CHAPTER XI.
It is now necessary to return to Smatterton. As soon as Penelope had closed the eyes of the poor sufferer, and had heard from the lips of the elder Mr Darnley those compliments which his politeness and good feeling led him to pay her on the ground of her attention to the sick and the desolate, she returned to her father at the rectory, and related to him all the occurrences of that eventful morning. He listened with patient attention, for he loved to hear his daughter’s voice. But he expressed some feeling of impatience at what he was pleased to call the coxcomical pride of Mr Darnley, the rector of Neverden.
We live in a strange world; for certainly itdoes seem strange to apply to a reverend divine of sixty years of age such an epithet as that of coxcomb. Yet after all there may be some truth and propriety in its application; for where the principle of conceitedness is very strong and belongs essentially to the character, age cannot remove it; years may make some difference in the mode of its display and the peculiarity of its development, but the principle remains the same. The reason why young people have the almost exclusive reproach of coxcombry and conceit is, that they have had as yet but little opportunity of comparing themselves with the rest of the world. When youth is over, and the conflicts and agitations of life have brought the mind much into contact with other minds, then the relative strength of the character is felt and appreciated, then the man knows himself to be what he is, and necessarily ceases to conceit himself to be what he is not. But when, as was the case with Mr Darnley the elder, it happens that a man during the course of his life has but littleintercourse with the world, and when that little has no portion or part whatever of rivalry, contradiction, or opposition, then the delusions of conceit and vanity may endure to the last. Now Mr Darnley was not only constitutionally a coxcomb, but his situation was also peculiarly favorable for the cultivation and strengthening of this habit of mind. Yet with all this, and notwithstanding even his occasional moroseness, he was not by any means void of feeling, or without a susceptibility of kind emotions. The scene which he had witnessed in the poor man’s cottage made an impression on his mind, and that impression certainly was in favour of Penelope. But he did not suffer that impression to make any immediate alteration in his general thoughts and deportment towards her. He had therefore parted with her at the cottage coldly, formally, and politely.
It has been seen that Mr Primrose was altogether and most widely different from Mr Darnley; it is not at all wonderful therefore that these twogentlemen should not understand each other. On the part of the rector of Neverden there might have been much pedantry and incomprehensiveness, seeing that he had lived uncontrolled and uncontradicted, and his intercourse had been for the most part with such as, by submission to his judgment, paid deference to his wisdom, or such as by the humble and obsequious bow acknowledged his high rank as a clergyman, and his wealth as a gentleman. So it came to pass that he could not understand the movements of such a mind as that of Mr Primrose.
There might be also some degree of incomprehensiveness on the part of Mr Primrose. He had lived in the world much and intimately, he had conversed with multitudes, and had experienced collision of minds; and his associates had changed, and he had not dwelt closely and meditatively on any peculiar class or set of men; there had passed before him many individuals, but they had not made much impression upon him, or excited in him much thought. He thereforecould no more make allowance for Mr Darnley’s peculiarities, than Mr Darnley could make for his. One great point of difference between the two was, that Mr Primrose was of great facility of mind, and the other most preposterously obstinate.
Now Mr Primrose thought and said, that Mr Darnley was a very haughty and ill-humoured man, since, being so near to Smatterton parsonage, he had not condescended to call. And Mr Primrose also said to his daughter, “If it were not that I thought you really attached to Robert Darnley, I should almost wish that I might never hear the name mentioned again. I cannot imagine what Mr Darnley means by such ridiculous behaviour; does he think that we are to pay homage to him?”
Penelope could not find it in her heart to be angry with any one that bore the name of Darnley. She had seen that there had been a misunderstanding cleared up, as concerned the young gentleman, and she therefore hoped andtrusted that in time the misunderstanding on the part of the father would be cleared up also. She also recollected how very kindly all the family at Neverden had formerly behaved to her, and she could not think that the present alienation should last long. She also considered that the sisters of Robert Darnley had, from motives of pure kindness to her, risked the anger of their father, and she knew that once they too had been cold and distant.
Therefore, when her father spoke hastily and sharply concerning Mr Darnley’s strange behaviour, Penelope did not corroborate what he said, by echoing the same sentiment; but she soothingly and quietly replied; “I think that what appears so strange in Mr Darnley’s conduct, arises altogether from some misunderstanding; and I have no doubt that it will by some means or other be soon set to rights. No one could behave with greater friendship and cordiality to me than Mr Darnley and his family used to do; and now this very morning when I saw theyoung ladies again, they were as friendly as they had formerly been.”
“Well, child, you are more patient than I should be,” replied the father; “I cannot at all understand such conduct. That Mr Darnley must be a very narrow-minded man. But, if you make up your mind to accept Robert Darnley, I cannot see why you should wait for the formality of the father’s consent. You are both independent of him.”
“But still it would be very unpleasant to begin life with ready-made family quarrels,” replied Penelope; “though I will not be so obstinate as to say that I will make Mr Darnley’s consent an indispensable condition, if that consent is withheld from mere caprice.”
“Ay, ay,” replied Mr Primrose, “you are very considerate; but I do not see why we should study the whims and humours of those who have no regard for our welfare. You shall do, however, just as you think best. For my own part I have a very good opinion of RobertDarnley, and if I had never seen him I should have thought well of him for your sake.”
And upon this the desultory talk went on between the father and daughter; and though the conversation might have been, from the unanimity of the parties, agreeable to themselves, the repetition of it could not be interesting to the world, seeing that it was insipid and common-place; but still the allusion to it ought not to be withheld, inasmuch as it gives an opportunity of presenting the pleasant sight of a father and daughter in perfect harmony, discussing the question of the matrimony of the latter.
But while we take occasion to remark on this harmony, we may also gratify some readers by suggesting to them the thought, that perhaps Mr Primrose was too easy and indifferent, and that he was not sufficiently anxious concerning his daughter. It is a practice with some superlatively wise fathers to annoy their children with every species of persecution for their good. These very excellent and clever parents willplunge a poor, panting, terrified baby every morning into a tub of cold water, and suffer the infant to be exposed to the chilling air, under the conceit of hardening the young one. Then, when little master is able to articulate a few words, the miserable one is brutally chained to a book, and is thumped, cuffed, kicked, snubbed and half-starved into the learning, which, at a very little later period, the poor child might have taken quietly and calmly enough. And so on, as long as the power remains the tyranny continues, and the persecuted ones are expected to bless their stars that they had been placed under such excellent management. And if by any accident the young Solomon turns out at last to be no conjuror, the wise papa is full of wonderment at the untoward event, and is surprised that his labour should have been all in vain; “For nobody,” quoth he, “could take more pains with a child than I did with mine.”
In like manner and with like wisdom do thesewise parents conduct themselves towards their daughters in the affair of marriage, breaking their hearts to make them happy, and keeping them single by way of establishing them well in the world.
This is wisdom not to our taste. This was not the mode in which Mr Primrose manifested his affection for his daughter. But as he knew the good qualities, and could confide in the judgment of his late brother-in-law, and as he was satisfied that Dr Greendale would never have given his approbation to the acquaintance between Penelope and Robert Darnley, but on the best and soundest discretion, Mr Primrose considered that all security was thereby afforded that the acquaintance was suitable and proper. It is, indeed, possible that Mr Primrose might have found some points of objection even in Robert Darnley; but Mr Primrose was not affectedly fastidious. He recollected the candour and the virtues of his deceased relative, andhe knew that there was no decisive proof either of wisdom or virtue in finding fault with everybody and everything.
It seems very hard upon poor Penelope, that without any deviation from the path of duty, without any act of indiscretion or unsound judgment on her own part, she should be exposed to these successive and irritating annoyances. But fortunately for her the very circumstance that she had not brought her troubles upon herself by her own folly rendered these troubles comparatively innocuous. So she had much more fortitude and patience than might, under other circumstances, have fallen to her lot.
Many days passed over and no intercourse was had with any of Mr Darnley’s family; and almost every day Mr Primrose expressed his own impatience, and wondered at his daughter’s patience. There were however occasionally a few notes from the rectory of Neverden, just enough to let Penelope know that she was not forgottenby him in whose memory she most anxiously wished to dwell.
In the mean time the hours at Neverden passed heavily, and the family looked constrainedly and awkwardly one at another. Mr Darnley had, upon his return from Smatterton, and from visiting the poor man and his afflicted daughter, said very little upon the subject. The young ladies, hoping to find that he had met Penelope, asked him very particularly concerning poor old Fitzpatrick. And Mr Darnley replied very briefly; but we must do the gentleman the justice to say, that he spoke very respectfully of Miss Primrose; and the young ladies were delighted to hear him speak of her at all.
Yet, notwithstanding all this, no progress was made; for though Mr Darnley was very liberal in his praises of the young lady, he still continued towards his son the same unaccountable reserve on the subject of matrimony. The young gentleman certainly did intend in the first instanceto lead Penelope to the altar in spite of all that his father in the violence of his opposition might say to the contrary. But when Robert Darnley had seen the strong and violent objection which his father made, his confidence was a little abated and his resolution failed him.
Poor Mrs Darnley suffered perhaps as much as any of the party, for she was mightily fond of talking, and that more especially when the stable topic was trifling and indifferent. She was a very worthy and good sort of woman, but her taste was not for anything remarkably grave and serious; disputed points, she always avoided most carefully and conscientiously, knowing that she must of course have the worst of the argument. As for argument, it was a matter altogether strange and foreign to her. Her early youth had not been accustomed to it; and when she married Mr Darnley, one great inducement to the union was the consideration of his prodigiouswisdom. Mrs Darnley would therefore as soon think of turning the church weathercock by her own breath, as moving the mind of her reverend lord and master by her own arguments. It was therefore a grievous annoyance to her that this unpleasant affair clouded the aspect of her venerable husband; for when there is in a family a common-place mind like that of Mrs Darnley, it is impossible for that mind to speak at all if there be in the whole compass of its knowledge any prohibited topic. There is always a nervous apprehension that, by some unintentional awkwardness, a blunder may be made, and that the tongue may let itself loose upon the forbidden theme. So felt poor Mrs Darnley.
The sisters of the young gentleman were situated as awkwardly. They could only talk about books, and they could only talk to one another. For Mrs Darnley was not bookishly inclined, and Mr Darnley and his son werealso more deeply interested in other matters. Thus it came to pass that, by the ungainly crotchets of the reverend rector of Neverden, the hours passed unpleasantly both at Smatterton and Neverden.