CHAPTER XXXVIII
A WITCH
It was true enough that Stixon now had nothing more to tell, but what hehad told already seemed of very great importance, confirming strongly,as it did, the description given me by Jacob Rigg. And even the butler'sconcluding words--that I seemed born to hear it all--comforted me likesome good omen, and cheered me forward to make them true. Not that Icould, in my sad and dangerous enterprise, always be confident.Some little spirit I must have had, and some resolve to be faithful,according to the power of a very common mind, admiring but neverclaiming courage. For I never did feel in any kind of way any gift ofinspiration, or even the fitness of a quick, strong mind for working outdeeds of justice. There were many good ladies in America then, and nowthere are some in England, perceiving so clearly their own superiorityas to run about largely proclaiming it. How often I longed to be alittle more like these, equal to men in achievements of the body, andvery far beyond them in questions of the mind!
However, it was useless to regret my lacks, and foolish, perhaps, tothink of them. To do my very best with what little gifts I had was moreto the purpose and more sensible. Taking in lonely perplexity now thisdim yet exciting view of things, I resolved, right or wrong, to abideat the place where the only chance was of pursuing my search. I waspledged, as perhaps has been said before, to keep from every oneexcepting faithful Betsy, and above all from Lord Castlewood, theunexpected little tale wrung out of Mr. Stixon. That promise had beengiven without any thought, in my eagerness to hear every thing, andprobably some people would have thought of it no more. But the trustybutler was so scared when I asked him to release me from it, so penitentalso at his own indiscretion, which never would have overcome him (as hesaid in the morning) only for the thunder-storm, that instead of gettingoff, I was quite obliged to renew and confirm my assurances.
Therefore, in truth, I had no chance left but to go back to Shoxford anddo my best, meeting all dark perils with the shield of right spread overme. And a great thing now in my favor was to feel some confidence againin the guidance of kind Wisdom. The sense of this never had abandoned meso much as to make me miserable about it; but still I had never tried toshelter under it, and stay there faithfully, as the best of peopledo. And even now I was not brought to such a happy attitude, althoughdelivered by these little gleams of light from the dark void offatalism, into which so many bitter blows had once been driving me.
However, before setting off again, I made one more attempt upon LordCastlewood, longing to know whether his suspicions would help me atall to identify the figure which had frightened both the sexton and thebutler. That the person was one and the same, I did not for a momentcall in question, any more than I doubted that he was the man uponwhose head rested the blood of us. But why he should be allowed to goscot-free while another bore his brand, and many others died for him,and why all my most just and righteous efforts to discover him shouldreceive, if not discouragement, at any rate most lukewarm aid--these andseveral other questions were as dark as ever.
"You must not return to Shoxford, my cousin," Lord Castlewood said tome that day, after a plain though courteous refusal to enlighten me evenwith a mere surmise, except upon the condition before rejected. "I cannot allow you to be there without strict supervision and protection. Youwill not, perhaps, be aware of it, as perhaps you have not been before;but a careful watch will be kept on you. I merely tell you this that youmay not make mistakes, and confound friendly vigilance with the spyingof an enemy. Erema, you will be looked after."
I could not help being grateful for his kindness, and really, try as Imight to be fearless, it would be a great comfort to have some one toprotect me. On the other hand, how would this bear upon my own freedomof looking about, my desire to make my own occasions, and the need ofgoing every where? Could these be kept to my liking at all while anunknown power lay in kind regard of me? Considering these things, Ibegged my cousin to leave me to my own devices, for that I was afraidof nobody on earth, while only seeking justice, and that England mustbe worse than the worst parts of America if any harm to me could beapprehended at quiet times and in such a quiet place.
My cousin said no more upon that point, though I felt that he was not inany way convinced; but he told me that he thought I should pay a littlevisit, if only for a day, such as I treated him with, to my good friendsat Bruntsea, before I returned to Shoxford. There was no one nowat Bruntsea whom I might not wish to meet, as he knew by a triflingaccident; and after all the kind services rendered by Major and Mrs.Hockin, it was hardly right to let them begin to feel themselvesneglected. Now the very same thing had occurred to me, and I was goingto propose it; and many things which I found it hard to do without wereleft in my little chest of locked-up drawers there. But of that, to myknowledge, I scarcely thought twice; whereas I longed to see and havea talk with dear "Aunt Mary." Now, since my affairs had been growing sostrange, and Lord Castlewood had come forward--not strongly, but stillquite enough to speak of--there had been a kind-hearted and genuine wishat Bruntsea to recover me. And this desire had unreasonably grown whilestarved with disappointment. The less they heard of me, the more theyimagined in their rich good-will, and the surer they became that, afterall, there was something in my ideas.
But how could I know this, without any letters from them, since letterswere a luxury forbidden me at Shoxford? I knew it through one of thesimplest and commonest of all nature's arrangements. Stixon's boy,as every body called him (though he must have been close uponfive-and-twenty, and carried a cane out of sight of the windows), beingso considered, and treated boyishly by the maids of Castlewood, assertedhis dignity, and rose above his value as much as he had lain below it,by showing that he owned a tender heart, and them that did not despiseit. For he chanced to be walking with his cane upon the beach (the verymorning after he first went to Bruntsea, too late for any train backagain), and casting glances of interior wonder over the unaccustomedsea--when from the sea itself out-leaped a wondrous rosy deity.
"You there, Mr. Stixon! Oh my! How long?" exclaimed Mrs. Hockin's newparlormaid, ready to drop, though in full print now, on the landwardsteps of the bathing-machine set up by the reckless Major.
"Come this very hinstant, miss, honor bright!" replied the juniorStixon, who had moved in good society; "and just in the hackmy of time,miss, if I may offer you my 'umble hand."
The fair nymph fixed him with a penetrating gaze through tresses fullof salt curliness, while her cheeks were conscious of an unclad dip. ButWilliam Stixon's eyes were firm with pure truth, gently toning into shyreproach and tenderness. He had met her at supper last night, and donehis best; but (as he said to the Castlewood maids) it was only feelingthen, whereas now it was emoshun.
"Then you are a gentleman!" Polly Hopkins cried; "and indeed, Mr.Stixon, these are slippery things." She was speaking of the steps, asshe came down them, and they had no hand-rails; and the young man felthimself to be no more Stixon's boy, but a gentleman under sweet refiningpressure.
From that hour forth it was pronounced, and they left the world to itsown opinion, that they were keeping company; and although they weresixty miles apart by air, and eighty-two by railway, at every posttheir hearts were one, with considerable benefit to the United Kingdom'srevenue. Also they met by the sad sea waves, when the bathing-machineshad been hauled up--for the Major now had three of them--as often asStixon senior smiled--which he did whenever he was not put out--on thebygone ways of these children. For Polly Hopkins had a hundred pounds,as well as being the only child of the man who kept the only shop forpickled pork in Bruntsea. And my Mr. Stixon could always contrive to getorders from his lordship to send the boy away, with his carriage paid,when his health demanded bathing. Hence it is manifest that the deedsand thoughts of Bruntsea House, otherwise called "Bruntlands,"were known quite as well, and discussed even better--becausedispassionately--at Castlewood than and as they were at home.
Now I won forever the heart of Stixon's boy, and that of PollyHopkins, by recoiling with horror fr
om the thought of going to Bruntseaunattended. After all my solitary journeys, this might have been calledhypocrisy, if it had been inconvenient; but coming as it did, it waspronounced, by all who desired either news or love, to be another proofof the goodness of my heart.
Escorted thus by William Stixon (armed with a brilliant cane bought forthis occasion), and knowing that Sir Montague Hockin was not there, Iarrived at Bruntlands in the afternoon, and received a kindly welcomefrom my dear friend Mrs. Hockin. Her husband was from home, and shegrieved to say that now he was generally doing this; but nobody elsecould have any idea what his avocations were! Then she paid me somecompliments on my appearance--a thing that I never thought of, exceptwhen I came to a question of likeness, or chanced to be thinking ofthings, coming up as they will, at a looking-glass.
That the Major was out was a truth established in my mind some timeago; because I had seen him, as our fly crawled by, expressly andemphatically at work on a rampart of his own designing. The work wasquite new to me, but not so his figure. Though I could not see peoplethree miles off, as Firm Gundry was said to do, I had pretty clearsight, and could not mistake the Major within a furlong. And there hewas, going about in a row of square notches against the sea-line, withhis coat off, and brandishing some tool, vehemently carrying on tospirits less active than his own. I burned with desire to go and joinhim, for I love to see activity; but Mrs. Hockin thought that I hadbetter stay away, because it was impossible to get on there withoutlanguage too strong for young ladies.
This closed the question, and I stopped with her, and found the bestcomfort that I ever could have dreamed of. "Aunt Mary" was so steadfast,and so built up with, or rather built of, the very faith itself, that totalk with her was as good as reading the noblest chapter of the Bible.She put by all possibility of doubt as to the modern interference of theLord, with such a sweet pity and the seasoned smile of age, and so muchfeeling (which would have been contempt if she had not been softenedby her own escapes), that really I, who had come expecting to set herbeautiful white hair on end, became like a little child put into thecorner, but too young yet for any other punishment at school, except tobe looked at. Nevertheless, though I did look small, it made me all thehappier. I seemed to become less an individual, and more a member ofa large kind race under paternal management. From a practical point ofview this may have been amiss, but it helped to support me afterward.And before I began to get weary or rebel against her gentle teaching, incame her husband; and she stopped at once, because he had never any timefor it.
"My geological hammer!" cried the Major, being in a rush as usual."Oh, Miss Castlewood! I did not see you. Pardon me! It is the want ofpractice only; so wholly have you deserted us. Fallen into better hands,of course. Well, how are you? But I need not ask. If ever there was ayoung lady who looked well--don't tell me of troubles, or worries, ornerves--I put up my glasses, and simply say, 'Pretty young ladiesare above all pity!' My hammer, dear Mary; my hammer I must have. Thegeological one, you know; we have come on a bit of old Roman work; thebricklayer's hammers go flat, like lead. I have just one minute and ahalf to spare. What fine fellows those Romans were! I will build likea Roman. See to every bit of it myself, Erema. No contractor's jobs forme. Mary, you know where to find it."
"Well, dear, I think that you had it last, to get the bung out of thebeer barrel, when the stool broke down in the corner, you know, becauseyou would--"
"Never mind about that. The drayman made a fool of himself. I proceededupon true principles. That fellow knew nothing of leverage."
"Well, dear, of course you understand it best. But he told cook that itwas quite a mercy that you got off without a broken leg; and comparedwith that, two gallons of spilled ale--" Mrs. Hockin made off, withoutfinishing her sentence.
"What a woman she is!" cried the Major; "she takes such a lofty viewof things, and she can always find my tools. Erema, after dinner Imust have a talk with you. There is something going on here--on mymanor--which I can not at all get a clew to, except by connecting youwith it, the Lord knows how. Of course you have nothing to do with it;but still my life has been so free from mystery that, that--you knowwhat I mean--"
"That you naturally think I must be at the bottom of every thingmysterious. Now is there any thing dark about me? Do I not labor to getat the light? Have I kept from your knowledge any single thing? But younever cared to go into them."
"It is hardly fair of you to say that. The fact is that you, of your ownaccord, have chosen other counselors. Have you heard any more of yourlate guardian, Mr. Shovelin? I suppose that his executor, or some oneappointed by him, is now your legal guardian."
"I have not even asked what the law is," I replied. "Lord Castlewood ismy proper guardian, according to all common-sense, and I mean to havehim so. He has inquired through his solicitors as to Mr. Shovelin, andI am quite free there. My father's will is quite good, they say; but itnever has been proved, and none of them care to do it. My cousin thinksthat I could compel them to prove it, or to renounce in proper form; butMr. Shovelin's sons are not nice people--as different from him as nightfrom day, careless and wild and dashing."
"Then do you mean to do nothing about it? What a time she is findingthat hammer!"
"I leave it entirely to my cousin, and he is waiting for legal advice.I wish to have the will, of course, for the sake of my dear father; butwith or without any will, my mother's little property comes to me. Andif my dear father had nothing to leave, why should we run up a greatlawyer's bill?"
"To be sure not! I see. That makes all the difference. I admire yourcommon-sense," said the Major--"but there! Come and look, and justexercise it here. There is that very strange woman again, just at theend of my new road. She stands quite still, and then stares about,sometimes for an hour together. Nobody knows who she is, or why shecame. She has taken a tumble-down house on my manor, from a wretch of afellow who denies my title; and what she lives on is more than any onecan tell, for she never spends sixpence in Bruntsea. Some think that shewalks in the dark to Newport, and gets all her food at some ship storesthere. And one of our fishermen vows that he met her walking on the sea,as he rowed home one night, and she had a long red bag on her shoulder.She is a witch, that is certain; for she won't answer me, howeverpolitely I accost her. But the oddest thing of all is the name she gaveto the fellow she took the house from. What do you think she calledherself? Of all things in the world--'Mrs. Castlewood!' I congratulateyou on your relative."
"How very strange!" I answered. "Oh, now I see why you connect me withit; and I beg your pardon for having been vexed. But let me go and seeher. Oh, may I go at once, if you please, and speak to her?"
"The very thing I wish--if you are not afraid. I will come with you,when I get my hammer. Oh, here it is! Mary, how clever you are! Now lookout of the window, and you shall see Erema make up to her grandmamma."