XII.
In pursuance of the plan I decided upon before I commenced thisrecital--one of the principal features of which is not to anticipateevents, in order that the interest of the story should not beweakened--a gap is necessary here, which before the end is reachedwill be properly bridged over. All that I deem it requisite to stateat this point is that within two years of the death of Lauretta'smother Gabriel Carew left Nerac, never again to set foot in thevillage. He came to England, bringing with him his wife and one child,named Mildred, after Lauretta's mother. As you will understand, I haveonly lately gathered my materials, and had no acquaintanceshipwhatever with Gabriel Carew and his family at the time of his returnto his native country; and it may be as well to state now that therewere sufficient grounds for Carew's abandonment of his design tosettle permanently in Nerac. The place became more than lightlydistasteful to him by reason of his falling into disfavour with theinhabitants of the village. Some kind of feeling grew silently againsthim, which found forcible expression in a general avoidance of hiscompany. He strove in vain to overcome this strange antipathy, forwhich he could not account. Even Father Daniel took sides with hisflock against Carew. What galled him most was that when he challengedthose who were once his friends to state their reasons for withdrawingtheir friendship from him, he could elicit no satisfactory replies.Then befel an event which decided his course of action. Doctor Louisdied. The loss of the good doctor's wife had suddenly aged him; thebreak in the happy life weighed him down, and he went to his restcontentedly, almost joyfully, to rejoin his beloved mate. Within a fewweeks after his burial, Gabriel Carew shook the dust of Nerac from hisfeet, and departed from the pretty village with a bitter feeling inhis heart towards the inhabitants. They would have been glad todemonstrate to Lauretta their affection and sorrow, but she stood byher husband, whom she devotedly loved, and with a sad and indignantpersistence rejected their advances. Thus were the old ties broken,and her new life commenced in a foreign land.
Of the doings of Gabriel Carew for some years after his arrival inEngland I have but an imperfect record, but that is of no importance,as it has no immediate bearing upon my story. Sufficient to say thatfive years ago he and his wife and Mildred Carew took possession ofRosemullion, which had been long without a tenant. Great preparationswere made for their taking up their residence in Rosemullion. Thegrounds and house were in sad dilapidation, no care having been takenof them for many years past, and a number of workmen were employed toset things in order. In an English neighbourhood such doings alwaysexcite curiosity, and when it became known that Gabriel Carew, themaster of the property, was coming to reside amongst us, there was afruitful wagging of tongues. I heard a great many things which notonly surprised me, but created within me a lively interest in thegentleman who would soon be my near neighbour, my house being scarcelymore than half a mile from the little estate of Rosemullion. It wassome time, however, before I made the personal acquaintance of GabrielCarew. Before that took place I found myself, vicariously, inassociation with him through my son, and your favourite, Reginald. Ican see you in fancy, my dear Max, rubbing your hands and saying, "Ah,we are coming to the kernel at last!" Wait. You have the nut beforeyou, but your imagination must be of a miraculous order to enable youto pronounce upon the exact nature of the fruit when the shell isremoved.
Among our friends and acquaintances is a lady whose name it is notnecessary to mention, who has a pleasant craze for bringing youngpeople together through the medium of "small and early" dances.Reginald went to her hospitable house frequently on these occasions.For my own part, I am not given to these vanities, being, indeed, tooold for them. Old fogeys like myself are in the way of boys and girlswho are called together for an enjoyment which is their specialprivilege. Therefore I was content that Reginald should go alone tothis lady's house.
From one of these visits he returned in an unusually excited mood. Hehad met and danced with a young lady who, I plainly saw, had taken hisheart captive. I inquired her name. Miss Carew. To be exact, he toldme her Christian name. Miss Mildred Carew. Of Rosemullion? Yes. Wasshe alone? No; her mother was with her--a most lovely lady, but ofcourse not the equal of her daughter in beauty. An only child? Yes.
These were some of the questions put by me and answered by Reginald.In a very short time he had acquired an amazing amount of informationrespecting this young lady. He had seen nothing of her father.
He went again to the house of our hospitable friend, and again met anddanced with Miss Carew, and came away more deeply than ever in lovewith her. My affection and my duty caused me to take quiet note of myson, whose welfare is very dear to me. With a thorough knowledge ofhis character, I knew that he was not in the habit of contractinglight fancies. He has a very serious and earnest nature.
For the third time he visited our friend, and for the third time metMiss Carew. From what passed between us I resolved to see the younglady and her mother. I made the opportunity by going uninvited to thehouse of my kind-hearted friend upon the occasion of her next danceparty. I could take that liberty; we had been friends for twentyyears. I enlightened her confidentially as to my motive for visitingher, and she received my confidence in the frankest spirit, firing atme first, however, a gun of a very heavy weight.
"It would be an excellent match," she said.
"What!" I exclaimed. "Has it gone as far as that?"
She smiled, and replied, "Well, only in imagination."
I gave a sigh of relief. I had no wish that Reginald should seriouslycompromise himself with a young lady who was a total stranger to me.She renewed my uneasiness, however, by saying,
"Yes, only in imagination so far as an actual declaration isconcerned. But, my dear sir, the young people have settled it forthemselves, without consulting wiser and older heads than their own.It is the way of young people."
She spoke rather quizzically, as though playing with me for an idlegratification, and I told her as much. She instantly became serious,and assured me that had she not approved of the more than liking thatReginald and Miss Carew had for each other, she would have taken stepsto keep them apart.
"Then the mischief is done," I said.
"If you deem it mischief," was her reply. "Yes, it is done. The pairare passionately in love with each other. But I am mistaken in myopinion of them if they are not to be trusted. They will do nothing insecret; when the affair becomes so serious as to render an opendeclaration inevitable, they will consult those nearest to them, towhom they owe a duty. In that respect I will answer for Mildred. Youshould be able to answer for Reginald. Now that your eyes are opened,invite his confidence. Speak to him frankly and lovingly, and he willconceal nothing from you. I repeat, it would be an excellent match.She is in every way worthy of him, and he is worthy of her. She is alady; her mother is a lady, and the personification of sweetness,though I fancy sometimes she has a sorrow. But what human being isperfectly happy? And Mildred's father is a gentleman."
"Are you well acquainted with him?" I asked.
"No, not well acquainted. There are few who can say that of him. He isa man whose absolute friendship it would be hard to gain. All the moreprecious, therefore, to him who wins the prize. It might be worth yourwhile to try, for Reginald's sake. Should his suit be accepted, anintimacy between you and Mr. Carew is inevitable. You will find him aman of rare acquirements. You have a leaning towards men and women whothink for themselves, and who have a vein of originality. Mr. Carewbeing of this order, you will be naturally drawn to him. A notinconsequential item in the programme is that he is wealthy, and thatMildred is his only child. Mrs. Carew and Mildred have just enteredthe room. I must go to them; follow me in a moment or two, and I willintroduce you."
I obeyed her instructions, and in a short time was made known to them.