CHAPTER XVI
Miss Dunstable
At last the great Miss Dunstable came. Frank, when he heard thatthe heiress had arrived, felt some slight palpitation at his heart.He had not the remotest idea in the world of marrying her; indeed,during the last week past, absence had so heightened his love forMary Thorne that he was more than ever resolved that he would nevermarry any one but her. He knew that he had made her a formal offerfor her hand, and that it behoved him to keep to it, let the charmsof Miss Dunstable be what they might; but, nevertheless, he wasprepared to go through a certain amount of courtship, in obedienceto his aunt's behests, and he felt a little nervous at being broughtup in that way, face to face, to do battle with two hundred thousandpounds.
"Miss Dunstable has arrived," said his aunt to him, with greatcomplacency, on his return from an electioneering visit to thebeauties of Barchester which he made with his cousin George on theday after the conversation which was repeated at the end of the lastchapter. "She has arrived, and is looking remarkably well; she hasquite a _distingue_ air, and will grace any circle to which she maybe introduced. I will introduce you before dinner, and you can takeher out."
"I couldn't propose to her to-night, I suppose?" said Frank,maliciously.
"Don't talk nonsense, Frank," said the countess, angrily. "I am doingwhat I can for you, and taking on an infinity of trouble to endeavourto place you in an independent position and now you talk nonsense tome."
Frank muttered some sort of apology, and then went to prepare himselffor the encounter.
Miss Dunstable, though she had come by train, had brought with herher own carriage, her own horses, her own coachman and footman, andher own maid, of course. She had also brought with her half a scoreof trunks, full of wearing apparel; some of them nearly as rich asthat wonderful box which was stolen a short time since from the topof a cab. But she brought all these things, not in the least becauseshe wanted them herself, but because she had been instructed to doso.
Frank was a little more than ordinarily careful in dressing. Hespoilt a couple of white neckties before he was satisfied, and wasrather fastidious as the set of his hair. There was not much of thedandy about him in the ordinary meaning of the word; but he felt thatit was incumbent on him to look his best, seeing what it was expectedthat he should now do. He certainly did not mean to marry MissDunstable; but as he was to have a flirtation with her, it was wellthat he should do so under the best possible auspices.
When he entered the drawing-room he perceived at once that the ladywas there. She was seated between the countess and Mrs Proudie; andmammon, in her person, was receiving worship from the temporalitiesand spiritualities of the land. He tried to look unconcerned, andremained in the farther part of the room, talking with some of hiscousins; but he could not keep his eye off the future possible MrsFrank Gresham; and it seemed as though she was as much constrained toscrutinise him as he felt to scrutinise her.
Lady de Courcy had declared that she was looking extremely well, andhad particularly alluded to her _distingue_ appearance. Frank at oncefelt that he could not altogether go along with his aunt in thisopinion. Miss Dunstable might be very well; but her style of beautywas one which did not quite meet with his warmest admiration.
In age she was about thirty; but Frank, who was no great judge inthese matters, and who was accustomed to have very young girls roundhim, at once put her down as being ten years older. She had a veryhigh colour, very red cheeks, a large mouth, big white teeth, a broadnose, and bright, small, black eyes. Her hair also was black andbright, but very crisp, and strong, and was combed close round herface in small crisp black ringlets. Since she had been brought outinto the fashionable world some one of her instructors in fashionhad given her to understand that curls were not the thing. "They'llalways pass muster," Miss Dunstable had replied, "when they are doneup with bank-notes." It may therefore be presumed that Miss Dunstablehad a will of her own.
"Frank," said the countess, in the most natural and unpremeditatedway, as soon as she caught her nephew's eye, "come here. I want tointroduce you to Miss Dunstable." The introduction was then made."Mrs Proudie, would you excuse me? I must positively go and say a fewwords to Mrs Barlow, or the poor woman will feel herself huffed;"and, so saying, she moved off, leaving the coast clear for MasterFrank.
He of course slipped into his aunt's place, and expressed a hope thatMiss Dunstable was not fatigued by her journey.
"Fatigued!" said she, in a voice rather loud, but very good-humoured,and not altogether unpleasing; "I am not to be fatigued by such athing as that. Why, in May we came through all the way from Rome toParis without sleeping--that is, without sleeping in a bed--and wewere upset three times out of the sledges coming over the Simplon. Itwas such fun! Why, I wasn't to say tired even then."
"All the way from Rome to Paris!" said Mrs Proudie--in a tone ofastonishment, meant to flatter the heiress--"and what made you insuch a hurry?"
"Something about money matters," said Miss Dunstable, speaking ratherlouder than usual. "Something to do with the ointment. I was sellingthe business just then."
Mrs Proudie bowed, and immediately changed the conversation."Idolatry is, I believe, more rampant than ever in Rome," said she;"and I fear there is no such thing at all as Sabbath observance."
"Oh, not in the least," said Miss Dunstable, with rather a joyousair; "Sundays and week-days are all the same there."
"How very frightful!" said Mrs Proudie.
"But it's a delicious place. I do like Rome, I must say. And as forthe Pope, if he wasn't quite so fat he would be the nicest old fellowin the world. Have you been in Rome, Mrs Proudie?"
Mrs Proudie sighed as she replied in the negative, and declared herbelief that danger was to be apprehended from such visits.
"Oh!--ah!--the malaria--of course--yes; if you go at the wrong time;but nobody is such a fool as that now."
"I was thinking of the soul, Miss Dunstable," said the lady-bishop,in her peculiar, grave tone. "A place where there are no Sabbathobservances--"
"And have you been in Rome, Mr Gresham?" said the young lady, turningalmost abruptly round to Frank, and giving a somewhat uncivilly coldshoulder to Mrs Proudie's exhortation. She, poor lady, was forced tofinish her speech to the Honourable George, who was standing near toher. He having an idea that bishops and all their belongings, likeother things appertaining to religion, should, if possible, beavoided; but if that were not possible, should be treated withmuch assumed gravity, immediately put on a long face, and remarkedthat--"it was a deuced shame: for his part he always liked to seepeople go quiet on Sundays. The parsons had only one day out ofseven, and he thought they were fully entitled to that." Satisfiedwith which, or not satisfied, Mrs Proudie had to remain silent tilldinner-time.
"No," said Frank; "I never was in Rome. I was in Paris once, andthat's all." And then, feeling a not unnatural anxiety as to thepresent state of Miss Dunstable's worldly concerns, he took anopportunity of falling back on that part of the conversation whichMrs Proudie had exercised so much tact in avoiding.
"And was it sold?" said he.
"Sold! what sold?"
"You were saying about the business--that you came back without goingto bed because of selling the business."
"Oh!--the ointment. No; it was not sold. After all, the affair didnot come off, and I might have remained and had another roll in thesnow. Wasn't it a pity?"
"So," said Frank to himself, "if I should do it, I should be owner ofthe ointment of Lebanon: how odd!" And then he gave her his arm andhanded her down to dinner.
He certainly found that the dinner was less dull than any other hehad sat down to at Courcy Castle. He did not fancy that he shouldever fall in love with Miss Dunstable; but she certainly was anagreeable companion. She told him of her tour, and the fun she had inher journeys; how she took a physician with her for the benefit ofher health, whom she generally was forced to nurse; of the trouble itwas to her to look after and wait upon her numerous servants; of thetricks she pla
yed to bamboozle people who came to stare at her; and,lastly, she told him of a lover who followed her from country tocountry, and was now in hot pursuit of her, having arrived in Londonthe evening before she left.
"A lover?" said Frank, somewhat startled by the suddenness of theconfidence.
"A lover--yes--Mr Gresham; why should I not have a lover?"
"Oh!--no--of course not. I dare say you have a good many."
"Only three or four, upon my word; that is, only three or four that Ifavour. One is not bound to reckon the others, you know."
"No, they'd be too numerous. And so you have three whom you favour,Miss Dunstable;" and Frank sighed, as though he intended to say thatthe number was too many for his peace of mind.
"Is not that quite enough? But of course I change them sometimes;"and she smiled on him very good-naturedly. "It would be very dull ifI were always to keep the same."
"Very dull indeed," said Frank, who did not quite know what to say.
"Do you think the countess would mind my having one or two of themhere if I were to ask her?"
"I am quite sure she would," said Frank, very briskly. "She would notapprove of it at all; nor should I."
"You--why, what have you to do with it?"
"A great deal--so much so that I positively forbid it; but, MissDunstable--"
"Well, Mr Gresham?"
"We will contrive to make up for the deficiency as well as possible,if you will permit us to do so. Now for myself--"
"Well, for yourself?"
At this moment the countess gleamed her accomplished eye round thetable, and Miss Dunstable rose from her chair as Frank was preparinghis attack, and accompanied the other ladies into the drawing-room.
His aunt, as she passed him, touched his arm lightly with her fan, solightly that the action was perceived by no one else. But Frank wellunderstood the meaning of the touch, and appreciated the approbationwhich it conveyed. He merely blushed, however, at his owndissimulation for he felt more certain that ever that he would nevermarry Miss Dunstable, and he felt nearly equally sure that MissDunstable would never marry him.
Lord de Courcy was now at home; but his presence did not add muchhilarity to the claret-cup. The young men, however, were very keenabout the election, and Mr Nearthewinde, who was one of the party,was full of the most sanguine hopes.
"I have done one good at any rate," said Frank; "I have secured thechorister's vote."
"What! Bagley?" said Nearthewinde. "The fellow kept out of my way,and I couldn't see him."
"I haven't exactly seen him," said Frank; "but I've got his vote allthe same."
"What! by a letter?" said Mr Moffat.
"No, not by letter," said Frank, speaking rather low as he looked atthe bishop and the earl; "I got a promise from his wife: I think he'sa little in the henpecked line."
"Ha--ha--ha!" laughed the good bishop, who, in spite of Frank'smodulation of voice, had overheard what had passed. "Is that the wayyou manage electioneering matters in our cathedral city? Ha--ha--ha!"The idea of one of his choristers being in the henpecked line wasvery amusing to the bishop.
"Oh, I got a distinct promise," said Frank, in his pride; and thenadded incautiously, "but I had to order bonnets for the wholefamily."
"Hush-h-h-h-h!" said Mr Nearthewinde, absolutely flabbergasted bysuch imprudence on the part of one of his client's friends. "I amquite sure that your order had no effect, and was intended to have noeffect on Mr Bagley's vote."
"Is that wrong?" said Frank; "upon my word I thought that it wasquite legitimate."
"One should never admit anything in electioneering matters, shouldone?" said George, turning to Mr Nearthewinde.
"Very little, Mr de Courcy; very little indeed--the less the better.It's hard to say in these days what is wrong and what is not. Now,there's Reddypalm, the publican, the man who has the Brown Bear.Well, I was there, of course: he's a voter, and if any man inBarchester ought to feel himself bound to vote for a friend of theduke's, he ought. Now, I was so thirsty when I was in that man'shouse that I was dying for a glass of beer; but for the life of me Ididn't dare order one."
"Why not?" said Frank, whose mind was only just beginning to beenlightened by the great doctrine of purity of election as practisedin English provincial towns.
"Oh, Closerstil had some fellow looking at me; why, I can't walk downthat town without having my very steps counted. I like sharp fightingmyself, but I never go so sharp as that."
"Nevertheless I got Bagley's vote," said Frank, persisting in praiseof his own electioneering prowess; "and you may be sure of this, MrNearthewinde, none of Closerstil's men were looking at me when I gotit."
"Who'll pay for the bonnets, Frank?" said George.
"Oh, I'll pay for them if Moffat won't. I think I shall keep anaccount there; they seem to have good gloves and those sort ofthings."
"Very good, I have no doubt," said George.
"I suppose your lordship will be in town soon after the meeting ofParliament?" said the bishop, questioning the earl.
"Oh! yes; I suppose I must be there. I am never allowed to remainvery long in quiet. It is a great nuisance; but it is too late tothink of that now."
"Men in high places, my lord, never were, and never will be, allowedto consider themselves. They burn their torches not in their ownbehalf," said the bishop, thinking, perhaps, as much of himself as hedid of his noble friend. "Rest and quiet are the comforts of thosewho have been content to remain in obscurity."
"Perhaps so," said the earl, finishing his glass of claret withan air of virtuous resignation. "Perhaps so." His own martyrdom,however, had not been severe, for the rest and quiet of home hadnever been peculiarly satisfactory to his tastes. Soon after thisthey all went to the ladies.
It was some little time before Frank could find an opportunity ofrecommencing his allotted task with Miss Dunstable. She got intoconversation with the bishop and some other people, and, except thathe took her teacup and nearly managed to squeeze one of her fingersas he did so, he made very little further progress till towards theclose of the evening.
At last he found her so nearly alone as to admit of his speaking toher in his low confidential voice.
"Have you managed that matter with my aunt?"
"What matter?" said Miss Dunstable; and her voice was not low, norparticularly confidential.
"About those three or four gentlemen whom you wish to invite here?"
"Oh! my attendant knights! no, indeed; you gave me such very slighthope of success; besides, you said something about my not wantingthem."
"Yes I did; I really think they'd be quite unnecessary. If you shouldwant any one to defend you--"
"At these coming elections, for instance."
"Then, or at any other time, there are plenty here who will be readyto stand up for you."
"Plenty! I don't want plenty: one good lance in the olden days wasalways worth more than a score of ordinary men-at-arms."
"But you talked about three or four."
"Yes; but then you see, Mr Gresham, I have never yet found the onegood lance--at least, not good enough to suit my ideas of trueprowess."
What could Frank do but declare that he was ready to lay his own inrest, now and always in her behalf? His aunt had been quite angrywith him, and had thought that he turned her into ridicule, when hespoke of making an offer to her guest that very evening; and yet herehe was so placed that he had hardly an alternative. Let his inwardresolution to abjure the heiress be ever so strong, he was now in aposition which allowed him no choice in the matter. Even Mary Thornecould hardly have blamed him for saying, that so far as his ownprowess went, it was quite at Miss Dunstable's service. Had Mary beenlooking on, she, perhaps, might have thought that he could have doneso with less of that look of devotion which he threw into his eyes.
"Well, Mr Gresham, that's very civil--very civil indeed," said MissDunstable. "Upon my word, if a lady wanted a true knight she mightdo worse than trust to you. Only I fear that your courage is of soexalted a na
ture that you would be ever ready to do battle for anybeauty who might be in distress--or, indeed, who might not. You couldnever confine your valour to the protection of one maiden."
"Oh, yes! but I would though if I liked her," said Frank. "Thereisn't a more constant fellow in the world than I am in that way--youtry me, Miss Dunstable."
"When young ladies make such trials as that, they sometimes find ittoo late to go back if the trial doesn't succeed, Mr Gresham."
"Oh, of course there's always some risk. It's like hunting; therewould be no fun if there was no danger."
"But if you get a tumble one day you can retrieve your honour thenext; but a poor girl, if she once trusts a man who says that heloves her, has no such chance. For myself, I would never listen to aman unless I'd known him for seven years at least."
"Seven years!" said Frank, who could not help thinking that in sevenyears' time Miss Dunstable would be almost an old woman. "Seven daysis enough to know any person."
"Or perhaps seven hours; eh, Mr Gresham?"
"Seven hours--well, perhaps seven hours, if they happen to be a gooddeal together during the time."
"There's nothing after all like love at first sight, is there, MrGresham?"
Frank knew well enough that she was quizzing him, and could notresist the temptation he felt to be revenged on her. "I am sure it'svery pleasant," said he; "but as for myself, I have never experiencedit."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Miss Dunstable. "Upon my word, Mr Gresham, Ilike you amazingly. I didn't expect to meet anybody down here thatI should like half so much. You must come and see me in London, andI'll introduce you to my three knights," and so saying, she movedaway and fell into conversation with some of the higher powers.
Frank felt himself to be rather snubbed, in spite of the strongexpression which Miss Dunstable had made in his favour. It was notquite clear to him that she did not take him for a boy. He was, to besure, avenged on her for that by taking her for a middle-aged woman;but, nevertheless, he was hardly satisfied with himself; "I mightgive her a heartache yet," said he to himself, "and she might findafterwards that she was left in the lurch with all her money." Andso he retired, solitary, into a far part of the room, and began tothink of Mary Thorne. As he did so, and as his eyes fell upon MissDunstable's stiff curls, he almost shuddered.
And then the ladies retired. His aunt, with a good-natured smile onher face, come to him as she was leaving the room, the last of thebevy, and putting her hand on his arm, led him out into a smallunoccupied chamber which opened from the grand saloon.
"Upon my word, Master Frank," said she, "you seem to be losing notime with the heiress. You have quite made an impression already."
"I don't know much about that, aunt," said he, looking rathersheepish.
"Oh, I declare you have; but, Frank, my dear boy, you should notprecipitate these sort of things too much. It is well to take alittle more time: it is more valued; and perhaps, you know, on thewhole--"
Perhaps Frank might know; but it was clear that Lady de Courcy didnot: at any rate, she did not know how to express herself. Had shesaid out her mind plainly, she would probably have spoken thus: "Iwant you to make love to Miss Dunstable, certainly; or at any rate tomake an offer to her; but you need not make a show of yourself and ofher, too, by doing it so openly as all that." The countess, however,did not want to reprimand her obedient nephew, and therefore did notspeak out her thoughts.
"Well?" said Frank, looking up into her face.
"Take a _leetle_ more time--that is all, my dear boy; slow and sure,you know;" so the countess again patted his arm and went away to bed.
"Old fool!" muttered Frank to himself, as he returned to the roomwhere the men were still standing. He was right in this: she was anold fool, or she would have seen that there was no chance whateverthat her nephew and Miss Dunstable should become man and wife.
"Well Frank," said the Honourable John; "so you're after the heiressalready."
"He won't give any of us a chance," said the Honourable George."If he goes on in that way she'll be Mrs Gresham before a month isover. But, Frank, what will she say of your manner of looking forBarchester votes?"
"Mr Gresham is certainly an excellent hand at canvassing," said MrNearthewinde; "only a little too open in his manner of proceeding."
"I got that chorister for you at any rate," said Frank. "And youwould never have had him without me."
"I don't think half so much of the chorister's vote as that of MissDunstable," said the Honourable George: "that's the interest that isreally worth looking after."
"But, surely," said Mr Moffat, "Miss Dunstable has no property inBarchester?" Poor man! his heart was so intent on his election thathe had not a moment to devote to the claims of love.