CHAPTER X.
IN CHARGE.
"My young friend, I must get up," Mr. Penniloe exclaimed, if so feeble asound could be called an exclamation. "It is useless to talk about mypulse, and look so wise. Here have I been perhaps three days. I am notquite certain, but it must be that. And who is there to see to theparish, or even the service of the Church, while I lie like this? It wasmost kind of you--I have sense enough to feel it--to hurry from yourlong ride, without a bit to eat--Mrs. Muggridge said as much, and youcould not deny it. But up I must get; and more than that, I must getout. It will soon be dark again, by the shadows on the blind, and I amsure that there is something gone amiss, I know not what. But my duty isto know it, and to see what I can do. Now go, and have some dinner,while I just put on my clothes."
"Nothing of that sort, sir, will you do to-day. You are weaker than acat--as that stupid saying goes. That idiot Jackson has bled you to askeleton, put a seton in your neck, and starved you. And he has pliedyou with drastics, by day and by night. Why, the moment I heard of thatPerliton booby getting you in his clutches--but thank God I was in time!It is almost enough to make one believe in special Providences."
"Hush, Jemmy, hush? You cannot want to vex me now."
"Neither now, nor ever, sir; as you are well aware. So you must dolikewise, and not vex me. I have trouble enough of my own, withoutrebellion by my patients."
"I forgot that, Jemmy. It was not kind of me. But I am not quite clearin my head just now. I fear I am neglecting some great duty. But justfor the moment, I am not sure what it is. In a minute or two, I shallremember what it is."
"No, you won't, my good friend, not for twenty hours yet;" the youngdoctor whispered to himself. "You have had a narrow shave, and anotherday of Jackson would have sent you to the world you think too much of.There never was a man who dwelt in shadows--or in glory, as you takeit--with his whole great heart, as you do. Well, I wish there were moreof them, and that I could just be one."
The peace that had settled on the Parson's face was such as nolineaments of man can win, without the large labours of a pure lifepast, and the surety of recompense full in view. Fox kept his eye onhim, and found his pulse improve, as hovering slumber deepened intotranquil sleep. "Rare stuff that!" he said, referring not to faith, butto a little phial-bottle he had placed upon the drawers; "he shan't goto glory yet, however fit he may be. It is high time,--I take it, for meto have a little peck."
The young man was right. He had ridden thirty miles from his father'shouse that afternoon, and hearing at the "Old Barn," as he called hispresent home, of poor Mr. Penniloe's serious illness, had mounted hisweary mare again, and spurred her back to the rectory. Of the story withwhich all the parish was ringing he had not heard a word as yet, beingcalled away by his anxious mother, on the very night after the Squirewas buried. But one thing had puzzled him, as he passed and repassed thequiet streets of Perlycross--the people looked at him, as if he were astranger, and whispered to one another as he trotted by. Could they haveknown what had happened to his father?
With the brown tops still upon his sturdy legs, and spurs thicklyclotted with Somerset mud (crustier even than that of Devon) Fox leftthe bedroom with the door ajar, and found little Fay in a beehive chair,kneeling with her palms put together on the back, and striving hard topray, but disabled by deep sobs. Her lovely little cheeks and thickbright curls were dabbled into one another by the flood of tears; as amoss-rose, after a thundershower, has its petals tangled in the broideryof its sheath.
"Will he die, because I am so wicked? Will he die, because I cannot seethe face of God?" She was whispering, with streaming eyes intent uponthe sky-light, as if she were looking for a healthy Father there.
"No, my little darling, he will not die at all. Not for many years, Imean, when Fay is a great tall woman."
The child turned round with a flash of sudden joy, and leaped into hisarms, and flung her hair upon his shoulders, and kissed him, vehemently,
"With a one, two, three! If you want any more, you must kiss me."
like a true tiny queen of the nursery. Many little girls were very fondof Dr. Fox; although their pretty loves might end in a sombre potion.
"Now shall I tell you what to do, my dear?" said the truly starvingdoctor, with the smell of fine chops coming up the stairs, sweeter thaneven riper lips; "you want to help your dear daddy, don't you?"
Little Fay nodded, for her heart was full again, and the heel-tap of asob would have been behind her words.
"Then go in very quietly, and sit upon that chair, and don't make anynoise, even with your hair. Keep the door as it is, or a little wider;and never take your eyes from your dear father's face. If he keeps onsleeping, you stay quiet as a mouse; if he opens his eyes, slip outsoftly, and tell me. Now you understand all that, but you must not say aword."
The child was gazing at him, with her whole soul in her eyes, and herred lips working up and down across her teeth; as if her father's lifehung upon her self-control. Dr. Fox was hard put to it to look theproper gravity. As if he would have put this little thing in charge, ifthere had been any real charge in it!
"Grand is the faith of childhood. What a pity it gets rubbed out sosoon!" he said to himself, as he went down the stairs, and the childcrept into her father's room, as if the whole world hung upon her prettylittle head.
Mrs. Muggridge had lighted two new candles, of a size consideredgigantic then--for eight of them weighed a pound almost--and not onlythat, but also of materials scarcely yet accepted as orthodox. For"Composites" was their name, and their nature was neither sound tallow,nor steadfast wax. Grocer Wood had sent them upon trial gratis; but hewas a Dissenter, though a godly man; and the housekeeper, being aconvert to the Church, was not at all sure that they would not blow up.Therefore she lit them first for Dr. Fox, as a hardy young man, withsome knowledge of mixtures.
"He is going on famously, as well as can be, Muggridge;" the doctorreplied to her anxious glance. "He will not wake till twelve, or oneo'clock, to-morrow; and then I shall be here, if possible. The greatpoint then will be to feed him well. Beef-tea, and arrow-root, every twohours, with a little port wine in the arrow-root. No port wine in thehouse? Then I will send some, that came from my father's own cellar.Steal all his clothes, and keep a female in the room. The Parson is amodest man, and that will keep him down. But here comes my mutton chop.Well done, Susanna! What a cook! What skill and science, at the earlyage of ten!"
This was one of Dr. Jemmy's little jokes; for he knew that Susanna wasat least seventeen, and had not a vestige of cookery. But a doctor, likea sexton, must be jolly, and leave the gravity to the middleman--theparson.
But instead of cutting in with her usual protest, and claim to thetriumph, whatever it might be, Mrs. Muggridge to his surprise held back,and considered his countenance, from the neighbourhood of the door. Shehad always been ready with her tit-for-tat, or lifting of her hand insoft remonstrance at his youthful levity. But now the good woman, frombehind the candles, seemed to want snuffing, as they began to do.
"Anything gone wrong in Perlycross, since I went away, Mrs. Muggridge?I don't mean the great loss the parish has sustained, or this bad attackof Mr. Penniloe's. That will be over, in a few days' time, now hisproper adviser is come back again. By the way, if you let Jackson comein at this front door--no, it mustn't lie with you, I will write alittle note, polite but firm, as the papers say; it shall go to hishouse by my boy Jack, to save professional amenities: but if he comesbefore he gets it, meet him at the door with another, which I will leavewith you. But what makes you look so glum at me, my good woman? Out withit, if I have hurt your feelings. You may be sure that I never meant todo so."
"Oh sir, is it possible that you don't know what has happened?" Thyatiracame forward, with her apron to her eyes. She was very kind-hearted, andliked this young man; but she knew how young men may be carried away,especially when puffed up with worldly wisdom.
"I have not the least idea what you mean, Mrs. Muggridge." Fox
spokerather sternly, for his nature was strong, and combative enough uponoccasion, though his temper was sweet and playful; and he knew that manylies had been spread abroad about him, chiefly by members of his ownprofession. "My ears are pretty sharp, as suits my name, and I heard youmuttering once or twice--'He can't have done it. I won't believe it ofhim.' Now if you please, what is it I am charged with doing?"
"Oh sir, you frighten me when you look like that. I could never havebelieved that you had such eyes."
"Never mind my eyes. Look here, my good woman. Would you like to havewicked lies told about you? I have been away for three days, calledsuddenly from home, before daylight on Saturday morning. My father wasseized with a sudden attack, for the first time in his life. He isgetting old; and I suppose a son's duty was to go. Very well, I leavehim on Tuesday morning, because I have urgent cases here; and he has hisown excellent doctor. I pass up the village, and everybody looks as if Ihad cut his throat. I go home, concluding that I must be mazed--as youpeople call it--from want of food and sleep. But when I get home, my ownman, and boy, and old Betty, all rush out, and stare at me. 'Are youmad?' I call out, and instead of answering, they tell me the Parson isdying, and at the mercy of Jervis Jackson. I know what that means, andwithout quitting saddle come back here and rout the evil one. Then whathappens? Why, my very first mouthful is poisoned by the black looks of athoroughly good woman. Tell me what it is, or by George and the Dragon,I'll ride home, and drag it out of my own people."
"Can you prove you were away, sir? Can you show when you left home?"Thyatira began to draw nearer, and forgot to keep a full-sized chair'twixt the Doctor and herself.
"To be sure, I can prove that I have been at Foxden, by at least a scoreof witnesses, if needful."
"Thank the Lord in heaven, that He hath not quite forgotten us! Susanna,have another plate hot, but be sure you don't meddle with the grid-iron.Bad enough for Perlycross it must be anyhow; a disgrace the old parishcan never get over--but ever so much better than if you, our owndoctor----"
"Good-bye, Mrs. Muggridge! You'll see me to-morrow."
"Oh no, sir, no. I will tell you now just. How could I begin, when Ithought you had done it? At least I never thought that, I am sure. Buthow was I to contradict it? And the rudest thing ever done outside ofLondon! The poor Squire's grave hath been robbed by somebody, and allPerlycross is mad about it."
"What!" cried Jemmy Fox. "Do you mean Sir Thomas Waldron? It cannot be.No one would dare to do such a thing."
"But some one hath, sir, sure enough. Mr. Jakes it was, sir, as firstfound it out, and a more truthfuller man never lived in any parish. Mymaster doth not know a word of it yet. Thank the Lord almost for thischill upon his lungs; for the blow might have killed him, if he had beenthere, with such a disorderly thing on his back. We must hide it fromhim, as long as ever we can. To tell the truth, I was frightened to letyou go up to him, with every one so positive about the one who did it.But you wouldn't take no denial, and I am very glad you wouldn't. But dohave t'other chop, sir; it's a better one than this was. Oh, I beg yourpardon. I forgot to draw the blind down."
The truth was that she had been afraid till now to sever herself fromthe outer world, and had kept Susanna on the kitchen stairs; but now shefelt as certain of the young man's innocence, as she had been of hisguilt before.
"Nothing more, thank you," said Fox, sitting back, and clenching hishand upon the long bread-knife; "and so all the parish, and even you,were only too delighted to believe that I, who have worked among younearly three years now, chiefly for the good of the poor and helpless,and never taken sixpence when it was hard to spare--that I would rob thegrave of a man, whom I revered and loved, as if he were my father. Thisis what you call Christianity, is it? And no one can be saved exceptsuch Christians as yourselves! The only Christian in the parish is yourparson. Excuse me--I have no right to be angry with--with a woman, forany want of charity. Come tell me this precious tale, and I'll forgiveyou. No doubt the evidence is very strong against me."
Thyatira was not pleased with this way of taking it. She thought thatthe charity was on her side, for accepting the doctor's own tale sofrankly. So she fell back upon her main buttress.
"If you please, Dr. Fox," she said with some precision; "as women belacking in charity, therefore the foremost of all godly graces, youmight think it fairer to see Sergeant Jakes, a military man and upright.And being the first as he was to discover, I reckon he hath the firstright to speak out. Susanna seeth light in the schoolroom still thoughall the boys be gone, and books into the cupboards. Ah, he is the truebranch for discipline. Do 'e good to look in at the window after dusk,and the candles as straight as if the French was coming. 'I am theVine,' saith the Lord, 'and ye'--but you know what it is, Dr. Jemmy,though seldom to be found, whether Church it be, or Chapel. Only if youmake a point of seeing the man that knoweth more than all of us puttogether, the new pupil, Master Peckover, is a very obliging younggentleman, and one as finds it hard upon him to keep still."
"Oh, he is come, is he? I have heard some tales of him. It struck methere was more noise than usual in the pupils' room. Let me think amoment, if you please. Yes, I had better see Sergeant Jakes. He may be aqueer old codger, but he will stick to what he sees and says. Tell thosenoisy fellows, that they must keep quiet. They want High Jarks amongthem with his biggest vine, as you seem to call his cane."