“It may be, and anyhow the time is good. The first change will be the return of Hermia’s money to her own hands. That will be good indeed, both for the reason of it and in itself. It will be welcome to her and to me and to us all.”
“No, it would not be, and will not be, Father,” said Hermia. “There will be a change, but it will not be that one. I shall transfer the money legally to you, and shall myself have no more part in it. Osbert and I will have enough, and I shall no longer need the protection the formal holding of it gave. I shall be living another life, and shall be glad to do this for the old life and for you before I go.”
“I think she is right, Robert,” said Eliza, as her husband did not speak. “She has always judged for herself and found the judgement sound. As she says, she will have enough for herself, and she will leave us, feeling that she has saved our future and will continue to save it. In the deeper sense she will hardly be giving more than she gains. It is a great position for her. I should be proud if one of my children had it.”
“I am proud that one of my children has it,” said Sir Robert, in a quiet tone. “If I cannot be proud of myself I can feel I have a better cause for pride. That is all I have a right to say. My future son-in-law can use his further right.”
“It is Hermia’s words that stand,” said Osbert. “That will be the motto of my life, and I shall need no other. I feel I have used the right.”
“It is the motto of all our lives at the moment,” said Eliza. “A marriage and the first in the family can only mean what it does. If she will come with me now, we will begin to discuss and arrange it. We can hardly set about it too soon.”
She left the room with her step-daughter, and Sir Robert rested his eyes on them, as if appraising their relation. After a minute he followed them, but it was somehow clear that he was going to be alone.
“What do we think of what Mater has done?” said Roberta to Angus, in a low tone. “Are you ashamed of it?”
“No, of course I am not. I must be worthy of the name of a man. I could not be ashamed of my mother.”
“I am not ashamed of it either. Though I don’t suppose I have to be worthy of the name of a woman. It is because she is not ashamed of it herself.”
“It seems that no one is ashamed of it. Even Hermia is not. Father is the exception, and not a fortunate one. We have seen some real life, Roberta, a thing I have always wanted to see. But now I don’t want to see any more. What if I ever experienced any?”
“I don’t want to hear any more. What we heard in the moments before they saw us was enough.”
“When you say real life, I think you mean life that is deep,” said Madeline. “I suppose all life is real.”
“Well, I foresee a strange, real thing,” said Roberta. “And I hardly think it can be deep. I foresee a friendship between Mater and Hermia. There have always been the seeds of it, and at last they seem to be falling on good ground.”
“Well, there could not be a better thing or one more pleasing to Father.”
“I am disturbed by it,” said Angus. “It is too late for such a difference. I half hope it will not be deep.”
“Well, it shows that all things are possible,” said Madeline. “And it is sometimes hard to believe that that is true.”
“I believe it,” said Osbert, “now that I am to marry Hermia.”
“What do you think of all that has happened?” said Angus.
“I don’t think of it; I should not dare. You surely don’t mean that you would dare?”
“Of course he does not,” said Roberta. “He belongs to the family, but you are outside it and might dare.”
“No, I belong to it now, and I do not dare. I am proud of belonging to it and not daring. To dare would be the mark of an outsider. I am talking like the family. I quite wish Hermia could hear me.”
“Can we imagine ourselves doing what Mater did?” said Angus to Roberta. “We must sometimes face open words.”
“I can imagine myself doing almost anything. It doesn’t mean that I might do it, or I suppose and hope not.”
“Shall we ever be able to trust Mater again?”
“Have we ever trusted her? What would you say? We have given her other feelings, but hardly that.”
“Do we feel it matters very much?”
“It matters of course, but other feelings matter too. We may not often have them all.”
“Can we ever trust people in a place of power?” said Osbert. “I can hardly say I trust my grandmother.”
“And you give her other feelings?” said Angus.
“Well, I give her some,” said Osbert, with a smile.
“Will Mater and Hermia trust each other now?”
“Well, Mater will trust Hermia,” said Roberta, “because she is worthy of trust.”
“I suppose some people must have power.”
“Well, some people do have it, and they both use and misuse it. Hermia has had it lately and has used it as we know. I wonder how the two powerful ones are dealing with each other.”
These dealings had met with a momentary check as Eliza and Hermia had encountered Cook in the hall, and Eliza had come to a pause as the latter spoke.
“I am glad of the news, my lady. It seems that the spell is broken.”
“The spell?” said Eliza, as if she did not understand.
“The spell that condemned the young ladies to singleness, my lady. It seemed of a relentless nature.”
“Oh, that is surely a matter that people must decide for themselves.”
“Yes, my lady? If a decision is in question. It might not always be.”
“You have not married yourself, Cook,” said Eliza, smiling. “The spell has held in your case.”
“I have not felt called upon, my lady. Advances have been made.”
“People should be able to judge better when they are mature.”
“Well, but mature, my lady, in the case of single, young ladies! It is hardly a term to be applied.”
“I am in no hurry to lose my daughters. I feel I hardly want to lose Miss Roberta at all.”
“No, my lady, that is the face to put on it,” said Cook, in approving encouragement as she went her way.
“Cook is disturbed that you and the others have not married,” said Eliza, as she rejoined her step-daughter.
“Well, I am disturbed that she has not. We should have had someone in her place, and been spared her talk and its undercurrents.”
“I think she is really attached to us all.”
“I don’t feel it is true affection. She sees us too much as we are. You forget that love is blind. And she forgets it too.”
“I wonder how you will manage a house and servants of your own.”
“I have always been seen as too managing. There should be no trouble. But I have no wish to learn from experience. I will profit by yours.”
They ended their talk and returned to the library, and found that Sir Robert was before them. As he saw them enter together, a light came to his face.
“Here come the two people who in their different ways order my life,” he said.
“The ways are very different,” said Eliza. “Mine depends on myself, and Hermia’s on what fell into her hands from someone else. But happily the hands were the right ones.”
“I told you it was coming,” said Roberta to Angus, “a friendship between Hermia and Mater. It will put a change through our lives. And no change is wholly good.”
“Hermia has bought it dear. She has given up a fortune and forfeited revenge for a wrong done to herself. It is a high price to pay, and Mater can hardly not recognise it. Now there is a question to be asked, that we are afraid to answer. How is Mater facing her return to us after her exposure?”
“It is better not to ask it. If we put ourselves into someone else’s place we might as well be in it. And there is everything to be said for keeping out of this one.”