Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

that the other end of the world would be a good place for Herbert, a place from which he himself would not be easily accessible, even to reports. He paid the bills on which the friends' names stood in dismal significance, on condition that Herbert went to Australia.

Whither, after the adieux we have witnessed, Herbert went.

Such was the slight history of the young man who, on the day following the conversations of the last chapter, met Lady Betty Flair by secret appointment in the north part of Kensington Gardens.

CHAPTER IV.

"Well, Betty, how are you? Thank you very much for coming." Herbert spoke casually, but looked very hard at the girl as he spoke. His pale face was lightly browned by the sun, and he looked more wholesome and serene than when he went away, but older -five or ten years more than his age. Lady Betty returned his serious gaze, and as she looked she smiled with pleasure, and grew grave perplexedly.

"It's good to see you again, Herbert.

He laughed lightly, in the boyish manner she remembered. "That's not a sentiment many people will share," he said ; "and I shan't give many of them the opportunity. Forgive my making this secret sort of appointment. I couldn't go to Curzon Street very well, could I? And, by the way, I'm not in England at all-or only to as few people as I can help. But I'll explain that later. Tell me all about yourself-been having a gala time, or got into any scrapes?

[ocr errors]

"No," she answered, quickly; "tell me about yourself first. You don't look down on your luck." He was dressed in a

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

"Bob saw you in the street last night at least, he says he was nearly certain. He was awfully excited about it this morning. He said he was going to your old rooms to ask if you had been there."

"That was nice of old Bob. I saw him all right outside White's. I was going by in a cab."

"No, it wasn't nice. Bob was a beast this morning." She flushed as she spoke. "He said he was going to ask you not to come to the house. He said he hoped you were going away at once. He's afraid-if he knew I've seen you this morningshe stopped, and tapped the ground with her parasol. Herbert raised his eyebrows and waited. He tried to meet her eyes, but her big hat concealed her little bent head.

[ocr errors]

"Has Bob turned hedgehog since he succeeded? I forgot -I was sorry, Betty. I saw it in the papers. Your father was very good to me. It's no use talking about it; I'm sorry."

She said nothing, but laid her hand for a moment on his arm. "But about Bob - he must have had a reason. Tell it me. Ah! come and let us sit on those chairs." They sat in silence for some moments Herbert compressing his lips, Betty scratching in the dust with her parasol. Then he said quietly, "You're going to be married?'

"Yes."

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"You saw him last night. Bob says he was talking to him when you went by."

I

"That fellow! Yes; I saw him, and I loathed him. loathe the type. It's all right chopping wood or fighting in the ranks; but I can't stand it carrying its clumsy manners into drawing-rooms and giving the tone to all England. Curse him! A sleek, confident, stupid, purse-proud pig! Betty, I can't let you go to a creature like that."

Lady Betty laughed for the first time. "You'd have said something of that kind whoever it was, and he's not like that. He's rather a sportsman: he can fence awfully well, and

[merged small][ocr errors]

He had gone to Coolgardie and worked like a nigger in a mine for some months. It was not amusing, but he said it relieved his feelings. Then he had fallen in with a man who was making a fortune there— a good fellow, a gentleman, and yet, more oddly, a scholar, and

with it all a keen man of business the only combination of the sort Herbert had met, and indeed it is strange to most of us, his seniors. This man liked to talk with him in long nights when it was too hot to sleep, and gave him work in his office, and lent him money for a speculation in which he had made £200. Whereupon he determined to come to England to spend it. His friend called him a fool, and said he would never be rich, but gave him leave to go. So he had come back, himself hardly knowing why-to leave his narrative for a moment nor quite understanding the old memory and affection, which was hardly passion then, and yet drew his wavering steps steps more surely than his faint hope of moneymaking stayed them. But when he came, he dreaded the old friends for whom he did not care, and the questions to which he had so poor an answer. So he thought he

[blocks in formation]

"Thank you, that's enough. He'll be a beautiful figure in a cavalier suit. You'll enjoy it immensely."

"Herbert, dear, don't be a brute. I didn't wish to ask him, but Bob seems so anxious to please him." She lifted her little troubled face, and Herbert begged her pardon. Then he said: "I have one thing to say before you go. If you marry this Fairbrother chap you'll have ever so many thousands a-year, and all the English society you want. If you marry me - no, wait till I've finished-you can come back to Coolgardie, and you'd be desperately dull. But you'd be treated with respect. And I'd work. Holland told me that if I once convinced him I'd put my back into it, and be devoted to the business and give all my mind to it, he'd see I made a

"Has Bob turned hedgehog since he succeeded? I forgot -I was sorry, Betty. I saw it in the papers. Your father was very good to me. It's no use talking about it; I'm sorry."

She said nothing, but laid her hand for a moment on his arm.

"But about Bob-he must have had a reason. Tell it me. Ah! come and let us sit on those chairs." They sat in silence for some moments Herbert compressing his lips, Betty scratching in the dust with her parasol. Then he said quietly, "You're going to be married?"

"Yes."

"Am I to have back my ring?" She met his eyes, perplexed. He had almost banished appeal from them, but his lips twitched.

"Honour, Betty. It pledges you to nothing but a feeling, and I shall never remind you. Am I to have back my ring?"

"No, Herbert. I shall keep your ring."

He gave a slow sigh of relief, and leaned back on the little green chair. Lady Betty spoke quickly, digging at the ground. "Understand, Herbert. This

man

[ocr errors]

- the man I'm going to marry-is fond of me, I know, and I don't dislike him. I'm going to be to be a good wife, you know."

"Yes, yes," he said, smiling; "I understand. But you care for me and you keep my ring. Of course I knew you'd marry -you can't help yourself-and I've not come back with a fortune at the right poetical moment. Tell me about it. It's money, I suppose?'

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"You saw him last night. Bob says he was talking to him when you went by."

"That fellow! Yes; I saw him, and I loathed him. I loathe the type. It's all right chopping wood or fighting in the ranks; but I can't stand it carrying its clumsy manners into drawing-rooms and giving the tone to all England. Curse him! A sleek, confident, stupid, purse-proud pig! Betty, I can't let you go to a creature like that."

Lady Betty laughed for the first time. "You'd have said something of that kind whoever it was, and he's not like that. He's rather a sportsman: he can fence awfully well, and

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

He had gone to Coolgardie and worked like a nigger in a mine for some months. It was not amusing, but he said it relieved his feelings. Then he had fallen in with a man who was making a fortune there— a good fellow, a gentleman, and yet, more oddly, a scholar, and with it all a keen man of business the only combination of the sort Herbert had met, and indeed it is strange to most of us, his seniors. This man liked to talk with him in long nights when it was too hot to sleep, and gave him work in his office, and lent him money for a speculation in which he had made £200. Whereupon he determined to come to England to spend it. His friend called him a fool, and said he would never be rich, but gave him leave to go. So he had come back, himself hardly knowing why-to leave his narrative for a moment nor quite understanding the old memory and affection, which was hardly passion then, and yet drew his wavering steps more surely than his faint hope of moneymaking stayed them. But when he came, he dreaded the old friends for whom he did not care, and the questions to which he had so poor an answer. So he thought he

--

would avoid them all, and having seen Betty Flair only, and heard the certain news he expected, go back to the mining and his good friend, Holland.

"There's no use in my staying. I suppose you're going down to Mereworth for Whitsuntide. You gave up the old 31st custom after I was sent into exile, didn't you? That was nice of you."

"Yes; but this year Hugh Sinclair persuaded Bob to revive it."

"No? But I wish I were going. I suppose Bob wouldn't ask me? I'd leave England the next day, and it would be something to remember."

"Arthur Fairbrother's coming."

"Thank you, that's enough. He'll be a beautiful figure in a cavalier suit. You'll enjoy it immensely."

"Herbert, dear, don't be a brute. I didn't wish to ask him, but Bob seems so anxious to please him." She lifted her little troubled face, and Herbert begged her pardon. Then he said: "I have one thing to say before you go. If you marry this Fairbrother chap you'll have ever so many thousands a-year, and all the English society you want. If you marry me - no, wait till I've finished-you can come back to Coolgardie, and you'd be desperately dull. But you'd be treated with respect. And I'd work. Holland told me that if I once convinced him I'd put my back into it, and be devoted to the business and give all my mind to it, he'd see I made a

« ForrigeFortsæt »