CHAPTER vii. -- AN ANECDOTE.
On the fourth day the house wore a better aspect; Delvile's fever wasgone, and Dr Lyster permitted him to leave his room; a cough, however,remained, and his journey to Bristol was settled to take place in threedays. Cecilia, knowing he was now expected down stairs, hastened out ofthe parlour the moment she had finished her breakfast; for affected byhis illness, and hurt at the approaching separation, she dreaded thefirst meeting, and wished to fortify her mind for bearing it withpropriety.
In a very few minutes, Lady Honoria, running after her, entreated thatshe would come down; "for Mortimer," she cried, "is in the parlour, andthe poor child is made so much of by its papa and mama, that I wish theydon't half kill him by their ridiculous fondness. It is amazing to me heis so patient with them, for if they teized me half as much, I should beready to jump up and shake them. But I wish you would come down, for Iassure you it's a comical scene."
"Your ladyship is soon diverted! but what is there so comical in theanxiety of parents for an only son?"
"Lord, they don't care a straw for him all the time! it's merely thathe may live to keep up this old castle, which I hope in my heart he willpull down the moment they are dead! But do pray come; it will reallygive you spirits to see them all. The father keeps ringing the bell toorder half a hundred pair of boots for him, and all the greatcoats inthe county; and the mother sits and looks as if a hearse and mourningcoach were already coming over the drawbridge; but the most divertingobject among them is my Lord Derford! O, it is really too entertainingto see him! there he sits, thinking the whole time of his challenge!I intend to employ him all this afternoon in practising to shoot at amark."
And then again she pressed her to join the group, and Cecilia, fearingher opposition might seem strange, consented.
Delvile arose at her entrance, and, with tolerable steadiness, shecongratulated him on his recovery; and then, taking her usual seat,employed herself in embroidering a screen. She joined too, occasionally,in the conversation, and observed, not without surprise, that Delvileseemed much less dejected than before his confinement.
Soon after, he ordered his horse, and, accompanied by Lord Derford,rode out. Mr Delvile then took Lord Ernolf to shew him some intendedimprovements in another part of the castle, and Lady Honoria walked awayin search of any entertainment she could find.
Mrs Delvile, in better spirits than she had been for many days, sentfor her own work, and sitting by Cecilia, conversed with her again as informer times; mixing instruction with entertainment, and generalsatire with particular kindness, in a manner at once so lively and soflattering, that Cecilia herself reviving, found but little difficultyin bearing her part in the conversation.
And thus, with some gaiety, and tolerable ease, was spent the greatestpart of the morning; but just as they were talking of changing theirdress for dinner, Lady Honoria with an air of the utmost exultation,came flying into the room. "Well, ma'am," she cried, "I have some newsnow that I must tell you, because it will make you believe me anothertime though I know it will put you in a passion."
"That's sweetly designed, at least!" said Mrs Delvile, laughing;"however, I'll trust you, for my passions will not, just now, beirritated by straws."
"Why, ma'am, don't you remember I told you when you were in town that MrMortimer kept a mistress--"
"Yes!" cried Mrs Delvile, disdainfully, "and you may remember, LadyHonoria, I told you--"
"O, you would not believe a word of it! but it's all true, I assure you!and now he has brought her down here; he sent for her about three weeksago, and he has boarded her at a cottage, about half a mile from thePark-gate."
Cecilia, to whom Henrietta Belfield was instantly present, changedcolour repeatedly, and turned so extremely sick, she could withdifficulty keep her seat. She forced herself, however, to continue herwork, though she knew so little what she was about, that she put herneedle in and out of the same place without ceasing.
Meanwhile Mrs Delvile, with a countenance of the utmost indignation,exclaimed, "Lady Honoria, if you think a tale of scandal such as thisreflects no disgrace upon its relater, you must pardon me for entreatingyou to find an auditor more of the same opinion than myself."
"Nay, ma'am, since you are so angry, I'll tell you the whole affair, forthis is but half of it. He has a child here, too,--I vow I long to seeit!--and he is so fond of it that he spends half his time in nursingit;--and that, I suppose, is the thing that takes him out so much; and Ifancy, too, that's what has made him grow so grave, for may be he thinksit would not be pretty to be very frisky, now he's a papa."
Not only Cecilia, but Mrs Delvile herself was now overpowered, andshe sat for some time wholly silent and confounded; Lady Honoria then,turning to Cecilia exclaimed, "Bless me, Miss Beverley, what are youabout! why that flower is the most ridiculous thing I ever saw! you havespoilt your whole work."
Cecilia, in the utmost confusion, though pretending to laugh, then beganto unpick it; and Mrs Delvile, recovering, more calmly, though not lessangrily, said "And has this tale the honour of being invented solely byyour ladyship, or had it any other assistant?"
"O no, I assure you, it's no invention of mine; I had it from very goodauthority upon my word. But only look at Miss Beverley! would not onethink I had said that she had a child herself? She looks as pale asdeath. My dear, I am sure you can't be well?"
"I beg your pardon," cried Cecilia, forcing a smile, though extremelyprovoked with her; "I never was better."
And then, with the hope of appearing unconcerned, she raised her head;but meeting the eyes of Mrs Delvile fixed upon her face with a look ofpenetrating observation, abashed and guilty, she again dropt it, andresumed her work.
"Well, my dear," said Lady Honoria, "I am sure there is no occasion tosend for Dr Lyster to you, for you recover yourself in a moment; youhave the finest colour now I ever saw; has not she, Mrs Delvile? did youever see anybody blush so becomingly?"
"I wish, Lady Honoria," said Mrs Delvile, with severity, "it werepossible to see you blush!"
"O but I never do! not but what it's pretty enough too; but I don't knowhow it is, it never happens. Now Euphrasia can blush from morning tonight. I can't think how she contrives it. Miss Beverley, too, playsat it vastly well; she's red and white, and white and red half a dozentimes in a minute. Especially," looking at her archly, and lowering hervoice, "if you talk to her of Mortimer!"
"No, indeed! no such thing!" cried Cecilia with some resentment, andagain looking up; but glancing her eyes towards Mrs Delvile, andagain meeting hers, filled with the strongest expression of enquiringsolicitude, unable to sustain their inquisition, and shocked to findherself thus watchfully observed, she returned in hasty confusion to heremployment.
"Well, my dear," cried Lady Honoria, again, "but what are you about now?do you intend to unpick the whole screen?"
"How can she tell what she is doing," said Mrs Delvile, with quickness,"if you torment her thus incessantly? I will take you away from her,that she may have a little peace. You shall do me the honour to attendmy toilette, and acquaint me with some further particulars of thisextraordinary discovery."
Mrs Delvile then left the room, but Lady Honoria, before she followedher, said in a low voice "Pity me, Miss Beverley, if you have the leastgood-nature! I am now going to hear a lecture of two hours long!"
Cecilia, left to herself was in a perturbation almost insupportable;Delvile's mysterious conduct seemed the result of some entanglement ofvice; Henrietta Belfield, the artless Henrietta Belfield, she feared hadbeen abused, and her own ill-fated partiality, which now more than evershe wished unknown even to herself, was evidently betrayed where mostthe dignity of her mind made her desire it to be concealed!
In this state of shame, regret and resentment, which made her forget tochange her dress, or her place, she was suddenly surprised by Delvile.
Starting and colouring, she busied herself with collecting her work,that she might hurry out of the room. Delvile, though silent himself,endeavou
red to assist her; but when she would have gone, he attempted tostop her, saying "Miss Beverley, for three minutes only."
"No, sir," cried she, indignantly, "not for an instant!" and leaving himutterly astonished, she hastened to her own apartment.
She was then sorry she had been so precipitate; nothing had been clearlyproved against him; no authority was so likely to be fallacious as thatof Lady Honoria; neither was he under any engagement to herselfthat could give her any right to manifest such displeasure. Thesereflections, however, came too late, and the quick feelings of heragitated mind were too rapid to wait the dictates of cool reason. Atdinner she attended wholly to Lord Ernolf, whose assiduous politeness,profiting by the humour, saved her the painful effort of forcingconversation, or the guilty consciousness of giving way to silence,and enabled her to preserve her general tenor between taciturnity andloquaciousness. Mrs Delvile she did not once dare look at; but her son,she saw, seemed greatly hurt; yet it was proudly, not sorrowfully, andtherefore she saw it with less uneasiness.
During the rest of the day, which was passed in general society, MrsDelvile, though much occupied, frequently leaving the room, and sendingfor Lady Honoria, was more soft, kind and gentle with Cecilia than ever,looking at her with the utmost tenderness, often taking her hand,and speaking to her with even unusual sweetness. Cecilia with mingledsadness and pleasure observed this encreasing regard, which shecould not but attribute to the discovery made through Lady Honoria'smischievous intelligence, and which, while it rejoiced her withthe belief of her approbation, added fresh force to her regret inconsidering it was fruitless. Delvile, mean-time, evidently offendedhimself, conversed only with the gentlemen, and went very early into hisown room.
When they were all retiring, Mrs Delvile, following Cecilia, dismissedher maid to talk with her alone.
"I am not, I hope, often," she cried, "solicitous or importunate tospeak about my son; his character, I believe, wants no vindication;clear and unsullied, it has always been its own support; yet theaspersion cast upon it this morning by Lady Honoria, I think myselfbound to explain, not partially as his mother, but simply as hisfriend."
Cecilia, who knew not whither such an explanation might lead, norwherefore it was made, heard this opening with much emotion, but gaveneither to that nor to what followed any interruption.
Mrs Delvile then continued; she had taken the trouble, she said, to siftthe whole affair, in order to shame Lady Honoria by a pointed convictionof what she had invented, and to trace from the foundation thecircumstances whence her surmises or report had sprung.
Delvile, it seems, about a fortnight before the present time, in one ofhis morning walks, had observed a gipsey sitting by the side of the highroad, who seemed extremely ill, and who had a very beautiful child tiedto her back.
Struck with the baby, he stopt to enquire to whom it belonged; toherself, she said, and begged his charity with the most pitiable criesof distress; telling him that she was travelling to join some of herfraternity, who were in a body near Bath, but was so ill with an agueand fever that she feared she should die on the road.
Delvile desired her to go to the next cottage, and promised to pay forher board there till she was better. He then spoke to the man and hiswife who owned it to take them in, who, glad to oblige his Honour,instantly consented, and he had since called twice to see in what mannerthey went on.
"How simple," continued Mrs Delvile, "is a matter of fact in itself, andhow complex when embellished! This tale has been told by the cottagersto our servants; it has travelled, probably gaining something from everymouth, to Lady Honoria's maid, and, having reached her ladyship, wasswelled in a moment into all we heard! I think, however, that, for sometime at least, her levity will be rather less daring. I have not, inthis affair, at all spared her; I made her hear from Mortimer himselfthe little story as it happened; I then carried her to the cottage,where we had the whole matter confirmed; and I afterwards insisted uponbeing told myself by her maid all she had related to her lady, that shemight thus be unanswerably convicted of inventing whatever she omitted.I have occasioned her some confusion, and, for the moment, a littleresentment; but she is so volatile that neither will last; and though,with regard to my own family, I may perhaps have rendered her morecautious, I fear, with regard to the world in general, she is utterlyincorrigible, because it has neither pleasure nor advantage to offer,that can compensate for the deprivation of relating one staring story,or ridiculous anecdote."
And then, wishing her good night, she added, "I make not any apology forthis detail, which you owe, not, believe me, to a mother's folly, but,if I [know] myself at all, to a love of truth and justice. Mortimer,independent of all connection with me, cannot but to every body appearof a character which may be deemed even exemplary; calumny, therefore,falling upon such a subject, injures not only himself but society, sinceit weakens all confidence in virtue, and strengthens the scepticism ofdepravity."
She then left her.
"Ah!" thought Cecilia, "to me, at least, this solicitude for his fameneeds no apology! humane and generous Delvile! never, again, will I amoment doubt your worthiness!" And then, cherishing that darling idea,she forgot all her cares and apprehensions, her quarrel, her suspicions,and the approaching separation, and, recompensed for every thing by thisrefutation of his guilt, she hastened to bed, and composed herself torest.