CHAPTER III
IN WHICH THE LONDON AND SOUTH WESTERN RAIL-WAY ACCOMPLISHES WHAT THEMARRIAGE SERVICE FORBIDS
It might be supposed that the heir to "The Towers" and Lady Scarsdale'svery considerable property would meet with some decided opposition fromhis family to his proposed alliance with Mabel Vernon, an unknownAmerican, who, though fairly provided with this world's goods, could inno sense be termed a great heiress. But the fact of the matter was thatthe prejudices of his own people were as nothing when compared withthose of Aunt Eliza. In the first place she did not wish her niece tomarry at all, on the ground that no man was good enough for her; and inthe second place she had decided that if Mabel must have a partner inlife, he was to be born under the Stars and Stripes. Her wrath,therefore, was great when she heard of the engagement, and she declaredthat she had a good mind to cut the young couple off with a cent, athreat that meant something from a woman who had bought corner lots inChicago immediately after the great fire, and still held them. Scarsdalenever forgot his first interview with her after she had learned thenews.
"I mistrusted you were round for no good," she said, "though I wasn'tquite certain which one of us you wanted."
He bit his lip.
"There's nothing to laugh at, young man," she continued severely;"marrying me would have been no joke."
"I'm sure, Miss Cogbill----" began Scarsdale.
"You call me Aunt Eliza in the future," she broke in; "that is who I am,and if I choose to remember your wife when I'm gone she'll be as rich asa duchess, as I dare say you know."
"I had no thought of your leaving her anything, and I am quite able tosupport her without your assistance," he replied, nettled by herimplication.
"I am glad to hear it; it sounds encouraging," returned the aunt. "Tellme, have you ever done anything to support yourself?"
"Rather! As a younger son, I should have had a very poor chance if I'dnot."
"How many towers have you got?" was her next question.
"I don't know," said Scarsdale, laughing at her very literalinterpretation of the name of his estate.
"Have they fire-escapes?"
"I'm afraid not," he replied, "but you must come and see for yourself.My mother will be happy to welcome you."
"No, I guess not; I'm too old to start climbing."
"Oh, you wouldn't have to live in them," he hastened to assure her;"there are other parts to the house, and my mother----"
"That's her ladyship?"
"Yes."
"You are sure you haven't any title?" asked Aunt Eliza suspiciously.
"No, nor any chance of having one."
"Well, I do feel relieved," she commented. "The Psalms say not to putyour trust in princes, but I guess if King David had ever been through aLondon season he wouldn't have drawn the line there; and what's goodenough for him is good enough for me."
"I think you can trust me, Aunt Eliza."
"I hope so, though I never expected to see a niece of mine married to aman of war."
"Not a man of war," he corrected, "only a man in the War Office--a verydifferent thing, I assure you."
"I am rejoiced to hear it," she replied. "Now run along to Mabel, andI'll write your mother and tell her that I guess you'll do." Which shestraightway did, and that letter is still preserved as one of theliterary curiosities of "The Towers," Sussex.
The first meeting of Aunt Eliza and Lady Scarsdale took place the daybefore the wedding. It was pleasant, short, and to the point, and atits conclusion each parted from the other with mingled feelings ofwonder and respect. Indeed, no one could fail to respect Miss Cogbill.Alone and unaided she had amassed and managed a great fortune. She wasshrewd and keen beyond the nature of women, and seldom minced matters inher speech; but nevertheless she was possessed of much native refinementand prim, old-time courtesy that did not always seem in accordance withthe business side of her nature.
As time went on she became reconciled to Scarsdale, but his lack ofappreciation of business was a thorn in her flesh, and, indeed, herinclinations had led her in quite another direction.
"Now look at that young Carrington who comes to see you once in a while;if you had to marry an Englishman, why didn't you take him?" she saidonce to her niece.
"Why, Aunt Eliza," replied that young lady, "what are you thinking of?According to your own standards, he is much less desirable than Harold,for he has not a cent."
"He'd make money fast enough if his training didn't get in his way," sheretorted, "which is more than can be said of your future husband."
The wedding was very quiet, at Miss Vernon's suggestion and with heraunt's approval, for neither of them cared for that lavish display withwhich a certain class of Americans are, unfortunately, associated. Therewas to be a reception at the hotel, to which a large number of peoplehad been asked; but at the ceremony scarcely a dozen were present.Scarsdale's mother and immediate family, a brother official, who servedas best man, and Aunt Eliza made up the party.
At the bride's request, the service had been as much abbreviated as theChurch would allow, and the whole matter was finished in a surprisinglyshort space of time. The reception followed, and an hour later the happypair were ready to leave; but their destination was still a mystery tothe groom.
"I think you might just give me a hint," he suggested to Aunt Eliza,whom he shrewdly suspected knew all about it.
"Do you?" she replied. "Well, I think that Mabel is quite capable oftaking care of herself and you too, and that the sooner you realise itthe better. As for your being consulted or informed about your weddingtrip, why, my niece has been four times round the world already, and isbetter able to plan an ordinary honeymoon excursion than a man whospends his time turning out bombs, and nitro-glycerine, and monitors,and things."
Aunt Eliza's notions of the duties of the War Office were still somewhatvague.
After the bridal couple had left, Miss Cogbill and Lady Scarsdalereceived the remaining guests, and, when the function was over, herladyship gave her American relative a cordial invitation to stay at "TheTowers" till after the honeymoon; but Aunt Eliza refused.
"I'll come some day and be glad to," she said; "but I'm off to-morrowfor two weeks in Paris. I always go there when I'm blue; it cheers oneup so, and you meet more Americans there nowadays than you do at home."
"Perhaps you will see the happy pair before you return," suggested LadyScarsdale.
"Now, your ladyship," said Aunt Eliza, "that isn't fair; but to tell youthe truth of the matter, I've no more idea where they are going, beyondtheir first stop, than you have."
"And that is----?"
"They will write you from there to-morrow," replied Miss Cogbill, "andthen you will know as much as I do."
Scarsdale was quite too happy to be seriously worried over his ignoranceof their destination; in fact, he was rather amused at his wife's littlemystery, and, beyond indulging in some banter on the subject, was wellcontent to let the matter drop. He entertained her, however, by makingwild guesses as to where they were to pass the night from what he hadlearned of their point of departure, Waterloo Station; but soon turnedto more engrossing topics, and before he realised it an hour had passedaway, and the train began to slow up for their first stop out of London.
"Is this the end of our journey?" he queried.
"What, Basingstoke?" she cried. "How could you think I'd be sounromantic? Why, it is only a miserable, dirty railway junction!"
"Perhaps we change carriages here?"
"Wrong again; but the train stops for a few minutes, and if you'll begood you may run out and have a breath of fresh air and something todrink."
"How do you know," he asked, "that I sha'n't go forward and see how theluggage is labelled?"
"That would not be playing fair," she replied, pouting, "and I should bedreadfully cross with you."
"I'll promise to be good," he hastened to assure her, and, as the traindrew up, stepped out upon the platform.
His first intention had been to make straight
for the refreshment-room;but he had only taken a few steps in that direction, when he sawadvancing from the opposite end of the train none other than RobertAllingford, who, like himself, was a bridegroom of that day.
"Why, Benedick!" he cried, "who would have thought of meeting you!"
"Just what I was going to say," replied the Consul, heartily shaking hisoutstretched hand. "I never imagined that we would select the sametrain. Come, let's have a drink to celebrate our auspicious meeting.There is time enough."
"Are you sure?" asked the careful Englishman.
"Quite," replied his American friend. "I asked a porter, and he said wehad ten minutes."
They accordingly repaired to the luncheon-bar, and were soon discussingwhiskies and sodas.
"Tell me," said the Consul, as he put down his glass, "have youdiscovered your destination yet?"
"Haven't the remotest idea," returned the other. "Mrs. Scarsdaleinsisted on buying the tickets, and watches over them jealously. If ithad not been for the look of the thing, I would have bribed the guard totell me where I was going. By the way, won't you shake hands with mywife? She is just forward."
"With pleasure," replied Allingford, "if you will return the compliment;my carriage is the first of its class at the rear of the train. We havestill six minutes." With which the two husbands separated, each to seekthe other's wife.
Scarsdale met with a cordial welcome from Mrs. Allingford, and was soonseated by her side chatting merrily.
"We should sympathise with each other," she said, laughing, "for Iunderstand that we are both in ignorance of our destination."
"Indeed we should," he replied. "I dare say that at this moment yourhusband and my wife are gloating over their superior knowledge."
"Oh, well," she continued, "our time will come; and now tell me how youhave endured the vicissitudes of the day."
"I think you and I have no cause for complaint," rejoined Scarsdale."You see we understand our conventions; but I fear that our respectivepartners have not had such an easy time."
"I shouldn't think it would have worried Mrs. Scarsdale," returned theEnglishwoman.
"Of course it didn't," said that lady's husband; "nothing ever worriesher. But I think signing the register puzzled her a bit; she said itmade her feel as if she was at an hotel."
"Robert enjoyed it thoroughly," said Mrs. Allingford.
"Had he no criticisms to offer?"
"None, except that one seemed to get a good deal more for one's moneythan in the States."
"The almighty dollar!" said Scarsdale, laughing, and added, as he lookedat his watch: "I must be off, or your husband will be turning me out;our ten minutes are almost up."
Once on the platform, he paused aghast. The forward half of the trainhad disappeared, and an engine was backing up in its place to couple onto the second part. Allingford was nowhere in sight.
"Where is the rest of the train?" cried Scarsdale, seizing an astonishedguard.
"The forward division, sir?"
"Yes! yes! For Heaven's sake speak, man! Where is it?"
"That was the Exeter division. Went five minutes ago."
"But I thought we had ten minutes!"
"This division, yes, sir," replied the guard, indicating that portion ofthe train still in the station, "the forward part only five."
In this way, then, had Allingford unconsciously deceived him, andwithout doubt the American Consul had been carried off with his,Scarsdale's, wife. The awful discovery staggered him, but he controlledhimself sufficiently to ask the destination of the section still in thestation.
"Bournemouth, sir, Southampton first stop. Are you going? we are justoff."
"No," replied Scarsdale. The guard waved his flag, the shrill whistleblew, and the train began to move. Then he thought of Mrs. Allingford;he could scarcely leave her. Besides, what was the use of remaining atBasingstoke, when he did not even know his own destination? He tore openthe door of the carriage he had just left, and swung himself in as itswept past him.