CHAPTER LXXIII

HOW TO GET OUT OF CHANCERY

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Things at this time so befell me, that I cannot tell one half; but

am like a boy who has left his lesson (to the master's very footfall)

unready, except with false excuses. And as this makes no good work, so

I lament upon my lingering, in the times when I might have got through

a good page, but went astray after trifles. However, every man must

do according to his intellect; and looking at the easy manner of

my constitution, I think that most men will regard me with pity and

goodwill for trying, more than with contempt and wrath for having tried

unworthily. Even as in the wrestling ring, whatever man did his best,

and made an honest conflict, I always laid him down with softness,

easing off his dusty fall.

But the thing which next betided me was not a fall of any sort; but

rather a most glorious rise to the summit of all fortune. For in good

truth it was no less than the return of Lorna--my Lorna, my own darling;

in wonderful health and spirits, and as glad as a bird to get back

again. It would have done any one good for a twelve-month to behold her

face and doings, and her beaming eyes and smile (not to mention blushes

also at my salutation), when this Queen of every heart ran about our

rooms again. She did love this, and she must see that, and where was our

old friend the cat? All the house was full of brightness, as if the sun

had come over the hill, and Lorna were his mirror.

My mother sat in an ancient chair, and wiped her cheeks, and looked at

her; and even Lizzie's eyes must dance to the freshness and joy of her

beauty. As for me, you might call me mad; for I ran out and flung my

best hat on the barn, and kissed mother Fry, till she made at me with

the sugar-nippers.

What a quantity of things Lorna had to tell us! And yet how often we

stopped her mouth--at least mother, I mean, and Lizzie--and she quite as

often would stop her own, running up in her joy to some one of us!

And then there arose the eating business--which people now call

“refreshment,” in these dandyfied days of our language--for how was it

possible that our Lorna could have come all that way, and to her own

Exmoor, without being terribly hungry?

“Oh, I do love it all so much,” said Lorna, now for the fiftieth time,

and not meaning only the victuals: “the scent of the gorse on the moors

drove me wild, and the primroses under the hedges. I am sure I was meant

for a farmer's--I mean for a farm-house life, dear Lizzie”--for Lizzie

was looking saucily--“just as you were meant for a soldier's bride, and

for writing despatches of victory. And now, since you will not ask me,

dear mother, in the excellence of your manners, and even John has not

the impudence, in spite of all his coat of arms--I must tell you a

thing, which I vowed to keep until tomorrow morning; but my resolution

fails me. I am my own mistress--what think you of that, mother? I am my

own mistress!”

“Then you shall not be so long,” cried I; for mother seemed not to

understand her, and sought about for her glasses: “darling, you shall be

mistress of me; and I will be your master.”

“A frank announcement of your intent, and beyond doubt a true one; but

surely unusual at this stage, and a little premature, John. However,

what must be, must be.” And with tears springing out of smiles, she fell

on my breast, and cried a bit.

When I came to smoke a pipe over it (after the rest were gone to bed), I

could hardly believe in my good luck. For here was I, without any merit,

except of bodily power, and the absence of any falsehood (which surely

is no commendation), so placed that the noblest man in England might

envy me, and be vexed with me. For the noblest lady in all the land, and

the purest, and the sweetest--hung upon my heart, as if there was none

to equal it.

I dwelled upon this matter, long and very severely, while I smoked a

new tobacco, brought by my own Lorna for me, and next to herself most

delicious; and as the smoke curled away, I thought, “Surely this is too

fine to last, for a man who never deserved it.”

Seeing no way out of this, I resolved to place my faith in God; and so

went to bed and dreamed of it. And having no presence of mind to pray

for anything, under the circumstances, I thought it best to fall asleep,

and trust myself to the future. Yet ere I fell asleep the roof above me

swarmed with angels, having Lorna under it.

In the morning Lorna was ready to tell her story, and we to hearken; and

she wore a dress of most simple stuff; and yet perfectly wonderful, by

means of the shape and her figure. Lizzie was wild with jealousy, as

might be expected (though never would Annie have been so, but have

praised it, and craved for the pattern), and mother not understanding

it, looked forth, to be taught about it. For it was strange to note that

lately my dear mother had lost her quickness, and was never quite brisk,

unless the question were about myself. She had seen a great deal of

trouble; and grief begins to close on people, as their power of life

declines. We said that she was hard of hearing; but my opinion was,

that seeing me inclined for marriage made her think of my father, and

so perhaps a little too much, to dwell on the courting of thirty years

agone. Anyhow, she was the very best of mothers; and would smile and

command herself; and be (or try to believe herself) as happy as could

be, in the doings of the younger folk, and her own skill in detecting

them. Yet, with the wisdom of age, renouncing any opinion upon the

matter; since none could see the end of it.

But Lorna in her bright young beauty, and her knowledge of my heart, was

not to be checked by any thoughts of haply coming evil. In the morning

she was up, even sooner than I was, and through all the corners of the

hens, remembering every one of them. I caught her and saluted her with

such warmth (being now none to look at us), that she vowed she would

never come out again; and yet she came the next morning.

These things ought not to be chronicled. Yet I am of such nature, that

finding many parts of life adverse to our wishes, I must now and then

draw pleasure from the blessed portions. And what portion can be more

blessed than with youth, and health, and strength, to be loved by a

virtuous maid, and to love her with all one's heart? Neither was my

pride diminished, when I found what she had done, only from her love of

me.

Earl Brandir's ancient steward, in whose charge she had travelled, with

a proper escort, looked upon her as a lovely maniac; and the mixture of

pity and admiration wherewith he regarded her, was a strange thing to

observe; especially after he had seen our simple house and manners. On

the other hand, Lorna considered him a worthy but foolish old gentleman;

to whom true happiness meant no more than money and high position.

These two last she had been ready to abandon wholly, and had in part

escaped from them, as the enemies of her happiness. And she took

advantage of the times, in a truly clever manner. For that happened

to be a time--as indeed all times hitherto (so far as my knowledge

extends), have, somehow, or other, happened to be--when everybody

was only too glad to take money for doing anything. And the greatest

money-taker in the kingdom (next to the King and Queen, of course, who

had due pre-eminence, and had taught the maids of honour) was generally

acknowledged to be the Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys.

Upon his return from the bloody assizes, with triumph and great glory,

after hanging every man who was too poor to help it, he pleased his

Gracious Majesty so purely with the description of their delightful

agonies, that the King exclaimed, “This man alone is worthy to be at the

head of the law.” Accordingly in his hand was placed the Great Seal of

England.

So it came to pass that Lorna's destiny hung upon Lord Jeffreys; for at

this time Earl Brandir died, being taken with gout in the heart, soon

after I left London. Lorna was very sorry for him; but as he had never

been able to hear one tone of her sweet silvery voice, it is not to be

supposed that she wept without consolation. She grieved for him as we

ought to grieve for any good man going; and yet with a comforting sense

of the benefit which the blessed exchange must bring to him.

Now the Lady Lorna Dugal appeared to Lord Chancellor Jeffreys so

exceeding wealthy a ward that the lock would pay for turning. Therefore

he came, of his own accord, to visit her, and to treat with her; having

heard (for the man was as big a gossip as never cared for anybody,

yet loved to know all about everybody) that this wealthy and beautiful

maiden would not listen to any young lord, having pledged her faith to

the plain John Ridd.

Thereupon, our Lorna managed so to hold out golden hopes to the Lord

High Chancellor, that he, being not more than three parts drunk, saw his

way to a heap of money. And there and then (for he was not the man

to dally long about anything) upon surety of a certain round sum--the

amount of which I will not mention, because of his kindness towards

me--he gave to his fair ward permission, under sign and seal, to marry

that loyal knight, John Ridd; upon condition only that the King's

consent should be obtained.

His Majesty, well-disposed towards me for my previous service, and

regarding me as a good Catholic, being moved moreover by the Queen, who

desired to please Lorna, consented, without much hesitation, upon the

understanding that Lorna, when she became of full age, and the mistress

of her property (which was still under guardianship), should pay a

heavy fine to the Crown, and devote a fixed portion of her estate to the

promotion of the holy Catholic faith, in a manner to be dictated by the

King himself. Inasmuch, however, as King James was driven out of his

kingdom before this arrangement could take effect, and another king

succeeded, who desired not the promotion of the Catholic religion,

neither hankered after subsidies, whether French or English, that

agreement was pronounced invalid, improper, and contemptible. However,

there was no getting back the money once paid to Lord Chancellor

Jeffreys.

But what thought we of money at this present moment; or of position,

or anything else, except indeed one another? Lorna told me, with the

sweetest smile, that if I were minded to take her at all, I must take

her without anything; inasmuch as she meant, upon coming of age, to make

over the residue of her estates to the next-of-kin, as being unfit for a

farmer's wife. And I replied with the greatest warmth and a readiness

to worship her, that this was exactly what I longed for, but had never

dared to propose it. But dear mother looked most exceeding grave; and

said that to be sure her opinion could not be expected to count for

much, but she really hoped that in three years' time we should both he a

little wiser, and have more regard for our interests, and perhaps those

of others by that time; and Master Snowe having daughters only, and

nobody coming to marry them, if anything happened to the good old

man--and who could tell in three years' time what might happen to all

or any of us?--why perhaps his farm would be for sale, and perhaps Lady

Lorna's estates in Scotland would fetch enough money to buy it, and so

throw the two farms into one, and save all the trouble about the brook,

as my poor father had longed to do many and many a time, but not having

a title could not do all quite as he wanted. And then if we young

people grew tired of the old mother, as seemed only too likely, and was

according to nature, why we could send her over there, and Lizzie to

keep her company.

When mother had finished, and wiped her eyes, Lorna, who had been

blushing rosily at some portions of this great speech, flung her fair

arms around mother's neck, and kissed her very heartily, and scolded

her (as she well deserved) for her want of confidence in us. My mother

replied that if anybody could deserve her John, it was Lorna; but that

she could not hold with the rashness of giving up money so easily; while

her next-of-kin would be John himself, and who could tell what others,

by the time she was one-and-twenty?

Hereupon, I felt that after all my mother had common sense on her side;

for if Master Snowe's farm should be for sale, it would be far more to

the purpose than my coat of arms, to get it; for there was a different

pasture there, just suited for change of diet to our sheep as well

as large cattle. And beside this, even with all Annie's skill (and of

course yet more now she was gone), their butter would always command in

the market from one to three farthings a pound more than we could get

for ours. And few things vexed us more than this. Whereas, if we got

possession of the farm, we might, without breach of the market-laws, or

any harm done to any one (the price being but a prejudice), sell all our

butter as Snowe butter, and do good to all our customers.

Thinking thus, yet remembering that Farmer Nicholas might hold out for

another score of years--as I heartily hoped he might--or that one, if

not all, of his comely daughters might marry a good young farmer (or

farmers, if the case were so)--or that, even without that, the farm

might never be put up for sale; I begged my Lorna to do as she liked; or

rather to wait and think of it; for as yet she could do nothing.

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