The Star-Gazers Part 9

"Well, and what does he say to it?" said Sir John, half-defiantly.

"Uncle thinks it a very serious step."

"Yes, of course."

"And that I ought to be careful in taking it."

"To be sure, my dear, to be sure. Well?"

"Well, that was all, papa," she replied. "Lunch must be ready. I'll go in and take off my things. You are coming soon? Oh, here is Robert. I won't stop for fear of keeping you waiting."

The captain was some fifty yards away, but Glynne did not stay. She merely waved her hand, and hurried to the front of the house, while her future lord came slowly on, whistling, with his hands in his pockets.

"You've not opposed the match, then?" whispered Sir John.

"No," said the major, "but I think less of it than ever."

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed his brother. "Have you spoken to Rolph yet?"

"No. Haven't seen him."

"Then, for goodness' sake, drop all prejudice, Jem, and shake hands warmly. You see they are devotedly attached."

"No, I don't," said the major, gruffly; "but I'll shake hands."

"Yes, do, Jem, do. It's the one desire of my life to see Glynne engaged to a good, manly fellow who cares for her, and, now the opportunity has come, I look to you to help me."

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the major, as Rolph came up, and Sir John struck the iron while it was hot, to use his own form of expression.

"Ready for lunch, Rob?"

"Awfully," said the captain. "Quite an edge on."

"That's right," cried Sir John. "Come along. Oh, look here though," he added, as if upon second thoughts; "I've had no experience before in this sort of thing, and I want to get it over, and go on again as usual.

I never do anything without telling the major here."

Rolph bowed, and the major returned his salute stiffly.

"I've been telling him about you know what, and it's all settled now, so you can shake hands, you know."

"Yes; my brother has told me about your proposal," said the major, coldly. "You have won a prize, sir, and I wish you joy."

"Thankye, major, thankye," cried Rolph, seizing his hand and shaking it violently. "You don't want to say anything more to me, do you?"

"N-no," said the major, whose inward thoughts made him look ten years older. "N-no."

"That's right," cried the captain, with a sigh of relief. "Shall we go in to lunch now, Sir John?"

"To be sure, yes, my boy. Go on. I daresay Glynne is waiting. Come along, Jem."

He took his brother's arm; and, as the captain disappeared,--

"Thankye, Jem, thankye," he said earnestly. "Now for lunch. I'm as hungry as a hunter, and my mind's at rest."

"Humph!"

Volume 1, Chapter VI.

DUST IN THE OBSERVATORY.

"Well, Mr Oldroyd, and what do you think? Pray, tell me frankly. You have found out what is the matter with him?"

"Yes, ma'am, I think I have."

"Then, pray, speak."

Mrs Alleyne leaned forward with every curve in her face as well as her eyes contradicting the form of her words. "Pray speak," sounded and looked like a command to speak at once under pain of the lady's displeasure. She was a woman of over fifty, with white hair and high clear forehead; but what would have been a handsome face was detracted from by a pinched, care-worn expression, as if there was some great trouble upon her mind; and this trouble had soured her disposition, and made her imperious and harsh. Her cold and rather repellent manner was not softened by her formal white cap or her dress, which was a stiff, black silk, that in its old age appeared to have doubts as to whether it ought not to be a brown, save where it was relieved by white cuffs and a plain muslin kerchief, such as is seen in old pictures, loosely crossed over the breast, and secured behind.

Neither did the room and its furnis.h.i.+ngs tend to soften matters, for, though good, everything looked worn and faded, notably the ancient Turkey carpet, and the stiff maroon curtains that had turned from red into drab, and hung limp and long beside the two tall gaunt windows, looking out upon a clump of desolate Scotch firs.

The rest of the furniture was depressing, and did not suggest comfort.

The solid mahogany chairs were stiff, and the worn horse-hair coverings would have been places of torture to a child; the great dining-table was highly polished and full of reflections, but it had nothing pleasant to reflect, and whoever looked, longed to see it draped with some warm, rich cloth. While the great high-backed sideboard stood out like a polished mahogany sarcophagus upon which someone had placed a bronze funereal urn, though really inside that tomb-like structure there was a cellarette with a decanter or two of generous wine; and the bronze urn contained no ashes, merely an iron heater to make it hiss when it was used for tea.

The blank, drab-painted walls seemed to ask appealingly for something to ameliorate their chilling aspect; but there was no mirror, no bracket bearing bust or clock; only opposite to the windows had the appeal been heard. There, in the very worst light for the purpose, a large picture had been hung, whose old gilt frame was tarnished and chipped, and the gloomy canvas, with its cracked varnish, had been covered by some genius of the Martin type with hundreds of figures in every conceivable posture of misery and despair. Fire was issuing from the earth, and lightnings were angularly veining the clouds, the tableau being supposed to represent the end of the world; and the consequence was that, as far as the walls were concerned, the aspect of the room was not improved.

Now, in every good dining-room, the fireside is, or should be, the most cheerful part. Prior to the days of the Georges, people knew this, and bright tiles and carvings and solid pillars gave a cheery look and countenance to the fire; and this style, thanks to the most sensible modern aesthetes, has come again into vogue, with handsome overmantels, kerbs, and dogs; but Mrs Alleyne's fireside was chilly, the fender and fire-irons were well-polished, but attenuated and of skewery form as to the latter, sharp edge as to the former, while the narrow drab shelf that formed the mantelpiece had for ornaments two obelisks that appeared to have been cast in that objectionable meat-jelly known as brawn.

It only needed the yellowish roller blinds to be drawn half-way down to make the very atmosphere seem oppressive. And this had been done, so that, as the lady of The Firs sat opposite Philip Oldroyd, the young doctor, who was patiently trying to solve that medical problem known as making a practice in an extremely healthy district, could not help thinking to himself that the place was enough to drive a susceptible person melancholy mad.

Oldroyd did not answer for a few moments, but sat thinking, and Mrs Alleyne watched him intently, scanning his great head, and somewhat plain, but intelligent features with his deep, brown, thoughtful eyes, and closely shaven face. The latter was a sacrifice to Mrs Grundy, so that no objection should be made to his appearance by the more critical inhabitants of a narrow-minded country district, the result having been the destruction of a fine and flowing beard at the cost of much nicking of the skin, and the discomfort of shaving regularly, fine weather or foul.

"I think, Mrs Alleyne, that I know exactly what is the matter with your son."

"Yes, yes," said the lady, impatiently. "Mr Oldroyd, you torture me."

"Then, now I will relieve you, madam," he said with a pleasant smile.

"He has really no physical complaint whatever."

"I do not understand you," she said coldly.

"I will be more plain then. He has no disease at all."

"Mr Oldroyd!" said the lady in a disappointed tone, that to the young doctor's ears seemed to say as well:--"How foolish of me to call in this inexperienced country pract.i.tioner, who, beyond a little general idea of his profession, knows next to nothing at all."

"Oh, yes, my dear madam, you think he is very ill, and--pray excuse my plainness--in your motherly eyes he appears to be wasting away."

Mrs Alleyne did not reply, but gazed at the speaker haughtily, and looked as cold and repellent as the room.