第99章

When the reader was told that Lord Popplecourt had found Lady Cantrip very agreeable it is to be hoped that the reader was disgusted. Lord Popplecourt would certainly not have given a second thought to Lady Cantrip unless he had been specifically flattered. And why should such a man have been flattered by a woman who was in all respects his superior? The reader will understand. It had been settled by the wisdom of the elders that it would be a good thing that Lord Popplecourt should marry Lady Mary Palliser.

The mutual assent which leads to marriage should no doubt be spontaneous. Who does not feel that? Young love should speak from its first doubtful unconscious spark,--a spark which any breath of air may quench or cherish,--till it becomes a flame which nothing can satisfy but the union of two lovers. No one should be told to love, or bidden to marry this man or that woman. The theory of this is plain to us all, and till we have sons or daughters whom we feel imperatively obliged to control, the theory is unassailable. But the duty is so imperative! The Duke taught himself to believe that as his wife would have been thrown away on the world had she been allowed to marry Burgo Fitzgerald, so would his daughter be thrown away were she allowed to marry Mr Tregear.

Therefore the theory of spontaneous love must in this case be set aside. Therefore the spark,--would that it had been no more,--must be quenched. Therefore there could be no union of two lovers;--but simply a prudent and perhaps a splendid marriage.

Lord Popplecourt was a man in possession of a large estate which was unencumbered. His rank in the peerage was not high, but his barony was of an old date,--and, if things went well with him, something higher in rank might be open to him. He had good looks of that sort which recommend themselves to pastors and masters, to elders and betters. He had regular features. He looked as though he were steady. He was not impatient or rollicking. Silverbridge was also good-looking;--but his good looks were such as would give a pang to the hearts of anxious mothers of daughters. Tregear was the handsomest man of the three;--but then he looked as though he had not betters and did not care for his elders. Lord Popplecourt, though a very young man, had once stammered through half-a-dozen words in the House of Lords, and had been known to dine with the 'Benevolent Funds'. Lord Silverbridge had declared him to be a fool. No one thought him to be bright. But in the eyes of the Duke,--and of Lady Cantrip,--he had his good qualities.

But the work was very disagreeable. It was the more hard upon Lady Cantrip because she did not believe in it. If it could be done, it would be expedient. But she felt very strongly that it could not be done. No doubt that Lady Glencora had been turned from her evil destiny; but Lady Glencora had been younger than her daughter was now, and possessed of less character. Nor was Lady Cantrip blind to the difference between a poor man with bad character, such as that Burgo had been, and a poor man with good character, such as was Tregear. Nevertheless she undertook to aid the work, and condescended to pretend to be so interested in the portrait of some common ancestor as to persuade the young man to have it photographed, in order that the bringing down of the photograph might lead to something.

He took the photograph, and Lady Cantrip said very much to him about his grandmother, who was the old lady in question. She could, she said, just remember the features of the dear old woman.

She was not habitually a hypocrite, and she hated herself for what she was doing, and yet her object was simply good,--to bring together two young people who might advantageously marry each other. The mere talking about the old woman would be of no service. She longed to bring out the offer plainly, and say, 'There is Lady Mary Palliser. Don't you think she'd make a good wife for you?' But she could not, as yet, bring herself to be so indelicately plain. 'You haven't seen the Duke since?' she asked.

'He spoke to me only yesterday in the House. I like the Duke.'

'If I may be allowed to say so, it would be to your advantage that he should like you;--that is, if you mean to take a part in politics.'

'I suppose I shall,' said Popplecourt. 'There isn't much else to do.'

'You don't go to races.' He shook his head. 'I am glad of that,' said Lady Cantrip. 'Nothing so bad as the turf. I fear Lord Silverbridge is devoting himself to the turf.'

'I don't think it can be good for any man to have much to do with Major Tifto. I suppose Silverbridge knows what he is about.'

Here was an opportunity which might have been used. It would have been so easy for her to glide from the imperfections of the brother to the perfections of the sister. But she could not bring herself to do it quite at once. She approached the matter however as nearly as she could without making her grand proposition. She shook her head sadly in reference to Silverbridge, and then spoke of the Duke. 'His father is so anxious about him.'

'I dare say.'

'I don't know any man who is more painfully anxious about his children. He feels the responsibility so much since his wife's death. There is Lady Mary.'

'She's all right, I should say.'

'All right! Oh yes. But when a girl is possessed of so many things,--rank, beauty, intelligence, large fortune,--'

'Will Lady Mary have much?'

'A large portion of her mother's money, I should say. When all these things are joined together, a father of course feels most anxious as to their disposal.'

'I suppose she is clever.'

'Very clever,' said Lady Cantrip.

'I think a girl may be too clever, you know,' said Lord Popplecourt.