CHAPTER VIII
Entertaining a Stranger
'In all things Mindful not of _herself, but bearing_ the burden of others.'--_Longfellow._
It was Sunday evening. Agatha sat by the drawing-room window, herBible on her lap, and her thoughts far away from things of earth. Allthe rest of the household were at church, and she was enjoying thestillness around her. The sun was setting just behind the pine treesin the distance, and shedding a rosy glow upon their slender stems; thehush of night seemed to be falling on all Nature, and Agatha was sowrapped up in her thoughts, that she did not notice the figure of a manquietly and swiftly approaching the house. She was the more startledwhen a voice broke upon the stillness; and she looked up to see a manstanding close outside the window.
'Pardon me, madam, but will you kindly allow me to enter? I wish tohave a few words with you.'
Visions of housebreakers, robbing, and perhaps murdering, if theirwishes were denied them, flitted through Agatha's perturbed mind. Sheknew she was alone in the house, and beyond the reach of any help; shealso realized that all the three French windows leading out to theverandah were open; but, nevertheless, she showed a brave front.Without rising from her seat, she looked the intruder straight in theface.
'Perhaps, if you will make known your errand, I will comply with yourrequest. You are at present a perfect stranger to me.'
Her visitor smiled. He was an elderly man, with a stoop in hisshoulders, and a rather shabby great-coat buttoned tight up under hischin.
'My errand might startle you,' he said; 'I wish to get at something inthe study cupboard.'
Poor Agatha's heart beat loudly. 'That you cannot do without theowner's consent,' she replied sternly, 'and he is at present abroad.'
Then with a little old-fashioned bow the stranger took off his hat.
'No, madam, he is not abroad. He is before you!'
Agatha stared at him. She saw rather kindly-looking blue eyes peeringat her through thick shaggy eyebrows; a care-worn, smooth-shaven face,with a very broad intellectual brow, and a smile that somehow or otherdisarmed her suspicions.
'Are you--are you sure?' she faltered stupidly.
'Sure that my name is Thomas Lester, and that instead of being a trampor burglar molesting a lonely woman, I am now respectfully solicitingadmission into my own house? Yes, madam, I assure you on the honour ofa gentleman that I am no impostor!'
Agatha rose at once. 'Then please come in, and forgive my suspicions.I never heard of your return.'
'No,' he said, stepping inside and quietly taking a seat; 'I came backhurriedly, and did not wish my visit here to be known. That is why Ichose to come down from London to-day, for I knew my respected brotherwould be safely and piously conducting his devotions in church. Haveyou made his acquaintance, Miss Dane?'
'No, he has not called upon us.'
'And you have seen nothing of my son? Do you know my story? I see bythe book that you are reading that you must be a good woman. I knowyou are a brave one by my reception. May I confide in you a little?'
Agatha looked up sympathetically.
'We do know something about you,' she said; 'quite enough to make usfeel very sorry for you.'
Mr. Lester then told her again much of what she had already heard, withadditions, which drew out her sympathy still more for him. He told herthat when he reached the farm where his son had been working, he foundhe had left it, saying he was going to track out his cousin, and wouldnever come back till he had found him.
'My journey was fruitless, and then, after making many uselessinquiries, I fancied he might have returned home, as my last letter tohim had urged him to be home again without fail before this summerwould be over. So I came back, and find from my agents in London thathe must be still abroad. My journey out there was a failure; both ladsare swallowed up in the Australian bush, but I don't believe they aredead, and I am convinced that Alick will never come back withouttidings of his cousin. Their affection for each other was absurd,preposterous, and utterly out of place.'
He paused, and Agatha asked anxiously:---
'Are you going back to Australia again?'
'I don't know.'
'Perhaps you wish to return here?'
'Not at all. I never will, until things are on a different footingbetween myself and my brother. He has insulted me openly in thisneighbourhood; even daring to hint that I have plotted to get rid ofhis son! No, I came to get something I want out of my locked cupboard.I conclude you will have no objection to my doing this?'
'Certainly not'; and Agatha rose and led him to the study. She lefthim there, but as she turned away she heard him quietly lock the doorbehind her; and again she felt a nervous thrill run through her, as shewondered if he were an impostor after all.
Half an hour later he came back to her in the drawing-room.
'I am going to do a foolish thing,' he said; 'I cannot tell what impelsme to do it, but the very thing I was going to take away I amdeliberately going to leave here with you.'
'I would rather you took it away, whatever it is,' Agatha said hastily.
'It will not be in your way. I see you are careful tenants, and aslong as you keep my wishes respected about that locked cupboard, itwill be safe; far safer than if I carried it about with me, as Ithought of doing. If you wish to correspond with me at any time, myagents in London will forward anything to me. I will give you theircard. One thing I am going to leave with you, and this shows theconfidence I place in you. It is the secret of opening that cupboard.I have sealed the directions up in this envelope; and I want you togive me your solemn promise that you will keep it as I give it to you,in trust for my son. When he returns, he will be sure to find his waydown here. Be kind to him, and give him the envelope. I have neverconfided to him the secret of the cupboard, and I wish him to open itas soon as he arrives. It is most important he should.
'You may wonder at my trusting a comparative stranger with such acharge, but I am a good reader of faces, and I do not think you willfail me. Promise me you will keep this envelope from the knowledge ofany one, even from your sisters; and promise me you will do what Idesire about it!'
But,' objected Agatha, 'we may not live here always. If we leavebefore your son returns----'
'My son is bound to come back before the end of this year, if he isalive.'
'Then will he wish to come and live here?'
'No. Neither my son nor I will ever live here again, I fancy.'
'Then where will you be when your son returns?'
'I do not know. In my grave, perhaps. I have told you my agents'address.'
So, after a little hesitation and a great deal of wonder, Agatha gavehim her promise to act as he wished. Seeing he looked tired and worn,she asked him if he would have any refreshment, but he refused.
'You need not make my visit known throughout the neighbourhood,' hesaid, standing up and buttoning up his coat; then glancing at herBible, which lay open on the table by her side, he added rathersarcastically:
'If you want a Bible study, Miss Dane, discover the answer to aproposition made in the Book of Jeremiah. I believe it's in the firstverse of the twelfth chapter. You see I know my Bible well.'
'And so do I,' said Agatha, smiling, 'though not so well as I ought.And I can tell you that the same proposition troubled David; but hesolved it in the sanctuary.'
'Is that a hint to me?' said Mr. Lester, a little taken aback by herquick reply.
'No; though don't you think it a pity to hold aloof from God's worshipon the day set apart for it? Even the heathen are more respectful totheir false gods.'
'I did not expect to receive a sermon here,' he responded, with alittle dry smile.
'No, and I would not presume to give it,' said Agatha, smiling in herturn. 'And don't be surprised that I knew your verse in Jeremiah sowell. I came across it the other day, and thought it fitted in wellwith a favourite Psalm of ours, the thirty-seventh. We have had anexperience something
like yours, and it would make one bittersometimes, if one did not remember that our circumstances are beingshaped by God Himself.'
Mr. Lester said nothing, but held out his hand, and Agatha took it,feeling strangely drawn to him. They shook hands, and then, as Mr.Lester stepped out into the verandah, he turned.
'Remember your promise, and offer a prayer sometimes for a disappointedold man who fears he won't live to see his hopes fulfilled.'
He disappeared in the fast-falling twilight, and Agatha sat in herchair, gazing before her as if in a dream. Her sisters found herstrangely preoccupied when they returned; but when they were enjoying acold supper together, and the maids were out of the room, she told themof her strange visitor, begging them to say nothing of it to any one,and purposely omitting to tell them of the envelope entrusted to her.
'Are you perfectly certain he was genuine?' said Gwen anxiously. 'Itwas a very risky thing to let him have sole possession of the study!Why did you not offer to stay in the room with him?'
'How could I? He locked himself in!'
'Worse and worse! He might have been taking impressions of the locks,and will break into the house another night by the study window!'
Agatha shook her head with a confident smile. 'He was a gentleman, andhad a true face; I am not at all afraid of him.'
'It is quite an adventure,' said Clare, flushing up with excitement.'Now, what do you think he wanted to get at in the cupboard? Is it atreasure store, or does it hide some ghastly secret? I really think Ishould have peeped through the key-hole, and seen how he opened it. Itwould have been such an opportunity.'
'Did you dismiss him with a tract?' asked Gwen mockingly.
'No, I had not one by me,' said Agatha simply. 'I feel very sorry forhim. He is in great trouble about his son.'
'And you are sure he does not want to come back and turn us out? Itwould be very awkward if he did.'
'He seemed quite certain on that point.'
Gwen heaved a sigh of relief. 'I think I will tell you what I purposedoing, she said rather solemnly; 'or shall I put it off till to-morrow?'
'"'Tis the Sabbath,"' quoted Elfie, mimicking old Deb Howitt's tones.
'If it is anything startling, I would rather you kept it tillto-morrow,' said Agatha; 'I have had quite enough to startle mealready.'
'Oh, very well,' responded Gwen unconcernedly; 'my news will keep.'
But she was disappointed that no one seemed curious enough to press herfor more information, and the next day, after working hard all themorning in the garden, went off to see the Howitts in the afternoon.
Gwen had taken a real liking to the sisters, and would often drop inupon Patty, and have a cup of tea with her when her sister was away.
It was a warm day, and she was glad to reach the cottage, with itsshady orchard round it, after the blazing meadows she had crossed.
Under an old apple-tree, on a low stool, she found Patty sitting,knitting furiously away at a grey worsted stocking, and muttering toherself as she did so.
'What is the matter?' Gwen asked gaily, as she took a seat on the grassby her side; 'you look quite agitated!'
''Tis one of our bad days,' said Patty, looking up and shaking her headdolefully. ''Tis generally the wash-tub that does it, and Monday isour washing day. I did mean to be careful that my lips didn't offend,but 'tis no good when she's of an argumentative turn! Yes, miss, she'slocked me out, and I hope she's enjoyin' herself, for on Mondays Ialways bakes a cake for tea. Deb never did have a light hand for suchthings, and she's a-messin' in there with my flour bin, and pilin' tonsof coal on the fire, for I've been watchin' the smoke, and I can tell,and if I'm kept out here till dark, I'll maintain a promised wife comesbefore a sister!'
'Is that the discussion?' asked Gwen, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
'Now let me put it to you, miss, and she'd no business to begin it overthe wash-tub, for it wants a cool head and a quiet mind to tackle suchthings. She was tellin' me of a case that was told her up atThornicroft Manor, which is three mile the other side of Brambleton;and the housekeeper knew the parties concerned, being first cousin onceremoved to the young man. He was engaged to be married to an orphangirl, a-tryin' to earn her livin' by dressmakin', but makin' a verypoor thing out of it. And they had kept company for six years, andthen his mother died and left his only sister on his hands. But mindyou, miss, they were a-goin' to be married, and had fixed the daybefore his mother took ill, and then what does the young fellow do butbreak it all off with his girl, sayin' he was only able to keep onewoman, and that would have to be his sister! Now what do you think,miss? I say it was a cryin' shame of him, and Deb, she will have hedid right, for his sister was delicate, and flesh and blood come first,she says. We argued it up and down, and she cried him up, and I criedhim down, and we gets hotter and hotter. We couldn't keep off it afterwe left the wash-tubs and was a-havin' a bit of dinner; but I sticks toit that a promised wife comes first, and then, with a shove, I foundmyself out of doors, and the key locked behind me!'
Gwen laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks. Old Patty's intenseinterest in the unknown young couple, and her warm partisanship for thelittle dressmaker, together with her tragic tone and injured demeanour,were too much for her gravity.
'You are two foolish old women,' she said at last. 'I suppose it islove of your own opinions, and not the fate of these strangers, thatmakes you so combative. Which of you has the stronger will?'
'Ay, we're wonderful alike in temper, more's the pity, but I considermyself a fitter judge of right and wrong than Deb, who goes about andhears so much that it's all hearin' and no meditatin', whiles I sithere, and has the time and opportoonity to weigh the matters in andout, without the clack of many tongues to confuse my brain and make mesay a man is a saint when he is a fool, not to say a sinner!'
Nothing that Gwen could say would calm the old woman, and when she wentup to the cottage door, Deb remained conveniently deaf to all herknocks. She came home, and gave a graphic description of the quarrelto her sisters; but when their obstinacy was being condemned, Agathasaid in her quiet way:
'Well, Gwen, you ought to have sympathy with them, for if any one evergoes against you, I am sure you feel as they do.'
'You mean I am fond of my own way and opinions, and won't bearcontradiction! Oh, Agatha, how you love to preach to us all! I won'tsay you are mistaken, for I am not going to get up an argument, and Iwant you all to be especially agreeable while I lay a plan of minebefore you.'
'Now for it,' murmured Clare; and both Agatha and Elfie leant back intheir chairs, the one in anxious, the other in amused anticipation ofwhat might follow.