CHAPTER XI
Agatha's Legacy
One by one, bright gifts from Heaven, Joys are sent thee here below; Take them readily when given, Ready, too, to let them go.'--_Adelaide Procter._
'Why, Agatha, what is the matter? You look quite scared! No bad newsby the post, is it?'
Elfie asked the question one morning as she came into the dining-roomto breakfast, and found Agatha staring out of the window with troubledeyes, and letting the brass kettle boil over on the white tableclothwith the greatest indifference.
She turned round and faced Elfie with pale cheeks.
'Mr. Lester is dead. It seems so sudden. He caught cold and died onthe voyage out to Australia. And his lawyer writes to tell me aboutit.'
Elfie looked startled.
'Must we turn out of the house?'
'That is the strange part of it. The lawyer says he had a visit fromMr. Lester before he went, in which he informed him he was going toleave this house to me unconditionally, and a codicil has been added tohis will to that effect.'
'Why, Agatha, I can hardly believe it! He must have fallen in lovewith you on the spot. Whatever induced him to think of such a thing?'
'I am sure I don't know, unless he was afraid of his cupboard. When Isay he leaves the house to us unconditionally, that is the onlycondition he makes, that we live in the house and keep that cupboardlocked till his son returns, and then let him have the contents. Hetold the lawyer he had left it to me as a trust, and he knew I was awoman of honour, so he would have no anxiety about it. And in returnfor this he bequeaths to us the house for good and all. I wonder whathis son will say to it, if he ever does come back! I hardly know whatto do about it. It seems so very extraordinary!'
But, extraordinary as it was, Agatha found on further correspondencethat it was a fact. The house was legally bequeathed to her; and,after the first excitement of it was over, she thanked God with all herheart that she had now a certain dwelling. She had a great dislike tochange, and was so wedded to the country round her, and had made somany friends amongst the poor, that it had been a secret dread for along time that the owner would return, and they would have to move.She was telling Elfie something of the relief it was to her, when thelatter remarked,--
'Ah, well, Agatha, Nannie's text for you is true: "Trust in the Lord,and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt befed!" You are provided for, at any rate.'
'And don't you find your verse true, too?' asked Agatha quietly.
Elfie coloured a little, then laughed.
'Yes, I do; but life is so pleasant that I have had nothing to put myhappiness to the test.'
'And I hope it never need be,' was Agatha's response.
Not long after this Agatha was surprised by a visitor one afternoon,and this was no other than Major Lester.
He bowed stiffly to her when she entered the room.
'I have heard from my lawyer that the strange report flying about thisneighbourhood is true,' he began abruptly. 'You will excuse my comingto you to make a few inquiries, but had you any acquaintance with mypoor brother before you came here?'
'None whatever,' was Agatha's prompt reply.
'Then he is a perfect stranger to you?'
Agatha hesitated; then she said slowly,--
'I do not suppose it will matter now my mentioning it, but Mr. Lestercame here about a month ago.'
Major Lester looked astonished.
'I was unaware that my brother had been in England at all since hisvisit abroad; but he always was most erratic. And may I ask why hisvisit was to be kept a mystery?'
'I don't think there was any mystery about it. He simply asked me notto mention it.'
'Did he leave no message for me? May I ask his errand?'
'He left no message.'
Agatha was dignity itself. She was going to reveal nothing more, andMajor Lester saw as much, and resented it accordingly.
'Well, I see you and my brother came to some understanding together;and, I suppose, this freak of his is the result.'
Then, pulling himself up, as he felt his temper was getting the betterof him, he added, more blandly, 'Pray do not think I object to you aspermanent neighbours. If I had any ladies in my household, they wouldhave called on you before this. I came to you this morning becausethere is a locked cupboard of my brother's, which, as his nearestrelative, I presume I have a right to open. I believe there are familypapers in it of great importance. Perhaps you will kindly allow me togo into the study at once, as I am rather pressed for time.'
'I am sorry to have to refuse you, Major Lester, but I promised yourbrother that that cupboard should remain closed till his son came toopen it.'
Major Lester glared at her, but Agatha maintained her quiet composure.
'He must have been as mad as a hatter!' he muttered; then turnedangrily to her.
'And may I ask when my nephew is to be back, as you seem fullyconversant with the affairs of our family?'
'I do not know. Your brother thought he would return this year. Haveyou heard anything of your son?'
'My son has met his death by the hands of my nephew, at the instigationof his father! I warn you, Miss Dane, you may suffer the penalty ofthe law by refusing to let me have access to that cupboard. It is amere question of time. If my nephew does not return soon, I shallinsist upon having it opened, and I shall bring a lawyer with me toenforce my authority! I will not detain you longer now.Good-morning!' And Major Lester took his leave literally tremblingwith passion; so Agatha told her sisters afterwards.
'It is very unpleasant for us,' she added; 'I feel quite anxious lestMajor Lester should insist upon having his way.'
'Have you nothing in writing from Mr. Lester himself about it?' askedClare; 'I thought the lawyer sent you a written statement by him.'
'Yes, I have that; and, after all, the house is mine, and I supposethat includes the cupboard.'
'Of course it does. What did Mr. Lester say about the cupboard?'
'That it was not to be opened till his son came; and in this paper hebequeaths to me a certain portfolio of his that is in it. He says Ican make what use I like of the contents. But of course I shall notget that till his son appears.'
'It is very romantic altogether,' said Clare; then, trying to speakindifferently, she added: 'Does Major Lester know how to open thecupboard, Agatha? I fancy it is not a very easy task.'
'I don't know,' said Agatha; 'perhaps he does not. In that case it issafe.'
And she thought with satisfaction of her sealed envelope safe at thebottom of her dressing-case. 'Well,' she added, after a pause, 'I amnot going to worry over it. One must just do what is right, and leavethe result.'
'But,' said Clare dreamily, 'supposing there is a hidden crime in thatcupboard--papers that tell of the whereabouts of Major Lester'sson--should we be right in keeping it hidden? Supposing I were to finda way to open that cupboard, Agatha, should I be wrong in doing it?'
Agatha looked startled.
'What do you mean? Are you trying to open it, Clare? I should hopeyou would not be so dishonourable. It is given as a charge to us. Infact, it is the condition of our keeping this house. And do you thinkanything would make it right for us to betray such a trust? I know anhonest, upright man when I see him, and Mr. Lester was that, whateverMajor Lester may be!'
Clare laughed a little confusedly.
'You are getting quite excited. I never said I intended opening it. Iwish this wandering son would come back. Couldn't we advertise forhim?'
Their conversation was here interrupted by another visitor, and thiswas Miss Miller.
She came hurriedly and breathlessly in, pulling out the bows of herbonnet-strings, which was a way of hers when excited.
'Miss Dane, what is the meaning of this? No; I cannot stay to sitdown. I'm off to a committee meeting in Brambleton, for the "FriendlyGirls." The pony cart is waiting at the top of the lane. I have justmet Major Lester. He is terr
ibly put out by his visit here. Would nottell me particulars, but said you were siding with his nephew, who washiding from the hands of justice, and refused him admittance into hisbrother's study. You are new-comers, my dear, and this will not do.How did you get acquainted with Mr. Lester? The major says he has beenpaying you secret visits. Very improper--single young women cannot betoo careful. Why have you been keeping it a mystery? And what is itall about? And what is the secret of this mysterious cupboard?'
'That I cannot tell you, Miss Miller,' said Agatha, answering only thelast of her questions; 'for I do not know it myself.'
'But you know something! We are not accustomed to mysteries here, andthe major is an upright man, and a regular churchgoer, and his brotherwas a ne'er-do-well, But we won't say anything against him now, poorman! Only I assure you, you will make yourselves the talk of theneighbourhood if you three unmarried women scrape acquaintance with hisson, and espouse his cause with such hot vehemence!'
'Miss Miller,' said Clare, with burning cheeks, 'you have no businessto say such things of us; we have given you no cause to do so!'
Miss Miller just nodded her head up and down excitedly.
'I say just what I like, my dear, and no one is to dictate to me as tomy manner of speech, least of all a young chit of a girl who knowsnothing of life!'
Then Elfie came to the rescue, whilst Clare flounced out of the room ingreat indignation.
'Don't be cross with us, Miss Miller,' she said, in her pretty coaxingway. 'Major Lester left us when very angry, and you mustn't believeall he said about us.'
But Miss Miller would not be appeased, and she left very soon,declaring that it was all very 'strange indeed, and most mysterious,'and that 'people who could not be straightforward, and made their ownplans without reference to their spiritual guide, were a great trial tohave in the neighbourhood!'
'It really seems,' said Agatha, with a weary sigh, 'that Mr. Lester'slegacy will prove anything but a blessing! I do wish people wouldleave us alone.' But a short time afterwards Major Lester's wrath andMiss Miller's strong partisanship in his cause were quite eclipsed by agreater trouble.
Agatha took in _The Times_, and it was generally delivered at theirhouse about twelve o'clock in the morning, by the postmistress's littleboy, directly he came home from school.
One morning Clare met him at the gate, and opened it herself. She wasfeeling anxious and uneasy. For the first time Captain Knox had missedthe mail, and she was full of gloomy forebodings.
Agatha was tying up some straggling rose branches in the verandah, andElfie practising away in the drawing-room.
'Any news, Clare?' Agatha asked carelessly.
There was no answer. She looked up. Clare slowly came towards her,paper in hand. She was in a fresh white dress, with a bunch of crimsonroses in her belt, her golden hair shining in the sun, but her face wasas white as her dress itself, and she stared at Agatha as if she didnot see her. Agatha dropped her hammer and nails with a crash to theground.
'What is it, Clare? anything about Gwen?' she asked, in frightenedtones.
Clare handed her the paper without a word, and still gazed before her,as if she were in a dream.
Agatha soon found it. Only a terse, short telegram, mentioning thatreports of a massacre of a surveying party had just reached the Africancoast, and it was feared that none had escaped alive.
Captain Knox's name was amongst those of the party.
'It is only a report,' faltered Agatha.
'I know it is true,' said Clare steadily; and then she passed Agathaby, and went up to her room.
She locked her door, and seated herself in an easy chair by her windowwith the calmness of despair.
'He is dead, he is murdered, and he will never come back! I shallnever see him again, and my life is at an end with his!'
These thoughts burnt themselves into her brain.
She leant out of her window, and gazed over the sunny meadows, noticingthe smoke appearing from Patty's chimney, and a flock of swallowsflying through it. Then she watched the motions of a frisky colt inthe next field, and wondered if life seemed one long bright holiday tohim.
And then crushing her roses up in one hand, she flung them out of thewindow.
'What are roses and sunshine to me now?' she thought passionately, herwhole soul swelling in protest at the black cloud enveloping her.'What a bitter mockery this peaceful scenery is, when one remembers theawful fate that has fallen on Hugh and me!'
And then bending her head in her arms, she laid them on the lowwindow-sill, and sobs began to come that shook her from head to foot.Dry, tearless sobs they were at first, and she got up and paced herroom in hot rebellion.
'It is cruel--cruel of God! He does not care! He might have let mehave him back, when I was trying to be a true Christian! Such an awfuldeath! Oh, Hugh, Hugh! my heart is broken!'
She seized hold of a cabinet photo that stood on her dressing-table.It was Captain Knox in his regimentals; and as his frank, fearless gazemet hers, the flood of her tears was loosed, and they came thick andfast, relieving her brain, but exhausting all her strength by theirvehemence. Luncheon time came, but no one could get her out of herroom, and Agatha wisely let her alone. At five o'clock she tried herdoor again, and this time Clare unlocked it, and met her on thethreshold with tumbled hair, flushed face, and defiant eyes.
'What do you want? Can't you leave me alone?'
'Oh, Clare darling, how I wish I could comfort you! You will be ill ifyou don't take any food. Will you not have a cup of tea?'
Agatha's eyes were red with crying, and her lips quivered as she spoke.She laid her hand gently on Clare's arm, but it was shaken off, andClare turned her back upon her and walked to the window.
Then she burst forth passionately.
'I am not surprised! I knew when he went he would never come backagain. I believe it is this house that is a curse to us! I alwaysfelt from the first night we entered it that it would bring us trouble;and why I am to be the victim I don't know! I hate and loathe it!Leave me alone. You needn't be afraid of my starving myself. I wish Icould; but I have got to live, and I shall have to drag through it asbest I can. There is no chance of my dying of a broken heart. Peoplenever do. I shall outlive you all, I expect. What are you waitingfor? Do you want me to come downstairs?'
'No, I have some tea for you here.'
And Agatha disappeared, to bring in a dainty little meal on a tray.
As she put it down she said slowly: 'I wonder if you know where to takeyour trouble, Clare? God Himself will comfort you, if you let Him.'
'You needn't waste your breath in uttering platitudes, Agatha. I knowthat is the correct thing to say, but it doesn't do me an atom ofgood.' And Agatha left her with a sigh, and went to her own room topray for her, and to ask that her trouble should soften, and notharden, her heart against the only Comforter.