Miss Wentworth's Idea

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 10 October 1891, Page 454

Miss We ntworth' s Idea

BIT o*— .

W.E. NORRIS,

Author of ‘Matrimony,' * My Friend Jim/ ‘The Rogue,’ ‘A Bachelor’s Blunder.*

CHAPTER XXIV.

T was not without considerable trepidation that Muriel entered the drawing-room at the appointed hour and sat down to await Colonel Medhurst’s arrival ; for now that the time had come for her to put her proposition into plain words, she could not help perceiving how utterly at variance it was with all conventional notions of propriety. As, however, her imagination had enabled her to foretell pretty clearly what Colonel Medhurst would say, she

had the requisite rejoinders quite ready for him; moreover, since she knew what was coining, while he did not, she thought it would not be difficult to lead up to her point after a fashion which should land her in the stronger position at the decisive moment. Exactly as the clock struck half-past three he was announced and although he held himself erect and stepped forward with a smile upon his lips, she could not but feel a sudden shock of surprise and pity when she noticed how greatly his appearance had altered since their last meeting. He had become thin and gaunt; the lines upon his brow and cheeks had deepened, and about his temples some grey hairs which had not been there before were distinctly visible. Thus it was that the conversation was not opened in precise accordance with the programme which she had mentally drawn up ; for, instead of greeting him with kindly but distant civility, she exclaimed involuntarily, ‘ How ill you look I’ ‘ Do I ?’ he answered, ‘ I can’t account for that except by advancing years and rather more than my fair share of worries. lam one of those fortunate people who are never out of health.’ ‘ I know you have had many worries of late,’ said Muriel, recoveiing herself and reverting to the line of attack upon which she had originally decided, ‘and I am afraid you consider me answerable for some of them. That was one of my reasons for begging you to come and see me: there are things which can be explained so much more easily by word of mouth than by letter. Of cour.-e I know that you would have come without waiting to be asked if you had not been offended with me, and of course you could not help being offended and—and disgusted when you heard of our poor Sylvia’s engagement to Sir Harry Brewster ; still I do hope that after I have told you what the circumstances were—’ ‘ I assure you,’ broke in Medhurst eagerly, ‘ that that was not my reason for remaining away ; I had other reasons, which I would rather not mention unless you insist upon it; but I don’t think they were very good ones. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you should have thought me unjust enough to be offended with you for permitting what you could not prevent. I guessed at once what the true state of the case must be, and there was no occasion for Compton’s letter, though I am grateful to you for having asked him to write to me.’ ‘ I asked him to say a few words to you when he had an opportunity,’ answered Muriel ; * I did not know that he would write at once. What did he tell you ?’ Not. apparently, that Miss Wentworth was a candidate for admission into the Society of St. Francis; for bad he done so, Colonel Medhurst would doubtless have made some allusion to that fact. As it was, he looked slightly embarrassed and hesitated for a second or two before replying that Compton’s letter had been rather a long one. * He wrote to me partly about my own affairs, which have been giving me some trouble and anxiety during the last few weeks, and then he mentioned having seen you. He gave me to understand that you were afiaid of my having done you the injustice that you spoke about just now, and that you wished me to know what had induced you to consent to an engagement which you could not have liked. But, as 1 told you, it was quite unnecessary to offer me explanations. I should have had no right to blame you in any event, and most certainly I never dreamt of blaming you. I should have been worse than stupid if I had imagined that you gave way to anything short of sheer necessity.’ *lt is a great relief to me to hear you say so,’ Muriel declared ; ‘ I don’t think there are many men who would say so in your place. It did seem to me to be a matter of sheer necessity that 1 should do anything I possibly could to prolong Sylvia’s life ; but, I didn’t expect you to think so ; I only hoped that, if you knew the truth, you would make some allowance for me.’ Medhurst repeated what he had said before, and spoke kindly of the unfortunate girl whom in his heart he esteemed fortunate, inasmuch as death had preserved her from becoming the wife of so hopeless a rascal as Sir Harry Brewster. He was very friendly and sympathetic ; yet it was evident that he was not altogether at his ease, and Muriel wondered why. It was only when she introduced the subject of her brother’s approaching marriage that he pricked up his cars and began to look more like himself. ‘And what will you do now?’ he asked quickly. ‘I gathered from what you said in your note that you don’t mean to go on living with Mr Wentworth.’ *Oh no ; that would be an impossible arrangement. I have made one which will suit me better in every way. Mr

Compton lias at last taken compassion upon me, and I am to be admitted into the Society of St. Francis immediately after James’s wedding.’ Colonel Medhurst frowned at his boots and said he was very sorry to hear it—very sorry indeed. He had half feared that her wishes might turn in that direction, but had been reassured by Compton’s silence upon the subject. ‘ltis a sad mistake Miss Wentworth, and I should be no friend of yours if I didn’t do my utmost to prevent you from committing it.’

He was going to add more ; but she held up her hand to stop him : ‘lt would be a mere waste of breath to reason with me,’ she said. ‘ln all conscience, time enough has been given to me now for reflection, and if I am going to make a sad mistake I am going to make it. Even Mr Compton has at last been brought to admit that a wilful woman must have her way ; his only remaining objection to me is that I am too rich. He is afraid that he will be accused of having kidnapped an heiress.’ Colonel Medhurst grunted. ‘ H’m ! that is all very fine, but I suspect that he will submit to having your money forced upon him. Otherwise you might set his mind at ease by bestowing it upon some deserving person unconnected with the Society.’

‘Quite so,’ agreed Muriel composedly ; ‘and indeed that is just what I intend to do. Something I must give to the Society of St. Francis; Ido not wish to throw myself upon their charity, nor, I think, would it be quite honest to do so ; but as for three fourths of my fortune, I can only say that anybody who would kindly relieve me of that amount would do me a real service.’

‘ Ch, you will have no difficulty in meeting with some one willing to oblige you,’ returned Colonel Medhurst, sardonically. ‘ Upon my word, this is about the craziest proceeding I ever heard of in all my life !’ ‘ l am not so sure of that,’ said Muriel, declining to notice his final ejaculation. ‘No doubt the crossing-sweeper at the corner of Grosvenor square would consent to be enriched at my expense ; but I could not take the responsibility of enriching a crossing-sweeper. I must make a rather happier selection than that, unless I wish to have the ruin of a fellow-creature upon my conscience. You see, it is simply a question of making my will, and it happens, oddly enough, that there is no human being who has the shadow of a claim upon my benevolence. I have lost Sylvia ; Janies, who has a sufficient income of his own, is going to marry a wealthy woman, and I have no poor relations. Now will you for one moment dismiss me from your mind and try to picture yourself in my situation ? You have been told, we will say, that you have only another month to live ; you have a large sum of money at your disposal, you have made no will, and it is your manifest duty to make one. In the absence of a single needy relative, where are you going to look for an heir?’

Medhurst laughed and said that it was not very easy to imagine himself in such a dilemma, but that he supposed a man in that position of perplexity could not go very far wrong by helping the Londdn hospitals.’ ‘ Well, perhaps he wouldn’t and perhaps he would ; I have been told by people who ought to know that the management of some of the London hospitals is not so satisfactory as to deserve blind confidence. However, we will put it that you don t fancy the idea of leaving all you possess to charities—that you would much prefer bequeathing it to some individual.’

‘ Oh, in that case, I suppose I should make choice of one or other of my old brother officers. Unfortunately, I could name a good many who have families growing up and who are pinched for means.’ ‘ Exactly ! you would leave your money to a friend ; and that is what I want to do. Do you remember once telling me that yon wished to remain my friend? Well, now you have an opportunity of proving to me that you were sincere. I know perfectly well what you will say : you can’t accept my money because lam not going to die. ‘But this much, you must remember, is certain—l am bound to rid myself of my money by some means or other before I can take a vow of poverty, and if nobody else will receive it from me, Mr Compton—who would rather be without it— must. As far as the money is concerned I am going to die.’ Colonel Medhurst shook his head. ‘ I do hope you will not set me down as ungrateful,’ said he ; ‘ but it isn’t the same thing. Your having thought of me is a sign of friendship and goodwill which I shall always remember and always be proud of ; only—what you ask me to do is impossible. No man who had a shadow of self-respect could do

‘ Why not? But never mind !—I will allow, if you like, that a woman who has taken a vow of poverty is not quite the same thing as a dead woman, though the distinction is in reality an imaginary one. I will go further than that and allow that my handing over this money to you will create a good deal of gossip. Your friends will call it a queer story, and all sorts of nonsense will be invented and repeated about it for a time. Well, can’t you submit to that for ‘.he sake of doing me a great kindness ! You mentioned just now that your affairs had been causing you anxiety latterly, and I heard from Johnny Hill how unfortunate you had been. He even said that you might be obliged to give up the command of your regiment. Was that true ?’

* Yes ; but ’ ‘ One moment !’ interrupted Muriel. ‘ Before you make up your mind to refuse what can hardly be called a gift, seeing that I onlyaskyou to take what I can t keep, just consider whether it is fair either to yourself or me to be so punctilious. Have you any right to give up your profession and condemn yourself to inactivity while you are still in the prime of life ? And isn’t your friendship for me lather a nominal sort of sentiment if you decline to do me the only favour I have ever asked of you or ever shall ?’ Colonel Medhurst rose, walked to the other end of the room and back again, and then said : • 1 am very sorry ; I wish I could oblige you. I think there is a good deal of force in what you say ; it is quite true that, if you join this Society—but 1 still hope you may change your mind about that—you will be dead to the wot Id and that somebody must inherit your fortune. I may be prejudiced and illogical ; I daresay I am : all I can tell you is that I could no more accept your money than I could many a rich woman because she was rich.’

* That is a totally different case. It is disgraceful to marry a woman for the sake of her riches ; but I suppose that if you cared for her you would consent to many her, notwithstanding her riches, and suiely if you had any friendly feeling for me, yon would consent to grant my petition, notwithstanding the fact that by doing so you might lay yourself open to a few impertinent or disagreeable remarks. For, when all is said, that is the worst that can come of it.’

‘ I think,’ said Medhurst, after reflecting for a moment, ‘ I had better tell you something. Very likely it may make you laugh at ma ; but I must chance that, because I want to make you undeistand how I feel about these things. I confess that when I heard of the trouble that bad come upon you I formed certain selfish hopes. Of course 1 didn’t know that there was any prospect of Mr Wentworth’s marrying again: but I knew that you and he had not much in common and that your life with him would be a lonely and rather unhappy one. So then I thought that as soon as you returned to England I would see you and—and, in short, try my luck a second time. In spite of himself, a man who has given his whole heart to a woman can’t help fancying that his love must count for something ; I am making no apology for myself, I am only stating the facts. Well, do you know what it was that prevented me from carrying out my intentions ? Why simply that in the meantime all my modest savings had gone by the board, and that it seemed to me out of the question for a pauper to offer marriage to a lady of your wealth. The pauper had no reason to be alarmed, you will say. Probably not; still I couldn't quite trust myself. I wasn’t sure that I should be able to see you without telling you once more that 1 loved you, and that was why I determined not to see you at all. Now do you understand ?’

‘ I understand that you are full of false pride,’ answered Muriel. ‘By your own admission, you thought only of yourself and you would have broken the heart of a woman who cared for you rather than submit to the humiliation of sharing her income. In other words you care a good deal more for yourself than you do for me.’ Medhurst laughed. ‘ You shall not put me in the wrong in that way,’ said he. ‘ Since I am making a clean breast of it, I may as well own that my hopes, such as they were were grounded upon your loneliness. If I had been a young man, and if it had been possible for you to love me as I Jove you, I don’t think I should have allowed my pride to keep us apart.’ H ‘ And perhaps if I were an old woman you wouldn’t feel so many scruples about taking the legacy which I have done my best to force upon you.’ ‘ I can’t say : no doubt it would have been easier to accept it in that case. But, you see, you are not an old woman.’ ‘ I didn’t choose the date of my birth, and it seems rather hard that I should be punished for not having come into the world forty years sooner ; but I suppose it is useless to argue with you, since you are so wrong-headed and obstinate. Well—goodbye, then.’ Colonel Medhurst endeavoured to provethat it was neither through lack of love or lack of friendship that he was compelled to disappoint her ; but his representations met with little attention and no response beyond a slight smile ; so that it only remained for him to retire sorrowfully. ’He had not reached the door, however, when Muriel, with a sudden movement, overtook him and laid a detaining hand upon his arm.

‘ You are resolved to humble me to the very dust !’ she exclaimed, with something between a laugh and a sob. ‘ Anybody but you would have guessed—although it is the simple, honest truth that I did not know it myself until a few minutes ago.’

He stared at her in blank amazement. ‘ You did not know what ?’ he faltered stupidly.

‘ Must I put everything into such very plain language ’ Well, then, I did not know that I loved you. There I—it only remains for you to say that you spoke too hastily just now and that you can’t see your way to marrying a woman who is better off as regards money than you are.’

But Colonel Medhurst, as may well be supposed, did not say that. What he did say and how Muriel answered him and after what fashion the next half hour was spent these are details which the imagination of most readers will be equal to the effort of filling up. The earth spins round the sun and the seasons succeed one another with unvarying monotony ; nations and generations fade away and are forgotten • men and women are born, reach their prime, pass it and die; everything is old and everything new. J’lus ca chanqe, plus e’est la meme chose. One does not particularly care about looking on at love scenes, which, to be sure, are apt to appear slightly idiotic to everybody except the’persons immediately concerned. Muriel had no fear of appearing idiotic to Colonel Medhurst; but it did occur to her after a time to dread the scorn of one individual whose esteem she valued.

‘ I don’t know how I shall ever find the courage to tell Mr Compton of this,’she sighed. ‘From the first he has suspected that I was a humbug, and now he will be sure of

But Colonel Medhurst said, ‘ Compton is no fool. I don't mind telling you now that I made a confession to him some time ago, and when he wrote to me the other day he urged me very strongly to ask you once more to be my wife. As you know, I did not take his advice ; I couldn’t believe that he understood you better than I did. But now I am very thankful to acknowledge that he knew what he was talking about, and, if you like, we’ll go and see him to

gether and eat humble pie. You may depend upon it that he won’t consider our news bad news. ’ This,confident prediction was justified by the event; for when, on the following day, Mr Compton received a couple of visitors of whom one was a good deal shamefaced, while the other was calmly triumphant, he had nothing but sincere congratulations to offer them. However, Muriel drove him into a corner by asking him point-blank whether he didn’t think hers a very untrustworthy disposition. • I think,’ he replied, ‘ that you won’t go very far wrong if you treat it as such. You took up an idea, and you clung to it, I must own, with curious consistency for a considerable length of time ; but it was never anything more than an idea, which wouldn’t have come into your head at all if Medhurst had turned up a month or two earlier than he did. You won’t allow that’ Well, I will be more magnanimous. I will allow that if you had joined us yon would most likely have worked as well as eighty per cent, of our recruits do. Only you wouldn't have been happy, whereas now, I hope, you are going to be happy.’ Everything seems to point to the probability that she will. Colonel and Mrs Medhurst are still a newly-married pair, so that their future must for the present remain a matter of conjecture ; but as selfishness is not a vice which can be laid to the charge of either of them, conjecture has in their case the best of all grounds for being sanguine. It is not given to the majority of mortals to look with Compton’s clear vision upon the world and society and the chaos which must inevitably result in universal upheaval, and for us, who belong to the majoiity. it is doubtless a blessing to be a little short-sighted. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof; there is always the cheering possibility that our mundane career, with all its responsibilities, perplexities and trivialities, may terminate to morrow. TUB END.