“Who?” demanded Meg. “If she means me, I think it is excessively uncivil of her, besides being unjust, for I never saw her but once in all my life!”
“Perhaps it isn’t cockatrice. Yet it certainly looks like it. However, here, on the very next line, is something about Henry VIII, so I don’t think it can be.”
“She cannot be writing to you about Henry VIII!” objected Meg.
“Well, one would think not, but you may see for yourself!” replied Kitty, showing her the sheet.
The fair head and the dark were bent over it. “I must say, it does seem to be Henry VIII,” admitted Meg. “Perhaps she is likening Uncle Matthew to him! He was very disagreeable too, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, so he was! He had rages, and cut off people’s heads. No doubt that is it! But who can this {Catherine be?”
“Katherine of Aragon!” said Meg brilliantly.
“No, I am sure it’s not Aragon. Besides, how absurd! They must have been obliged to turn one of the maids off, and hire a new one. Perhaps Uncle Matthew has taken a dislike to her. He usually does.”
“I cannot conceive why Miss Fishguard should beg you to go home only because she has engaged a new servant.”
“Oh, no, and it seems not to be that at all, for I can distinctly make out unable to write it, and, a little farther on something about my generosity. Then there is a word which looks like treason, so it can have nothing to do with this Katherine. It must be Henry VIII again, and yet—You know, Meg, I think I shall be obliged to post down to Arnside, if Freddy will be so good as to take me, when he comes back to town, for there can be no doubt that poor Fish is in great distress!”
Meg agreed to it, though rather reluctantly. She said that she feared that Kitty would be persuaded to remain at Arnside; and Kitty, once more stricken by the warm kindliness of the Standens, forbore to tell her that the day was rapidly approaching when she must for ever lose her young chaperon. The only salve Kitty could find to apply to her unquiet conscience was the knowledge that she had really been of use to Meg.
Soon after breakfast, Meg, arrayed in a blue velvet pelisse, and the only one of her hats which she thought likely to escape the criticism of the censorious, went off to pay a dutiful call on her husband’s Aunt Maria, with whom she had untruthfully announced her intention of dining, on the night of the masquerade. Kitty offered to accompany her, but Meg thought that it would be better if Aunt Maria did not set eyes on her. Having contrived to convey to the formidable lady, who, mercifully, disapproved so strongly of frivolity that she rarely went into society, the impression that Freddy’s betrothed was a very sober girl, of strict upbringing and rigid principles, it would clearly be an act of madness to present to her a dashing young female, ravishingly attired in a morning dress of twilled French silk, and with her hair cut and curled in the very latest mode. “Besides, Aunt Maria would be bound to say you were fast, because she thinks all pretty females must be.”
“I?” gasped Kitty. “Pretty?”
“Now, Kitty, don’t be missish! You know you are! Papa was saying only the other day that you have a great deal of countenance. Of course, the thing that particularly pleases Mama is that you have such excellent taste. She sets the greatest store by that, you know, and says she shall be very glad to take you about with her as soon as she is able, because you will do us all such credit! Shall you be going out? If you are in Bond Street, I wish you will take back The Pastor’s Fireside to Hookham’s—unless you mean to read it yourself, but I do not at all recommend it!”
She then departed, leaving her guest to peruse the morning papers before sallying forth on her errand. She had just put on her hat and pelisse, and. was descending the stairs to the hall when Lord Dolphinton, having tugged violently at the bell and banged the knocker several times for good measure, was admitted into the house.
“Miss Charing!” uttered his lordship, in agitated accents.
“I fancy, my lord, that Miss has but this instant stepped out, but I will enquire,” bowed Skelton.
“Wait for her!” said Dolphinton, thrusting his hat and cane upon the slightly startled butler. “Must see her! Important!”
“Good gracious, Dolph, whatever is the matter?” exclaimed Kitty, hurrying down the stairs. Dolphinton clutched her hand, and said in a gasp: “Must see you!”
“Yes, yes, of course!” said Kitty. “Come into the breakfast-parlour, and tell me all about it!”
He allowed himself to be led into this apartment; but when she had shut the door, and pushed him gently into a chair by the fire, he seemed to find the greatest difficulty in enunciating a word. He sat opening and shutting his mouth for some moments, staring at her with such an expression of misery on his face that she became alarmed, and begged him to tell her if anything terrible had happened to Miss Plymstock.
He swallowed convulsively. “Not Hannah. Me! Don’t know what to do. Obliged to offer for you again!”
She could not help laughing. “Now, Dolph, don’t be absurd! I collect that your Mama has been teasing you?” He nodded. “Says I must sweep you off your feet. I don’t want to. Don’t want to sweep anybody off her feet. Not even Hannah. Don’t know how. Besides, Freddy wouldn’t like it. Might call me out. Not going to fight a duel with Freddy! Won’t do it! I like Freddy! Like him better than Hugh, or—”
“Yes, yes, you like him better than any of your cousins!” said Kitty. “He won’t call you out, I promise you!”
“Mama says he won’t, but I don’t know. Mama says you won’t marry him. Says she knew it all along. Says if I do the thing right you’ll marry me. Says—”
“She says that I shall like to be a Countess, and you have only to tell me of all the advantages which would be mine, if I married you, for me to accept your offer!” interrupted Kitty. “But this is all nonsense, Dolph, and there is nothing to put you in this taking! You may tell your Mama that you did her bidding, and I refused to listen to you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t understand. Haven’t thought! I have, People may say I can’t think, but I can. Often think for hours and hours. Thought about this. See it all. You refuse me—can’t come here any more—shan’t see Hannah— put a period to my existence! Only thing is, able to swim! shouldn’t like to put a pistol to my head. At least,” he added, “don’t think I should. Got peppered in the leg by a careless fellow once. Didn’t like it above half.”
Considerably frightened, Kitty knelt beside his chair, and took his hand, and patted it. “No, no, Dolph! Pray do not talk in that wild fashion! I do understand!—I understand perfectly! It is all my fault for not having thought of a way to help you all this time! But I will get you out of this fix!”
“You will?” said his lordship anxiously.
“I will!” she declared. “Oh, dear, it seems as though everything has come upon me at the same time! First, Camille, and then Fish, and now—” She broke off, as an idea occurred to her, and suddenly raised her eyes to his lordship’s face, staring fixedly at him.
“You think you can get me out of it?” he said, a glimmer of hope in his eye.
“Wait!” said Kitty. She sat back on her heels, her brows knitted, and her gaze intent upon the wall.
His lordship waited obediently, watching her with very much the air of an expectant dog. All at once, her face broke into smiles, and she turned to him, seizing both his hands, and saying impulsively: “I have it! How can I have been such a goose as not to have thought of it before? My poor, dear Fish! It is all her doing! You shall marry Miss Plym—
stock, and I can contrive it so that Freddy shall incur not the smallest blame for it! The only thing is—Dolph, should you object to deceiving your Mama?”
“You think I could do that?” he asked intently.
“You could, if I showed you how it may be done, and told you several times what you must say to her,”
“Yes, I could,” agreed his lordship, pleased to find his powers recognized, “Like to do it!”