weir of hermiston-第28章
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with the Cauldstaneslap party; then she lived at Cauldstaneslap。 Here
was Archie's secret; here was the woman; and more than that … though I
have need here of every manageable attenuation of language … with the
first look; he had already entered himself as rival。 It was a good deal
in pique; it was a little in revenge; it was much in genuine admiration:
the devil may decide the proportions! I cannot; and it is very likely
that Frank could not。
〃Mighty attractive milkmaid;〃 he observed; on the way home。
〃Who?〃 said Archie。
〃O; the girl you're looking at … aren't you? Forward there on the road。
She came attended by the rustic bard; presumably; therefore; belongs to
his exalted family。 The single objection! for the four black brothers
are awkward customers。 If anything were to go wrong; Gib would gibber;
and Clem would prove inclement; and Dand fly in danders; and Hob blow up
in gobbets。 It would be a Helliott of a business!〃
〃Very humorous; I am sure;〃 said Archie。
〃Well; I am trying to be so;〃 said Frank。 〃It's none too easy in this
place; and with your solemn society; my dear fellow。 But confess that
the milkmaid has found favour in your eyes; or resign all claim to be a
man of taste。〃
〃It is no matter;〃 returned Archie。
But the other continued to look at him; steadily and quizzically; and
his colour slowly rose and deepened under the glance; until not
impudence itself could have denied that he was blushing。 And at this
Archie lost some of his control。 He changed his stick from one hand to
the other; and … 〃O; for God's sake; don't be an ass!〃 he cried。
〃Ass? That's the retort delicate without doubt;〃 says Frank。 〃Beware
of the homespun brothers; dear。 If they come into the dance; you'll see
who's an ass。 Think now; if they only applied (say) a quarter as much
talent as I have applied to the question of what Mr。 Archie does with
his evening hours; and why he is so unaffectedly nasty when the
subject's touched on … 〃
〃You are touching on it now;〃 interrupted Archie with a wince。
〃Thank you。 That was all I wanted; an articulate confession;〃 said
Frank。
〃I beg to remind you … 〃 began Archie。
But he was interrupted in turn。 〃My dear fellow; don't。 It's quite
needless。 The subject's dead and buried。〃
And Frank began to talk hastily on other matters; an art in which he was
an adept; for it was his gift to be fluent on anything or nothing。 But
although Archie had the grace or the timidity to suffer him to rattle
on; he was by no means done with the subject。 When he came home to
dinner; he was greeted with a sly demand; how things were looking
〃Cauldstaneslap ways。〃 Frank took his first glass of port out after
dinner to the toast of Kirstie; and later in the evening he returned to
the charge again。
〃I say; Weir; you'll excuse me for returning again to this affair。 I've
been thinking it over; and I wish to beg you very seriously to be more
careful。 It's not a safe business。 Not safe; my boy;〃 said he。
〃What?〃 said Archie。
〃Well; it's your own fault if I must put a name on the thing; but
really; as a friend; I cannot stand by and see you rushing head down
into these dangers。 My dear boy;〃 said he; holding up a warning cigar;
〃consider! What is to be the end of it?〃
〃The end of what?〃 … Archie; helpless with irritation; persisted in this
dangerous and ungracious guard。
〃Well; the end of the milkmaid; or; to speak more by the card; the end
of Miss Christina Elliott of the Cauldstaneslap。〃
〃I assure you;〃 Archie broke out; 〃this is all a figment of your
imagination。 There is nothing to be said against that young lady; you
have no right to introduce her name into the conversation。〃
〃I'll make a note of it;〃 said Frank。 〃She shall henceforth be
nameless; nameless; nameless; Grigalach! I make a note besides of your
valuable testimony to her character。 I only want to look at this thing
as a man of the world。 Admitted she's an angel … but; my good fellow;
is she a lady?〃
This was torture to Archie。 〃I beg your pardon;〃 he said; struggling to
be composed; 〃but because you have wormed yourself into my confidence … 〃
〃O; come!〃 cried Frank。 〃Your confidence? It was rosy but
unconsenting。 Your confidence; indeed? Now; look! This is what I must
say; Weir; for it concerns your safety and good character; and therefore
my honour as your friend。 You say I wormed myself into your confidence。
Wormed is good。 But what have I done? I have put two and two together;
just as the parish will be doing tomorrow; and the whole of Tweeddale in
two weeks; and the black brothers … well; I won't put a date on that; it
will be a dark and stormy morning! Your secret; in other words; is poor
Poll's。 And I want to ask of you as a friend whether you like the
prospect? There are two horns to your dilemma; and I must say for
myself I should look mighty ruefully on either。 Do you see yourself
explaining to the four Black Brothers? or do you see yourself presenting
the milkmaid to papa as the future lady of Hermiston? Do you? I tell
you plainly; I don't!〃
Archie rose。 〃I will hear no more of this;〃 he said; in a trembling
voice。
But Frank again held up his cigar。 〃Tell me one thing first。 Tell me
if this is not a friend's part that I am playing?〃
〃I believe you think it so;〃 replied Archle。 〃I can go as far as that。
I can do so much justice to your motives。 But I will hear no more of
it。 I am going to bed。〃
〃That's right; Weir;〃 said Frank heartily。 〃Go to bed and think over
it; and I say; man; don't forget your prayers! I don't often do the
moral … don't go in for that sort of thing … but when I do there's one
thing sure; that I mean it。〃
So Archie marched off to bed; and Frank sat alone by the table for
another hour or so; smiling to himself richly。 There was nothing
vindictive in his nature; but; if revenge came in his way; it might as
well be good; and the thought of Archie's pillow reflections that night
was indescribably sweet to him。 He felt a pleasant sense of power。 He
looked down on Archie as on a very little boy whose strings he pulled …
as on a horse whom he had backed and bridled by sheer power of
intelligence; and whom he might ride to glory or the grave at pleasure。
Which was it to be? He lingered long; relishing the details of schemes
that he was too idle to pursue。 Poor cork upon a torrent; he tasted
that night the sweets of omnipotence; and brooded like a deity over the
strands of that intrigue which was to shatter him before the summer
waned。
CHAPTER VIII … A NOCTURNAL VISIT
KIRSTIE had many causes of distress。 More and more as we grow old … and
yet more and more as we grow old and are women; frozen by the fear of
age … we come to rely on the voice as the single outlet of the soul。
Only thus; in the curtailment of our means; can we relieve the
straitened cry of the passion within us; only thus; in the bitter and
sensitive shyness of advancing years; can we maintain relations with
those vivacious figures of the young that still show before us and tend
daily to become no more than the moving wall…paper of life。 Talk is the
last link; the last relation。 But with the end of the conversation;
when the voice stops and the bright face of the listener is turned away;
solitude falls again on the bruised heart。 Kirstie had lost her 〃cannie
hour at e'en〃; she could no more wander with Archie; a ghost if you
will; but a happy ghost; in fields Elysian。 And to her it was as if the
whole world had fallen silent; to him; but an unremarkable change of
amusements。 And she raged to know it。 The effervescency of her
passionate and irritable nature rose within her at times to bursting
point。
This is the price paid by age fo