by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER XXV.--UNCLE EDWARD.
According to her promise, Jasper went that evening to meet Evelyn at thestile. Evelyn was there, and the news she had for her faithful nurse wasthe reverse of soothing.
"You cannot stand it," said Jasper; "you cannot demean yourself. I don'tknow that I'd have done it--yes, perhaps I would--but having done it, youmust stick to your guns."
"Yes," said Evelyn in a mournful tone; "I must run away. I have quite,quite, absolutely made up my mind."
"And when, darling?" said Jasper, trembling a good deal.
"The night before the week is up. I will come to you here, Jasper, andyou must take me."
"Of course, love; you will come back with me to The Priory. I can hideyou there as well as anywhere on earth--yes, love, as well as anywhere onearth."
"Oh, I'd be so frightened! It would be so close to them all!"
"The closer the better, dear. If you went into any village or any townnear you would be discovered; but they'd never think of looking for youat The Priory. Why, darling, I have lived there unsuspected for sometime now--weeks, I might say. Sylvia will not tell. You shall sleep in mybed, and I will keep you safe. Only you must bring some money, Evelyn,for mine is getting sadly short."
"Yes," said Evelyn. "I will ask Uncle Edward; he will not refuse me. Heis very kind to me, and I love him better than any one on earth--bettereven than Jasper, because he is father's very own brother, and because Iam his heiress. He likes to talk to me about the place and what I am todo when it belongs to me. He is not angry with me when I am quite alonewith him and I talk of these things; only he has taught me to saynothing about it in public. If I could be sorry for having got into thisscrape it would be on his account; but there, I was not brought up withhis thoughts, and I cannot think things wrong that he thinks wrong. Canyou, Jasper?"
"No, my little wild honey-bird--not I. Well, dearie, I will meet youagain to-morrow night; and now I must be going back."
Evelyn returned to the house. She went up to her room, changed hershoes, tidied her hair, and came down to the drawing-room. Lady Franceswas leaning back in a chair, turning over the pages of a new magazine.She called Evelyn to her side.
"How do you like school?" she said. Her tones were abrupt; the eyes shefixed on the child were hard.
Evelyn's worst feelings were always awakened by Lady Frances's manner toher.
"I do not like it at all," she said. "I wish to leave."
"Your wishes, I am afraid, are not to be considered; all the same, youmay have to leave."
"Why?" asked Evelyn, turning white. She wondered if Lady Frances knew.
Her aunt's eyes were fixed, as though they were gimlets, on her face.
"Sit down," said Lady Frances, "and tell me how you spend your day. Whatclass are you in? What lessons are you learning?"
"I am in a very low class indeed?" said Evelyn. "Mothery always said Iwas clever."
"I do not suppose your mother knew."
"Why should she not know, she who was so very clever herself? She taughtme all sorts of things, and so did poor Jasper."
"Ah! I am glad at least that I have removed that dreadful woman out ofyour path," said Lady Frances.
Evelyn smiled and lowered her eyes. Her manner irritated her auntextremely.
"Well," she said, "go on; we will not discuss the fact of the form youought to be in. What lessons do you do?"
"Oh, history, grammar; I suppose, the usual English subjects."
"Yes, yes; but history--that is interesting. English history?"
"Yes, Aunt Frances."
"What part of the history?"
"We are doing the reigns of the Edwards now."
"Ah! can you tell me anything with regard to the reign of Edward I.?"
Evelyn colored. Lady Frances watched her.
"I am certain she knows," thought the little girl. "But, oh, this isterrible! Has that awful Miss Henderson told her? What shall I do? I donot think I will wait until the week is up; I think I will run away atonce."
"Answer my question, Evelyn," said her aunt.
Evelyn did mutter a tiny piece of information with regard to the saidreign.
"I shall question you on your history from time to time," said LadyFrances. "I take an interest in this school experiment. Whether it willlast or not I cannot say; but I may as well say one thing--if for anyreason your presence is not found suitable in the school where I havenow sent you, you will go to a very different order of establishment andto a much stricter _regime_ elsewhere."
"What is a _regime?_" asked Evelyn.
"I am too tired to answer your silly questions. Now go and read yourbook in that corner. Do not make a noise; I have a headache."
Evelyn slouched away, looking as cross and ill-tempered as a little girlcould look.
"Audrey darling," called her mother in a totally different tone ofvoice, "play me that pretty thing of Chopin's which you know I am sofond of."
Audrey approached the piano and began to play.
Evelyn read her book for a time without attending much to the meaning ofthe words. Then she observed that her uncle, who had been asleep behindhis newspaper, had risen and left the room. Here was the veryopportunity that she sought. If she could only get her Uncle Edwardquite by himself, and when he was in the best of good humors, he mightgive her some money. She could not run away without money to go with.Jasper, she knew, had not a large supply. Evelyn, with all her ignoranceof many things, had early in her life come into contact with the want ofmoney. Her mother had often and often been short of funds. When Mrs.Wynford was short, the ranch did without even, at times, the necessariesof life. Evelyn had a painful remembrance of butterless breakfasts andmeatless dinners; of shoes which were patched so often that they wouldscarcely keep out the winter snows; of little garments turned and turnedagain. Then money had come back, and life became smooth and pleasant;there was an abundance of good food for the various meals, and Evelynhad shoes to her heart's content, and the sort of gay-colored garmentswhich her mother delighted in. Yes, she understood Jasper's appeal formoney, and determined on no account to go to that good woman'sprotection without a sufficient sum in hand.
Therefore, as Audrey was playing some of the most seductive music ofthat past master of the art, Chopin, and Lady Frances lay back in herchair with closed eyes and listened, Evelyn left the room. She knewwhere to find her uncle, and going down a corridor, opened the door ofhis smoking-room without knocking. He was seated by the fire smoking. Anewspaper lay by his side; a pile of letters which had come by theevening post were waiting to be opened. When Evelyn quietly opened thedoor he looked round and said:
"Ah, it is you, Eve. Do you want anything, my dear?"
"May I speak to you for a minute or two, Uncle Edward?"
"Certainly, my dear Evelyn; come in. What is the matter, dear?"
"Oh, nothing much."
Evelyn went and leant up against her uncle. She had never a scrap offear of him, which was one reason why he liked her, and thought her farmore tolerable than did his wife or Audrey. Even Audrey, who was his ownchild, held him in a certain awe; but Evelyn leant comfortably nowagainst his side, and presently she took his arm of her own accord andpassed it securely round her waist.
"Now, that is nice," she said; "when I lean up against you I alwaysremember that you are father's brother."
"I am glad that you should remember that fact, Evelyn."
"You are pleased with me on the whole, aren't you, Uncle Edward?" askedthe little girl. Evelyn backed her head against his shoulder as shespoke, and looked into his face with her big and curious eyes.
"On the whole, yes."
"But Aunt Frances does not like me."
"You must try to win her affection, Evelyn; it will all come in goodtime."
"It is not pleasant to be in the house with a person who does not likeyou, is it, Uncle Edward?"
"I can understand you, Evelyn; it is not pleasant."
"And Audrey only half-likes me."
&n
bsp; "My dear little girl," said her uncle, rousing himself to talk in a moreserious strain, "would it not be wisest for you to give over thinking ofwho likes you and who does not, and to devote all your time to doingwhat is right?"
Evelyn made a wry face.
"I don't care about doing what is right," she said; "I don't like it."
Her uncle smiled.
"You are a strange girl; but I believe you have improved," he said.
"You would be sorry if I did anything very, very naughty, Uncle Edward?"
"I certainly should."
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
"He must not know. I must keep him from knowing somehow, but I wonderhow I shall," she thought.
"And perhaps you would be sorry," she continued, "if I were not here--ifyour naughty, naughty Eve was no longer in the house?"
"I should. I often think of you. I----"
"What, Uncle Edward?"
"Love you, little girl."
"Love me! Do you?" she asked in a tone of affection. "Do you really?Please say that again."
"I love you, Evelyn."
"Uncle Edward, may I give you just the tiniest kiss?"
"Yes, dear."
Evelyn raised her soft face and pressed a light kiss on her uncle'scheek. She was quite silent then for a minute; truth to tell, her heartwas expanding and opening out and softening, and great thrills of purelove were filling it, so that soon, soon that heart might have meltedutterly and been no longer a hard heart of stone. But, alas! as thesegood thoughts visited her, there came also the remembrance of the sinshe had committed, and of the desperate measures she was about to taketo save herself--for she had by no means come to the stage of confessingthat sin, and by so doing getting rid of her naughtiness.
"Uncle Edward," she said abruptly, "I want you to give me a littlemoney. I have come here to ask you. I want it all for my very own self.I want some money which no one else need know anything about."
"Of course, dear, you shall have money. How much do you want?"
"Well, a good bit. I want to give Jasper a present."
"Your old nurse?"
"Yes. You know it was unkind of Aunt Frances to send her away; motherywished her to stay with me."
"I know that, Evelyn, and as far as I personally am concerned, I amsorry; but your aunt knows very much more about little girls than I do."
"She does not know half so much about this girl."
"Well, anyhow, dear, it was her wish, and you and I must submit."
"But you are sorry?"
"For some reasons, yes."
"And you would like me to help Jasper?"
"Certainly. Do you know where your nurse is now, Evelyn?"
"I do."
"Where?"
"I would rather not say; only, may I send her some money?"
"That seems reasonable enough," thought the Squire.
"How much do you want?" he asked.
"Would twenty pounds be too much?"
"I think not. It is a good deal, but she was a faithful servant. I willgive you twenty pounds for her now."
The Squire rose and took out his check-book.
"Oh, please," said Evelyn, "I want it in gold."
"But how will you send it to her?"
"Never, never mind; I must have it in gold."
"Poor child! She is in earnest," thought the Squire. "Perhaps the womanwill come to meet her somewhere. I really cannot see why she should betabooed from having a short interview with her old nurse. Frances and Idiffer on this head. Yes, I will let her have the money; the child has agood deal of heart when all is said and done."
So the Squire put two little rolls, neatly made up in brown paper, intoEvelyn's hands.
"There," he said; "it is a great deal of money to trust a little girlwith, but you shall have it; only you must not ask me for any more."
"Oh, what a darling you are, Uncle Edward! I feel as if I must kiss youagain. There! those kisses are full of love. Now I must go. But, oh, Isay, _what_ a funny parcel!"
"What parcel, dear?"
"That long parcel on that table."
"It is a gun-case which I have not yet unpacked. Now run away."
"But that reminds me. You said I might go out some day to shoot withyou."
"On some future day. I do not much care for girls using firearms; andyou are so busy now with your school."
"You think, perhaps, that I cannot fire a gun, but I can aim well; I cankill a bird on the wing as neatly as any one. I told Audrey, and shewould not believe me. Please--please show me your new gun.
"Not now; I have not looked at it myself yet."
"But you do believe that I can shoot?"
"Oh yes, dear--yes, I suppose so. All the same, I should be sorry totrust you; I do not approve of women carrying firearms. Now leave me,Evelyn; I have a good deal to attend to."
Evelyn went to bed to think over her uncle's words; her disgrace atschool; the terrible _denouement_ which lay before her; the money, whichseemed to her to be the only way out, and which would insure her comfortwith Jasper wherever Jasper might like to take her; and finally, and byno means least, she meditated over the subject of her uncle's new gun.On the ranch she had often carried a gun of her own; from her earliestdays she had been accustomed to regard the women of her family asfirst-class shots. Her mother had herself taught her how to aim, how tofire, how to make allowance in order to bring her bird down on the wing,and Evelyn had followed out her instructions many times. She felt nowthat her uncle did not believe her, and the fear that this was the caseirritated her beyond words.
"I do not pretend to be learned," thought Evelyn, "and I do not pretendto be good, but there is one thing that I am, and that is a first-rateshot. Uncle Edward might show me his new gun. How little he guesses thatI can manage it quite as well as he can himself!"
Two or three days passed without anything special occurring. Evelyn wasfairly good at school; it was not, she considered, worth her while anylonger to shirk her lessons. She began in spite of herself, and quiteagainst her declared inclination, to have a sort of liking for herbooks. History was the only lesson which she thoroughly detested. Shecould not be civil to Miss Thompson, whom she considered her enemy; butto her other teachers she was fairly agreeable, and had already to acertain extent won the hearts of more than one of the girls in her form.She was bright and cheerful, and could say funny things; and as also shebrought an unlimited supply of chocolates and other sweetmeats toschool, these facts alone insured her being more or less of a favorite.At home she avoided her aunt and Audrey, and evening after evening shewent to the stile to have a chat with Jasper.
Jasper never failed to meet her little girl, as she called Evelyn, attheir arranged rendezvous. Evelyn managed to slip out without, as shethought, any one noticing her; and the days went by until there was onlyone day left before Miss Henderson would proclaim to the entire schoolthat Evelyn Wynford was the guilty person who had torn the preciousvolume of Ruskin.
"When you come for me to-morrow night, Jasper," said Evelyn, "I will goaway with you. Are you quite sure that it is safe to take me back to ThePriory?"
"Quite, quite safe, darling; hardly a soul knows that I am at ThePriory, and certainly no one will suspect that you are there. Besides,the place is all undermined with cellars, and at the worst you and Icould hide there together while the house was searched."
"What fun!" cried Evelyn, clapping her hands. "I declare, Jasper, it isalmost as good as a fairy story."
"Quite as good, my little love."
"And you will be sure to have a very, very nice supper ready for meto-morrow night?"
"Oh yes, dear; just the supper you like best--chocolate and sweet cakes."
"And you will tuck me up in bed as you used to?"
"Darling, I have put a little white bed close to my own, where you shallsleep."
"Oh Jasper, it will be nice to be with you again! And you are positiveSylvia will not tell?"
"She is sad about you, Evelyn, but she will not
tell. I have arrangedthat."
"And that terrible old man, her father, will he find out?"
"I think not, dear; he has not yet found out about me at any rate."
"Perhaps, Jasper, I had better go back now; it is later than usual."
"Be sure you bring the twenty pounds when you come to-morrow night,"said Jasper; "for my funds, what with one thing and another, are gettinglow."
"Yes, I will bring the money," replied Evelyn.
She returned to the house. No one saw her as she slipped in by the backentrance. She ran up to her room, smoothed her hair, and went down tothe drawing-room. Lady Frances and Audrey were alone in the big room.They had been talking together, but instantly became silent when Evelynentered.
"They have been abusing me, of course," thought the little girl; and sheflashed an angry glance first at one and then at the other.
"Evelyn," said her aunt, "have you finished learning your lessons? Youknow how extremely particular Miss Henderson is that school tasks shouldbe perfectly prepared."
"My lessons are all right, thank you," replied Evelyn in her brusquestvoice. She flung herself into a chair and crossed her legs.
"Uncross your legs, my dear; that is a very unlady-like thing to do."
Evelyn muttered something, but did what her aunt told her.
"Do not lean back so much, Evelyn; it is not good style. Do not poke outyour chin, either; observe how Audrey sits."
"I don't want to observe how Audrey sits," said Evelyn.
Lady Frances colored. She was about to speak, but a glance from herdaughter restrained her. Just then Read came into the room. Between Readand Evelyn there was already a silent feud. Read now glanced at theyoung lady, tossed her head a trifle, and went up to Lady Frances.
"I am very sorry to trouble you, madam," she said, "but if I may see youquite by yourself for a few moments I shall be very much obliged."
"Certainly, Read; go into my boudoir and I will join you there," saidher mistress. "I know," added Lady Frances graciously, "that you wouldnot disturb me if you had not something important to say."
"No, madam; I should be very sorry to do so."
Lady Frances and Read now left the room, and Audrey and Evelyn werealone. Audrey uttered a sigh.
"What is the matter, Audrey?" asked her cousin.
"I am thinking of the day after to-morrow," answered Audrey. "Theunhappy girl who has kept her secret all this time will be openlydenounced. It will be terribly exciting."
"You do not pretend that you pity her!" said Evelyn in a voice of scorn.
"Indeed I do pity her."
"What nonsense! That is not at all your way."
"Why should you say that? It is my way. I pity all people who have donewrong most terribly."
"Then have you ever pitied me since I came to England?"
"Oh yes, Evelyn--oh, indeed I have!"
"Please keep your pity to yourself; I don't want it."
Audrey relapsed into silence.
By and by Lady Frances came back; she was still accompanied by Read.
"What does a servant want in this room?" said Evelyn in her mostdisagreeable voice.
"Evelyn, come here," said her aunt; "I have something to say to you."
Evelyn went very unwillingly. Read stood a little in the background.
"Evelyn," said Lady Frances, "I have just heard something that surprisesme extremely, that pains me inexpressibly; it is true, so there is nouse in your denying it, but I must tell you what Read has discovered."
"Read!" cried Evelyn, her voice choking with passion and her face white."Who believes what a tell-tale-tit of that sort says?"
"You must not be impertinent, my dear. I wish to tell you that Read hasfound you out. Your maid Jasper has not left this neighborhood, and you,Evelyn--you are naughty enough and daring enough to meet her every nightby the stile that leads into the seven-acre meadow. Read observed yourabsence one night, and followed you herself to-night, and she discoveredeverything."
"Did you hear what I was saying to Jasper?" asked Evelyn, turning herwhite face now and looking full at Read.
"No, Miss Evelyn," replied the maid; "I would not demean myself tolisten."
"You would demean yourself to follow," said Evelyn.
"Confess your sin, Evelyn, and do not scold Read," interrupted LadyFrances.
"I have nothing to confess, Aunt Frances."
"But you did it?"
"Certainly I did it."
"You dared to go to meet a woman privately, clandestinely, whom I, youraunt, prohibited the house?"
"I dared to go to meet the woman my mother loved," replied Evelyn, "andI am not a bit ashamed of it; and if I had the chance I would do itagain."
"You are a very, very naughty girl. I am more than angry with you. I ampained beyond words. What is to become of you I know not. You are a badgirl; I cannot bear to think that you should be in the same house withAudrey."
"Loving the woman whom my mother loved does not make me a bad girl,"replied Evelyn. "But as you do not like to have me in the room, AuntFrances, I will go away--I will go up-stairs. I think you are very, veryunkind to me; I think you have been so from the first."
"Do not dare to say another word to me, miss; go away immediately."
Evelyn left the room. She was half-way up-stairs when she paused.
"What is the use of being good?" she said to herself. "What is the useof ever trying to please anybody? I really did not mean to be naughtywhen first I came, and if Aunt Frances had been different I might havebeen different too. What right had she to deprive me of Jasper whenmothery said that Jasper was to stay with me? It is Aunt Frances's faultthat I am such a bad girl now. Well, thank goodness! I shall not be heremuch longer; I shall be away this time to-morrow night. The only personI shall be sorry to leave is Uncle Edward. Audrey and I will be going toschool early in the morning, and then there will be the fuss and bustleand the getting away before Read sees me. Oh, that dreadful old Read!what can I do to blind her eyes to-morrow night? Throw dust into them insome fashion I must. I will just go and have one word of good-by withUncle Edward now."
Evelyn ran down the corridor which led to her uncle's room. She tappedat the door. There was no answer. She opened the door softly and peepedin. The room was empty. She was just about to go away again,considerably crestfallen and disappointed, when her eyes fell upon thegun-case. Instantly a sparkle came into her eyes; she went up to thecase, and removing the gun, proceeded to examine it. It was made on thenewest pattern, and was light and easily carried. It held six chambers,all of which could be most simply and conveniently loaded.
Evelyn knew well how to load a gun, and finding the proper cartridges,now proceeded to enjoy herself by making the gun ready for use. Havingloaded it, she returned it to its case.
"I know what I'll do," she thought. "Uncle Edward thinks that I cannotshoot; he thinks that I am not good at any one single thing. But I willshow him. I'll go out and shoot two birds on the wing before breakfastto-morrow; whether they are crows or whether they are doves or whetherthey are game, it does not matter in the least; I'll bring them in andlay them at his feet, and say:
"Here is what your wild niece Evelyn can do; and now you will believethat she has one accomplishment which is not vouchsafed to other girls."
So, having completed her task of putting the gun in absolute readinessfor its first essay in the field, she returned the case to its cornerand went up-stairs to bed.
