CHAPTER ii
A MAN OF FAMILY.
The house of Mr Delvile was grand and spacious, fitted up not withmodern taste, but with the magnificence of former times; the servantswere all veterans, gorgeous in their liveries, and profoundly respectfulin their manners; every thing had an air of state, but of a state sogloomy, that while it inspired awe, it repressed pleasure.
Cecilia sent in her name and was admitted without difficulty, and wasthen ushered with great pomp through sundry apartments, and rows ofservants, before she came into the presence of Mr Delvile.
He received her with an air of haughty affability which, to a spiritopen and liberal as that of Cecilia, could not fail being extremelyoffensive; but too much occupied with the care of his own importanceto penetrate into the feelings of another, he attributed the uneasinesswhich his reception occasioned to the overawing predominance of superiorrank and consequence.
He ordered a servant to bring her a chair, while he only half rosefrom his own upon her entering into the room; then, waving his hand andbowing, with a motion that desired her to be seated, he said, "I am veryhappy, Miss Beverley, that you have found me alone; you would rarelyhave had the same good fortune. At this time of day I am generally ina crowd. People of large connections have not much leisure in London,especially if they see a little after their own affairs, and if theirestates, like mine, are dispersed in various parts of the kingdom.However, I am glad it happened so. And I am glad, too, that you havedone me the favour of calling without waiting till I sent, which Ireally would have done as soon as I heard of your arrival, but that themultiplicity of my engagements allowed me no respite."
A display of importance so ostentatious made Cecilia already half repenther visit, satisfied that the hope in which she had planned it would befruitless.
Mr Delvile, still imputing to embarrassment, an inquietude ofcountenance that proceeded merely from disappointment, imagined herveneration was every moment increasing; and therefore, pitying atimidity which both gratified and softened him, and equally pleased withhimself for inspiring, and with her for feeling it, he abated moreand more of his greatness, till he became, at length, so infinitelycondescending, with intention to give her courage, that he totallydepressed her with mortification and chagrin.
After some general inquiries concerning her way of life, he told herthat he hoped she was contented with her situation at the Harrels,adding, "If you have any thing to complain of, remember to whom you mayappeal." He then asked if she had seen Mr Briggs?
"Yes, sir, I am this moment come from his house."
"I am sorry for it; his house cannot be a proper one for the receptionof a young lady. When the Dean made application that I would be one ofyour guardians, I instantly sent him a refusal, as is my custom uponall such occasions, which indeed occur to me with a frequency extremelyimportunate: but the Dean was a man for whom I had really a regard, and,therefore, when I found my refusal had affected him, I suffered myselfto be prevailed upon to indulge him, contrary not only to my generalrule, but to my inclination."
Here he stopt, as if to receive some compliment, but Cecilia, verylittle disposed to pay him any, went no farther than an inclination ofthe head.
"I knew not, however," he continued, "at the time I was induced to givemy consent, with whom I was to be associated; nor could I have imaginedthe Dean so little conversant with the distinctions of the world, as todisgrace me with inferior coadjutors: but the moment I learnt thestate of the affair, I insisted upon withdrawing both my name andcountenance."
Here again he paused; not in expectation of an answer from Cecilia, butmerely to give her time to marvel in what manner he had at last beenmelted.
"The Dean," he resumed, "was then very ill; my displeasure, I believe,hurt him. I was sorry for it; he was a worthy man, and had not meant tooffend me; in the end, I accepted his apology, and was even persuaded toaccept the office. You have a right, therefore, to consider yourself as_personally_ my ward, and though I do not think proper to mix much withyour other guardians, I shall always be ready to serve and advise you,and much pleased to see you."
"You do me honour, sir," said Cecilia, extremely wearied of suchgraciousness, and rising to be gone.
"Pray sit still," said he, with a smile; "I have not many engagementsfor this morning. You must give me some account how you pass your time.Are you much out? The Harrels, I am told, live at a great expense. Whatis their establishment?"
"I don't exactly know, sir."
"They are decent sort of people, I believe; are they not?"
"I hope so, sir!"
"And they have a tolerable acquaintance, I believe: I am told so; for Iknow nothing of them."
"They have, at least, a very numerous one, sir."
"Well, my dear," said he, taking her hand, "now you have once venturedto come, don't be apprehensive of repeating your visits. I mustintroduce you to Mrs Delvile; I am sure she will be happy to shew youany kindness. Come, therefore, when you please, and without scruple. Iwould call upon you myself, but am fearful of being embarrassed by thepeople with whom you live."
He then rang his bell, and with the same ceremonies which had attendedher admittance, she was conducted back to her carriage.
And here died away all hope of putting into execution, during herminority, the plan of which the formation had given her so muchpleasure. She found that her present situation, however wide of herwishes, was by no means the most disagreeable in which she could beplaced; she was tired, indeed, of dissipation, and shocked at the sightof unfeeling extravagance; but notwithstanding the houses of each of herother guardians were exempt from these particular vices, she saw not anyprospect of happiness with either of them; vulgarity seemed leagued withavarice to drive her from the mansion of Mr Briggs, and haughtiness withostentation to exclude her from that of Mr Delvile.
She came back, therefore, to Portman Square, disappointed in her hopes,and sick both of those whom she quitted and of those to whom shewas returning; but in going to her own apartment Mrs Harrel, eagerlystopping her, begged she would come into the drawing-room, where shepromised her a most agreeable surprise.
Cecilia, for an instant, imagined that some old acquaintance was justarrived out of the country; but, upon her entrance, she saw only MrHarrel and some workmen, and found that the agreeable surprise was toproceed from the sight of an elegant Awning, prepared for one of theinner apartments, to be fixed over a long desert-table, which was to beornamented with various devices of cut glass.
"Did you ever see any thing so beautiful in your life?" cried MrsHarrel; "and when the table is covered with the coloured ices and thosesort of things, it will be as beautiful again. We shall have it readyfor Tuesday se'nnight.
"I understood you were engaged to go to the Masquerade?"
"So we shall; only we intend to see masks at home first."
"I have some thoughts," said Mr Harrel, leading the way to another smallroom, "of running up a flight of steps and a little light gallery here,and so making a little Orchestra. What would such a thing come to, MrTomkins?"
"O, a trifle, sir," answered Mr Tomkins, "a mere nothing."
"Well, then, give orders for it, and let it be done directly. I don'tcare how slight it is, but pray let it be very elegant. Won't it be agreat addition, Miss Beverley?"
"Indeed, sir, I don't think it seems to be very necessary," saidCecilia, who wished much to take that moment for reminding him of thedebt he had contracted with Mr Arnott.
"Lord, Miss Beverley is so grave!" cried Mrs Harrel; "nothing of thissort gives her any pleasure."
"She has indeed," answered Cecilia, trying to smile, "not much taste forthe pleasure of being always surrounded by workmen."
And, as soon as she was able, she retired to her room, feeling, both onthe part of Mr Arnott and the Hills, a resentment at the injustice ofMr Harrel, which fixed her in the resolution of breaking through thatfacility of compliance, which had hitherto confined her disapprobationto her own breast, and venturing, henceforwa
rd, to mark the opinionshe entertained of his conduct by consulting nothing but reason andprinciple in her own.
Her first effort towards this change was made immediately, in beggingto be excused from accompanying Mrs Harrel to a large card assembly thatevening.
Mrs Harrel, extremely surprised, asked a thousand times the reason ofher refusal, imagining it to proceed from some very extraordinary cause;nor was she, without the utmost difficulty, persuaded at last that shemerely meant to pass one evening by herself.
But the next day, when the refusal was repeated, she was still moreincredulous; it seemed to her impossible that any one who had the powerto be encircled with company, could by choice spend a second afternoonalone: and she was so urgent in her request to be entrusted with thesecret, that Cecilia found no way left to appease her, but by franklyconfessing she was weary of eternal visiting, and sick of living alwaysin a crowd.
"Suppose, then," cried she, "I send for Miss Larolles to come and sitwith you?"
Cecilia, not without laughing, declined this proposal, assuring her thatno such assistant was necessary for her entertainment: yet it was nottill after a long contention that she was able to convince her therewould be no cruelty in leaving her by herself.
The following day, however, her trouble diminished; for Mrs Harrel,ceasing to be surprised, thought little more of the matter, and forboreany earnestness of solicitation: and, from that time, she suffered herto follow her own humour with very little opposition. Cecilia was muchconcerned to find her so unmoved; and not less disappointed at theindifference of Mr Harrel, who, being seldom of the same parties withhis lady, and seeing her too rarely either to communicate or hear anydomestic occurrences, far from being struck, as she had hoped, with thenew way in which she passed her time, was scarce sensible of the change,and interfered not upon the subject.
Sir Robert Floyer, who continued to see her when he dined in PortmanSquare, often enquired what she did with herself in an evening; butnever obtaining any satisfactory answer, he concluded her engagementswere with people to whom he was a stranger.
Poor Mr Arnott felt the cruellest disappointment in being deprivedof the happiness of attending her in her evening's expeditions, when,whether he conversed with her or not, he was sure of the indulgence ofseeing and hearing her.
But the greatest sufferer from this new regulation was Mr Monckton,who, unable any longer to endure the mortifications of which his morningvisits to Portman Square had been productive, determined not to trusthis temper with such provocations in future, but rather to take hischance of meeting with her elsewhere: for which purpose, he assiduouslyfrequented all public places, and sought acquaintance with everyfamily and every person he believed to be known to the Harrels: but hispatience was unrewarded, and his diligence unsuccessful; he met with herno where, and, while he continued his search, fancied every evil powerwas at work to lead him whither he was sure never to find her.
Meanwhile Cecilia passed her time greatly to her own satisfaction. Herfirst care was to assist and comfort the Hills. She went herself totheir lodgings, ordered and paid for whatever the physician prescribedto the sick man, gave clothes to the children, and money and variousnecessaries to the wife. She found that the poor carpenter was notlikely to languish much longer, and therefore, for the present, onlythought of alleviating his sufferings, by procuring him such indulgencesas were authorised by his physician, and enabling his family to abateso much of their labour as was requisite for obtaining time to nurseand attend him: but she meant, as soon as the last duties should be paidhim, to assist his survivors in attempting to follow some better andmore profitable business.
Her next solicitude was to furnish herself with a well-chosen collectionof books: and this employment, which to a lover of literature, youngand ardent in its pursuit, is perhaps the mind's first luxury, proveda source of entertainment so fertile and delightful that it left hernothing to wish.
She confined not her acquisitions to the limits of her present power,but, as she was laying in a stock for future as well as immediateadvantage, she was restrained by no expence from gratifying her tasteand her inclination. She had now entered the last year of her minority,and therefore had not any doubt that her guardians would permit her totake up whatever sum she should require for such a purpose.
And thus, in the exercise of charity, the search of knowledge, and theenjoyment of quiet, serenely in innocent philosophy passed the hours ofCecilia.