It wanted about a quarter to eleven o'clock at night, and Lucy Effingham sat alone, in the drawing-room of the old manor house, leaning her fair face upon her hand, and bending her head over a book which, however, she did not read. There were all the old accustomed objects about her, the things with which she had herself taken a delight to decorate the abode of her mother, and the ornaments which had been collected there before they arrived, to make the house look pleasant to their eyes, by him who had now gone down to a cold and bloody grave. She had thought the place when she first saw it a little paradise; every object in that drawing-room, she had noted and approved; the large China jars, the few fine and deep-toned paintings, the exquisite bronzes scattered here and there, the tables of marqueterie and mosaic, and all those thousand little ornaments which, either for their rarity, or their beauty, convey, through the eye, pleasant impressions to the mind, even while busied more intently with other things.
Now, however, when she looked around her, and thought of the past and the present, the feeling excited by the view of things connected with happiness gone by, was nothing but that sickening sensation, mingled of regret and despair, which takes possession of the mind of youth, when first dark disappointment falls upon it. Hers was not, indeed, a spirit to yield, and give itself up to sorrow without a struggle. She had much firmness and determination of character, mingled with gentleness of heart and sweetness of disposition, and she had struggled long, powerfully, and successfully to keep down, as far as possible, every expression of her grief, so as not to lay a deeper load upon the mind of her mother, already depressed with anxieties, and cares, and sorrows, not a few.
"I am young," thought Lucy, "and can bear my share; but into her cup so many woes have lately been poured, that it is near the overflowing."
Thus, when her mother was present, Lucy had power, for her sake, to stop almost every expression of her grief. But when she was alone as now, when Mrs. Effingham had gone up to the park, to spend the evening in consoling Lady Tyrrell, the motive, the great motive for self-command was gone, and she sat with her head bent down over the book, and her eyes fixed upon it: but those eyes sightless of any word that it contained, and from time to time, pouring forth tears, which fell upon the page, and left it as if it had been lying open under a spring-shower.
It need not be said, that her thoughts were of Charles Tyrrell, of their blighted hopes, of their happiness destroyed, of his probable fate, of the awful question, whether he was really guilty or not. She had remarked often, very often, the fiery impetuosity of his nature;--she had heard, and heard exaggerated, many an anecdote of his passionate boyhood;--she had seen how continually his father irritated him, till human nature could scarcely bear it any longer;--and she had heard of the terrible dispute, and its still more terrible cause, which had taken place between the father and the son on that fatal day; and she asked herself, again and again, whether it were really possible that, driven into actual phrensy by his father still pursuing him, Charles Tyrrell might not have raised his hand against that father's life.
She had never spoken with her mother on the subject, for she knew that if she did, she could no longer command her feelings. The letter which Charles Tyrrell had sent to her, had only reached her on that very morning, and in it he had made no allusion whatever to his guilt or innocence. It was filled throughout with words of deep and burning affection. He had felt as if, in writing it, he were pouring forth, for the first, and perhaps the last time, all the deep and energetic passion of his heart. The awful situation in which he was placed--the terrible scenes through which he had gone--the mighty importance of every moment, as it then passed by, seemed to raise, and elevate, and strengthen, and excite, till love assumed more than love's own eloquence, and the soft words of affection became sublime.
She had read it. She had determined to answer it; she had determined also to beseech her mother to let her go and visit him in prison. But she had felt also that she could neither trust herself to do the one or the other during that day; for the letter had itself unnerved her, and she required some time to recover strength and calmness sufficient to speak with her mother on the subject.
When Mrs. Effingham had set out for the park, Lucy had determined to employ the evening in struggling to overcome her feelings. But it was with her, as is too often the case when we sit down with such a determination, alone, and unaided by other motives; we are ourselves overcome in the struggle, and our feelings triumph over us rather than we over them. She had given way; her whole thoughts had turned to grief and despondency, and the evening that she thus passed alone was sadder, darker, more despairing, than any that she had passed since the fatal event which had interrupted all her prospects of happiness.
She thus sat then, with her head bent over the book, and her eyes filling again with tears, though she had dried them often, when she thought she heard a noise in the conservatory, which joined the drawing-room on the southern side, and extended up to the plantation which led away toward the park. It was as if something had struck against the window; and, after listening some time with a beating heart, to hear if it returned again, Lucy opened the glass doors, and going into the green-house, gazed out through the windows upon the night. The round, yellow, autumnal moon was shining clear and bright in the sky, and she could see everything upon the lawn and slopes that surrounded the old manor house; the sparkling stream that flowed along at the foot of the declivity, the Grey stone bridge with its Gothic arches and massy piers, and the square tower of the old church beyond, almost as clearly as if it had been day. There was no moving object to be seen in any direction: but she thought she heard a rustling in the shrubbery close by, and with some degree of fear, but more surprise, she retreated into the drawing-room as speedily as possible, closing the doors behind her.
A moment or two after, there came a loud ring of the house-bell, and she thought, "That must be mamma returned; but it is odd, I did not hear the carriage."
The next moment, however, the butler appeared, saying,
"There is a gentleman of the name of Morrison, Miss Lucy, below, who wishes to see you immediately."
"Morrison," said Lucy, thoughtfully, "it must be a mistake, Harris. You must mean he wants mamma. I know nobody of the name of Morrison."
"No, Miss Lucy," replied the butler; "he asked for you and you only, and I have heard that he was a friend and school-fellow of poor Mr. Tyrrell--Sir Charles Tyrrell, indeed, as I should now call him."
Lucy turned a little pale with agitation, but she directed the butler to show the gentleman in; and in another minute Everard Morrison was standing before her.
He was pale and somewhat haggard; but perfectly calm and composed.
"I beg pardon, Miss Effingham," he said, without sitting down, though she had pointed to a chair, "for intruding upon you in this manner, and at this moment,"--as he spoke, he turned his head over his shoulder, to see that the butler had shut the door--"but I do not know whether you are aware," he proceeded, "that I had the honour of being a schoolfellow of Sir Charles Tyrrell."
Lucy could only bow, for she was too much agitated to reply.
"I am forced to be abrupt," continued Morrison, "for there is no time to be lost. Sir Charles Tyrrell is, as you know, accused of a horrible crime. There are particular facts, which I cannot explain to you at present, which would prevent him from proving his innocence, except at the expense, and indeed utter destruction of two other persons. Under these circumstances he has judged it better to attempt to escape."
Lucy clasped her hands together, exclaiming, "Good God, has he succeeded?"
"He has, Miss Effingham," replied Everard Morrison, lowering his voice; "he has made his way out of the prison, and is now within a hundred yards of this house."
Lucy sunk back in her chair and grasped the edge of the table, as if to prevent her from falling to the ground so greatly was she agitated by contending feelings, fear, apprehension, anxiety, and joy.
"I beg pardon," continued Morrison, "at being obliged to agitate you in this manner. But Sir Charles cannot, without seeing you once more, quit this country, which it is necessary for him to do for a time, till the other two persons whom I have spoken of are placed in safety. He dare not come into the house, as any one of your servants seeing him, would lead to his being traced, and the road he has taken discovered, which I have used every precaution to conceal. But if you would venture to pass through the conservatory into the shrubbery walk beyond, you will find him there waiting for you. He has two or three times tried to make you hear through the conservatory, but finding it vain, I ventured to come in myself."
"I will go directly," cried Lucy, starting up, "I will go directly," and she turned toward the conservatory door without the slightest hesitation.
"I will remain here," said Morrison, "in case of any of the servants coming in; but pray, Miss Effingham, beseech Sir Charles to be quick, and to remember that the boat is waiting."
Lucy paused for a moment, to say,
"I expect my mother to return every minute. But you may tell her all, Mr. Morrison."
Thus saying, she left him, and entering the conservatory, unlocked the door that led out into the shrubbery, and walked on. Ere she had taken ten steps, however, she heard the laurels rustle a little before her, and her heart beat so dreadfully, that she feared she would have fallen to the ground. In another moment, however, the arms of Charles Tyrrell were round her, and while she wept profusely with the tears of many mingled emotions, he pressed her again and again to his heart, with feelings of unmixed joy.
"My Lucy, my dear, my beloved," he cried, "do I--do I see you once more?"
Lucy dried her eyes, and gazed up in his face by the moonlight.
"You are very pale, and very haggard, Charles," she said. "Oh, what you must have suffered."
"Suffered, indeed, dear Lucy," he said; "I had not known that the heart of man could endure so much, without breaking."
"But you are innocent, Charles," she said, "oh, yes, I am sure you are innocent. Yet tell me so. Oh, yes, tell me so, and set my heart quite at rest!"
"Have you doubted it, Lucy?" exclaimed Charles, in a reproachful tone; "do you doubt it, Lucy?"
She lifted her deep blue eyes to his face, and gazed at him tenderly, confidingly, but thoughtfully; while he bent down his eyes upon her with a look of deep and earnest affection, yet characterized by the strong emotions of the moment, and by some degree of reproachful sadness. But all was clear and noble, and open in that countenance, and Lucy, as she gazed, could not entertain a shadow of a doubt. Feeling that she had in some sense wronged him, though but slightly, she cast her arms around him, and again leaning her fair face upon his bosom, she said,
"No, Charles--no, no, no! I do no doubt you. I know, I feel, that you are innocent."
"As innocent as you are, Lucy," replied Charles Tyrrell. "As I have hope in heaven, Lucy--as I love you truly and well--as I look for the continuance of your love--and as I place my whole hopes in this life on your affection--I never saw my unfortunate father from the moment that I left him in the library, till the moment I saw him lying dead in the same room."
"I believe you, Charles, from my heart," replied Lucy; "indeed, I have never really doubted you. I have, indeed, asked my heart whether it was possible; and in so doing I have thought of all your impetuosity, and your fieriness, Charles. But I have remembered your noble nature, and the restraint I have often seen you put upon yourself; and the reply has still been, no, it is impossible."
"Hark," said Charles Tyrrell. "There are carriage-wheels. That must be your mother, Lucy, returned."
"Oh, mind not that," said Lucy, "mind not that. I know you ought to go, and yet, I cannot part with you so soon. It is terrible, terrible, Charles, to see you leave me under such circumstances, and after such a brief moment as this. It is very, very terrible, Charles, and who knows when or how I shall see you again."
"Would to God, you could go with me," cried Charles Tyrrell, pressing her to his heart. "Oh, Lucy! Lucy! what a fancy has come up before my eyes!"
They were both silent for several moments, and through the open door of the conservatory they heard the voices of persons speaking in the drawing-room beyond. Lucy made no reply to what Charles Tyrrell had said. But her hand had rested in his, and he thought he felt it clasp upon his somewhat more closely than before, as if within her bosom, there were feelings which echoed the wishes and thoughts of his. They heard a step in the conservatory, and she said rapidly,
"I am your promised wife, Charles; and my view of such an engagement is, that I am as much bound to you for ever, as if I had made the promise at the altar, which I made in the woods of the park. I can never be any other man's wife, so long as you live. I can never refuse to be yours whenever you ask me to be so. Such have always been my feelings with regard to that engagement. Let that satisfy you. I have duties to fulfil toward my mother, or I would refuse to accompany you nowhere."
Ere she had well concluded these words, there was another figure in the walk beside themselves. It was that of Mrs. Effingham. She came forward toward them with a quick step, and held out both her hands joyfully to Charles Tyrrell.
"Welcome, Charles, welcome," she said, in a low voice. "I am convinced you have done wisely, for I have seen up at the park, Mr. ----, the barrister, who says, that although there is no doubt of your innocence, yet you run great risk by staying. But come into the drawing-room," she added, "I have told your friend to lock the door. We shall not be interrupted there, and this night air chills me."
Charles followed at once, still holding Lucy by the hand. The conservatory door was then locked, the curtains drawn over it, and all being thus made secure, the four persons there assembled stood and gazed upon each other, as if asking the still-recurring question in life, "The what next." Mrs. Effingham's eyes turned from Charles Tyrrell to her daughter, and from Lucy to him.
"Poor things," she said at length, "yours has been a sad fate, indeed. It is but the fate of few to know such early and such severe sorrows. But console yourselves, my children; it has been often remarked, even to a proverb, that a certain portion of grief and care is always allotted to our life, and that when the clouds are early, the sunshine comes late; and when the spring-time is all bright and shining, the autumn is full of storms. Your early days have been dark and cloudy, indeed, and I trust that the brighter part is yet to come."
"Oh, may it be a prophecy, dear lady," said Charles Tyrrell, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. "Oh, may it be a prophecy; for as I stand here, holding this dear, this beloved girl by the hand, and think of parting with her for a long and indefinite time, with dangers, and sorrows, and all the accidents of fate between us; when I think of all this, and my utter desolate solitude in a foreign land, without a friend, without a home, without an occupation--with my name stained and dishonoured--my fortune withheld from me--and with all the bright hopes that animated me but a few days ago, so completely crushed under foot, I feel almost inclined to cast away this scheme for saving myself, to return to the prison, and to take my chance of what may come--for the worst and most terrible death that could befall me, could scarcely be more terrible than such a parting as this."
Mrs. Effingham gazed upon his face for a moment, and then said,
"Tell me, Charles, is there a probability of your ever being able distinctly to prove yourself innocent, to the satisfaction of all men?--Mind, I do not doubt you in the least, or in any way; for when we visited you at the fisherman's cottage, I twice saw a person there bearing the appearance of a lady, and certainly not in the rank of those that surrounded you. There are also parts of your conduct on the day of your father's death which you do not choose to explain--right or wrong, I have combined these two circumstances in my mind together. But remember that I believe your whole motives, your whole conduct, to be upright and honourable--that I have not a doubt--that I have not a suspicion."
Everard Morrison advanced from the other side of the table, where he had been standing, and though there was a considerable and unusual glow upon his ordinarily pale cheeks, he spoke in his usual calm and impressive manner.
"Madam," he said, "you are quite right. I will take upon me to answer for my friend. Those two circumstances are connected with each other. That lady that you saw is one very dear, perhaps too dear to my own heart, and now, madam, to answer your question distinctly and closely, without putting him to the pain of saying a word upon a subject which he may think right not even to allude to; I will tell you that if he so choose to act, he could at once prove his innocence to the whole world; that he will be able to do so beyond all doubt, at an after period; but that he could not do so now, without bringing certain destruction upon the heads of two other persons, and committing a great breach of trust. The facts I know from others, revealed to me as a legal adviser, and I put it to him, himself, yesterday, with full permission to do so, whether he would break the trust reposed in him, and save his life at the expense of others; or run the risk--the imminent risk of death. Madam, he chose like Charles Tyrrell, and to those who know him, that is enough."
"I thought so, I was sure of it," cried Mrs. Effingham, while Lucy gazed up in the face of her lover with her eyes dimmed with tears.
"And you must be the sacrifice!" continued Mrs. Effingham, after a pause, gazing upon Charles with feelings of deep interest and compassion. "You must be the sacrifice to your own noble and kindly heart. Would to God that you were married to Lucy, that she might go with you, and be your consolation and your comfort."
Charles Tyrrell took Mrs. Effingham's hands in his, and gazed into her face for a moment.
"I fear I am very selfish," he said at length, "for I am so tempted to ask you to let her go with me, that though I know you require comfort too, I can scarcely refrain."
"But Charles, Charles," exclaimed Mrs. Effingham, pale and very much agitated, "she is not yet your wife. She considers herself as much bound to you as if she were. I know she does--I have always taught her to do so. She will never be any other's but yours. She shall be yours whenever you claim her."
"Oh, dear Mrs. Effingham," said Charles, "that it were so, indeed! and not merely in name. I would claim her now--even now. But I know I am acting selfishly. I know I am acting wrongly. I should be exposing her to peril, and dangers, and discomforts, and it is better that I should go now at once, and leave love, and hope, and happiness in my native land behind me. It is better that I should go," and he dropped the hand that he held in his.
"But, Lucy," said Mrs. Effingham, turning to her daughter, "have you thought of this?--Have you heard of this? What do you say, my child, for my brain is bewildered, and I scarcely know what I am doing."
"I say, my dear mother," she replied earnestly, "that there is but one thing on earth that would stop me from going with him; neither perils, nor dangers, nor discomforts, nor, if it must be so, the sorrows of a life itself."
"What then?" demanded Mrs. Effingham.
"My mother!" replied Lucy. "To leave her to sadness, to solitude and discomfort; that--that is the only obstacle that I think ought to stand in my way."
"It should not stand in the way for a moment," replied Mrs. Effingham, "were it not for other things. But think, Lucy, think of the world--think of what the good and wise, as well as the vicious and malevolent, would say."
"For that, my dear mother," replied Lucy, "I should care little--secure in the approbation of my own heart. When Charles spoke of such a thing--he did not ask me, but merely spoke of it a moment ago--I thought over it all earnestly. I asked myself, were these times of trouble, such as took place in the French Revolution, or in our own Great Rebellion, and he were forced to fly so suddenly, should I not do right to go with him? should I not be applauded for so doing? Who could doubt that I should? How much more need for me to go with him now, when he has so much more need of comfort. Would the world, which says so little against the woman who, in disobedience to her parents, or in opposition to her friends, flies from her home, to be married in Scotland, would it blame me, for crossing the sea, to unite myself to the man to whom I was engaged before, with the consent of all; would it blame me, when I have so much higher objects--so much better purposes in view--when I neither oppose those who love me, nor enter into a family unwilling to receive me; when I go to share the sorrows, and the poverty, and the exile of the only man that I ever loved; and if it did blame me, ought I to value its blame? If it did censure me, should I care for its censure?"
"No, my dear child," replied Mrs. Effingham, "in that you are right. In such cases as these, perhaps, removed from all the ordinary considerations of life, we must cast off ordinary considerations, and for once, think abstractedly of what is just and noble, without considering the world, though that consideration of the world is in almost all instances, a woman's best and surest safeguard. Lucy, I will put no restraint upon you. I will not say do it; for the responsibility is too awful even for me, who do not often shrink from responsibilities. You shall follow the dictates of your own judgment, and of your own heart. Think not of me for one moment, my child. I and poor Lady Tyrrell will console one another, and will, if you so decide, join you as soon as may be."
Lucy paused for a moment without reply. A thousand new and strange sensations--a thousand anxious and painful thoughts crowded her bosom, and might be seen written in legible characters upon her countenance. The last thing that appeared there was the rushing up of the bright, warm, eloquent, blood, suffusing forehead, and cheeks, and neck, with a deep and painful blush, while she held out her hand to Charles Tyrrell, and casting the other arm round her mother's neck, hid her face upon her bosom, and once more burst into tears. Mrs. Effingham pressed her to her heart, and looking upon Charles with a melancholy glance, she said,
"Oh, Charles, Charles! when, with frank and noble confidence, you first told me of your love for Lucy, I promised that, in the coming time, I would repay that confidence to the full; but I little thought that I should ever have to put such a great--such an awful trust in you! But I can trust you--surely, surely I can trust you with the safety, with the happiness, with the honour of my child!"
"Believe me, believe me, Mrs. Effingham!" replied Charles, "as soon as ever we reach the French shore, Lucy shall become mine by a right which none can dispute. Pure, and innocent, and bright as she is, I do not believe that there is mortal man, who would have the impious courage, even in thought, to ruin that purity, or sully that brightness. I know that our marriage can be instantly celebrated in France, though we are now at war with that country, and the very first letter that Lucy writes to you, it shall be as Lucy Tyrrell."
Still, however, Lucy clung to Mrs. Effingham, and raising her eyes to her face, she exclaimed,
"Oh, my mother, my dear mother! how can I leave you? Charles, Charles, ought I to be so selfish?"
"It is I, that am selfish, I fear," said Charles Tyrrell; "for while I own, Lucy, that I would almost bear death itself, rather than part with you, under circumstances of such uncertainty, yet I feel that it is cruel to Mrs. Effingham, to take you from her even now."
"Think not of me, Lucy; think not of me, Charles," said Mrs. Effingham. "You know what I can bear, and how I can bear it. If you think it your duty to go with him--and, perhaps, notwithstanding all dictates of worldly prudence, I may think so, too--act as you would act if I were not in existence; let me not in the least impede you. I shall do quite well; and he certainly needs you with him, more than I do; for I do believe, Lucy, that to a noble and an uncorrupted heart, the love and society of a pure and virtuous woman, is not only a consolation under all circumstances, but a safeguard and a support."
Everard Morrison had, in the meanwhile, remained silent, but now, though he understood and made every allowance for the natural hesitation of Lucy under such circumstances, he felt that precious moments must not be lost for slight causes, and taking a step forward, he said,
"Dear Miss Effingham, you are decided to go. I have said nothing hitherto in opposition to Tyrrell's scheme, for where you are willing to risk so much, who shall talk of any other hazards? Let me, however, now remind you, that every moment is precious. The tide serves just one hour before daylight, the cutter will be off the point at that hour, a very short time, therefore, remains for your preparation; and even during that time, Sir Charles ought to leave you; for though we have taken every precaution to prevent them from tracing us hitherto, and to mislead them in regard to the course we have taken, yet there is that natural connexion between this place and our escaped prisoner, that suspicion will instantly look in this direction. Should any search of the house be made while he is still here, no possible means of escape would be left. He must, therefore, go on alone, leaving me to conduct you to the spot where we shall find him."
It very often happens in life, that our decisions are made for us, by other persons, taking it for granted that we have made them. Such, however, was not exactly the case in the present instance; for Lucy had determined already to go, and all that Everard Morrison said, only tended to hasten her arrangements for that purpose: If any shade of indecision was left, it was only expressed by her gazing alternately at Charles Tyrrell and at her mother, while the young lawyer was speaking. When he had done, however, she put her hand in that of Charles Tyrrell, saying,
"I will go with you, Charles. Now go on as fast as possible. I will lose no time, and will join you as speedily as I can. I may be agitated, Charles, I may be terrified, but I have no earthly doubt that I am doing right, and therefore I will not fear. Do not stay here longer, Mr. Morrison is quite right. They may seek you, and what a terrible thing it would be if they were to find you here. Every sound that I hear makes me tremble. In a very few hours I will be with you--God bless you, Charles, God bless you. Go, and leave me for the present."
Charles Tyrrell tore himself away, and pursued his journey alone, and fortunate, as it proved for him, that he did so. As soon as he was gone, Lucy hastened away, by her mother's directions, to make what preparations the time admitted, and Mrs. Effingham, instantly turning to Morrison, said,
"The next matter to be considered, Mr. Morrison, is, how we are to prepare Lucy's maid to accompany her mistress."
Morrison started, and was somewhat surprised, as he had not calculated at all upon Lucy taking anybody with her. He strongly objected, however, to the least hint being given to the maid in regard to Charles Tyrrell's escape, although Mrs. Effingham guaranteed her fidelity, assuring him that the woman had been in her family for many years, having been in the first instance her daughter's nurse. He represented the risk, however, so strongly, that Mrs. Effingham said, at length,
"Well, since such is your opinion, I must go and persuade the woman to go with Lucy without knowing why or wherefore. I think I shall be able to do so; and it may, also, Mr. Morrison," she said, "be necessary to add all the money I have in the house to their little stock; for such a flight as this cannot be accomplished without great expense, and we cannot tell how long their absence from this country may be prolonged."
"Sir Charles Tyrrell has already with him a very considerable sum," replied Morrison, "which I procured from his mother in contemplation of this business. It is necessary, however, to be fully prepared in such respects; but I think if you have any jewels which you could give your daughter, it would be even better than money; for a large sum of gold would be cumbrous, and I do not well know whether the notes, which form now our principal money, can be used in France without great loss while we remain at war with that country."
"That can be easily managed," replied Mrs. Effingham, "I have some valuable jewels, which I have not worn for many years, and which will go into a very small space. I will now, however, see about all these things, and prepare the maid to accompany her mistress."
Thus saying, she left him, and Morrison, whose presence of mind and acuteness extended to the minute details of everything, instantly went into the conservatory, closed the door by which Charles Tyrrell had gone out, locked and bolted it, drew down the curtain, closed the door between the drawing-room and the conservatory, locked it also, and placed the key on a small nail by the side of the door, where he saw another key hanging.
He then sat down, took out a number of law papers from his pocket, made no scruple to borrow a sheet of paper from the writing-book on the table, and having folded it neatly down into proper form, was, in two minutes after Mrs. Effingham had left him, busily engaged in making an abstract of one of the documents which he had spread out before him. His only thought in so doing was, "I may as well employ the time this way as any other;" but the fact of his so doing proved of great advantage.
He had written one page, and was half way down the second, when a loud ringing was heard at the bell. Before any of the servants could appear, though they run to open the door with habitual quickness, the ringing was repeated, and when the footman arrived at the door, followed by the butler, three or four men, presented themselves, headed by the governor of the county jail. As soon as the door was open, the governor demanded sharply,
"Has any gentleman been here to-night, to visit the family?"
"Yes, sir," replied the butler, at once advancing, "there has; but I should like to know why you ask?"
"Because, sir," replied the other, "I am governor of the county jail, from which a prisoner has made his escape this night, and we have traced him here. What is the gentleman's name that has been here?"
"His name is Morrison, sir," replied the butler.
"Then there was somebody with him," said the governor.
"No, that's not true," replied the butler, in a frank tone, that admitted scarcely of a doubt, "there is no one but himself and our own family that has entered these doors to-night. Of that I'll take my oath. He is in the drawing-room now, on business with my mistress, and will tell you so himself. I will go and call him."
"Stop! stop! my good fellow," cried the governor, "you don't stir a step. Take care of these good fellows, constable, while I go in. I must intrude upon the ladies at all risks. Is that the drawing-room door?"
"No, sir," replied the butler, "that's the anteroom door, but it leads to the drawing-room. Go if you like, you'll only be thought a saucy companion for your pains; and if my mistress blames me, it's not my fault, you know."
Without making any reply, the governor walked straight forward and threw open the anteroom door. The door beyond was partly open, so that he could see into the drawing-room at once, and there was no possibility of anybody in it making their escape without being perceived. There, however, sat Everard Morrison alone at the table, with half a dozen large law papers spread all over it, the pen in his hand, the abstract he was making lying before him, and the ink still wet upon three or four lines preceding.
As the governor entered, he lifted up his head to see who it was; but his countenance betrayed nothing which could excite suspicion. The whole appearance of the room, and of the young lawyer himself, was so natural, and so little calculated to awaken or confirm suspicion, that the governor at once began to fear he had been misled, especially as he had been guided in that direction principally by his own suspicions.
It was necessary, however, to say something on the occasion, and he, therefore, burst forth, saying,
"Very pretty this, Mister Morrison, very pretty this."
"What do you mean, governor?" said Morrison, in his usual calm tone. "What is very pretty? I don't understand you."
"Why here you send a woman to me," said the governor, "asking admission to Sir Charles Tyrrell, and giving me to understand that it is Miss Effingham, and she turns out no such person, and lets him get out in her cloak."
"I never gave you to understand that it was Miss Effingham," cried the young lawyer; "quite on the contrary; in my note to you, I told you I did not know who she was. I wrote in a great hurry, as I had to come here to-night; but I took care to tell you that, I am sure. If it had been either Mrs. or Miss Effingham, they would have come to me of course, and I should have put their names down in the note. But I took especial pains, on the contrary, to say that the lady who had written to me, was at the inn, and that I could not tell who she was, in order that you might act upon your own responsibility."
"Precious responsibility business I seem to have made of it," said the governor. "Why I shall be turned out of my post."
"Pooh! nonsense," replied Everard Morrison; "any man may be deceived. But who is this lady, for she must have stayed behind?"
"Lady!" exclaimed the governor. "She's no lady; some common woman, who speaks as broad as a wagon-wheel. But she won't tell who she is; and when I told her that she would be kept in there all her life till she did, all she said was, she would take a day to consider of it; so I thought the best way would be to come on here at once."
"And pray, what do you want here?" demanded Everard Morrison coolly, as if the governor's coming there was the most extraordinary thing in the world.
"Why, I thought I should find him here most likely," replied the governor. "It was natural that he should come here, rather than go up to the park, where he was sure to be laid hold of."
"More natural that he should go up to London, than do either," replied Morrison. "I'm sure if I had helped him out, I should have advised him to come here by no means"--which happened to be really the case, as Everard had strongly counselled him not to come to the manor at all--"However, governor," he continued, "I can assure you that he is not here, for I have been here a long time, upon business with Mrs. Effingham, as you see, and I must have known it if he were. Mrs. Effingham and her daughter have both been with me, till within these ten minutes, and I pledge you my word of honour, that Sir Charles Tyrrell is not here, so you had better not disturb the ladies, for you can trust to my word you know very well."
"Why I think I can, Mr. Morrison," replied the governor; "but then what had I better do, do you think?"
"Why, that's hardly a fair question, governor," replied Morrison. "We lawyers, you know, are never fond of advising a man to break out, for we of course lose everything by such means; but now that he has got out, of course I wish him safe through it; and then, on the other hand, I should not like to give you wrong advice, so I shall give you none. Only one thing you may be sure of, you won't find him up at the park, for he is a great deal too clearheaded to linger about places, where everybody knows him, and where the first cottager might take hold of him, and get the reward which is likely to be offered."
There was so much reason in what the young lawyer said, that the governor was greatly influenced by it. He resolved, however, to send up a constable to the park, to make some sort of search, in order that it might not be said, he had neglected any effort to recover the prisoner. With the same view, also, he asked,
"Where does that glass-door lead, Mr. Morrison, do you know?"
"Why, I fancy to the conservatory," replied Morrison.
"I should like just to take a look into it, however," said the governor. "I don't think you'd cheat me, Mr. Morrison; but I should like just to say I had made some search."
"Oh, search if you like," replied Morrison, rising, and going toward the conservatory; "but I give you my word of honour that if he is in this house, it is without my knowledge, and without the knowledge of either Mrs. Effingham or her daughter. But let us make haste then, if you want to look into the conservatory; for if Mrs. Effingham comes down, as she said she would in a minute, we shall both of us look foolish, you know."
The conservatory-door was then opened, and the governor went in: but the place bore so much the appearance of not having been opened since it was closed for the night, that the look of everything, the calm tranquillity of the young lawyer, the surly frankness of the butler, the evidence of legal business going on which the table displayed, thoroughly convinced the governor that he had made a mistake; and he was in the act of retiring to return to the county-town, and pursue his search in some other direction, when Mrs. Effingham herself appeared, and drawing herself up with an air of cold dignity, looked first to the governor and then to Everard, as if for an explanation of his presence. Morrison instantly interposed, not wishing to plunge Mrs. Effingham into the quagmire of explanations, wherein the best-compounded stories are apt to flounder, and get themselves caught.
"This is merely a gentleman, madam, who came to me upon some business," he said. "I will see you early to-morrow, governor, good night, good night;" and the governor retired, without adding anything more.
When he was gone Mrs. Effingham sunk into a chair, and pressed her hand upon her heart, which beat violently. Morrison, however, explained the whole to her, and told her that he believed the governor was completely deceived.
"We must take two precautions, however," he added, "when we ourselves set out; one is, to ascertain that the same number of persons that the governor brought with him have repassed the lodge-gates; the other to ensure that there is no one watching in the field at the end of the park-stile. How long do you think it will be, ere Miss Effingham is ready?"
"Not half an hour," replied Mrs. Effingham.
"Well, then, I will go and see myself," replied Everard. "But pray, my dear madam, in the meantime, put her in mind that she has no time to lose; for there is a walk of nearly six miles before her, and Tyrrell ought to be out at sea before daybreak."
"She will be ready in less than half an hour," repeated Mrs. Effingham; and the young lawyer proceeded to ascertain that all the avenues were clear.
The moon had somewhat declined by the time that Charles Tyrrell left the manor house; but she was still high enough in the sky to show him every object as he went along; and a lingering unwillingness to quit the place of his birth and of his youth, without taking one last look at the dwelling in which his mother still was, and in which, perhaps, the body of his father still lay, led him back into the park, which, indeed, afforded as short a way as any other, to the spot whither his steps were bent. He knew, indeed, that he must not suffer himself to be seen; for though he did not think that any of the servants would betray him, yet imprudence might do as much as treachery, and he therefore resolved merely to stand under the shadow of the wood, near the spot where the buckwheat was laid out for the young pheasants, and to be able to tell his mother, when he wrote, that he had come to gaze up at her windows, and speak an unheard farewell ere he went.
He accomplished his intention in safety; the house was all closed, and the only lights that were seen, streamed through the chinks of the window-shutters in his mother's room. He gazed up thereat for some time, and then praying God to bless and protect her, he turned upon his steps, and proceeded along the path to the spot which we have before mentioned, where the walk separated into two. There he paused, and hesitated.
He had a strong inclination, indeed, to visit the garden-gate, near which his father had been murdered, and to ponder over that bloody spot, as if it could give any tidings of the real assassin. He knew, however, that every moment was precious, and that there might be various arrangements to make before he went on board the ship which was to convey him to a foreign country. He therefore refrained, and turned upon the other path, which led to the end of the lady-walk, as it was called, and crossing it, brought the passenger by a small neat stile into the open fields beyond.
We have before described that walk of fine and sweeping beech-trees planted on one side of the broad gravel, and bending down like a penthouse over it, but yet leaving a beautiful view over the fields on the other side. The moon was shining clear upon the country beyond, and had so far declined as to pour its light under the branches of the beech-trees, and as Charles Tyrrell approached the extreme end, and still stood under the shadow, he saw that the walk was not entirely solitary, for about halfway down appeared the figure of a man walking slowly up toward him. Who it was he could not distinguish, at that distance, but he perceived that the arms were crossed upon the chest, and the head bent down, as if the eyes were fixed upon the ground. After advancing for about a hundred yards toward him, the figure stopped, and gazed out upon the moonlight; then clasped his hands together, and advanced again in a meditative manner. As it came closer, Charles recognised the figure of Mr. Driesen, and thought to himself:--
"I suppose he has come to attend the funeral, for surely even his cool nonchalance would not permit him to stay in the house all this time after my father's death. However, he has acted in a friendly manner by me in all this sad business, and also about Lucy, so that, perhaps, he might stay, thinking he could be of use."
The cause of Mr. Driesen's stay was, not long after, explained to Charles Tyrrell, for the will, which had been drawn up sometime before his return from college, was found in the drawer of the library-table, and conveyed to Mr. Driesen everything except the entailed estates, and the jointure of Lady Tyrrell. Besides an immense property in land and money which thus fell to him, all the plate, the furniture, the books, the cattle, the horses of Harbury-park were his also, and nothing but the bare walls of the house remained to the young heir or his mother.
Charles Tyrrell did not know this at the time, though he learned it before that night was over; and he only looked upon Mr. Driesen as one whose principles, or rather want of principles, he could not approve, but who often acted kindly and justly from natural goodness of feeling.
Driesen gradually approached, unconscious that any one was near; but notwithstanding the good fortune which had befallen him, his whole air was melancholy, his whole carriage dejected, and as he turned again near the spot where Charles Tyrrell stood, the latter heard him utter a deep, long-drawn sigh. When he was nearly at the other end of the walk, which, as we have said, was of great length, Charles crossed it, suddenly passed over the stile, and took his way into the fields.
Turning short to the right, before he reached Harbury-hill, at the distance of about three miles from the park, he entered the woods which surrounded the dwelling of Captain Long; but, avoiding that house, he followed the left-hand path, which kept close to the edge of the wood, till it brought him into one of those long ravines, which, as we have said, ran down here and there to the seashore.
Following this, he was soon upon the beach, and walking rapidly on, under the cliffs, so as to be as much in shade as possible, he reached the house of good John Hailes, the fisherman, and knocked gently at the door.
"Who is there?" said a voice from within, without opening the door. "What do you want, at this time of night?"
"It is I, Hailes. It is I," said Charles Tyrrell "Let me in, quick."
The door was immediately opened, and closed as soon as Charles Tyrrell had entered. He now found himself once more in the fisherman's cottage, surrounded by the family group that he had left there, but with the sad absence of the mother.
"Thank you, Hailes, thank you," he said, shaking the honest fisherman by the hand, "thank you for all that you have done for me. But, indeed, indeed, I am grieved that your wife should put herself in such circumstances, on my account."
"You are out, you are out!" said Hailes, "and that's quite enough. Here you are a free man upon the seashore, and they'll not keep her in above a day. My neighbour's wife'll take care of the babies, and I'm sure the ladies up at the house will be kind to them. But I thought Master Morrison was coming with you."
"He will be here in a short time, Hailes, I trust," replied Charles Tyrrell; "he is only waiting for Miss Effingham."
"Ay, I thought how it would be," said Hailes; "I thought she would not let you go alone. But none of us'll be obliged to stay in foreign parts long."
"Why, my poor fellow, what chance is there of your returning?" said Charles Tyrrell. "I'm afraid you do not understand the law upon that matter. You'll be looked upon quite as guilty as the other, for in such cases the law makes no distinction. But has there been no inquiry made yet? Has there been no examination into the affair; if not, why have you not both of you, got away sooner?"
"Why, as to this business," replied Hailes, "there has been no inquiry at all yet, and I could get away when I liked; but then, you see, they're watching him there like cats, about that smuggling business. They well know I had nothing to do with it, and could pay nothing if they were to skin me; but they think if they can once get him into the exchequer they'll squeeze him till he's as dry as the skin of a dog-fish; so he cannot walk a step without having some ill-looking fellow at his heels in a minute, and he dare not put out his boat for fear of their being after him."
"And where is Miss Longly?" demanded Charles Tyrrell. "I wish to God we could persuade Morrison, before we go, to think differently of her conduct."
"She has gone back to her father," said Hailes; "whenever he heard the word thatthatscoundrel spoke when he was dying, he took her back again with all his heart; and as for Master Morrison, if he would not take her back too, and be fonder of her than ever, he's not worth having her, I say."
"Why, what did he tell you, then?" said Charles Tyrrell, "that must have been after I left you. From her own story, and the artless manner in which she told it, I am perfectly sure that her motive was innocent, though her conduct was certainly imprudent. But what did he say? for, when I left you, he seemed quite dead, and he had certainly said nothing before."
"Ay, ay, but he came to life twice before we got him to old Jimmy Harrison's cottage, and he vowed upon his life and soul, as he was a dying man, that she was quite innocent."
"Yes, I heard him say that, beforehand," replied Charles Tyrrell; "but that would not be enough to satisfy Morrison, I fear."
"Ay, ay, but he told more of the story," continued Hailes. "He said that her coming to meet him was not at all to go off with him, as he wanted to make her, but because he had proved to her, that he could ruin her father at a word, having got an insight, while he was staying there, into all that Captain Long was doing in the smuggling line. He acknowledged that he wrote to her, to meet him in the wood, at the top of the hill, if she would save her father from ruin, and told her that, if she came, he would show her how she might completely screen him. The way which he proposed to her to do, when she did meet him, was to go off with him to Guernsey to marry him though he would never have married her, if he had once got her there, I doubt. But, however, she would not go, and when he tried to force her, she screamed, and brought the other young officer to help her, who wouldn't consent to any such work."
"That I heard from the officer himself," said Charles Tyrrell; "and if we can but get Morrison to believe this, all will be well. I wish she were here herself, that he might see her when he comes."
"Why, you see," said Hailes, "that would be easy done, for if Longly knew that you were here, he'd come down himself, I know, if he could; for Master Morrison told both of us, yesterday, when he came down here to speak to my wife about going up to the prison, that when he had given you leave to tell all you had seen, you said you would rather die than say one word to get us into trouble, so he is bound to do anything that you choose to tell him."
"We'll make an effort for it, however," said Charles Tyrrell. "It is very late. Do you think if I were to send we should find them still up?"
"That you would," replied Hailes, "that you would; for Longly said he would not go to bed, till I sent up my boy Jim here, to tell him that you were safe."
"Well, then, my good boy," said Charles Tyrrell laying his hand on the boy's head, "run up, as fast as you can, to Mr. Longly's, tell him that I am here, and that I wish very much he would come down and speak with me, bringing his daughter with him. If he can't come himself, see if Miss Longly can come. She'll not be afraid to come through the wood with you."
"Oh no, that she won't," said the boy. "I suppose I'm not to tell anybody else but Captain Longly, that you are here?"
"On no account, whatever," replied Charles Tyrrell; and the boy's father added, "Keep a sharplookout, that you're not watched, Jim, and be as fast as you can."
The boy then went away, and when the door was closed behind him, Charles Tyrrell sat down upon the edge of the bed on which he had spent so many a painful and weary hour: but the conversation between him and Hailes was not continuously resumed. The youngest of the children, who had been awake when the young gentleman arrived, had now fallen asleep as it sat, and the father lifted it to the bed, and laid it thereon, without even rousing it from its slumbers.
For nearly an hour then, Charles and his companion sat without speaking, in the silent gloom of expectation. Nothing was heard but the low sighing of the wind along the sea, and the dash of the waves upon the shore, and nothing interrupted the stillness but a single broken question, and an answer as brief as possible.
At length, somewhat after one o'clock in the morning, there came a gentle tap at the door, and Hailes, looking out at the cottage-window, said,
"There's a woman, so I may open the door."
The moment it was opened, Hannah Longly glided in with the boy, and advanced joyfully toward Charles Tyrrell. All the little coquetry of her manner and appearance was gone, and anxiety, grief, and suffering, had given a higher, and more intellectual character to a countenance which had always been beautiful.
"Oh, I am so glad to see you free, Sir Charles," she said, "and so is my father, to hear that you are so. He told me to say, that he dare not come down, as there are people constantly watching him, but that you might tell me anything you had to say, and only to lay your commands upon him, and they should be obeyed."
"Why, to tell you the truth, Miss Longly," replied Charles Tyrrell, "it was you I wanted to speak to more than him. Will you forgive me, for interfering a little with your affairs?"
"I am sure you never do so, but in kindness, Sir Charles," she replied, "and as I am very unhappy, and have no one but my poor father, who takes any interest in me, I shall thank you most deeply for any counsel and assistance."
"Well, then," replied Charles Tyrrell, "to say the truth, I sent to seek you, because my friend Everard Morrison, will be here very speedily, and I do wish to see you on happy terms, once more before I go."
Hannah blushed a good deal, and seemed very much embarrassed.
"Indeed," she said, "I'm afraid I cannot wait--I ought to go very soon--indeed, I ought. I did not know he was coming," and evidently in great agitation, she burst into tears.
Charles Tyrrell took her hand kindly, saying,
"Come, come, do not be agitated my dear young lady. We are all, at this moment, placed in circumstances of an extraordinary and trying kind, and we must not attempt to act, or even to think as we would in the smooth intercourse of ordinary life."
"Oh, but you do not know, Sir Charles," she said, "or you would not wish me to stay. You do not know that he sent a letter, proposing to me, and after I had unfortunately written back what I thought was right, came all this terrible business and my father's anger with me, and then Mr. Morrison sent me a cold and cutting letter, telling me that, as circumstances were altered, he set me quite free of all engagements to him--you do not know all this, or I'm sure you would not wish me to stay."
"I do know it all," replied Charles, "and yet I wish you to stay very much, Miss Longly. Everard still loves you dearly, and if I am not mistaken, so you do him."
She cast down her eyes, but replied nothing, and Charles Tyrrell went on,
"I must not have you throw away your happiness for the want of a little explanation. You will acknowledge, I am sure, that your conduct, unexplained, might well seem strange and wrong."
"Oh, some part of it was certainly wrong," she said; "I did what was very wrong. I coquetted with that base young man, when I really loved another. I let vanity and foolishness get the better of me, Sir Charles, and bitterly have I been punished. But I never entertained a thought of doing any real evil, and when I went down to meet him, it was with the thought of doing what was my duty, and what was right alone; for by that time, I had learned to hate him, and to despise myself for ever having given him any encouragement. My father would not hear me, when I wanted to explain, and I was always afraid of mentioning to anybody else what was the pretence on which he lured me there, for fear of betraying my father's secrets."
"Well then," replied Charles Tyrrell, "for your own sake and for Everard's, take a strong resolution; explain all this to him that you have explained to me. By means that you do not know, I can confirm every word that you say. Cast away pride, Miss Longly; remember that your happiness and his are both at stake, and that happiness, once cast away, is seldom--very seldom, if ever, regained."
"Ay, that is what I fear," replied Hannah, "I fear that it never can be regained. Do you think, then, that he is unhappy, Sir Charles?"
"I am sure of it," replied Charles; "I have seen it, and, I know it, Miss Longly. I know that he is not only unhappy, but will be unhappy throughout his whole life, if you do not candidly and kindly remove the serious cause for unhappiness that he has, by explaining to him the conduct of one whom he still sincerely loves."
"Oh, if I thought he really loved me, and was unhappy," replied Hannah Longly, "I would do anything to make him happy. I would tell him all. I would lay open to him my whole heart."
"That is all that is necessary," answered Charles Tyrrell. "Stay then till he comes, and then tell him all. Let him see that you do love him; make him understand that you have never loved anybody else."
"But how could I begin," she said; "oh, I could never begin. He will come and look cold, and take no notice of me, and I should die of shame and grief."
"No, no," replied Charles Tyrrell, "he will do no such thing. But at all events let me begin the conversation with him. When they come, you go into the next room. You shall hear every word I say, and will find that I do not do anything to lower you, or to wound your pride."
"Oh, never mind pride," cried Hannah Longly; "never mind pride. I have no pride now, Sir Charles Tyrrell. I once, indeed, had too much, and very weak pride it must have been; for a fortnight's sorrow has crushed it all entirely. Say anything you think fit, I know you will say what is right, and neither fear to humble me nor to wound my pride. Only let him know that I am innocent of any evil or any evil intent, and that though for a single day I have acted foolishly, yet it was with no intent of doing harm, and was soon repented of."
"Hark," said Hailes, before she had well done, "I hear a step upon the shingles. Jim, run round into the other room, where it is dark, and look out of the window. I don't like to take out the board if I can help it, for then the light streams out, and some of those fellows on watch at the top of the cliff may see and wonder what we are doing at this time of night."
The boy obeyed and returned in a minute, while the step was still distinctly heard moving slowly along upon the loose stones.
"It is a man in a wrap rascal," said the boy, "and I think he has got a cutlass under it, from what I see. But he's not coming near here, and is walking away to the eastward."
"That's awkward," said Hailes, "for that is just the way they're coming."
A long and anxious pause succeeded, and not a word was spoken by any one; each listening attentively long after the sound of the steps had died away. Nothing farther was heard for some time, however, and Hailes, after going into the next room to look out, returned, saying, that the beach was then all clear.
"The moon is just going down," he said, "which is all the better for us. But I hope this young lady won't be long, for before an hour's over, we ought to be afloat."
"Who do you take with you in the boat?" demanded Charles Tyrrell.
"Nobody," said Hailes. "You must lend a hand yourself, sir. I dare not trust anybody, unless I'm forced to it; for though the folks next door are just like ourselves, you know, yet they are not quite ourselves either."
A moment after, quick steps were heard upon the beach, and then came a quick tap at the door. Hannah Longly darted into the next room like lightning, and in another instant, Lucy Effingham, pale, agitated, and fatigued, was in Charles Tyrrell's arms. She shed no tears, however, though there were the traces of many upon her cheeks; but the only words she could speak, were,
"Oh, Charles, I hope I am not doing wrong!"
She had been followed into the cottage, by Morrison, and the maid-servant, whose bewildered look evidently showed, that, notwithstanding all Mrs. Effingham's care, she was not fully prepared for the situation in which she was placed.
"We have been delayed for half an hour," said Morrison, "fearing to pass a man who kept walking up and down upon the beach just opposite the path where we were coming down. Luckily, Miss Effingham saw him before he had seen us, and we waited till he went away round the point."
"You are terrified, my Lucy," said Charles. "I think we had better go off as soon as possible. You will feel yourself more in security, when you are on board the ship."
"I shall never feel myself in security," replied Lucy, "till we have safely landed in France. You are going there direct, Charles, are you not?"
"No, miss," replied Hailes, "we must go first to Guernsey where the ship's going; but not because she's going there either, for she would go anywhere we liked; but at Guernsey, you see, we're just as safe as if we were in France, and my brother, poor Bill, has a number of friends there, and so has Captain Long, for the matter of that. But however we must go to get passports, or letters of license, or whatever they call them, to go into France, or we should risk being made prisoners, you know. The captain of of the ship, indeed, has a letter[1of license for Bourdeaux, where he often gets a good cargo of claret wine."
Charles Tyrrell whispered a word or two to Lucy, which brought the colour again into her cheeks; but she looked at him with the full, confiding glance of love, and replied at once,
"Oh, Charles, I have no fear on earth in those respects. I would trust myself anywhere--everywhere with you. I have not a doubt--I have not a hesitation. But we had better make haste, had we not, for I thought I saw the day beginning to dawn?"
"There is one thing, however," said Charles Tyrrell, "which I have to do before we go. Morrison, it concerns you. In the first place, you must beg my mother to take especial care of Hailes's wife and family, and to see that they want none of those comforts which they would have had, if he had remained to supply them by his industry. In the next place, Morrison, let me speak one word of yourself."
"Oh, there is no fear of me," replied Morrison, with a smile, mistaking his meaning. "I am a lawyer, you know, Tyrrell, and accustomed to tricks of all kinds; so that I have taken such precautions as quite to secure myself. They can prove nothing against me."
"You mistake me, Everard," replied his friend. "It is a matter of even greater importance I wish to speak of. It is a matter on which depends your happiness for life."
Morrison made a sign, as if he would have stopped him, and turned away his head, but Charles Tyrrell continued, without heeding the distaste he evinced for the subject.
"Nay, nay, Morrison," he said, "you have shown me great and disinterested friendship--you have rendered me a most important service, and so also must I act to you. Let me ask you one question, Morrison."
"What is it?" said Morrison: "but, indeed, Tyrrell, arguments upon such subjects as you are going to speak of, are of no use. My line of conduct is determined on."
"Determined then, I fear, for your own unhappiness," replied Charles Tyrrell; "but, however, my question is this: If a person whom you dearly love, should do some act, which you, without knowing all the circumstances, were to judge wrong, and you were thereupon, to treat a person who loves you, harshly and unkindly, what would be your conduct afterward, on discovering that that person had acted with the best and highest motives, and on the purest and most straightforward views?"
"Were such a case applicable to me," replied Morrison, "I would take her to my heart at once, or rather fall upon my knees and beseech her to pardon me. But such, however, cannot be the case with me; even her own father, Tyrrell, even her own father----"
"Judged of her as wrongly as you did, Morrison," replied Charles Tyrrell.
Lucy had looked on with interest, and with that peculiar talent which women so eminently possess for discovering, almost by intuition, the particulars of everything that relates to love, she had formed a very accurate idea of the principal circumstances to which Charles Tyrrell alluded. Charles, who saw her face full of intelligence as he spoke, whispered a word or two to her, and without reply, she glided into the next room, while he went on still addressing Morrison.
"I think, Everard," he said, "that you know me well enough, to be sure that no consideration on earth--no mistaking kindness--no weak view of removing dissension would induce me to say one word that is not strictly consonant with truth. I now tell you, and pledge you my word of honour, partly from my own personal knowledge--partly from what Hailes, here present, has told me, that you have been entirely mistaken and deceived, in regard to the behaviour of Miss Longly, and here she is to answer for herself at once. It is my full opinion, Everard, that you owe her an apology, for she has suffered much, and greatly for that in which she was not all in fault."
While he was speaking, the voice of Lucy Effingham was heard persuading, though with great difficulty, Hannah Longly to come forth from the other room. She succeeded, however, in leading her out, half clinging to her for support--half-drawing back in shame and apprehension.
The moment he saw her, Morrison's feelings were not, indeed, changed, because it was with those very feelings that he had to struggle, in doing what he believed to be a duty to himself--but all those feeling revived in full force, at the sight of her he loved so much, and he advanced at once immediately toward her, for no eloquence that Charles Tyrrell could have used at that moment, would have been half so efficacious in pleading the cause of Hannah Longly, as the young lawyer's own heart. He held out his hand to her, and Hannah, with many a deep blush, put hers in his.
"What is this mistake, Hannah," he said, "which has deceived both your father and me, and made me very unhappy?"
"My father is undeceived now," said Hannah, "and so would you, too, if you had listened to me."
Hannah Longly seemed to feel that she had regained her power, and perhaps, there was a little inclination in her heart to use it, in order to punish her lover, even for doubting her. But her heart had been chastened by adversity; and though she might have triumphed a little in former days, under such circumstances, she now checked even the inclination to do so, and determined to be happy herself, in the reconciliation which she was sure would take place, and to make him so, too, as far as she could.
Morrison, however, felt that he was in some degree, put upon his trial, and of course, began his defence.
"I was told, Hannah," he said, "and told even by your father, that you had gone out secretly and alone, to meet one of the most profligate and worthless of men, a man who degraded the character of an officer in the navy, to become a spy as well as an informer, to betray the very person of whose hospitality he partook, and whom you well knew, at the time you saw him, dared not set his foot within your father's doors--that you went out to meet him, I say."
"But, why did I go out to meet him?" demanded Hannah, eagerly; "did they tell you that? No, Everard, because even at that time, my father would not hear me; even when I did send him word, he would not believe me till he heard it from the man's own mouth. But the reason I did go was because he wrote to me, to say, that there was only one means of saving my father from being utterly ruined by what he called extents from the Exchequer, which I had often heard my father too speak of with apprehension. He said that there was only one means to save him, and that if I would come out to meet him at the place he mentioned, he would tell me what that means was. I was foolish to believe him, I acknowledge; but I saw by what had taken place on the very day I got his note, by poor William Hailes, and all the rest, being dragged away to prison, how much power he had to do harm when he liked it; and I did go to meet him, I acknowledge: but when he told me that the only means to save my father, was to go with him to Guernsey, to be married to him there"--she looked steadily in the young lawyer's face for a moment, and then added--"when he told me this, I thought of Everard Morrison; and I refused to go, let the consequences to me and mine be what they would--I may have been foolish, Everard, I know I have been silly and weak in many things, but in this, at least, I do not think I was in the wrong."