The Vicar's People Part 22

"I did indeed, Tregenna."

"Did you tell her that I was your best friend?"

"I did, Tregenna. I pleaded your cause as hard as if it had been my own; but she is as firm as so much granite. My dear fellow, I am very sorry, but I am afraid you must give it up."

"It's a lie--a cursed lie!" roared Tregenna, who could not control his rage and disappointment. "You have been fighting against me all along, and it is by your orders that she throws me over. I see it all now.

You have been playing a cursed, double-faced, traitorous part, and I was a fool to trust to your smooth tongue. But mark my words, Penwynn--"

"John Tregenna," said Mr Penwynn, rising and speaking with dignity, "you are now in a pa.s.sion, produced by what is, of course, a bitter disappointment; but pray in what manner have I failed towards you that you should make such an unfair charge?"

"What have you done?" cried Tregenna, grinding his white teeth. "Did you not lead me on for your own ends to believe that she would accept me, and submit me to the humiliation of this second refusal, which I feel sure now was at your instigation."

"Mr Tregenna," said the banker, quietly, but with anger striving for the mastery, "will you have the goodness to go now. Some other time when you are cool I shall be willing to talk to you. We cannot discuss the matter now, for it would be better that we two should not come to an open quarrel."

Tregenna s.n.a.t.c.hed up his hat, darted a fierce look at the speaker, and strode towards the door, pa.s.sed out, but in the act of banging it after him he recovered the mastery over his maddened brain.

He came back, closed the door after him softly, threw himself into a chair, and sat down with his forehead resting upon his hands.

Mr Penwynn stood by the table, with one hand in his breast, watching him, and for a time there was an impressive silence in the room.

At the end of a few minutes Tregenna drew a long, deep breath, and rose with his face calm, and a saddened look softening his eyes. He let fall his hands, rose, and advanced towards Rhoda's father.

"Forgive me, Penwynn," he said, humbly. "Let me apologise for what I said just now. Forgive me. You cannot tell the agony I suffered, nor conceive the utter feeling of despair and disappointment, nor the rage which seemed to force me to speak as I did. It is over," he said, as if to himself, "over now. But you will forgive me, Penwynn?"

"Yes," said the banker, quietly, "I forgive you, Tregenna."

"My words," continued the latter, "were as false and cruel as they were undeserved, and I cannot reproach myself enough for my mad folly. Can I apologise more humbly, Penwynn?" he added, with a sad smile.

"You acknowledge, then, that I did my best for you?" said Mr Penwynn.

"I do," cried Tregenna, eagerly; "and I believe that you acted in all sincerity. Penwynn, you and I must not quarrel. As to Rhoda--Miss Penwynn--if I am not to have her love, let me enjoy her friends.h.i.+p and esteem."

Mr Penwynn looked at the speaker coldly and searchingly for a few moments, but he could see nothing to indicate that the man before him was not perfectly sincere, and ready to say and do any thing in reparation of the past outbreak.

"You don't believe me, Penwynn," cried Tregenna, bitterly. "For heaven's sake, have a little feeling for a man. Here am I thrown in an instant from a state of hope that I might realise my fondest wishes into a state of utter, abject despair. I am not an angel, man, that I can bear such a disappointment unmoved."

Mr Penwynn still continued his scrutiny.

"It is a bitter--a cruel overthrow," continued Tregenna, "and a few moments back I feel as if I must have been mad--I was mad. I could have said and done any thing. Even how I can hardly keep calm. Have some pity on me."

"My dear Tregenna," said the banker, laying his hand upon the other's shoulder, "I do indeed sympathise with you in your disappointment, but I want you to believe that I have been perfectly straightforward and honourable."

"Yes, yes," cried Tregenna, excitedly, "I do believe it."

"You know what Rhoda--Miss Penwynn--is. I ask you, is she like an ordinary weak girl?"

"No, you are right. She is not," said Tregenna, mournfully. "If she were, I should not wors.h.i.+p her as I do."

"She has a will of her own," continued the banker, "and she can be very firm. At your request I tried to soften her determination--asked her for time, asked her to let you continue your visits as a friend, and renew your proposal six months hence; but it was in vain, and I know her too well not to see that if you continue to press your suit you will not only lose all chance of her intimacy, but excite her dislike."

"Did she say that?" asked Tregenna, with glittering eyes.

"Well, well, not exactly."

"But she said that if I pressed my suit she should dislike me."

"Oh, no!--not so explicit as that. I think not. I--"

"Speak out plainly, Penwynn," said Tregenna, sharply. "Don't play with me."

"Well, it was something of that sort; but she was greatly excited, for I had pressed her home."

Tregenna was silent, and turned away his face, which was slightly convulsed. But he soon mastered his emotion, and at the end of a minute turned back to face Mr Penwynn.

"It is over now," he said, in a low, hoa.r.s.e voice. "Forgive me my anger, Penwynn. It was very hard to bear, but you see now that I was sincere. You are right--she is very different to other girls. But it would have been the pride of my life to have won her, and whoever does win her I shall hate from the very bottom of my heart."

"Upon my word, Tregenna, I believe that your hatred will die in the bottom of your heart," said the banker, wringing his visitor's hand, "for it will never be called forth. I don't believe that there is a man living who can rouse any love in Rhoda's heart save one."

"And who's that?" cried Tregenna, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes.

"Your humble servant," said the other, smiling. "She loves me devotedly--G.o.d bless her! And I think that I, too, shall be ready to hate any one who robs me of the slightest smile or look."

"I shall not be jealous of you, Penwynn," said Tregenna, with a strange gleam in his eyes. "There, I'll go now and have a walk on the cliff, so as to get my nerves back in tone. We are friends still?"

"Of course--of course!" said Mr Penwynn, warmly.

"I may call just as usual?"

"Call? My dear Tregenna, if you will take my advice, you will drop in just as of old, after drawing a line between the events of the past few days' proceedings and those which are to come. Bury it all, and forget it as soon as ever you can."

"I will--I will!" cried Tregenna, holding tightly by the banker's hand.

"It will be best. If I am a little strange at first, you must both look over it."

"Of course! To be sure. Come soon, and let her see that it is all over."

"I will!" exclaimed Tregenna; and, after shaking hands once more, he left the room.

"Thank goodness," said Mr Penwynn, with a sigh of relief, "that's over.

I should not have cared to make an enemy of Tregenna."

"d.a.m.n him!" cried Tregenna, as soon as he was alone, and he ground his teeth savagely. "Give her up? Yes, some day, perhaps: a proud, cold-blooded jilt. Wait a little, my proud beauty, for if I do not some day have you in the dust at my feet, my name's not John Tregenna."

He strode on rapidly by the track on the cliff side, leaving Wheal Carnac and the promontory to the left, and making straight for the unused mine on the path to Gwennas Cove.

He was alone now, as he thought, and, in spite of his self-command, he began gesticulating fiercely and talking to himself, without noticing that there was already some one on the track, who drew aside and walked into the unused engine-house to let him pa.s.s, and then stood uneasily watching him as he went towards Prawle's cottage.

"Forget it, and give her up. Let it all be as a something of the past-- eh, Master Penwynn? Yes, when Rhoda has been mine for some months--wife or mistress, we'll see which. Not till then."

He went on muttering more and more angrily to himself, and the figure that watched limped out to follow; but on seeing Tregenna encounter the rugged old man, Bessie's father, and enter into conversation, he calmly limped away along the path.