“It may be that that is the rule in such things, but if so I do not know it. Would she have liked that better?”
“Well;—I can’t say.”
“You are engaged? Did you go to the young lady’s family first?”
“I can’t say I did; but I think I had given them some ground to expect it. I fancy they all knew what I was about. But it’s over now, and I don’t know that we need say anything more about it.”
“Certainly not. Nothing can be said that would be of any use; but I do not think I have done anything that you should resent.”
“Resent is a strong word. I don’t resent it, or, at any rate, I won’t; and there may be an end of it.” After this, Harry was more gracious with Mr. Saul, having an idea that the curate had made some sort of apology for what he had done. But that, I fancy, was by no means Mr. Saul’s view of the case. Had he offered to marry the daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury, instead of the daughter of the Rector of Clavering, he would not have imagined that his doing so needed an apology.
The day after his return from London Lady Clavering sent for Harry up to the house. “So you saw my sister in London?” she said.
“Yes,” said Harry blushing; “as I was in town, I thought that I might as well meet her. But, as you said, Lady Ongar is able to do without much assistance of that kind. I only just saw her.”
“Julia took it so kindly of you; but she seems surprised that you did not come to her the following day. She thought you would have called.”
“Oh, dear, no. I fancied that she would be too tired and too busy to wish to see any mere acquaintance.”
“Ah, Harry, I see that she has angered you,” said Lady Clavering; “otherwise you would not talk about mere acquaintance.”
“Not in the least. Angered me! How could she anger me? What I meant was that at such a time she would probably wish to see no one but people on business—unless it was someone near to her, like yourself or Hugh.”
“Hugh will not go to her.”
“But you will do so; will you not?”
“Before long I will. You don’t seem to understand, Harry—and, perhaps, it would be odd if you did—that I can’t run up to town and back as I please. I ought not to tell you this, I dare say, but one feels as though one wanted to talk to someone about one’s affairs. At the present moment, I have not the money to go—even if there were no other reason.” These last words she said almost in a whisper, and then she looked up into the young man’s face, to see what he thought of the communication she had made him.
“Oh, money!” he said. “You could soon get money. But I hope it won’t be long before you go.”
On the next morning but one a letter came by the post for him from Lady Ongar. When he saw the handwriting, which he knew, his heart was at once in his mouth, and he hesitated to open his letter at the breakfast-table. He did open it and read it, but, in truth, he hardly understood it or digested it till he had taken it away with him up to his own room. The letter, which was very short, was as follows:—
Dear Friend,
I felt your kindness in coming to me at the station so much!—the more, perhaps, because others, who owed me more kindness, have paid me less. Don’t suppose that I allude to poor Hermione, for, in truth, I have no intention to complain of her. I thought, perhaps, you would have come to see me before you left London; but I suppose you were hurried. I hear from Clavering that you are to be up about your new profession in a day or two. Pray come and see me before you have been many days in London. I shall have so much to say to you! The rooms you have taken are everything that I wanted, and I am so grateful!
When Harry had read and had digested this, he became aware that he was again fluttered. “Poor creature!” he said to himself; “it is sad to think how much she is in want of a friend.”
VII
Some Scenes in the Life of a Countess
About the middle of January Harry Clavering went up to London, and settled himself to work at Mr. Beilby’s office. Mr. Beilby’s office consisted of four or five large chambers, overlooking the river from the bottom of Adam Street in the Adelphi, and here Harry found a table for himself in the same apartment with three other pupils. It was a fine old room, lofty, and with large windows, ornamented on the ceiling with Italian scrollwork, and a flying goddess in the centre. In days gone by the house had been the habitation of some great rich man, who had there enjoyed the sweet breezes from the river before London had become the London of the present days, and when no embankment had been needed for the Thames. Nothing could be nicer than this room, or more pleasant than the table and seat which he was to occupy near a window; but there was something in the tone of the other men towards him which did not quite satisfy him. They probably did not know that he was a fellow of a college, and treated him almost as they might have done had he come to them direct from King’s College, in the Strand, or from the London University. Down at Stratton, a certain amount of honour had been paid to him. They had known there who he was, and had felt some
