Luttrell Of Arran Part 63

"That's what Cecil St. John says: 'Let the greatest scoundrel in England only leave me his money, and I'll honour his memory.' Do you know St.

John?"

"One of my most intimate friends."

"I am dying to know him! Grog Davis says he's the only man that ever took the wind out of _his_ sails."

"I'll have him to dinner when I go up to town, and get you to meet him,"

said Grenfell. "It must be on a Sunday, though, for Cecil shuns all others, which he calls dun-days, to distinguish from Sundays."

"I'd like to wipe off every s.h.i.+lling he owes. I'd like to set a fellow like that clear with the world."

"I'll tell him you said so. It will go a very long way towards acquiring his esteem."

"Well, I declare it's a thing I'd do, if I had my property. I've heard wonderful stories about him."

"And he could tell you still more wonderful ones himself. He's one of those men"--here Grenfell's voice became authoritative and collected--"one of those men who, if he saw himself in such a position as yours, would no more doubt as to what he would do, than he would hesitate taking a fair fence in a fox-hunt."

"And what would he do _in my_ place?"

"He'd reason out the thing, somewhat in this way: 'If I suffer the old cove to marry this girl, he'll either hamper the estate with a heavy settlement, or, mayhap, alienate it altogether. I'll marry her myself, or, if she'll not consent, I'll carry her off. Abduction looks very big in the law-books, but it's a light offence, except where the woman is intractable.'"

"And, would you carry her off?"

"St. John would, I'll take my oath on it!"

"And not marry her?"

"That's as it might be, and if she insisted; for he has three other wives still living."

"But, is the thing possible?"

"Possible! Why, it's done every week of the year in Ireland."

"Ay, but we're not in Ireland, unfortunately."

"That's true; neither are we in France; but it was a French cook dressed that 'supreme' we ate yesterday."

"I see what you mean," said he, pondering slowly over the other's words.

"You think one might get fellows who understand how this sort of thing is to be done?"

"If I don't mistake greatly, I know where to-go for the very man you want. In an excursion I once made with Vyner in the west of Ireland, we rambled into a wild district of Donegal, where in a lonely region we chanced on a little inn. It is a flattery to call it an inn. It was a small thatched cabin standing by itself in the midst of the mountains; there was not another habitation, I'm certain, within ten miles of it.

The fellow who kept it was as rank a rebel as ever graced the gallows; and made no secret of his treason either, but owned it boldly and impudently. I had more than one discussion with him, and learned that the rascal had all the shrewdness and low cunning that pertains to that cla.s.s of his countrymen. He had not, however, been well treated by his party, and he was not at all indisposed to betray them if he could see his way to secure his own advantage by it. At all events, it was clear to me, that for a case which required craft, daring, and no interference of scruples of any kind, this fellow was eminently suited; and I have often thought, if I needed a man for an enterprise where the law must be broken, and the penalty incurred a gaol and a long imprisonment, I'd go and look up my friend in Donegal as the man for the occasion--not to say that his house would be the very place to afford a refuge beyond all risk of discovery."

Ladarelle listened with deep attention throughout, and when Gren-fell had finished, said: "What do you mean by a refuge beyond all discovery?"

"Simply, that for some short time, marry or not, you must be able to baffle pursuit, and for such a purpose I'd back this spot in the wilds of Donegal against the kingdom."

"Suppose we were to fail?"

"We can't fail; she goes willingly--or, if not, unwillingly; but failure is out of the question. Your object is, that she should not be Lady Wardle, is it not so?"

"Yes, undoubtedly."

"And to secure this, it is worth while incurring some risk?"

"Certainly; but I should like to know the extent of that risk."

"I'm no lawyer, and can't tell you what cla.s.s of misdemeanor the law makes it; not to say that the offence is one which differs according to the judge who tries it; but the question to which you will haye to look is this: If the girl be satisfied that she is really married, however grieved the old man may be, he will never disturb that fact. He'll shut himself up in his castle, and let his beard grow. A great shock at his age lasts for the remainder of life, and he'll nurse his grief till it lays him in the grave."

"Then there must be a marriage?"

"Some sort of marriage, Irish or Scotch, they have them of all sorts and complexions; but English law smashes them, just to show these poor Celts in what a barbarism they are living, and that even their most solemn contracts are a farce, if not ratified by us here."

"So that I could marry again if I wished it?"

"Of course you could. Why, scores of fellows about town have gone through that sort of humbug. Don't you know Lawson--Jim Lawson? Well, he married his sister's governess before he married Lady Lucy King; and they wanted to make a fuss about it; but it was proved that it was only a lark on his part, though _she_ was quite serious about it; and the priest, too, was only in deacon's orders, or it was after canonical hours, and it was all irregular, even to the ring on her finger, which Harry Bushe said was copper, and so the Lords smashed it, as they always do these Irish things, and Jimmy married the other woman."

"I wish there was to be no marriage at all."

"Perhaps you do; perhaps you'd like it better if old Sir Within would have the politeness to die off and give you no further trouble?"

"Ah, if he would!"

"But, as he won't--as he is firmly bent not merely on living longer, but actually taking measures to make himself an unpleasant memory when he does go, I suspect you ought to look sharp to your own interests, Master Dolly. But, after all, I find myself pressing like an advocate in a case where the very utmost I ought to do should be to advise as a friend. You know by this time all I think on this matter. It is for you to follow the advice or reject it. Meanwhile, I mean to get up and have a walk before dinner."

"Just one thing more--as to this Irish fellow you speak of. Would he take all the risks--the legal risks--if he were well paid for it?"

"I think it's very likely he would. I don't think he'll bind himself to go to the drop exactly; but I take it he'll not boggle about a reasonable term of imprisonment, and perhaps 'hard labour.'"

"Will you write for him, then?"

"Not without you are fully determined to employ him. If you pledge me your word to this, I will write."

"If I pay him----"

"No, no, I'll have none of that! These Irish fellows, even in their most questionable dealings, have a point of honour-sense about them, that makes them very dangerous men to deal with. Let them only suspect any intention of a slight, and their old Spanish blood, I suppose it is, takes fire at once."

"Let me have a night to think it over."

"Take a week, take a month, if Sir Within will give it to you. You are your own master, and need not ask for time from any one."

"I'd like to reflect well on it. It is too serious a thing to do without good consideration."

"Do so by all means, and begin at once, for I want to ring for my servant and have my bath."

"I wish you'd have a little more patience; one can't decide on a thing of this sort in five minutes."

"Who asks you, my dear fellow--who presses you? I only beg to be allowed to get up and dress myself, and a not very unreasonable request, seeing that it is close on five o'clock, and you have been here since three."