return by Sheepstone Birches, which was a little copse distant not above half a mile from Sheep’s Acre farmhouse. A narrow angle of the little wood came up to the road, by which there was a gate leading into a grass meadow, which Sir Felix had remembered when he made his appointment. The road was no more than a country lane, unfrequented at all times, and almost sure to be deserted on Sundays. He approached the gate in a walk, and then stood awhile looking into the wood. He had not stood long before he saw the girl’s bonnet beneath a tree standing just outside the wood, in the meadow, but on the bank of the ditch. Thinking for a moment what he would do about his horse, he rode him into the field, and then, dismounting, fastened him to a rail which ran down the side of the copse. Then he sauntered on till he stood looking down upon Ruby Ruggles as she sat beneath the tree. “I like your impudence,” she said, “in calling yourself a friend.”
“Ain’t I a friend, Ruby?”
“A pretty sort of friend, you! When you was going away, you was to be back at Carbury in a fortnight; and that is, — oh, ever so long ago now.”
“But I wrote to you, Ruby.”
“What’s letters? And the postman to know all as in ‘em for anything anybody knows, and grandfather to be almost sure to see ‘em. I don’t call letters no good at all, and I beg you won’t write ‘em any more.”
“Did he see them?”
“No thanks to you if he didn’t. I don’t know why you are come here, Sir Felix, — nor yet I don’t know why I should come and meet you. It’s all just folly like.”
“Because I love you; — that’s why I come; eh, Ruby? And you have come because you love me; eh, Ruby? Is not that about it?” Then he threw himself on the ground beside her, and got his arm round her waist.
It would boot little to tell here all that they said to each other. The happiness of Ruby Ruggles for that half-hour was no doubt complete. She had her London lover beside her; and though in every word he spoke there was a tone of contempt, still he talked of love, and made her promises, and told her that she was pretty. He probably did not enjoy it much; he cared very little about her, and carried on the liaison simply because it was the proper sort of thing for a young man to do. He had begun to think that the odour of patchouli was unpleasant, and that the flies were troublesome, and the ground hard, before the half-hour was over. She felt that she could be content to sit there for ever and to listen to him. This was a realisation of those delights of life of which she had read in the thrice-thumbed old novels which she had gotten from the little circulating library at Bungay.
But what was to come next? She had not dared to ask him to marry her, — had not dared to say those very words; and he had not dared to ask her to be his mistress. There was an animal courage about her, and an amount of strength also, and a fire in her eye, of which he had learned to be aware. Before the half-hour was over I think that he wished himself away; — but when he did go, he made a promise to see her again on the Tuesday morning. Her grandfather would be at Harlestone market, and she would meet him at about noon at the bottom of the kitchen garden belonging to the farm. As he made the promise he resolved that he would not keep it. He would write to her again, and bid her come to him in London, and would send her money for the journey.
“I suppose I am to be his wedded wife,” said Ruby to herself, as she crept away down from the road, away also from her own home; — so that on her return her presence should not be associated with that of the young man, should any one chance to see the young man on the road. “I’ll never be nothing unless I’m that,” she said to herself. Then she allowed her mind to lose itself in expatiating on the difference between John Crumb and Sir Felix Carbury.
Chapter XIX
Hetta Carbury Hears a Love Tale
“I half a mind to go back tomorrow morning,” Felix said to his mother that Sunday evening after dinner. At that moment Roger was walking round the garden by himself, and Henrietta was in her own room.
“tomorrow morning, Felix! You are engaged to dine with the Longestaffes!”
“You could make any excuse you like about that.”
“It would be the most uncourteous thing in the world. The Longestaffes you know are the leading people in this part of the country. No one knows what may happen. If you should ever be living at Carbury, how sad it would be that you should have quarrelled with them.”
“You forget, mother, that Dolly Longestaffe is about the most intimate friend I have in the world.”
“That does not justify you in being uncivil to the father and mother. And you should remember what you came here for.”
“What did I come for?”
“That you might see Marie Melmotte more at your ease than you can in their London house.”
“That’s all settled,” said Sir Felix, in the most indifferent tone that he could assume. “Settled!”
“As far as the girl is concerned. I can’t very well go to the old fellow for his consent down here.”
“Do you mean to say, Felix, that Marie Melmotte has accepted you?”
“I told you that before.”
“My dear Felix. Oh, my boy!” In her joy the mother took her unwilling son in her arms and caressed him. Here was the first step taken not only to success, but to such magnificent splendour as should make her son to be envied by all young men, and herself to be envied by all mothers in England! “No, you didn’t tell me before. But I am so happy. Is she really fond of you? I don’t wonder that any girl should be fond of you.”
“I can’t say anything about that, but I think she means to stick to it.”
“If she is firm, of course her father will give way at last. Fathers always do give way when the girl is firm. Why should he oppose it?”
“I don’t know that he will.”
“You are a man of rank, with a title of your own. I suppose what he wants is a gentleman for his girl. I don’t see why he should not be perfectly satisfied. With all his enormous wealth a thousand a year or so can’t make any difference. And then he made you one of the Directors at his Board. Oh Felix; — it is almost too good to be true.”
“I ain’t quite sure that I care very much about being married, you know.”
“Oh, Felix, pray don’t say that. Why shouldn’t you like being married? She is a very nice girl, and we shall all be so fond of her! Don’t let any feeling of that kind come over you; pray don’t. You will be able to do just what you please when once the question of her money is settled. Of course you can hunt as often as you like, and you can have a house in any part of London you please. You must understand by this time how very disagreeable it is to have to get on without an established income.”
“I quite understand that.”
“If this were once done you would never have any more trouble of that kind. There would be plenty of money for everything as long as you live. It would be complete success. I don’t know how to say enough to you, or to tell you how dearly I love you, or
