days are sometimes seenin the west, a heavy carriage drawn by four horses, and attended by twogentlemen and a sturdy servitor on horseback, passed slowly up and downthe hills along the road leading to the Hall.
One gentleman was stern and grey-looking, the other tall and gravebeyond his years, while, seated in the carriage were a careworn-lookinglady and a beautiful, graceful-looking girl.
As they neared the old entrance to the park, the gentleman ordered thecoachman to stop, and himself opened the carriage door, afterdismounting, and handed the ladies out on to the soft turf.
"It is more humble for pilgrims to travel a-foot," he said, with a sadsmile. "Do you think you feel strong enough to bear the visit?"
The lady could not answer for a few moments. Then, mastering heremotion, she said, "Yes;" and, taking the speaker's arm, they weremoving off, followed by the younger pair, the whole party looking likecourtly foreigners, when, after tethering the horses to so many trees,and leaving them in charge of the coachman, the stout serving-man strodeup to the elderly gentleman.
"Would your honour let me have a look at my old garden once again?"
"Yes, Nat, yes. Take a farewell look. It is a fancy to see the oldplace in ruins, and have an hour's dream over the past. Then we willsay good-bye for good."
The man touched his hat, and turned off through the plantation, whilethe party moved on slowly along the familiar old drive, the ladies, withtheir eyes veiled with tears, hardly daring to look up till they hadnearly reached the great entrance to the fine old place, when theystarted at a cry from the younger man.
"Father!" he cried. "What does this mean? This is your work--asurprise?"
"Scar, my boy, no; I am astounded."
For there before them, almost precisely as it was of old, stood theHall, rebuilt, refurnished, bright and welcoming, the lawn, terrace, andparterre gay with flowers, all as if the past had been a dream, while atthat moment Colonel and Mrs Forrester appeared with Fred, hat in hand,in the porch.
Sir Godfrey Markham drew himself up, and his eyes flashed as he turnedupon the colonel.
"I see," he cried. "Usurper! Well, I might have known!"
"That this was the act of an old friend to offer as a welcome when youshould return," said Colonel Forrester, holding out his hand.
Sir Godfrey looked at the extended hand, then in Colonel Forrester'seyes, and again round him in utter astonishment.
"I--I--came," he faltered, "to--to see the ruins of my dear old home.How could I know that the man whom I once called friend--"
"Till all those dreadful changes came, and set us wide apart. Yes, Iheard you were coming down."
"Godfrey! husband!" whispered Lady Markham; "can you not see?"
"I am confused. I do not understand," he faltered, as he caught hiswife's hand in his.
"Lil, can't you shake hands with your old friend?" said Fred, as thetall graceful girl looked at him half pleased, half shrinkingly.
"And your father has done all this, Fred?" said Scarlett, in an eagerwhisper.
"Yes; I found him busy one day when I came home for a visit, and it hasbeen his task ever since."
"But--for Heaven's sake, man, be frank with me--he meant it for yourhome?"
"Scarlett Markham, because my father differed from you in politics, andsided against the king, don't brand him as a cowardly miser. No; hesaid that some day Sir Godfrey would return, and that he would show himthat he had not forgotten they once were friends."
"Father, do you hear this?" cried Scarlett. "Colonel Forrester, is theold time coming back?"
"Please God, my boy, now that the sword is to be beaten into aploughshare. Godfrey Markham, I did this in all sincerity. Will youaccept it from your enemy?"
"No," cried Sir Godfrey; "but I will from my true old friend." And as,trembling with emotion, he grasped the colonel's hands, he turned to seeLady Markham in Mistress Forrester's arms.
Meanwhile, a curious scene had been taking place at the back of theHall, where Nat had directed his steps to lament over the weeds and ruinof the neglected place. He had walked on along familiar paths throughthe plantation to the back of the kitchen garden, passed through an oldoaken gate in the high stone wall, and there stopped aghast.
"Here, who's been meddling now?" he cried. "Who's been doing this?"
For, in place of the ruin he had expected, he found everything in thetrimmest order--young crops sprung, trees pruned, walks clean,everything as it should be; and, worse than all, a broad-shouldered man,looking like himself, busy at work with a hoe destroying the weeds whichhad sprung up since the last shower.
Nat did not hesitate, but walked down the path, and at right angles onto the bed, where he hit the intruder on the chest with his doubledfist.
"So it's you, is it, Samson?"
"Yes, it's me, Nat," was the reply; and the blow was returned.
"How are you, Samson?" said Nat; and he hit his brother again on theother side.
"Tidy, Nat. How are you?" replied Samson, returning the blow.
"You've got a bit stouter."
"So have you."
"Long time since we met."
"Ay, 'tis."
"Like this here garden?"
"Middling."
Each of these little questions and answers was accompanied by a blowdealt right out from the shoulder, sharp and short, till the men'schests must have been a mass of bruises. Then they drew back, andstared at each other.
"Who told you to come and work in my garden?" said Nat at last.
"Nobody; I did it out of my own head."
"And pray why?"
"Because I thought, if ever you came back, it would make you mad."
"So it has. How would you like me to come and rout about in yourgarden?"
"Dunno. Come and try."
"Well, I would ha' put in that row o' beans straight if I did."
"Straight enough, Natty; it's your eyes are crooked. Come back tostop?"
"No; going back to furren abroad."
"Then what's the good of my master building up the house again?"
"What? Did he?"
"Ay; came and see me doing up your garden as it had never been done upbefore, and went away and ordered in the workpeople."
"Hum!" said Nat.
"Ha!" said Samson.
"Well, aren't you going to shake hands?"
"Ay, might as well. How are you, Nat?"
"Quite well, thank you, Samson. How are you?"
"Feel as if I should be all the better for a mug o' cider. What saysyou?"
"Same as you."
"Then come on."
And Nat came on.
For peace was made, and though rumours of the next war at theRestoration came down to the west, those who had been enemies stirrednot from the ingle-side again till Fred Forrester was called away; butScarlett had become a student and a scholar, and the young friends metno more in strife. When they did encounter, and ran over the troublesof the past, it was with a calm feeling of satisfaction in the present,and the old war time as years slipped by seemed to them both as a dream.
"Yes," cried Sir Godfrey, eagerly, as he laid his hand on ColonelForrester's shoulder; "some day, with all my heart."
"I am very glad," said the stern colonel, smiling at a group by thehouse where the ladies were seated, and Fred and Lil, so intent on eachother's converse, that they did not perceive that they were watched.
But other eyes had noted everything during the past year, and it wasevident that the time would come when Fred Forrester and ScarlettMarkham would be something more than friends.
THE END.
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