第41章

'Ill-natured in him to speak,' continued Mary, 'and to which it would be absurd for me to listen. He probably does the same to others,' she added, being unable in heart to forget that sharpest of her wounds, that flirtation of his with Patience Oriel; 'but to me it is almost cruel. Another girl might laugh at him, or listen to him, as he would choose; but I can do neither. I shall now keep away from Greshamsbury, at any rate till he has left it; and, Augusta, I can only beg you to understand, that, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing which may not be told to all the world.'

And, so saying, she walked on a little in advance of them, as proud as a queen. Had Lady de Courcy herself met her at this moment, she would almost have felt herself forced to shrink out of the pathway. 'Not say a word of me!' she repeated to herself, but still out loud. 'No word need be left unsaid on my account; none, none.'

Augusta followed her, dumfounded at her indignation; and Frank also followed, but not in silence. When his first surprise at Mary's great anger was over, he felt himself called upon to say some word that might exonerate his lady-love; and some word also of protestation as to his own purpose.

'There is nothing to be told, at least of Mary,' he said, speaking to his sister; 'but of me, you may tell this, if you choose to disoblige your brother--that I love Mary Thorne with all my heart; and that I will never love anyone else.'

By this time they had reached the lawn, and Mary was able to turn away from the path which led up to the house. As she left them she said in a voice, now low enough, 'I cannot prevent him from talking nonsense, Augusta; but you will bear me witness, that I do not willingly hear it.' And, so saying, she started off almost in a run towards the distant part of the gardens, in which she saw Beatrice.

Frank, as he walked up to the house with his sister, endeavoured to induce her to give him a promise that she would tell no tales as to what she had heard and seen.

'Of course, Frank, it must be all nonsense,' she had said; 'and you shouldn't amuse yourself in such a way.'

'Well, but, Guss, come, we have always been friends; don't let us quarrel just when you are going to be married.' But Augusta would make no promise.

Frank, when he reached the house, found the countess waiting for him, sitting in the little drawing-room by herself,--somewhat impatiently.

As he entered he became aware that there was some peculiar gravity attached to the coming interview. Three persons, his mother, one of his younger sisters, and the Lady Amelia, each stopped him to let him know that the countess was waiting; and he perceived that a sort of guard was kept upon the door to save her ladyship from any undesirable intrusion.

The countess frowned at the moment of his entrance, but soon smoothed her brow, and invited him to take a chair ready prepared for him opposite to the elbow of the sofa on which she was leaning. She had a small table before her, on which was her teacup, so that she was able to preach at him nearly as well as though she had been ensconced in a pulpit.

'My dear Frank,' said she, in a voice thoroughly suitable to the importance of the communication, 'you have to-day come of age.'

Frank remarked that he understood that such was the case, and added that 'that was the reason for all the fuss.'

'Yes; you have to-day come of age. Perhaps I should have been glad to see such an occasion noticed at Greshamsbury with some more suitable signs of rejoicing.'

'Oh, aunt! I think we did it all very well.'

'Greshamsbury, Frank, is, or at any rate ought to be, the seat of the first commoner in Barsetshire.

'Well; so it is. I am quite sure there isn't a better fellow than father anywhere in the county.'

The countess sighed. Her opinion of the poor squire was very different from Frank's. 'It is no use now,' said she, 'looking back to that which cannot be cured. The first commoner in Barsetshire should hold a position--I will not of course say equal to that of a peer.'

'Oh dear no; of course not,' said Frank; and a bystander might have thought that there was a touch of satire in his tone.

'No, not equal to that of a peer; but still of very paramount importance. Of course my first ambition is bound up in Porlock.'

'Of course,' said Frank, thinking how very weak was the staff on which his aunt's ambition rested; for Lord Porlock's youthful career had not been such as to give unmitigated satisfaction to his parents.

'Is bound up in Porlock:' and then the countess plumed herself; but the mother sighed. 'And next to Porlock, my anxiety is about you.'

'Upon my honour, aunt, I am very much obliged. I shall be all right, you know.'

'Greshamsbury, my dear boy, is not now what it used to be.'

'Isn't it?' asked Frank.

'No, Frank; by no means. I do not wish to say a word against your father. It may, perhaps have been his misfortune, rather than his fault--'

'She is always down on the governor; always,' said Frank to himself; resolving to stick bravely to the side of the house to which he had elected to belong.

'But there is the fact, Frank, too plain to us all; Greshamsbury is not what it was. It is your duty to restore it to its former importance.'

'My duty!' said Frank, rather puzzled.

'Yes, Frank, your duty. It all depends on you now. Of course you know that your father owes a great deal of money.'

Frank muttered something. Tidings had in some shape reached his ear that his father was not comfortably circumstances as regards money.

'And then, he has sold Boxall Hill. It cannot be expected that Boxall Hill shall be purchased, as some horrid man, a railway-maker, I believe--'

'Yes; that's Scatcherd.'

'Well, he has built a house there, I'm told; so I presume that it cannot be bought back: but it will be your duty, Frank, to pay all the debts that there are on the property, and to purchase what, at any rate, will be equal to Boxall Hill.'