Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R. D. Blackmore

  CHAPTER LV

  IN SAVAGE GUISE

  "A man came out of the sea to-day, and made me believe we were all foundout," said the gay Charron to the gloomy Carne, a day or two after poorScudamore's wreck. "I never beheld a more strange-looking creature asthe owner of our human face divine, as some of your poets have foundto say. He has hair from his head all down to here"--the little Captainpointed to a part of his system which would have been larger in moretranquil times--"and his clothes were so thin that one was able to seethrough them, and the tint of his face was of roasted sugar, such as itis not to obtain in England. A fine place for fat things, but not forthin ones."

  "My friend, you arouse my curiosity," the master of the feast, which wasnot a very fat one, answered, as he lazily crossed his long legs; "youare always apprehensive about detection, of which I have ceased toentertain all fear, during the short time that remains. This stranger ofyours must have been very wet, if he had just appeared out of the sea.Was it that which made his clothes transparent, like those of the higherclass of ladies?"

  "You have not the right understanding of words. He was appeared out ofthe sea, but the wood of a boat was spread between them. He was as dryas I am; and that is saying much, with nothing but this squeezing of badapples for to drink."

  "Ah, we shall have better soon. What an impatient throat it is! Well,what became of this transparent man, made of burnt sugar, and with hairbelow his belt?"

  "I tell you that you take it in a very different way. But he was a longman, as long almost as you are, and with much less of indolence in themoving of his legs. It was not sincerely wise for me to exhibit myself,in the land. I was watching for a signal from the sea, and a large ship,not of the navy but of merchants, was hanging off about a league anddelaying for her boat. For this reason I prevented him from seeing me,and that created difficulty of my beholding him. But he was going alongthe basin of the sea towards Springhaven--'Springport' it is designatedby the Little Corporal; ah ha, how the language of the English comesleft to him!"

  "And how right it comes to you, my friend, through your fine self-denialin speaking it with me! It is well for our cause that it is notsincerely wise for you to exhibit yourself in the land, or we shouldhave you making sweet eyes at English young ladies, and settling downto roast beef and nut-brown ale. Fie, then, my friend! where is yourpatriotism?"

  "These English young ladies," said the Frenchman, unabashed, "are veryfine, in my opinion--very fine indeed; and they could be made to dress,which is sincerely an external thing. By occasion, I have seen the verymost belle, and charming and adorable of all the creatures ever made bythe good God. And if she was to say to me, 'Abandon France, my Captain,and become my good husband'--and she has the money also--the fair Francewould go to the bottom, and the good ship Charron hoist the Union-jack."

  "This becomes serious:" Carne had long learned to treat his Frenchcolleague with a large contempt: "I shall have to confine you in theYellow Jar, my friend. But what young lady has bewitched you so, and ledyour most powerful mind astray?"

  "I will tell you. I will make no secret of it. You have none of thoselofty feelings, but you will be able in another to comprehend them. Itis the daughter of the Coast-Defender--Admiral Charles Sir Darling."

  "Admiral Darling has two daughters. Which of them has the distinguishedhonour of winning the regard of Captain Charron?"

  "If there are two, it is so much more better. If I succeed not with one,I will try with the other. But the one who has made me captive for thepresent is the lady with the dark hair done up like this."

  In a moment Charron had put up his hair, which was thick but short, intoa double sheaf; and Carne knew at once that it was Faith whose charmshad made havoc of the patriotism of his colleague. Then he smiled andsaid, "My friend, that is the elder daughter."

  "I have some knowledge of the laws of England," the Frenchman continued,complacently; "the elder will have the most money, and I am not rich,though I am courageous. In the confusion that ensues I shall have thevery best chance of commending myself; and I confide in your honourablefeeling to give me the push forward by occasion. Say, is it wellconceived, my friend? We never shall conquer these Englishmen, but wemay be triumphant with their ladies."

  "It is a most excellent scheme of invasion," Carne answered, with hisslow sarcastic smile, "and you may rely on me for what you call the pushforward, if a Frenchman ever needs it with a lady. But I wish to hearmore about that brown man."

  "I can tell you no more. But the matter is strange. Perhaps he wasvisiting the fat Captain Stoobar. I feel no solicitude concerning himwith my angel. She would never look twice at such a savage."

  But the gallant French Captain missed the mark this time. Thestrange-looking man with the long brown beard quitted the shore beforehe reached the stepping-stones, and making a short-cut across therabbit-warren, entered the cottage of Zebedee Tugwell, without evenstopping to knock at the door. The master was away, and so were all thechildren; but stout Mrs. Tugwell, with her back to the door, was tendingthe pot that hung over the fire. At the sound of a footstep she turnedround, and her red face grew whiter than the ashes she was stirring.

  "Oh, Mr. Erle, is it you, or your ghostie?" she cried, as she fellagainst the door of the brick oven. "Do 'e speak, for God's sake, if Hehave given the power to 'e."

  "He has almost taken it away again, so far as the English languagegoes," Erle Twemlow answered, with a smile which was visible only in hiseyes, through long want of a razor; "but I am picking up a little.Shake hands, Kezia, and then you will know me. Though I have not quiterecovered that art as yet."

  "Oh, Mr. Erle!" exclaimed Zebedee's wife, with tears ready to start forhis sake and her own, "how many a time I've had you on my knees, aforeI was blessed with any of my own, and a bad sort of blessing the best of'em proves. Not that I would listen to a word again' him. I suppose younever did happen to run again' my Dan'el, in any of they furrin parts,from the way they makes the hair grow. I did hear tell of him over toPebbleridge; but not likely, so nigh to his own mother, and never comeno nigher. And if they furrin parts puts on the hair so heavily, whocould 'a known him to Pebbleridge? They never was like we be. They'd aslief tell a lie as look at you, over there."

  In spite of his own long years of trouble, or perhaps by reason of them,Erle Twemlow, eager as he was to get on, listened to the sad tale thatsought for his advice, and departed from wisdom--as good-nature alwaysdoes--by offering useless counsel--counsel that could not be taken, andyet was far from being worthless, because it stirred anew the fount ofhope, towards which the parched affections creep.

  "But Lor bless me, sir, I never thought of you!" Mrs. Tugwell exclaimed,having thought out her self. "What did Parson say, and your mother, andMiss Faith? It must 'a been better than a play to see them."

  "Not one of them knows a word about it yet; nor anybody in Springhaven,except you, Kezia. You were as good as my nurse, you know; I have neverhad a chance of writing to them, and I want you to help me to let themknow it slowly."

  "Oh, Mr. Erle, what a lovely young woman your Miss Faith is grown up bynow! Some thinks more of Miss Dolly, but, to my mind, you may as wellput a mackerel before a salmon, for the sake of the stripes and theglittering. Now what can I do to make you decent, sir, for them dudsand that hair is barbarious? My Tabby and Debby will be back in half anhour, and them growing up into young maidens now."

  Twemlow explained that after living so long among savages in a burningclime, he had found it impossible to wear thick clothes, and had beenrigged up in some Indian stuff by the tailor of the ship which hadrescued him. But now he supposed he must reconcile himself by degrees tothe old imprisonment. But as for his hair, that should never be touched,unless he was restored to the British Army, and obliged to do as theothers did. With many little jokes of a homely order, Mrs. Tugwell,regarding him still as a child, supplied him with her husband's summersuit of thin duck, which was ample enough not to gall him; and then shesent her daughters with a note to the Rector, be
gging him to come atseven o'clock to meet a gentleman who wished to see him upon importantbusiness, near the plank bridge across the little river. Erle wrote thatnote, but did not sign it; and after many years of happy freedom fromthe pen, his handwriting was so changed that his own father would notknow it. What he feared was the sudden shock to his good mother; hisfather's nerves were strong, and must be used as buffers.

  "Another trouble, probably; there is nothing now but trouble," Mr.Twemlow was thinking, as he walked unwillingly towards the placeappointed. "I wish I could only guess what I can have done to deserveall these trials, as I become less fit to bear them. I would neverhave come to this lonely spot, except that it may be about Shargeloes.Everything now is turned upside down; but the Lord knows best, and Imust bear it. Sir, who are you? And what do you want me for?"

  At the corner where Miss Dolly had rushed into the Rector's open arms sofast, a tall man, clad in white, was standing, with a staff abouteight feet long in his hand. Having carried a spear for four years now,Captain Twemlow found no comfort in his native land until he had cut thetallest growth in Admiral Darling's osier bed, and peeled it, and shavedit to a seven-sided taper. He rested this point in a socket of moss,that it might not be blunted, and then replied:

  "Father, you ought to know me, although you have grown much stouter inmy absence; and perhaps I am thinner than I used to be. But the climatedisagreed with me, until I got to like it."

  "Erle! Do you mean to say you are my boy Erle?" The Rector wasparticular about his clothes. "Don't think of touching me. You are hairall over, and I dare say never had a comb. I won't believe a word of ituntil you prove it."

  "Well, mother will know me, if you don't." The young man answeredcalmly, having been tossed upon so many horns of adventure that nonecould make a hole in him. "I thought that you would have been glad tosee me; and I managed to bring a good many presents; only they aregone on to London. They could not be got at, to land them with me; butCaptain Southcombe will be sure to send them. You must not suppose,because I am empty-handed now--"

  "My dear son," cried the father, deeply hurt, "do you think that yourwelcome depends upon presents? You have indeed fallen into savage ways.Come, and let me examine you through your hair; though the light isscarcely strong enough now to go through it. To think that you should bemy own Erle, alive after such a time, and with such a lot of hair! Only,if there is any palm-oil on it--this is my last new coat but one."

  "No, father, nothing that you ever can have dreamed of. Something thatwill make you a bishop, if you like, and me a member of the Houseof Lords. But I did not find it out myself--which makes success morecertain."

  "They have taught you some great truths, my dear boy. The man who beginsa thing never gets on. But I am so astonished that I know not what Isay. I ought to have thanked the Lord long ago. Have you got a placewithout any hair upon it large enough for me to kiss you?"

  Erle Twemlow, whose hand in spite of all adventures trembled a littleupon his spear, lifted his hat and found a smooth front, sure to be allthe smoother for a father's kiss.

  "Let us go home," said the old man, trying to exclude all excitementfrom his throat and heart; "but you must stay outside until I come tofetch you. I feel a little anxious, my dear boy, as to how your dearmother will get over it. She has never been strong since the bad newscame about you. And somebody else has to be considered. But that muststand over till to-morrow."