CHAPTER VI.
"The circle form'd, we sit in silent state, Like figures drawn upon a dial-plate; Yes ma'am, and no ma'am, uttered softly show, Every five minutes how the minutes go."
COWPER.
It is scarcely necessary to tell the reader that England, as regardedmaterial civilization, was a very different country a hundred yearssince, from what it is to-day. We are writing of an age of heavy wagons,coaches and six, post-chaises and four; and not of an era ofMacAdam-roads, or of cars flying along by steam. A man may now post downto a country-house, some sixty or eighty miles, to dinner; and this,too, by the aid of only a pair of horses; but, in 1745 such anengagement would have required at least a start on the previous day;and, in many parts of the island, it would have been safer to have takentwo days' grace. Scotland was then farther from Devonshire, in effect,than Geneva is now; and news travelled slowly, and with the usualexaggerations and uncertainties of delay. It was no wonder, then, that aJacobite who was posting off to his country-house--the focus of anEnglish landlord's influence and authority--filled with intelligencethat had reached him through the activity of zealous politicalpartisans, preceded the more regular tidings of the mail, by severalhours. The little that had escaped this individual, or his servantsrather, for the gentleman was tolerably discreet himself, confiding inonly one or two particular friends at each relay, had not got out to theworld, either very fully, or very clearly. Wycherly had usedintelligence in making his inquiries, and he had observed an officer'sprudence in keeping his news for the ears of his superior alone. WhenSir Gervaise joined the party in the drawing-room, therefore, he sawthat Sir Wycherly knew nothing of what had occurred at the north; and heintended the glance which he directed at the lieutenant to convey ahearty approval of his discretion. This forbearance did more to raisethe young officer in the opinion of the practised and thoughtfuladmiral, than the gallantry with which the youth had so recentlypurchased his commission; for while many were brave, few had theself-command, and prudence, under circumstances like the present, thatalone can make a man safe in the management of important publicinterests. The approbation that Sir Gervaise felt, and which he desiredto manifest, for Wycherly's prudence, was altogether a principle,however; since there existed no sufficient reason for keeping the secretfrom as confirmed a whig as his host. On the contrary, the sooner thoseopinions, which both of them would be apt to term sound, werepromulgated in the neighbourhood, the better it might prove for the goodcause. The vice-admiral, therefore, determined to communicate himself,as soon as the party was seated at table, the very secret which he somuch commended the youth for keeping. Admiral Bluewater joining thecompany, at this instant, Sir Wycherly led Mrs. Dutton to the table. Noalteration had taken place among the guests, except that Sir Gervaisewore the red riband; a change in his dress that his friend considered tobe openly hoisting the standard of the house of Hanover.
"One would not think, Sir Wycherly," commenced the vice-admiral,glancing his eyes around him, as soon as all were sealed; "that thisgood company has taken its place at your hospitable table, in the midstof a threatened civil war, if not of an actual revolution."
Every hand was arrested, and every eye turned towards the speaker; evenAdmiral Bluewater earnestly regarding his friend, anxious to know whatwould come next.
"I believe my household is in due subjection," answered Sir Wycherly,gazing to the right and left, as if he expected to see his butlerheading a revolt; "and I fancy the only change we shall see to-day, willbe the removal of the courses, and the appearance of their successors."
"Ay, so says the hearty, comfortable Devonshire baronet, while seated athis own board, favoured by abundance and warm friends. But it would seemthe snake was only scotched; not killed."
"Sir Gervaise Oaken has grown figurative; with his _snakes_ and_scotch_ings," observed the rear-admiral, a little drily.
"It is _Scotch_-ing, as you say with so much emphasis, Bluewater. Isuppose, Sir Wycherly--I suppose, Mr. Dutton, and you, my pretty younglady--I presume all of you have heard of such a person as thePretender;--some of you may possibly have _seen_ him."
Sir Wycherly now dropt his knife and fork, and sat gazing at the speakerin amazement. To him the Christian religion, the liberties of thesubject--more especially of the baronet and lord of the manor, who hadfour thousand a year--and the Protestant succession, all seemed to be insudden danger.
"I always told my brother, the judge--Mr. Baron Wychecombe, who is deadand gone--that what between the French, that rogue the Pope, and thespurious offspring of King James II., we should yet see troublesometimes in England! And now, sir, my predictions are verified!"
"Not as to England, yet, my good sir. Of Scotland I have not quite sogood news to tell you; as your namesake, here, brings us the tidingsthat the son of the Pretender has landed in that kingdom, and israllying the clans. He has come unattended by any Frenchmen, it wouldseem, and has thrown himself altogether on the misguided nobles andfollowers of his house."
"'Tis, at least, a chivalrous and princely act!" exclaimed AdmiralBluewater.
"Yes--inasmuch as it is a heedless and mad one. England is not to beconquered by a rabble of half-dressed Scotchmen."
"True; but England may be conquered by England, notwithstanding."
Sir Gervaise now chose to remain silent, for never before had Bluewatercome so near betraying his political bias, in the presence of thirdpersons. This pause enabled Sir Wycherly to find his voice.
"Let me see, Tom," said the baronet, "fifteen and ten are twenty-five,and ten are thirty, and ten are forty-five--it is just thirty yearssince the Jacobites were up before! It would seem that half a human lifeis not sufficient to fill the cravings of a Scotchman's maw, for Englishgold."
"Twice thirty years would hardly quell the promptings of a noble spirit,when his notions of justice showed him the way to the English throne,"observed Bluewater, coolly. "For my part, I like the spirit of thisyoung prince, for he who nobly dares, nobly deserves. What say you, mybeautiful neighbour?"
"If you mean to address me, sir, by that compliment," answered Mildred,modestly, but with the emphasis that the gentlest of her sex are apt touse when they feel strongly; "I must be suffered to say that I hopeevery Englishman will dare as nobly, and deserve as well in defence ofhis liberties."
"Come--come, Bluewater," interrupted Sir Gervaise, with a gravity thatalmost amounted to reproof; "I cannot permit such innuendoes before oneso young and unpractised. The young lady might really suppose that HisMajesty's fleet was entrusted to men unworthy to enjoy his confidence,by the cool way in which you carry on the joke. I propose, now, SirWycherly, that we eat our dinner in peace, and say no more about thismad expedition, until the cloth is drawn, at least. It's a long road toScotland, and there is little danger that this adventurer will find hisway into Devonshire before the nuts are placed before us."
"It would be nuts to us, if he did, Sir Gervaise," put in Tom Wycherly,laughing heartily at his own wit. "My uncle would enjoy nothing morethan to see the spurious sovereign on his own estate, here, and in thehands of his own tenants. I think, sir, that Wychecombe and one or twoof the adjoining manors, would dispose of him."
"That might depend on circumstances," the admiral answered, a littledrily. "These Scots have such a thing as a claymore, and are desperatefellows, they tell me, at a charge. The very fact of arming a soldierwith a short sword, shows a most bloody-minded disposition."
"You forget, Sir Gervaise, that we have our Cornish hug, here in thewest of England; and I will put our fellows against any Scotch regimentthat ever charged an enemy."
Tom laughed again at his own allusion to a proverbial mode of grappling,familiar to the adjoining county.
"This is all very well, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, so long as Devonshire isin the west of England, and Scotland lies north of the Tweed. SirWycherly might as well leave the matter in the hands of the Duke and hisregulars, if it were only in the way of letting every man follow his owntrade."
; "It strikes me as so singularly insolent in a base-born boy like this,pretending to the English crown, that I can barely speak of him withpatience! We all know that his father was a changeling, and the son of achangeling can have no more right than the father himself. I do notremember what the law terms such pretenders; but I dare say it issomething sufficiently odious."
"_Filius nullius_, Thomas," said Sir Wycherly, with a little eagernessto show his learning. "That's the very phrase. I have it from the firstauthority; my late brother, Baron Wychecombe, giving it to me with hisown mouth, on an occasion that called for an understanding of suchmatters. The judge was a most accurate lawyer, particularly in all thatrelated to names; and I'll engage, if he were living at this moment, hewould tell you the legal appellation of a changeling ought to be _filiusnullius_."
In spite of his native impudence, and an innate determination to makehis way in the world, without much regard to truth, Tom Wychecombe felthis cheek burn so much, at this innocent allusion of his reputed uncle,that he was actually obliged to turn away his face, in order to concealhis confusion. Had any moral delinquency of his own been implicated inthe remark, he might have found means to steel himself against itsconsequences; but, as is only too often the case, he was far moreashamed of a misfortune over which he had no possible control, than hewould have been of a crime for which he was strictly responsible inmorals. Sir Gervaise smiled at Sir Wycherly's knowledge of law terms,not to say of Latin; and turning good-humouredly to his friend therear-admiral, anxious to re-establish friendly relations with him, hesaid with well-concealed irony--
"Sir Wycherly must be right, Bluewater. A changeling is _nobody_--thatis to say, he is not the _body_ he pretends to be, which issubstantially being nobody--and the son of nobody, is clearly a _filiusnullius_. And now having settled what may be called the law of the case,I demand a truce, until we get our nuts--for as to Mr. ThomasWychecombe's having _his_ nut to crack, at least to-day, I take it thereare too many loyal subjects in the north."
When men know each other as well as was the case with our two admirals,there are a thousand secret means of annoyance, as well as ofestablishing amity. Admiral Bluewater was well aware that Sir Gervaisewas greatly superior to the vulgar whig notion of the day, whichbelieved in the fabricated tale of the Pretender's spurious birth; andthe secret and ironical allusion he had made to his impression on thatsubject, acted as oil to his own chafed spirit, disposing him tomoderation. This had been the intention of the other; and the smilesthey exchanged, sufficiently proved that their usual mental intercoursewas temporarily restored at least.
Deference to his guests made Sir Wycherly consent to change the subject,though he was a little mystified with the obvious reluctance of the twoadmirals to speak of an enterprise that ought to be uppermost, accordingto his notion of the matter, in every Englishman's mind. Tom hadreceived a rebuke that kept him silent during the rest of the dinner;while the others were content to eat and drink, as if nothing hadhappened.
It is seldom that a party takes its seat at table without some secretman[oe]uvring, as to the neighbourhood, when the claims of rank andcharacter do not interfere with personal wishes. Sir Wycherly had placedSir Gervaise on his right and Mrs. Dutton on his left. But AdmiralBluewater had escaped from his control, and taken his seat next toMildred, who had been placed by Tom Wychecombe close to himself, at thefoot of the table. Wycherly occupied the seat opposite, and thiscompelled Dutton, and Mr. Rotherham, the vicar, to fill the other twochairs. The good baronet had made a wry face, at seeing a rear-admiralso unworthily bestowed; but Sir Gervaise assuring him that his friendwas never so happy as when in the service of beauty, he was fain tosubmit to the arrangement.
That Admiral Bluewater was struck with Mildred's beauty, and pleasedwith her natural and feminine manner, one altogether superior to whatmight have been expected from her station in life, was very apparent toall at table; though it was quite impossible to mistake his parental andfrank air for any other admiration than that which was suitable to thedifference in years, and in unison with their respective conditions andexperience. Mrs. Dutton, so far from taking the alarm at therear-admiral's attentions, felt gratification in observing them; andperhaps she experienced a secret pride in the consciousness of theirbeing so well merited. It has been said, already, that she was, herself,the daughter of a land-steward of a nobleman, in an adjoining county;but it may be well to add, here, that she had been so great a favouritewith the daughters of her father's employer, as to have been admitted,in a measure, to their society; and to have enjoyed some of theadvantages of their education. Lady Wilmeter, the mother of the youngladies, to whom she was admitted as a sort of humble companion, hadformed the opinion it might be an advantage to the girl to educate herfor a governess; little conceiving, in her own situation, that she waspreparing a course of life for Martha Ray, for such was Mrs. Dutton'smaiden name, that was perhaps the least enviable of all the careers thata virtuous and intelligent female can run. This was, as education andgovernesses were appreciated a century ago; the world, with all itsfaults and sophisms, having unquestionably made a vast stride towardsreal civilization, and moral truths, in a thousand important interests,since that time. Nevertheless, the education was received, together witha good many tastes, and sentiments, and opinions, which it may well bequestioned, whether they contributed most to the happiness orunhappiness of the pupil, in her future life. Frank Dutton, then ahandsome, though far from polished young sea-lieutenant, interfered withthe arrangement, by making Martha Ray his wife, when she wastwo-and-twenty. This match was suitable, in all respects, with theimportant exception of the educations and characters of the parties.Still, as a woman may well be more refined, and in some things, evenmore intelligent than her husband; and as sailors, in the commencementof the eighteenth century, formed a class of society much more distinctthan they do to-day, there would have been nothing absolutelyincompatible with the future well-being of the young couple, had eachpursued his, or her own career, in a manner suitable to their respectiveduties. Young Dutton took away his bride, with the two thousand poundsshe had received from her father, and for a long time he was seen nomore in his native county. After an absence of some twenty years,however, he returned, broken in constitution, and degraded in rank. Mrs.Dutton brought with her one child, the beautiful girl introduced to thereader, and to whom she was studiously imparting all she had herselfacquired in the adventitious manner mentioned. Such were the means, bywhich Mildred, like her mother, had been educated above her condition inlife; and it had been remarked that, though Mrs. Dutton had probably nocause to felicitate herself on the possession of manners and sentimentsthat met with so little sympathy, or appreciation, in her actualsituation, she assiduously cultivated the same manners and opinions inher daughter; frequently manifesting a sort of sickly fastidiousness onthe subject of Mildred's deportment and tastes. It is probable the girlowed her improvement in both, however, more to the circumstance of herbeing left so much alone with her mother, than to any positive lessonsshe received; the influence of example, for years, producing its usualeffects.
No one in Wychecombe positively knew the history of Dutton'sprofessional degradation. He had never risen higher than to be alieutenant; and from this station he had fallen by the sentence of acourt-martial. His restoration to the service, in the humbler and almosthopeless rank of a master, was believed to have been brought about byMrs. Dutton's influence with the present Lord Wilmeter, who was thebrother of her youthful companions. That the husband had wasted hismeans, was as certain as that his habits, on the score of temperance atleast, were bad, and that his wife, if not positively broken-hearted,was an unhappy woman; one to be pitied, and admired. Sir Wycherly waslittle addicted to analysis, but he could not fail to discover thesuperiority of the wife and daughter, over the husband and father; andit is due to his young namesake to add, that his obvious admiration ofMildred was quite as much owing to her mind, deportment, character, andtastes, as to her exceeding personal charms.
This littl
e digression may perhaps, in the reader's eyes, excuse theinterest Admiral Bluewater took in our heroine. With the indulgence ofyears and station, and the tact of a man of the world, he succeeded indrawing Mildred out, without alarming her timidity; and he was surprisedat discovering the delicacy of her sentiments, and the accuracy of herknowledge. He was too conversant with society, and had too much goodtaste, to make any deliberate parade of opinions; but in the quietmanner that is so easy to those who are accustomed to deal with truthsand tastes as familiar things, he succeeded in inducing her to answerhis own remarks, to sympathize with his feelings, to laugh when helaughed, and to assume a look of disapproval, when he felt thatdisapprobation was just. To all this Wycherly was a delighted witness,and in some respects he participated in the conversation; for there wasevidently no wish on the part of the rear-admiral to monopolize hisbeautiful companion to himself. Perhaps the position of the young man,directly opposite to her, aided in inducing Mildred to bestow so manygrateful looks and sweet smiles, on the older officer; for she could notglance across the table, without meeting the admiring gaze of Wycherly,fastened on her own blushing face.
It is certain, if our heroine did not, during this repast, make aconquest of Admiral Bluewater, in the ordinary meaning of the term, thatshe made him a friend. Sir Gervaise, even, was struck with the singularand devoted manner in which his old messmate gave all his attention tothe beautiful girl at his side; and, once or twice, he caught himselfconjecturing whether it were possible, that one as practised, assensible, and as much accustomed to the beauties of the court, asBluewater, had actually been caught, by the pretty face of a countrygirl, when so well turned of fifty, himself! Then discarding the notionas preposterous, he gave his attention to the discourse of Sir Wycherly;a dissertation on rabbits, and rabbit-warrens. In this manner the dinnerpassed away.
Mrs. Dutton asked her host's permission to retire, with her daughter, atthe earliest moment permitted by propriety. In quitting the room shecast an anxious glance at the face of her husband, which was alreadybecoming flushed with his frequent applications of port; and spite of aneffort to look smiling and cheerful, her lips quivered, and by the timeshe and Mildred reached the drawing-room, tears were fast falling downher cheeks. No explanation was asked, or needed, by the daughter, whothrew herself into her mother's arms, and for several minutes they wepttogether, in silence. Never had Mrs. Dutton spoken, even to Mildred, ofthe besetting and degrading vice of her husband; but it had beenimpossible to conceal its painful consequences from the world; much lessfrom one who lived in the bosom of her family. On that failing which thewife treated so tenderly, the daughter of course could not touch; butthe silent communion of tears had got to be so sweet to both, that,within the last year, it was of very frequent occurrence.
"Really, Mildred," said the mother, at length, after having succeeded insuppressing her emotion, and in drying her eyes, while she smiled fondlyin the face of the lovely and affectionate girl; "this Admiral Bluewateris getting to be so particular, I hardly know how to treat the matter."
"Oh! mother, he is a delightful old gentleman! and he is so gentle,while he is so frank, that he wins your confidence almost before youknow it. I wonder if he could have been serious in what he said aboutthe noble daring and noble deserving of Prince Edward!"
"That must pass for trifling, of course; the ministry would scarcelyemploy any but a true whig, in command of a fleet. I saw several of hisfamily, when a girl, and have always heard them spoken of with esteemand respect. Lord Bluewater, this gentleman's cousin, was very intimatewith the present Lord Wilmeter, and was often at the castle. I rememberto have heard that he had a disappointment in love, when quite a youngman, and that he has ever since been considered a confirmed bachelor. Soyou will take heed, my love."
"The warning was unnecessary, dear mother," returned Mildred, laughing;"I could dote on the admiral as a father, but must be excused fromconsidering him young enough for a nearer tie."
"And yet he has the much admired profession, Mildred," said the mother,smiling fondly, and yet a little archly. "I have often heard you speakof your passion for the sea."
"That was formerly, mother, when I spoke as a sailor's daughter, and asgirls are apt to speak, without much reflection. I do not know that Ithink better of a seaman's profession, now, than I do of any other. Ifear there is often much misery in store for soldiers' and sailors'wives."
Mrs. Dutton's lip quivered again; but hearing a foot at the door, shemade an effort to be composed, just as Admiral Bluewater entered.
"I have run away from the bottle, Mrs. Dutton, to join you and your fairdaughter, as I would run from an enemy of twice my force," he said,giving each lady a hand, in a manner so friendly, as to render the actmore than gracious; for it was kind. "Oakes is bowsing out his jib withhis brother baronet, as we sailors say, and I have hauled out of theline, without a signal."
"I hope Sir Gervaise Oakes does not consider it necessary to drink morewine than is good for the mind and body," observed Mrs. Dutton, with ahaste that she immediately regretted.
"Not he. Gervaise Oakes is as discreet a man, in all that relates to thetable, as an anchorite; and yet he has a faculty of _seeming_ to drink,that makes him a boon companion for a four-bottle man. How the deuce hedoes it, is more than I can tell you; but he does it so well, that hedoes not more thoroughly get the better of the king's enemies, on thehigh seas, than he floors his friends under the table. Sir Wycherly hasbegun his libations in honour of the house of Hanover, and they will belikely to make a long sitting."
Mrs. Dutton sighed, and walked away to a window, to conceal the palenessof her cheeks. Admiral Bluewater, though perfectly abstemious himself,regarded license with the bottle after dinner, like most men of thatage, as a very venial weakness, and he quietly took a seat by the sideof Mildred, and began to converse.
"I hope, young lady, as a sailor's child, you feel an hereditaryindulgence for a seaman's gossip," he said. "We, who are so much shut upin our ships, have a poverty of ideas on most subjects; and as to alwaystalking of the winds and waves, that would fatigue even a poet."
"As a sailor's daughter, I honour my father's calling, sir; and as anEnglish girl, I venerate the brave defenders of the island. Nor do Iknow that seamen have less to say, than other men."
"I am glad to hear you confess this, for--shall I be frank with you, andtake a liberty that would better become a friend of a dozen years, thanan acquaintance of a day;--and, yet, I know not why it is so, my dearchild, but I feel as if I had long known you, though I am certain wenever met before."
"Perhaps, sir, it is an omen that we are long to know each other, infuture," said Mildred, with the winning confidence of unsuspecting andinnocent girlhood. "I hope you will use no reserve."
"Well, then, at the risk of making a sad blunder, I will just say, that'my nephew Tom' is any thing but a prepossessing youth; and that I hopeall eyes regard him exactly as he appears to a sailor of fifty-five."
"I cannot answer for more than those of a girl of nineteen, AdmiralBluewater," said Mildred, laughing; "but, for her, I think I may saythat she does not look on him as either an Adonis, or a Crichton."
"Upon my soul! I am right glad to hear this, for the fellow hasaccidental advantages enough to render him formidable. He is the heir tothe baronetcy, and this estate, I believe?"
"I presume he is. Sir Wycherly has no other nephew--or at least this isthe eldest of three brothers, I am told--and, being childless himself,it _must_ be so. My father tells me Sir Wycherly speaks of Mr. ThomasWychecombe as his future heir."
"Your father!--Ay, fathers look on these matters with eyes verydifferent from their daughters!"
"There is one thing about seamen that renders them at least safeacquaintances," said Mildred, smiling; "I mean their frankness."
"That is a failing of mine, as I have heard. But you will pardon anindiscretion that arises in the interest I feel in yourself. The eldestof three brothers--is the lieutenant, then, a younger son?"
"_He
_ does not belong to the family at all, I believe," Mildredanswered, colouring slightly, in spite of a resolute determination toappear unconcerned. "Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe is no relative of our host,I hear; though he bears both of his names. He is from the colonies; bornin Virginia."
"_He_ is a noble, and a noble-looking fellow! Were I the baronet, Iwould break the entail, rather than the acres should go to thatsinister-looking nephew, and bestow them on the namesake. From Virginia,and not even a relative, at all?"
"That is what Mr. Thomas Wychecombe says; and even Sir Wycherly confirmsit. I have never heard Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe speak on the subject,himself."
"A weakness of poor human nature! The lad finds an honourable, ancient,and affluent family here, and has not the courage to declare his want ofaffinity to it; happening to bear the same name."
Mildred hesitated about replying; but a generous feeling got the betterof her diffidence. "I have never seen any thing in the conduct of Mr.Wycherly Wychecombe to induce me to think that he feels any suchweakness," she said, earnestly. "He seems rather to take pride in, thanto feel ashamed of, his being a colonial; and you know, we, in England,hardly look on the people of the colonies as our equals."
"And have you, young lady, any of that overweening prejudice in favourof your own island?"
"I hope not; but I think most persons have. Mr. Wycherly Wychecombeadmits that Virginia is inferior to England, in a thousand things; andyet he seems to take pride in his birth-place."
"Every sentiment of this nature is to be traced to self. We know thatthe fact is irretrievable, and struggle to be proud of what we cannothelp. The Turk will tell you he has the honour to be a native ofStamboul; the Parisian will boast of his Faubourg; and the cockneyexults in Wapping. Personal conceit lies at the bottom of all; for wefancy that places to which _we_ belong, are not places to be ashamedof."
"And yet I do not think Mr. Wycherly at all remarkable for conceit. Onthe contrary, he is rather diffident and unassuming."
This was said simply, but so sincerely, as to induce the listener tofasten his penetrating blue eye on the speaker, who now first took thealarm, and felt that she might have said too much. At this moment thetwo young men entered, and a servant appeared to request that AdmiralBluewater would do Sir Gervaise Oakes the favour to join him, in thedressing-room of the latter.
Tom Wychecombe reported the condition of the dinner-table to be such, asto render it desirable for all but three and four-bottle men to retire.Hanoverian toasts and sentiments were in the ascendant, and there wasevery appearance that those who remained intended to make a night of it.This was sad intelligence for Mrs. Dutton, who had come forward eagerlyto hear the report, but who now returned to the window, apparentlyirresolute as to the course she ought to take. As both the young menremained near Mildred, she had sufficient opportunity to come to herdecision, without interruption, or hindrance.