“Curb your tongue, in God's name, if this conversation is to last,” retorted Mr Haredale fiercely. “I have said I love my niece. Do you think that, loving her, I would have her fling her heart away on any man who had your blood in his veins?”
“You see,” said the other, not at all disturbed, “the advantage of being so frank and open. Just what I was about to add, upon my honour! I am amazingly attached to Ned—quite doat upon him, indeed—and even if we could afford to throw ourselves away, that very objection would be quite insuperable. —I wish you'd take some wine?”
“Mark me,” said Mr Haredale, striding to the table, and laying his hand upon it heavily. “If any man believes—presumes to think— that I, in word or deed, or in the wildest dream, ever entertained remotely the idea of Emma Haredale's favouring the suit of any one who was akin to you—in any way—I care not what—he lies. He lies, and does me grievous wrong, in the mere thought.”
“Haredale,” returned the other, rocking himself to and fro as in assent, and nodding at the fire, “it's extremely manly, and really very generous in you, to meet me in this unreserved and handsome way. Upon my word, those are exactly my sentiments, only expressed with much more force and power than I could use—you know my sluggish nature, and will forgive me, I am sure.”
“While I would restrain her from all correspondence with your son, and sever their intercourse here, though it should cause her death,” said Mr Haredale, who had been pacing to and fro, “I would do it kindly and tenderly if I can. I have a trust to discharge, which my nature is not formed to understand, and, for this reason, the bare fact of there being any love between them comes upon me to-night, almost for the first time.”
“I am more delighted than I can possibly tell you,” rejoined Mr Chester with the utmost blandness, “to find my own impression so confirmed. You see the advantage of our having met. We understand each other. We quite agree. We have a most complete and thorough explanation, and we know what course to take. —Why don't you taste your tenant's wine? It's really very good.”
“Pray who,” said Mr Haredale, “have aided Emma, or your son? Who are their go-betweens, and agents—do you know?”
“All the good people hereabouts—the neighbourhood in general, I think,” returned the other, with his most affable smile. “The messenger I sent to you to-day, foremost among them all.”
“The idiot? Barnaby?”
“You are surprised? I am glad of that, for I was rather so myself. Yes. I wrung that from his mother—a very decent sort of woman— from whom, indeed, I chiefly learnt how serious the matter had become, and so determined to ride out here to-day, and hold a parley with you on this neutral ground. —You're stouter than you used to be, Haredale, but you look extremely well.”
“Our business, I presume, is nearly at an end,” said Mr Haredale, with an expression of impatience he was at no pains to conceal. “Trust me, Mr Chester, my niece shall change from this time. I will appeal,” he added in a lower tone, “to her woman's heart, her dignity, her pride, her duty—”
“I shall do the same by Ned,” said Mr Chester, restoring some errant faggots to their places in the grate with the toe of his boot. “If there is anything real in this world, it is those amazingly fine feelings and those natural obligations which must subsist between father and son. I shall put it to him on every ground of moral and religious feeling. I shall represent to him that we cannot possibly afford it—that I have always looked forward to his marrying well, for a genteel provision for myself in the autumn of life—that there are a great many clamorous dogs to pay, whose claims are perfectly just and right, and who must be paid out of his wife's fortune. In short, that the very highest and most honourable feelings of our nature, with every consideration of filial duty and affection, and all that sort of thing, imperatively demand that he should run away with an heiress.”
“And break her heart as speedily as possible?” said Mr Haredale, drawing on his glove.
“There Ned will act exactly as he pleases,” returned the other, sipping his wine; “that's entirely his affair. I wouldn't for the world interfere with my son, Haredale, beyond a certain point. The relationship between father and son, you know, is positively quite a holy kind of bond. —WON'T you let me persuade you to take one glass of wine? Well! as you please, as you please,” he added, helping himself again.
“ Chester ,” said Mr Haredale, after a short silence, during which he had eyed his smiling face from time to time intently, “you have the head and heart of an evil spirit in all matters of deception.”
“Your health!” said the other, with a nod. “But I have interrupted you—”
“If now,” pursued Mr Haredale, “we should find it difficult to separate these young people, and break off their intercourse—if, for instance, you find it difficult on your side, what course do you intend to take?”
“Nothing plainer, my good fellow, nothing easier,” returned the other, shrugging his shoulders and stretching himself more comfortably before the fire. “I shall then exert those powers on which you flatter me so highly—though, upon my word, I don't deserve your compliments to their full extent—and resort to a few little trivial subterfuges for rousing jealousy and resentment. You see?”
“In short, justifying the means by the end, we are, as a last resource for tearing them asunder, to resort to treachery and—and lying,” said Mr Haredale.
“Oh dear no. Fie, fie!” returned the other, relishing a pinch of snuff extremely. “Not lying. Only a little management, a little diplomacy, a little—intriguing, that's the word.”
“I wish,” said Mr Haredale, moving to and fro, and stopping, and moving on again, like one who was ill at ease, “that this could have been foreseen or prevented. But as it has gone so far, and it is necessary for us to act, it is of no use shrinking or regretting. Well! I shall second your endeavours to the utmost of my power. There is one topic in the whole wide range of human thoughts on which we both agree. We shall act in concert, but apart. There will be no need, I hope, for us to meet again.”
“Are you going?” said Mr Chester, rising with a graceful indolence. “Let me light you down the stairs.”
“Pray keep your seat,” returned the other drily, “I know the way. So, waving his hand slightly, and putting on his hat as he turned upon his heel, he went clanking out as he had come, shut the door behind him, and tramped down the echoing stairs.
“Pah! A very coarse animal, indeed!” said Mr Chester, composing himself in the easy-chair again. “A rough brute. Quite a human badger!”
John Willet and his friends, who had been listening intently for the clash of swords, or firing of pistols in the great room, and had indeed settled the order in which they should rush in when summoned—in which procession old John had carefully arranged that he should bring up the rear—were very much astonished to see Mr Haredale come down without a scratch, call for his horse, and ride away thoughtfully at a footpace. After some consideration, it was decided that he had left the gentleman above, for dead, and had adopted this stratagem to divert suspicion or pursuit.
As this conclusion involved the necessity of their going upstairs forthwith, they were about to ascend in the order they had agreed upon, when a smart ringing at the guest's bell, as if he had pulled it vigorously, overthrew all their speculations, and involved them in great uncertainty and doubt. At length Mr Willet agreed to go upstairs himself, escorted by Hugh and Barnaby, as the strongest and stoutest fellows on the premises, who were to make their appearance under pretence of clearing away the glasses.