The Young Step-Mother Part 100

'Ha! Is she beginning to relent?'

'No, papa. It will be Ulick O'More.'

'You don't mean it!' exclaimed Mr. Kendal, more taken by surprise than perhaps he had ever been, and looking at his wife, who was standing dismayed, yet admiring the gallant girl who had forestalled her precautions. Obliged to speak, she said, 'I am afraid so, Sophy and I witnessed a scene to-day.'

'Afraid?' said Mr. Kendal; 'I see no reason to be afraid, if Ulick likes it. They are two of the most agreeable and best people that ever fell in my way, and I shall be delighted if they can arrange it, for they are perfectly suited to each other.'

'But such a match!' exclaimed Albinia.

'As to that, a sensible, economical wife will be worth more to him than an expensive one, with however large a fortune. And for the family pride, I am glad the lad has more sense than I feared; he has a full right to please himself, having won the place he has, and he may make his father consent. He wants a wife--nothing else will keep him from running headlong into speculation, for want of something to do. Yes, I see what you are thinking of, my dear, but you know we could not wish her, as you said yourself, never to form another attachment.'

'But _here_!' sighed Albinia, the ground knocked away from under her, yet still clinging to the last possible form of murmur.

'It will cost us something,' said Mr. Kendal, 'but no more than we will cheerfully bear, for the sake of one who has such claims upon us; and it will be amply repaid by having such a pair of friends settled close to us.'

'Then you will, papa?' said Sophy.

'Will do what, my dear?'

'Treat her as--as you did Lucy, papa.'

'And with much more pleasure, and far more hope, than when we fitted out poor Lucy,' said Mr. Kendal.

Sophy thanked him, and said 'Good-night;' and the look which accompanied her kiss to her step-mother was a binding over to secrecy and non-interference.

'Is she gone?' said Mr. Kendal, who had been musing after his last words. 'Gone to tell her friend, I suppose? I wanted to ask what this scene was.'

'Oh!' said Albinia, 'it was in the garden--we saw it from the window--only he brought her a bit of holly, and was trying to kiss her hand.'

'Strong premises, certainly. How did she receive the advance?'

'She would not listen, but made her escape.'

'Then matters are not in such a state of progress as for me to congratulate her? I suppose that you ladies are the best judges whether he may not meet with the same fate as poor Hope?'

'Sophy seems to take it for granted that he will not.'

'Irishman as he is, he must be pretty secure of his ground before coming to such strong measures. Well! I hope we may hear no more of brow-ague.

But--' with sudden recollection--'I thought, Albinia, you fancied he had some inclination for Sophy?'

Was it not a good wife to suppress the 'You did'? If she could merrily have said, 'You told me so,' it would have been all very well, but her mood would admit of nothing but a grave and guarded answer--'We did fancy so, but I am convinced it was entirely without reason.'

That superior smile at her lively imagination was more than human nature could bear, without the poor relief of an entreaty that he would not sit meditating, and go to sleep in his chair.

Albinia thought she had recovered equanimity during her night's rest, but in the midst of her morning toilette, Sophy hurried in, exclaiming, 'She'll go away! She is writing letters and packing!' and she answered, 'Well, what do you want me to do? You don't imagine that I can rush into her room and lay hands on her? She will not go upon a wis.h.i.+ng-carpet. It will be time to interfere when we know more of the matter.'

Sophy looked blank, and vanished, and Albinia felt excessively vexed at having visited on the chief sufferer her universal crossness with all mankind. She knew she had only spoken common sense, but that made it doubly hateful; and yet she could not but wish Miss Durant anywhere out of sight, and Mr. O'More on the top of the Hill of Howth.

At breakfast, Sophy's looks betrayed nothing to the uninitiated, though Albinia detected a feverish restlessness and covert impatience, and judged that her sleep had been little. Genevieve's had perhaps been less, for she was very sallow, with sunken eyes, and her face looked half its usual size; but Albinia could not easily have compa.s.sion on the poor little unwitting traitress, even when she began, 'Dear Mrs. Kendal, will you excuse me if I take a sudden leave? I find it will answer best for me to accept Mrs. Elwood's invitation; I can then present myself to any lady who may wish to see me, and, as I promised my aunt another visit, I had better go to Hadminster by the three o'clock omnibus.'

Albinia was thankful for the loud opposition which drowned the faint reluctance of her own; Mr. Kendal insisting that she should not leave them; little Awk coaxing her; and Maurice exclaiming, 'If the ladies want her, let them come after her! One always goes to see a horse.'

'I'm not so well worth the trouble, Maurice.'

'I know Ulick O'More _would_ come in to see you when all the piebalds for the show were going by!'

'Some day you will come to the same good taste,' said his father, to lessen the general confusion.

'See a lady instead of a piebald? Never!' cried Maurice with indignation, that made the most preoccupied laugh; under cover of which Genevieve effected a retreat. Sophy looked imploringly at Albinia--Albinia was moving, but not with alacrity, and Mr. Kendal was saying, 'I do not understand all this,' when, scarcely pausing to knock, Ulick opened the door, cheeks and eyes betraying scarcely repressed eagerness.

'What--where,' he stammered, as if even his words were startled away; 'is not Miss Durant well?'

'She was here just this moment,' said Mr. Kendal.

'I will go and see for her,' said Sophy. 'Come, children.'

Whether Sophy's powers over herself or over Genevieve would avail, was an anxious marvel, but it did not last a moment, for Maurice came clattering down to say that Genevieve was gone out into the town. In such a moment! She must have s.n.a.t.c.hed up her bonnet, and fled one way while Ulick entered by the other. He made one step forward, exclaiming, 'Where is she gone?' then pausing, broke out, 'Mrs. Kendal, you must make her give me a hearing, or I shall go mad!'

'A hearing?' repeated Mrs. Kendal, with slight malice.

'Yes; why, don't you know?'

'So your time has come, Ulick, has it?' said Mr. Kendal.

'Well, and I were worse than an old ledger if it had not, when she was before me! Make her listen to me, Mrs. Kendal, if she do not, I shall never do any more good in this world!'

'I should have thought,' said Albinia, 'that an Irishman would be at no loss for making opportunities.'

'You don't know, Mrs. Kendal; she is so fenced in with scruples, humility--I know not what--that she will not so much as hear me out. I'm not such a blockhead as to think myself worthy of her, but I do think, if she would only listen to me, I might stand a chance: and she runs off, as if she thought it a sin to hear a word from my mouth!'

'It is very honourable to her,' said Mr. Kendal.

'Very honourable to her,' replied Ulick, 'but cruelly hard upon me.'

'I think, too,' continued Mr. Kendal, stimulated thereto by his lady's severely prudent looks, 'that you ought--granting Miss Durant to be, as I well know her to be, one of the most excellent persons who ever lived--still to count the cost of opening such an affair. It is not fair upon a woman to bring her into a situation where disappointments may arise which neither may be able to bear.'

'Do you mean my family, Mr. Kendal? Trust me for getting consent from home. You will write my father a letter, saying what you said just now; Mrs. Kendal will write another to my mother; and I'll just let them see my heart is set on it, and they'll not hold out.'

'Could you bear to see her--looked down on?' said Albinia.

'Ha!' he cried, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes. 'No, believe me, Mrs. Kendal, the O'Mores have too much gentle blood to do like that, even if she were one whom any one could scorn. Why, what is my mother herself but a Goldsmith by birth, and I'd like to see who would cast it up to any of the family that she was not as n.o.ble as an O'More! And Genevieve herself--isn't every look and every movement full of the purest gentility her fathers'

land can show?'

'I dare say, once accepted, the O'Mores would heartily receive her; but here, in this place, there are some might think it told against you, and might make her uncomfortable.'

'What care I? I've lived and thriven under Bayford scorn many a day. And for her--Oh! I defy anything so base to wound a heart so high as hers, and with me to protect her!'

'And you can afford it?' said Mr. Kendal. 'Remember she has her aunt to maintain.'