, and as a wolf he had been hounded off from her little sheep-cot. She heard now that he was expected back at Baslehurst;—that he was a wealthy man; that he was thought well of in the town; that he was going to do great things. With what better possible husband could any young woman have been blessed? And yet she had turned him away from her cottage as though he had been a wolf!
It was from Mrs. Sturt that Mrs. Ray first learned the truth. Mr. Sturt was a tenant on the Cornbury estate, and Mrs. Sturt was of course well known to Mrs. Cornbury. That lady, when she had sifted to the bottom the story of Griggs’ bill, and had assured herself that Rowan was by no means minded to surrender his interest in Baslehurst, determined that the truth should be made known to Mrs. Ray. But she was not willing to call on Mrs. Ray herself, nor did she wish to present herself before Rachel at the cottage, unless she could bring with her some more substantial comfort than could be afforded by simple evidence as to Rowan’s good character. She therefore took herself to Mrs. Sturt, and discussed the matter with her.
“I suppose she does care about him,” said Mrs. Cornbury, sitting in Mrs. Sturt’s little parlour that opened out upon the kitchen garden. Mrs. Sturt was also seated, leaning on the corner of the table, with the sleeves of her gown tucked up, ready for work when the Squire’s lady should be gone, but very willing to postpone her work as long as the Squire’s lady would stay and gossip with her.
“Oh! that she do, Mrs. Butler—in her heart of hearts. If I know anything of true love, she do love that young man.”
“And he did offer to her? There can be no doubt about that, I suppose.”
“Not a doubt on earth, Mrs. Butler. She never told me so outright—nor yet didn’t her mother;—but if he didn’t, I’ll give my head for a cream cheese. Laws love you, Mrs. Butler, I know what’s what well enough. I know when a girl’s wild and flighty, and thinks of things as she oughtn’t;—and I know when she’s proper behaved, and gives a young man encouragement only when it becomes her.”
“Of course you do, Mrs. Sturt.”
“It isn’t for me, Mrs. Butler, to say anything against your papa. Nobody can have more respect for their clergyman than Sturt has and I; and before it was all settled like, Sturt never had a word with Mr. Comfort about tithes; but, Mrs. Butler, I think your papa was wrong here. As far as I can learn, it was he that told Mrs. Ray that this young man wasn’t all that he should be.”
“Papa meant it for the best. There were strange things said about him, you know.”
“I never believes one word of what I hears, and never will. People are such liars; bean’t they, Mrs. Butler? And I didn’t believe a word again him. He’s as fine a young man as you’d wish to see in a hundred years, and of course that goes a long way with a young woman. Well, Mrs. Butler, I’ll tell Mrs. Ray what you say, but I’m afeard it’s too late; I’m afeard it is. He’s of a stubborn sort, I think. He’s one of them that says, ‘If you will not when you may, when you will you shall have nay.’ ”
Mrs. Cornbury still entertained hope that the stubbornness of the stubborn man might be overcome; but as to that she said nothing to Mrs. Sturt.
Mrs. Sturt, with what friendly tact she possessed, made her communication to Mrs. Ray, but it may be doubted whether more harm than good was not thus done. “And he didn’t owe a shilling then?” asked Mrs. Ray.
“Not a shilling,” said Mrs. Sturt.
“And he is going to come back to Baslehurst about this brewery business?”
“There’s not a doubt in life about that,” answered Mrs. Sturt. If these tidings could have come in time they would have been very salutary; but what was Mrs. Ray to do with them now? She felt that she could not honestly withhold them from Rachel; and yet she knew not how to tell them without adding to Rachel’s misery. It was very improbable that Rachel should hear anything about Rowan from other lips than her own. It was clear that Mrs. Sturt did not intend to speak to her, and also clear that Mrs. Sturt expected that Mrs. Ray would do so.
Rachel’s demeanour
