CHAPTER XLIV
BROUGHT HOME AT LAST
To my great delight I found that the weather, not often friendly tolovers, and lately seeming so hostile, had in the most important matterdone me a signal service. For when I had promised to take my love fromthe power of those wretches, the only way of escape apparent laythrough the main Doone-gate. For though I might climb the cliffs myself,especially with the snow to aid me, I durst not try to fetch Lorna upthem, even if she were not half-starved, as well as partly frozen;and as for Gwenny's door, as we called it (that is to say, the littleentrance from the wooded hollow), it was snowed up long ago to the levelof the hills around. Therefore I was at my wit's end how to get themout; the passage by the Doone-gate being long, and dark, and difficult,and leading to such a weary circuit among the snowy moors and hills.
But now, being homeward-bound by the shortest possible track, I slippedalong between the bonfire and the boundary cliffs, where I found a cavedway of snow behind a sort of avalanche: so that if the Doones had beenkeeping watch (which they were not doing, but revelling), they couldscarcely have discovered me. And when I came to my old ascent, where Ihad often scaled the cliff and made across the mountains, it struck methat I would just have a look at my first and painful entrance, to wit,the water-slide. I never for a moment imagined that this could help menow; for I never had dared to descend it, even in the finest weather;still I had a curiosity to know what my old friend was like, with somuch snow upon him. But, to my very great surprise, there was scarcelyany snow there at all, though plenty curling high overhead from thecliff, like bolsters over it. Probably the sweeping of the north-eastwind up the narrow chasm had kept the showers from blocking it,although the water had no power under the bitter grip of frost. All mywater-slide was now less a slide than path of ice; furrowed where thewaters ran over fluted ridges; seamed where wind had tossed and combedthem, even while congealing; and crossed with little steps wherever thefreezing torrent lingered. And here and there the ice was fibred withthe trail of sludge-weed, slanting from the side, and matted, so as tomake resting-place.
Lo it was easy track and channel, as if for the very purpose made, downwhich I could guide my sledge with Lorna sitting in it. There were onlytwo things to be feared; one lest the rolls of snow above should fall inand bury us; the other lest we should rush too fast, and so be carriedheadlong into the black whirlpool at the bottom, the middle of which wasstill unfrozen, and looking more horrible by the contrast. Against thisdanger I made provision, by fixing a stout bar across; but of the otherwe must take our chance, and trust ourselves to Providence.
I hastened home at my utmost speed, and told my mother for God's saketo keep the house up till my return, and to have plenty of fire blazing,and plenty of water boiling, and food enough hot for a dozen people, andthe best bed aired with the warming-pan. Dear mother smiled softly at myexcitement, though her own was not much less, I am sure, and enhanced bysore anxiety. Then I gave very strict directions to Annie, and praisedher a little, and kissed her; and I even endeavoured to flatter Eliza,lest she should be disagreeable.
After this I took some brandy, both within and about me; the former,because I had sharp work to do; and the latter in fear of whatever mighthappen, in such great cold, to my comrades. Also I carried some otherprovisions, grieving much at their coldness: and then I went to theupper linhay, and took our new light pony-sledd, which had been madealmost as much for pleasure as for business; though God only knows howour girls could have found any pleasure in bumping along so. On thesnow, however, it ran as sweetly as if it had been made for it; yet Idurst not take the pony with it; in the first place, because his hoofswould break through the ever-shifting surface of the light and pilingsnow; and secondly, because these ponies, coming from the forest, have adreadful trick of neighing, and most of all in frosty weather.
Therefore I girded my own body with a dozen turns of hay-rope, twistingboth the ends in under at the bottom of my breast, and winding the hayon the skew a little, that the hempen thong might not slip between, andso cut me in the drawing. I put a good piece of spare rope in the sledd,and the cross-seat with the back to it, which was stuffed with ourown wool, as well as two or three fur coats; and then, just as I wasstarting, out came Annie, in spite of the cold, panting for fear ofmissing me, and with nothing on her head, but a lanthorn in one hand.
'Oh, John, here is the most wonderful thing! Mother has never shown itbefore; and I can't think how she could make up her mind. She hadgotten it in a great well of a cupboard, with camphor, and spirits, andlavender. Lizzie says it is a most magnificent sealskin cloak, worthfifty pounds, or a farthing.'
'At any rate it is soft and warm,' said I, very calmly flinging it intothe bottom of the sledd. 'Tell mother I will put it over Lorna's feet.'
'Lorna's feet! Oh, you great fool,' cried Annie, for the first timereviling me; 'over her shoulders; and be proud, you very stupid John.'
'It is not good enough for her feet,' I answered, with strong emphasis;'but don't tell mother I said so, Annie. Only thank her very kindly.'
With that I drew my traces hard, and set my ashen staff into the snow,and struck out with my best foot foremost (the best one at snow-shoes, Imean), and the sledd came after me as lightly as a dog might follow; andAnnie, with the lanthorn, seemed to be left behind and waiting like apretty lamp-post.
The full moon rose as bright behind me as a paten of pure silver,casting on the snow long shadows of the few things left above, burdenedrock, and shaggy foreland, and the labouring trees. In the great whitedesolation, distance was a mocking vision hills looked nigh, andvalleys far; when hills were far and valleys nigh. And the misty breathof frost, piercing through the ribs of rock, striking to the pith oftrees, creeping to the heart of man, lay along the hollow places, like aserpent sloughing. Even as my own gaunt shadow (travestied as if I werethe moonlight's daddy-longlegs), went before me down the slope; evenI, the shadow's master, who had tried in vain to cough, when coughingbrought good liquorice, felt a pressure on my bosom, and a husking in mythroat.
However, I went on quietly, and at a very tidy speed; being only toothankful that the snow had ceased, and no wind as yet arisen. And fromthe ring of low white vapour girding all the verge of sky, and from therosy blue above, and the shafts of starlight set upon a quivering bow,as well as from the moon itself and the light behind it, having learnedthe signs of frost from its bitter twinges, I knew that we should havea night as keen as ever England felt. Nevertheless, I had work enough tokeep me warm if I managed it. The question was, could I contrive to savemy darling from it?
Daring not to risk my sledd by any fall from the valley-cliffs, Idragged it very carefully up the steep incline of ice, through thenarrow chasm, and so to the very brink and verge where first I had seenmy Lorna, in the fishing days of boyhood. As I then had a trident fork,for sticking of the loaches, so I now had a strong ash stake, to layacross from rock to rock, and break the speed of descending. With this Imoored the sledd quite safe, at the very lip of the chasm, where all wasnow substantial ice, green and black in the moonlight; and then I setoff up the valley, skirting along one side of it.
The stack-fire still was burning strongly, but with more of heat thanblaze; and many of the younger Doones were playing on the verge of it,the children making rings of fire, and their mothers watching them. Allthe grave and reverend warriors having heard of rheumatism, were insideof log and stone, in the two lowest houses, with enough of candlesburning to make our list of sheep come short.
All these I passed, without the smallest risk or difficulty, walking upthe channel of drift which I spoke of once before. And then I crossed,with more of care, and to the door of Lorna's house, and made the sign,and listened, after taking my snow-shoes off.
But no one came, as I expected, neither could I espy a light. And Iseemed to hear a faint low sound, like the moaning of the snow-wind.Then I knocked again more loudly, with a knocking at my heart: andreceiving no answer, set all my power at once against the door. In
amoment it flew inwards, and I glided along the passage with my feetstill slippery. There in Lorna's room I saw, by the moonlight flowingin, a sight which drove me beyond sense.
Lorna was behind a chair, crouching in the corner, with her hands up,and a crucifix, or something that looked like it. In the middle of theroom lay Gwenny Carfax, stupid, yet with one hand clutching the ankle ofa struggling man. Another man stood above my Lorna, trying to draw thechair away. In a moment I had him round the waist, and he went out ofthe window with a mighty crash of glass; luckily for him that window hadno bars like some of them. Then I took the other man by the neck; and hecould not plead for mercy. I bore him out of the house as lightly as Iwould bear a baby, yet squeezing his throat a little more than I fainwould do to an infant. By the bright moonlight I saw that I carriedMarwood de Whichehalse. For his father's sake I spared him, and becausehe had been my schoolfellow; but with every muscle of my body strungwith indignation, I cast him, like a skittle, from me into a snowdrift,which closed over him. Then I looked for the other fellow, tossedthrough Lorna's window, and found him lying stunned and bleeding,neither able to groan yet. Charleworth Doone, if his gushing blood didnot much mislead me.
It was no time to linger now; I fastened my shoes in a moment, andcaught up my own darling with her head upon my shoulder, where shewhispered faintly; and telling Gwenny to follow me, or else I would comeback for her, if she could not walk the snow, I ran the whole distanceto my sledd, caring not who might follow me. Then by the time I had setup Lorna, beautiful and smiling, with the seal-skin cloak all over her,sturdy Gwenny came along, having trudged in the track of my snow-shoes,although with two bags on her back. I set her in beside her mistress,to support her, and keep warm; and then with one look back at the glen,which had been so long my home of heart, I hung behind the sledd, andlaunched it down the steep and dangerous way.
Though the cliffs were black above us, and the road unseen in front, anda great white grave of snow might at a single word come down, Lorna wasas calm and happy as an infant in its bed. She knew that I was with her;and when I told her not to speak, she touched my hand in silence. Gwennywas in a much greater fright, having never seen such a thing before,neither knowing what it is to yield to pure love's confidence. I couldhardly keep her quiet, without making a noise myself. With my staff fromrock to rock, and my weight thrown backward, I broke the sledd's toorapid way, and brought my grown love safely out, by the selfsame roadwhich first had led me to her girlish fancy, and my boyish slavery.
Unpursued, yet looking back as if some one must be after us, we skirtedround the black whirling pool, and gained the meadows beyond it. Herethere was hard collar work, the track being all uphill and rough; andGwenny wanted to jump out, to lighten the sledd and to push behind. ButI would not hear of it; because it was now so deadly cold, and I fearedthat Lorna might get frozen, without having Gwenny to keep her warm. Andafter all, it was the sweetest labour I had ever known in all mylife, to be sure that I was pulling Lorna, and pulling her to our ownfarmhouse.
Gwenny's nose was touched with frost, before we had gone much farther,because she would not keep it quiet and snug beneath the sealskin. Andhere I had to stop in the moonlight (which was very dangerous) and rubit with a clove of snow, as Eliza had taught me; and Gwenny scoldingall the time, as if myself had frozen it. Lorna was now so far oppressedwith all the troubles of the evening, and the joy that followed them, aswell as by the piercing cold and difficulty of breathing, that she layquite motionless, like fairest wax in the moonlight--when we stole aglance at her, beneath the dark folds of the cloak; and I thought thatshe was falling into the heavy snow-sleep, whence there is no awaking.
Therefore, I drew my traces tight, and set my whole strength to thebusiness; and we slipped along at a merry pace, although with manyjoltings, which must have sent my darling out into the cold snowdriftsbut for the short strong arm of Gwenny. And so in about an hour's time,in spite of many hindrances, we came home to the old courtyard, and allthe dogs saluted us. My heart was quivering, and my cheeks as hot asthe Doones' bonfire, with wondering both what Lorna would think ofour farm-yard, and what my mother would think of her. Upon the formersubject my anxiety was wasted, for Lorna neither saw a thing, nor evenopened her heavy eyes. And as to what mother would think of her, she wascertain not to think at all, until she had cried over her.
And so indeed it came to pass. Even at this length of time, I can hardlytell it, although so bright before my mind, because it moves my heartso. The sledd was at the open door, with only Lorna in it; for GwennyCarfax had jumped out, and hung back in the clearing, giving any reasonrather than the only true one--that she would not be intruding. At thedoor were all our people; first, of course, Betty Muxworthy, teachingme how to draw the sledd, as if she had been born in it, and flourishingwith a great broom, wherever a speck of snow lay. Then dear Annie,and old Molly (who was very quiet, and counted almost for nobody), andbehind them, mother, looking as if she wanted to come first, butdoubted how the manners lay. In the distance Lizzie stood, fearful ofencouraging, but unable to keep out of it.
Betty was going to poke her broom right in under the sealskin cloak,where Lorna lay unconscious, and where her precious breath hung frozen,like a silver cobweb; but I caught up Betty's broom, and flung it cleanaway over the corn chamber; and then I put the others by, and fetched mymother forward.
'You shall see her first,' I said: 'is she not your daughter? Hold thelight there, Annie.'
Dear mother's hands were quick and trembling, as she opened the shiningfolds; and there she saw my Lorna sleeping, with her black hair alldishevelled, and she bent and kissed her forehead, and only said, 'Godbless her, John!' And then she was taken with violent weeping, and I wasforced to hold her.
'Us may tich of her now, I rackon,' said Betty in her most jealous way;'Annie, tak her by the head, and I'll tak her by the toesen. No taimeto stand here like girt gawks. Don'ee tak on zo, missus. Ther be vainervish in the zea--Lor, but, her be a booty!'
With this, they carried her into the house, Betty chattering all thewhile, and going on now about Lorna's hands, and the others crowdinground her, so that I thought I was not wanted among so many women, andshould only get the worst of it, and perhaps do harm to my darling.Therefore I went and brought Gwenny in, and gave her a potful ofbacon and peas, and an iron spoon to eat it with, which she did rightheartily.
Then I asked her how she could have been such a fool as to let those twovile fellows enter the house where Lorna was; and she accounted for itso naturally, that I could only blame myself. For my agreement had beento give one loud knock (if you happen to remember) and after that twolittle knocks. Well these two drunken rogues had come; and one, beingvery drunk indeed, had given a great thump; and then nothing more todo with it; and the other, being three-quarters drunk, had followed hisleader (as one might say) but feebly, and making two of it. Whereupon upjumped Lorna, and declared that her John was there.
All this Gwenny told me shortly, between the whiles of eating, and evenwhile she licked the spoon and then there came a message for me that mylove was sensible, and was seeking all around for me. Then I told Gwennyto hold her tongue (whatever she did among us), and not to trust towomen's words; and she told me they all were liars, as she had foundout long ago; and the only thing to believe in was an honest man, whenfound. Thereupon I could have kissed her as a sort of tribute, liking tobe appreciated; yet the peas upon her lips made me think about it; andthought is fatal to action. So I went to see my dear.
That sight I shall not forget; till my dying head falls back, and mybreast can lift no more. I know not whether I were then more blessed,or harrowed by it. For in the settle was my Lorna, propped withpillows round her, and her clear hands spread sometimes to the blazingfireplace. In her eyes no knowledge was of anything around her, neitherin her neck the sense of leaning towards anything. Only both her lovelyhands were entreating something, to spare her, or to love her; and thelines of supplication quivered in her sad white face.
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sp; 'All go away, except my mother,' I said very quietly, but so that Iwould be obeyed; and everybody knew it. Then mother came to me alone;and she said, 'The frost is in her brain; I have heard of this before,John.' 'Mother, I will have it out,' was all that I could answer her;'leave her to me altogether; only you sit there and watch.' For I feltthat Lorna knew me, and no other soul but me; and that if not interferedwith, she would soon come home to me. Therefore I sat gently by her,leaving nature, as it were, to her own good time and will. And presentlythe glance that watched me, as at distance and in doubt, began toflutter and to brighten, and to deepen into kindness, then to beam withtrust and love, and then with gathering tears to falter, and in shameto turn away. But the small entreating hands found their way, as if byinstinct, to my great projecting palms; and trembled there, and restedthere.
For a little while we lingered thus, neither wishing to move away,neither caring to look beyond the presence of the other; both alike sofull of hope, and comfort, and true happiness; if only the world wouldlet us be. And then a little sob disturbed us, and mother tried to makebelieve that she was only coughing. But Lorna, guessing who she was,jumped up so very rashly that she almost set her frock on fire from thegreat ash log; and away she ran to the old oak chair, where mother wasby the clock-case pretending to be knitting, and she took the work frommother's hands, and laid them both upon her head, kneeling humbly, andlooking up.
'God bless you, my fair mistress!' said mother, bending nearer, and thenas Lorna's gaze prevailed, 'God bless you, my sweet child!'
And so she went to mother's heart by the very nearest road, even as shehad come to mine; I mean the road of pity, smoothed by grace, and youth,and gentleness.
Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor Page 45
