Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R. D. Blackmore

  CHAPTER XXV

  NO CONCERN OF OURS

  The very next morning it was known to the faithful of Springhaventhat the glory of the place would be trebled that day, and its incomeincreased desirably. That day, the fair stranger (which had so longawakened the admiration of the women, and the jealousy of the men) wouldby the consummate skill of Captain Zeb--who had triumphed over all theofficers of the British Navy--float forth magnificently from her narrowbed, hoist her white sails, and under British ensign salute the newfort, and shape a course for Portsmouth. That she had stuck fast and indanger so long was simply because the cocked hats were too proud to giveear to the wisdom in an old otter-skin. Now Admiral Darling was baffledand gone; and Captain Tugwell would show the world what he could do, andwhat stuff his men were made of, if they only had their way. From oldDaddy Stakes, the bald father of the village, to Mrs. Caper junior'sbaby--equally bald, but with a crop as sure of coming as mustard andcress beneath his flannel--some in arms, some on legs, some upon bravecrutches, all were abroad in the soft air from the west, which hadstolen up under the stiff steel skirt of the east wind, exactly as wiseCaptain Zeb predicted.

  "My dear," said Mrs. Twemlow to the solid Mrs. Stubbard, for a verysweet friendship had sprung up between these ladies, and would lastuntil their interests should happen to diverge, "this will be a greatday for my dear husband's parish. Perhaps there is no other parishin the kingdom capable of acting as Springhaven has, so obedient, sodisciplined, so faithful to their contract! I am told that they evenpulled the vessel more aground, in preference to setting up their ownopinions. I am told that as soon as the Admiral was gone--for betweenyou and me he is a little overbearing, with the very best intentions inthe world, but too confident in his own sagacity--then that clever butexceedingly modest young man, Lieutenant Scudamore, was allowed at lastto listen to our great man Tugwell, who has long been the oracle of theneighbourhood about the sea, and the weather, and all questions of thatkind. And between you and me, my dear, the poor old Admiral seems alittle bit jealous of his reputation. And what do you think he saidbefore he went, which shows his high opinion of his own abilities?Tugwell said something in his rough and ready way, which, I suppose, puthis mightiness upon the high ropes, for he shouted out in everybody'shearing, 'I'll tell you what it is, my man, if you can get her off, byany of your'--something I must not repeat--'devices, I'll give you fiftyguineas, five-and-twenty for yourself, and the rest to be divided amongthese other fellows.' Then Zebedee pulled out a Testament from hispocket, for he is a man of deep religious convictions, and can readalmost all the easy places, though he thinks most of the hard ones, andhe made his son Dan (who is a great scholar, as they say, and a veryfine-looking youth as well) put down at the end what the Admiral hadsaid. Now, what do you think of that, dear Mrs. Stubbard?"

  "I think," replied that strong-minded lady, "that Tugwell is an arrantold fox; and if he gets the fifty guineas, he will put every farthinginto his own pocket."

  "Oh, no! He is honest as the day itself. He will take his owntwenty-five, and then leave the rest to settle whether he should sharein their twenty-five. But we must be quick, or we shall lose the sight.Quite a number of people are come from inland. How wonderfully quicklythese things spread! They came the first day, and then made up theirminds that nothing could be done, and so they stopped at home. But now,here they are again, as if by magic! If the ship gets off, it will beknown halfway to London before nightfall. But I see Captain Stubbardgoing up the hill to your charming battery. That shows implicit faith inTugwell, to return the salute of the fair captive! It is indeed a proudday for Springhaven!"

  "But it isn't done yet. And perhaps it won't be done. I would rathertrust officers of the navy than people who catch crabs and oysters. Iwould go up to the battery, to laugh at my husband, but for the tricksthe children play me. My authority is gone, at the very first puff ofsmoke. How children do delight in that vile gunpowder!"

  "So they ought, in the present state of our country, with five hundredthousand of Frenchmen coming. My dear Mrs. Stubbard, how thankful weshould be to have children who love gunpowder!"

  "But not when they blow up their mother, ma'am."

  "Oh, here comes Eliza!" cried Mrs. Twemlow. "I am so glad, because sheknows everything. I thought we had missed her. My dear child, where areFaith and Dolly Darling gone? There are so many strangers about to-daythat the better class should keep together."

  "Here are three of us at any rate," replied the young lady, whoconsidered her mother old-fashioned: "enough to secure one another'ssanctity from the lower orders. Faith has gone on to the headland, withthat heroic mannikin, Johnny. Dolly was to follow, with that Shanks maidto protect her, as soon as her hat was trimmed, or some such era. ButI'll answer for it that she loses herself in the crowd, or some fib ofthat sort."

  "Eliza!" said her mother, and very severely, because Mrs. Stubbard waspresent, "I am quite astonished at your talking so. You might do thegreatest injury to a very lively and harmless, but not over-prudentgirl, if any one heard you who would repeat it. We all know that theAdmiral is so wrapped up in Dolly that he lets her do many things whicha mother would forbid. But that is no concern of ours; and once for all,if such things must be said, I beg that they may not be said by you."

  In the present age, Mrs. Twemlow would have got sharp answer. But herdaughter only looked aggrieved, and glanced at Mrs. Stubbard, as if tosay, "Well, time will show whether I deserve it." And then they hastenedon, among the worse class, to the headland.

  Not only all the fishing-smacks, and Captain Stubbard's galley, butevery boat half as sound as a hat, might now be seen near the groundedvessel, preparing to labour or look on. And though the White Pig wasallowed to be three-quarters of a mile from the nearest point, themighty voice of Captain Zeb rode over the flickering breadth of sea,and through the soft babble of the waves ashore. The wind was lightfrom southwest, and the warp being nearly in the same direction now, theBlonde began to set her courses, to catch a lift of air, when the tideshould come busily working under her. And this would be the best tidesince she took the ground, last Sunday week, when the springs were goingoff. As soon as the hawsers were made fast, and the shouts of Zebedeeredoubled with great strength (both of sound and of language), and thelong ropes lifted with a flash of splashes, and a creak of heavy wood,and the cry was, "With a will! with a will, my gay lads!" every bodyhaving a sound eye in it was gazing intently, and every heart wasfluttering, except the loveliest eyes and quickest heart in allSpringhaven.

  Miss Dolly had made up her mind to go, and would have had warm wordsready for any one rash enough to try to prevent her. But a very shortnote which was put into her hand about 10 A.M. distracted her.

  "If you wish to do me a real service, according to your kind words ofSaturday, be in the upper shrubbery at half past eleven; but tell no oneexcept the bearer. You will see all that happens better there than onthe beach, and I will bring a telescope."

  Dolly knew at once who had written this, and admired it all the morebecause it was followed by no signature. For years she had longed fora bit of romance; and the common-sense of all the world irked her. Sheknew as well as possible that what she ought to do was to take thisletter to her sister Faith, and be guided by her advice about it. Faithwas her elder by three years or more, and as steadfast as a rock, yet astender as young moss. There was no fear that Faith would ride the highhorse with her, or lay down the law severely; she was much more likelyto be too indulgent, though certain not to play with wrong.

  All this the younger sister knew, and therefore resolved to eschewthat knowledge. She liked her own way, and she meant to have it, in aharmless sort of way; her own high spirit should be her guide, and shewas old enough now to be her own judge. Mr. Carne had saved her sister'slife, when she stood up in that senseless way; and if Faith had nogratitude, Dolly must feel, and endeavour to express it for her.

  Reasoning thus, and much better than this, she was very particular abouther hat, and French pelerine of flut
ed lawn, and frock of pale violettrimmed on either side with gathered muslin. Her little heart flutteredat being drawn in, when it should have been plumped up to her neck, andvery nearly displayed to the public; but her father was stern upon somepoints, and never would hear of the classic discoveries. She had noteven Grecian sandals, nor a "surprise fan" to flutter from her wrist,nor hair oiled into flat Lesbian coils, but freedom of rich youngtresses, and of graceful figure, and taper limbs. There was no one whocould say her nay, of the lovers of maiden nature.

  However, maidens must be discreet, even when most adventurous; andso she took another maid to help her, of respected but not romanticname--Jenny Shanks, who had brought her that letter. Jenny was muchprettier than her name, and the ground she trod on was worshipped bymany, even when her shoes were down at heel. Especially in this trackremained the finer part of Charley Bowles's heart (while the coarserwas up against the Frenchmen), as well as a good deal of Mr. Prater'snephew's, and of several other sole-fishers. This enabled Jenny to enterkindly into tender questions. And she fetched her Sunday bonnet down thetrap-ladder where she kept it--because the other maids were so nasty--assoon as her letter was delivered.

  "Your place, Jenny, is to go behind," Miss Dolly said, with no smalldignity, as this zealous attendant kept step for step with her, andswung her red arm against the lady's fair one. "I am come upon importantbusiness, Jenny, such as you cannot understand, but may stay at a properdistance."

  "Lor, miss, I am sure I begs your pardon. I thought it was a kind ofcoorting-match, and you might be glad of my experience."

  "Such things I never do, and have no idea what you mean. I shall be muchobliged to you, Jenny, if you will hold your tongue."

  "Oh yes, miss; no fear of my telling anybody. Wild horses would neverpull a syllable out of me. The young men is so aggravating that I keepmy proper distance from them. But the mind must be made up, at one timeor other."

  Dolly looked down at her with vast contempt, which she would not lowerherself by expressing, even with favour of time and place. Then turninga corner of the grassy walk, between ground-ash and young larches, theycame upon an opening planted round with ilex, arbutus, juniper, andlaurel, and backed by one of the rocks which form the outworks of thevalley. From a niche in this rock, like the port-hole of a ship, a rillof sparkling water poured, and beginning to make a noise already, cutcorner's--of its own production--short, in its hurry to be a brook, andthen to help the sea. And across its exit from the rock (like a measureof its insignificance) a very comfortable seat was fixed, so that anygentleman--or even a lady with divided skirts--might freely sit with onefoot on either bank of this menacing but not yet very formidable stream.So that on the whole this nook of shelter under the coronet of rock wasa favourite place for a sage cock-pheasant, or even a woodcock in wintryweather.

  Upon that bench (where the Admiral loved to sit, in the afternoon ofpeace and leisure, observing with a spy-glass the manoeuvres of histranquil fishing fleet) Caryl Carne was sitting now, with his long andstrong legs well spread out, his shoulders comfortably settled back, andhis head cast a little on one side, as if he were trying to compute hisproperty. Then, as Dolly came into the opening, he arose, made a bowbeyond the compass of any true Briton, and swinging his hat, came tomeet her. Dolly made a curtsey in the style impressed upon her by herlast governess but one--a French lady of exceedingly high ancestry andmanners--and Carne recognised it as a fine thing out of date.

  "Jenny, get away!" said Dolly--words not meant for him to hear, but hehad grave command of countenance.

  "This lays me under one more obligation:" Carne spoke in a low voice,and with a smile of diffidence which reminded her of Scudamore, thoughthe two smiles were as different as night and day. "I have taken a greatliberty in asking you to come, and that multiplies my gratitude foryour good-will. For my own sake alone I would not have dared to sue thisgreat favour from you, though I put it so, in terror of alarming you.But it is for my own sake also, since anything evil to you would beterrible to me."

  "No one can wish to hurt me," she answered, looking up at him bravely,and yet frightened by his gaze, "because I have never harmed any one.And I assure you, sir, that I have many to defend me, even when myfather is gone from home."

  "It is beyond doubt. Who would not rush to do so? But it is from thosewho are least suspected that the danger comes the worst. The most modestof all gentlemen, who blushes like a damsel, or the gallant officerdevoted to his wife and children, or the simple veteran with his stars,and scars, and downright speech--these are the people that do the wrong,because no one believes it is in them."

  "Then which of the three is to carry me off from home, and friends, andfamily--Lieutenant Scudamore, Captain Stubbard, or my own godfather,Lord Nelson?"

  This young man nourished a large contempt for the intellect of women,and was therefore surprised at the quickness and spirit of the girl whomhe wished to terrify. A sterner tone must be used with her.

  "I never deal in jokes," he said, with a smile of sad sympathy forthose who do; "my life is one perpetual peril, and that restrainsfacetiousness. But I can make allowance for those who like it."

  Miss Dolly, the pet child of the house, and all the peopleround it--except the gardener, Mr. Swipes, who found her tooinquisitive--quick as she was, could not realise at once the possibilityof being looked down upon.

  "I am sorry that you have to be so grave," she said, "because itprevents all enjoyment. But why should you be in such continual danger?You promised to explain it, on Saturday, only you had no time then.We are all in danger from the French, of course, if they ever shouldsucceed in landing. But you mean something more than that; and it seemsso hard, after all your losses, that you should not be safe from harm."

  With all her many faults--many more than she dreamed of--fair Dolly hada warm and gentle heart, which filled her eyes with tender loveliness,whenever it obtained command of them. Carne, who was watching themsteadfastly for his own purpose, forgot that purpose, and dropped hisdark eyes, and lost the way to tell a lie.

  "If I may ask you," he said, almost stammering, and longing withoutknowledge for the blessing of her touch, "to--to allow me just to leadyou to this seat, I may perhaps be able--I will not take the liberty ofsitting at your side--but I may perhaps be able to explain as much of myaffairs as you can wish to hear of them, and a great deal more, I fear,a great deal more, Miss Darling."

  Dolly blushed at the rich tone in which he pronounced her name, almostas if it were an adjective; but she allowed him to take her hand,and lead her to the bench beneath the rock. Then, regardless of hisbreeches, although of fine padusoy, and his coat, though of purplevelvet, he sate down on the bank of the rill at her feet, and waited forher to say something. The young lady loved mainly to take the lead, butwould liefer have followed suit just now.

  "You have promised to tell me," she said, very softly, and with anunusual timidity, which added to her face and manner almost the onlycharm they lacked, "some things which I do not understand, and which Ihave no right to ask you of, except for your own offer. Why should you,without injuring any one, but only having suffered loss of all yourfamily property, and of all your rights and comforts, and living inthat lonely place which used to be full of company--why should you bein danger now, when you have nothing more to be robbed of? I beg yourpardon--I mean when all your enemies must have done their worst."

  "You are too young yet to understand the world," he answered, with awell-drawn sigh; "and I hope most truly that you may never do so. Inyour gentle presence I cannot speak with bitterness, even if I couldfeel it. I will not speak harshly of any one, however I may have beentreated. But you will understand that my life alone remains betwixt theplunderers and their prey, and that my errand here prevents them fromlegally swallowing up the spoil."

  Miss Dolly's idea of the law, in common with that of most young ladies,suggested a horrible monster ravening to devour the fallen. And the fallof the Carnes had long been a subject of romantic interest to her.

>   "Oh, I see!" she exclaimed, with a look of deep wisdom. "I can quiteunderstand a thing like that, from what I have heard about witnesses. Ihope you will be very careful. My sister owes so much to you, and so doI."

  "You must never speak of that again, unless you wish to grieve me. Iknow that I have said too much about myself; but you alone care to knowanything about me; and that beguiles one out--out of one's wits. If Ispeak bad English, you will forgive me. I have passed so many yearson the Continent, and am picking up the language of my childhoodvery slowly. You will pardon me, when I am misled by--by my ownsignification."

  "Well done!" cried the innocent Dolly. "Now that is the very first pieceof bad English you have used, to the best of my belief, and I am ratherquick in that. But you have not yet explained to me my own danger,though you asked me to come here for that purpose, I believe."

  "But you shall not be so; you shall not be in danger. My life shall begiven for your defence. What imports my peril compared with yours? I amnot of cold blood. I will sacrifice all. Have faith in me purely, andall shall be done."

  "All what?" Dolly asked, with a turn of common-sense, which is the mostprovoking of all things sometimes; and she looked at him steadily, tofollow up her question.

  "You cannot be persuaded that you are in any danger. It is possible thatI have been too anxious. Do you speak the French language easily? Do youcomprehend it, when spoken quickly?"

  "Not a word of it. I have had to learn, of course, and can pronouncevery well, my last mistress said; but I cannot make it out at all in theway the French people pronounce it, when one comes to talk with them."

  "It is very wrong of them, and the loss is theirs. They expect us tocopy them even in their language, because we do it in everything else.Pardon me--one moment. May I look at the great enterprise which is toglorify Springhaven? It is more than kind of you to be here instead ofthere. But this, as I ventured to say, is a far better place to observethe operation. Your words reminded me of Captain Desportes, who hasbeen, I think, your father's guest. A very gallant sailor, and famed forthe most unexpected exploits. Without doubt, he would have captured allthree ships, if he had not contrived to run his own aground."

  "How could he capture his own ship? I thought that you never dealt injokes. But if you dislike them, you seem to be fond of a little mystery.I like the French captain very much, and he took the trouble to speakslowly for me. My father says that he bears his misfortune nobly, andlike a perfect gentleman. Mr. Scudamore admires him, and they are greatfriends. And yet, sir, you seem inclined to hint that I am in dangerfrom Captain Desportes!"

  "Ha! she is afloat! They have succeeded. I thought that they had soarranged it. The brave ship spreads her pinions. How clever the peopleof Springhaven are! If you will condescend to look through this glass,you will see much embracing of the Saxon and the Gaul, or rather, Ishould say, of the Saxon by the Gaul. Old Tugwell is not fond to beembraced."

  "Oh, let me see that! I must see that!" cried Dolly, with all reserveand caution flown; "to see Capp'en Zeb in the arms of a Frenchman--yes,I declare, two have got him, if not three, and he puts his great backagainst the mast to disentangle it. Oh, what will he do next? He hasknocked down two, in reply to excessive cordiality. What wonderfulcreatures Frenchmen are! How kind it is of you to show me this! Butexcuse me, Mr. Carne; there will be twenty people coming to the housebefore I can get back almost. And the ship will salute the battery,and the battery will return it. Look! there goes a great puff of smokealready. They can see me up here, when they get to that corner."

  "But this spot is not private? I trust that I have not intruded.Your father allows a sort of foot-path through this upper end of hisgrounds?"

  "Yes, to all the villagers, and you are almost one of them; there isno right of way at all; and they very seldom come this way, because itleads to nowhere. Faith is fond of sitting here, to watch the sea, andthink of things. And so am I--sometimes, I mean."