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Won from the Waves, a novel by William H. G. Kingston |
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Chapter 30. May's Introduction To The Castletons |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY. MAY'S INTRODUCTION TO THE CASTLETONS Miss Mary, led by May, was taking a stroll after breakfast, when Harry arrived. "We shall be truly glad to see your mother as she so seldom visits us," said Miss Mary, mildly; "and as I hope she and Julia will stop to take luncheon, I will go in and order preparations, for Jane is out visiting at some cottages in the neighbourhood and may not be back just yet. As I suppose you do not wish to be idle, pray, if you feel disposed, go on in the meantime with the grotto, and May will, I daresay, be glad to assist you." Harry, after his conversation with Headland, had been more observant than usual of May's behaviour. A blush suffused her cheeks as Miss Mary said this, and as her eyes met Harry's he was convinced that she had no disinclination to do what Miss Mary proposed. Accordingly, after they had attended Miss Mary to the house, they went together, Harry carrying a fresh basket of shells brought up by Jacob on the previous evening. May was more silent than usual, though she answered when Harry spoke to her in that soft tone he so much delighted to hear, which she had learned from Miss Mary rather than from her elder sister. Harry at length made a remark which caused her to reply. "I am thinking of the visit we are to receive from Lady Castleton and your sister, and I confess that I feel somewhat nervous." "Why so?" asked Harry. May looked up in his face but did not answer. "Do you fancy they can do otherwise than admire you, and think you all that is sweet, and charming, and excellent, and loveable as I do, May," and he took her hand which she did not withdraw, though her eyes were cast down, and the blush deepened on her cheeks. "Oh, May, I did not intend to say so much, but I had resolved to tear myself from you unless I could hope that you were not indifferent to me." "Harry," said May, trying to calm her agitation; she had always before called him Mr Harry, "I was thinking of your mother's proposed visit, and afraid lest she should believe that I was the cause of your frequent visits to Downside. Knowing, as I do, the pride of your family, I feared that you might be induced to give up your visits here; and oh, Harry, that we might be parted." "No, no, May," exclaimed Harry, letting all his sober resolutions fly to the wind, and pressing more lovingly her hand. "My parents, even should they wish to do so, have no right to insist on my giving up one against whom they cannot allege a single fault. The circumstance of your birth ought not to be an impediment, and believe me, May, with all the desire I possess to be an obedient son, I could not be influenced by such a reason. I do not invite you to share poverty with me, for I have already an ample income to support a wife, and as I need not ask my father for a single shilling, I do not think he will have any just reason to oppose my wishes." "Harry," said May, "I own I love you, but I must not run any risk of creating dissension between you and your parents. That and that alone can prevent me from giving you my hand as you already have my heart. I have been told of a sad history of a member of your own family, your father's brother, who, against his parent's wishes, married a young lady to whom they objected on account of her birth, and he was banished from his home ever afterwards, living an exile in foreign lands. I should fear that your father and mother would look upon me as an unfit match for you, and discard you, should you persist in marrying me." "You speak of my uncle Ronald," exclaimed Harry, "who married, I am told, a very lovely girl, and simply because she could not trace her pedigree to the same stock as the Castletons, my grandfather refused to receive her as his daughter-in-law, and my uncle, rather than subject her to the annoyance to which she might have been exposed at home, took her abroad. Surely my father, after he has seen the consequence of the harsh treatment his brother received, would not behave in the same way to me; besides, you know, he is my father's eldest brother, and it is not at all certain that he is dead, so that he may some day return and claim the baronetcy and Texford, and if so, I shall be but a younger brother's youngest son, and no one need trouble their heads who I marry. But, my dear May, if I wore a ducal coronet, you would be the richest prize I could wish for to grace it; though do not suppose, though I would rather, for the sake of avoiding difficulties, be of the humblest birth, that I consider you unworthy of filling the highest rank in the realm." May had never told Harry that she was not Dame Halliburt's daughter. Why she had not done so she might even have found it difficult to say. At first, a feeling of modest reserve had prevented her from speaking about herself. The Miss Pembertons, in their simplicity, had not thought it likely that Harry would fall in love with her, merely by coming a few times to the house, if he supposed her to be Adam Halliburt's daughter; but they had sufficient worldly wisdom to know that should they excite his interest by telling him her romantic history, he, in all probability, would be moved by it. May herself, however, now felt she ought not longer to conceal the fact from him. It could not fail to be a satisfaction to him, as both the ladies and her foster-parents were fully convinced that she was of gentle birth. She was on the point of telling him when Susan hurried up with the information that Lady Castleton's carriage had just driven to the door. The young people had not marked how rapidly the time had gone by. May suddenly felt even more agitated than before. Harry's declaration, though delightful, was not calculated to prepare her for receiving his mother and sister with the self-possession and calmness she would have wished to exhibit. "Do, Harry, go in first, and I will come into the drawing-room as soon as I can compose myself. You have made me very happy, but I must be alone for a few minutes before I can meet any one." They returned to the house together. Susan had gone on before. Lady Castleton and Julia had been for some time seated in the drawing-room when Harry entered. "I am glad to find Harry makes himself so useful to you," observed Lady Castleton to Miss Jane, as he took his seat near Julia, who was talking to Miss Mary. "Yes, indeed, we are much obliged to him, and hope to have the pleasure of showing his handiwork to you after luncheon," answered Miss Jane. "He and the young friend residing with us have done nearly the whole of the ornamental part of the work, and have exhibited a great deal of skill and taste." Harry overheard the remark, and feared that his mother would inquire who the young friend was; but she observed instead-- "It is a great thing when naval officers are on shore if they can find employment. So few care for field sports, and as my brother, Captain Fancourt, observes, they too generally fall in love with some fair face and marry, and then have speedily to go off, and leave their young wives to pine in solitude, often for long years." Harry dreaded what next might be said. "Ah, they are greatly to be pitied," observed Miss Jane. "My mother will be sure to suspect me the moment she enters," thought Harry. "I almost wish that I had not persuaded her to come here; and yet she cannot but be satisfied with my choice; she and Julia must love May the moment they see her." Harry tried to join in the conversation which Miss Mary and Julia were carrying on. Julia had always liked their blind cousin, and now exerted herself to amuse her, mentioning only such subjects as she thought would do so. Harry found, however, that his remarks were not very relevant. Miss Mary was more surprised than Julia. At last he got up and went to the window, whence he could watch the door. At length it opened, and Lady Castleton and Julia turned their heads as May glided into the room. Both instinctively rose from their seats as Miss Jane introduced her as "a friend who is living with us." They bowed, and, taking their seats, continued their conversation, while May took a chair a little on one side between where Harry was standing and his mother and sister. They both looked at her several times, and Harry observed that their countenances exhibited surprise, and he believed at the same time no small amount of admiration. At last Julia, drawing her chair a little back, addressed May, and asked if she had been long at Hurlston. "Yes, ever since I was a child," was the answer. "May has resided with us several years, and a great blessing and comfort she has proved to me especially," observed Miss Mary. Julia looked more puzzled than ever. More than once she glanced up at Harry, who now came forward and took a seat near May. "I was not aware that you had any guest in your house," said Julia; "but I hope we shall now have the pleasure of frequently meeting each other," and she looked towards May with a slight bow. "It will give me very great pleasure to see you, Miss Castleton," said May, who, in spite of her efforts, found herself blushing whenever she spoke, conscious as she was, too, that Lady Castleton was watching her from the other side of the room. Though she would have liked to talk to Julia, she wished that Miss Mary would again engage her in conversation. Julia, on her part, was somewhat puzzled what to say without appearing rudely inquisitive, and yet she was eager to know who the beautiful young creature could be who had been so long living with her cousins; possibly she was some orphan whom they had protected. At this juncture luncheon was announced. Miss Jane conducted Lady Castleton into the dining-room, telling Harry to take care of his sister, while May, as usual led Miss Mary. "What a beautiful creature; who is she?" whispered Julia, looking up in her brother's face. "I knew you would admire her," he answered, evasively, meeting her glance, without as he hoped betraying himself. "Our cousins consider her as excellent in every way as she is lovely." "But what do you think of her?" asked his sister. "My eyes are not more penetrating than yours: you shall form your own opinion before I reply." They entered the dining-room before Julia could make any further remark. May attended to Miss Mary with all the calmness she could command, though she felt that Julia's and Lady Castleton's eyes were fixed on her all the time. Harry exerted himself with considerable success to entertain his cousins and their guests. He could not help wishing, however, that his mother and sister would take their departure as soon as they had seen the garden, for he longed to be again alone with May, and he dreaded lest they might ask their cousins who the beautiful young stranger was. He wished them to admire her first, and he was sure she could not fail to win their admiration, and that they would then be less unwilling than might otherwise be the case to receive her as his promised wife. He would not, indeed, allow himself to see the difficulties which would certainly arise directly they learned who she was; nor could he bring himself to believe that, however great might be their admiration, it would vanish immediately the truth was known. Though May spoke but little, her voice was sweet and musical, and what she said showed her sense and judgment. After luncheon, Miss Jane invited Lady Castleton and Julia to walk through the grounds, and to see their grotto. "And is this all your doing, Harry?" asked his mother, after they had admired the grotto and its surrounding rock-work, with the clear pool of water shaded by lofty wide-spreading trees. "Only partly; I did not originate the designs, to that young lady is due all the credit which they deserve," he answered, looking at May. "I had merely acted as a workman under her superintendence." "I must not allow the merit they possess to be given to me; Mr Castleton suggested and executed many of the designs," said May, heartily wishing that the ladies had not brought their guests to see the grotto at all. Lady Castleton was evidently more than ever puzzled. Knowing the world she was now very certain that this fair stranger was her son's chief attraction to Downside, and determined to cross-question him on the first opportunity. They returned to the house where, after sitting a few minutes, Lady Castleton begged that her carriage might be ordered. As Harry handed his mother into it, she said quietly--"I am not surprised that you take so much interest in grotto building. You will follow us soon, I hope." "Oh yes," answered Harry, telling the coachman to drive on. "We shall have time for a little more work," he said, entering the hall where Miss Jane stood watching her departing guests. May resumed her hat and accompanied him to the grotto. "I feel as if I was acting the hypocrite to my kind friends. I ought to tell them, Harry, and not allow you to come here under false pretences." "They cannot object to my coming even though you are the attraction. We will tell them at once." May and Harry, as may be supposed, did very little work; they would probably have been less successful than usual had they attempted it. At length his watch told him that it was nearly time to return to Texford. They went into the house and found the ladies in the drawing-room. May sat down next to Miss Mary and took her hand. "I ought to lose no time in telling you what has occurred," she said, trying to maintain her calmness. "Mr Castleton has asked me to marry him." "My dear!" exclaimed the two Miss Pembertons, in different keys, Miss Jane fixing her eyes on Harry. "What have you said in reply?" asked Miss Mary. "Do you suppose that I could refuse him." "I see, my dear, that you have not," observed Miss Jane, "judging from his countenance. We love you both, and I am sure no two young people could be better suited to each other. But when we invited Harry here we did not dream of such a result. Have you both considered well the consequences." Yes, Harry declared that he had thought them over seriously. "At all events, cousin Jane," he exclaimed, jumping up and taking her hand, "you and cousin Mary will not object to my continuing to come here." "You know we ought to do so should your father and mother not approve of your intentions." Harry replied that now his mother and sister had seen May, they could not fail to love her. "Of that I have no doubt," whispered Miss Mary, pressing May's hand. Miss Jane was less sanguine. Still they would be happy to see Harry until Sir Ralph prohibited his coming. Harry continuing to refuse to see any clouds in the horizon, rode home rejoicing that he had won Maiden May. _ |
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